February ~ the year of the unending winter

I was tempted to pull out a few springlike February photos from yesteryear to post here today...since I'm thinking we have all had enough snow for this year.

But winter just seems to keep rolling though the valley, so we will end this month as we began...with winter photos. 

On February 1st, I had a visit from an 'old' high-school friend. The wind was howling and it was frigid out...but we bundled up and went for a walk at Cheam Wetlands Park.  We were the only ones there and quite enjoyed our brisk walk around the lake...until we heard what sounded like a very loud and hungry cat 'meowing' somewhere in the trees near the trail. A cougar? Bobcat? We did not want to find out.  We backtracked to the safety of our car and continued our visit over a warm cup of coffee indoors instead. Though Carol and I rarely see each other, we always just pick up where we left off.  Love those forever friends!

Then came Valentine's Day.  Emme and Spencer reminded me that we used to have Valentine's parties.  Maybe we should have one again.  And so we did. My five granddaughters came for a tea party and Grandpa volunteered to take the boys on an outing.

Lucy, Maggie and Ranen stayed for a sleepover. For breakfast?  XOXO pancakes.

Had we known what kind of a winter we were in for, we may have thought twice about booking a trip to Iceland in February!  But we were committed...and we totally enjoyed our little adventure.   Once I have sorted through all the photos, I'll do a few posts about Iceland. For now, I'll just give you a little peek.

We spent our first afternoon at the Blue Lagoon...natural geothermal pools that cover many acres.

We so enjoyed our time there...one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland.

We saw glaciers, rivers, waterfalls, lava caves, hotsprings, geysers and much more. 

We went from early until late every day...and made the most of our six day trip. It was another excellent adventure with good friends that we have traveled with many times over the years.  We arrived home late Friday night...totally jet-lagged and travel weary, of course.

But after a few hours of sleep, I was off on another kind of adventure. The ladies from our 'small group' don't need much of an excuse to celebrate...and since two of us had milestone birthdays recently they planned an outing. Our first stop was 'All of Oils' in Abbotsford for a oil and vinegar tasting party. Who knew that olive oil and balsamic vinegars came in so many flavours and could taste so good?  Then there was high tea at Dicken's Tea Shop...which was most delightful. Irene thought it would be fitting for us all to wear red hats...and so she supplied those. I think we may find more occasions to wear them!

Ranen was in an Irish dance competition in Surrey this weekend and did exceptionally well. We made it there in time to watch the finalists dance...and to see Ranen take home the big trophy.  Besides doing so well in all of the dance categories...she also won the trophy for fiddling. She was more than delighted...and we were proud of her, of course! 

And so the month of February comes to an end...filled with many good things.

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And snow. This photo was taken early yesterday afternoon...and by evening the snow lay thick on the ground once again. I'm really hoping I won't be posting any more snow pictures in March!

Wishing you all a 'happy spring'!