Tuesday, February 28, 2017

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'!

9 comments:

  1. Congrats to Ranen! How exciting for her to place so well in competition. Your final photo is absolutely gorgeous - Hallmark card or magazine cover worthy. Going to Iceland in February sounds ambitious indeed, eager to see the trip photos. I can't believe it's going to be March tomorrow...

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  2. Oh-oh. I can read the tea leaves. I know what this means in about a week's time. Blast! 🙃😏😳

    Despite the snow...another wonderful month in the can! Looking forward to seeing more pics from your Iceland trip. Thank goodness for those thermal pools or it might just have been too much of a good thing.

    Always great to see the grandgirlies having fun together. Hope that the boys had fun, too.

    Ranen is so accomplished! Congrats to her! 🎈

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  3. Lovely photos . Looks like February was a good month for you despite all the snow . We have been spring like here for a few weeks no snow left all though we never got much and are all green and the only participation has been rain with thunderstorms , our spring birds have been back for a few weeks as well . Hope winter ends for you soon and spring jumps in! Thanks for sharing Happy March !

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  4. Hi Judy, You've had a colder winter than we've had here in Colorado. Our weather is always such a mix-some days so warm and spring like and then the next snow. We also had a Valentine's Day lunch for our one of our daughters and her four girls(the other daughter and her four were sick) and hubby took the two oldest grandsons out to lunch. I love your granddaughter's name-it sounds Irish? I'm 100% Irish-American(second generation) and four of my granddaughters have Irish names. Great job on the dance and trophy, as well as fiddling.
    Thanks for sharing; may spring come quickly.
    Hugs, Noreen

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  5. Even though we have all had enough for the season, your house looks so beautiful in the snow! Love the valentines tea picture and the red hat friends! How fun is that?
    Congratulations to Ranen! I'm especially proud of everyone who does well on the violin! =)

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  6. What a winter we've had! The snow this week was rather unexpected for us. It's all gone now, and I'm hoping for sunnier weather. What a sweet Valentine's Day tea you enjoyed with your grand girlies. They are all looking very grownup. Congrats to Ranen on her accomplishments. Looking forward to reading more about Iceland - it sounds like a fun place to visit.

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  7. Oh boy, such a snowy month for sure! That geothermal pool in Iceland looks amazing. That trophy is as big as Ranen! Amazing job. The Valentine
    tea party with all those sweet faces looks great. Here's hoping March will be a bit tamer than February!

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  8. I'm just smiling at Ranen and the trophy that is as big as she is. My goodness... that is a darling talented little girl!
    My favourite photo is the red train against the winterscape and blue mountains. Just beautiful! Calendar worthy for sure.

    Love the pancakes... a great post for new years Valentines day on MGCC!

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  9. That picture of you and your granddaughter's tea party is priceless. It warms my heart! You have captured some great photos and memories of the month past .... Here's to Spring.

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson