Summer Solstice Weekend

I have just been informed I need to dial ten digits to make a local call. Around here, we still give our phone number in four digits, so this is just kookybananas. I don't like it.

It occurs to me some of these weekend reports aren't terribly interesting blog reading. But they're serving a purpose for me--I stopped scrapbooking. I just haven't been able to find the time lately. But coming here and being able to read a little reminder of what we did, with pictures, is nice. It's taking the place of scrapbooking, although what I liked about scrapbooking is that it got me away from the screen. I'm going to have to find some happy medium. I can't spend a lot of non work time on the computer, as my shoulder/neck situation just won't stand for it these days. I've bought a new chair, new keyboard, foot reast and forearm support, and remind myself to sit properly, but I still end up with knots in my muscles. Go figure.

Friday night Anna and I hit the flats for the start of the bluegrass festival, burgers and dogs. Yum. Then Tim and I stayed up a little later than the light, but not by much. Saturday Anna and I head to Sarah & Jurgen's place in Otter Point to have a last play out there (they've moved to Victoria). We took the girls to Gordon's Beach to climb on the rocks and have a little picnic, then back to play in their empty house! After, Anna and I went to the flats to listen to some more bluegrass, then home for chili with Brendan and Kyle, and a game in the evening. I think I got too much sun, though no real burn, on Saturday. Sunday I woke up with a cold. I finally put away all the mittens, scarves and toques (we got our Christmas lights off just the other weekend... so summer's really arrived! long story--i was afraid to go back up the ladder, and tim's not fond of heights either). We had pancakes, and Anna and I went to the flats one last time to take in the last part of the festival (and more lemonade-discovered anna likes the cherry kind). Early bed last night, and this morning, I'm a little suffering.

:)

I love this, below. First, because I've had the exact same question in my head when composing email to those I figure will take my use of emoticons not as a sign that I am a lousy writer, but that I'm merely having fun. Second, because I love the Chicago Manual of Style's dry-humoured response.

Q. My question is, is there any standard for the usage of emoticons? In particular, is there an accepted practice for the use of emoticons that include an opening or closing parenthesis as the final token within a set of parentheses? Should I (1) incorporate the emoticon into the closing of the parentheses (giving a dual purpose to the closing parenthesis, such as in this case. :-) (2) simply leave the emoticon up against the closing parenthesis, ignoring the bizarre visual effect of the doubled closing parenthesis (as I am doing here, producing a doubled-chin effect :-)) (3) put a space or two between the emoticon and the closing parenthesis (like this: :-) ) (4) or avoid the situation by using a different emoticon (Some emoticons are similar. :-D), placing the emoticon elsewhere, or doing without it (i.e., reword to avoid awkwardness)?

A. Until academic standards decline enough to accommodate the use of emoticons, I’m afraid CMOS is unlikely to treat their styling, since the manual is aimed primarily at scholarly publications. And the problems you’ve posed in this note give us added incentive to keep our distance. (But I kind of like that double-chin effect.)

Heh.

non weekend related post

“Thirty five is a very attractive age;
London society is full of women who have of their own
free choice remained thirty-five for years.”
Oscar Wilde

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your significant other? Tim
3. Your hair? graying
4. Your skin? tanned
5. Your mother? sense-missing
6. Your favorite thing? beach
7. Your dream last night? dollhouse
8. Your favorite drink? cosmopolitan
9. Your dream/goal? book
10. The room you're in? office
11. Your ex? why?
12. Your fear? heights
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
14. Where were you last night? backyard
15. What you're not? tall
16. Muffins? pumpkin
17. One of your wish list items? art
18. Where you grew up? victoria
19. The last thing you did? email
20. What are you wearing? jeans
21. Your TV? cableless
22. Your pets? TiF
23. Your computer? here
24. Your life? good
25. Your mood? impatient
26. Missing someone? yes
27. Your car? compact
28. Something you are not wearing? socks
29. Favorite store? munro’s
30. Summer? yes
31. Where? vancouverisland
32. Like someone? yes
33. Your favorite color? #8B00FF
34. When is the last time you laughed? breakfast
35. Last time you cried? ?
36. Who will/would re-post this? Penny?
37. Whose answers are you anxious to see? anyone’s!

June 14-15 Father's Day

This weekend Anna hung out with her Nanas on Saturday and we had a visit with friends Tikki & Jeff, who are having a baby soon. Then Tim and I took a lovely hike up DeMamiel creek in our water shoes. The water was just not quite warm enough yet for a dip. But soon! Then headed to Homer's for a burger and fries drenched in malt vinegar and salt. I made a largely fruitless errand run to Langford--unwise given the price of gas. Sunday Anna & I surprised Tim with french toast in bed, and we spent the day catching up on laundry and getting things ready for a barbeque here in the evening, while Anna played in the backyard (in swimsuits, with water balloons and water pistols and new waterslide, despite the chillyness) with her neighbourhood friends. We had salmon done on a cedar plank, and coconut cream pie, and lovely shiraz. . Mmmn... All I can say is, that weekend went FAST.

pics coming soooon...

June 7-8: Summer, where'd you go?

Anna passed Salamander this weekend! She had her last lesson on Saturday morning, and next time she'll be a Sunfish. Yay! The pool is shut down for three weeks, sadly, so we won't be able to go practice her new skills for a bit. Saturday afternoon Anna and I went to the museum, it being a kind of indoorish day, then out for dinner. Sunday was Oak Bay tea party time. The kids were shivering on the beach, so the picnic part of the experience really wasn't what it was last year. But the kids had fun on the rides, and consuming the fair delicacies of mini donuts and cotton candy. That evening another dinner out, this time a friend's birthday. Then, an early bed. We were all exhausted. Anna and Tim have colds, but are recovering. The weather is playing tricks on us. Poured rain this morning. Hello, summer? June? Where are you?

Summer has arrived

Okay, it’s been a really long winter. Now that summer is here, I’m makin’ a Summer To Do List, to make sure I squeeze in as much summery goodness as possible.
1. camp at Sombrio
2. have many, many picnics.
3. Take Anna to Saltspring market (Saturday afternoons - and maybe camp on Saltspring too)
4. find a sunscreen I like.
5. swim outside, lots
6. explore potholes further than last year (maybe see leechtown site)
7. have a supper picnic at Witty’s Beach and swim in the evening
8. make a sandcastle
9. play at French beach
10. make homemade berry shortcakes
That's really just a top ten. There are many more.

In fact, I’m going to celebrate summer every weekend, and report on it here. With a picture.

I’ll have to backtrack a bit, because I’ve just had three awesome summer weekends.

May 31-June1

We headed out to Bamberton, on the lovely Saanich Inlet. We camped overnight there, and spent two afternoons picnicking on the beach, and swimming (well, I swam), and exploring the water's edge with its apparently thousands of little crabs. Anna saved a few from the beach, too, and now she's their hero.

May 24-25

Last weekend, after Anna’s swimming lesson, Anna and I went to Witty’s Beach with Glenda and Everett. Had a lovely picnic with pasta salad and kiwi fruit. Tried out the beach umbrella. Poked in the sand, checked out crabs in the water. I was three when I spotted a large crab at Witty’s Beach and I ran screaming to my grandmother who was sunbathing on the shore. This is a pretty strong early memory for me. So when my three year old daughter spotted a large crab, surely as big as the one I saw that day 32 years ago, and wanted to bend down and touch it--I was amazed. Totally impressed. My daughter is very cool. I did the worried mom thing though and told her to just look—those pincers still looked pretty damn big. The crab was blowing bubbles. We thought maybe it wanted back in the water, and moved it into a tide pool. Sunday was the big half marathon and brunch day. I’m still a tad sore, but not as bad as I thought I was going to be. We won’t discuss the time. Turns out I’m the slowest runner in Sooke. We went to grandpa’s new pad after and played with an enormous bottle of bubbles.

May 17-19

The first was my birthday weekend. Got that inaugural sunburn on Friday while sitting out on the patio working on the laptop. Went to Japanese dinner sporting said burn, and then out for drinks and cake. Little issue with coming home and car insurance, but we’ve overcome that. Saturday was all about buying some shade and garden supplies... patio umbrella (since part of our old one is still hostage at the old house) and a beach umbrella. Luxton Fair with Anna, and she rode the carousel and got some long awaited cotton candy. Game night that night, and birthday cake. Sunday we hung out in the back yard all day, in the hot weather, and I built a lovely raised garden bed, and Anna played with a neighbourhood friend with a sprinkler under the trampoline, and we blew up the baby pool. Anna’s pretty big for it, now.

Monday, I ran 20 km and turned 35. Hung out with friends on the patio eating mousse cake. Ordered an obscene amount of takeout for a three person family in the evening, drank a cosmo, went for a walk, and collapsed at home for a rather early bedtime. Sleep is good.