July 5-6

Friday I undertook the enormous task of cleaning out the garage. Don't know exactly what possessed me - maybe wanting to have the car out of the sun when it gets hot, so we wouldn't bake every time we hopped in to go somewhere. Tim and I had appies at Stone Pipe, since Anna was out with her Nanas. Saturday Anna and I went to the lantern workshop, and made a lantern that we'll take to the festival later this month. Then we went on an epic shopping and errand expedition, returning home after supper. Sunday was relaxed. I went for my annual pedicure, and we hung out in the back yard (Anna had her "big friends" over,) and I made a picnic for us to take down to the river, which we did. I made hummus, grilled chicken spinach salad, and baked cookies! It was such a peaceful ending to the weekend. I stayed up late Sunday night, cleaning up, and listening to music. Nice to have a low-key weekend here, since we're headed out next weekend for our Saltspring adventure!

June 28-29 & Canada Day

Friday after work/daycare Anna and I headed out for our Friday ritual: our end of week "date." We usually go to a coffee shop and have a hot chocolate for Anna, and a coffee for me, and often a treat of some description. But now that it's hot out, we didn't want the usual. We went to the drug store to pick up antihistamines for me (my naturopathic remedies failed me once grass season hit with full force,) and a treat. Well, Anna was some pleased to find they make cotton candy in a bag. Now, we don't even need fairs, or summer. We could have cotton candy sitting around the fire on Christmas Eve! That evening, Anna and Tim hung out while I went to my friend Linda's for a girls' night. We stayed up until 1:30 (honestly can't remember the last time I did that!) around the camp fire, and camped on Linda's gorgeous Metchosin property, with a glimpse of the sea and lights at night and a beautiful sunrise. Waffles in the morning.

Saturday we hung out in the back yard, soaking up the sun. Anna and I developed a game that involved throwing a lot of water balloons on the trampoline and then jumping on them.

Sunday, pancakes for breakfast, and then to the river for a paddle. Anna's first time in our little inflatable boat. It took some convincing. We saw the most interesting stick bugs in the water, crawling along the bottom. And I actually got submerged, though the river was still pretty cool to swim for very long. The afternoon and evening involved more hanging out in the back yard, more swinging in our hammock, in fact, an entire half hour nap in the hammock. For me, not Anna. She's given up her nap. I'm still recovering from my summer cold. I bark like a seal. It's quite unbecoming. The current combination of antihistamine/sinus medication/nasal steroids/Ventolin/Flovent don't seem to be kicking it. I tried working in bed all day Monday.

Today, Canada Day. A slow morning, watering things. It's been hot. We walked down to the Sooke flats after lunch, and were just in time for the national anthem, and free cake. Then, well, you'd *think* Anna would be sick of cotton candy, but... no. So we had more. Then Anna got to stump Kernel Popcorn (KP: what animal balloon would you like? A: An elephant! KP (face fallen, completely crushed) I can't make an elephant out of balloons. How about a kitty?) Then the magic show, and not one, but two different bouncy castles. We had lunch no. 2 and Anna tried a Spiderman popsicle. The dog agility show held less appeal for Anna than in previous years, so it was off home for more trampolining on water balloons, and ordering in pizza. Now we're just waiting for fireworks. Again this year, I don't have the heart to wake Anna for them, so I think Tim & I will just watch what we can see from the yard.