Happy Valentine Day

Happy Valentine Day to my blog friends and to family: Sha, Eric, Dani, JJ, Allyson, Alycia, Curtis, Elaine, and Marielle. And especially Sue.

Armchair Travels

It's not been a particularly wonderful winter here in Anvilcloudia. Mostly, it has been cold and/or windy, gray and/or rainy (sometimes with freezing rain). There have been a few nice snowfalls but, generally speaking, the subsequent weather was not very good or at least not for very long, which made enjoying the pretty aftermath a little problematic. So, we've been a bit more housebound than we would like.

However, last week, I lucked into three good novels, the page-turning type that draw you in and carry you right along and away. Without straying from my recliner, I have been to Yorkshire (with a sidetrip to Estonia), Northern Quebec and Washington State.

I was with Inspector Banks in Yorkshire and Estonia, helping to solve a mystery involving illegal immigrants and, of course, a murder. Peter Robinson writes a good mystery involving Inspector Banks and his aide Annie Chabot. He generally seems to follow police procedure more authentically than most mystery writers, and Watching the Dark is no exception. Sidenote: we have recently found a few Inspector Banks episodes on TV, and they seem to be very well done.

Then I accompanied Inspector Gamache to a monastery in Northern Quebec. The mythical monastery was a most interesting setting as was the plot involving Gregorian chants. There were two main layers of mystery: one being the requisite murder, and the second having to do with the chants themselves. I might even be moved to write a separate post on Louise Penny and this Beautiful Mystery. Not sure.

My third getaway to Washington was in the form of a Young Adult fiction by Elizabeth George. I didn't know it was YA when I asked the library to reserve it for me, thinking it might be another Lynley mystery, but I wasn't disappointed in the story. It was about a teenage girl who has some sort of ESP. She hears others' thoughts as fragmented whispers. When she overhears a whisper about a murder, she is forced to flee for safety. It will be a trilogy in the end, but part one, The Edge of Nowhere, came to a satisfactory conclusion for me.

They were all consumed over the course of a few days, so I am somewhat bleary-eyed, but I sure enjoyed my armchair travels. I didn't have to pack and the getting there was not at all tedious or tiring.

Snow and Birds

We had a nice break in the weather on the weekend. The storm was over, and the cold let up. We seem to have been housebound rather too much this winter because it had been cold or icy or gray or rain most of the time, so we were anxious to get for a little break. Little did we know that beyond enjoying a pleasant walk, another treat was in store.

We went for a walk through the woods across the river.

We came across some sort of bird feeder. It looked as though it was filled with
snow, but as we lingered, a nuthatch came along to feed on something or other.

Then a chickadee came by.

The two birds were willing to share.

And so it went.

We watched and snapped pictures for perhaps ten minutes.

As we continued out walk, chickadees accompanied us all of the way. Sorry, we didn't bring any treats although there were some seeds left in the car from my pre-Christmas walk in a different woods. That time, I went prepared to visit with the birds, but I wasn't expecting it this time. Somehow, that made it even more fun. Since this park is close, we must return with seeds, and maybe with JJ and Danica too. I wonder if they would like to feed the birds by hand? I think it might freak them out.

After the pleasant weekend we are back to miserable weather — rain and freezing rain. Blech.

More Birthday Photos

My mind is definitely slipping. I found more pictures of JJ's birthday on my memory card after almost a week. They were actually from birthday party #2. He had the bowling party on Sunday, but we did the little family dinner on Monday, his actual birthday. There were a few more presents to open, and the cake made another appearance for the ceremonial blowing of the candles.

He got a Sens hat and mitts. Both his dad and I are Habs fans, but since we live in Ottawa ...

What a great expression as the cake and candles make their way to the table.

He got a little tent to go over his bed, and sister got to get under it too.

Another Birthday

It's birthday week in Anviland. Today is my daughter-in-law's birthday. The girl is stylish and into pink.

Happy Birthday, Alycia.

The Boy is Four Years Old

It's almost mind-boggling to me that my youngest grandchild is four years old today. To commemorate the event, I put together a collage of JJ at various ages with the two current ones being in the centre. They were taken on "Wild Hair Day" for storytime at the library. The one on the centre-right is after his accessories were removed.

In fact I used that same picture for the front of his homemade birthday card. We usually do homemade cards around here. It's a practice that I somtimes regret starting.

We had his main celebration yesterday, beginning with a party at our tiny town bowling lanes.

We then adjourned home where present were opened and cake was eaten and where funny hats were sometimes worn, even by the cat.

Since today is really his birthday, we'll have another wee celebration at suppertime.

Moments

In a dull week of a dull winter, there were some moments to cherish. The first (above) happened after school as we were watching American Idol. Suddenly, the girl was snuggling up to her Buppa. Below, we find something funny before school one morning. If we can pin her down long enough, we will get her to read or to be read to. It's often a bit of both.

In the video below, we share many giggles over our attempts to play pattacake. Clearly, this is not my forte, but what fun we had.