H-to-the-J's

We have finally had some rain in the last 48 hrs. The ground has had a good soaking and the flowers loved it. Unfortunately so did the weeds and they appear to be thriving. It was a little cooler yesterday and we slept with window open and Aircon off for the first time in ages. Humidity came back today!

After my hearing aid appointment yesterday, i decided to visit a shop i know that sells bedding. As the shop is located in Ottawa I also dropped in for a quick outdoor visit with a friend. I hadn’t seen this friend since early Feb., it was lovely. I wonder when we will be able to just visit friends like this on a regular basis? i know some of my friends would be happy with doing this but others are very wary. None of this is helped by the media who have been reporting, over the last few days, on people who have recovered from a bout of Covid 19. Most of them seem to have lingering problems which are enough to scare most people. I suspect this is the idea, so we will be very carful about how we interact in society now the Govt. has opened up a larger part of Ontario. I still think life is for living and thus I will try and do so, carefully.

Today I went back to my favorite book store, it has finally reopened and was chock full of books. I found “Princes Prunella and the Purple Peanut” by Margaret Attwood. I shall read this to Katya even though i find Attwood a little difficult. I was eventually driven out by a sweaty face and steamed up glasses. I no longer enjoy shopping and shall probably only go to one or two stores at a time instead of visiting a lot like I used to do.

Christina and Misha will be celebrating there 7th Wedding anniversary soon. This anniversary is associated with wool and copper, interesting as They run a yarn store.

The Canada Reads winner is “We have always Been here” I think I would like to read this book. See below.

https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/the-winner-of-canada-reads-2020-is-1.5660174

A lot of people seem to be going to the cottage or taking a trailer to a camp site in their local area as a way of having a summer break. Dave and I always camped when we went on holiday in UK. After we came to Canada we would go away with the tent for long w/e’s and had a holiday in the winter to a hot destination. We still have the above tent but i think it is long past its sell by date.

Just took the grandchildren back. We had a great little visit from 16th July. The weather was hot and humid but we managed to spend time outdoors because we had two paddling pools. I should also mention that it has been very dry so we are trying to be carful with the water. We will use it to water the garden now the kids have gone. On our way back we stopped on the 1,000 island Parkway for an impromptu picnic. It was much cooler down by the St. Lawrence River, nice memories.

It was a real pleasure this visit, they were both interesting and funny and enjoyed everything we did with them. From visiting Ms. Canada Day at the end of our driveway, to setting up the pools, wading in them and splashing water around, eating freshly picked peas from our garden as well as freshly liberated ice pops from our freezer. Watching the original Mary Poppins while eating popcorn during a very muggy, cloudy, stormy Sunday. Not to mention the hours spent with toys and books. We will miss, them as always.

A couple I know in the next village celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on the 16th July sitting on their front porch and watching pretty much the whole village drive or walk by. They were festooned with balloons and showered with gifts while everyone kept there distance. It was great to watch on U Tube.

It is still hot today but cooler weather is forecast for tomorrow so i hope to be able to get into the garden. Gardening is lovely but must be kept on top of as, even in a very dry season, the weeds still enjoy themselves!

On the Coronavirus scene most of Ontario went into stage 3 on Friday. This means restaurants and bars are able to accept patrons inside as well as on the patios. But masks must be worn while moving around inside. Theaters and cinemas are also allowed to open, all of these places are at much less capacity. Gatherings of up to 50 people are now allowed. Again mask wearing is a must. They announced today that areas around Toronto will go into stage 3 this Friday but there are still a few areas, including Toronto itself, that will have to wait a little longer.

Katya should be entering Junior Kindergarten in the Fall but we are not sure what is happening with the schools yet and a decision has not been made about what school will look like yet. Junior and Senior Kindergartens are not compulsory. We shall have to look into the choices a bit more, I think.

As i predicted when they brought the mask wearing rule in, the Provincial Government is moving us to Stage 3 of the reopening. this means that restaurants, bars, cafes, etc. will be allowed to open with reduced capacity, as will cinema’s and theaters. Do not think i will be going to any just yet.

I did get my hair cut last week and yesterday, i visited the dentist. I had a consultation about getting my front tooth replaced as well as a cleaning. We all wore masks until i had my teeth cleaned. They do not use the polisher machine as it sprays everywhere, but otherwise all ok. questions asked at door as well as temp. check

Went to dinner at a friends house last night, very pleasant evening with 5 of us. Delicious dinner and good company, made me realise their can be a future.

Banksy, that intrepid anonymous artist who draws murals in public places and sometimes commands a fortune for the art work, drew one in a London Underground carriage but before he could advertise the fact cleaners had removed it! Proves how vigilant the cleaners are.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-53415832

Doctor Anthony Fauci, the US disease specialist has apparently been attacked by the White House. This article is interesting, one wonders why?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53423927#share-tools

We are getting the children tomorrow for a few days R&R. Should be fun, we have lots to do.

We are plunged into despair yet again.

It is this compulsory face mask business that is bugging me. I hate wearing them as my glasses fog up or the material gets in the way of my eyes, I cannot breath properly so am breathing through my mouth, quite heavily and when the weather is hot they are unbearable. I feel really bad for workers in hot kitchens or on hot patios. I just think this policy is crazy. Before they made it a rule I was wearing a mask when needed, like hairdressers, hospitals, etc., but when I could keep my distance (no one is doing that now!!) I would go without.

We just had a message from the church, explaining that we would have to wear a mask during the service and only one person would be allowed to sing. I have decided that I do not want to attend, I cannot see me wearing a mask during the service.

I guess the powers that be finally figured out that keeping everything closed or socially distanced until they find a vaccine is probably not viable financially. Thus if we all wear masks, we can get back to “normal”. Not for me. I shall be self isolating if doing things involves wearing a mask.

Finally the hot dry weather has broken, we had about an inch of heavy rain last night and awoke to grey skies, 20C and more rain. The garden is looking very happy as a result, but much more is needed. Also was attacked by hoards of insects, when I was walking around!

I have been weeding, the rain stopped about 2pm and the temperature started to go up, I was covered in bug spray and quite enjoyed the time i spent pulling up well established weeds and some Lily of the Valley that was threatening parts of the garden i do not want it in. I know this lily is very invasive and hard to get rid of but I love it even though the aroma of the flowers is so short lived in the spring. I remember it being in the garden of the first home i ever lived in, thus I enjoy it.

I came in dripping with sweat, it is humid again now, the temperature reminds me of Bangkok in the rainy season; the rain cools it off for a little and then the steamy heat comes back. Very good for the skin.

Did i mention I finally got my hair cut yesterday? My fringe (Bangs to Canadians, does anyone know why?) was very long and getting on my nerves, not to mention being a bit raggedy. Looks much neater now.

It was made compulsory to wear face masks in public indoor spaces from Tuesday this week. That was in our area. I have worn my face shield before, but apparently this is not considered a good substitute. I was checking out the rules about mask wearing and have decided I would rather not know as their are far too many. I must admit it might make me think twice about going into too many public places, i hate wearing masks and feel i might even give myself Covid 19.

While I hate wearing masks of any kind i will of course comply with the orders or stay home. I have just seen on the news that a group of people in Toronto have been protesting the wearing of masks, i want to make it clear i am not part of that group even though I truly believe if not worn correctly (of course everyone will do that, NOT) they can cause problems in passing on the virus. not to mention the fact people wearing them think it is ok not to social distance.

Did i mention i got a second prize for my Canada Day Lady?

It is still very hot and humid and with no rain as yet, it is beginning to look very dry, please please rain.

The US has now reached 3 million Coronavirus victims, a real surge because a lot of the States reopened too early. The President isn’t’ helping by refusing to wear a mask and encouraging the young to ignore social distancing because they will be ok. Guess what? They are not ok.

It is a tragedy what has happened to Hong Kong. The crack down by China against the pro democracy protesters while not unexpected is something we hoped would not happen. i guess China just cannot deal with Freedom for its people. I hope we can welcome a number of the people here in Canada.

This will connect you to BBC information about a book to be released on 14th July written by Donald Trump’s niece. It sounds very interesting.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53328654?at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D&at_medium=custom7&at_custom2=facebook_page&at_custom3=BBC+News&at_campaign=64&at_custom4=36879188-C120-11EA-9DC7-0C18933C408C&fbclid=IwAR1CYvHkt-mJWisucrZWcPnOgxEn4PPeIyHTN9f_sB3nqwh4UZj-uxYZyHI

Apparently I am late to the game, when the Coronavirus first hit UK it was proposed singing this song while washing your hands was the right amount of time needed;

Ring a Ring of Roses, A Pocket full of Posies, A-tishoo, A-tishoo, We all fall down!

Folklore scholars regard the common belief that this rhyme came about during the plague years with skepticism. For further explanations see Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_a_Ring_o%27_Roses#:~:text=%20%20%20%20%22Ring%20a%20Ring%20o%27,%20Audio%20samples%20Play%20Marlborough%20%28help%C2%B7inf%20…%20

The reason for this title is that I awoke last night with it in my head and it struck me as appropriate as i believed it to be about the great plague of 1665 in England. I have since learned this idea is not true, the theory only raised its head in the mid 20th Century. Still it is a good game.

A lot has happened since I last wrote.

I have been feeling strange about all the changes taking place in our society and after reading an article, in one of the papers, on the w/e I am starting to understand why. When the Coronavirus first hit this country, back in mid March, everything was suddenly shut down. I was completely shocked and this made me very angry, among other emotions. I eventually came to terms with my feelings and arrived at a position where i was reasonably happy and appreciative of my life and my husband. Lately I have enjoyed the improved weather and my garden immensely and even now when it is very hot and dry, I still enjoy going into it. However these changes are taking place all around me some of them i am enjoying but others give me anxiety. I love being able to eat out again in restaurants (patios), being able to visit the dentist is welcome, as is getting my hair cut. But I do not relish the idea of going to an airport, getting on a ‘plane and flying somewhere, even though I would still love to visit places. I expect i will come to terms with these changes, I suspect more are on the way as the wearing of face masks seems to be going to made mandatory all over Ontario. Watch this space.

Happy Canada Day, one and all. It is a little different this year. We usually spend the first part of the day in the local park, Maplewood, with lots of other people. As you can see from the picture above. This year we went to a local café, Geronimo, for breakfast and even though we gate crashed at 9:15 (they opened at 9:30) they welcomed us with their usual goodwill. We bumped into a friend there and were able to enjoy a chat on the patio. On the way home we checked out a house that has a great garden decoration for Canada Day. Here is mine again

The day is beautiful and sunny and has lots of promise. More from me later. Turned out to be very hot and sticky.

Lazed around for awhile and then prepared for our guests, we had pizza and salad, lit a fire and later had fireworks as did a lot of people, we could hear them all around us. Also saw a lot of fireflies.

All in all a pleasant but different Canada Day

Lots of things have been going on. Had a lovely evening with friends on Sat.

We went to church on Sunday, this was the first time we had been to church since15th March 2020. I was a little wary of what it would be like, how would i feel. I have found it very hard to have a meaning full spiritual life while the churches have been closed and i was wondering if I could survive without my faith. I found out that I enjoyed being in church and joining in with the service. We had heard it would be very different with no singing etc. The reality was we had singing, (only five in the choir who social distanced), we had all the readings, Father’s sermon was short but helpful and communion was given as we all left. But this was far better than i had dared to hope for, oh and their were only a handful of people, probably about 30 of us, but we were worshiping together.

Dave and i managed to plant the flowers, we got in the Garden Centre, in the afternoon which was lucky as we had a huge thunder storm in the evening with lots of rain. We are desperate for rain as it has been very hot and dry, it was hot again today.

I managed to get some fireworks this morning, as there are not festivities planned for Wednesday (Canada Day) everyone seems to be buying their own fireworks so places are selling out fast. Dave wasn’t enthusiastic at first but i told him we will celebrate even if we are alone, we always celebrate Canada Day.

As far as the Coronavirus is concerned it hasn’t’ gone away. Canada seems to be doing ok and when an outbreak occurred in the city of Kingston nor far from us, it was quickly dealt with and has not been as bad as it could have been. However the same is not true of the USA. They have been trying to reopen for weeks now and some of the States that did reopen places such as beaches and bars are having to shut down again because the virus has spiked there. Our boarder is still closed and will remain so until 21st July, I hope it is extended beyond that date as the US is showing no sign of taking this virus seriously. The Director of the WHO has announced that the Coronavirus has not by any means been defeated at this time and while some countries have it under control, it is still very much alive and kicking. I have said this all along and it is one of the reasons why i was so angry and upset when all this began. I was well aware that once these restrictions where put in place it would be long time before we could ever remove them. I have come to terms with them to a certain extent, the thing i miss the most is travelling. But that is a subject for another day.

This morning when I was strolling though a local garden center, i had all sorts of ideas for this blog. The garden center is amazing see link https://www.rideauwoodlandramble.com/

My ideas, however, have gone!

Dave and my sister have a found a TV program called Spy in the Wild. It uses animal Robots to spy on other animals and it does seem to be amazing. see link below

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=the+Spy+in+the+Wild&ru=%2fvideos%2fsearch%3fq%3dthe%2bSpy%2bin%

It has been a funny day muggy but little sunshine, storms are forecasted for part of our area. We do need rain. We are to go for dinner to local friends this evening.

Thought I would try and write again today.

It was a good day, Dave and I went for a porch coffee at a friends house this a.m. very pleasant chewing the fat and catching up.

It really is a strange way of life. What did we do before, where we too busy to see friends? It seems now we make time for them more. I still have trouble finishing tasks and have a lot of things I need to get to, but I do not feel as harassed as i have in the past and seem to be able to do things when I feel like it is probably because i do not have anywhere I need to be!

Went shopping and visited a couple of other people on my way home, one of whom has just had a hip operation and the other had just painted the front of their house, by hand. Both doing well.

The weather was pleasant not the boiling temps we had all last week, the humidity has gone for now.

The TV shows seem to have dried up we are now watching documentaries which are ok but I like a good British drama.

Their is talk of a resurgence in the virus in Europe but in Canada it isn’t’ set in stone that we must have a second wave. I suspect a lot of this speculation has to do with the size of our population, perhaps the bigger cities will get a second wave. Trouble is the virus is still out there, thus we seem doomed to keep ourselves isolated. i do not know what to think.

The “Two Michaels” Spavor and Kovrig, Canadians who are being held, in prison on trumped up spy charges, by China in retaliation for us holding Meng Wanzhuo. They are being treated badly in cells with 24hr lighting, no consular services and no family contact. Meng is under house arrest in her luxury home in Vancouver. Trudeau is being urged to free Meng (even though a judge had decided to keep her under house arrest). It is claimed if he does, the Michaels will probably be freed. Trudeau is refusing to do this. It is a terrible tragedy for the families and Canada as a country when we are held hostage by China over this matter. I have every sympathy for Trudeau because he is dammed if he does as well as if he doesn’t.

What is in store for the w/e? I hope to visit a garden center near here, they are having a Canada Day sale and i need to go to a good garden centre a lot of the local ones have sold out of plants, everyone seems to have taken up gardening and a lot of the local plant sales didn’t happen in the spring. Hoping the weather stays like this, it will be good.