Weekend Thread, April 29-May 1 2022

Since I'm actually doing something this weekend, I'll start a thread :)

My husband and I are driving to Vancouver. We left this morning and will arrive in Vancouver tomorrow. We're staying the night in Kamloops, which is 8 hours driving from home. He's going to be running the Vancouver Marathon on Sunday, so we'll have Friday and Saturday for picking up his race package and wandering around the city. Sunday after the race we'll get a ferry to Salt Spring Island to visit with my mother and stepfather for a couple of days, and then head home on Wednesday. We haven't decided yet whether we'll drive the whole way (about 13 hours) on Wednesday or stop partway again.

I hope you all have a pleasant weekend, whatever you're doing (or not doing :) )

>1 tardis: One of my first internet friends lives in Kamloops. Wave at her for me, will you?

I am probably gardening and scanning family photos like crazy this weekend. The last two weekends I was babysitting my adorable grandson. It is possible that he and his parents will be moving to a house about 7 minutes from mine! They put an offer on it Monday, it was accepted, so now begins the process of escrow. Fingers crossed!

>2 MrsLee: I hope all goes well with the home sale; that would be wonderful for all of you to live so close by!

I've been on vacation this week - not necessarily by choice; it's the break week between semesters so I took the opportunity to take time off from work also. We went to the beach for the first few days, and now I'm spending the rest of the time catching up on housework and yard work that I've been neglecting during the school term. At least the weather will be pleasant this weekend. Our trip to the beach was a nice getaway but this is a pretty cold time of year to visit the coast.

>1 tardis: Enjoy! Best of luck to Marcel!

>2 MrsLee: Oh, yes, fingers crossed, and toes crossed!

>3 Darth-Heather: It feels like Winter has returned here as well. Ugh. I already started buying plants, and now I'm covering them or moving them into the garage every night.

It's lots of yard work and a memorial service, for me. One of my good friends lost her mother over the Winter so the graveside service and gathering at her home were postponed for better weather. We are at least expecting lots of sunshine for the event, even if the temperature and the wind might not be ideal. So it goes.

For me, it's gardening, a garden centre trip and scanning documents for the lawyer. We finally may get something from my father's side of the family, 25 years after he died...

I'm hoping to work on getting my new travel trailer cleaned up and set up, weather permitting. It rained and snowed most of the past week. There is still a lot of snow here, but a lot has melted in the past week. I've also sold my old landcruiser, and the new owner may be picking it up tomorrow, if we can get it out of the snow. I'm a bit sad, it was my first vehicle (a 1974 model FJ40, I bought it in about 1982!), and I kept it planning to fix it up. The more time goes by, the more unlikely that seems, and the new owner is excited about it.

Like >6 NorthernStar: we're getting ready to go away. In two weeks' time we set out for the Lowveld and Kruger. So much unpacking and cleaning of tents, stretchers, mattresses etc. It's between 6 and 7 years since we last used them!

Bang goes my plans for the weekend. Paul's mother has fallen going downstairs and is being taken to the hospital for an X-ray. We won't know the prognosis until later today, but it looks like we'll have to go over at some point.

>8 Maddz:
Sorry to hear about Paul's mother's fall. I wish her a quick recovery.

>7 hfglen: Digging out equipment after 7 years sounds like a real chore. Good luck with the equipment and have a great trip.

>6 NorthernStar: Enjoy getting the new trailer in order.

I can sense your conflict about selling your landcruiser. The buyer's enthusiasm is obviously a great help; you know the landcruiser will be well treated.

>4 clamairy: Good luck with your yard work. I think that might be my weekend activity too. "Unfortunately" it is raining at the moment. :-)

>3 Darth-Heather: I hope your weekend is not too arduous with the yard work and other chores.

>2 MrsLee: You are very good at minding the family heritage. I am always impressed with your work on family material.

Your family move to nearby is great news. Best of luck with all the house move activities.

>1 tardis: Enjoy your trip to Vancouver and good luck to your husband for the marathon. Vancouver is a place I would love to visit sometime. I have a few friends living there who I have not seen in over 30 years.

It is a long-weekend here with Monday being our May bank holiday. I have nothing in particular planned, which is just fine by me.

>9 pgmcc: Still waiting to hear about a possible admission, but the paramedics were hopeful of that not being needed even though she knocked herself out. She had her 2nd COVID booster yesterday, so the fall may have been related to that.

What we hope to do is to go over to her on Monday and bring her back with us to recuperate for a week or so (although she'll probably jib at that - 'I don't want to be a burden'). It's less hassle for us because otherwise Paul will have to stay with her and work from Corby and I'll have to make multiple trips to Corby to drop off and collect Paul (although he can can take train to Peterborough then the bus to Corby).

We'll see this afternoon.

>9 pgmcc: Not too bad, actually. Apart from that DD took her tent flysheet out to wash it some time (years) ago because some animal used it as a loo, and now can't find it. Fortunately we have another almost identical tent, and can "borrow" its flysheet.

Like you, we have Monday as a public holiday.

>10 Maddz:
I am glad to hear she may not need admisison. Falls can be so serious for older people.

>11 hfglen:
Glad to hear the task is not too bad.

Your story of the flysheet reminds me that when I have carried out a task like that and been very careful where I put the item, I end up never being able to find it when I need it. I always find it after I needed it, of course; usually in the most logical place to have put it. :-)

>2 MrsLee: That's so exciting! I wish one of our granddaughters lived 7 minutes from us. I'm so happy for you and hope it works out and goes smoothly.

Thank you all for the well-wishes. I want to be excited, but I keep damping it down because so many things can happen to ruin a deal before escrow closes. *biting nails*

>12 pgmcc: We call that our "clever place." A clever place is almost never where you think it is, and impossible to find until all need for said item has passed.

>1 tardis: I’m running a marathon, too! Good luck to your husband!

I’ll be leaving in a couple of hours to head to Eugene (Track Town, USA) to run the marathon on Sunday. My second marathon. I got a stress fracture in my first one a couple years ago. Had to drop at mile 20. Hoping tomorrow’s goes better. Goal is to finish between 4 1/2 and 5 hours.

>2 MrsLee: I hope the sell goes through.

>8 Maddz: I hope she isn’t too hurt and heals up ok.

Best wishes and good luck to the runners. Hugh: lots of photos, please. Peter: we usually get your weather after you’ve finished with it. It’s a beautiful spring day in Oxfordshire, but rain predicted for tomorrow. >8 Maddz: all the best to Paul’s mother also.

Mrs H and I are now on the home stretch for our trip to Australia. Inshallah.

>16 haydninvienna: But of course, Richard. Just hope we see lots of game! EtA: OTOH, maybe we should ask you for lots of pictures of Oz.

Well, we've just got back from Corby. The hospital called at 2pm to say to come and collect her, so we dashed off.

She's been glued up (in the same way that Paul was when he gashed his head last summer), badly bruised and not entirely au fait with the world, but was quite firm about not wanting to come to us (at least today). Her other son is with her and is staying until Monday (which is a holiday here). We'll see then how she is and whether we need to fetch her over for a week or so.

>15 catzteach: Best of luck in your marathon, too! Marcel's goal is 3 hours 50 minutes, but he's been training for 3:30 so hopes to do better. He wants to qualify for Boston again, since the first time he ran it, the weather was freezing cold, bucketing rain, and with a headwind. Absolutely miserable.

>10 Maddz: Hope Paul's mum doesn't give you too much trouble, and feels better soon.

>2 MrsLee: Fingers crossed it all works out as hoped!

>19 tardis: I don’t think I’ll ever run fats enough to qualify for Boston. I hope he accomplishes his goal!

>10 Maddz: Good luck on closing on the house for the family MrsLee!! Fingers, thumbs and toes all crossed for luck! Based on the photos, your grandbaby is adorable.

>18 Maddz: Hopefully she'll recover quickly. If she's resisting any "hovering" by caring family, that suggests that she's got some fight in her.

To all of those participating in marathons (running them or supporting the runners), I am in awe of your efforts!

Everything that was planned for today went south. An organizer of the planning meeting that was supposed to take up the bulk of the day caught Covid so that got cancelled. And the cocktail Zoom hour that was scheduled for this evening got shifted as well due to family obligations. So I spent the day reading and writing a review. (I did briefly sit in the sunshine to enjoy the natural light and fresh air.)

Tomorrow, I've got some work stuff to do ahead of Monday (chock-a-block with meetings and deadlines).

OTOH, books I wasn't expecting to arrive this weekend tumbled in the front door so there is plenty available if I succumb to any weekend procrastinating...And my Thingaversary isn't due for months yet!!!

>18 Maddz: At least nothing was broken, hope she does ok and mends quickly. Falls are scary. As I was reminded of today.

>21 jillmwo: My plans for the day also went south. Or somewhere. I was working on clearing ivy and other tripping hazards from the stone steps down the hill in my back yard, then I decided to pull the ivy off of the tree growing there. Not easy. Some of the vines were half an inch thick and deeply rooted in the trunk of the tree. I was reaching over and around the tree to pull out one of the tougher vines, when suddenly it released and I was falling backwards. On the way down I managed to scream "F*k" three times. Not really one of my go-to words. I fell exactly between two sharp, upright lava rocks. In fact, one of them kept me from tumbling down the rock path. I don't like to think what might have happened if I had landed an inch to the right or left. The spirit of my grandma must have been watching over me. It is the garden she began in 1953. After mentally checking myself over and deciding there was nothing broken and that I would live, I made sure to holler, "Sorry! I'm OK!" Just in case anyone was wondering. I've been icing my hand and thumb off and on all day, and taking ibuprofen. I think I am getting away with only bruises this time. Not gardening soon though.

>22 MrsLee:
Big hug. Sorry to hear about your fall, but delighted it was not as bad as it could have been.

>20 catzteach: You never know! The older you get, the slower you can be :) I will likely never run anything longer than a 10K. I just don't have the motivation to do training for more than that.

>22 MrsLee: So glad you weren't hurt worse!

Husband didn't want to do too much walking today and the day started out rainy, so I dragged him through the Vancouver Art Gallery (including the Yoko Ono exhibit LOL) and then the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art. Of the two, we preferred the latter. It is small, but included an exhibit of work by an indigenous fashion designer. Not my style but very interesting. Plus, of course, Bill Reid's work, including some exquisite jewelry.

Tomorrow is the race and then we're making a beeline for the ferry to get to Salt Spring. We don't have a reservation, though, so I hope we get on.

I hope everybody is having a lively, fulfilling weekend, or at least not a breaking-on-the-rocks weekend. Happy May Day.

I am busy having a cold. A chest cold, as I always get, with lots and lots of croaky coughing. But I've been languishing on the couch with cups of tea, reading and doing word puzzles. And I did do a test: it isn't covid. It's also my first cold in at least three years. Not so bad.

>17 hfglen: he'll need a waterproof camera, at the moment.

Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter has been spectacular though, if only in glimpses between the clouds.

Finished the marathon! Took me 5 hours and 8 minutes. This first half went great! Which is why I slowed waaaayyyy down the second half. :) but I finished! Don’t know if I’ll do another as the training is very time consuming and I really like halfs.

Now I’m enjoying the champagne a friend gave me for when I finished and am laying down in my hotel room. Oh, the sore hip flexors!

>27 catzteach: Congratulations to you! I'll raise a virtual champagne to your success.

>27 catzteach:
Well done. Congratulations.

>27 catzteach: Well done!

Well, our Sunday was A Day. Marcel got off to his race, I went for a very nice little 5K run around False Creek, had some breakfast, then loaded the car and checked us out of the hotel for quick getaway to ferry. And then, since it was still three-ish hours before Marcel would finish the race, I went for another walk. Saw the beached barge and a bunch of pretty flowers and approximately a thousand dogs taking their people for walks.

Eventually, I ended up near the finish line where I waited... and waited... overheard that the race start had been delayed over an hour. Suspicious package left on course! Finally, marathon racers started to finish. Marcel's goal time passed. I began to think maybe I hadn't seen him go by. Nope. He got leg cramps about km 37 and so his finish time (although still a very good 4:13) was about 25 minutes short of his goal.

So, we met up and headed back to the hotel to get the car. We already knew we wouldn't make the 3:00 ferry as originally planned, and it turned out 4:00 was FULL so we didn't get on that, either. We did get on the 5:00, but by the time it got to Victoria, there was NO WAY we could get the 7:00 to Salt Spring. Have I mentioned how much I hate relying on ferries? So, we got the 9:00 to Salt Spring, arrived at Anne and John's house around 10:15, and basically fell into bed.

We missed dinner with Mom and Bob, and spent way too much time sitting in ferry lineups. It wasn't a terrible day - just VERY long.

>22 MrsLee: I'm glad you weren't hurt! I had an eerily similar accident two years ago. While using a tangled hose I gave it a good yank... and promptly fell backwards into my herbs. I grazed the back of my leg on one of the pieces of wrought iron fencing, but thankfully just missed (by a few inches) impaling myself on the ones with the decorative spikes. Who knew gardening could be so dangerous?

>27 catzteach: & >30 tardis: Congrats on all of the finished races. Sorry about the ferry issues. (That's a problem here, too.)

>25 Meredy: Feel better!

>31 clamairy: So can we count ourselves dangerous adventuresses?

Congratulations to the runners, healing wishes to those with physical woes, and best wishes to everyone else! Saturday was our church fair so I helped out with that for most of the day. Monday was a holiday, and I met a friend for a walk with dogs around Richmond Park. The azaleas are blooming and it looked glorious.

>30 tardis: glad he finished ok, sorry he didn’t make his time goal. I’ve only been on one ferry. It was in Seattle. Are they always that hard to use?

>35 catzteach: Ferries have limited capacity, fixed schedules, and at busy times can be a long wait unless you have a reservation, which we did not. Also, they have weird things like dangerous goods sailings that don't take other passengers, and due to Covid there are times when they can't get enough crew and have to cancel. So it's a crap shoot. When on vacation, it's fine. I would hate to live with a dependence on ferries.

Coming home, we had a reservation and got to the terminal in lots of time (although we had to leave where we were staying at 5:30 AM for a 6:20 AM sailing) but it was the milk run that stops at Pender, Mayne and Galliano Islands before heading on to Tswawassen on the mainland, arriving 9:15. So smooth but tedious, and followed by a 13 hour drive. We were VERY glad to get home.

>36 tardis: yeah, doesn’t sound like it’s be fun to try and catch one when going to work.