Game on!

Hockey season may be over but the the game lives in our house year 'round. The boys have traded skates for sneakers, and the hockey sticks that put in all that ice time over the winter are now taking a beating on the pavement. No need for protective gear when facing off on the road with the neighbourhood kids, and the fun factor multiplies when a few parents join in and the cousins come up to join in on the fun. They even have their own version of the Stanley Cup and the 'series' is tied right now - two wins for each 'team'. Nevermind that the make-up of each team is constantly changing - or that the kids are forever trying to switch over to the winning side. They've played in blazing heat and downpours, and talk that sounds suspiciously like Coach's Corner goes on long after the post-game swim. I love to see my boys out there - having fun and loving the game no matter what time of year it is. I love that no matter how busy our schedule is, there's always time for a few hours with their dad, friends, uncles and cousins to play some good ole neighbourhood road hockey.

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Eye candy for your desktop

I love sitting down to my computer and having an amazing photo to look at before I get started. I change my desktop wallpaper a lot and I find myself going back to the work of Hamad Darwish again and again. If you're running Windows Vista, you've seen some his stunning photography. I secretly prefer Windows XP and still run it on my computer so I've downloaded the Vista wallpapers, which work just fine with XP. Hamad Darwish offers a downloadable Windows Vista Wallpaper Pack which is a beautiful collection of his work:  http://brajeshwar.com/2006/microsoft-windows-vista-wallpapers/



National Geographic also has a great team of photographers and they offer some of their amazing photography to download for your desktop:
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/wallpapers

Enjoy!

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Another long weekend come and gone...

...and for the first time in the six years that we've had a pool, it wasn't open in time for the May long weekend. We've had a few stretches of warm weather but not enough that we could open the pool without running the heater non-stop. Also for the first time - no Victoria Day fireworks going off over the lake. It's a little bit sad that we aren't all bundled up in blankets somewhere along the lakeshore, watching the fireworks display that unofficially brings with it the beginning of summer. All in all the whole weekend was a non-event - some road hockey, some gardening (the dandelions are all gone...for now), some soccer - and just like that the weekend is over.

Fireworks over Kempenfelt Bay, Victoria Day 2004

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It's been awhile...

... and it's hard to believe I've missed an entire winter's worth of blogging. Funny how going back to work cuts into one's spare time. I've missed keeping up with all of our ordinary moments. It was a long winter, which means we're looking forward to what will hopefully be a good summer... fingers crossed. There were snow days and snowmen; hot chocolate, homemade cookies and plenty of hockey. Another Christmas came and went. Easter eggs were coloured, Birthdays were celebrated, Ben lost his first tooth and the kids outgrew all of their jeans. So it goes.

I haven't stopped taking pictures - I'm sure I've added another 500+ pictures to the 6000 or so that are already slowing down my computer. I know it's way past time I moved some to disc but I so love having them right here. I've acquired another camera - a Sony Cybershot DSC H-5, which is slightly smaller and easier to carry than my good old Canon Rebel - but I'm not sure I like the photo quality as well. I'm no pro, but to me digital SLR beats regular digital hands down.


Last night was soccer practice for Matt, this is a good thing as their team was hammered in an exhibition game last Sunday. They'll be needing a lot more practice it seems. Next week the regular season begins for the rest of the boys.

So, the cold arenas, stinky hockey equipment and skate sharpenings are behind us. For the next few months it'll be all about soccer. Just like that, it's spring.

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Remembering

In my travels across the world wide web this week, searching for Remembrance Day related material for various kids' school assignments, I came across this picture. Loved it, had to share it. I also received an email that led me to this article in a 2002 edition of the UK's Telegraph. Six years later, it's still relevant - and a good read:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3575633/The-country-the-world-forgot-again.html

I hope everyone took the opportunity to reflect yesterday - we have much to be thankful for.
According to Ben "we beyembered all the soldiers that died for us to be free and go shopping."
In a funny, almost-six-year-old way, he's got it right. Today I went to the grocery store, thankful for the freedom to do so.

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What a week

I do believe this was an historical week.  It was impossible not to get caught up in the excitement of the US National Election and the Grant Park victory rally in Chicago. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/obama.transcript/

Now that the weekend is again upon us, we’ll be spending most of our time at hockey and soccer. After a week of unbelievably warm weather (we’re talking shorts and T-shirts), it’s cooling off again and it looks as though next week will bring us back to fall, with winter not too far behind.

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Post Halloween Crash

The sugar high is wearing off. My head is pounding and I might as well hook myself up to my coffeemaker with an IV. As usual, I overdid it on chocolate. These tiny bite size chocolate bars make it easy to underestimate how much you're really eating. By last night there wasn't a Crispy Crunch or Reese's Peanut Butter Cup left in the house and I was forced to move onto Mars & Wunderbar. Remember getting full size bars for Halloween?

I'm surprised that the kids aren't cranky after two late nights in a row and massive amounts of sugar. Halloween night was great fun. The weather was beautiful and the kids were able to cover a lot more of the neighbourhood than in years past. For the first time ever, no one had to be carried home early. None of our teenagers joined in (they ALL dressed up and went out last year) - having to either work, choosing to spend the night with friends, or staying home to hand out treats at the door.  I was a little saddened by it all but the upside was being able to walk around with my little trick-or-treaters for the first time! Look at little Ben standing at a doorway - last year he wouldn't have had the courage to walk up to a strange door by himself. These kids of ours are growing up SO fast.

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Seriously...

I spent 4.49 on a 4lb bag of apples yesterday. Seriously. We're not talking about exotic, imported, out-of-season fruit here - these apples are in season and locally grown. I swear that the last time I was paying attention, these apples couldn't have been more than 2.99 - and I'm pretty sure they were 5lb bags (or maybe that's potatoes?). I've been finding myself paying attention to the price of food in a way that I never have before. Like 2.99 for a loaf of bread. Seriously. Never mind being gauged at the gas pump - it's happening at the grocery store - big time. Not only is everything more expensive, but package quantities are shrinking too. Spend more, get less. We had planned to go apple picking last weekend but the weather was lousy and we were busy with hockey and soccer. I think we'll try to go this weekend... and I'm going to blow the dust off of my breadmaker. Seriously.

Avalon Orchard - October 2007

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First Snow

Forget what I said yesterday about the snow not lasting. The day got progressively colder and by late afternoon the kids were making the first snowman of the season. It was by far the dirtiest snowman ever - more grass, dirt and leaves than snow - but a snowman nonetheless.

An interesting note while we're experiencing the first snowfall of the season - temperatures reached a high of 24°C on this same day a year ago!

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You have GOT to be kidding...

It is SNOWING outside. OK, so it's melting as soon as it hits the ground but c'mon... SNOW? Did I mention we were swimming last week? Of course, this was cause for near panic when we scrambled to find gloves and hats before heading off to school. We go through it every year. At the end of last winter, I made sure to wash and store all the winter gear so it would be ready when the cold weather returned but if you've ever seen my basement, you'd understand why they weren't out in plain sight at eight thirty this morning.

I remember being in a state of shock when we had an early snowfall last year. I had the presence of mind to take some pictures and this one is still one of my favourites.

Here's hoping this won't last. With Halloween just over a week away, I'd like for the milder weather to come back for just a little longer.

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Fall Leaves

Yesterday was a great day for enjoying what's left of the fall colours. They were at their peak about a week ago but I still managed to get a few nice shots. Check my Flickr page to see more colourful leaf pics.

Sunnidale Park, October 2008

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Thoughts on Fall

Fall leaves, Mactier, Ontario, 2003

It's official, we closed the pool yesterday which means it won't be long before we're shoveling the driveway. We're well into fall, and probably one of the last in the neighbourhood to put an end to our swimming season. While admiring the fall colours, I found myself reflecting on another summer gone by, full of moments that hopefully memory will serve well. It would be nice to have a mental rolodex to flip through when I'm old but the reality is, most of the moments we expect to cherish someday eventually fade from memory. Although I haven't scrapbooked in a very long time, I think that's what scrapbooking is all about - so we can look back years later and think "Look, we were always smiling! It was always sunny! That was such a wonderful trip!"

So here we are - admiring the beauty of autumn and knowing that summer, as usual, went by way too fast.

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