My Mum the Terrorist

The wireless connection in the condo is pretty sketchy, but I will write in hopes it is robust enough to post this without crapping out.

We had a lovely time out for dinner with Mum's brother Bryan last night - a short visit, but worth the effort to stop in Tunbridge Wells on our way to see him again. Managed to sleep OK, but there was knocking on our door at 7:30am - figured it must be Pete and Tui but decided to ignore them. I later found out that Pete had been up since 3am, talking to Tui and keeping her awake until 7, when it was decided they needed to go have breakfast. Mum and I didn't head down for breakfast until about 9, by which time Tui and Pete had gone back to bed (todays picture: Pete, locked out of their room after coming to let us in, his pants sort of around his thighs, knocking for Tui to open the door, receiving a frustrated"URGH I HATE YOU" in response). It all worked out in the end - we managed to check out and wander the streets a bit before we headed to Gatwick.

The Gatwick experience was all fine until it was discovered that Mum was smuggling a pair of long hairdressing scissors (carefully concealed and wrapped I might add) and too many liquids on board. The security guy asked if she had scissors on her, which she denied (well, she claimed they were in her checked baggage) until he pulled them with a flourish from her bag. He was actually very nice (extremely pleased to have found someone he had to 'deal with' I suspect), and distributed Mum's liquids appropriately - even letting her carry on a bottle that was over the 100ml limit with a strict warning not to try that sort of thing again. Mum claims she meant to pack all that stuff in her checked luggage. Pete and I think she was planning a hair scissor and Lanacaine fueled hijack.

We arrived at the condo - nice place on the canal (see view out back in snap below), 4 bedrooms so we can stay out of each others hair. Haven't quite located where we on a map yet, will do that tomorrow. We did do a quick grocery shop to get Pete his porridge oats and peanut butter, Mum her vaseline, Tui her british fashion mags and me some goat cheese, so we are well set for the next 12 hours or so.

More later :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Gilmore Park,Edinburgh,United Kingdom

OK I think I've figured out iPad blogging

As proof - a test snap of tired Tuesday and her mint frappe.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Nevill St,Royal Tunbridge Wells,United Kingdom

A traveling we go

Ok, I'm a bit irritated by my attempts to post and add photos right now - my first time travelling with my iPad (*love*), and I thought I was being oooh so cleverclogs, thinking I could take snaps with my iPad and easily get them on the blog via the iPad - well, not so easily it turns out. I have to use an intermediate app and the sizing is whack - so I will have to work more on that I guess. Or just put links to photos instead which would be boring.

So far we haave all been up for over 24 hours (wheee). That fact is made much less painful by the space-pod business class travel experience, but tired is tired, no matter how you sugar coat it. The Brew House hotel is nice (mirrors and velvet flocked wallpaper anyone??). The feet beside the bed are Pete's. Oh - yes, I should mention, the travellers in this instance are me, Mum, my brother Pete and Miss Tui. Be afraid....
*update*
ok here are better photo uploads!

Water sports - AKA hot tubs, hot springs, and water rescues

Boating Peeps

It has been a looong time coming, this post!  The capped-one (aka The Boy) has been poking me about getting this post done, so tonight I will spend a few minutes for a quick catch up.

Firstly - the beginning of August was spent with the Boy's peeps in Nelson BC - a truly lovely place.  We were spoiled by gluten-free baking, nights in the hot tub looking at the stars (so many! hello milky way!), and evenings on the lake trying to convince the trout that 'the pink wiggler' was worth taking a look at.  Day trips to old growth forest,  Ainsworth hot springs, an intrepid boat rescue, and a visit from a black bear topped it all off.  His peeps could not have been more lovely and welcoming, and it felt so good to be away from the every day, to feel the hot sun for once this summer, and to spend an uninterrupted week together.  It was hard to come back from it all (not just because of the 10+ hour drive), but I know there are many other trips we have to look forward to.  I will also take a moment to extol the cuteness of my new retro swimsuit - super comfy and flattering to those that require something flattering ;)  I've included a few snaps - including that rarest of photographs, one in which the Boy smiles a toothy grin - something I love, even if he doesn't.

Since we've been back, we have seen Beirut - another great concert by Zach Condon et al, loved every minute of it.  We also saw a musical extravaganza of quite a different variety - Die Roten Punkte (The Red Dots) - an
Australian duo that perform as Otto and Astrid Rot, siblings from Berlin. Their "Kunst Rock" (Art Rock) show is a brilliant, silly fun parody of a variety of musical genres. My face hurt from smiling through it all, and that alone was worth the price of admission!

That's it.  For now.  I do have more to post about, and hopefully I will soon! :)

No, I don't have a drinking problem

But I do have a case an a half of Naramata Bench wine.  I don't actually feel like writing much, except to say the Girls Annual Wine Weekend was a huge success.  We stayed here (*love*).  We ate.  And tasted.  And drank.  And discovered the magical mystery of the combination of port and dark chocolate.

(And thanks to fab photog Ana for some of these snaps! And apologies, I had to post the giant peach...)

Did someone say cats?

Two of my faves, who quickly flopped by my bag for a tickle or two

 So, I spent a belated birthday with the Boy and some dear friends (A&J, Lovely Lorie & the Bradman, Ana and Avril) in the wilds of Richmond - and if you know Richmond, you will know that it's not most people's first choice of birthday destination...with good reason.  Sorry, Richmond lovers!

We started out at Lu Lu Island Winery ("Richmond's Largest Winery!"- who knew Richmond even HAD a winery?)  for a wine tour and tasting, and it was great - we had  a lovely tour guide, and tasted all 17 wines - and frankly, what's better than 17 wines at 11am on a Sunday?  We followed that with lunch at Le Tapenade (very nice! Many gluten free options!!)...but the most fun part was yet to come:  The Richmond Cat Sanctuary....

She reminded me of someone...I wonder who....

The sanctuary is home to 700 (yes...SEVEN HUNDRED) cats that have been rescued, given up for behavioral (usually pee related) or health problems (Feline leukemia, Feline AIDS), feral cats, aging cats...you name it.   The place is comprised of a mix of indoor and outdoor spaces,  beautifully landscaped gardens, trickling fountains, and hundreds of extremely relaxed, happy, well cared for felines.  These cats are not up for adoption (a few are, but very few), most of them are considered unadoptable due to behavioral or health problems, but as a 'no-kill' facility, their goal is to give the cats somewhere happy and safe to live out their lives.   One thing is for sure, the cats love having visitors.  We had a great tour by the woman running the place, and she told us about the cats and their individual stories and personality traits.  Interesting, sad, funny, and moving stories, and friendly, grumpy, shy, imperious, cuddly and sweet beasts.  And yes, cat people can be a bit weird, but it was hard not to be touched by how happy the cats seems, and the overall calm quiet feel of the place.  Literally, everywhere you look, on every available surface, there was a cat.  Or two.  Or three.

A very unique cat - they think she likely has a chromosomal issue, her face is very flat, with small eyes very far set, a deformed tail, double claws and other weirdness - and the sweetest personality ever.  There is a list of 27 people wanting to adopt her, but she's not going anywhere.

I realize that what I've just described would be considered hell by those who have allergies/fear cats may be able to read their mind/think cats are the root cause of earthquakes/expect cats to take over the world with their amazing psychic powers.  And it was pretty weird, but in the best way possible.  We will be back.  And next time, with a pocket full of kibble.

Yes, I still have a cat!

I keep referring to the fact that I have "cats" even though I am now down to one.  Maggie (aka Moo, Miss Moo, Miss Mags, Piggy, Wee Girlie, etc.) is still very much a part of day to day life - though I'm happy to say there is slightly less of her thanks to her fat cat diet.   She is a more vocal, clingier version of herself now she lives solo, but that's just fine.  This snap is a good example of Saturday mornings on the couch for Mags and The Boy.  Yes, she has him wrapped around her paw as well.

And in other news, I bought this today - something about his wee tail just called out to me.

And yes, I have obviously lost my blogging mojo right now. I am sure I have something more important to say, but I just can't figure out what that might be.  So, inane nattering and a shot of Moo will have to do for now.  Sorry! (not really, just being polite)

I need a shell to get me back in the game...

I have been a terribly inconsistent blogger.  I have thought about it, but life has been full, of good things and hard things, and I just haven't had the energy.  But I will! Again!  I promise!  And I figured I would share Marcel the Shell with you just to buy myself a bit more time, and because I love the weird cuteness of it.

In other news, it was Dad's memorial last Friday, on his birthday.  It went well.  And I think it has helped bring some closure...but I guess time will tell on that front.

More.  Soon.  Really!

April 1, 1936 - January 26, 2011

My Dad died last week.  I've been debating whether to post about it or not.  I guess it is obvious which side of the debate won.

Those that know me well know that my Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's while in his mid 60s.  I can remember the little things before he was formally diagnosed that showed the signs that something was wrong - like the time in the kitchen when he held a book of photos to show me upside down, and had no concept of what was wrong or how to rectify it - and the panic it caused in me.   We all hoped it was something else - depression, or something else that didn't mean what Alzheimer's meant, for him, for my Mum, for all of us.

In many ways Dad seemed to be the one that coped with it best.  He had the most positive attitude towards it all, and was determined to live his life as fully as possible.  And the funny thing is, in a strange way the disease did help him live life more fully - he became more open, more emotional, more affected by music, art, beauty, children, than he had ever been.  And that in turn helped him connect with his own children in a way that hadn't been possible before.  So, strangely, it turned out that there was something positive in the middle of all of this, if you looked hard enough.

During a trip my Mum and nieces and I took in 2008 to England/Greece, my Dad fell ill, and ended up in hospital.  He got over the illness but he never came home, moving right from the hospital to a care home.  It was hard, but it was the right thing - and the way it all happened made it easier than it would have been if the move had been straight from home to a care facility.  He was there just over two years, and my Mum would go daily to feed him lunch; my brothers and I would go every weekend.  We watched him slip further into himself over that period of time, the moments of connection he would show with us and the world around him get fewer and fewer.  It was hard, but it also became strangely routine.  Things slip and change so slowly, you are really too close to notice the decline.

The beginning of last week, Dad had a series of strokes.  Two days later, in the early hours of the 26th, he passed away, thankfully fairly peacefully.  The week since then has been a surreal whirlwind.  We had a funeral service for family yesterday.  I am blessed with a family that has pulled together during this and it felt right to keep that moment down to that small core group.  I have been to funerals before, but I never before fully realized how important ritual is in this whole mourning process - Dad is gone, and it is all about what those left behind need to help them deal with this all - but seeing him in his coffin dressed in his finest, looking in a way better than he has in years (yes, I realize what a strange thing that is to say) gave him back some of the dignity that the disease took away, and that gave more comfort than I would have expected.

I know I haven't fully figured out what this loss means to me, and I know with a memorial service and scattering of ashes still to come, it isn't technically over yet.  And I know new routines will form to take the place of the old ones.   And I know there is comfort in routine.

And that, I guess, is all I have to say.  For now at least.

I escaped, but I'm back now...

I know I have been AWOL for a while now, but it was a difficult end of year, and it's taken me some time to feel like posting again.  But here I am, strapping the blogging wheels back on again...

Back from a self-made long weekend with the Boy at Harrison Hot Springs.  We were both feeling the need to recoup from the holidays, and we decided to get away as a bit of a mutual Christmas present.  Harrison seemed to fit the bill because it is an easy drive, but is still far enough away to feel...well...away.  Anyhow -  this is where we stayed, and I can say nothing but good things about it. 

Now, there isn't much to do in Harrison - except soak in the hot springs (but the public hot spring is cooled to 38C, making it Harrison Tepid Springs, which isn't that appealing) or go for a hike or to the (windy) beach - so check your expectations for excitement at the door.  That being said, if you want to find somewhere to go where you can hole up in your own cozy cottage, play board games, drink wine, and soak in a tub that is big enough for a family of four, it is worth going to Harrison just to stay at one of the wee riverside cottages.  Not to say we didn't get out for a walk, but the weather was misty and windy (read: rain and gale force wind) much of the time - and that was just fine.  It just felt good to be away from it all and be left to our own devices.  And to have time to discover a new found passion.

A couple more comments about the accommodation - we were left alone (completely and utterly undisturbed! yay!) the entire time, though the couple running the place were extremely gracious and helpful.   I look forward to coming back in spring when the trees are leafy and the weather is warm enough to sit out on the porch and gaze at the river.

Do we look like dissatisfied customers?  I think not.  Do we look like a couple of green-eyed crazy people?  Perhaps.  But that's not such a bad thing to be.

Time ticks on...

I am off work until the new year - thank goodness, as I have done a big fat zero in terms of xmas shopping/prep  - well, except decorating a rather lovely Charlie Brown style Christmas tree with the Boy (pictures to come at some point!).  For me, it was really nice to share that task with someone special, and we had some laughs (thanks in part to heavily rummed eggnog), and I had a few teary moments looking at the wooden reindeer ornaments Thom decapitated last year.  He did love the Christmas tree - he would wander closely by, letting an ornament touch his tail so he could turn around, surprised, and bat it to submission.  Wooden reindeer were placed low on the tree as they are the most bat-resistant.  Well, except for their weak, easily decapitated necks - Thomas' only successful prey kill I might add.

It is early days, and I still miss him like mad.  The funny thing is watching the changes in Miss Mags - she is suddenly around me all the time, no longer going to the pillow she usually slept on in the basement to spend her lazy days, instead choosing to snooze on the upstairs couch where she can keep an eye on me...or be closer to her food dish, who knows.  But it is obviously a big change for both of us.  What I find interesting is that her behavioural changes only happened after Thom was put down - there were three nights he spent in hospital prior to that event that didn't seem to phase her, it was only after he came home for the night, and she recognized that there was something wrong (she was completely freaked out, walking in super-slow motion even when he wasn't in the room with her), that her behaviour changed.  Cats may seem aloof, but they are weirdly perceptive at the same time, or so it seems to me.  Anyway, we will see how Maggie does on her own - if she seems happy, we will remain a one cat situation, but if she seems out of sorts I may look into bringing another handsome young four footed man into the house.

But enough of that for now.

In other news, we went to see The Books a week and a bit ago - what a great concert, they are always a joy live - the quirky videos that accompany their (excellent!) playing really adds to the whole experience.  My brother managed some great stealth videos - here is a taste (note - I am testing out making the video smaller so my stupid blog format doesn't cut off the right hand side!):

My heart is chipped.

 When I got dressed this morning, I went to put on one of my favorite necklaces, an enamel heart, and noticed that it was chipped.  I wore it anyway.  It sums today up. 

I debated whether to write anything today or not.  I hate the idea of seeming overly dramatic or maudlin or histrionic, and my logical self is telling me to wait til I am a bit more settled, but the other part is telling me to write while it is all on the surface. That part obviously won out.

Yesterday Thom's biopsy results came back, and they unfortunately proved to be pretty much the worst they could be.  His liver was so bad that if he were a human, he'd be on the transplant list...there were few liver cells still functioning, he was borderline anemic/in need of transfusion,  and was having a problem maintaining his fluid balance (read: fluid collecting in his abdomen).  The vet made it clear that there was nothing we can do to make him "better" - there are some medications that could be given that might prolong things for a few days or weeks, but really that is as good as we could hope.  So the Boy and I picked him up yesterday, and brought him home for the night, and I am glad we did - he hated the hospital sooo much (he is way too nervous for that kind of place), and at least he had one quiet night.  This morning he hopped on the bed and came up to my head, and we cuddled for a good long time.  It was good to hear him purr and see him relax after seeing him so distressed in the hospital for the last few days.  But it is my duty as his human to make decisions about his well being (his well being vs my own desire not to let him go, which is one of those truly awful balancing acts), and so he was put down today - age 10 years, three months.   It was as peaceful a passing as any of us can hope for.

I know everyone thinks their cat is amazing, but Thom really was.  I had decided to get a British Shorthair because I liked their looks, but more importantly I liked how they were described - sturdy, quiet, low key cats that wanted to be with you, but not necessarily ON you.  He was a classic example of the breed both in looks and temperament. When I first saw him as a kitten, he was unbelievably cute, but he was so shy that he squeezed his body between the cushions of the couch to hide, and hissed when I tried to pick him up.  I actually wondered if I should take him based on that reaction - I worried that the hissing was a sign of things to come - but I braved it, and home he came, along with his "sister" (actually his niece if you look at the family tree, but who looks at family trees?) Maggie.  What I ended up with was honestly the sweetest natured, gentlest cat you could hope for - he never scratched or lashed out at me, or the vet, or anyone, no matter how scared he was or what indignity he was being subjected to (the polar opposite to his very lovable but generally imperious and slightly indignant sister).   Add that to his incredible handsomeness (in a slightly alien handsome way), a purr so loud and hard it would almost choke him, and his general sociability and you had one truly remarkable boy.  If anyone wants to see more of his handsome self, just click on the "cats" link (or the *snap* link!) to the side of this blog and be amazed that a creature that looked like Thom could even exist (I should add, he was a camera whore - as soon as he saw the camera, he would start rolling around and posing).

I can't express how much I will miss him - and I know I am not the only one - the Boy, and Thom's "Grandcat" will both miss him dearly I know.  Unfortunately when you sign on to the joy that is having a pet in your life, you also sign on to the inevitable sorrow of saying goodbye.  But as for me, despite the buckets of tears I seem to have shed over the last 24 hours, I just feel really lucky to have had such a remarkable, lovely beast in my life, even if it was for much too short a time.  

So, it is just Miss Mags and me now - not that she isn't a large presence in the house (physically and in every other possible way).  I think we will both be missing those giant orange eyes for quite a while to come.

Grinderman, and just...the grind.

Well, first the good news - the Grinderman concert on Friday night was truly awesome. Nick Cave has long been an idol of mine - I have seen him discussing film live, but I have never seen him play - so this was really a thrill. With his towering, elongated form and inky mop of receding hair, Nick Cave is rock-frontman Goddery (is that a word? If not, it should be). Rock multi-instrumentalist Goddery is found in the hairy, troll-like form of Warren Ellis - I didn't think it would be possible for someone to pull my attention away from Nick Cave, but lo and behold, Ellis' sometimes cavorting, sometimes writhing craziness was absolutely transfixing. It was all just...great. My brother took a whack of good video - a taster below:



Less great is the news on Thomas.  Long story short, he isn't really getting better, and the only way to determine what the issue is, is to do a biopsy.  Which sounds simple, but is actually pretty significant surgery, with a significant price attached.  Once again, thank god for insurance, and thank double god that my policy renews December 1st, which means I have more money available for this illness starting soon.  In my long discussion with the internist today we discussed the possibilities: polycystic liver disease (no treatment really); hepatitis (manageable with meds); cancer (you know the story there).  So, no good news, it is really just differing levels of bad.   That being said, I do feel a need to know what "bad" I am dealing with, so I will put him through the surgery for the biopsy, and keep my fingers crossed that insurance will come through for me on this one.   Bleh.

Bring out the dayglo tape....

I really think I was meant to be a backup dancer.

$1100 and counting....

Well, you might ask what this photo is of.  On the right, the end of my lovely new hand blender.  On the left, the tail end of a pureed batch of venison and rice cat food, into which is stuck the giant syringe that will be used to force feed Thomas with.

Are we having fun yet?

Thom is suffering from fatty liver disease at the moment.  And no, he wasn't overweight.  But he did get fussy about his food, and eventually pretty much stopped eating.  He is a very sick boy, and the only way to try to get him through this is to force him to eat sufficient calories to get his system back in line.  Hence, the giant syringe.

I should add that before I found the giant syringe, I was using needle syringes, and they would block up with food, be hard to fill, and I would end up with pureed venison up my arms, on my legs, on the floor...so nice.  Part of me feels like I am gavaging in order to make Thom Liver Pate, but please know that isn't the case.

As for the $1100 - once again, I am happy to have insurance, because this ain't over yet!!

Yes, I'm still here...

...just not very talkative I guess?  I had a fantasy that I was going to write a detailed blog post after seeing the Sufjan Stevens concert that happened a couple of weeks ago...but I didn't.  Why not? BECAUSE I DIDN'T GO.  Why didn't I go you might ask?  BECAUSE I GOT SO F%#KING SICK I COULDN'T.  Yes, on the day of the concert I came down with a flu - the real deal, complete with temperature of 101F (sorry, sickness happens in Imperial for me), shakes, splitting headache, and racking cough.  So sick that I actually realized I couldn't go, heartbreaking though that was.  Making it all a bit less painful were the impressive nursing skills of The Boy, and the videoing bravado of my brother, who attempted to bring at least some of the concert to me.


Other than that, said-video-creating-frere had a milestone birthday (happy 70th!!), and I have taken the big plunge and invested in (drum roll please) SNOW TIRES.  Yes, after having a car in Toronto and not getting snows, and living here and not getting snows, my spidey senses are telling me it is time.

And that is about it.  For now. 

This feels weird, but...

...I am using part of my lunch break at work to blog. Purely out of guilt I might add - not that I really believe anyone cares if I keep up with this or not - it's strictly self imposed guilt.

What have I been up to? Another good concert (clip included below thanks to my brother and his schwingy new camera), a modern Canadian opera, VIFF, and a nasty stinking cold.





VIFF was generally pretty good this year - a few highlights for me:

Waste Land - a lovely documentary featuring some truly amazing people - it has been picked up for release and I would highly recommend you make the effort. It won the People's Choice at VIFF fyi.




And another lovely film by Mike Leigh - Another Year. Really, really enjoyed this - a lovely quiet look at relationships, in characteristic Leigh style



There are more - Down Terrace, an excellent dark comedy about a British family with criminal ties; and Me, Too - a really lovely and eye opening film about the relationship between a man with Down's Syndrome and his coworker - are the other two of real note for me this year.

Other than that...hmmm...I have finally found some cat food that the perpetually fussy Thomas seems interested in eating.  Now THAT is news! Aren't you glad I bothered posting?