All Systems Go!!

So after a very long wait and a chunk of change I have a new computer and its all up and running. I am sooooooooooo happy. I would have been happier if, when I hooked it up the first time, I had managed to get everything plugged in. I could have avoided the whole mini tantrum I pitched. Ah well a nap took care of that, cause when I woke up, the thought that maybe I had missed plugging in something popped into my head. Back under the computer desk and low and behold, I had missed a plug. Push, pop, snap and things started to blink and whir and connect to networks and its all systems go again baby!! I had no idea how much a part of my day this machine is. Next to get fixed is the camera.

More good news, speaking if cameras, the recovery program they ran on my computer,  seems to have found most, if not all of my pictures. I am just sifting through them because in recovering my pictures there are a lot of internet pictures picked up along that way which require sorting and deleting. Its time consuming. I will do it though, I am just glad to have back the pictures and I will be more vigilant abut saving them, storing them on sticks. I may even ask Santa for an external hard drive to protect them in future.

Now I can get my pictures, downloaded, printed, and sorted from my trip down east, the wedding and figure out a system to use to deal with their safe storage. I am also thinking I need to get some sort of office program on this computer. I use that an awful lot for scrap booking journaling and letter writing,

So I have been busy the last two weeks or more. Work has been a complete shit-show and I thought I was not going to manage it. Everyone has a breaking point and I nearly found mine but I managed. I did not have to trot off to the doctor for stress leave. Things are settling down now and I would imagine that I will survive . I let it all get to me which I should not have. Get over it, get on with it. Don't fuss about the things you cannot change.

E and I have spent two weekends gallivanting around the country, checking out antique/second hand stores and buying things. She more than I, I am happy to say. Then this week I took from Wednesday to Friday off and scrapbooked. It was heavenly. I have slept through the night, I have not heard an alarm. I feel so relaxed.

My Ireland trip books are together, they need the journaling done, which I can do now the computer is up and running, They need a few embellishments but the pictures are in them and that makes me happy. Now when The Banker, Kit Kat and I do our scrap booking weekend, I can do the Eastern Canada trip. I have started to gather the supplies for that, Album, embellishments, paper  and things gathered on the trip.

On Friday the Banker and I went out for lunch, then shopped about until it was time for No Cook. FUN FUN FUN, She has been off to BC with her man for four weeks and so its been awhile since she has been around. We checked out the new knitting/scrap booking store in town and I bought myself a set of Knitpic circular knitting needles. I have coveted them for sometime now and splurged for them. My horrid plastic circular needles are going to be donated to the local charity shop. Saturday, the Banker, Kit Kat, Teddy Bear and I went our for supper (again) and then went to see The Grand Seduction at the university movie theater. The movie was so funny and so good, everyone clapped at the end, that does not happen every often at a movie.

Today I wrestled with the computer, had a tantrum, and actually went out and did a bit of shopping. Its Sunday and I am hard to pry out of my comfortable place on a Sunday. I take that Day of Rest thing to heart. I did go to Michaels for some craft supplies and then to Fabricland for thread and material for a quilt. Busy's sister has asked me to make a quilt for her daughter for Christmas. I am itching to get started on it. All sorts of pink with black trim, it is going to be very smart looking.

Now I need to cook something for supper. I am resolute that I am not buying lunch anymore!! The food is not healthy, not even remotely healthy and its expensive. I have been too slack about this so cooking will be done today!!

Happy to be back on the computer again!! There will be pictures with the next post!

Toodles, Linda

Sunday Stuff

Well having had a shit-kicking at work for the last couple of weeks, I have not managed to get my poor sick computer to the place where I am hoping they will work miracles and restore my pictures. I have made a promise to myself that it goes in on Monday. I cannot keep putting it off. Strangely enough I use this thing an awful lot, its a big part of my day. I rather like having it around.

Not much happening this weekend, E and I did a bit of an antiques road show as we went to two small towns close by to check out antique places. Oh I saw a few things I would love to have, but I would need to win the lotto first. I did get two lovely little egg cups. I left the dough bowl, the piggy cookie jar, the cabinet and the art deco lamp for another day. Not only would I need to win the lotto, I would need a bigger house. So for now I am happy with my egg cups.

Trucking about the country took most of the day yesterday and when I got home, I did next to nothing. This day has been a repeat of the "next to nothing" portion of yesterday. I have started to crochet a baby blanket. Not for anyone, just starting to try and use up the stash in this house. I have tons of yarn and material that I am hoping to knock into submission, I will donate most of what I make. Its nice to make use of this stuff.

So its been napping, snacking, crocheting and tv watching, No a bad way to spend some time on a lazy Sunday. I am also gathering my bits and bobs to to the second Ireland Scrap book. My goal is to take some time off work and devote myself to finishing those scrapbooks before I get the pictures from this last trip. Then I can get that book done before I forget all the details. I did not do a trip journal this time round and I will not make that mistake again if I am fortunate enough to go traveling again.

I will not be back blogging for a bit. I am hoping the fix on my computer does not take too long.

Toodles,
Linda

Knocking Seven Bells Out of the Bucket List

So I can get pictures onto my computer from my phone if I email them to myself. Since the computer is not totally fixed yet I do not want to do too many but I did manage to gather some to share on the blog. This not having my computer working like I want it to is making me cranky. It funny how you do not realize how much a part of your day this silly machine has become.

Anyhoo here we got with the bucket list

Bay of Fundy/Hopewell Rocks..............check

Before and after the tide has gone out. It is bloody amazing to see it. very dramatic. I was fortunate, I got to see it from two sides.

This is the wedding site, at high tide. 

This is it as the tide is going out. If you stand on the wedding sight and look across the water you are looking at the Hopewell Rocks. The tide change is quite a sight to see and I cannot decide which side is the most impressive.

The Confederation Bridge...............check

We drove over this bridge to get to PEI, It huge and long and a bit unnerving to those of us that do not like being on bridges but its something you should see. Once you get on it you cannot get off but we made it without freaking out!!

Pacific Ocean....... check

We went back to Nova Scotia on a ferry. EEK, another thing I am not crazy about is boats but I may never get another chance to do this, so face my fears I did.

Green Gables..............check

We went to Lucy Maud's birthplace, the house that inspired Green Gables, the museum, the homestead, the house they have set up as Green Gables, the village, the haunted wood, lover's lane, in short every place we could that was Green Gables related. To someone who grew up loving the books, it was a life time dream come true. 

The Maritime Museum for the Titanic display..................check

standing that close to things that were actually on the Titanic is overwhelming. The Titanic has always fascinated me. To see and know these things were part of it boggles my mind.


The Citadel, Halifax ...............check

This old fort which has been rebuilt four times in its history was an interesting stop. They pipe in the hour with bagpipes, and fire a cannon at noon each day. They march about in period costume. Its was interesting.

Peggy's Cove ...........check

This was beautiful. The ocean, the rocks, the light house, listening to the bagpipes. I get goosebumps still thinking about it.

The Bluenose II .........check

Even though she is not the original version, she still looks like she could fly through the waves. She was not open to visitors the day we were there but you got to get close to her.

The Anne Murray Center.............check

I have always enjoyed her singing and have seen her perform live once. It was amazing to see all the awards, and events of her life. Quite a big career for this Canadian.

So that was the readers digest version of my holiday with Best Friend and the Railroader. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI. I cannot wait to go back!! But I do have to say the absolute highlight of the trip was this

It makes me so very happy to see him so very happy again. I have high hopes for these two.

Toodles
Linda

Still Not Fixed

So the computer is still not fixed. The Sailor tried but it did not work out. So I will call a place today and see if I can get it in and maybe they can get my pictures back. I have some pictures that I can access. The Sailor did stop the pop ups and I can get onto the internet and facebook without feeling like I am going to open up an entire can of worms.

So I thought I would try and see if I could share a wee few pictures from the wedding and my recent trip.

I can tell you know that this is going to be a poor picture selection. These are the signs that I painted for the wedding. My Pinterest best!!

A few shenanigans took place during the rehearsal.

The happy couple and that is about it.

I can't get to my vacation pictures as my computer currently will not let me download any. This is so frustrating. Ah well this too shall pass.

Its the long weekend, I have no plans so I think this will be a weekend of puttering. I have loads of things that need to be done and I am sure I will manage a few of them. 

Right now I am going to finish my coffee, put the groceries away and then call the computer place. 

Toodles,

Linda

Not the Post I Intended

In a effort to get pictures off of my phone onto my computer I managed to do something  that now requires work to fix. The Sailor is a techie in her working life so she is trying to restore my poor 'puter to normal. Until she manages to work miracles, I have no pictures past or present. She said I can use the internet but its all so slow it makes me crazy.

I was going to post about my holiday and the lovely wedding but that is going to have to wait. Wait until my computer is working again and my pictures have been returned from the ether. Sigh. I will tell you this I had a wonderful holiday and the wedding was smashing. Can't wait to share.

All in due time, all in due time.

Toodles,
Linda

The Great Mushroom Move of '14

It amazes me, constantly, my ability to make mountains out of mole hills. Its quite a talent and I seem to be perfecting it with age. Well I have done it again. Finally, I moved the Pinterest mushrooms, and I like where they are now. They look like they belong. Took seconds to actually to do but hours of dithering/yapping about where to actually put them. They started here, by the back step, up against the fence. They were fairly invisible and looked sadly out of place. This first move was just a celebration of the fact that they got moved off the kitchen table and out to the yard.

They have now been moved here, by the new patio, by the ferns. They look like they should be there, in the cool damp soil, out of danger and yet visible. I am happy with this choice of placement.

I like these silly little mushrooms. They tickle me for some reason. So easy to make with recycled vases and bowls. Cute and slightly tacky but I love them.

I also had another grand idea, a money saving one at that. I have this space by my house that is not wide enough to get a mower into and turns into a weed jungle the moment my back is turned. The Banker had cleaned it out so nicely for me when she was here doing the patio. The weeds were as high as the fence but she got it all out of there. Since that was done I did not want it to grow back. I had always, ultimately, wanted to put gravel in there, over plastic, to keep it clean and tidy. I am finding that my finances are being pulled in several ways at the moment and  the money is not stretching as far as I would like it to. Buying gravel is not making the necessity list at this time but I did not want to have to re-clear this space. What to do??? I had an A-Ha moment.

Two shower curtains from the dollar store were laid down first. This may not totally stop the weeds but it will slow them down.

KitKat gave me bags of wood chips from her yard to put under my lilacs at the front some time ago, long enough that I had sort of forgotten them. They have been on my veranda long enough to become invisible. I decided that I could use them back here, as I already had them on hand and get more wood chips later for the front yard. Problem solved. Today I spread the chips out and this awkward space now looks like this:

So at a total cost of $2.00 this space has been seen to and hopefully will never again look like a weed jungle. I should be able to access the air conditioner now without being covered in burrs. This makes me happy. Slowly the back yard is getting done. Yet another job that took moments to actually go but hours of thought and talk to accomplish. Mountains out of mole hills!!!

The shed still needs to be painted and the mosaic stars and moon hung. The bench needs to be painted and the flower bed replanted but its coming. The back yard is  starting to look like my vision for it. If I keep picking away it will come......picking, dithering, yapping, putting off............you know the drill.

Toodles
Linda

Crossing Things Off the List

At long long last I have managed to acquire camera battery charger that actually charges the battery. I purchased the last one from a big box electronics store who assured me it would work. It didn't so I took it back to day and while I held the charger, the clerk turned the camera over in his hand and declared the charger to be fine but my battery to be faulty. Incredible powers of ex-ray vision methinks. He would have been more than happy to sell me a battery but they had none in stock. My camera, the charger and I left.

I then took myself to a local camera shop where the nicest young man, checked my battery (it is fine) looked over the charger and thought it should work, could not say why it did not, only offered the opinion that it was rather simplistic.  He was not sure what the reason it did not charge could be, but did not want to really say one way or the other. I asked if he had a charger that he thought was better quality. Yes he did, but if I wanted to buy it he would like to check it out with my battery first before any money changed hands and before I left the store. He checked, it worked, I paid, and left with a working charger. No mental telepathy or ex-ray vision involved in the entire transaction. I will return the first "perfectly fine" charger to the big box store, tomorrow, when I am more in the mood to be calm and reasonable about it. Tick camera charger off the list.

I then, went to the cell phone place and had the nice young lady there fix it so I can now actually access the voice mail on my phone. All the complaining I do, daily, about people who have voice mail and never listen to their messages, I felt a proper hypocrite not being able to access my own. Now I can. Tick that off the list.

The rest of my day has been laundry, washing floors, doing dishes, hemming my new pants and making lists. I have been quilting too. I have a hard time staying on task when there is a quilt within my reach. I have also been charging batteries. The weed whacker, the camera, the cell phone, the kindle. Not a very taxing chore but one that needs doing now and then. I topped off the evening by burning a pot of potatoes. I put them on to boil, left them to quilt for only a moment and did not think of them again until my nose smelled burnt offerings. Oh my, they were new potatoes too. I can salvage most of them but the kitchen needs a good airing.

I bought myself a lugg bag today. The one with the fun name of Cablecar.  I wanted one before I went to Ireland but it did not work out. Its the right size, big but not so much so. You can wear it across your body which leaves your hands free for touching and fondling all manner of things. There is a nice little mesh pocket inside where you can keep an eye on your important stuff without going through that heart stopping moment where you cannot see what you need and have to dump the entire contents of the purse out. I even got a black one. The last black one they had. I wanted either black or red but would have made do with what they had. They did have a nice yellow one that I could have made do,  but I am very happy to have the black. You have room for all the necessary bits and bobs, with room to add other items as need be. Not to mention that it should stand up to wear and tear.

Tomorrow I have some yard work to do. lawn to mow, mushrooms to move, car to clean. I hope its not too hot.

Toodles.
Linda