Radium Hot Springs and Banff June 7

I was determined to try some natural mineral springs in the Rockies and was happy to take the long drive through Kooteny National Park to the hot springs at Radium. Very soothing and refreshing. The nearby town has the climate and feel of Kamloops with hoodoo hills and a Western vibe with a bit of Alpine flair thrown in. Saw a bear eating dandelions by the highway and an elk in Banff. Banff is overly crowded and seems quite built up including an indoor shopping mall!

Lake Louise and Moraine Lake June 6

The iconic Lake Louise is a very popular spot for tourists, us included. Beautiful varying colours of blue and green serene below the surrounding mountains. Tour bus us even this early in the season spilling put of the parking lot onto the roads below. The Chateau Lake Louise is classy and opulent and wonderful for people watching.

Nearby Moraine Lake is a more unspoiled spot with fewer visitors. Gives a real feeling of what these places were like years ago.

Jasper to Lake Louise June 5

No documentary or travelogue or magazine spread can ever replace for me  the reality of travel in person.  The total body experience of sight, sound, smell and how your brain integrates and relates it to your own past and mind maps is priceless. My eyeballs are sore every day from so much swivelling to look at all the things around me. 

A cruise on Maligne Lake just outside Jasper began the day. A woman discovered and surveyed the lake. Bravo Ms Shaeffer! 

Then the Athabasca Falls... So swift and powerful. 

A stop at the Columbia Icefields before we arrived at Lake Louise, remindedus of   the effects of global warming as the ice retreats further and further from the highway every year. 

Yellow Head Highway to Jasper June 4

The Fraser River, Mount Robson, the aerial tram in Jasper overlooking an amazing vista. Words are not adequate to describe the grandeur surrounding us. 

Kamloops trails

A couple of relaxing days spent in the western style town of Kamloops. Set on the banks of the Thompson River, it clearly developed as a working location on the railway. It was hard to get close to the river in town but there were amazing views from the sandstone hills surrounding the valley where the original town was built. A drive through a First Nation on the other side of the river was magical with a sweet smell of sage brush and big horn sheep on the road!  Very warm temperatures but the winds were tremendous! 

The end of the blogging break

June is here and I am on vacation and inspiration has returned. The recent broken leg certainly cramped my style as they say. Moving on from that setback has brought me to Kamloops British Columbua after an amazing drive from Calgary through the the Rockies. Saw the train go through the spiral tunnel at Kicking Horse Pass. Iconic. What a marvel it is that the railway across Canada was ever completed however I know there was much human pain and loss of life along the way. 

Revelstoke was filled with masses of lupins and poppies and other spring flowers and was really hot after the drive through the mountains covered with snow at the top. There seemed to be an unusual number of Chinese restaurants for a town of about 7,000 people. Then Kamloops is really a desert with unusual sandstone cliffs beside the Thompson River. Brown sage brush covered hills surround the town. 

Snowy April

When the snow arrived the other day, there was a very despondent robin standing  still and hunched over as if wondering if he had come back to Toronto a bit too soon. The other birds crowded  around the bird feeders frantically grabbing seeds, perhaps thinking they had better stock up on food for the coming winter! Hang on my feathered friends. Surely spring is nigh.       

I will continue to entertain myself with morning coffee in front of the fire before digging into my growing stash of beads enjoying the distraction of creation. The felt beads made by my friend are very jolly and would brighten any day. 

March comes to an end

A brief blast of icy rain and wind  reminds me that the Canadian winter is not truly over yet. The snowdrops have faded and the tulip leaves are reaching out of the ground basking in the warmth of the sun. I enjoyed family connections over the Easter weekend and delicious new recipes. 

My creative spirit is beginning to flow again with new ideas for necklaces coming to fruition. Still hoping that the healing process of my knee speeds up so I can stop being distracted by it and focus on more of the things that I enjoy. 

Out and about

As interesting workshop on collage making at Scarborough Arts with my daughter after a tasty Thai meal at a newly discovered restaurant made for a perfect day recently. Fun to explore my neighbourhood now that retirement gives me the time to do so. Hidden gems around every corner. 

Visions for the future of Scarborough recorded by visitors to the gallery where the workshop  took place. 

It is exciting to be back at the Pan Am Sports Centre again with the spacious pools and the ultra modern excercise machines that will help to get my knee into top working form. The swimming is so soothing and makes me feel free as a bird, or do I mean fish!

Blue skies ahead

The rain and fog today were very reminiscent of the days I spent in England 30 years ago. Nice to have a blazing fire to relax in front of. 

It was very exciting to revisit the Pan Am Sports Center that I have not been to for months. I am looking forward to moving my rehab activities on the machines and in the pool to that fabulous venue next week. Getting out and about is good  for the spirits! Also, the jewellery making has resumed which is good for the soul!

Spring flowers

The snowman melted yesterday and I made the discovery of snowdrops in our spring garden today. What an exciting time lies ahead! 

I took a walk in the amazingly warm weather to the local library and renewed my card. Certainly need more stamina if I am to enjoy spring walks! The place was bustling with toddlers singing and folks on all the computers. I spent many happy hours entertaining myself at the library as a child and will perhaps do so again in retirement. 

Focus on Creativity

The creative juices are beginning to flow once again! I took on the challenge of setting up a Facebook page for Anam Cara Handcrafts, the newly formed  group with friends and family who are drawn to jewellery making and other such endeavours. In Gaelic, Anam Cara means " soul friend" or in my words, kindred spirit. We will use the site to share our activities and showcase our creations.

Check it out Anam Cara Handcrafts www.facebook.com/achandcrafts

I also took the plunge and joined the Scarborough Arts Council and am looking forward to discovering a local community of what should be interesting folks. It is in a unique old building on the edge of the Scarborough  bluffs with views of Lake Ontario for inspiration. 

Spring soon

The quality of the light is changing as spring is only 2 weeks away. Bright sunshine and blue skies are the norm as the finches who swarm the bird feeder begin to change colour back to brilliant yellow. A foreshadowing of summer days.

A Sunday mystery tour took us on the side roads  of Durham region with a stop over at Richters herbs where the warmth of the greenhouse released the fragrances of lavender, thyme and mint. 

The one and only snowman of the year won't last long in the sunshine!

Winter arrives in February

It looks like a winter wonderland with all the fresh snow outside my warm and cosy retreat. The birds are really enjoying the feeders now and keep me entertained as I sip my morning coffee. It will be harder for me to get about outside with my trusty walker but I have lots of help from my friends to keep me upright. 

 The annual Family day celebrations progressed regardless but very quietly with discussions of how to properly make a pot of tea! I entertain myself with baking cookies to have with the tea. The wild parties are on hold until the spring!

Getting by with a little help from my friends

Another friend came to stay for a couple of days and helped me experience more in life than the focus on the KNEE. A trip to a bead store always helps to brighten me up. Two bead stores even better! She encouraged me to walk outdoors today to the local mall for a toasted Western. How pleasant to get out after a month indoors. The jewellery making tools and materials are now all set up and we had fun experimenting with the jolly felt balls that she made. 

Friends are Fabulous!

This week I enjoyed some company other than close family. Really helps to have the support and a different perspective. I realize that I will need to get some more tea for visitors if this keeps up!

 At the three week mark now. I am truly living in the moment. The day consists of fresh Cuban coffee in the morning,  admiring the cardinals, finches and chickadees swooping around the feeders, 3 hours of exercise to stretch and strengthen then on to keeping up with the latest Netflix offerings. 

2 weeks after the big day

Time marches on and I know the saying, "Time heals all wounds" must be true. I am trying to do my part but I think that nature is the biggest player in this recovery process. My friends and family also have a major influence as they encourage me to persevere and keep my spirits up while  I get the new joint moving. Small victories like sitting on my couch and getting in to the front seat of a car are triumphs that I celebrate! But the most wonderful sign of things to come was the ability to use the walker to wander the aisles of Winners! Retail therapy always works. 

Monday morning

 Today feels like the first Monday of my retired life. The all consuming recovery from knee surgery has overshadowed everything else. Realizing that it was fear of pain and what it meant rather than pain itself that was blinding me to the future ahead, I now feel in charge of my destiny rather than at the mercy of my physical limitations. Giving meditation a try for the first time and of course Boogie Wonderland is a great tune to exercize by! Stretching to the groove! Hope there is good music at the hospital Physio today. 

Today is bright

Finally it feels like I can emerge from the focus on surgery and pain and take a look at the world around me. It is certainly more of an ordeal than I had anticipated however the support and help of family and friends is essential and keeps me going. Also great to have a daughter who is a nurse. Patient but firm. Just what I need. Back to the exercise routine!!

Renovation

Signing off for a few days as I make good use of advances in health care and our hospital system in Ontario as I have my knee replacement done. The thought is daunting but l look forward improved walking in the future. Modern medecine is amazing. Like the 350 year old oak tree in the picture below, we all need a bit of assistance as we age!

Montebello is Magic

Two days at the Fairmont Chateau Montebello, a log cabin hotel. Built as a private club in the 30's, it is reminiscent of the movies with Bing Crosby set in Maine that entranced me in my teen years. First dream come true was a sleigh ride behind a pair of small Clydesdale brothers with the jingle of bells as we travelled through the forests and bush.  It met every expectation!  

Warming up in front of the massive stone fireplace is another moment to be treasured. 

Today began with a swim in the pool then a walk to the national historic site of the Papineau Manor (built in 1850) nearby. Walking on crisp white snow under brilliant blue skies overlooking the Ottawa River almost made us oblivious to the minus 20 degree weather. 

A real point of interest was the grain house that looked like a lovely church.

Today is truly about relaxing in the moment. No past, no future, only now.