Family Weekend

Had the kids over for the first sleep-over in over two months!  (lots of "overs' in that first sentence!!)  We had a great time together, watching Paw Patrol (I tried to get them to watch one of my favourite movies, Paddington, but they really really didn't want to), eating (sometimes chocolate) and doing crafts.  I wish I had taken a photo of their Valentine's Day cards they made for Mamma and Daddy.  They worked so hard on making them beautiful.  Emerson did make three pictures for me though and above is one of them.  It is an Alien with spikes which helps to protect it from Dinosaurs trying to eat it.  It is now on my wall.

Sunday evening I was invited to their house for a roast beef dinner (which was absolutely delicious) and who was there as well but Auntie Em & Henrik, who is now sitting on his own and eating baby food.  He is still small enough to be sitting on the table. 

The table was set waiting for the Roast to come out while little Henrik was fed.  Emerson and Alanna had trouble waiting for dinner as well so they started early on their veggies.

Yes they were hungry and Emer couldn't even put his head up for a photo.  He was busy gulping down the avocado half he took from his plate.

Was a great weekend with the family even if it was a little cold ... -30C, so too cold for outdoor activities , but lots to do inside.

The Shape of Water

I had to think about my opinion of this movie before putting it on this blog.  I attended the movie really wanting to like it.  It had such positive reviews and was up for so many awards.  I liked the actresses (didn't really know the actors) and loved the title.  When discussing the film over a glass of wine, my two companions absolutely loved it.
The story took place in the early 1960's.  They couldn't have captured the era any better, from the cars to the clothes to the TV shows to the colouring they used while filming.  It was the cold war time and this was reflected in the story line.  This is not defined as a "Horror" movie.  I define it as a Weird Weird movie.  The imagination of the writers must be applauded as they silently weave loose ends into the story.  The Good Guys were very very good and the Bad Guy was very very Bad.  This movie seemed to have all the necessary components and when I think of it like this, I like it.  But I didn't Love it.  I give it 3-1/2 Stars out of 5.

February 04, 2018 ... Home Again, Home Again ...

Look who I found at the Airport!  His mother IS behind him (in the doorway) but he was so far ahead and spotted me immediately.

Then came Alanna entangled in SR.

They came in twos - two adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs and lots of luggage.  And they hit winter head on.  The temperature was about -34°C at the airport.

It was almost like Christmas all over again once at home.  They rediscovered all their toys in each of the rooms.

The dogs also settled in quickly after a two month absence.

Catching Up

Terry was in town this week, and, as we seem to always do when she is here, the three of us got together for food and news.  Boston Pizza was the setting and we got caught up on what we are all doing.  

And it was a cold evening once again.  We have had quite a few spells of -30 to -40 weather this year and we are all TIRED of it!!!  This night was not exception.

When it is colder that -30°C my truck says "forget it, I am not registering the temperature any more.  I'll just show it as ---°C!".  So, on the drive home is was colder than -30!  Ohhh, can't wait for spring.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

I didn't know quite what to expect with this movie.  I enjoy Frances McDormand's acting (re Fargo).  I also knew she won Best Actress at the Golden Globes. The day I went to view the movie, the Oscar nominations came out and she again was up for Best Actress, and the movie nominations included Best Supporting Actor (x 2), Best Original Music Score, Best Screenplay and Best Editing.  It is a Black Comedy centred around the rape and murder of Mildred's (McDormand) daughter.  Mildred became a Vigilante.  Not a subject I would think I would enjoy, but enjoy I did.  You never knew what was going to happen in the next minute.  Thus, the movie was over before I knew it.  Woody Harrelson was excellent and Sam Rockwell beyond superb in their rolls.  I was glad I saw the movie and give it 4 out of 5 Stars.

Paddington 2

Over the Christmas season I watched the first Paddington Movie to see if it would be appropriate for three years olds to watch.  My plan was to watch for a bit, then choose a program that was age appropriate for ME.  I enjoyed it so much, to my surprise, that I watched it right to the end and didn't want it to end.  So when the second movie came out, I was anxious to see it.
The movie theatre was almost empty for a Saturday afternoon matinee.  Bad for the theatre, good for me.  Paddington 2 was just as endearing as the first movie.  You cannot help but fall in love with the polite little bear.  I also applaud the roles that Sally Hawkins and Hugh Bonneville play.  The story is a little complicated for three year olds but I don't think that would matter too much.  It was fixed, I discovered, at a six year old level as the six year old I attended the movie with was happily putting all the pieces together and making total sense of the movie.  And, apparently, there were a few people that left having shed a wee tear or two at the end.  It is an endearing sequence to the first movie and excellent entertainment for the whole family.  I give it 5 out of 5 Stars!

Christmas Again

Just realized that I neglected to insert the First Christmas Dinner I had in the year 2017.  It was special because:
1.  It was with my family
2.  It was the first Christmas Henrik Hoefs joined the table

It will probably be the last year Henrik will be standing on the dinner table.

And here is the crew.  We also had Chloe, the au pair,  joining the celebrations.  This all took place at the end of November, a couple of days prior to the departure of my family, on their "adventure" trailer trip down Vancouver way.

January 7, 2018

I must be Canadian as I keep talking about the weather.  It IS changing.  We used to get ice fog when it was -30 or -40 but we didn't get ordinary fog.  This was my view this morning.  Where is Haeckel Hill? Where is the end of my street?  In the last two days we must have had at least 45 cm of snow.  I shovelled my driveway 4 times one day and then again the next morning.  It was fun to see the buzz of all the neighbours out shovelling on Saturday morning though.  How much snow did we get ... I got stuck backing out of my driveway onto the street.  Of course my street is one of the last to be cleared so driving it, being pulled into one tire track, then another, is challenging.

January 2018

Almost a week of -30 with windchills taking the temperature down to -49 then ...  This was the temperature on January 3rd.  Sheesh ... no wonder people are getting the flu.   I just don't want it to go above freezing (like we had earlier).  Too messy with the melting snow.  In fact, during the cold snap we had NO snow so that made shovelling easy.

Pot Luck

Had a real pot luck at Joan's.  That means no planning at all ... could be all salads or all desserts.  As it turned out it was a little bit of everything so it worked out perfectly.  I know it looks like we are standing in a hotel lobby with those beautiful windows in the background, but in fact, that is Joan'a living room.  Think she picked a good apartment to live in. 

Good-bye 2017

The last day of December started out with flashing lights on the street.  The firemen were at a house only three houses away from me.  

Cody, living just down the street and out of eyeshot of the excitement but still in view of lights flashing texted me and I gave her a blow by blow of the happenings on our street.  Turns out not much was happening but it is always exciting to see the fire engines ... as long as it is NOT as my house.

From there, I met my friend Sue and went out for a brunch - guess where.  The brunches are not quite as good as they used to be but you can't beat the view.  Air North was just loading and departed while we ate.  Don't see Sue often, so it was great to catch up with her.

The day was beautiful to look at from the restaurant window.  Not quite so beautiful when we went outside to the truck.  The wind immediately froze my forehead like a brain freeze (except I didn't enjoy the ice-cream that goes with a brain freeze).  -44 with the windchill.  It was a cool one in the city.

Another Year Almost Done

As Christmas week draws to a close I thought I would take a picture of my "tree" before I pack it away for another year.  With the kids gone as of December 01, I didn't see much use in decorating too much, which makes un-decorating very easy.  And now to put this tree in perspective ...

it sits on my counter.  Above, I put the beautiful Salt and Pepper shakers I rec'd from my YYZ bud this year.  Now you can see the actual size of this Xmas decoration.  It wasn't a big tree but did light up my counter each night during Christmas.

And, although I neglected to take a photo, I had a wonderful Christmas Day meal at the Legaré's house, out on the Old Alaska Highway.  The meal was delicious and it was great to spend time with old friends at this special time of year.  That is what Christmas is all about and although my family was miles away, my heart was warmed by the companionship of friends and their families during this holiday season. 

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve and was invited to Debbie's house for a family turkey dinner.  The meal was delicious - and it was lovey to enjoy a meal with the family, especially at this special time of year. 

                                      

We had crackers and one of the prizes was a magnifying glass.  This is how close you had to look with this powerful instrument - but it did work.

The best of all was seeing the excitement of Silas and Ella. They were tracking Santa on the iPad, who happened to be in Santiago Chile at that time.  And they could open one gift - both opened a nerf rifle but without batteries could only pretend to shoot bullets.

In his excitement Silas even kissed Ella.  A bit of brotherly love on Christmas Eve.

Winter Solstice

The shortest day - the longest night.  But the sky was clear and the sun was shining in the little time it had to shine.  It was so pretty with the newly fallen snow.  Hope the cooler temperature keeps up.  It is -19°C as I speak and that is the way we want it.  No more 0 or warmer till March please.  And the good news is that after today, our daylight hours get longer and longer and longer .... 

Almost Christmas - December 19

Popped in to the Legaré's house on the Old Alaska Highway for tea this afternoon.  The cold weather has returned as it was around - 14°C.  We had a lovely tea then a wee walk around their immediate property (as someone has a bad hip!!!).  SR phoned while I was there.  He was driving to YVR from Horseshoe Bay and it had snowed 6 inches in one hour and the traffic was at a standstill.  Well, that's Vancouver drivers for you!

December 15 2017

Last Friday, met with Gramma for lunch and touring her around town.  It is hard living in an area with no mode of transportation especially around Christmas.  We both had appointments to keep; ie chiropractor / physio so we both had to be in town in any case.  I pulled out my camera while she did her banking and snapped this photo above on her return.

We have just had - how long has it been now? - two weeks of above 0 temperatures.  This is what is left of winter in downtown Whitehorse.  A pretty sorry site if I do say so myself.  This is also how bright it is at 3:30 PM in the north.

Winter 2017

December 9th ... 4°C and raining.  It looks like dusk at 2 in the afternoon.  Roads are messy, cars even worse ... a steady stream of windshield washer fluid.  Where is winter?  Or perhaps we have been transported down to Vancouver.

Guess who is in town!

I am a week behind in recording this but last Saturday, we had Breakfast with Santa.  I guess since we are so close to the North Pole, this is one of his first stops.  The kids went to Soccer first thing in the morning.  I heard on the radio that this breakfast was happening, so told SR to meet me there after their practice.  It was an event made for kids. The breakfast was Pancakes of course.

The room was festive with the all the Christmas trees from NorthwesTel's Festival of Trees.  We sat by the Canada tree.

And what event could be complete in the north without Can Can Dancers.  (We met one in the bathroom.  She went into a stall and Emerson said "Can Can lady, are you going pee?)

And the finale for the kids was sitting on Santa's knee and having a picture taken.  They were both a little nervous but couldn't pass up the change to sit with the man in red and his wife.

The next stop for us was a craft fair where we met our neighbour Ella selling her earrings.  Lucky Brooke got two pairs as Christmas presents.  Unfortunately I didn't get her earrings in the photo but I can tell you Brooke loved her gifts.

Coco

Went to see Coco last night.  The theatre was filled with kids which should be no surprise as I also went with two of them (plus another adult).  It is a story about:

1.  The importance of respecting your past (relatives)

2.  Following your dream

with lots of minor themes thrown in - ie forgiving, for one.  I think it is a good depiction of the Mexican custom of the Day of the Dead.  It clearly states the importance of the custom as well as taking you to the "other side" where it lets you know how the dead feel as well.  It follows a little boy's desire to become a musician despite his family's wishes.  If you are not Mexican, parts of it can be slightly confusing, especially since you have to follow back through generations and remember who is who.  Not that difficult I guess for adults, but I wondered if the youngsters understood this.  Although there are a lot of skeletons (especially since you cross over into their land) but in true Pixar fashion they become endearing rather than frightening.  The young girl I went with cried a lot although I am not quite sure which parts she considered sad and I think the boy was just happy he went to a movie.  I don't think it is a good movie for young children as although colourful I'm sure they will not understand it.  The more I think about the movie the more I liked it.  I give it 3.5 Stars.

Murder on the Orient Express

This movie, chock full of movie stars, did not receive a good review by the critics - Rotten Tomatoes gave it 58%, Roger Ebert 2/4 (nor audiences) but I went to see it anyway.  It is a classic Agatha Christie story starring Hercule Poirot, the famous Belgian detective.  Although he is looking forward to a holiday and is enjoying reading his Dickens novel, he finds himself on a train with a murder mystery he is asked to resolve.  It is your typical Christie story ... someone is murdered, Poirot questions all the suspects, deduces who the murderer is and gets the suspects together at the end to do the big reveal.  No surprises here.  Although I enjoyed watching it I do not think this production is among the greats in the film industry.  I give it 2-1/2 stars out of 5.  (a moot point:  Poirot's moustache kind of bothered me).  

Loving Vincent

How do I describe this masterpiece of a film.  Over 100 painters worked at recreating many of the paintings of Vincent van Gogh (he painted 800 in his life time and during his life, sold only one!) to create the storyline of the movie ... the mystery of the death of Vincent.  His paintings are animated although there are a few scenes with real actors.  These scenes are in black and white and there is slight movement or shimmer on the scenes making it is difficult to know if it is real or a painting itself.  It is difficult to explain what I watched on screen, so below is a link to Youtube explanation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOtwJL4iV8s

I sometimes judge a  movie by how many times I look at my watch.  This movie was over before I knew it - not one sneak peak at my watch - and left me wanting more.  Oh yes, one additional suggestion ... see it on a large screen if possible...your eyes will thank you.  I will definitely watch this marvellous creation again and give this movie 5 stars out of 5.

November 10

Getting a bunch of seniors to sit still for a photo is as difficult as getting two 3 year olds to do the same. The plus side is everyone is having fun and that's what counts.  Gail's Birthday dinner was celebrated at Sanchez Cantina tonight.  Great Mexican food, great company and lots of laughs.  Thanks for having a birthday Gail!

November 9

Winter is seeping into the landscape.  Driving to town this morning with slight ice fog in the distance.  Above, the sun it just rising over the trees at 10:00 am.  Weather is a bit cooler now, around the -15°C mark.  It's a good reminder to dress properly.  On the very plus side, the northern lights were spectacular the other night.  They lit up the entire sky.  I'm sure I said this before, but it doesn't matter how long you have lived in the north, even if it is all you life (right SR?) you NEVER tire of the magic of the Northern Lights.

And, being November 9th ...  Happy Birthday Dawson!

Happy Hallowe'en

This is Hallowe'en number 4 for the twins.  Of course, the family comes to my house as I have the busiest Hallowe'en street in the world (I think).  Above is Emerson Batman with Lily Minnie Mouse.  This is what he wore to Day Care and no Debbie, I don't think he is not happy but this is what he looks like when you put a mask over his eyes.  Or maybe this is his tough face???  Alanna was a Flying Unicorn ballerina for Day Care but as soon as she comes to my house she transforms into Princess Allana.

We ate a quick dinner then it was time for another transformation.  Above Brooke is performing magic on Emerson's face.

And this is the result.  Shark Mouth.

And here is the Shark!

Alanna was transformed into another Flying Unicorn (her current favourite thing) and in case you couldn't recognize what she was you just had to read the front of her hoodie.

The family was ready to depart.  The theme was eclectic this year.  Everyone was just whatever they wanted to be.  

And off they went.  

While they were off Trick or Treating, I stayed home to hand out the candies at my house.  

 Last year we have around 100 Kids!!!!  This year we have around 160 Kids!!!!  I think part of the reason our street is so popular is the Haunted House that is just a few houses down from me.  (Lucky me!)

Once home again the kids emptied their jack-o-lantens out to see what they got.  They also helped me hand out the treats to the kids that came to the door.  They each could eat about three small treats before they had to repack their pumpkins.  (If left to themselves of course they would have eaten ALL the candies at once). 

!!! Happy Hallowe'en Everyone !!!