February blahs anyone?

This is my last post for February and I'm happy about it... happy about February ending soon that is. Like many people, we are starting to get itchy for Spring.  Although Winter in Huntsville has not been that bad (so far anyway), it is winter just the same and whether you live in Huntsville or elsewhere in Canada where there is true winter,  we are reaching a point where we long for warmer temperatures and more sunshine.  So, there you have it.  We have the February blahs.  March is fast approaching and I hope it brings lots of sunshine and a complete meltdown.

This blog will be short as we haven't done much in the past week and not much is happening in Huntsville these days.  Russell and I had lunch at the Mill on Main last Wednesday.  It is an "OK" restaurant for lunch and we had been there before.  We got there at 12:15 and we were the only people there.  I actually felt bad for the young woman who served us. Huntsville does get quiet during the Winter as many people go South and many stores close for a few months or have Winter hours.  I've heard of Summer hours before but I had never heard of Winter hours until recently......

Cooper doesn't seem to suffer from the February blahs.  He goes along with whatever is going on inside or outside and he is truly a happy dog.  From time to time, he develops new habits:  his latest one since last week is that he puts his paws on my leg as I read the news on my laptop in the morning.  I have indulged him on a few occasions and picked him up......how can I not resist those little eyes saying "please can I sit on your lap mommy just for a few minutes".  Ahh, the many joys of having a dog.

So, this week marks the end of February and the beginning of March.  We look forward to a brand new season starting soon.  On that note, my mom will be ending the month of February in her own house.  She is returning home permanently this coming Tuesday,  a little over two months since she went to the hospital on December 23.  She is looking forward to it, so is my dad.  She will continue her rehab as an outpatient but the fact that she will be home will do her a world of good.

I always like to post a picture or two with my blog.  This one was taken by Russell a few weeks ago.  Our house, from a different view.  We were driving along Vernon Reach, about 4 km from where we live,  and we looked up and there was our house. Kind of cool.

31 Forest Hill Lane....a different perspective.

I wish you all a good week. If you have the February blahs, they will go away very soon!

Is it a plane, is it a drome...or is it a flying camera?

Happy Sunday Everyone!  Many people are enjoying a long weekend, with Family Day being tomorrow in many parts of the country.  Our Sunday is a quiet one and a cold one at that, although sunny.

As promised, I can now reveal what we got Russell for his birthday.  A GoPro action camera.  It can be attached to a moving vehicle, a helmet when riding a bike or motorcycle and it can also be attached to a "QuadCopter" as seen on the attached picture with a remote control "flying" it.  Russell will be able to take aerial video and still photography.  Pretty cool.  As I am writing this blog, he is practicing using it and it hasn't crashed yet although I heard a couple of bumpy landings :-)  So, we look forward to many interesting videos and pictures in the coming months.

We didn't do much this past week.  Matt was over with some of his crew to finish the carport and some odds and ends in the house.  As a result, our final house inspection will be done this coming Tuesday.  Russell's birthday was a good one although we decided to stay home rather than go out for lunch.  The weather was not good and the roads were icy. We had a nice day just the same.

The weather last week was actually quite crazy.  On Monday, it snowed quite a bit and the temperature was rather mild.  I was able to make my snowman just before it started raining.  The snow was extremely heavy and I must say that it was hard to roll the snow ball.  I had fun making it all by myself and had even more fun decorating it with whatever I could find.  Cooper barked when he first saw it but once he got used to it,  all he wanted to do was eat the branches.  I attach a couple of pictures that we took.  The snowman didn't stay up very long.

Last Monday, Cooper, Russell and I watched the Westminster Kennel Club Havanese breed judging LIVE on the computer.  It was a great show and Cooper enjoyed watching his counterparts strutting in the big ring.

The rest of the week was uneventful.  The sun finally came out yesterday so we went for a nice walk on Avery beach.  The trails were quite snow covered but we managed to walk our way through them anyway.  Cooper was hopping and prancing, as he always does when there is a lot of snow.  Last night, we did something that we rarely do:  we watched a movie.  We rented Skyfall.  What a great movie.  I am not a huge fan of the Bond movies but I will say that this one won me over.

My mom went home for the weekend.  Needless to say that she was happy to be back in her own surroundings, even for just a few nights.  She returns to the rehab centre tonight and may come home again this coming weekend.  She probably has another 2-3 weeks of rehab still.  So, it's all good on that front.

DJI Phantom with GoPro Hero3 ready for maiden flight.

Nice snowman...if only I could chew off an arm!

Tasty!

Live streaming of the  Havanese in the spotlight at the WKC Dog show!

That's about it for this week's blog. Enjoy your Family Day tomorrow and make the most of it!  Have a great week.

Snow Diving

Snow diving is Cooper's new favorite sport.  He is quite good at it too!  He doesn't care about whether he gets snow balls on his coat or not.  It's all about the diving and playing in the snow.  The attached pictures were taken by Darlah on Friday during the big snow storm that hit the GTA.  Needless to say that Cooper had a great time at Camp Talemaker with his Havanese friends.

While Cooper was away, Russell and I spent three days in Montreal.  I visited with my mom and dad and Russell spent time with his mom.  My mom is doing remarkably well.  My dad and I spent some good quality time with her at the rehab centre.  I got to meet her nursing staff as well as some of her cohorts.  I also attended one of her physio sessions.  I was quite impressed by her progress. She is doing very well and even received permission to go home for the upcoming weekend.  Something to look forward to.  On Wednesday night, I made my dad one of his favorite italian pasta, spaghetti carbonara.  I think it was pretty good!  On Friday night, Russell and I had dinner out with his mom, my dad and brother.  It was nice to get together although it felt strange to be without my mom.  While in Montreal, Russell went shopping for a few bread books.  He wants to make bread.....I look forward to eating it :-)

We got home yesterday afternoon and we were happy to see that Huntsville didn't get as much snow as the GTA cities.  We only got about 10 cm of snow.  The weather today is quite nice and not cold at all.  After lunch, we went for a nice walk along Hunters Bay and we saw our first otter in the water.  It was quite something to see. The sun is much stronger now, as such we found ourselves getting quite warm while walking.  No complaints!

This coming week will be busy and festive at the same time.  Matt is scheduled to come over tomorrow to finish the carport and a few things in the house.  On Tuesday, it is Russell's birthday.  We plan on having lunch at a nice restaurant in Huntsville.  Cooper will be at doggie day care for a good part of that day. We will have a nice relaxing dinner at home.  You will have to wait until next week's blog to find out what we are getting Russell for his birthday.  On Valentines Day, Cooper will be going to the groomer for a bath.  I will make a special dinner, not sure what yet.

So, I want to say that Spring is just around the corner but I'm afraid to jinx it....the days are definitely getting longer and the sunset is quite beautiful to watch at this time of year.  The forecast for this week is a mixture of rain and snow.  I want to make a snowman very badly and see how Cooper reacts to it.  I hope to be able to make one tomorrow before the snow melts.  If I do, we will take a picture.

Wings away...Cooper is flying through the snow!

Catch me if you can.....a fav Hav pass time.

Tag you are it....

That does it for this week's blog.  I wish you all a great week and a Happy Valentines Day!

Super Sunday

If you are a football lover like Russell, tonight will be a great night.  If you are not, like me, then you will settle for something else, like reading a book or listening to music.  Either way, we will have a good night and I do plan on watching the half time show just for the fun of it.

Superbowl weekend is usually an excuse for people to indulge a little.  We are no different.  Last night we had chicken wings for dinner but...they were baked not fried and they were yummy.  Today, we went for a nice walk and burnt off a wing or two.....I also decided to indulge myself by posting some pictures of Cooper that Russell took today.  What can I say, I happen to think that he is such a good looking dog.  He is also such a poser and Russell loves taking pictures of him.  Besides, at this point, I have no other pictures to include in my blog so Coop pictures are better than no pictures at all!

This past week was quiet.  The weather was crazy to say the least. On Tuesday night, it poured rain and we had thunder.  We woke up Wednesday to rain and grass.  We could not believe that all the snow had melted overnight.  On Friday, we got 10 centimetres of snow, so we're back to Winter.  But, according to Wiarton Willy and Punxsutawny Phil, we will have an early Spring.  I have no doubt that their predictions are spot on....

This coming week will be busy.  Russell and I will be going to Montreal for a few days while Cooper stays at Camp Talemaker.  I will be visiting my mom at the rehab centre and will even attend some of her physio sessions.  She is making very good progress and is quite proud of herself.  My dad continues to visit her daily and even brings her some meals from time to time.  The food at the rehab centre is really no different than hospital food so having a few home made meals once in a while is a treat for her.  I will bring her a lemon loaf that I made today.  Russell will also be spending time with his mom. We will miss the Coop a whole lot but we know he will be having a grand old time as usual.

I wish you all a very good week.  Enjoy the game tonight or whatever else you are doing.