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Sunday, 23 February 2014

Congratulations Canada!


Wow, what better way to end the Olympics than by watching the Men's Gold Medal Hockey Game.  And what a game it was.  We got up early so we wouldn't miss a minute of it.  All of our athletes did very well and should be very proud of themselves.

Well, here we are back in Huntsville after a lovely vacation in Barbados.  We had a great time and it was good to recharge the battery so to speak.  Yes, even retirees need a break from their routine.  It was especially good to get away from Winter for a while and get a good dose of Vitamin D.  Having said this, we are happy to be back home with our little guy Cooper.  As for Old man Winter, he is still around but we did have a bit of a meltdown a few days ago so the snow is going away slowly but surely.  One thing is for sure, Winter is almost over, the days are so much longer and the sun so much warmer.  That is my story and I'm sticking to it!

Since we've been back, we havent' done much other than watch the Olympics like most Canadians.  It's amazing how addictive those games are.  We got back to our normal routine fairly quickly, so did Cooper.  He was happy to be back with us although he had a great time at Camp Talemaker.  His friends are probably missing him now, especially the gals.....he was quite smitten with some of them.  He will be back there next month for a sleep over.

Russell went back to the gym on Friday, good for him.  As for me, I will go back tomorrow. I like to start things on a Monday..... We went for a nice long walk this morning after the hockey game.  It was good to get out of the house for an hour after being stuck in front the television for the past several days.

That's about it for this week's blog.  This is the last week of February...yay!  I include a few pictures taken during our trip.  I also include the birthday picture that Darlah took of Cooper for Russell's birthday.  I wanted to include it in my blog last week but was unable to upload it.  He does look quite dapper in this picture.

I wish you all a great week. For many, March break is coming up soon so hang in there...

The Tiami, a 60 foot catamaran setting sail for our 5 hour cruise.

Must be noon somewhere....time for a Banks beer! It's Russell's birthday after all!

Cruising the Caribbean Sea....what could be better.

The sun sets quickly in Barbados.......

1000 feet of powdery white sand....our hotel is the pink one

What is for dinner....free range rooster at the Southern Palms.

It is so bright I got to wear shades...Happy Birthday Daddy!






Sunday, 16 February 2014

Heading North soon...

As the saying goes,  all good things come to an end....we are heading back to Toronto  on Tuesday afternoon and we pick up Cooper FIRST thing Wednesday morning.  Can hardly wait.

This past week in Barbados went by way too fast.  The highlight of our week was a private 5 hour catamaran cruise organized for Russell's birthday.  It was fun, the weather couldn't have been better, lots of wind, good food and drinks and a fantastic crew of three.  Great way to celebrate a birthday.  Russell was even happier when he got a birthday picture from Cooper, courtesy of Darlah.  What a cool cude the Coop is!

We spent the most part of the week sun tanning and walking the beach, amongst other things.  I will admit though that Russell walked the beach way more than I did! Good for you Russell.....as for me I spent a good part of my week lying on the beach soaking up the sun.  Either way, we will both return home with a nice glow.

Not much else to report other than it's been a great vacation and a nice break from Old Man Winter.  But as much as Winter can be a drag sometimes, we look forward to going back home.  As for Cooper, well, he has been having a grand time and getting special treats from time to time. The Talemaker family has been busy with Roxie giving birth for the first time to two pups this morning.  Beautiful pups.  Two more litters to be born this coming week.  Exciting times for them.

So, next blog will be written from good old Huntsville.  The weather is starting to get warmer and the days much longer.  Spring is around the corner.  No doubt that some snow has melted during our absence.....right!

I wish you all a great week ahead.  For many in Canada, tomorrow is Family Day.  Make the most of it.  As for us, we will make the most of our few days left in Barbados.



Sunday, 9 February 2014

Busy day at the beach

Here we are in beautiful Barbados.  It's been a busy day so far:  walking the beach a number of times, getting our bodies accustomed to the warm weather (not too difficult) and enjoying the sounds of the All Stars Steels Orchestra over a lunch of flying fish and a Banks beer.  We had a mix bag of weather today: a bit of liquid sunshine this morning followed by sun and clouds.  It is quite warm but not humid due to the constant trade winds. We spent some time sitting in the sun but didn't go crazy on our first day. All and all, I would say a pretty good day so far.

This  is a short blog but it wouldn't be complete without a few words about the Coop.  He is doing just fine and is apparently quite smitten with Adele as you can see from the picture taken by Darlah...he is such a loverboy.

The rest of our week will be spent doing the same as today and more.  It will be a week marked by two special occasions:  Russell's birthday on Wednesday and Valentines Day.

I wish you all a great week ahead!  Warm greetings from Barbados!

Cooper and Adele....BFFs.
Sunset from our balcony.

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Sunday, 2 February 2014

Six more sleeps ....Six more weeks

By this time next week, we will be in sunny Barbados.  Not sure what we will be doing exactly but one thing is for sure, we will not be shovelling snow.  So, six more sleeps until our flight departs for Bridgetown.  It will be nice to get away from Winter for a bit, although it comes with a price:  being away from Cooper.  We will miss our little guy but we know he will be in good hands, having the time of his life at Camp Talemaker.  As for Old Man Winter, well, we will not miss him at all.  This past week brought a lot of drifting snow, almost every day, with very high winds.  The snow drifts in Cooper's backyard were so high that we couldn't use our electric snowblower.  We had to resort to good old shovelling so that we could clear his paths.

So, it looks like another six weeks of Winter is ahead of us.  As if we ever doubted that......oh well.  Spring will be here before we know it.  When we look at the positive side, the days are truly getting longer, the sun is much warmer and the birds seem to be rehearsing their Spring song.  It's all good!

Despite the weather, we had a good week but only managed to go for a walk once.  It was too cold and windy for walking.  Today, however, is a different story.  It is a balmy -6 Celsius and the sun came out for a bit.  We went downtown Huntsville to check out the Winter Carnival that is on this weekend.  The main streets in the downtown core have been transformed into cross country ski trails.  We also saw a few people skijoring with their dogs.  Wow, that was amazing to watch.  We had Cooper with us and, as usual, everyone stopped to pat him.  He was a very good boy and people were amazed at how calm he was.  We make it a point to let people interact with him and to watch, and correct if need be, his behaviour,  as this will be a critical test when he goes for his therapy dog evaluation hopefully later this year.  

Today is not only Groundhog Day but it is Super Bowl Sunday.  I'm not a big football fan, actually I'm not a football fan at all,  but I must say that I have always enjoyed watching the Super Bowl.  There is something exciting about that game no matter how we look at it. It is also an excuse to indulge in some fun foods such as chicken wings and potato skins. That will be our dinner tonight, then gym tomorrow.  Even my parents are having wings and ribs tonight!  

It is now 2:30 pm.  I must finish my blog as I have to watch the Puppy Bowl set to kick off at 3 pm EST.  Can't wait.

That's about it for this week's blog.  I hope to find the time to write a short blog from beautiful Barbados next Sunday. So, keep an eye out for that blog.  I wish you all a great week ahead.  Have fun tonight and may the best team win!

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Anne and Coop on Main St by 'That Little Place by the Lights'.

Cross country skiing up Main Street.

Cross country uphill from the River Mill Park.

A warming station...something about the smell of an open fire.

Skijoring on Main Street in front of Town hall.