The Sweet Sound of Waves

There is nothing like the sound of waves crashing on the beach.  We miss that sound but it's good to be home.  We had a wonderful vacation and feel refreshed.  We came home to brutal temperatures, literally went from +29 C to -29 C in one day....but being reunited with Cooper made us forget the cold temperatures.  Oh, what a sight when we picked him up.  He was freshly bathed and looked beautiful.  He gave us enough kisses to last a lifetime! He had a grand time at Camp Talemaker.

So, life is back to normal for all three of us.  It doesn't take long to get back to the good old routines of the day to day life.  I went back to the gym Saturday and today and more of it this week.  Russell goes back tomorrow.  Unlike me, he likes to start or restart things on a Monday....Today, we went back to the provincial park for a nice walk in the forest.  I must say that I do prefer to walk on the beach with my bare feet but today's walk was nice nonetheless.

Back to our trip.  We spent the last few days doing more of the same.  I'm trying to remember exactly what we did but it seems a blur already.  One thing that we did while in Barbados was meet a friend of Russell's from high school, Susan, who happened to be in Barbados while we were there.  He hadn't seen her in 15 years.  It was nice to catch up over a few drinks while watching the Redmen play.  In case you wonder who the Redmen are, well, the lead singer is a Willie Nelson look alike - singer by night...scuba instructor by day - his boat's name is Scotch and Soda.  He is native from Barbados, 70 years old, and has been playing at the Southern Palms Hotel for as long as we can remember.  Always on a Monday night.  It is always a fun night and there is lots of dancing going on.  We even danced!  All in all, a great trip, a great way to spend Russell's 60th birthday (he doesn't look a day older by the way) and we already look forward to planning the Winter 2016 getaway.

Here we are, the last week of February.  This month has been terribly cold for most Canadians but believe me, I really have a feeling that March will be kind to us.....I leave you with a few pictures from our trip.  Have a great week everyone!

A wonderful birthday dinner at the Cliff Restaurant...very posh.

The Cliff serves a large birthday cake...almost too much to eat!

Each and ever Barbados sunset is unique and spectacular.

Clouds.....we call them the clouds from the 'Simpsons'.

KFC delivery...Bajan style...he showed up for 4 PM high tea daily.

Heading North in a few days

We woke up to rain this morning and a bit of a chill.....only 77 F but then the sun came out and it got really hot!  Three full days left before we go back home.  We leave Wednesday for Toronto and will pick up the Coopster first thing Thursday morning.  We miss him a whole lot and are thankful for the pictures that Darlah posts of Cooper on her blog.  We know he is having a great time, just like we are.

Our time here so far has been wonderful and has gone by way too fast.  Russell's birthday celebration was great.  Our dinner at The Cliff Restaurant was everything that we had heard about and more.  This restaurant could easily be compared to any upscale restaurant in Toronto, with the added benefit of being located by the sea.  

We spent most of our week on the beach, walking, sunning and relaxing.  We've had some good meals and one of the best pizzas ever (could rival the pizza at Dimmi Trattoria in Yorkville).  We've been eating a lot of fish, mostly mahi mahi and flying fish.  On Friday, we went on the Tiami Catamaran Cruise.  It was a 5 hour cruise just for the two of us with a crew of 3.  I must say that the sea was quite rough at times and I got splashed more than once but it was so refreshing!  

Last night, for Valentines Day, we had dinner at the hotel.  There was a band playing and we even danced under the stars.  Lovely evening with my lovely husband.

I've been reading about the extreme cold weather alerts in Ontario.  February has been very cold so far but hopefully March will bring milder weather.  I hope so.

That's it for my last blog from Barbados.  Clouds are rolling in again, it think it's going to be that kind of a day.  Have a great week everyone and stay warm.

Life's a beach!

Greetings from Barbados!  It is very sunny, very hot and very beautiful.  That is why it is called the gem of the Caribbean Sea.

We have spent the past few days getting reacquainted with the sun and hot temperatures.  Not too difficult a task.  We already have a nice glow and it feels good.  We know the weather back home is not the greatest and hope it doesn't get any worse.  Cooper is having a blast and it makes us feel good to hear that he is doing well. I doubt he misses us......

We are truly enjoying our time away from the Winter.  So far, we haven't done much other than walk the beach, swim, eat, drink, and people watch.....that is so much fun!  We recognized many people from last year.  It's always nice to see the "older" people come back year after year.

This coming week will be spent doing much of the same as the past few days although Thursday will be a special day.  We will be celebrating Russell's birthday.  He was born in 1955....a good Vintage year.  He will be joining the 60's club.....he sure doesn't look it nor does he act like it.  If I say so myself, I would say that Russell is aging gracefully.  We will have dinner at The Cliff restaurant on the West Coast that night. We look forward to it.

This is a short blog.  I have to get ready for Happy Hour soon....then dinner at Luigis. I wish you all a great week and I will blog again next Sunday.  (No pics as they are difficult to upload)

Game Day!

They call it Super Sunday.  I call it an excuse to indulge in some fun snacks and food.  I am not a football fan by any stretch but I do like watching the Super Bowl.  I have followed the past few games and I decided that I will cheer for the Patriots.  It so happens that this is the team Russell is rooting for although what he really wants is a great game, not a blowout.  As for the half time show, I am not a big fan of Katy Perry so I will reserve judgment until I see what she's got to offer.

This past week went by like a flash.  The weather, although cold, was sunny for the most part.  I don't remember the last time that we had so many sunny days in a row.  I sorted out our clothes for our trip and bought the last minute items that we needed.  I did more online shopping (I'm addicted!) and ordered myself a nice pair of sandals from Town Shoes.  I got them Friday.  Now, I'm all set..... I think.

Yesterday, we went to Arrowhead Park and the place was full of people.  When we left, cars were lined up to get in.  We had never seen the park so busy.  We often use a walk as an opportunity to "reload" some good basic training with Cooper.  Yesterday was no exception and was actually a good day to do so as there were lots of distractions to deal with:  groups of people with children, some in sleighs, people with snowshoes, other dogs, and even people wearing balaclavas which can often be intimidating for dogs - not to mention humans.  The Coop did really well on his walk and made us very proud.

I have three Bootcamp classes in the next three days then that's it until we return from our trip.  I must say that I look forward to a little break from working out.  I have been going at it almost non stop since the beginning of September and, although I thoroughly enjoy it, my body is now telling me it's time to rest a little.  So, instead, I will be walking the beach with Russell.  I like the sound of that.

We leave Thursday for Toronto.  We will drop off the Coop at Camp Talemaker.  We will miss him a whole lot but we know he will be well taken care of and will have the time of his life. It's a vacation for him too after all. After dropping him off, we will both get a much needed haircut then off to the Airport Hotel for the night.  Our flight to Barbados is early Friday morning.

This is it for this week's blog.  If there are no internet issues, I will write a short blog from Barbados next Sunday.  I wish you all a great week.  I am short on pictures so I leave you with two of the Coop and one that Russell took one night this past week while we were relaxing in front of the fireplace.

Cooper in his best 'retrieve' mode!

Cooper loves a good lounge in an armchair with sunshine!

Late afternoon glow with candles by the fireplace.