Sorrento Vibes

Happy Sunday from Sorrento, Italy! I am writing this blog on the balcony of our hotel in Sorrento, facing the Tyrrhenian Sea. The weather is warm, a bit hazy at the moment. I can see people swimming in the sea as I'm typing. It is 3:45 pm local time. 

All is good with us. We arrived in Rome last Tuesday. Our travels were uneventful. Flight was on time for the most part and we didn't lose any luggage. Russell's suitcase was the first to be thrown on the belt, mine was literally the last, one hour later. For a second, I thought I would have to go shopping for new clothes LOL!

We spent three nights in Rome at Hotel De La Ville, 400 meters away from the Spanish Steps. A beautiful hotel with amazing staff and a wonderful roof top terrace. The weather has been spectacular. 

We roamed around for three days. Having been to Rome many times before, we knew our way around. The first order of the day was to do a little pilgrimage for our friend Diana and retrace her steps to where she used to stay. Things don't change much in Rome, so much history and beauty. On our second day, we did a three hour guided golf cart tour of the city. We discovered areas that we had never seen before. Such a great way to see the city!

On Friday, we made our way to Sorrento. We are staying at the same hotel we stayed at five years ago, Bellevue Syrene. We recognized some of the staff from back then and they remembered us. Our room is on the top floor which gives Russell the best views for photos.

This hotel is filled with amazing art, from traditional to modern and funky. On our floor, in the hallway by our room, there are two seagulls which we have named Cooper & Spicy. My blog wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention our two pooches so there you have it. We think of them all the time and miss them terribly. Lucky for us, there are lots of dogs around so we've been indulging ourselves in patting many and talking with owners. There are many Pomeranians in Italy.  There is a gorgeous Irish Setter staying at our hotel and we got to pat him last night. It goes without saying that we show photos of our duo every chance we get 💖

All flowers are in full blooms in Sorrento. Our hotel has a beautiful Wisteria which smells delicious. The lemon trees are also full of lemons, some amazingly big. Italy is truly a beautiful country. 

We will be in Sorrento for another six nights then going back to Rome for two before flying home on May 8. Lots of time left still to enjoy Italy. On Tuesday, we will be doing a cooking class. That should be fun. Wednesday night, we will be enjoying the Sorrento Three Tenors at a historical museum. A night that promises to be amazing. All in all, it's been a wonderful vacation so far. We've been eating well, hydrating well and getting more than our share of steps in. It's all good!

That's my blog for today. I wish you all a great week. I will write again next Sunday from Rome. 

Cooper and Spicy...Italian style!

The Spanish Steps lined with flowers
and full of tourists.

Retracing Diana's steps to Via
Sansebastianello.

Courtyard of Sansebastianello.

Piazza della Trinita dei Monti.

The view Westward from our balcony at the
Bellevue Syrene in Sorrento.

Looking North toward Mount Vesuvius from our
hotel.

View from Piazza Tasso looking 
down at Via Luigi de Maio to the port.

Looking up from the port, our hotel is the 
fourth one from the left.

People watching at Fauno Bar in Piazza Tasso.

Piazza Tasso city center.

Lemons of all sizes abound at this time of year.

A Sorrento city street view decorated
to celebrate the Naples soccer team
championship of Italy.

The fragrant wisteria in blossom over the 
dining terrace at the Bellevue Syrene.

Ready to go, almost!

Happy Sunday everyone! After enjoying a beautiful, warm Saturday, we woke up to rain. That's OK, it will wash out the dirt on the roads and it's good for the garden. I am amazed at how things have grown in just a matter of days. 

This past week was busy. I got two workouts in, my goal was three but life got in the way...or rather I found other things to do 😂We walked the pooches twice only. They don't mind if they miss walks, they are kept busy doing other things in the house. On Tuesday, Russell gave them a bath. It had been five weeks since the last one, they were a bit grubby. 

Russell had to deal with a few technical issues. It seems that the power outage from a few weeks ago may have done a number on our Bell TV Receiver box. Russell went up in the attic, walked on the rafters, and reset a router.  It somewhat got fixed, but not completely. After doing some virtual repairs guided by a virtual Bell person, it was determined that it could not be fixed virtually. So a new receiver box was sent to us - Russell installed it. Poof, all is fixed now!  

The cell phone for our security system also had to be upgraded. Not related to the storm, a coincidence. We decided to get it done before our trip so that happened on Thursday. It was actually a good thing as the technician took the opportunity to replace the battery back up. A good job done before we leave. On that note, our house will be in good hands while we're away. We have someone that will come in every few days to check on things. Our wonderful neighbours will also be vigilant.  

While all this technical stuff was happening, Russell found this amazing new music station on SONOS called Cocktail Hour. It is a wonderful blend of old jazz, soft oldies and lounge music. We've been playing it all day long...not just for cocktail hour 😉Our new favorite music station. A very timely find as our stress level has been somewhat elevated getting ready for this trip. Soothing music is a great stress reliever.

Yesterday, we got a few things done outside. Russell also vacuumed the house while I cleaned everywhere. When we go away, we leave our house as if it hadn't been lived in LOL! I also started packing. We're almost there. The doggies are almost packed too. Their medicine bag will be finalized tomorrow morning. Their kibbles and treats are in a bag in the guest room...both have been sniffing around.

So, here we are, the day before we leave for Rome. We will drop off Cooper & Spicy at Talemaker Camp tomorrow afternoon then make our way to the airport. Our flight is at 8:55 pm tomorrow night. We will get real excited once we're on that plane but we will miss our duo more than words can say. 

That's it for my blog today. I have a last load of laundry going. I'm about to make a simple pasta dish for dinner...might as well start eating pasta now! After lunch, I will paint my nails, first time since last year. Then I will sit back and relax.  Have a great week everyone! Next blog will be from Sorrento, Italy!

The Duo enjoying the Spring air and
the quickly growing grass at the
Edgewater Park.

Spicy wrapped in her post bath 
pink towel... such a princess!

Cooper draped in his blue bath towel
... now off to get blow dried.

Spicy demos her best 'sit-pretty'
for a Cherrios after grooming.

Mr. Coop was my spotter while
I did my workout.

Warm Weather = Yard Work

Hello everyone and Happy Sunday! Another warm day on the way, we'll take it! 

This past week was good. Everybody is now over the ice storm and dealing with the consequences. For many, there's been a lot of damage. We were lucky on that front. As we drove around the neighbourhood, we could see how many trees fell. Not a pretty sight.

On Friday, I got a lot of yard work done. All the flower beds are clean, free of leaves and twigs. I picked up a number of small branches that broke during the storm. I saw lots of buds and growth. Our grass is looking good, starting to turn green already. It feels good.

Our weather was spectacular. We spent quite a bit of time on the deck. Another good feeling. Cooper and Spicy resumed their favorite habit of keeping an eye out for the squirrels. They also chased them in the yard. They are happy pooches 💗

Yesterday, we went for a walk by the lake and guess who we ran into? Mr. Errol! We hadn't seen him since late last Fall. It was his first time back at the park after a long Winter. It was so nice seeing him again.  We have been in touch through Facebook but nothing beats the face to face! Cooper & Spicy recognized him right away and just sat there as we were talking away. Next time we see him, I plan to get a photo of our pooches with Errol 😊

We are getting ready for our trip. Just one week away. The suitcases are in the guest room. In the next few days, we will sort out what we need to bring. My "to do" list is now very short, most of it is for the doggies. I need to organize their meds, treats. Next Sunday, I will cook their chicken/veg toppers. It's all coming together. Russell will give them a bath later this week. Cooper's eye inflammation is much better. He went back to the vet for a check up. It should be all cleared up by the time we leave.

We are expecting rain tomorrow so I plan to put away all the Winter gear and get a few things done around the house. Russell has a pedicure on Thursday. I have mine on Friday. 

That's about it for my blog this week. It's only 8 am, I feel like we've been up forever. Cooper had his breakfast, Spicy will get hers soon. Have a great week everyone!

Cooper and Spicy on 'their' rock at 
Edgewater Park...feels like Spring.

Spicy on her chair to survey the 
backyard from the deck.

Cooper prefers to sit at attention
while on backyard watch.

More and more aircraft flying over, wonder
where this one is heading?

Lined up for the next action...

Happy Easter!

Hello everyone and Happy Easter! The sun is shining on this beautiful Sunday morning and the forecast for the week is looking spectacular! 

All is good with us. Our week was somewhat interrupted by the ice storm that hit Quebec on Wednesday. We survived it and our power came back yesterday afternoon. We lost it for 72 hours. There are still lots of people without power and we hope they get it back very soon. 

We are grateful that our generator came to the rescue, although it didn't work the way it was supposed to. That's an issue that we will take up with the vendor this coming week. I will spare you the details.

We had two nights without it so it got pretty cool in the house. The bright side is that it wasn't super cold outside so it was bearable. We could hear the tree branches breaking and falling on our roof. It sounded like fireworks. 

Luckily, there wasn't much damage to our trees. Our larch in the backyard took the most beating, that's it. Yesterday, we went for a walk down by the lake and were happy to see that the infamous 75+ year old  willow tree was still standing. 

Thursday morning, Russell and I got in the car and drove around to try and find cell service. We found it in Pointe-Claire. As we were driving, we noticed the devastation in many areas of the West Island. Not a pretty sight and sad to see. 

Cooper & Spicy are doing well. They have been oblivious to what has been going on although they could sense that we were on edge at times. Whenever the generator stopped working, our smoke detectors started chirping. Coop gets a little anxious with that sound so he was a bit on edge as well but we took care of that. Spicy doesn't hear much any more so it didn't bother her.

That's my blog on this Easter Sunday. My brother will come for lunch today. I'm about to make an asparagus soup. I have laundry going also. We wanted to preserve our propane so we hardly cooked or did anything in the house. Thank goodness for the barbecue. 

Have a Happy Easter everyone and a wonderful week! For our Quebec friends, we hope all gets back to normal soon. Be Safe!

Spicy and Cooper want to wish everyone
a Happy Easter!

Firetruck on duty, they had to block our street due
to a downed hydro line.

Everything encased in ice.

The larch and willow covered in a 
shimmering coat of ice.

Cooper and his daddy keeping an eye
on the developments on the street.

The majestic willow at Edgewater Park still 
standing, only lost a few limbs.

Hydro Quebec on our street about to restore
power. A welcome site!

Hello April!

Happy Sunday everyone! We are enjoying a gorgeous sunny day, a little cool but that sun is getting warmer and warmer every day. 

This past week was good. I got more Spring cleaning done, did all the bathrooms. I may tackle the living room sheers this week, we'll see. We walked almost every day. The pooches are enjoying the grass by the lake although it is not just mucky but also full of twigs and little pods. On Thursday, Spicy was covered with those. We removed most before getting in the car then Russell gave her a thorough clean up once we got home. It's that time of year...a small price to pay to put Winter behind us.

Cooper's eye inflammation is getting much better. We saw our vet on Wednesday and she prescribed another small tube of ointment. Because of his GI issues and heart condition, we had opted for topical antibiotic/steroid instead of oral so it's taking a little longer but it's going in the right direction. We went back to the vet on Friday with both for their Lyme/Heartworm blood test. All is good.

Russell and I upgraded our iPhones a few weeks ago to the 14 Pro Max. Those phones have amazing photo and video capabilities. We both did a half-hour online tutorial to learn a little more about it. Yesterday, Russell attended two in-person classes at our local Apple store. It was very informative and he learned a lot.  It was well worth it.

On Friday, we got some upsetting news about Pepper, Spicy's daughter. Like her mommy, she has Mitral Valve Disease, a degenerative heart condition that progresses over time. That is the case for Pepper. We are praying and hoping that the increase in meds will help slow down the progression. Ironically, Scruffy (Pepper's partner in crime) and Cooper also have the disease. It is literally in the family. Cooper's condition has also gotten worse and his meds have increased accordingly. We understand too well what Lori and Roger are going through. Having said all this, we are all so grateful to have those little darlings in our lives, they are getting the best care and we continue to savour every moment with them.

Not much else is going on with us. We leave for Italy in three weeks. We're getting excited. This week, I will order some Euros...the exchange rate is not good at all but it is what it is. 

That's my blog for this first Sunday of April. I wish you all a great week!

Daddy is home! 

Spicy loves sniffing Cooper 
and he does not object.

Cooper on rabbit patrol and the snow
keeps melting.

On our daily walk by the Lake, it is warming up
and the grass feels nice.

The duo patiently waiting their turn to see the 
vet tech for blood work.

Nothing better than TV time and being able
to stretch out comfortably without a care
in the world.