China Ridge Trails

Cross country skiing in the Vancouver area has been nearly impossible this year. Since Boxing Day, the weather has been just too mild. The rains have washed away most of the snow on our local mountains. There is even concern now with the Olympics just around the corner that Cypress, in particular, will have problems hosting the events to be held there.

This past weekend, we headed for Manning Park and Princeton to ski. There is enough snow at Manning but it was quite icy in the lower sections. We drove up to Strawberry Flats and had good skiing in that area.

The best, though, was at China Ridge in Princeton. Conditions were excellent, the weather great and the scenery spectacular! It was a perfect day.

You can see what it looks like on their very excellent website.

http://www.chinaridgetrails.com/CR/Welcome.html

Housewife, 49

How do the Brits manage to hit so many home runs when it comes to a good drama? Americans, Canadians, Australians, etc., have good writers, talented people, modern equipment, organization skills - everything that Britain has - yet they can't seem to produce a good product very often - especially for television.

The Brits prove this point once again with Housewife, 49. This film has everything going for it. Superb acting, perfect capture of time and place, and a story line that rings true in every aspect, make this a memorable experience. Television programming of this quality justifies my cable bills each month.

This is a true story of Nella Last, a housewife, with grown children. At the request of her doctor, Nella writes a diary around the beginning of the Second World War. Nella had had a nervous breakdown the year before and this was to help forestall a recurrence. The doctor also suggests she volunteer with a Women's War Group. About the same time, the government began a Mass Observation Project, to record everyday life in Britain. It encouraged ordinary citizens to mail their diary to them each month. Nella wrote with simplicity and honesty of her changing life during the war and submitted her writing, in pencil most often, regularly.

I do realize that the playing field is not level - the drivel that is produced in the UK just doesn't make it across the pond. I am comparing the best from Britain with both the good and the not-so-good from North America. Even though, there seems to be much more memorable television produced over there.

FATABASE

The Vancouver Sun website is providing calorie counts and weight watcher point values for many items that I regularly eat in restaurants in the area. The salt and calorie content of many items listed is shockingly high. It has certainly been an eye-opener.

You can find the database under Vancouversun.com under life then food then scroll down to the Fatabase link on the left had side.

I will be re-thinking my menu selections in the future!

The link below to this site might be faster.

http://www.vancouversun.com/life/food/rate-your-plate/fatabase.html

THANK YOU Vancouver Sun.

Happy New Year!!!!!!!

It's a wet and windy New Year's Day in Vancouver. I guess we are officially into winter once the New Year arrives. I shouldn't be complaining about a little rain as I know it could be a lot worse.

Growing up in Northern Ontario, this month would often be the coldest of the year with lots of snow and temperatures below zero Fahrenheit for almost the whole month. We would still manage to spend many hours out-of-doors, often skating up to the outdoor rink on the snow covered roads to play hockey or skate or sometimes play broom ball until 9 p.m when the lights on the rink were turned off.

We could keep warm in the 'shack' which was usually a one room wood structure beside the rink with wood benches around the inside perimeter and a pot-bellied wood stove the size and shape of a 45-gallon drum in the middle of the room. These rooms could become stiflingly hot. It was not unusual to have the chimney glowing red. It was amazing that these structures did not burn down more often than they did.

I used to love to use one of my Aunt Baba's expressions at this time of year: "It's cold enough to freeze the nuts off a steel bridge!". It was just bad enough to get attention and not bad enough to be reprimanded. I would say it as often as I could, especially to nuns and teachers.

This is my garden at the end of December 2009 - hopefully looking its worst of the whole year. Amazingly, after several hard frosts, some spinach plants are still standing. I will need to wait for a thaw now before I can dig the soil to get rid of the weeds before the growing season returns. It's time again for seed catalogues!

WHY IS CHRISTMAS DAY SO EMOTIONAL?

What is it about Christmas Day? Why do I have so many emotions on this particular day? I had a happy childhood and a good life. I was never neglected or abused. I love Christmas - the rituals, giving and receiving gifts, the cooking and the eating. I even re-watch old Christmas movies every year (and I rarely watch any other repeat). I like the religious, social, and culture aspects and look forward to the holiday every year. I have even eventually learned not to over-extend myself.

Yet.... on Christmas Day, I find myself just about losing it when an impromptu choir began carolling at an extended care home where I was picking up a lunch guest.

It got even worse when I arrived home and found my children had arrived. (And, I see all of them regularly!) The whole day was an emotional roller coaster.

I can't pin it all on short days and lack of sunlight!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!

Why I Live in Vancouver

I think this must be the only place in Canada where I can sit outside on my deck on a sunny Saturday afternoon and enjoy a pomegranate and the Saturday newspaper in shirt sleeves on December 5th. While we have had several frosty nights, on sunny days the temperature sores.
This is cat grass that I planted around November 10th on the deck. Today it is about 4 inches tall.