God Bless Us, Everyone, this Christmas and in 2017!

December 4, 2016

 My Christmas e-mail blurb to family and friends:

                               God Bless Us, Everyone …… 

A run down of my year, two thousand and sixteen.

Thanks to checking back with my MacBook Pro storage and their labeling of photos of the past year I can give you a thumbnail run down of my, annoyingly non lucrative and quite unproductive, year.  I cherish some photos that remind me of some special moments.

I returned home to Burnaby late 2015 after many months of travels and exploits, check my blog if you like (Mexico, Peru, Ireland, Spain, Portugal…). Christmas time 2015 Arran and Teresa were away in Asia and I had some pleasant festive times with the Galloways, the Ways and with Karen Kirkpatrick, Sue et al.

The highlight of this year is that Arran asked Teresa to marry him on his birthday, April 21, and she accepted!  They are planning their small wedding in June at a small resort on the sunshine coast.  Their dogs, Billie and Rocky, are the ring bearers!  I am very happy for them and they are enjoying fixing up the house that they bought in Vancouver a couple of years ago.

After Christmas 2015 I was in a car accident and, now, I don’t have a car!  Yes, I miss my trusty blue Honda Civic, and, yes, it is expensive to start over.  Now I walk and cycle to places, but for all that, I am probably that more fit?  To add to this loss, a few weeks later, in January, my dishwasher gave up the ghost!  Thanks to the help of neighbour, Lianne, we dried up the puddles and Arran installed a nice new floor. 

Interesting, the start-off of year 2015, and here I was, without a car and no dishwasher!  This means I continue to be more time/ energy-conscious getting to my early morning yoga classes in Vancouver and to my ESL home tutoring students.  When at home I spend stretches of time writing some more of me life memoirs … slow and steady … ;}

This Summer I bought a year pass for the Grouse Grind mountain and enjoyed challenging myself during the months of May, June and July.  Each climb I endeavoured to beat my own time getting to the top of the mountain.  (2.9km ascent, with an elevation gain of 2,800 feet).  And, I did!

Rosemary and Matthew came out west in February and we had good times together, first in Vancouver, and later I joined them for a few wonderful days later in Victoria.  When there, I caught up with some dear old island friends, Margaret Martin, Christine and Mel Johnson, Sally Hughes, also Sandy and Robert Hatton.

Lesley, Mac and Sidney met me in Victoria and the four of us drove over bumpy roads into the Walbran valley in the center of Vancouver Island.  We slept in two tents under the stars surrounded by ancient trees and ever-flowing rivers.  Memorable.  Wide eyed we were as Mac regaled us with effective activist stories of saving portions of the Walbran valley.

At different times during 2016, good friends visited, including, Ann Atkins, Edna Rogers, Anna and Rodney Williamson, Gillian / Bob Catto, Heather Powell, and, currently, Fatima Bacot and soon, her daughter Thalia.

In June and again in September I housesat two different friends’ houses, the first near my old stomping ground, the University of BC, and the second in Steveston, south of Vancouver.  Both were great places and ambiance  to hang out on my own, with cat and plants and sometimes with friends.

I continue to support the wonderful Child Haven orphanage in Kathmandu.  In September friends and I went to the CH annual fundraiser in Vancouver.  Cathy and Mickey will be coming home soon from Nepal, in time for Christmas with their family.  She is doing fantastic work in the mountains of Nepal while finishing her PhD.

In August, after some bike training, I joined the “Conquest Team” for the Ride to Conquer Cancer. All, except me, were under 30 years!! They were a terrific bunch of folk and very supportive of my endeavours. We cycled from Vancouver to Seattle. Thanks to friends and family, I raised well over $3,000.  Wonderful ride, beautiful scenery, mostly along the Pacific coast.  A fun, inspirational and empowering journey. We camped one night in Mt. Vernon, Washington State.

Throughout the year, I spent a lot of time with my good friend, Valerie Way.  I had happy times with her family after the birth of her first grand daughter to Dave and Julia.  Very sadly, Val’s partner, Dave Roberts, passed on, after a too long illness.  I was happy to be around for Val during some of these sad and stressful times. RIP dearest Dave. 

As with all of us, we have loved ones who are experiencing medical and emotional challenges.  Throughout the last several months I have spent times with Nony, a neighbour upstairs who is successfully overcoming a debilitating illness.  A lengthy saga, but Nony is strong, resilient and, thankfully, she is home again from hospital and she continues to make good progress.

All this been said, I hope that I find you and yours feeling good and looking forward to many positive things in the new year.  I look forward to our future encounters.

Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Namaste, Slainte and Namaste! 

Dyane