Sunday, November 5, 2023
Obviously I didn’t do all of that in an hour but it seemed like an exceptionally long morning so I got a lot done.
I’ll do some hand stitching this afternoon.
Author: Anna Byrne
Anna is an acquaintance and when her book first came out I didn’t read it. Pat sent it off to Kathryn and both of them gave it a good review. I thought that was the end of it. Anna is now offering a three-week Book Circle based on her book and I decided to join. Although I’ll get a copy of the book at the first session I borrowed a copy from the library so I could get a head start.
Anna was diagnosed with cancer when she was in her early 30’s. She received treatment and was in remission but the cancer came back three more times. The book is a memoir of her cancer journey as well as the story of her work as a hospice volunteer as she visits Eleanor, a patient in the last month before her death.
Preparing for the Book Circle takes some time. Each session we will be reviewing specific sections of the book with thoughts on what is lost when you die, what of you remains after your death, and how those answers guide you in how you live the rest of your life.
Although I didn’t particularly enjoy the book I’m looking forward to the Circle.
Goodreads Rating: * * *
Friday, November 3, 2023
We had a good trip over to the Island on Wednesday and then back home on Thursday. We got our Costco shopping done before we met Peggy and Bill for lunch. We were able to check into the hotel early so I had a chance to nap in the afternoon. Had it not been for Peggy and Bill we’d have totally messed up the concert venue. We thought we were headed to the Little Red Church in Comox and we were supposed to be going to the Old Church in Courtenay.
The concert was great even though Pat and I couldn’t get seats together. It worked out well as I had a good seat next to the inside wall of the aisle so there was no getting up and down to let people past and Pat sat up in the sound booth. He knew both the event organizer (he stayed with us for one of the Cran Hall concerts) and the sound guy (who worked one of the Texada festivals with Pat). We came home with four CD’s (good thing there was room for all of them in the new player) – Connie’s new one, two from one of her sons and one from the other son. We stayed and chatted with Connie and family after the show; they all stayed with us when Pat arranged a concert here prior to the Covid shutdown. I listened to all of the CDs this afternoon and enjoyed them almost better than the live performances. Does it make me bilingual if I like the French version of one of the CDs better than the English version?
Not much happened yesterday. I spent all afternoon downstairs hoping to see some water polo. I finally gave up trying to find a schedule and sent a message to Tracie. She was able to tell me where to keep looking and an approximate time for the game. Brodie wasn’t playing but I saw him on the sidelines – does he ever look like Kevin. I tried to find today’s game but didn’t have any luck and I can’t even find out whether they won or lost.
Last night was a Guild meeting and when I got home we watched the last period of a Canucks hockey game. The Canucks are on fire this year (so far). Could it be because we are following them again?
While I listened to my CDs this afternoon I finished my first Bauble. I sure hope the remaining 13 are easier for me. But now that I see the number left I’m thinking I may still be in trouble. I felt a little guilty as I sat at my stitching desk in front of the window and watched Sophie, our gardener, outside pulling weeds.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
I intended to go sewing with the Guild today but I spent so much time downstairs yesterday listening to music I didn’t get very far on my quilting. I really want to get this quilted and bound before the Texada retreat so I decided my time was better spent at home working on that. I have about another day’s work left and I’ll be ready to cut and attach the binding. I’ll do the hand stitching at the retreat at the end of the day when I’ve run out of steam to do anything that requires thinking.
A couple of weeks ago I was visiting a friend in hospital and then a week later I couldn’t see her because she was in isolation. I had word she was home from the hospital late last week so I called her this morning and she said she was feeling up to having some company. I took tea with me because I didn’t want her to have to put out any effort on my behalf. Her sister was there as well so the tea didn’t go as far but Shirley got two cups. We had a nice visit and I was glad that she was very much improved from her time in hospital.
We aren’t expecting anyone for Hallowe’en and we will turn the lights off in case anyone happens to be in the neighbourhood. It is a nice day and will be a good evening for anyone who is out.
We’re off to the Island tomorrow for a concert and a shopping trip to Costco. We’re seeing Connie Kaldor and I’m looking forward to a show in a venue other than the Hall. I have our shopping list ready – a keep a running list of things we have bought there and just refer to it on the next trip. The list isn’t as long as I thought it might be but there is still a lot on in it and we usually pick up one or two things that weren’t on the list.
For the rest of the afternoon I’ll do a bit more work on my Baubles.