Monday 8 July 2019

Weekly wrap-up

Another week of Fridays (everyday) has flown by.  The weather has been lovely so I've spent a great deal of time outdoors, either on the back deck or the front patio.  Who knows how much longer I'll have those spaces?  Nope, still no offers but we continue to have showing fairly frequently.  Sooner or later, someone is going to be interested enough to make an offer.

Besides being lazy, I've been re-reading a book I read many, many years ago.  Five Smooth Stones was written by Ann Fairbairn, and originally published in 1966.  The story line follows a young black man, orphaned at birth,raised by his paternal grandparents, and mentored by a "Viking" professor in the city of New Orleans. An accident when he was yet a small child leaves him with a limp.  His grandfather and his mentor push him hard to learn and eventually he attends a small university in one of the Northern states before studying law at Harvard.  While in university he meets and falls in love with a white woman and the novel examines the relationship between the two, the impact on their family and friends, as well as the racial tensions that existed at the time  in the United States.  There are marvelous characters in this book, not just David and Sara, but his grandfather Joseph, the professor Bjarn Knudsen, their classmates, and others.  I had forgotten more of the story than I remembered, but it's still a great read.

On Thursday, C and I went to the theatre to see Yesterday, the movie about a young man who, after being involved in a bicycle meets bus accident...brought on by a world wide power outage, finds that no one else seems to remember the Beatles or various other more current items.  He is a struggling musician who finds fame and fortune using the songs of the Beatles though he's never entirely comfortable with doing so.  It is part love story, part fantasy (who could forget the Beatles?), with the music wound throughout.  While a bit fluffy it was a far better movie than Rocketman, IMO.  I quite enjoyed it!

Friday was dinner with C at Denny's, and Saturday she and I, along with friend C, K, and T met to drive out to Moose Jaw for the Saskatchewan Air show.  It is held at the former military base, now flight training center and home of the Snowbirds the Canadian air demonstration squadron.  The last show was held 14 years ago, and was cancelled due in part to the significant costs of insurance.  The organizers obviously found a way to overcome those challenges and plan to hold the event every second year.  I've never been to one previously and was enthralled.

I don't have many photos as I did not take my camera with me. (There is a reason for that which I won't share at this time). So all of the photos I took were with my cellphone.  

There were a number of different aircraft, a bi-plane, two Harvards, a Spitfire, a P-40 Warhawk, a CF-18 Hornet, an F-16 Fighting Falcon (from the U.S.), an odd looking plane from Switzerland and several more that I've already forgotten.

One of my favorites was the Spitfire.  Watching it and the Warhawk fly through the sky was amazing.  These are the aircraft that were used in World War II.  There aren't many left and to see one that was in such pristine condition was incredible.

My other favorites (of which there are no photos) were the CF-18, the F-16 and of course the Snowbirds.  I think I spent much of my time looking up at the sky in amazement at the agility and precision of these aircraft.  Each of the flights was narrated and at times, we were able to hear the pilots over the radio.  They certainly enjoy their time in the air!

Harvard aerial show - the pilots were two brothers from Edmonton, AB.
It was a hot afternoon, with temperatures near 29C (84F), but there was enough of a breeze to keep relatively cool, while keeping hydrated with lots of water, and sunburn free with SPF 60.  There were clouds too, but no rain though just 75 km. away in Regina, there was a downpour.  Good, because I didn't have to water my containers yesterday.  

We stopped at Applebee's on the way into Regina for dinner before heading home.  That evening the Saskatchewan Roughriders played the Calgary Stampeders.  The game was not great for us, as we lost 37-10 but it was a relaxing way to end the day as I curled up in bed with the cats to watch the last two quarters.

While we were on our way to Moose Jaw, my agent contacted me to ask for a showing.  I called my son, woke him up, and asked him to ensure the cats were out of the house by 1:30 p.m.  I was concerned as the house wasn't as tidy as I like it to be prior to a showing, but when I came home I noted my son had taken care of the worst of it.  He really is a good guy!  He parked down the street and said the group was in the house for nearly 30 minutes.  But no offer has come of it.  

Yesterday was a quiet day, I did do a bit of housecleaning, more reading and hanging out on the deck, and simply enjoying my Sunday.  I did talk to my brother while he was driving back from Alberta where he participated in the Sinister 7, a 160 km. (100 mi.) Ultra marathon which can be run by solos (are they nuts?) or groups up to 7 individuals.  R ran legs 3 and 4, which totalled 54 km (34 mi) up and down the mountains.  As he ran down from the top of leg 3, a storm hit the top with rain, hail, thunder and lightning. I'm glad he was already on his way down!  He enjoyed himself immensely though I'm certain he was pretty sore.  He told me next year, he'll likely run an early and then a late leg as running the two were pretty wearing on him.  The race started at 7 a.m. on Saturday and their team finished about 7:30 a.m. on Sunday.  There is a limit of 30 hours for teams or individuals to finish the race so they did pretty well.

My agent also called to ask for a showing today at 6:40 p.m.  So today has been a heavy duty cleaning day.  Thus far, I've done my laundry, vacuumed the upstairs, washed the living room floor, cleaned the toilets/sinks in both bathrooms, cleaned the mirrors throughout the house, and Febreezed the furniture in the sun room and living room.  Next up I have to vacuum the basement, clean the toilet and sink in C's bathroom, clean cat litter (which will be the first task), sweep up the pine cones on the driveway, dead head and water my containers, and take out the garbage.  I'm sure there will be other tasks that I'll find as I'm doing the rest of the list.  Serves me right for being lazy last week.  :)

Have a great week everyone!









7 comments:

  1. My father loved air shows, though he preferred just to examine the aeroplanes on the ground. He was a career air force nco, having joined in 1939, when World War Two began; at seventeen, he had been too young for the army. What many don't realise is that soon after the war, Canada had the fourth largest air force in the world. The air show held here each year is always held on the year's hottest day. I think they plan it that way, so the airport tarmac can heat up and become unbearable...

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  2. The air show would have been amazing! I've been to only a couple of air shows in my lifetime, and not for many, many years.

    As for the rest of your week, you certainly aren't lacking for fun things to do in your retirement! I hope I fare at least half as well. LOL.

    My fingers are still crossed for a house sale!

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  3. Your son has a stake in you selling your home - his future condo :) Won't life be lovely again when you no longer have to clean for lookie-loos? I love a good airshow. It's been a few years since they've had one here, not sure why but the F18 was zooming around our airport the other day - always fun to watch. And the snowbirds come here to train every April so really like an airshow

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  4. Fingers crossed that this week will be the week you get a contract!

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  5. Boy with your house for sale you really have to make cleaning a priority. Didn't realize Canadian football was going on now. I had to look up those teams.
    That your brother runs ultra marathons is impressive. I read about them in the book about the dog Gobi. Wow is all I can say.
    Hope you get a serious bite soon and can reel them in.

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  6. You've had a busy week with normal fun stuff AND keeping the house looking spiffy. You mention all the rooms and places to clean and I understand you wanting to sell. Sounds lovely but big. I'm so grateful not to have many rooms to clean, I enjoy my free time too much! :)
    One person, it just takes one couple to see your home and fall in love with it. My fingers are getting cramped from being crossed for you, but I'll still do it!! ha ha
    The Canadian Snowbirds sure put on a great show! They used to come to London, Ont. when we lived there yearly until that insurance thing arose. I'm glad they're back in some areas. We went a few times and often could sit in a park in the city and watch them free.

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  7. Good grief. I'd not be tickled to be doing all that cleaning. A good clean once a week is about all I do any more. So I try to keep it decent during the week leading up to that cleaning. But, you have to sell the house and it is important to keep it impeccable. I hope to goodness you get a bite soon...Sooner then soon. That's so wearing. But meanwhile, you are having an enjoyable time of it in retirement. :-) I love airshows and I haven't had the pleasure in quite a while now.

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