I stepped on the scale the other day and realised creeping obesity had been doing some sprints, I felt it necessary to go out for a brisk walk. I knew it was cold and I should have known better when I opened the front door and even the air itself rushed in to get warm. Hey, "it's a dry cold" and "you can dress for it". I put on long johns, a long sleeve t-shirt, a sweater, a bunny hug (hoody everywhere else in the world), a fleece, a windbreaker and my coat, I looked like a sumo wrestler. All bundled up I drove down to the park to walk the lake. My scarf was pulled up over my cheek bones and my toque was pulled down to my eyebrows, the viewing slot didn't afford me the vision to notice the trees were bent over backward from the wind, had I not started out with it at my back I may have cut my walk very short. When I reached the half way point and turned back the wind hit me hard, bashing at my face and body, the "wind chill" caused the temperature to drop about 30 degrees. My breath froze my scarf to my face, ice cubes formed in my nostrils cancelling any sense of smell, my breath now had to escape through the crevaces between my nose and cheeks creating a fog, further deminishing my vision. My fingers and toes soon became so numb I lost my sense of touch. My head was so bundled I had no hearing. It was like I was moving through the park in a sensory depravation tank. Then it happened. Even though my already impaired vision was further distorted by the icicles hanging from my eyebrows, I'm pretty sure those were my own boots I saw in front of my face. That was just before I hit the ground. Black ice! Hey, I still have one of my senses, I bit my tongue on impact and I could taste my own blood, yeah, I know, that's not a new experience for me, that's a given, but I still don't like the taste. Vampires are just weird. So I'm laying on my back like a lady bug, my extremities are moving furiously but I'm not going anywhere. My coat is like the cloth version of whatever it is they finish snowboards and skis with, there's no friction, I'm motionless. I'll have to wait until someone comes along to push me to bare ground. That's a problem, it seems I'm the only numpty (only Scottish word I know really fits here) in the park today. Survival mode! I thrust my toque up into the air like a wind sock and wham, the wind catches it, it billows out like the main sail on the Santa Maria. Ha! I'm Sailing! Sailing across the ice to bare ground. Just call me Popeye.
Have a great day.
Loved
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25 comments:
As of today, I love winter. Your description of the perils of your encounter with it started my month of with a huge laugh. Tomorrow when we are under 30 cm of snow, I may not feel the same, but for now, Loved, you have made my day! Sail on and keep on writing.
Well, Edward, we thought we had it rough when we were snowed in on the first day of March.⛄❄ At least we had the sense to stay indoors. π What were you thinking?
Just reading about your walk in the park made tears of laughter freeze to my cheeks and fog up my glasses.πΆ I could feel every degree of the cold and the hardness of the ground when you landed on the icy path.⚡ I found myself shouting "hurrah" when you rescued yourself. ✌
Now I'm trying to get rid of the earworm caused by your reference to Popeye⚓π΄: ⚓ "πΆI'm Popeye the sailor man; πΆI'm Popeye the sailor man. πΆWhen I eat my spinach, I'm strong to the finish". ✌
In this case, you are, indeed, Popeye, the sailor man! I love it ....♥
Louise
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πΆ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARTY!πΆ
π Your birthday is the first celebration that comes up in the busy month of March. As ever, you get things off to a rocking start as we head into a month of at least sixteen family celebrations.π And this year, Easter will add its own excitement to the party atmosphere that is generated by so many special days in one month of the year.ππππππ
We hope your Friday birthday marks the beginning of a weekend of fun with family and friends. Here in Peachland, we will raise a warm toast π» as we admire one of your paintings, play some music, and maybe even watch a movie, to celebrate a brother whose work taps into his many talents and allows him, every single day, to do what he loves best.π¨ πΉ πΉ May that joy continue long into the future!
π»Cheers and πlots of love,
Louise and David
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ππ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PATRICK! ππ
π Our greetings are being sent from sunny Peachland where, after a brief winter setback, the golf season has truly begun.π© We're already in a party mood as we mark your 29th birthday.π
With any luck, you, Kayla and William will be able to make this Saturday celebration a day for family fun. πͺ It's not often that we get to toast a grand-nephew who has brought a grand-grand-nephew into our lives.π¦ And, in spite of the years and miles that separate us, we even got to meet William at the 2014 family reunion. We hope your birthday is as special as it can possibly be. π» Cheers and many happy returns!
π Lots of love,
Louise and David
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Thank you so much for your wonderful greeting Louise and Dave. You bring so much joy to all of us with your boundless energy and limitless ideas. I love my card and letter also...thank you, thank you. I'm sorry that I don't write you enough.
We are doing well and we miss everyone so.
We had a wonderful visit today over at Lou's. He made gnocchi and Marie made cheese cake. It was heavenly. Ed and Dean were in town so there were a bunch of family over. I sure miss everyone.
I hope you have a wonderful family gathering this month and congratulations to Alan and Melissa on their engagement.
Thank you so much again,
Love,
Martin and Karen
π You're welcome, Martin and Karen. I wish I had even half of the energy you described here.π Even more than that, I'd have loved to be with the family yesterday for gnocchi π and cheesecake π₯. What fun!
We will pass on your congratulations to Melissa and Alan.π As you know, they'll be with us in Peachland on the 19th.
π Thanks for this blog entry; it's good to hear that you are doing well. Keep it that way, eh!
♥ Love you lots,
Louise and David
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ππ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANGIE! ππ
π It is still morning here in BC but out there in Ontario, your Monday birthday will already be well underway. ☀ We hope it is shaping up to be the happiest of starts to this week and that it holds much promise for you in the year ahead.π
Enjoy whatever celebration you have planned with Ryanne and Nathan before this day is over.π May the greetings of family and friends add to your joy on this special occasion.π Here's to many happy returns of this day. π»Cheers!
π Lots of love,
Louise and David
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ππΈ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRESLEY! ππ
Turning TEN is one of life's milestones. ♥π♥ You are into the double digits now. πCongratulations! Have a very happy Tuesday celebration.π
π T ake time to savor and
π E njoy all the especially
π N ice things about this day.
π Lots of love,
Louise and David
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π HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAMIE! π
πCongratulations on your 44th birthday being celebrated on this fourth Wednesday in Lent. If we're right, as of today, you are a full month into recovering from back surgery.π That calls for a double celebration by the family that has accompanied you every step of the way.πΆπ
Have a very happy mid-week birthday.π Just having your family gathered around the supper table will be gift enough on your special day. πππ Here in Peachland we will be joining in on the celebration by raising a toast to you at 44. And here's to your renewing strength and increasing good health in the days ahead. π»Cheers!
π Lots of love,
Louise and David
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π HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CORY! π
Congratulations! ππ We join the Conty family and your friends in wishing you a weekend of joyful celebrations to mark the beginning of another happy year.π
♥♥ As we are apt to do, we will find a nice scotch with which to raise a warm toast of our own, in honour of you. π»
π Here's to birthday thirty-four;
And here's our wish for many more. Cheers!π»
π With love from
Louise and David
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♥♥ Hi Margaret and Peggy,
We hope it's not too late in St. Andrews for us to send greetings to you from Peachland where our clocks are eight hours behind yours.π
We know that you will be remembering Isles on what would have been his 92nd birthday.π We are doing the same.π In his calm and quiet way, he shared his knowledge, wisdom and friendship with us there in The Steadingπ«. Memories of him bring smiles to our faces todayππ.
π Lots of love,
Louise and David
I had a very similar experience here in LA at the beginning of march. It was so sunny out that I thought it was summer already. Boy was I in for a surprise when I hoped in my pool only to find out it was barely 72 degrees (about 22 for you guys). So there i was splashing around in slightly less than comfortable pool water. I could barely get a couple laps in before I had to hop out and warm up on the lounge chairs.
I feel you ed
brant
πNow that is a very funny response to Ed's winter experience, Brant.⛄ Your LA version has all the shock-and-endurance elements of the Regina one.π So, it seems that wherever we are, life teaches us to feel for others.π‘
(I must admit that I'd rather be learning empathy while shivering pool-sideπ than while sailing across a sheet of ice.π)
LOL, Louiseπ
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πππ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EMILY! πππ
Congratulations on your 18th birthday.π It seems to us that this particular milestone is a jumping-off point for a year of change, adventure and higher learning.π On this occasion, you can reflect back on your past successes, enjoy the honours of the present day and anticipate the excitement that the future holds for you.π Well done!πΈ
ππWe hope your Wednesday birthday is filled with love, gifts and greetings from family and friends. We join them in wishing you fun on your birthday and the best of all good things in the year ahead.π
π Lots of love,
Louise and David
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ππHAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEAGHAN!ππ
πThis Feast of St. Patrick is a day of celebration for so many people who are happy to be Irish or who are just looking for some of the luck of the Irish to rub off on them. πHave fun sharing your day with all those joyful people.
π¨Go ahead and paint the town green. May your birthday overflow with enough surprises to fill a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.π We wish you a good-luck day and another year of robust health and personal success.π» Cheers and many happy returns!
πLots of love,
Louise and David
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ππ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOUISEππ
πYour Sunday birthday is drawing to a close in Ottawa. Here in Peachland, we almost missed it in the excitement of welcoming our family from Calgary and having a bit of a reunion of our own. πͺπͺπ«
We hope you've had a great dayπ - one filled with the greetings of friends and family πand brimming with the promise of a glorious springtime in Ontarioπ . π»Here's to fun, fun, fun at 51!
πCheers and lots of love,
Louise and David
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πΈπ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIA!ππΈ
Well, today you move into the teen years. πCongratulations!
πT hirteen years
πH ave come and gone
πI n your life. Get
πR eady
π°T o
πE njoy
π E ach day of this
π£N ewest year.
πWarm wishes and lots of love,
Louise and David
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ππHAPPY ANNIVERSARY, JULIANA AND BRANT!ππ
πCongratulations on this twenty-first anniversary of your marriage to one another. You have probably not often marked this occasion on the Easter weekend which is very early this yearπ°. As your anniversary and this springtime feast coincide, we wish you the renewal, vibrancy and hope that are symbolized in the celebration of Easter.π
Here in Peachland, we will be raising a toast to you on this anniversary day.π» We hope it is a good Good Friday during which your children, Kahless, Briana and Braden, share in the celebration of 21 years and remind you of the beautiful new life that has sprung from your love for one another.π¨π§π¦ Cheers!
πWarm wishes and lots of love,
Louise and David
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ππΈHAPPY BIRTHDAY, SARAFINA!πΈπ
We are wishing our darling grand-daughter a joyful Easter birthday.ππ
πF un is
πI n the air on this
πV ery special and
πE xciting day.
Here's hugsπ and a high FIVEπ!
πWith lots of love from
Grandma and Gramps
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πHAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROBERT!π
π Blue Monday becomes a red-letter day when we get to celebrate your birthday across the miles.π We hope today is just the beginning of a super week and a happy start to another good year for you.πΆπΆ
We want to add our best wishes to those of family and friends who are sure to be remembering you on this special day.π We don't need an excuse to pour ourselves a wee dram but a toast to your good health and happiness is sure to add warmth and flavour to the fine single-malt we choose in your honour.π» Cheers!
♥♥Lots of love,
Louise and David
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πHAPPY BIRTHDAY, ZACHARY!π
How did you get to be 21 so quickly❓❗ This calls for a unique greetingπ:
π¨T he first 21 years of your life
πW ent by
πE ver so quickly for us.
πN ow we hope you can
πT ake time to celebrate
πY our special day.
πO ur wish is that the celebration of this
πΆN ewest milestone in your life will be an
πE specially happy beginning to the coming year.
♥♥Congratulations and lots of love,
Louise and David
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ππHAPPY BIRTHDAY, NOAH!ππ
Your birthday has dawned bright and beautiful here in the Okanagan Valley.π We feel as if the whole world is celebrating with us today.π Congratulations!
We hope the weather is just as nice in Calgary where friends and family are greeting you as you turn 18.π We want to add our warmest wishes to those you have already received.π
May your Wednesday birthday be a highlight of this final week of Marchπ and may the year ahead bring you the very best of everything that life has in store for such a nice young manπ’.
♥♥Lots of love,
Louise and David
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ππΈHAPPY BIRTHDAY, SONIA!ππ
πWe have already greeted you over on Facebook where the good wishes of friends and family are pouring in. Even across the miles, we are going to see a lot of beautiful YOU today.πΈ And you look "fully alive" at 45!π
We know that your family in Regina will make your Thursday birthday special.π The celebration should put the "icing on the cake" of the month of March 2016.π We hope it also sets the tone for year of good health and happiness for you and those you love most in lifeπ. We'll drink to that.π»
♥♥Cheers and lots of love,
Louise and David
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Thanks for the birthday wishes for my 2 oldest grandchildren Louise. I'll make sure they get them. It always surprises them that they are on the family blog. A very nice surprise that they like a lot.
Like you, I ask myself, "How did they get to be 21 and 18 so quickly?"
Love ya,
ME xoxo
πYou're welcome, Mary Ellen. Thank you for passing on our greetings, too.π As each special occasion comes along, we get to celebrate that day in our own way, wherever we happen to be in the world.ππ’✈ We take delight in individually calling to mind the many wonderful persons who make up our family.πΆπ§π¦π©π¨π΅π΄ We are lucky people.π«
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