Memories of Christmas Past #1

For the last several days I have been  nostalgically thinking about Christmas gifts that my Father gave to my Mother when I was a child.  Invariably it was an "Evening In Paris" perfume set, with perfume, cologne and eau de toillette.  I think you could buy it in a Five & Ten Cents store or at Rexall Drug stores.  When I was old enough, I went with my Father to buy it. It was always blue glass bottles on white satin, and I remember it sitting on my Mother's vanity in their bedroom. I have a whiff of a memory of the scent on my mother.

The first perfume that I remember myself wearing was "White Shoulders" by Eyvan, the perfume, body lotion and the powder. Such a thrill to get it as a gift.

Vancouver Welshmen's Choir & Sutton Place Christmas Decorations

Last night I went with friends to the Vancouver Welshmen's Choir performance held at St. Andrews Wesley United Church downtown because a good friend is a choir member. What wonderful harmony they had, the church was filled with their voices.  They were joined by the CHT Salvation Army Band (brass) and they were terrific. The Choir has several more concerts this month, do try and catch one of them:

 

And then after the concert a group of us gathered at the Sutton Place Hotel on Burrard  Street for drinks.  The hotel always has a wonderful display of Christmas Trees for charity purposes.  Here are photos of some of the trees including close ups of special tree decorations:

 

 

 

Games Afternoon

Had lots of fun at our semi-annual "Games Afternoon" today, with women playing their choice of mah jongg, bridge or canasta.  Our usual mah jongg foursome joined in:

How Vancouver is Changing!

As our friends and family know, we sold our home in the spring of 2014 and moved out in July 2014, after living there for 34 years.  During that 34 years, we redid every room and the roof about 3 times, built a gorgeous deck at the back, upgraded the windows, painted the exterior many times, planted many, many trees, and had gorgeous garden beds in the back where we entertained around the pool. But getting older and with more physical disabilities, we had to move into a one level condo. Here are some pictures of our former home:

I have driven by our former home many times in the last 14 months and saw the demolition begin about 3 days after we moved out, the excavation of the site, the building of the foundation for the new home, the structure going up, the outside finishing and the landscaping.  It was finished within the past 3 weeks. And then last week I noticed a "For Sale" sign out front and took this picture:

So being curious, I looked the listing up online, and found that it was listed for $8,780,000 (unbelievable!). It is described by the realtor as:

"WORLD CLASS MANSION, MAGNIFICENT CUSTOM BUILT QUALITY HOME, TRULY "ONE OF A KIND". Almost 5,500 sq.ft sits on BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPED level lot 66' x 120'. Supreme finishing throughout, full attention to detail, finest interior décor provides feeling of luxurious mixed classic/modern living. Foyer with high ceiling opening onto entertaining sized living & dining. 6 bedrooms & den, 7.5 baths, large gourmet kitchen & high-end cabinetry & appliances, large Island with granite counter top. HOME THEATRE, GYM, WINE CELLAR, SAUNA STEAM BATH, ADVANCE HOME SMART SYSTEM, RADIANT FLOOR HEATING, A/C, HRV. Here are some realtor pictures:

 

It is gorgeous for sure, but that asking price is beyond what virtually all Canadians could afford.  This is quite sad.  Imagine having 7.5 bathrooms!  Preposterous!

Aunt Dorothy's 90th Birthday Celebration

On Sunday, September 13, the family celebrated our Aunt Dorothy's 90th Birthday. She is my father's younger sister, the last surviving of the siblings.  She resides in a full care nursing home and is in wheelchair, but her health is otherwise good. We had a luncheon in one of the social rooms of the care home with just family in attendance.

We were blessed in having cousins visit for the occasion from Victoria, BC and Airdrie, AB as well as my brother, Ken, and his two sons Chris and Teddy. And of course Neil and I.  Here are some pictures of the event:

Ron (June's husband), Neil (Donna's husband), Aunt Dorothy, Ken (Donna's brother)
and June (Donna and Ken's Cousin)

Bob (cousin), Teddy and Chris (Ken's sons), Ron, Neil and Dorothy

 

Aunt Dorothy

  

Dorothy, Ken & June looking at Dorothy's old photo album
from her teenage years and 20's

Dorothy & June looking at the old photo album.  June found pictures of her father,
Walter, in his 20's that she had never seen before.

 

Chris (Ken's son) and Ron (June's husband)

Neil (Donna's husband), Dorothy and Ken

Dorothy needed help from Ken to blow out the candles

 

 

The Family: Back: Donna, Ron, June, Teddy, Chris & Bob
Front: Neil, Dorothy & Ken

 

Highlights of Alaska Cruise

Neil and I went on an Alaska Cruise August 15 - 22 on Holland America's "Noordam", from Vancouver to Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan and back to Vancouver. We had poor weather such as gale force winds, cold, rainy and low cloud cover for several days.  Did not get off the ship in Juneau because of that.  But it cleared up in the last few days.

I also had some issues with the ship and if we go again on Holland America, I would choose different accommodation. Our stateroom was the smallest I have ever been in and Neil had his walker with him, which made it difficult to move around the room. But it was worth it to get away for a week.

Here are some of the picture highlights of Glacier Bay:

Here are highlights of Ketchikan, our last stop:

And highlights of sailing back to Vancouver down the beautiful coastline:

Remembering Linda

Thinking of Linda every day, but especially more today as it would have been her 64th birthday.  Here is a picture from her 61st birthday just after she was diagnosed with cancer:

Miss you sweetheart!

Sam gets his Masters degree at Oxford

Sam has been awarded his Master of Philosophy in International Relations degree from Oxford University.  The ceremony was held on Monday, July 27, 2015.  His brother Teddy, and their mother, Gina, attended.  Here are a couple of photos taken by Gina:

Distillery Tour

Last Sunday, Neil and I joined a group from our sisterhood for a Distillery Tour at Odd Spirits Society, a small-batch craft distillery located at 1725 Powell Street in Vancouver.

There were about 14 of us and we were led on the tour by Gordon Glanz, founder and distiller.  It was interesting to hear Gordon's history. He obtained a MSc in brewing and distilling from Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland (what better place to be to learn distilling?).  He then studied under the masters at Springbank Distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland.

We started the tour tasting the oak aged gin, which Neil really liked.  They use it as the basis for some of their mixed drinks, sold in the Tasting Lounge.  Here are some pictures from the tour:

Gordon explained that in order to qualify as a "craft" distillery under BC liquor laws, the distillery must purchase all BC products to produce the liquor, starting with the grains such as wheat, barley, rye, and then all the supplemental ingredients.

 

After the tour, we hung out in the Tasting Lounge, some of us purchasing cocktails, others still asking questions about the operation of the distillery.  We discovered that the distillery is open to rentals for events.  The bar is open to the public and is a very interesting/fun late afternoon/early evening gathering place for people to get together.  Reserve ahead for a tour.

 

 

 

Neil and I bought a bottle of each of East Van Vodka and Crème de Cassis and look forward to trying them out.

 

Tasting Lounge

 

Recommended for a fun outing.