Where oh Where is the Other Half??

I am enjoying a week away from work, although for the first 2 hours of this day I have probably worked harder than a week at work!  Its that physical vs mental thing.   Two loads of laundry in the works and I’ve been scrubbing and cleaning the basement floor.  The kind of job you never seem to have time for otherwise, because, really…do I want to do that on a Saturday?  I think not.   Putting a load of discarded and broken odds and ends together for a trip to the dump will also help make the space cleaner and fresher.

Now back to my initial question – it seems Ms Blance is adapting to the retirement clock quite nicely; although she claims she has been busy organizing closets and desk etc.   She can have the rest of August “off”, but hopefully we will have a blog update from her soon as I’m sure she will have some news or other to update us with.   Come September though, she has promised to adopt a schedule for her Monday to Friday week. 

Its delightful to have windows open today as well, the sky is crystal blue and the air is fresh.  Dare I say it, but a hint of autumn not that far away is on the breeze.  Already some trees have begun to show tinges of orange and yellow.  Others have not fared so well with the dry and hot conditions of July and are showing the stress.

Tomorrow will see me drop my car off at my local garage to see if they can determine where water is leaking in from; after heavy rains the carpet under my driver's side and behind me in the back are often soaking wet. And no, I didn’t leave a window down by accident.  So they can poke around in there for the day and see if they can uncover the mystery.     As you can see, a week away from work leaves room for all manner of excitement.  Should I bump up the sarcasm?

Whatever your week brings you, I hope its all good.  And perhaps the week will also bring a blog update from my writing partner in crime.

Cheers!

Liz




ps...I had just posted this and then learned of Jack Layton's passing; I am so very sorry to hear he has lost his battle with cancer and extend my prayers and sympathies to his family.

One Week Post Pam

The first week has come and gone since Pam’s final day of work. It definitely felt surreal to walk by her empty desk throughout the day.  There is still the sense she is only on vacation, but I'm sure by the end of next week that will be put to rest.  Although her leaving didn't  truly seem official until I noticed on Friday that her name is no longer on the company email address book.  I guess that means it’s really final.  

Pam has mentioned a time or two her battle with exercise..to do or not to do.  Well I just received the following helpful advice and thought I would share it with Pam, and you..this program seems reasonable and I’m sure could be undertaken with little cost.  Obviously the long term benefits would be worth the time and effort required:

EXERCISE FOR PEOPLE OVER 40: Begin with a 5-lb potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato bags.
Then try 50-lb potato bags and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato bag in each hand .

After you feel confident at that level,  start off by putting a potato in each bag.

This afternoon there will be a birthday get together for my youngest grandson, Max, who will turn 4 years old tomorrow.  Not sure if the weather will co-operate with outdoor activities; a thunderstorm threatens and the humidity levels are rising accordingly.   July was very dry and hot and August is warm as well, although there seems to be more rain in the forecast.  The parched lawns and flowerbeds would welcome a long soothing drink no doubt.

Well Monday will roll around again before long and will be faced with a different perspective for Pam.  Unfortunately she will miss our semi-annual awards celebration this Wednesday.  Its shaping up to be a fun day and I’m sorry she won’t be there to see me be a contestant on our own version of “Family Feud”.  Hopefully there will be some photos to share afterwards.

And now to put the finishing touches on Max’s gift and get ready for the party!

Cheers!

Liz

Tae a moose....

No, not that kind of moose! In Scotland we call a mouse a moose in the local dialect.

The tale I have to tell you is of a wee house mouse that was just doing what all mice do and that is look after it’s family and feed its belly with whatever I may have inadvertently dropped in the kitchen or the pantry. We live on a ravine, so from time to time over the years someone in the house will spy a mouse. This time it was my grandson Riley.

Don’t get me wrong. One of my favourite movies is “Stuart Little” and my husband and I like that other rodent the chipmunk. They have taken to burrowing and making their home in our garden. I am not allowed to weed or move any of the old plants in case I “disturb them”. But I draw the line at having one scurry through my kitchen, so my husband was sent to fetch a few mouse traps.

We had the traps for weeks as my husband has a weak stomach for dead animals no matter what the size and I was busy and forgot about them until we noticed ‘evidence” of visitors under the kitchen sink. So this is how the story goes......

The two brave lads that live in my house set up a plan and laid a trap with peanut butter. The older lad gave instructions to the younger to make sure he disposed of the mouse first thing in the morning before Granma was up. She surely would freak out if she saw one caught in the trap!! I think maybe the older one was the one to freak out.

Sure enough, the younger lad rose at 6.30am and confronted his Granma, who was straight out of the shower with this wee moose in its trap. The older lad should have instructed the younger to dispose of it before showing it to Granma because all I could think was...

Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murd'ring pattle!

By Robert Burns


I don’t think a mouse trap is what Rabbie Burns had in mind.

Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

Pam has left the building.....

I left Liz in a flood of tears yesterday as if I was never going to see her again. Just like Elvis, I left the building, but it was only 10.30am. No point in prolonging the agony after saying my goodbyes. I don’t really remember driving home. I felt kind of numb. My husband took me for a quiet dinner at the pub that night and I had an early one. Slept for 10 hours!

So, Today is the first day of the rest of my life. How dramatic is that? John Denver sings the lyrics. Check Facebook.

This is a holiday w/e here about, but I, being on a permanent holiday will not notice. I doubt I will notice what day of the week it is either and have stopped wearing a watch.

I am not going to tell you how I am going to get fit and healthy as I am fortunate to have my health and the fit stuff, that means exercise and zippering my mouth shut, may or may not happen....but I did get up this morning at 7.30am and walked around the ravine. It truly is a wonderful time of the day. The trees have formed a canopy since the last time I walked there so it was cool. I saw loads of rabbits and all kinds of birds. There were people drinking their morning coffee as they read the papers happy to shout a good morning to me. A few dogs were having their morning walk before the heat strikes.

But, I am going to tell you that Liz and I are more committed than ever to getting our books published. We have had a long hiatus what with one thing and another but now it is time to work. It’s the kind of work we both love, even if it is unpaid. For now!

What I have learned from other writers and bloggers is that you need to be disciplined in this journey of writing and getting published. Each works differently and not many work like Liz and I, but it can be done. Thanks for sticking with us and we will post an updated chapter of Body Perfect soon. Just enough to whet your appetite before you will need to buy and read the rest of the story! Yes, optimism reigns and I feel good.

On to the next chapter in my life and I hope Jamie Tremain is along for the ride.

Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

And Now She Knows the Rest of the Story

Pam couldn’t understand why I was so stressed the past few weeks!  Well as her post below explains I had been somewhat preoccupied with plans for a Tea Party.  In the works since April, the final two or three weeks had been very busy with last minute details, buying of gifts, and decorating ideas.  The number of times I almost slipped up to ask “Do you think so and so should be invited” or “How much milk do you think we’ll need?” gave me cause to be constantly on my toes.

When I first thought of the Tea Party idea, I decided the best way to keep this a surprise was to do so right under Pam’s nose.  And under the guise of a team building event for one of our departments, that became the plan.  Pam even made her delicious scones for her own party!

I truly commend Pam on her ability to organize and run social events; it is NOT my cup of tea at all, but I believe all went well on Thursday to give her a memorable, and fitting, send off into the next chapter of her life.

Without the help of Cheryl, Stephanie, Amy, Jane and a handful of other dedicated assistants, the Tea Party would never have been the success it was.  Beautiful flowers from a staff member’s garden just added a finishing touch to the room’s ambiance.

Tea Pot sets and scrumptious treats were generously provided by many of our co-workers and helped set the mood.  Special thanks to Eleanor, Dorothy, Lolita and many more.

As this photo shows, I think she can give Vicki Delaney a run for her money in the hat department!

A unique gift was a keepsake Scrap Book,  which Pam is displaying above, where hand-written greetings and best wishes from almost two hundred co-workers (past and present) have been safely stored for Pam to read and re-read at her leisure. Hopefully this will give her an inkling of just how well thought of she is at the workplace.

The clock is ticking now on her final few days with the company and it will be a bittersweet day this Friday when she shuts down her computer for the last time.  I think up until just a couple of weeks ago I had been so busy with planning things I hadn’t really stopped to consider how much I will miss Pam at work.  Thank goodness we have our writing to keep us connected.  Now that the pressure of organizing this tea party is behind me, I'll have to get back to the revision that was put on hold for a little while.

All in all a day full of memories, laughs, and some delicious treats befitting an English Tea!  Happy Retirement Pam - I'm glad our paths crossed and that we co-workers have become the best of friends.

More to come as our writing future unfolds.....

Cheers!

Liz

The Tea Party!

This past week the big topics of conversation in my world have been, “Can it get any hotter?” and “What are you going to do with yourself when you no longer have to drag yourself into work every day”?

The answer to the first question was “Yes it can” as the temperatures rose to 38 degrees and the humidity was brutal. Liz’s air conditioning was put to the test and so was our disposition. We have a small break in the temps today and tomorrow and then it will creep back up.

The answer to the next question is.......”I really don’t know”. Sort of. This last month has been crazy busy transferring over duties at work and it seems like every time I turned around there was another celebration. At my 10th Anniversary with the bank we had a luncheon, a dear friend had her 95th birthday, and my son turned 40. When I thought I could not take any more partying I had a wonderful surprise from all my co-workers. A Tea Party.

I was taken completely by surprise as Liz and friends at work had spent months arranging a super retirement party with my husband and grandson in attendance. What a wonderful event they planned. Great food, flowers on the tables, lots of pressies for yours truly, plus a straw hat with flowers. I will try and add a picture of this wonderful sight!! What an amazing bunch of colleagues. So maybe I will stay..... No just joking. I will miss their friendship but it is time to do something else. I hope that something else will be for Liz and I to get our books published.

Writing the blog is such fun but I know it is a hit and miss affair with me but I will change my ways soon.

This week I am just tying up loose ends and saying my goodbyes. It’s sad to leave but I am looking forward to the future with time to try new things and spend time with my family.

My next blog will be as a newly retired person and the start of my new life.
I am entitled to wear the Hay tartan as my mother was a Hay. Their Motto on the clan crest is Hay Clan Motto: Serva Jugum (Keep the yoke). As of Friday I am giving up the yoke.

Slainte,

Pam

How Do You Spell Relief?

My favourite topic of complaint – heat and humidity – will now perhaps lessen somewhat.  I’m sitting next to a newly installed portable AC unit and am enjoying the sensation of cool air filtering across the room.  Bliss!   Perhaps tonight I will finally enjoy a comfortable night’s sleep? With the upcoming long range forecast of humidity readings in the mid to high 30’s and beyond,  this reprieve is much needed.

It has been a very busy week at work; demands of the day leading to exhaustion by the time the commute was done.  My massage therapist commented that my shoulders hadn’t been so knotted in a long time.

I’m making progress on Draft Two revision of Body Perfect (ready to start Chapter 18).  Pam and I had been hoping that I could wrap it up before she leaves work in two weeks.  She has “connections” with our building’s printing department and has managed to get some good deals on photocopying and binding manuscripts.  With that goal slipping away, I suggested yesterday that if the printing doesn’t get done before month end, it would make a good excuse for her to meet me for lunch one weekday and then put in a print order.

As well, this past week I have been asked by not one, but two, friends to have a look at their writing projects.  One friend’s book is ready to publish but she would like me to review some sections first.  And another good friend is currently writing a book based on her life and past experiences.   So I said I would have a look at it as she goes along.   But for both friends, I have promised not much will be done before the end of this month.

I enjoyed a very nice evening last night with friends; home cooked lasagne and pie for dessert went down well, as did comfortable conversations.   A great way to end a stressful week.

But now I feel the sleepless night and today’s shopping trip catching up with me – time for my favourite Saturday afternoon activity; curling up with a good book and allowing myself the luxury to nap if it overtakes me.

So how do I spell relief?

A I R   C O N D I T I O N I N G!

Cheers!

Liz

COUNTDOWN!

It has been almost two months since I blogged but my intrepid writing partner Liz has taken up the slack. I have been in a funk for a while and could not settle to writing. I think I am over the hump now as we had a terrific day yesterday as Liz has mentioned. We agreed on lots of new ideas and direction of how we will finish our second book.

The next phase or “chapter” in my life is only three weeks away so I will certainly have the time to devote to writing. I should be ecstatic that the day is almost here after working for 50 years, bar the three years when my children were babies, but I am not, and I don’t know why. I hate the word retire as it conjures up some old lady images to me. Don’t say it! 

I have been taking trips down memory lane and been on a nostalgia bent for a while so now I have to get a grip and start enjoying my family and friends more. I assume, like all change, that I will go through a period of adjustment. My husband is probably shaking in his shoes wondering what jobs I have in store for him.

Saying goodbye to my colleagues at work will be hard as after 10 years many of them are friends. For the last year I have been writing short profiles on many of the staff for a Diversity project and in that way I really got to know them well. I hope it has honed my skills at interviewing to assist me in my writing.

Our car gave up the ghost this weekend and I am scrambling to get a ride with a friend from work until we buy a new car. My husband and I are both procrastinators so we have put off looking, but of course now we are forced to. I know, many people do without cars. My sisters do not drive and either take the bus or ride a bike but where we live here in Canada it is almost impossible to do anything without one. Definitely a car is a necessary evil. I hope I can get my gas out before the car is towed to the junk yard. I had just filled up with $60.00 before the steering went and some awful noise came from the engine. 

Well that’s enough whining. I have my health and lots to be thankful for and if Liz and I put our minds to it we will see our books in print in the near future.

Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

By Hook or by Crook(s)

Today was revision day and I’m happy to report that Body Perfect is alive and well!   I spent an enjoyable day with Pam as we continued, and almost finished, the first revision of Body Perfect.  Part of the time was spent outside and some indoors where the air conditioning was most welcome.   A delicious lunch made a nice break mid day and I couldn’t believe it when my watch revealed the day had flown by and it was after  4 pm.

So, the crooks have been dealt with and now it’s a matter of finishing the story on a strong note as we wrap up this first tale featuring Dorothy Del Rio and Paul Barron.

As well, two things were accomplished today, one of which was the result of a “light bulb” moment and the other was something we knew we had to work on.  Both of our main characters, Paul and Dorothy, have  something from their past that they have been keeping from each other and we needed to determine where and how this revelation would take place.   The solution was arrived at and I now need to make a more lengthy revision in the second to last chapter to bring this background to light.  And how will it affect  the  blossoming relationship between our favourite characters?   We can’t tell you, silly…that’s why you’ll need to read the book!

The “light bulb” moment came about as we were reading aloud portions of the story.  Without giving anything specific away, suffice it to say we have been wanting to find some kind of trademark that will be specific to this, and future,  Del Rio adventures.  We had already decided on a specific, easily identified marker for the series, but the little gem we thought of today will be more subtle and tucked away within the story.  If nothing else, it gave us a jolt of excitement and a good dose of motivation, to see this revision completed as soon as possible.  Hopefully another little device to hook our readers.   As with Madelaine, we would like to soon have some bound manuscripts available of Body Perfect which we can lend out for feedback.   So I know what I’m hoping to accomplish tomorrow!  

If the heat and humidity are at the same level tomorrow as it is right now, then strenuous typing will be as much as I’ll be able to muster!  Breakfast with some friends is in store for first thing, and then I hope to plunk myself down here and make some headway with the manuscript.

As noted in my previous entry, I have started reading my first Harlan Coben,  “Play Dead”, and really do find it hard to put down.  Lots of twists, and very interesting characters!

I hope your weekend is going well…stay cool and enjoy the summer weather!

Cheers!

Liz

It's Back.....

The humidity of course.  Hopefully a thunderstorm in the forecast for later today will bring some relief, but the long term prediction shows more if it right until Friday..and all I can say is “Yuck”!

A beautiful day yesterday for Canada Day – our 144^th birthday.   While I didn’t get out to see the fireworks, I could sure hear them and am glad that folks who used the day as time to be outside with family and friends had such a gorgeous day for it.

Paid a quick visit to Chapters today; have had a gift certificate in my wallet for a while so decided to start a new collection.  Harlan Coben.   I have a couple of his books that have been lent me, with extremely high praise I might add, and so I decided that I would look for his first book (Play Dead) and read it as a starter.   He has written quite a few and so I like to get a sense of the writer from the beginning of his works when possible.   Once I finish with Stieg Larsson, Harlan Coben will be next.  Maybe even before the weekend ends.  After all with such uncomfortable temperatures, I do believe the most strenuous exercise should be turning pages of a book  J - preferably in a lawn chair under a shade tree!

While at Chapters I also signed up for their new points program and received my free “Plum Rewards” card.   That’s a rewards program I can appreciate!

The countdown is now on for Pam; at the end of this month she bids adieu to the 9 – 5  working life.  Dare I admit to a certain amount of envy?   Well unless a lottery ticket finally pays off, I’ll have to continue the work day routine for some time yet.

I want to wish our American followers a happy July 4^th as well!  And hope that you enjoy a safe and happy long weekend  with family and friends as we have been doing here north of the border.

Cheers!

Liz

Here Comes July

Oh my…see what happens to good intentions?   I can’t believe neither Pam nor I have posted in a month  L   Not that we don’t have anything to talk about –some of it might even be interesting – but the time has once again sped away from us.   Pam is now in the last few weeks of being gainfully employed and is busy with paperwork regarding her retirement and handing over her work duties to others, including myself.  I’ll be wishing her well on the next chapter of her life, but will miss my coffee break buddy very much after the end of July.  She will soon have the luxury of writing to her heart’s content and not having work get in the way!

So let’s see..what’s been happening.   June has been a mixed bag weather wise.    We’ve experienced some wicked storms – beautiful maple trees completely uprooted on the neighbouring street – with lots of rain.  Some very nice sunny summer like days have also been in the mix.   And everything in between.

This past month I’ve been concerned about terrible wildfires in the State of Arizona, where a very good online friend lives. Her daughter’s home was threatened, but has survived, and I have been following email updates and photos.  I can’t imagine what it must be like to live on the edge of being evacuated at a moment’s notice and face the real possibility of losing all that you own. 

Had a nice day yesterday with two of my grandchildren; hopefully all the fresh air and playing let them sleep as well as I did!

A short work week coming up, with Canada Day considerately falling on a Friday this year.   That might mean I’ll be able to take in a fireworks display because the next day won’t be a work one.  Normally I avoid them because they don’t start until almost 9 and then by the time you get home its about 10:30 and my work mornings start far too early for that time.

So an early Happy Birthday Canada!  No place I’d rather call home.

Cheers!

Liz