Days of Wine and Roses

What happened to 2012?! Just too much procrastination going on around here, and
too many flowers and other inebriating delights swirling around.

Hmm. January of 2012 had us in Puerto Rico

and Saint Maarten.


 April, we were back at Massanutten, Virginia. August, we were in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, and in October we were at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and also Massanutten.

Grout, Education and the Easy Life

Have you ever heard anyone tell you that something was easy, really easy, to do? I have. Not only that, I actually believed them. Many are the voices that reverbated through my head as I gamely laid the mosaic tile and later grouted. (Does that word really exist? I grouted. You grouted. He grouted. We all grouted.) Yes, I finally grouted. My fingers had to work overtime as the grout slid off the wall constantly and landed in great big lumps on the shower floor. I had to push the grout into every nook and cranny. So much for the 45 degree angle idea using the whatever- it's -called instrument.

Have you seen advertisements for easy ways to learn a foreign language? Spanish in ten minutes a day, Spanish for dummies, and the list goes on. Who are these people claiming that it is easy to learn a foreign language? Or, indeed, that it is easy to learn anything?

Nothing is easy. All things can be easy, but only once you know how to do them. I still don't know how to lay tile or grout. I know the theory, but I need to practice and practice and practice. Easier said than done. Motivation can help ease the eager to discover how easy it is to be an eager beaver.

People expect things to be easy. They no longer know what it's like to fail, or lose. From an early age they are pampered, patted on the head, even when their performance is poor. Isn't it better to teach children reality rather than indulge them in flights of fancy that they are the best, despite low grades, poor results? Why praise them with "Great job!" when they've actually done a pretty lousey job? Are we all so afraid that young people will crumble if we point out their shortcomings? Isn't it more to the point that young people need to be prepared for the future, a future which doesn't only include doting parents shielding them from criticism? And if they receive bad grades, tell them to study harder. Simple. There's no need to blame the class teacher, or the text books, for that matter. Now, that is easy.

Five Reasons You Know You Want To Go To The Beach

1.  You carefully clean away the cobwebs of your beach chairs lying against the wall in the garage.

2.  You smile at the your old shoes - the ones you wear when you walk along the beach.

3.  You buy sunscreen, a big hat, and wonder if you might actually get a tan this year.

4.  You inhale the salt air from the sea. But, wait a minute. You're at least a seven hour drive from the coast!

5.  You REALLY can hear the waves going in and going out and you REALLY can see the seagulls swooping down into the water.

Deer Down in Virginia

We spent a few nights at Massanutten, Virginia, up high in the mountains. The air is fresh and clean. Late afternoons you see the deer stroll by. They're not in the least bit afraid of people. I'm glad. It means that there are no hunters around.

British Foods and Shadows

Down here in Key West shadows creep up ye olde brick wall. It will be evening soon and the buskers will be out and about entertaining the crowds. There is a huge Disney ship docked just down the road a bit. Tourists saunter about in gaudy tee shirts and loose sandals, probably wishing they had worn a sweater.

I spy a shop that advertises British foods and jaunt over quickly to inspect the joyful joint. It does look joyful! I'm almost certain I'll be able to purchase good old Branston Pickle and maybe some Cadbury Flake. Yum. Digestive Biscuits too? Yummer yum.

Inside the shop I'm gazing on the foods I used to eat growing up in Scotland. Wine gums anyone? A girl in her twenties appears at my side, reeking of booze. She speaks with an English accent.

"I've been boozing it up all day." That was her, not me, speaking, by the way.
"Oh?" We British tend to be polite. I really wanted to say to her that I could tell she had been drinking for she stank like dried up pee and vomit.
"My tummy aches. I really need Andrews Liver Salts."
"They still make that?" I hadn't thought about Andrews Liver Salts in years.
"Of course. And I love it! It always does the trick. What are you going to be buying? Oh, look! Maltesers! I love Maltesers!"



I leave the drunken girl in the shadows of the shop, pleased with my purchases, and wonder if she was from the Disney Cruise ship? I'll never know.

Do you ever shop for British foods?

Finding Things

We were on a wee cruise. I really don't care much for cruises. I don't like all the food, and I don't like all the people, and I don't like the teeny room. Sorry, cabin.

Now this cruise turned out to be productive. Guess why?  

We we wandering around in the park in Saint Thomas, sat down to rest our weary bones. All of a sudden what do I spy, right before my eye?

A camera!

I pick it up. Look around. But there's nobody about. The camera was quite new. I think maybe the person who owned it was off one of the cruise ships. It was one of those small digital cameras. Quite handy. I looked at the photos in it to see if maybe I would be able to find the owner. The photos weren't very clear at all and there were only a few. 

Och well. Finders keepers...

Christmas and Hogmanay

ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHTED SSTAAS

Christmas Eve in Virginia with nice long walks, and Christmas Day at home with presents galore. Hogmanay with friends afar.

Up and Down Steps in Mykonos

All photos copyrighted sstaas. All rights reserved.

Cruising up and down steps in Mykonos, Greece, is one charming way to spend an afternoon.



Who made Mykonos so cute? Every corner you turn it just gets cuter and cuter.

Excuse me while I run up and down steps in Mykonos. Can't help myself!

Cruising Along

All Photos Copyrighted sstaas. All rights reserved.

Know what's nice about cruising along? All the wonderful photos you take. At the time, you don't realise how wonderful they are. It's only once you're back home, in cold, dreary weather, that you appreciate the terrific images.

That first photo I took from the ship, the Celebrity Solstice, at Barcelona. That's where we left from on a 12 night cruise.



The photo above is of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

Know what else is nice about cruising along? You get to walk and walk, and walk some more, all the while carrying two cameras and going snap, snap, snap, trying to get that perfect picture.



The above photo I took at the end of the cruise, when we were back in Barcelona. What time of day was it? Yikes! It was way too early for me. But, everyone on the ship was up and leaving.

Bet you're dying to see other photos of the cruise! Stay tuned. As we move on into winter, these summer photos of Mykonos, Santorini, Kusadasi, Malta, Athens, and more are sure to wake you warm.

Autumn in the Backyard

All photos are copyrighted sstaas. All rights reserved.

Here in the suburbs the backyards are just covered in leaves. Fortunately, we can dump the leaves out in the woods. Yeah! However, since the woods are so close it does mean that we get even more leaves.



Who's going to be blowing the leaves away?! Ready? Just take a big inhale then blow as hard as you can.

Five Reasons You Know You're Ready for the Fall

Are you ready for the Fall? I am. It's my favourite season. I love the colours and I love the cooler temperatures, and I also love using the oven again.

Want to know if you're also ready for the Autumn? If you answer 'yes' to at least one of the following, then you're absolutely ready!

1. You just picked up your first leaf of the season and got teary-eyed.

2. You put away your summer clothes and got out some nice cosy ones.

3. You're already eyeing the storage bins in the garage that contain Christmas lights.

4. You feel that this will definitely be the year you're finally going to dress up at Halloween.

5. You've already eaten a bag of Halloween candy and there are still weeks to go before Trick or Treat Day!

Who Needs a Scarecrow?!

Bet you can't guess what's in the picture above! Not only that, bet you can't imagine why I'd place CDs underneath the deck!



I read in a magazine that hanging CDs will keep birds away. Actually, even aluminum foil might work as well.

And why would I want to keep the birds away? Several months ago we had a nest at the side of the deck. Any time we'd go by the nest the male bird would come swooping down on us. After the babies had flown off I removed the nest and container it was in. Did that do the trick? Nope. Not long after, another bird, or maybe the same one, built a nest underneath the deck.

So far so good! The wobbly CDs are preventing birds from building nests! Yeah!

Baby Deer -Who's the Culprit?

I wonder who's been gobbling up on my plants?! I had many hostas and impatiens out back. All gone. Gobbledy gobbled up.




Who's this cute little guy? Where's his mama?



I don't REALLY mind that he ate up my plants. He seemed lonely and awfully hungry. I hope he got more food wherever he ended up next. It's not his fault that he needs food.