It has been a few busy months with family, volunteer work and painting. By this time of the year I have usually planned my next travel adventure but the idea of travel has challenges. World chaos does not calm my mind when considering the next voyage...so...I am grounded for now.
Several paintings have been added to the new series and a couple of larger ones are in the works for another series.
We met over 50 years ago at our workplace in 1975, exchanged a brief "Nice to meet you" and carried on with our lives. We were both happily married at that time...or so we thought. Our lives were very different. John had a family life with his wife and two daughters in Surrey. I was still living in an East Vancouver apartment with my husband while he completed his education.
Five years later everything had changed. Both of our marriages had collapsed.We seemed to bump into each other more often at work, stop to chat, share a coffee in the cafeteria. There was a mutual attraction. Then there were games of tennis and dinners on the beach. Before long we were living together, sharing custody of his daughters and pregnant with our son.
On December 8, 2020 John left on a solo adventure. Every now and then he sends a message by knocking a painting off the wall or turning on a bedroom light. I hope he is enjoying these little mischievous pranks.
This summer I have been working on a new series of paintings.
Cozy Bean, my favorite Cafe/Bakery was closed last week so I visited my second choice which is located in Murrayville. Porter's Bistro, Coffee and Tea House was built in 1888 and operated as a General Store. As an official Heritage building it still features original fixtures, floors and cabinetry. In 1997 it became Porter's Coffee and Tea House. The onsite bakery produces delicious baked goods every day as well as many other meal options. This place has everything!
Live music performances are featured every Thursday evening. The back corner, where the stage is set up, is lined with black & white photos of all the musicians who have performed here. Guitars and banjos hang from the walls along with an exhibition of local artists' paintings. The original Post Office door leads to a tiny office.
Most of the customers are from the local community. The young servers know them by name and greet everyone with a smile. I meet with a group of friends here every Saturday morning. We discuss politics, movies, music and life events. Sometimes I like to visit alone mid-week to sit and soak in the history, appreciate the artwork, do some writing or drawing. It is definitely a place that inspires.
All good things must come to an end.. At 6:00am on departure day I drove my friend's car to the other end of the island, gave the keys to another friend and boarded the Blue Star ferry for the voyage back to Athens. Sadness filled me as I realized that this would probably be my last visit to this rocky island in the Aegean Sea. An island that has pulled me back with its magic for 25 years.
Of course the ferry schedule did not allow me to leave on the day that coincided with my Athens hotel reservation, so, I spent another night in Piraeus. The next day I met Kalliroi again for more Athens explorations.
My visit didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped. The weather was very cold for the first 9-10 days and I had not packed warm clothing. Fortunately the AC in my room helped to warm the air in the morning and the eiderdown on my bed provided cozy sleeps.
The constant daily climbing of pathways and uneven surfaces in Chora took its toll on my new hip. The aggravation and pain forced me to limit my excursions to daily breakfast at Jazzmin and nightly visits to Fotodotis for dinner.
Last year I had hoped to share my 80th birthday with friends on Amorgos. A scheduled hip replacement surgery cancelled those plans. So, in 2025 I celebrated my 81st birthday and 25 years of visits to Amorgos.
This trip marked 25 years since our first visit to Amorgos.
I decided to look through my drawing books from 2000.
I was reminded this morning that my blog has been neglected for a few months. Life seems to speed past at a faster pace as I age...days, weeks, months pass before I think about the blog.
At the end of April I returned to my other home on the island of Amorgos. My son had used his airmiles for the flight and his hotel points for my two night stay in Athens at a spectacular hotel. What a gift!
Well located, the hotel was much classier than my usual little place and very comfortable. I decided that I could get accustomed to luxury! There was even a complimentary bottle of wine along with chocolates every night on my pillow.
The Blue Star ferry finally set sail on a blustery day. Unable to book a cabin, I had opted for First Class because there would be an option to either lay down on the long bench seats or sit in comfortable seating. The first three hours were awful as the ship plowed through wind and high waves. One traveller was constantly sick. Fortunately I am not prone to sea sickness. The seas finally calmed a bit and we sailed on to island after island. Apparently the ferry schedule was still on its winter tour which included many stops. At 4:00am I arrived at Amorgos after 10 1/2 hours onboard.
A taxi was waiting for me and the driver was kind enough to carry my two bags up to my room. After a short nap I made the familiar trek up the path to Jazzmin. A beautiful sign greeted me and welcoming arms wrapped me in a warm hug.
At the end of last year I began meeting with a young woman named Gaby to share creative projects.
We work independently at home and join up at her mother's local Cafe on the weekends.
Wow! The start of another year!
There have been many additions and subtractions throughout 80 years of my life. The additions have brought joy. The subtractions have brought grief and sorrow. No doubt there will be more of both in the years ahead.
Instead of focusing on the past, I am going to focus on smiling at everyone I pass on the street, saying thank you to my servers, lending a helping hand to a neighbour, encouraging youthful enthusiasm and, most of all, telling my family and friends that I love them.
Wishing everyone a calm, peaceful New Year.
It had been many years since I visited downtown Bellingham but I had heard stories about the quaint town and the interesting shops. Last week my sister and I drove her new Tesla across the border and down to Bellingham for an exploration.
Unfortunately the museum was closed on Thursdays but we wandered through the streets and alleyways.
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On Friday I was the victim of a SCAM. The screen of my iPad said that it had been corrupted and I should call APPLE Support at the number on my screen. Foolishly...I did. That began a cycle that was carefully orchestrated by the perps. They were just convincing enough to make me follow along with their instructions while I continually questioned them. Their answers always made enough sense.
The end result, after many hours, was that the tone of his voice and his instructions alerted a survival mechanism that sent me directly to the RCMP. My phone continued to ring repeatedly while I was driving to the detachment. I ignored it.
During a visit to my bank later in the day I discovered that they had manipulated funds. My accounts are now frozen. Credit cards have been cancelled. Yes, they did attempt to put through some fraudulent charges. Apparently, according to the RCMP officer, I was much luckier than others in the past week who lost $60,000 and $80,000. My loss so far is $500 which I hope will be reimbursed by the bank.
My computers have been cleaned by a verified APPLE Support Technician. New credit cards will arrive soon and the bank will unfreeze my funds once they have evidence that my computers are cleared of any fraudulent activity.
It was like I spent the day in an alternative reality, acknowledging the possibility of fraud while mentally willing myself to believe the person on the other end of the phone. They are very good!
Daily walks are more comfortable since I have been able to lace up my supportive athletic shoes. It is not easy and the right shoe is not secured as tightly as I would like but it makes a world of difference to walk in good shoes again. The daily goal is 10,000 steps on one excursion. So far I am able to accomplish around 9,000 steps in two outings but could probably do more with a little effort. Early morning is the best time to avoid this heat wave that is impacting us right now.
Sleeping has improved also with a combination of two pillows between my legs resulting in fewer wakeups and more comfort overall. I have been a bit impatient for my body to fully recover but, considering my age, it has been good.
I have followed my mantra of "one day at a time" and recovery has progressed smoothly. Sleep has been an ongoing issue and it has been a struggle to feel rested during the day while sleeping on my back in 2 hour segments.
Two nights ago I returned to my side of the bed (leaving John's side to his memory) and lay on my side with two pillows between my knees. There was no discomfort and I slept for 4 hours before waking to a slight ache. A visit to the washroom, a glug of water and back to the same position with pillows secured between my knees and back to sleep for another 3 hours. What a relief to be able to sleep on my side again!
A slow return to work at the Thrift store has gone well. Today I will extend my shift to 3 hours. Walks have increased to almost 10,000 steps managed in two daily walks around the neighborhood. There is still some discomfort but not enough to require pain medication.
On May 3rd I had hip replacement surgery with spinal anesthetic and sedation. Thankfully, I was totally unaware of the procedure and woke up in recovery some time later. My leg was an unmovable limb with no feeling. The nurse used a catheter to drain my bladder and I was transferred to a room for the usual overnight stay.
It was obvious the next day that the pain medication as administered did not address the pain that I was experiencing so adjustments were made and the decision to keep me an extra night in hospital.
My sister took me to her home on May 5th and we embarked on a routine of exercises, pain control and seemingly endless trips to the bathroom. A telephone consult with my doctor ended with a requisition for urine and stool analysis and an antibiotic prescription for potential infection.
Meanwhile I was not getting much sleep due to hourly bathroom visits through the nights. The biggest challenge was repeatedly wrenching myself out of bed with a leg that had lost muscle control. Upper body strength was critical and shoulders ached. Hydromorphone muddled me and by May 8th I stopped taking it, resorting to a combination of tylenol and ibuprofen.
Naps became essential in between exercises. My sister was a goddess throughout this time and I gradually regained strength under her care. Electrolytes and probiotics helped to maintain a balance. With stool results showing negative infection, the doctor switched antibiotics to address a UTI. My gut was reeling from all of the foreign substances it was enduring...spinal injection, sedation, hydromorphone, celecoxib, Tylenol, ibuprofen.
On May 23rd I finally returned home after a second physio appointment. The walker and crutches are no longer necessary...just a cane when I feel the need. Exercises are ongoing for quite a while but I was happy to settle into my own home and forever grateful for the care and attention from my sister. I could not have done it without her support.
Since returning home I have enjoyed visits from my friend Arlene, son Adrian and little grandson Frankie. Sleeping has been better with longer intervals between waking. Diligent sessions of stretching and exercising are improving muscle control. My mantra continues to be "One day at a time".
My sister returned from Arizona to host Christmas dinner this year. The decision was made to enjoy a meal of lasagnas and salad instead of a traditional turkey dinner. I decided to incorporate turkey in my lasagna creation along with sausage, mushrooms, zucchini and the usual tomato sauce with herbs. Unfortunately it was a tasteless, dry dish...but... fortunately my niece brought her huge casserole of delicious lasagna!
My brother-in-law's parents, aged 94 & 95 were unable to join us because of illness. There were ten of us around the table this year including my one year old grandson. Despite suffering from pink eye and a cough he was in good spirits and high energy throughout the visit.
John always loved to watch the sunrise when we arrived on the island. Theo suggested that I join him this morning to remember John as the sun rose over Amorgos.
He brought a thermos of hot tea and we sat at our usual spot as the sun peeked over a distant island. We reminisced a bit and enjoyed the moment. It was a perfect morning with calm waters. This afternoon I will board a Seajet to Naxos and then Blue Star Delos to Athens. Farewell Amorgos.
It is so hard to believe that I have been here for a month! Even with Covid, the days have flown past. Today I will enjoy a swim at my favourite beach and dinner with special friends.
