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Tell me about your best summer vacation

May 18, 2008 by Tricia

It’s a dreary and overcast day here in Toronto. It’s also fairly cool outside too. It’s times like these when I’m just waiting for the weather to warm up that I think about great vacations, particularly great summer vacations.

The best summer vacation that I ever had, had to be hands down the summer that I spent in Dominican Republic. One of my brother’s is a geologist and he and his wife lived on the island for over five years.

I was just 12 years old when I got to spend two months in the DR. I traveled to Miami on my own, by plane, and met my brother and sister-in-law in the city. After spending a couple of days in Miami off we went to the Dominican Republic.

I just loved the island and I even made friends with some of the children of the companies staff. Friendships that have lasted all this time. I believe I visited just about every area of the island, places that you don’t see when you can only go to an island for a week or two.

Unless I win the lottery I’ll probably never have a two month vacation on a Caribbean island or anywhere else again, but I can dream, can’t I?

Well, if the weather stays the way it is, perhaps Chris and I will book some time off and look for low cost flights to USA. I’m sure I could find some deals for flights to Florida or perhaps Las Vegas. I’m sure the temperature in both areas are nice right now compared to here, but still not too hot.

If you’re in the UK and happen to be looking for a great website where you can find cheap flights to the USA and other destinations worldwide you might want to visit Dialaflight. They have some great hotel and travel deals. You can use the website to book your complete vacation package including hiring a car to get around in once you reach your destination.

So tell me … when did you have your best summer vacation ever? Was it when you were a child or teenager? Perhaps it was your honeymoon? Where did your best summer vacation take place? Perhaps your replies will give me some new vacation ideas. I just love to travel.

My favorite tulips are blooming

May 18, 2008 by Tricia

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My lovely purple fringed tulips are in full bloom right now so I’ve been trying to either peek outside or go out into the garden more often this week so I can enjoy them while they are in bloom.

It’s a shame that such a lovely flower doesn’t bloom more than a week or two isn’t it?

It’s cool and rainy here in Toronto today. Actually with the exception of two days this week it’s been a fairly cool month. So unless we get a sudden hot spell like we did at the end of April I’m pretty sure that my lovely tulips should last the better part of the week.

I’m hoping that my bleeding hearts come up soon. I have them planted at the side of the house in an area that tends to get quite dry in the summer. I’m sure we lost a fern that had been planted there for the last few years due to lack of watering that area properly last year. Now I think we might have also lost the Bleeding Hearts. I’m sure it’s usually starting to come up by now most years.

Well, if we did lose the bleeding hearts at least I have some pretty pictures of it from years past!

How is your garden doing this spring weekend?

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information. GTS participants remember to check in at As the Garden Grows each week so that we’ll know you made a new post!

It’s the May 24 weekend already!

May 16, 2008 by Tricia

I didn’t realize until yesterday that this weekend is our famous May 24 weekend here in Canada. I have no idea why we are having our Victoria Day weekend so early. Very odd. I think the long weekend should be the following weekend, but I guess not this year.

Anyway, now that I’m up to date as to which weekend is our long weekend I now realize we have a few party invitations that we have to decide whether to accept or not.

Some old friends of ours are having an outdoor barbecue and party on Saturday night. I’m pretty sure we’ll go to that, but I’m not sure we’ll make it to another friends Sunday brunch if we go to the party on Saturday night!

On both Sunday and Monday evening we’ve been invited to join a few friends to watch the fireworks at two different areas in the city. Monday nights will be the most spectacular as the ones we’ll go to see are the Cities Victoria Day Fireworks at Ashbridges Bay.

Perhaps we’ll do what we did a few years ago to avoid the crowds. We went to the boardwalk on the beach with our folding lounge chairs and sat on the beach rather than going right to Ashbridges Bay park. It was much nicer to do it that way. Of course if it’s cold out it might be better to be in the crowd rather than sitting on a cold windy beach.

Any other Canadians planning on attending Victoria Day celebrations?

Lovely hyacinths

May 11, 2008 by Tricia

JoinI’ve been enjoying my hyacinths this year. I don’t seem to have as many as other years though so the bulbs must be starting to die out. I’ll have to purchase more this fall for planting.This coral one is one of my favorites. I just love the color:

Then there’s these pink ones. In this photo they were just starting to develop. I think this particular plant had sparse blooms too.

Finally, there’s this deep blue hyacinth. I have some purple ones as well, but this one is more blue than purple, even though the photo makes it look purple.

I hope that you’re enjoying this lovely Mother’s day weekend and spending some time with family.

Chris has been out of town more than he’s been home this week

May 10, 2008 by Tricia

I think my husbands been out of town more days in the last week than he’s been home. His cousin died last week and we traveled to Brantford – about an hour and a half outside Toronto to visit with the family.

Unfortunately on our first trip there last weekend our car broke down on the road. We managed to make it to the in-laws but that evening we left our car in Brantford and drove back with Chris’ brother. The way things worked out – Chris went back to Brantford on Monday and couldn’t pick me up to go to the visitations or the funeral because the car wasn’t fixed until Tuesday afternoon.

Now he’s back in Brantford for a big party for his dad. I’d be there too but his father booked non-pet friendly hotel rooms for the whole family (his house would be overflowing with guests if he hadn’t) and that meant that we couldn’t take the dog. So I’m home dog sitting.

Before Chris left this morning he told me something that he’d forgotten. When he was talking to the people at the garage they offered to put one of those fancy Ford grills on our car. Huh … our car was there for an emergency repair in a city that wasn’t our home city. What were they thinking? Not that we don’t like the fancy grills or anything, but no … if we were going to get something like that done we’d do it here in Toronto.

Anyway I’m home this evening and I’m totally bored. When Chris comes home tomorrow afternoon we’ll have to get out and do something. Perhaps we’ll take the dog to the beach. I just hope Chris isn’t too tired to do something interesting … I’m so bored I’m going to have to do something by tomorrow or I’ll go squirrelly.