settling back home

We are shrouded in wintery clouds bearing snow and freezing rain. Ugh. I had barely unpacked and certainly hadn't finished the laundry before I started fantasizing about moving somewhere south, at least for the winter.

Maybe a beach vacation is better scheduled for the end of winter and not the beginning. Miserable months loom on the calendar…

After dreaming of sandy beaches, I started looking at flights and airbnbs for Rome at the end of April/beginning of May. I'll have to get onto it though as some flights had very few seats left, and there weren't as many accommodations in Rome compared to when I looked a few weeks ago. I swore off travelling on our flight home, but obviously it didn't stick!

We've not been up to much since we got home. I've been getting back into a workout routine which has been rough! I hadn't done anything other than walk since Graham passed and boy oh boy did I get out of shape fast!

We made an early trip into the city yesterday which gave us the opportunity for a bacon and egg breakfast, then Carm dropped me off at Mom and Dad's for a visit while he hit up Costco. Two hundred dollars later with a cart full of food he picked me up and we headed home - to continue my hibernation! I might not stick my head out again until April!

I'm still recovering from a few sleepless nights and too much fun! I look back at the photos in disbelief… could that have been us under the shade of a palm tree? And only a week ago!

I did take a few minutes and a package of batteries to push back the gloom… 12 pillar candles and goodness knows how many strings of tiny fairy lights have been arranged around the living room and kitchen, all set to come on around 4:45 when dusk settles around us. I make myself ooh and ah over these little points of light in an effort to enjoy the darkness - candle light dinners are nice and something that can't be done in the summer. I glom onto that little joy as if it were a life raft.

The snow has stuck around since last weekend, perhaps to never leave. We've got rain, freezing rain, and snow in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow so it's possible that we've seen the last of green grass until spring… honestly though, a green Christmas would be awesome ;-)

Tonight I made Cacio e Pepe Sautéed Cabbage from a recipe I got off FB. Of course I didn't make it according to the recipe but added garlic (because why not), white kidney beans, and crumbled pressed cottage cheese. I enjoyed it even though it had tons of freshly ground pepper, which I am normally not a huge fan of. It was around 350 calories per serving with 30g protein so a well rounded supper. I'll make it again!

Awesome!

"quiet days"

"discovering new music"

"hot tea on a cold afternoon, same could be said for a hot bath on that same afternoon!"

"low morning sun making rainbows on the hoar frost covered grass stems"

November 9th the end of paradise

November 9th the end of Paradise 

It's the saddest day of a vacation… we go home tonight which is bittersweet. It's been a fantastic vacation but I will be glad to get home to see the beasts.

We had to check out at noon, our shuttle to the airport is at 8:20pm, our flight at 11:55pm (it was delayed until 12:45). There is a snow storm bearing down on home, a Canadian welcome home. I'm already stressed out about the drive from the airport. We will be lucky to get home by 5am (I was optimistic! it was 5:30 on the dot). Brutal!

On the plus side, we nabbed lounges in the shade beside the lagoon pool, a bit closer to the music than I'd like but this side of the resort plays more music from my era than the party pool which is mostly rap. 

I've got a giant Pina colada in my 🍺 mug. Carm's new drink is an Amaretto sour. He didn't bring his mug though. Mine will last all day. We don't have much money left for tips so will have to stretch it! 

The old adage of bring twice the money and half the clothes is true! Next time I won't bring so many shorts and t-shirts but maybe an extra bikini or two. I brought 3 tankinis… I wore one the first day and then rotated through my skimpy ones. The first day and a half I wore a cover up whenever I walked around… after that I just pranced around the pool or beach without caring - there are all shapes and sizes doing the same thing.

Carm brought 3 or 4 baggy shorts bathing suits - he got badly chaffed the first day but luckily, against his will, I bought him a bathing suit that leaned towards being a budgie smuggler without being gross so he's been wearing it the whole time. It looks pretty good on him!

We've been good with sunscreen and shade so no sunburns - today might be different! I've shifted my chair to get my legs into the sun for a while. They are still blinding white…

Shorts, socks and sandals are a thing with young men!

Saturday we had a leisurely breakfast with Olaf and Stephanie before sending them on their way home. I will admit to tearing up a bit when we said goodbye. We had a great time with them!

Carm and I were both exhausted so had a nap, did the packing (the salad boxes made it so easy!), then we went for a long walk along the beach. Sun, surf!

We spent the rest of the afternoon at our swim up. The afternoon show was one of the best, we were sad that O&S weren't there.

For supper we went to the Italian restaurant at the 'sister' resort next door. Some said that it was better than the breathless one, but we disagreed. It was good, maybe a 6/10 vs 9/10. Carm had a pizza, I had pasta with a salmon sauce. It was satisfying but not outstanding. Still, someone else made it and cleaned up!!!

We've met some nice people, Canadians and Europeans are the most friendly. Some Americans have been nice but there have been some deeply Maga racists. We avoid them like the plague.

Late afternoon… it poured for about 10 minutes but we were dry under the umbrella. Around 5 we left the pool, got showered and changed in the 'courtesy room' then sat in the lounge sipping an espresso martini while we passed the time till 8:20… time passed quickly and slowly! The bus was a bit late but eventually we were hurtling down the highway towards the airport.

2:30am… we are in the air, jetting towards home. The flight was delayed almost an hour due to the terrible weather back in Canada. It was a relief to settle into our seats which gave us a chance to close our eyes, but honestly it's so uncomfortable that I only dozed for a bit… obviously as I am writing this now! Carm is having more success, which is good as he'll be the one to drive us home on treacherous roads. The seats are designed for taller people so the neck rest hits me in the back of my head, pushing it forward.

3:50am… we've been tossed around like a pea in a traffic cops whistle which has made it nearly impossible to even doze.

It all makes me never want to travel again! How did I ever manage 36 hours of travel time going to New Zealand?

Luckily, the plane is only half full so we have an empty seat between us which lets me stretch out a bit!

4:30am… we've landed and Carm is off to get the car! I wonder how hard it will be for him to clean it without a snow brush?

5:30am… we are home! The roads were terrible but Carm took his time. Boundary road was the worst, it was barely cleared and there was a lot of oncoming traffic. Carm dropped our speed way down when they passed, so I only felt some anxiety and wasn't in a full on panic attack!

Noon on Monday… I'm mostly unpacked! We got less than 4 hours sleep but didn't want to screw up our sleep tonight. Pat is here so she nipped the dogs out early, letting us sleep in.

Back to regular programming!

Nov 7 neon party

November 7th neon party 

A day at the beach with crashing waves cost us a pair of Carm's glasses… he went for a walk along the beach alone and decided to dip into the ocean 🌊… a big wave crashed over him, knocking him over and whooshing his glasses off. Luckily it was just his glasses that were lost and not his whole self… for a smart guy he's pretty stupid sometimes.

Thank goodness I thought to pack a spare pair…

We spent the morning at the beach, had lunch at the buffet, sat by the pool for a while, retreated to the swim up, then had an excellent supper.

Some afternoons the music is loud but other days it is blasting - today was a blasting day. And now, at bedtime, the black light party is just outside the door on the other side of the pool and it is f'n loud. It should be over by 11 (fingers crossed) as it feels like the music is right in the room with us! Today I'm a little more stressed by the noise, probably because the ocean waves were crashing all morning and then loud music all day - my head is filled with noise!