A Bit of Movie Making Fun

We have been frantically trying to fit in as much snowboarding as possible these past few weeks. Our experiences therefore have revolved around this knee jarring, thrilling sport. I have taken a trillion photos and videos of us boarding, falling (me mostly), getting up again, boarding, boarding, boarding etc etc so decided to have a go at movie making this week rather than post still photos.  

The reason for our enthusiastic pursuit of the sport of snowboarding is that spring is fast approaching and with it significantly warmer weather.  So warm I have in fact seen cold weary Canadians wearing thongs (flip flops!!) and t-shirts and having discussions relating to the disassembling of personal skating rinks.  

With the advent of  this warm weather we are also seeing the snow melt at an extremely rapid rate and in turn make puddles of cold wet mud.  I am sure  that children under the age of 12 (ie my children)  gravitate towards this muck on auto pilot.   I am not certain whether or not I like the transition period between winter and spring.  Its kind of like being in  suspended animation.  I am mourning the disappearance of the snow, yet I am earnestly yearning for the last of the icy snow to melt and warm, sunny bike riding weather to grace us.   Regardless of the weather though we are still pursuing our goal of making the most of every opportunity and live our life to the full.  

"Think it more satisfactory to live richly than die rich."

– Sir Thomas Browne

   

Loved Up!!

It might be just an excuse for retailers to feed off the guilt of the lovestruck but as I see it, Valentines day is a great excuse to receive truckloads of candy and chocolate, eat it with gusto and worry about the consequences later!! 

I love that there is a day devoted to love.  Who cares that it has been commercialised to within an inch of its life.  So have Easter and Christmas but they remain some of my favourite times of year too primarily because they are days associated with spending time with the ones you love.  

We are doing our best to teach our boys that love is a verb, and that it is something that needs to be expressed daily in both words and actions.  We want them to know that expressing love is not something saved up for one day of the year. 

This year the boys got to see Valentines day dressed in its commercial finery care of gifts and cards from their classmates.  We got in on the act too and made some marshmallow pops for their friends and attended the school's Valentines Day Dance.  It was fun, sweet and yes lovely!!!

Little Things

Enjoy the little things in life, 

for one day you'll look back and realise 

they were the big things. 

Robert Brault

So often we forget to pay attention to the small details around us in favour of  grandiose events or objects around us.  But I have found, thanks in part to my love of looking at the world through the lens of a camera, that the seemingly insignificant can hold much significance. That the tiniest of objects can be spectacularly beautiful and that the simplest of gestures can carry the most meaning.    

One small snowflake may not seem like much but couple it with a million more and you've got a situation that can stop traffic!  

Those eyes tell the story!!!! 

We love you too Seth.

Love you for making me a coffee and for being willing to be photographed in that stunning robe and matching footwear. (We were just about to hop into the hot tub for a soak)

Always curious, always thinking, always wanting to know more....

Enchanting

en·chant vb 

To attract and delight

There was something comforting about Vernon's Winter Carnival street parade.  It was quaint and uncomplicated. It was not driven by computer wizardry or constantly flickering lights or noise.  Yet it managed to  hold the attention of even the youngest spectators for a good period of time.  What was it that compelled several thousand people to stand by the roadside, clapping and cheering as a myriad of floats drifted slowly by?  Perhaps it was the feeling of community pride one felt as they saw friends and family cruise past on elaborately decorated floats.  Or maybe it was also experiencing that feeling of enchantment that tends to allude us in our day to day lives.

In this age of wide-screen tv's, computers, iPads, smartphones, high speed internet, gaming, Facebook etc etc  we are bombarded with stimuli everywhere we go.   Sometimes it is nice to stop, slow down, smell the roses and get down off that crazy electronic buzz.  

That was what the parade was for me.  It was pure and simple fun.  It was a joy to see what people had created with their own hands and to view the sense of pride they had in their community. It was about people being with people, seeing their smiles first hand, hearing the cheers and muffled clapping through mittened hands. 

Oh yes and for the boys the parade was about receiving as much candy as they could stuff in their pockets!!!!!! Did it enchant them?  You betcha.

Hot and Cold

At present we are in the midst of a heat wave here in Kelowna.  The weather is very mild at around +4 on average during the day.  In the evenings the thermometer dips just below zero.   In Australia we would call this "freezing" and  rug up in plenty of layers of clothing and huddle under our snuggies.  In Canada however it is something to be celebrated.  It indicates that spring is not too far off and with the coming of this new season, longer days and new growth.  The stores have even begun to stock seeds and gardening tools.  I am seeing and hearing more bird life in our backyard.

Although we are also looking forward to the change of seasons we are desperately holding onto the hope however that winter is still with us and that we will get a little more snow in the coming weeks.  I am sure most Canadians have had enough of snow and ice but we haven't - not yet anyway.
On the weekend we decided to embrace winter once more and so visited Vernon's Winter Carnival.  Vernon is a small city a short 3/4hr drive north east of Kelowna.  Every year they celebrate the cold with the biggest themed winter carnival in BC.  This year the theme was "Prehistoric".  On our to do/see list was watching the hot air balloon glow, viewing the hot air balloon races and carnival parade.  We were also very keen to visit the snow carving competition at Silver Star Mountain.  We managed to tick all of these off our list and see a few more things.

So here's to celebrating the cold by making the most of what if offers and looking forward to the warmth and newness of spring.

A sculptor in the making?????

This sculpture won first prize.  It represents the coming of spring after winter.