Shaw & The TelusTurnover/Baby Boxer Blues: Wednesday, December 4th!

I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world. I may not complete this last one but I will try. -Rainer Maria Rilke, poet and novelist (4 Dec 1875-1926) 

Congratulations to Chloe and proud grandparents! Rowan James is a fine looking boy. So glad all went well now the fun starts for mummy and grandparents! We are at the end Krissy’s and Elowens visit to the UK. It’s been a hectic 3 weeks but completely enjoyable since we had Elowen completely to ourselves. She even slept at night in the crib we set up in our room. 
 

Krissy spent the majority of the three weeks socialising with old friends. (No surprise there!) We are now in Southampton for a couple of days before driving them to Heathrow on Friday for their journey back to Vancouver. We will return to Southampton until Sunday when we are off on a cruise on Queen Victoria to the canary island’s until Dec 22nd. Hope you have a great Christmas. Chloe couldn’t have given you a better Christmas present! Best wishes to all of you. 

Hello Elowen and Her Cornish Minders!Thanks for wonderful snaps of your time with Elowen, Krissy and famiglia! Thanks, as well, for congratulations on Rowan James.

Since it is my birthday on Friday just the four of us are going out for dinner on Thursday, to Sushi Heaven, [RJ loves wasabi! I brought take-away to the hospital one night. However, he wasn't too, too partial to pickled ginger!], about half-way between Chloë's place and ours and perhaps our favourite Japanese restaurant here in Penticton.], as Maya is flying up later that evening. 

Michele will be arriving earlier so she will come for my actual birthday dinner, next day, at home. Lady Dar is looking forward to being off-shift for weekend as Maya and Katie will be there to help Rowan James take care of his mother! She is actually more work than the little chap!

On Saturday evening I'm selling 50/50 tickets at The Dream and have bought a ticket for Lady Dar. As a volunteer I get to stay for show, [Big Hank's Christmas Blues], and Hazel, ab/fab venue manager, will sit us at a table for two. Plan to cut our own Christmas trees on Sunday at a lovely store, just off the KVR, before it crosses Naramata Road. We obtained our tree there, two years ago and it was the best live tree we've ever had. Hardly shed a needle and I'm not exaggerating, something I tend not to do anyway, as you well know! 

The place sold shortly thereafter and we thought it was closed last year so found one we liked at a place in Summerland. This year will probably be last year for the KVR tree farm as new owners are planning on opening a micro-brewery and as part of land use/licensing requirements they must plant barley on the lot.

Great pictures, a beautiful boy, hugs, Grams! Must away as I'm heading out to the pool. Was back for the first time since being home from Europe, this past Sunday. Fondestos to you, Derek, and Gayle. Please send our love and best wishes to Elowen and Krissy. Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year to one and all. Enjoy your cruise to the Canary Islands. Stay well. Cheers, Patrizzio! 

Hi Rowan is adorable. I will have to send a gift, what does he’s need? You know I was only kidding when I happened to mention your exercise routine. 😜 I just finished my 22 km day and I’m feeling pretty good. I really like the people on the trip: they are from San Jose, US (a marine), Austria and Holland- 8 total.

  

Today we had an interesting experience - apparently a bus was held up so our tour guide loaded us into the van and we didn’t walk the final km. I wasn’t too worried because we never saw any dangerous people. The area is known to be a little dicey. Out tour guide was really upset since he and other tour operators are trying to create a safe experience. We are settled in for the evening safe and sound.

PS: I do feel a little guilty not visiting Benson but I also think we should do some travelling for ourselves too. Now you just made me feel even more guilty! Lol Here’s a few pictures: Touching the Caribbean Sea before we started! 

Hi Banana Banditos! Congratulations on your 22 km walk. When you said you were undertaking a 300 km junket I was wondering how you would manage with your foot/ankle, as I know it was sore/painful, at times, when we did far shorter distances when you last visited. Anyway, trust you will not have any real difficulty completing the walk.  

I'll give you  more ammunition for criticism when I tell you that I returned to the pool today. I didn't think I'd be able to do so as Shaw was scheduled to make the change-over from Telus, sometime between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm so I had to be home. As it turned out, technician arrived close to 9:30 am but when he looked at what we have he said Shaw had not yet been installing WiFi boxes and were still using cable-hook-up. However, new technology was going to be rolled out in a week or so. Seemed ridiculous to have him make switch, using cable, and then have to return later so I asked him to re-book.

Anyway, this meant I was free so I readied my swimming kit and when I drove over to Winnipeg Street, Lady Dar dropped me off at community centre. She needed to run a few errands, one of which was to collect three pictures she'd taken to a framer we use, Christmas presents for Chloë, for Rowan's room.
Chloë's had them for some time but has never been able to afford to frame them. Funny thing, neither can we! 

Waved goodbye, wished Lady Dar good luck with what I knew would be a sizeable bill and went inside. Was looking forward to swimming from the get-go and after steaming and hot-tubbing I choose one of the Slow Lanes and started out with four, 25 m widths, of back-stroke and then side stroke, before I switched to the crawl. Found bi-lateral breathing fine but what I had not expected was that my diminished swimming lung capacity had me gasping like a fish out of water. Persevered, spluttering and coughing, and by the time I'd done 32 widths of mixed strokes I found my breathing had regularized and was able to do 8 widths of the crawl at one time. My shoulder felt terrific but I know my "technique" such as it has ever been, was pretty inefficient. Still, I'm quite optimistic that it shouldn't take too, too long, with regular visits, for me to be cutting through the water like a dolphin! 

More sessions in the steam room and hot tub and then I walked back to Winnipeg to see how Rowan James and Co. were doing. Bit of a fussy night so both Chloë and Lady Dar were somewhat the worse for wear. Derek, good friend and fellow RCMP officer with Kid Chelene, was over, putting dimmer switches in bedrooms, hallways and living room. He and his dad had mounted the large screen TV on the wall in the living room the day before and it looked terrific. Now Chloë will be able to hang more pictures and rearrange furniture.

Lady Dar had a meeting at 5:30 pm so she needed the car a few minutes

before that. This being the case, I went back home to feed Etta. She exhibited an on-going retching reflex on Monday morning, although there was no evidence of vomiting or hairball regurgitation. Poor thing looked like she had the flu so I phoned  SPCA and was able to take her in later that morning as there was a cancellation. Vet gave her a pretty thorough physical and said all her vital signs were normal and he could find no obstruction anywhere. He prescribed a pro-biotic powder to be mixed with some "designer" cat food and sent me on our way, $200 lighter, [However, to be fair, $100 f this was for a bulk order of their dental crunchies, more designer fare!], in the pocket! Don't know who costs more, Rowan James or Etta and Duke!

She is to receive two feedings, a day, of this diet. Happy to say that she perked up by the end of the day and has been acting as she normally does, ever since. I was to bring her back to SPCA on Friday, or earlier, if not change or worsening in her condition, occurred. Don't think I will need to do so. Vet concluded that she had some sort of tummy upset, perhaps from eating a mouse or bird. She and Duke have brought in a number of poor Chickadees of late! 

Now, back to Costa Rica! When I first read your account about the bus I assumed it had been "held up" due to mechanical difficulties or road conditions, not by highway robbers! Not sure you are the best judge of character anyway, as you would think the best of The Creature from The Black Lagoon. "Oh Ron, he's just a misunderstood monster and means no harm, just wants a little love, like our abandoned grandson, Benson!" Hope this doesn't make you feel even more guilty. I don't feel guilty about my exercise routine and I agree, you, and us must continue with your/our own lives. To do otherwise, within reason, is psychologically and emotionally unhealthy for everyone concerned. Of course parents/grandparents want to help but establishing positive independence from familial bonds is critically important, in particular, for new parents. 

In this vein, while we are nothing but extremely, extremely grateful for the remarkable nursing and medical care we, as Canadians, are privileged to receive and for the reassuring, on-going monitoring Chloë experienced over the course of her pregnancy, I wonder if the "maternity system", in this case, has become a bit too, too obsessive about some aspects of post-natal care. Chloë has an app on her phone which she uses to record all the details of feedings, (amounts and times), diaper changes, (bodily excretions and colours!), etc. I don't dispute that this technology makes if far easier for a sleep-deprived mother and helpers, but I have often wondered, of late, how we managed to raise both Ayn and Chloë without such devices. As you both well know, from your extensive volunteering abroad, and your own children, most of the rest of the world continues to bring babies into the world and raise them, [unless the increasingly malignant forces of war, famine, lack of clean water, etc., intervene], without such technology. 

Of course, I realize that such monitoring is intended to ensure proper development so I'm not suggesting it is unimportant. However, like so much else in this business of living, strong doses of common sense and loving attention work wonders, compromised situations excepted, of course. Continue to enjoy your marvellous escapade. Stay well. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Llama Boy and Jailbird Boy. He could be with you in CR. Think his outfit makes him a candidate for chain-gang! Chloë was falling asleep on the living room couch last night before everyone went to bed.

  

Dear Patrick, Chloe, Corinne and Rowan What lovely photos!! I loved the receiving blanket amazing!! Loved beyond measure so true. Keep those photos coming and please send me Chloe's mailing address. Hugs for all of you!! As ever Jo-Anne Dear Patrick, In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. Little Rowan James is indeed a miracle of life. He is going to be a big beautiful boy. Keep us updated on his growth. Love, Jean and John

Hi All, Just in case you like to shop at Indigo in Kelowna or may be looking for some Christmas ideas, this coming Sunday ( after 12:00 ) would be a great time to shop there. 15% of every dollar that you spend that day will go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation for the Grandmothers For Africa campaign. Tim and I certainly have a bit of Christmas shopping to do. So maybe we’ll see a few of you there! Please see poster below. Cheers, Marian