Stepping into Steve’s Place you’re immediately surrounded by all kinds of bikes – little ones, mid-sized ones, regular ones, professional racers and even skateboards, along with every accessory in the world pertaining to biking. We explained to the young lad wanting to assist us, what Nat’s requirements were and he immediately took us into the next room where even more bikes were lined up row-upon-row. Nat and the young lad discussed the pros and cons and differences in each style, preferences of different riders and answered all of our questions. The young lad pulled out a particular bike Nat thought would suit his needs and was told to sit on it, get it adjusted to his height and then take it for a ride. Out into the sweltering heat we went and suddenly Nat was riding up and down the sidewalk, leaving the young lad and I to chit chat under the hot May sun. I was starting to feel like I could melt quicker than a popsicle when Nat finally returned. I immediately left the two men talking out front while I slipped back into the store to the shade.

I knew Nat was hesitating, mainly because of the price. He hadn’t planned on spending much more than what his previous bike had cost. It was obvious, however, that in order to get quality we were going to have to pay for it. The bike Nat had picked out wasn’t that much more, but it was enough to give Nat pause. I became a little insistent when looking at Nat and told him that this was more than worth the price. He loves biking up and down the Friendship Trail, was usually gone for over an hour and in order to go faster and further this was the bike for him. The deal was done. The bike was then adjusted and fitted by the shop pro, Steve, and soon popped into the back of the van. He’s had a chance to ride it several times now and is loving it. He’ll have to take it back, however, one of these days to get the seat adjusted a bit more. The fact that Nat is happy, means the world to me.(

With the purchase of the new bike, we then listed Nat’s old bike on Kijiji (on Monday) and within the next two days had several inquiries. A young student from Niagara College ended up buying the bike and as he drove a small car, we decided to deliver the bike to him in St. Catharines. He rode around the parking lot near where he lives, was completely happy and handed us the purchase price with a smile on his face. We were both thinking that he’s going to save parking fees at the College and we couldn’t blame him!

Sunday found us having a belated Mother’s Day lunch at the Mandarin in Niagara Falls with Susan, Felicia and Bridget. What a treat! Nat and I always enjoy seeing the girls and hearing about their good times and troubles. Felicia is getting ready for College now (where those days went, I’ll never know!) and it’s becoming a battle of wills as to which one she’ll attend. It’s been hard times for Mom and Dad, and Felicia, naturally, is anxious to leave home and be on her own and away from little sister. Can’t blame her really, as I completely understand (I’ve been independent most of my life), but being a married and mature woman now, I certainly understand Mom and Dad’s side. I’m hoping both sides will come to an agreement and I feel for Felicia, as I think she’s the one that’s going to have to compromise. Papa Nat and I wish her every success. Lunch, by the way, was delicious as usual!!

Tuesday the heat reared its ugly head again. It was so hot I couldn’t even peak outside the patio door. As the day wore on, Nat and I soon felt like climbing the walls – we were that bored. Between crosswords, jigsaws and games on the iPad, we had pretty much worn out every activity that we thought about. I suppose I could have cleaned out the bedroom closet (which has been on my to do list for some time), but what the hell – it’s too damn hot!!

I dialed Beth’s number and it rang and rang and rang. Okay, I thought, someone at the other end either doesn’t know what to do, were too involved to pick up or they couldn’t hear the call coming in. I sat back and waited a few minutes – suddenly she went offline and then suddenly came back online a few minutes later. I decided to give it another shot and what to my surprise I hear this quiet “Hello” at the other end. It was Gail. As she didn’t have her video up, I couldn’t see her, but she could see me. Then suddenly she appeared, with eye glasses perched low on the nose and looking down at the screen (instead of the camera) we had lift-off. We had just gotten set-up when suddenly there was dead air. I knew immediately what she had done – she had pressed the red receiver icon on Skype and hung-up. I rang her back and with a couple of laughs I told her not to touch the red receiver icon until we said our good-byes.

Wendy and Gail were sitting on the big red comfy sofa in Wendy and Terry’s living room. It was apparent they’d been talking, playing with Beth’s new iPad and checking things out. This was Gail’s first chance using an iPad and I’m thinking she’s going to like it because of it’s ease of use (but that’s another story!). The two ladies had rosy red cheeks and were looking a little tired. It was apparent they had a busy couple of days and were having a blast.

One of Gail’s missions on her trip was to check out the house our Mother’s Mother (Nanny) lived in before her marriage. Doing extensive research before leaving she had managed to discover that the Owner of the Bed and Breakfast they would be staying at just happened to know the people living in that house and arranged to have Gail and Beth visit and see the home personally. I was so pleased for Gail, as this truly is her life’s mission at the moment and I know it’s giving her great pleasure in discovering her family’s past. Terry and his three ladies drove down to Devon and the village where my Nanny lived. As we were talking it was obvious Gail had a fabulous time and would give us all the details when they returned. She said she finally learned our (relatively unknown) Grandfather’s mother’s maiden name. Our family has no information on our Nanny’s husband and his family and this was a major coup for Gail. I’m anxious to see how further she can go loaded with what she’s found.

Their next adventure was to Cheddar, England, to browse around the shops, try some fabulous cheeses and generally see the sites. Gail said she’d been down the caves with Beth and it was just as well that Nat and I didn’t try it when we were there. Apparently it was damp – hmmmm!  I admired her tenacity and ambition for doing so as I knew it had to have been a long walk, lots of stairs and just plain dingy. They had also been to Wells Castle and again, I’m anxious to see her pictures of that trip.

I couldn’t help but smile quite a few times. As much as Gail tried, she had a hard time getting the iPad in such a position so I could see the two of them. There were times when I was looking at either Wendy alone, Gail alone or the middle of that big red comfy sofa. She did pretty good most of the times as I could at least see Wendy and half of Gail’s hair. Being her first Skype call and use of the iPad it takes some getting use to and knowing where to point the camera and where to look. No complaints, however, it was such a treat just to see dear Wendy again – Nat and I both miss her and her hubby and the good times they showed us when we were there. The two ladies looked a bit tired – they had been up until 1:00 AM the other night talking. I had asked where Beth was and Gail said  she was in bed, not feeling that well. I then asked where Terry was and Wendy said he was out. Don’t blame him – two women talking family, beading, cake decorating, shopping etc. – just the topic any good Englishman wants to discuss!! Gail and Wendy have kept in touch for years and have become like two peas in a pod. They’re like best friends and comrades-in-arms and it showed in their faces. I know Wendy’s going to miss Gail when she leaves.

By now we had managed to talk well over 10 minutes and had a laugh or two. Gail and Beth would be leaving Thursday for their train ride to Paris and then the south of France to visit a friend of Beth’s for a few days. I soon wished them a good trip, and maybe we could hook up again when they were in Paris. Byes all around. Skype call ended.

We had a little excitement in April when we contacted our contractor to quote us a price for new windows. At least we had someone to talk to once in awhile. The poor guy must have felt he was being held captive – we kept him talking so long he must have been late back to the job or late for home and supper. We also had a couple of visits from our lawn guy, but he only stops long enough to do the job, collect his cheque and take off. Do you think he’s heard something in the wind?? We’ve had the odd chore to do now and again – groceries, buying the odd thing for the house, mowing the lawn, housecleaning, etc. We’re now actually feeling like the seniors we’re suppose to be. We’re early for all appointments. We get out of bed, do our usual morning routine of sitting in the living room, talking and waiting for lunch; have an early lunch, go on any errands in the afternoon and then return home for an early supper. A few years back we realized (much to our chagrin) that we could only handle one appointment a day – whether it’s doctor, dentist, hair salon, golfing, etc. Sad, but true, we’re now one of them. We’ll even slow down on purpose just for those impatient kids driving behind us that can’t pass right away.

Our biggest excitement this past week was the regional power outage for the Fort Erie and surrounding area. We were notified all power would be out Sunday morning – 2:00 AM to 10:00 AM. With that expensive box called a “generator” sitting outside the house, we knew we’d be okay and that the furnace/air-conditioner, water heater, stove, fridge, freezer, etc. would continue to hum along. We shut down the necessities before going to bed and by 2:00 AM we both heard the generator start up. Being right outside of our bedroom wall, we could hear the humming all night long. We both managed to get a few winks of sleep and once we were up Sunday morning the humming continued, only we were now in the living room and the noise was more distant and not as annoying. I sat and waited quietly for 10:00 AM and the power to come back on. I would have to watch my favourite show Sunday Morning on the Seattle channel, and counted my blessings that I wouldn’t miss it. The advantage of having time sharing on the cable. By the time 10:00 AM came around the generator continued to hum. Once the power comes back on, there’s a 20 second transition time when the generator powers down, but it wasn’t happening. I’m now loosing faith in our local hydro guys. They said 10:00 AM – where were they?? Finally the power was back on but 20 – 30 minutes late. At least I’d be able to catch the last of my show and powered up the TV so fast, it wasn’t funny. Suddenly, the TV powered down as fast as it came back up. The power was back on, but the cable for some reason was having difficulty getting back up. We had no internet, no telephone and no TV. Egads! I’m now having withdrawal. At least give me the internet so I can bide my time!!

We waited and waited. The cable wasn’t fully up and running until closer to noon. By now we resigned ourselves to the fact that this Sunday morning was a bust. Que sera sera! Nothing I could do but get on with the rest of my day – not that there was anything, but I could get on with it!! We chalked the whole affair up to one more piece of excitement in our lives.

It’s been well over a week now. Nat and I have literally done nothing – nothing at all. We’ve become terribly lazy, comfortable in our lazy-boy chairs and have a hard time thinking of what we can do next. Nat says he has things to do around the yard, I could clean out a few closets or get back to the tapes, etc. but what the hell. Nat, however, has a really good excuse right now – he’s caught a dozer of a cold. Even had him down to the Medical Clinic this morning – poor man!!

I suppose some of this idleness is doing me good. I’m now back into finally converting our tape cassettes and photographs. I’ve done some for others so why not for ourselves?? Another advantage to all of this – we’re not spending the money and at least keeping those coppers in the jar waiting for the new windows to be paid for. Somehow I’m thinking that windows just don’t do the same thing for a gal than a good shopping trip for clothes!!

With Christmas, the New Year, a couple of birthdays, Easter and then digitizing Thamazine’s photos, I got a little side-tracked, but have every intention of digging back into the conversion only because there are no other excuses I can use. I have the word out that I’m looking for things to do, but so far no one has come forward. I know they’re busy with their own lives, have little time to find something for me d0 and being the impatient person that I am, I have to now step up to the plate and find something on my own.

Now that Wednesday afternoons and Nat’s golf games are upon me, I looked around the office and could see those cassette tapes sitting high atop the bookshelf gathering dust from the day I put them there. I have no idea why I’m stalling on this project. Well, actually I do. I have to pull down the container of tapes, set up the little folding table and get out the cassette player just to get started. Then I have to refresh myself with Garage Band and then finally get going. Lazy is the word I’m thinking of immediately and because the office is looking so much clearer of clutter I had sitting around from previous projects, I hesitate in cluttering the place up again. It goes without saying, however, that the sooner I get the tapes converted, the sooner I get put them back downstairs from whence they came. I’d then be able to add the newly converted CDs to our music collection and give Nat much more choice for when he drives down the road to his golf game. Not liking afternoon radio, he always grabs a CD from the collection before leaving on Wednesdays.

I’ll set up today and get started next Wednesday.

We’ve now ordered the new windows for the house. After receiving the quote and realizing we’d forgotten the bathroom window, our contractor was back to re-measure all of the windows and measure the bathroom one. He’ll recalculate everything and get back to us. He’s a busy man this year and is now booking into November, but said he could probably get to us by August, which is fine by us. We’ll have a couple of months to find a few extra bucks to stick in our back pockets for when the final bill arrives. We were at first only going to do the transom window in the living room (which was breaking our budget as it was), but then thought about it and decided to do the whole house. Knowing Nat and myself, we’ll never get back to completing the rest of the house unless we do it all together. There’s always something that gets in the way and we might as well break the whole budget at the same time. We’ll know it’s done and over with and will be able to rest emotionally in peace.

 Nat’s next project (hopefully 2013!) is going to be the sidewalk and landscaping in front of the house, the sagging stones at the corner of the garage where water pools like Niagara Falls during a good rain, and perhaps the sagging driveway at the base of the garage. So much to do, so little money to do it with and so much discussion in which comes first!!

Nat and I decided to cook a small chicken the day before so we wouldn’t be rushed on Sunday morning and we’d be able to enjoy the family. We dressed our little bird and popped him in the oven. According to this new recipe I found, it would take very little time – in fact only an hour. We dressed the bird accordingly and not remembering what pan I had used the first time, I pulled out the usual cookie sheet, and we popped him in a 450 degree oven. The directions called for the chicken to be cooked at that temperature for 30 minutes until the chicken reached an internal temperature of 120 degrees, and then turn off the oven and continue cooking for a further half hour or until done. This recipe worked like a charm the first time we did it, but this time the oven began to smoke within the first 15 minutes. Sitting in the living room we could see the cloud of smoke billowing from the kitchen and within seconds the smoke alarm began to make its ear-piercing noise.

Nat removed the smoke alarm cover until the smoke cleared and during the last half hour the chicken cooked and was looking good. I suddenly remembered that I should have used that deep-sided frying pan we had used when first testing this recipe and the drippings wouldn’t have had anywhere to go, but in the pan. Silly me, but it was too late.

Once the chicken was done, we covered it up and put it in the fridge until the morning when we would carve it. I also prepared as much of the dining table I could and we were good for the day and then continued on with our day.

Sunday morning arrived and the kids were all in good spirits. A wee bit of a shock once Bridget (the youngest grandchild) walked in. She had died her hair pitch black and it was now apparent she was in those teenage stages of change – as daring and as bold as she could get it. We soon sat down for a nice lunch and Susan opened her present after enjoying tea in the living room. Her two girls had emailed us to say their mother really needed a new external hard drive for backing up her photographs and that they would contribute also. Susan was extremely grateful.

Awaking on Monday morning we had a second look at the stove. My God it was a mess, grease was all over the inside, including the door. Having a self-cleaning oven, we decided that we should clean the interior before using it any further; we would turn it on and let it run overnight. Turning on the auto-cleaner around 10:00 pm, it wasn’t long before we could smell the odours emanating from within. It was also becoming evident that a few puffs of smoke could also be seen bellowing out from under the control panel and door. What were the odds that shortly thereafter the smoke detector began its ear-piercing noise again. “Here we go again”, the two of us said in harmony. We quickly opened the patio doors, the dining room window and turned on the oven and ceiling fans. While watching the news we  began to feel as if we were living in a smoke house. Luckily our little fans pumped their hearts out and the smoke soon dissipated through the open windows and within an hour our lungs were breathing a sigh of relief.

As I wondered off to bed around 11:00, Nat and I couldn’t help but wonder if we would be awakened by the sounds of more shrieking from the smoke detector. We could only hope it had gone to bed for the night, too!!