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Showing posts from 2026

Enjoying coffee at Costa

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  Life looks beautiful, I think when your loved ones are around. You start feeling lucky. No complaints. Things all look perfect. I am at Grimsby train station. Train to Doncaster just arrived. People getting down some are trying to get in the train. Doncaster is one hour away from Grimsby. People from there can get direct train to London. I am enjoying the buzzing atmosphere at the station. Another train is about to come for Cleethorpes. Cleethorpes is a tourist spot seaside area. It is just 20 minutes drive from my daughter's place in Grimsby. I am now at Freshney shopping mall. It is 10 minutes walk from the station. I will go to Costa to enjoy my coffee over there and to walk around. My grandson dropped me at the station. left for Gym. He will be picking me up after around two hours. I will keep track of the time and the pick up point too. I am at Costa now, enjoining my coffee and the festive atmosphere. I will take a quick round of the mall. I love to go to the charity shops....

With Love from Grimsby

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    Time flies fast, that changes everything. The weather, the nature and the scenic view. We have to keep track of the things around to enjoy our moments. I think it is a small world nowadays. I was in Toronto on Tuesday night and just after a couple of hours I landed at London Heathrow airport.  The weather here is a bit cold. I have to wear my winter coat. not the heavy one. I will be in England for two weeks. I am here to attend my granddaughter's wedding. My entire family is here. All of my four daughters and my son are here with families. Amazing. Such a life time moment to cherish and to lock up in my memory box to have a feel of and to enjoy later on. Lucky me to move around at my age. I am  so grateful to Almighty to keep looking after me and keeping me mobile.  I don't deserve all that. It is all of His Blessings. He is so kind to all of His Creatures big and small. The wedding event and family celebrations lasted for three days. We were all staying at...

All packed ready to go

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  Just two days left for my trip to England. The weather over there is a bit cold. Frost and chilly.  My daughters called me to get a winter coat, gloves and woolen stole everything for there. Travel nowadays is a bit tricky. Especially for the people of our age. England is seven plus hours from Toronto. On the way back it will be eight hours. Half an hour extra. Going on trips everything will not be the same. The weather, the room we are used to and our bed. We people already have to face so many sleepless nights in our own room, in our own bed. I don't know what will be there with everything changed. I think nothing comes with a total plus. We have to accept some negatives to make our time. I am going to attend my granddaughter's wedding. All of my daughters, my son and my daughter, the eldest one will also be there from Edmonton. Everyone will be there with their families. I will see my entire family and my one year old great granddaughter too.  Amazing moments of my ...

Enjoying my coffee

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      Happy Easter to my friends in Ireland and others too. The weather is great, 2C not below zero. No snow, no rain. Amazing. I am enjoying my walk after so long. We have to wear our winter coats and gloves. Not have to bundle up. I see a tinge of green running through the bodies of the skeleton trees around. The grass in my garden is on its way back to lush green. The red wooden bench at the right side of my front garden is out of snow. It looks nice shining under the sun, giving color to the atmosphere. The Magnolia tree at the left in my garden is about to start budding. It is always the first one to announce the arrival of the spring. It is amazing to look at the Magnolia tree loaded with beautiful light pinkish flowers all around. The Renovation work at the Twin Towers looks all done. Its apartments are now I think ready to rent out. I see so many birds inside the two trees which are located in my next door neighbor's front garden. I call these two trees the “Twin ...

April Showers May flowers

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  Beautiful morning.The weather is great. Our days for outdoor walks are back. We have been waiting for this for so long. I think we have to believe, “ This too shall pass “ keeping that in mind. Things start looking just normal. Nothing bothers after you change your attitude. Our attitude depends on how we take things. How we take things depends on our mental well-being. Our mental well-being is related to our health. The mind and body are like two in one. One is not in good shape. The other one goes down too. We have to keep our days fully occupied making plans. Our plans have to be mixed and matched. We have to fill up our day columns with physical activities and also with something to entertain ourselves. It helps to boost our mind. Keeps us away from thinking negatives. Negatives are like poison. It affects our mind as well as our health. At the earlier stages of life we don't have to worry much about our day plans. We are busy with work and our family matters. At the later st...

Handling my nights

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  It is 2 C below zero, not so cold for us in Canada. We take it like our summer day. The sun is above in full bloom. I still have to wear my winter coat, gloves and also my woolen stole for getting out to my walk outdoors. I think it is windy, gusts around 40 km. That makes all the difference, making the weather  bit colder. Anyway there's no snow, no rain. I am happy. I take it. Nowadays my nights are giving me a tough time. I think it is our age. We have to come across so many surprises at the later stages of our life. I am not too sure. I think life is not a bed of roses. It is like a combo with mixed moments. We have to face some bitter moments. Some difficult times we have to come across while passing through the journey of life. My fingers are crossed about the Phenomena that things start coming up at the later stages of life. I think things keep on coming throughout our life. We keep on handling all that.  At the later stages our bodies are not strong enough to ta...

Don't bottle it up

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    It's 12.15, in the morning. Drizzling since early morning. No chance to go for an outside walk. The walkways will be messy and muddy.  I didn't have a good sleep last night. I started my day late. Every day is different, not the same. We humans too take things differently. We are not robots. We react to whatever is going on around us. The weather, the people. The effect of the weather is temporary. Behaviors of the people around us at our work and household matters a lot. The way they meet, they talk to us about matters a lot. Some talk deliberately to satisfy their ego. That hurts our feelings. Some do without knowing how we take it. We get affected anyway. Everything imparts on our personality. How we take it determines the way we react. Sometimes it takes time to exhibit our reaction. Sometimes we react abruptly right away. It depends on the personalities how much time we take to swallow the reaction. We have to filter out what we feel. Not in a rude way. Don't do ...

It is a hazy morning

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  It's 10.30 in the morning. The sun is not awake, still under his grey blanket. Maybe drowsing.  I started my day a bit early. Every night comes with surprises. Some nights are better with good sleep, some are not. Same with mornings. Every morning comes with surprises. We don't know what we will be getting. It is like Christmas. We don't know beforehand which part of our body is not going to listen to cooperate with our day plans.  Every morning brings a different story at our age. So many things start coming up at the later stages of our life. We have to accept and manage accordingly. It is 11.15, the day looks a bit brighter. The sun is awake out of his blanket to make our day. So nice of him. I can see a couple of birds in the grayish sky up above. The snow nearly gone just traces around not much. It is 12.30, I am walking by the lakeside. My son has gone for his long walk. He will drop me at the Coffee House on the way later on. It is 1.15, I am at the Second Cup co...

It is a rainy day

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  The month of March is nearly at its last leg. April is about to start after a couple of days. It's a rainy day today.  I think “ April showers May flowers " is so true. The temperature is 1 C, not good to enjoy my walk. The walkways also must be with icy patches. Not safe to go for a walk. It is better to skip today. We don't have to be ambitious. Our plans have to be keeping health and safety as a priority all the time. Safety is a priority for everyone at any age. We people at our age have to be extra careful. Any mishap will be disastrous at the later stages of life. Our body is not strong enough to handle extra pressure. Our nerves are also not ready to deal with the things around right away. Just take things easy and avoid taking any chances. Not good to elevate our blood pressure. Physical and mental well-being has to be a top priority. Lucky me my grandson, the youngest one is going to Gym. He will drop me at my second home, the Second Cup coffee house. I am getti...

Enjoying Coffee at Second Cup

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    It's a beautiful morning. A great day after all we are out of the snow. Today is the 19th of March.  How long we have to wait for our good summer days. Not anymore I think. We were so patient throughout our long wintry days. Patience works most of the time. We knew that. It is working now. The summer is just around the corner. No waiting time. I hope so. We always have to think positive. Hope for the good. That helps to keep us up with a positive attitude. It manages our mood swings and keeps our will power in balance. Things keep on changing. So is the weather and our days to manage. We don't have to take things seriously. Not worth it to put our mental and physical well-being at a stake Just try to manage your day activities accordingly. No matter what the weather is. We have no control on that. The things around are also not under our control. The only thing under our control is our own body. We are the masters of controlling our mind and our body. Don't have to le...

Sun is in full bloom

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  Today the snow has taken a break. The sun is shining in full bloom. The snow around is glistening under sunshine.  It's a beautiful scenic atmosphere to behold. Nature is great in all of its exhibits. No question about that. It is late morning, 11.30. I am done with my kitchen chores. Now sitting in my room with my computer switched on. The blinds of my windows are drawn up. Sunlight is making my room bright and cozy. I am busy browsing my Facebook messages. I am also enjoying the view outside through my windows. No birds, no squirrels outside. It looks calm and quiet in my neighborhood. It is Tuesday, garbage pick up day. Blue, green and gray bins are lined up by the driveways. The white Buick  and black Acura are staying in my driveway. All loaded with snow. My outside walks are on hold. My son and grandsons are busy working from home. I don't have to bother them to drop me at the Second Cup coffee house. I have to find things to get busy at home. We have to go with t...

It is snowing

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 It was just a couple of days ago that there were no snow banks by the roadsides.  The walkway was all cleared. Not muddy, no icy patches. I was happy with my outside walks back on track. Not anymore. Things have changed. It started snowing again. Flurries, blowing snow with wind gusts around 50 km. It looks, my walks will now be on hold for some time. We have to use whatever chances we get to make our days. We don't know what will be coming in the days ahead. Don't have to wait for tomorrow. Just do it. It is Sunday, I have no chance to get out. Snow everywhere. The grass in my front and back gardens are gone back under white blankets. The glass top of my steel garden table is loaded with a thick sheet of ice. White cushion is back on my red garden chair. The red wooden bench in my front garden is loaded with snow too. It is the middle of March and snow is not going anywhere soon. I have to find things to get busy at home. I checked my table calendar. It is time for my hair ...

Birds are back from South

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  It's a totally different scenario in just a couple of days.Things have changed so quickly. I can't see any snow by the roadsides.  The walkway is all clear. No water, not muddy and slushy patches anymore. My outdoor walks are back on track. The grass in my back garden is now out of its thick snowy blanket. My friend the Black Squirrel is busy with his exercises on the wooden fence of my garden. The Twin Towers, I mean the two tall trees in my next door neighbor's front garden, are now ready to rent out their appointments. The birds started coming back from the South of the Border. Some of them are already visiting the Towers to book their apartments beforehand. I see the trees around starting back to life. Their skeletons are now with a tinge of green in their bodies. It is 11.45, I am getting ready for my walk. Tim Hortons is still under the process of renovation. Its Drive through is open though, the seating area is closed. Now I switched. Second Cup coffee house is sor...

It's a beautiful morning

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It's a bright sunny, beautiful morning. The thick slab of ice on the glass top of my steel garden table is gone.  The red garden chair my son got from the Home Depot store years ago is shining at the left corner of my back garden. No heavy cushion of snow there. My outdoor walks are back on track after so long. It is 12.30, I started my day a bit late today. My sleep was not good last night. So many things start coming up in the later stages of our life. We don't know what we will be getting. Which part of our body is not going to cooperate with our day plans. Every morning comes up with surprises. The same is with every night. It is like Christmas every day. We don't know what we will be getting today. We have to take with patience and grace whatever is going to come up. This is life my dear. Nothing stays forever. Things go on changing every day, every moment. Nature and also the weather keeps on changing. Our mood keeps on changing too accordingly. The weather, the peop...

Just a Drizzle

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  Snowing has stopped for a couple of days.Today it's raining just a drizzle. Not much.  My walks are still on hold. The snow around started melting making conditions tricky to walk for me. Too much water on walkways. Muddy too. Safety is a priority all the time. No compromises on health and safety. We don't have to be carried away. We have to be patient. Patience is a virtue. Things are going to be better soon. Summer is just around the corner. The weather is getting better. The temperature now is no more below zero. We have to wait a bit. Things will be going back on track. It is a matter of a couple of days. My back garden is still under a thick sheet of ice. Things are the same with my front yard. The grass started showing up around the white sheet of ice. This is a great signal that our snowy days are about to be over soon. We can't wait. Our so many days were in double digits below zero. My eldest daughter in Edmonton was with 40 C below zero on so many days. Enough i...

I am enjoying my walk

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It is 10 in the morning. Beautiful sunny day bright morning. The weather is also great.  It is 2 C below zero, feels like 8 below. I can see from my window that the walkway looks clear. I have to make some calls after that I will try my luck to go for my walk. I have to call my sister-in -law back home.  Phone calls to your loved ones help to make your day. My husband passed away decades ago. I am still connected with his family members. My daughters call me every time around noon. They go back from work at that time.   They are five hours ahead of my time in Toronto. I have to go to England early next month. One of my granddaughters is to be married. I am excited for my trip to see three of my daughters, my grand kids, my sister and so many other loved ones. My eldest daughter will also be coming from Edmonton to attend the wedding ceremony. I feel lucky to see all of my family. I am happy, still under pressure. I am having mixed emotions, I think. Travel at the later s...

I miss my David Austin roses

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  It's the end of February and we are still not out of the snow. There is so much around and it keeps on coming every other day.  I miss my outdoor walks. The weather is getting better so let's see what is to come in the days ahead. Snow was a bit early this year in my city of Toronto. We used to be ready but not for this much. The situation now reminds me of the days I was in Ottawa decades ago. We have to take whatever is there anyway. I switched my walks from outdoors to indoors. I go to the Pickering Town Center to top up my steps. Whenever I get a chance I  avail right away. I don't drive so I have to keep track to coordinate with the plans of others in my household. I don’t have any problems doing that. I think when there is a will there is always a way. We have to be firm in our motto. We have to be sure of what we plan. On top we have determination to make it happen. You will never be disappointed to fulfill your chalked out plans. I believe that.

Sun smiling looks happy

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  It's a sunny bright beautiful morning. The weather is getting better.  It looks like summer is just around the corner. The snow is still all around. I see snow banks by roadsides. My walks are still on hold. It is 10.30 in the morning. My daughter, the younger one, called me from Kent. She is back from school. England is five hours ahead of Toronto time. My daughter, the middle one, will be having a long day. She has her teachers meetings on Thursdays. My sleep was not good last night. We start having all sorts of issues at the later stages of our life. We have to accept it. It is 10.45, I am in my room. The blinds of my windows are drawn up. My computer is switched on. I can see the road and the path from one of my windows. The path looks clear from here. Let's take my chances to go for a walk. I am getting ready with red woolen stole, gloves and my grey woolen pants. The weather is still cold 16 C below zero. I picked up my black heavy winter coat from my coat closet. My e...

Enough is enough

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  Nowadays it has been snowing every other day. It is not giving us any break. Today I took a day off. It will be snowing again tomorrow. We now need a break.  Enough is enough. My outdoor walks are on hold for a while. I now switched to my walks from outdoors to indoors. We always have a plan “ B “ready to switch whenever we have to. It will save your day. We don't have to wait for the right circumstances to execute the plans we already chalked out. Do whatever is available to make your day. Time doesn't wait. It keeps on flying. Moments keep on slipping. We have to be patient. Don't have to get panicky. Be patient and think about the options. There are always other options available. Try to focus on other plans keeping track of your capabilities. Don’t be too ambitious, too pushy with yourself. We are not running any marathon. Not taking part in any competitions. We have to look at our own selves. Not to worry about what others say. We worry most of the time about, “ what...

Cherry on top

   It's Sunday 9.15 in the morning. I am done with my breakfast. It started snowing. This year snow started early and is still going on. We have already had enough of it. Trees are loaded with white stuff. We have to clear off snow every morning from our cars and driveways. Snow is along the roadside sort of snow banks.  Snow removal trucks are busy most of the time on roads. I salute all the front line workers for their work and patience. I checked my table calendar. I have to change my bed sheets. I will do laundry now. It is just a small load. I will change the sheets and make my bed later. I will take out the lilac color of sheets from my linen closet.  Change of anything always adds up colors. It helps to elevate our mood. Controls our mood swings. We have to look for any change. Wherever we can, we have to take it. It is 1.30, I am done with my laundry and taking some calls. I don't make calls on weekends. People must be busy enjoying their family time. We have...

He may not be well

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  It's a cloudy, hazy morning. The sun is taking a break, maybe not feeling well.  So many people are having colds and coughs. The weather is like a roller coaster nowadays. One day we have plus temperature and the other day below zero. Some days the sun is shining in full bloom. The other day it snowed all day. Today it has been drizzling since morning. We don't know what to choose from our coat closet to go outside. My back garden has been under a thick blanket of snow for a long time. Same is with the flower bed at the back. The blood red David Austin roses and the pink Canadian roses all gone for a long break. The beautiful red, violet golden yellow and white seasonal flowers are no more here. The red Garden chair my son got years ago from the Home Depot store is loaded with a thick white cushion. The glass top of my steel garden table is under a thick slab of ice. The same scenario is in my front garden. My red wooden bench is half under snow. The trees look shaky. Some a...

Beautiful morning

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Beautiful day bright sunny morning. Snow now is not causing any problems. All the snow is piled up by the roadsides.  The walkway is cleared of snow. I can’t see any icy patches here. The weather is also great, it's no more below zero. I am getting ready for my walk after a long time.  I think I might have forgotten how to walk outdoors. Let's see. I am all set to take my chances. The snow is not here now so much water is on the path, making it a bit messy to walk on. I have my joggers on. I think it will be fine. I am enjoying my walk. We have to look at the brighter side. Always take as, “ The glass is half full not as half empty. “. Everything comes in life with some positives and some negatives. It is always like a combo. Nothing is total plus. We have to look at the brighter side. That helps in changing our perspective of things in life. Try to make your days with whatever is available. Things change, so does the weather and so is our health. Nothing is there to persist ...