That was Christmas!

Well that was Christmas. All that build up and it's over. Perhaps now the radio stations will get back to normal and stop playing bloody Christmas tunes.

I hope you all enjoyed you day. Christmas Eve started full on here for me. I worked in the morning till noon, well I say worked, but not much work was happening. We ordered Chinese which was nice and we all got given gift vouchers which was unexpected.

After work, Rebecca came back to my place as she wanted me to take some photos of her to give to her mum and dad for Christmas. I don't normally take portraits, but I thought I would give it a go and I was pretty pleased with the results. Helped largely by the fact she has a very pretty and photogenic face.

At 5.30 pm Rob and I were due round Caroline and Ted's for a pot luck nibbles evening. Caroline was a customer who came into for some copying, we got chatting, she is from Montreal and has recently moved here. She came back the next day and invited Rob and I round for dinner one night as she doesn't know many people here and said she enjoyed chatting with me. To be honest I really wasn't sure if we would get on as I think we are very different types of people. Anyway, Rob and I really enjoyed the evening with them. They had another couple of friends round, called Gerald and Suzanne and the conversation was lively and interesting.

Christmas morning I was so tired I didn't even wake up until 12.30 pm. We headed over to Deb's place at around 1.15pm. Spent the day with Deb, Kevin, Liam and Doreen (Doreen is Debs mum), Lovely house, gorgeous food and great company. We ended up watching a film so we didn't get back until around 11 pm.

Today I have a ton of stuff to do, all of which involve chores of one sort or another. This evening we have been invited round next door for nibbles and drink. and then I hope to get over to Nancy's on Monday.

I don't think I have ever been this busy at Christmas before!!

In other news I did sell the licences to those images and I got paid this week for them. They also phoned me and want to buy more in due course as well as maybe use my design skills, the owner is coming to Halifax for a trade show in February so I will meet up with him then. So this is very good news.

Also I am pleased to tell you that Rob passed his theory Gas exam. This is of course the first of many he has to do, but it's a good start. Rob received a small cheque from Metro Burners as a Christmas gift as well as some vouchers. From Uhaul he got a turkey, which we have yet to cook!

For my amusement please find another video below, this time featuring Dad and Marjorie.

Two of my favourite shots of Rebecca

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Ho Ho Ho!!!

I just found this hilarious site where you can make videos and put in the faces of friends and family...Sorry Pam, Kim, Sylvie and Sarah, but I just couldn't resist! Enjoy! (Loading time is long so be patient!) The funny thing is Kim actually dances like this! To replay refresh the page.

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Tis the Season!

Another full on week has come and gone and there's plenty to talk about.

Firstly it snowed this week, not that much, maybe about 4 cm. I must say as much as I don't like getting about in it, it did look pretty. (the image featured at the top here was taken just outside of where I work on Friday). It has been sunny ever since, so most of it has melted away now. I am sure that we will get some more though. The temperatures are still pretty mild compared to the UK, at some points this week out temperature here was warmer than Florida...Go figure?! I have been told though that January is always worse, the wind chill is pretty bad, so that's to look forward to...NOT!

Exciting news this week, a company from Quebec contacted me via my Red Bubble website, they want to licence some of my images (yes that means they are going to pay me). They are a small company that make postcards, place mats and framables. They are most interested in my Alberta and Maritimes images. So fingers crossed I may make a few dollars!

On the social side of things I have been so busy this week. It was the camera club party on Wednesday, which was fun - food, quiz, prices and presents. Friday night was my work do. Rob was going to come but as he had an exam on Saturday he decided to give it a miss. We all went straight from work to the Victory Arms (which is a bar in a swanky hotel on Spring Garden Road). We had some free drinks and some patters of food, the drinks went straight to my head (as well as a few others). It was great fun.

Finally last night Rob and I went round to the neighbours...Who I now know the names of (Jeanette and Rachel) :o) It was lovely evening, a very nice group of people and as one of the hosts is a chef, the food was amazing! On the way round to theirs one of the deer was out in front on the house, so I fed it a carrot! I know I keep mentioning those deer, but seriously it is the coolest thing to come out of your house and an see them there, they are just so adorable.

As far as TV goes, I haven't watched much this week what with going out so much. I did catch up with the Sing-Off again though, and unfortunately one of my favourites 'On the Rocks' got booted. Very unfair in my opinion. Street Corner Symphony are still in for the final next week, but I am not sure they will win...They should, but who knows how the public will vote.

I would just like to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Christmas!!!

Some of my abandoned series taken last weekend

Very overgrown, there was a porcupine in a tree here!

Looks like kids have has some fun knocking out the glass!

Hmmm, this was the rowdy end of the table on Friday night!

They may be out, but I don't think we've heard the last of these guys!
This is the video that made them a massive viral hit before going on
the Sing Off.

GaGa never sounded so good!

Straight in today, no messing or pre-amable (now that's a first!)
I am going to start off with TV, I have a new talent show to get excited about over here and unlike the X Factor, these folks have real talent. The programme is called 'The Sing-Off' (yes I know the title does lack imagination). Putting that aside, it's a talent show with a difference, all these groups do everything acapella, no music, just their voices. Incredible to watch. The other great thing about this show is they eliminate 2 groups every show, that makes it a pretty short series. The judges make the decision and I am guessing that the public may have the deciding vote when it comes down to the final. I have embedded my two favourite groups from the show here, so take a look and see what you think (poor sound quality so crank up the volume). The USA version of The Apprentice finished this week, what a great series it's been, and finally Mr Trump picked a woman...'Bout time too if you ask me. Brandy was a worthy winner! I have also been enjoying week long dramatic Corrie, they really pulled out all the stops for the 50th anniversary didn't they?...Just cannot believe they pretty much demolished half the street and blew all their story lines for Christmas.





Outside of TV land, this week has been pretty much full on. The deer have been around the front of the house almost daily. I came home from work on Wednesday to find one outside the front door, I ended up feeding it apples!

I Finally got the Christmas tree out and decorated it after spending a good while agonizing on where I was going to put the damn thing.

Thursday night after work I went to the open evening of our other branch in Dartmouth (they have just moved to a new swanky location) and I got to meet some of the many people I talk to on the phone every day.

Friday night, Rob and I went to the UHaul Christmas party/dinner thing, it was nice to put some names to faces at last. It was a pretty brief, but lively dinner with everyone sloping off pretty early or moving on to another bar. I had to get back and get some zzz's as I was up with the lark today out shooting with some of the photo club. We met at 8 am this morning and headed north-ish, to capture some abandoned houses. Weather wise it was beautifully sunny and no wind, just a little chilly; there was a dusting of snow on the ground and some of the water and smaller lakes have now started to freeze. Back home here in Dartmouth we had a sprinkling of snow yesterday but it soon melted away at the temperature was up to around 5 degrees today and we had a little rain in between.

Big thank you to everyone that has set cards and some of you who have sent gifts...Which I said you shouldn't do!!!! They are under the tree and un-opened you will be pleased to know.


A touch of winter just outside of Antigonish


Our resident deer paying a visit


UHaul girls left: Aleisha, right: Jen

Social Butterflies

I cannot believe that Sunday has rolled round again so quickly! I have been reading about the big freeze in the UK and how unsurprised I was to hear of the chaos it has caused on the roads and at the airports. Honestly after the weather we had last year you would think the powers that be would plan ahead a little better...But no! On the flip side of things over here the weather has been extremely mild, sunny most of the week, with very little wind and a balmy 8 degrees. Now don't for a second think I am getting complacent about this, let's not forget I have a pair of ice traction slip-ons, and I fully expect to have to use them at some point, although when right now, is not clear!

I would like to send belated to birthday wishes to my dear friend Paula, and my Godson Joshua this week. I hope you both enjoyed your days! I would also like to say how much I enjoyed 'I'm a Celeb' and despite me wanting Shaun to win, I was very pleased that Stacey won. I reckon this series has to have been one of the best ever, largely due to Dom, Jenny, Shaun and Stacey. Oh and just for those of you who are still wondering, I have not been watching the X Factor, I washed my hands of it after the last series, I just hope it gets dropped soon and we can finally see less of Simon Cowell!!!! (Sorry Kim, I know you like him!)

A couple of interesting things happened this week. I finally got to meet one of my long time flickr friends Ken. Ken and I have corresponded via flickr for 2 and half years, and as luck would have it, his work brought him to Halifax for a couple of days this week. Even more lucky was the fact that his wife Joyce was also in town attending a training course, as their time here overlapped Rob and I were able to meet up with both of them for dinner on Tuesday night. We decided to take them to The Economy Shoe Shop...Which to their surprise wasn't a shoe shop, but a restaurant and bar. We enjoyed great food and excellent conversation. Thank you Ken for the meal! I cannot wait for a return visit, hopefully when the evenings are lighter and we can go out and take some photos!

Our Friend Deb from the Camera Club has invited Rob and I round for Christmas at her place, and in the absence of any family here to share the day with it's a lovely invitation that we are very much looking forward to taking her up on.

Also yesterday a card was hand delivered inviting us to a drinks and nibbles evening at number 372...the card said we met you on Halloween with Gord and Christine (our next door neighbours), well....I had to rack my brains as lord knows I talked with and met so many people that evening with all the comings and goings. Anyway it turns out 372 is next door but one. I couldn't quite read the names on the card, which was a complete bummer, as I had to ring with an RSVP, so I had to wing it on the phone, and use no names...She must have thought me a little strange, but the up shot is we shall be attending.

December is turning out to be a very social month, next weekend is the UHaul Christmas party, the following week, is the camera club do, and then we have the neighbours soiree, I think that my work will be having one as well, but they are a little late in the organising.

Good times with Ken and Joyce (shame about Rob's jumper!)

And now for some more scenic randomness...

Stepping back in time at Memory Lane

That beautiful boathouse on Waverly Road

A foggy fishing day at Terence Bay