Taxes & Houses

A late update this week, I just don't know where the time went.
I had so much planned around the house and accomplished very little. On both Friday and Saturday night I was up working late on a commissioned logo, it was one of those scenarios where I just couldn't stop until it was done, so as night turned into day I was just heading to bed.

On Saturday we had an appointment to file our taxes at H&R Block. Once again, as last year, we came out scratching our heads and were bloody annoyed at the fact we ended up owing nearly a grand in taxes. How in gods name does this happen?, we hardly have a pot to piss in income-wise and yet we end up owing money. Anyway, that's it now, I think it's fair to say it would be unlikely that we file our taxes there again. I am going to enlist some proper advise from an accountant and find out what it is we are doing wrong.

Any Canadian readers of the blog out there, I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences on H&R Block via the message board. They charged us $357 in filing fees alone!

After we had finished being fleeced there, we went for a drive around Dartmouth looking at houses. Rob and I have been thinking more and more about buying a house, but have failed to agree on price and style. Admittedly, I am thinking higher end, best neighbourhoods, with no regards to budget or what is realistic and Rob is totally the other end of the spectrum. That said we did find one that we both liked the look of in an nice area that we both like...And that in itself is 'what I call' progress, as I am very particular.

We went back to check out the inside on Sunday at the Open House...I then fell in love! By the time we had finished looking around I had practically moved our stuff in mentally. Rob reminded me that I was jumping the gun somewhat, to which I got very snippy...As is the norm of late since quitting the cigarettes...Yes I am still off them but going quietly insane, as I have no nicotine release for those stressy situations. 

Sorry, I digressed for a moment there. The next thing we need to do, is find out what we are eligible for mortgage-wise and possibly aim to get somewhere by the end of the year or early next year. The good news about the house we liked is the fact it's a new build and if it sells in the meantime we could have one built the same in the same area as they are still expanding that subdivision.

As Easter is around the corner here's some edible offerings

You gotta love edible props!

The Weekly Round-Up!

Another week closer to Spring...I hope!

So I begin where I left off last week, Rob and I actually ventured out last Sunday to Shubie Park as the sun was shining. I took a few shots mostly of ducks and squirrels. It was nice to signs of life after the long Winter. I loved watching the ducks coming in to land on the (still iced over) lake, some of them had a pretty skiddy and bumpy landing, but there were no major injuries I am pleased to report.

It was Spring break this week here, so all the kids have been off school and the things are generally quiet as families tend to get away, so the week has gone by pretty slowly as business has been a little slower.

Friday the snow made another appearance which I was of course thrilled about...NOT! Still it was only a little bit and it pretty much melted as soon as it came.

I am still off the cigarettes but finding my temper very, very short. Those that know me reading this, will already vouch that I have no patience anyway, but imagine that but three times worse! Poor Rob only has to look at me wrong right now and I am spouting venom.

Saturday night we went out with Anne and Smiffy, along with Anne's friend Kat and a host of other folk (mostly British Ex Pats) who Smiffy knows from the Elmsdale area. We were all meeting up to celebrate Smiffy's birthday and also Kat's birthday which are both this week on Monday and Tuesday. After the meal we went...Bowling! This time there were no embarrassing incidents of Brits putting their shoes on the counter. We ended up bowling Boys vs Girls. As the boys were one player down on the girls, although it looked like we won on paper, we actually lost I believe, however on a positive note, I actually bowled okay this time, even got a spare once...That has never happened before, here or in the UK. It was a highly enjoyable evening and we really enjoyed meeting everyone.
Happy Birthday Smiffy for Tuesday!!

Today I woke up aching a bit from the bowling. I took a trip out with Rachel, the weather started off okay but got progressively colder as the day went on, we went down to Fisherman's Wharf at Eastern Passage then across to Halifax for a wander around. It was so nice to get out and take some photos again, I don't feel I have been doing nearly enough of it lately.

Finally birthday wishes this weekend got to Marjorie!! Happy Birthday!

This duck had the right idea, a sun spot and no ice

A tentative squirrel makes a move towards some bird seed

Fisherman's Wharf, Eastern Passage, taken today.

Fisherman's Buckets in the window of a shack
at Fisherman's Wharf

Some of the bowling posse...Left to right, Kat, Rebecca,
 Me, Rose, Mel & sneaking into frame, Smiffy and Dudley

A Balmy Six Degrees

As Spring creeps ever nearer...we hope, it has been pretty cold this week. The temperatures have been above zero but the wind has been biting. As I am sitting here typing this though it is supposedly 6 degrees outside and the sun is shining...I can also hear my two feuding squirrels squeaking at each other relentlessly...Yes two. I thought I only had one visiting but it turns out there are two of them and they really don't like each other. They are continuing to collect food from the garden and annoy Shakespeare in the process. They are far to stealth-like for me to capture them with my camera as yet but who knows if they stick around and get more friendly then just maybe I might be able to snap them.

Rob and I actually attended camera club this week for the first time in a very long time. Sadly the content of the meeting wasn't enough to hold my attention past coffee break and we sloped off early. It was nice to catch up with a few folk that I haven't seen in a long time.

Friday night Anne and Smiffy came over with a Chinese. It's the first time I have seen Anne since before our holiday and my illness, so she also had a wad of birthday presents with her, all of which I loved and were so me!

We did some marathon TV watching, including Derek (which was a big hit even though we had to get the tissues out, and in my opinion is one of the best programmes to be shown on TV in a very long time). To lighten the mood afterwards we introduced her to Peter Kay live. Definitely another winner!!

One thing became apparent on Friday night, Shakespeare cannot handle visitors. Of late he has been so calm and pretty good around the house, but as soon as Smiffy and Anne arrived he was all over the place and he continued to mis-behave all night. He seems to get over excited and goes into jumping, climbing, destroying mode.

Health wise it's been a mixed bag for me this week. My energy levels are still pretty low and I keep getting this weird shortness of breath, like a panic attack and I feel like I am suffocating. I think I may have to go back to the doctor about this as it is somewhat disconcerting. It's been 24 days since my last proper cigarette. At the club on Wednesday night I went outside with Rachel as she was going to have a cigarette. I told her I wasn't smoking but I would come out so I could smell hers. I thought this would be a really good test for me and I also thought that her cigarette was going smell really good....It didn't, it smelled terrible. I had a packet of cigarettes in my bag and handed them to her as I knew I wasn't going to smoke them.

It's still early days and I still think I am in recovery from my illness, but it may just have turned me off the cigs for life.

Here are some more images from our trip away:

Palm Trees, Jamaica

Colours of the Caribbean

Mahogany Bay, Roatan Island

Dunns River Falls, Jamaica

First Week Back

I finally got back to work this week, I staggered in on Monday still feeling below par, and extremely tired. I was happy to have made it through the day. As the week continued my energy levels seemed to get less and less. So many of my co-workers have been struck down with similar virus's and bugs, that to say we have been short staffed is an understatement.

I don't really have any other new this week surprisingly as I have been nowhere and done nothing in the evenings. Some news that should make a lot of you happy though is that due to my illness I have not smoked for 17 days now. I have had some bad cravings, and did try to smoke but it tasted terrible and smelled awful plus I coughed my guts up instantly. I think it's early days to say I have quit as I am a realist, but it is looking hopeful. So maybe this is the one good thing to come out of me getting sick.

Rob and I have been playing catch up around the house, it has been an absolutely tip for weeks now. Nothing has been cleaned due to me getting ill and the washing has been backed up since we got back from our vacation, so now I am back on my feet, some Spring cleaning is in order. Spring...Ahhh, cannot wait, it's just around the corner now and not a moment too soon in my book!! I just hope it's a good one and not a drab extension of Winter as it was last year.

We have a new visitor to the garden, a rather portly squirrel. I have been putting food put for him every day in the hopes he will stick around, and so far so good. Shakespeare goes quite literally nuts when he sees him, he forgets the windows have glass in them and hurls himself at them like a demented stick on Garfield. He bounced off with quite some force the other day, luckily I was there to catch him.

Some of you may wonder what has happened to the deer. They are still around, I see them most days on my way home from work, but they tend to be hang out on the off ramp as you come of the bridge, which worries me no end, most people do drive really slow down the ramp as they know they are there, but they do have a tendency to bolt across the road in front of you at this point.
I guess they have enough grass and greens to forage still as they haven't been on the scrounge around the houses.

Tax season is also upon us again (as if Winter isn't bad enough we have to do taxes as well).
Rob has been working hard on getting all our paperwork up together and I think we are almost there now, so we will be paying that dreaded (long) visit to H & R block in the next week or two.
Fingers crossed we won't end up owing as much as last year. The other thing we have been working on is the claim for the holiday insurance and all the money we had to shell out on those three extra days away. I also wrote a scathing letter to the Airline requesting financial compensation for the the stress and expenses we incurred because of them...I won't hold my breath on that one!

Here are some more photos from our trip!

Under the Palms at Playa Mia

The Definition of Green

The bluest water I have ever seen

Roatan Island Shipwreck Pano (click to view larger)

Epic Journey

Well hello! It's been a while, longer than anticipated that's for sure. It's a long story.
First off let me say for the first time in 3 years I missed Groundhog Day and you all know how much I enjoy that event. It seems this year Punxsutawney Phil, Wiarton Willie & Shubenacadie Sam were at odds with each other, Phil and Albino Willie predicted an early Spring while Sam predicted 6 more weeks of Winter. I personally think, judging by the amount of snow that was dumped after this prediction that Sam was the only one to predict the correct result.

Now onto my absence. In my last post I mentioned Rob and I were heading away to warmer climes. We flew down to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to meet up with my Dad and Marjorie for a Caribbean cruise. We headed down a day ahead of the cruise just in case we encountered any weather or unforeseen problems on route. Due to a delay we missed our connection and arrived 3 hours later than intended. We stayed overnight in a little (very old and shabby) hotel along the beach front. Walking up in the morning to blue skies, sunshine and the beach just across the road was so lovely, the cruise didn't check in until later in the afternoon so we spent most of the day just milling up and down the beach.

We checked into the cruise around 5 pm and met Dad and Marjorie for dinner. It was lovely seeing them and catching up. Even though we have been in the same room for a good year and a half or more, it was as if I had never been away.

Our boat was home to 'The Stars of Ireland' Music tour with over 1000 people on board purely for the music. When they weren't playing in the evening for their fans the bands played on deck and I have to say they were all brilliant and knocked spots of any of the other entertainment on the boat.

On our travels we visited Cozumel Mexico, Roatan Island (Honduras), Grand Cayman and Jamaica.
Rob and I were lucky enough to do an excursion at every stop. In Mexico we did a deluxe beach tour, where you get to use all the facilities at a beautiful beach resort called Playa Mia. At Roatan Island we did a tour of the Island which took us from a lovely scenic look off to an Iguana Farm (never seen so many in one place, all freely walking around) and then on a boat trip around one of the 2 ship wrecks off the island, then finally to another perfect beach. In Grand Cayman under dad's advise we did a trip called Stingray Encounter. A boat takes you way out to sea where there is a sand bank, the perfectly clear water is about waist deep, everyone gets in and before too long, thanks to some squid, you are surrounded by huge stingrays looking for a snack. At first I found the whole thing quite unnerving especially as they brushed past our legs, but they really are very gentle creatures, the tour guides then encouraged us to get even more up close and personal posing for photos with them, which we did....all be it with some reservation in our faces :o) And then finally in Jamaica we did the Dunn's River Falls trip. Now there is no way on this planet that I was climbing up any waterfall, so I just went for the scenery but Rob climbed it, and well done to him, because it didn't look easy. In fact the dry walk and the steps proved tricky enough for me as I fell up them and scragged my arm up nicely. Two kind Germans picked me up.

After an action packed few days, Rob and I were pretty tired, the cruise had one full day at sea before returning back to Fort Lauderdale which we spent sunbathing on deck. I hadn't been watching any news reports, so when a gentleman from Quebec told me about the blizzard that was heading up the Eastern Seaboard that was affecting flights I quite surprised. Rob and I watched the news but the coverage was so crap on CNN it was hard to tell whether or not the blizzard was going to affect us getting home or not. Having said a tearful goodbye to Dad and Marjorie we disembarked and headed to the airport to find out our fate. We found out that Our flight to Philly was okay but our onward flight to Halifax was cancelled as Halifax airport was shut. The earliest they could get us on another flight was Monday (2 days later). We scrambled and tried ringing around for hotels, of course the whole world and his wife were doing the same thing as so many flights were cancelled. We were lucky to get a room in the Hilton Garden Inn (not cheap). We spent that afternoon in the hot tub chatting with other stranded folk. The following day (my birthday) we spent exploring the inner coastal waterways of Fort Lauderdale by water taxi. There are some truly amazing mansions and yachts along those canals. We traveled down to Hollywood Beach and had lunch in a place called The Sub Saloon which is apparently Oprah's favourite place for a burger. 13oz burgers. They were okay I give them a 7 out of 10. The most notable thing about this place are the birds! I got shat on there! Plop, right on the end of my nose and down my white shirt. They say it's lucky! I am not so sure.

We were back at the airport for 5 am, and were on our new flight to Philly on time. All was going well. At Philly that changed. Our incoming flight was delayed and it was over booked. With only 34 seats on it and approx 44 people waiting to board it, US Airways were asking people to volunteer to take vouchers and go on another flight. No one was budging as these people were all like us and had been trying to get back home for days. Not that is mattered in the scheme of things as when the plane did eventually turn up Our flight was promptly cancelled....They say it was due to weather which is a crock of shit. We saw planes taking off and landing perfectly, plus we had also checked the status of Halifax airport which was fine. They just say 'weather' so they don't have to pay compo. The truth of the matter is the crew were so late they ran out of flight time. US Airways must think we were all born yesterday!

You can imagine how annoyed everyone was. We were booked on another flight bound for Boston they next day, so off we went to another hotel (another Hilton). We ordered room service and headed for bed early as we had to be up at 3.30 am. I knew I was starting to get sick but this point but I didn't know how sick.

On Tuesday 12th Feb, we finally made it back home via Boston. In the afternoon we picked the boys up from the Cats Inn, they were pleased to see us. Then is was back to work on Wednesday. I was thick with what I thought was a cold by then, and feeling pretty rough. I worked Thursday and then crashed on Friday. The coughing was horrendous. Saturday I went to the Emergency Room, and was diagnosed with Bronchial Pneumonia. I was given some antibiotics and have been trying to recover ever since. I had fever, chills, lack of appetite and the worse coughing I have ever experienced. I missed the whole of last week and spent it in bed. I feel that I am starting to turn a corner now although the coughing continues I feel I have a little more energy.

Last night (23rd Feb) a bunch of us met up for fish and chips to finally celebrate mine and Cheryl's birthday. The food and company was good, I just wish I could have enjoyed it more rather than coughing my way though most of the evening.

I think that just about brings you all up to date. Here are just a few images (more to come from our travels).



Fort Lauderdale...Now one of my favourite places!



Sunset on Deck - MSC Poesia



You should see the wincy shot before this one!

Iguana Farm...Loved these critters!

@#*?!% Cold!

This week has been beyond cold. All week the temperatures have ranged from -13 to -28 with the wind chill. More than 10 minutes outside and your face feels like you have had an inordinately large amount of botox injected into it. On the plus side it has been sunny.

It's been another busy week at work the temperatures don't seem to have deterred people from working, or orders coming in. By Friday I finished getting all the new stuff up in the showroom and it looks pretty neat. We printed an internal door and some ceramic wall tiles which are now on display, these are by far my favourite items we have printed to date on the flatbed printer and the fact you can turn a 29c plain white tile into a custom design is something that definitely appeals to me. I shall be taking some photos this week for an up coming conference, so next time I blog I might put a couple of them up for you to see.

In other news, my friend Suzanne lost her husband this week after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.

Nancy, Deb, Cheryl and I went along to the funeral on Saturday to support her. Even though I didn't know him, it was incredibly sad, but the service/Mass was very beautiful and quite uplifting with the choices of prayer and song.

Robert and I will be heading of for a week's break in the sun on Friday this week, we are meeting my Dad and Marjorie down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a cruise around the Caribbean, which I am so looking forward to. As I get back the day before my birthday and will have much to sort out, a few of us are celebrating on Feb 23 and going out for...you guessed it fish and chips!

So this will be my last update for a couple of weeks, I hope to return with a arsenal of photos to share. Finally, birthday wishes go out to my friend Lorraine for Feb 3,  I hope you have a wonderful day!!

Until next time here are some more images from Peggy's Cove and some forgotten images from the archives.

Another Postcard from Peggy's

A Bit Ropey

Winter at Peggy's Cove (2012)

Faded Beauty

Snow

Another busy week done and dusted. Time has just flown by this week, probably largely due to the fact I was sick on Wednesday and spent the remainder of the week playing catch up.

I am in the middle of adding to and improving the showroom, I commissioned another cabinet to be made before Christmas and it was delivered this week and now I have some more wall space to fill with samples, which I shall be working on next week. Ideally I would like to get it looking ship shape by the end of next week as I have to photograph it for a conference being held next month.

We have more than our fair share of snow this week which has irritated me somewhat. Friday being the worst day as it caught me out, Rob left early as usual and it had started when he left, but by the time I left for work I had to clear the car and try and defrost the inside which was well and truly iced up. Having accomplished this I crawled my way to work quite literally behind a snow plough and was late! It came down all morning and then the sun came out in the afternoon, I think it was around minus 10 but it didn't actually feel that cold.

My Newfie pal Sarah met me from work and came home with me for a few beers and some dinner, it was a good night and we had plenty to catch upon as I haven't seen her since November.

I am updating the blog early this week as I have no plans for the rest of the weekend, as I am in full hibernation mode thanks to the weather. Of course it hasn't escaped my notice that the UK is in the throws of a deep freeze too, plenty of snow causing chaos as always on the roads. Welcome to our world :o)

On Dry Land at Peggy's

Winter Blues at Prospect



Low Tide at Prospect