Oh my, it’s been hot here. Last week we had a record breaking heat wave all over BC. It was about 36C (about 97F) in our neighbourhood! As someone who totally wilts, swells up and gets cranky when it gets to 24C (75F), it’s been a struggle to cope with the very basics of living. Like most homes in Vancouver, we do not have air-conditioning. Our house was designed to capture a lot of light during long rainy seasons, but it also captures the heat from the sun with its many east and west facing windows and skylights, sigh.

This week is a little less hot, in the mid 20’s, with some cloudy periods and a few showers in the forecast. I’m still hot and lacking energy. It seems like we went from cold rainy weather straight to the dog days of summer. Complain, complain.

Watering the garden, and myself
Cooling salads, summer fruits, herbal iced teas
Reading and sleeping in the cooler downstairs

The unexpected pleasure of an overnight visitor
Picking up family returning from England
How the darling little ones have grown!

Looking for the fairies at the bottom of our garden
Summer’s blossoms, riot of colours and scents
Captured by the camera’s eye for you
Enjoy summer wherever you are!

leaving Vancouver

under the Lion’s Gate Bridge

heading out to sea, to Alaska maybe?

It’s the last day of June already. It was an exceptionally wet month here, but we had a few nice days here and there. One day the other week, I had to shop for a wedding gift. As we sometimes do, my husband and I made plans to meet at the end of his workday. From the shopping centre we went on one of our favourite walks along a marvellous seawall. We were lucky that day was one of the best of the month with sunshine, blue skies and the beautiful sea.

Several cruise ships were just heading out to sea – shown above is one of them. Numerous people with smiles were out walking along the sea and sitting on benches soaking in the view and the warmth of the sun. The doggy park was a busy meeting place for owners and their furry friends. Several hardy children were splashing in the ocean by the sandy beach, numerous sailboats dotted the bay, and a light plane was practising fancy loops overhead.

We arrived at an Indian restaurant and sat on the outdoor patio on the second floor overlooking the sea. How warm it still was. As we sat enjoying the scene and waiting for our food, another giant floating hotel headed out west. Coming eastward with exciting toots came the train from Whistler, with people waving to all and we waved back. We savoured our first ever Indian meal in this lovely setting. Afterwards, we walked back along the seawall, a little more slowly on full stomachs, and drove home content with such a pleasant ending to a glorious day.

Tomorrow, July Ist is Canada Day. Happy 140th Birthday, Canada! Enjoy the long weekend, my dear fellow Canadians but be careful around the fireworks.

UPDATE: We’re thinking of going to this year’s new fireworks display location in West Vancouver. The downtown one is always much too crowded for our tastes. Hope the forecasted rain holds off.