Yet another water leak post...

Again we faced the formidable leaking toilet and tryed to fix the freakin' leak. That toilet came off, a new seal and flange and whatever went on and the toilet got screwed back into place. We all took our places, flushed the damn thing and guess what, it still leaked.
Okay, once more the toilet came off its hinges and a new rubber gasket, and a new circular base got added, the whole thing screwed down yet again and once more we all took our respective places and flushed the flippin' toilet one more time. It leaked even worse.
By now the only thing holding the toilet in one piece and my and my hubby's patience together was our friend Chris who stubbornly and relentlessly would not let us smash the frickin' toilet to smithereens.
Off to the hardware store for one last stock up of supplies, the toilet got lifted off its rocker one more time and a bunch of new hardware went down into the hole along with one of hubby's screwdrivers which got fished out by one of my coat hangers. The toilet got put back on, screwed down within an inch of its life, it got a good talking to about what we did not want to see and once again we all took our respective places and flushed the toilet. It didn't leak.
We sat on it and flushed it again. It did not leak.
We changed places and sat on it again ( he is heavier than me after all) and flushed. It did not leak.
Now it may sound all good and all that there does not seem to be any more leaks and I am very happy about that, don't get me wrong. But there is one little thing about it all that I am deeply disturbed by and right now am not going to say anything for fear my hubby's blood pressure does the slow creep upwards and that is about the foot long piece of 1/2 inch wood he jammed under the front of the toilet to bring it up level. How long am I going to have to live with this state of the art wedge under my toilet? And if you want to see a picture of it I will gladly get one and put it up tomorrow. I'll label it wedgies!!!

Leaking the bathroom update.

From yesterday's post: We'd tore a big hole in the wall only to discover that was not where the leak was coming from. Not all is lost though as we have to put water shut off valves on the pipes anyways and construct a panel so we can access it again easily if need be. We also discovered that whoever built the bathroom used gyprock all around the shower walls, its what is under the shower enclosure and what the bathtub taps are going through into the bathtub. Even I know with my limited plumbing knowlege that you have to use marine plywood with a vapor barrier. But again I digress.
The shower is not where the leak is but we did find the leak. Its under the toilet. Which we tryed to fix. Hubby took the toilet off, put new wax rings and what ever under, new shims, new screws etc. Nothing but the best and put the whole thing back together again. Turned the water on and with great trepidation flushed the toilet.
It leaked.
Nothing like standing downstairs in the closet looking up while the toilet is being flushed to see if you can see where its leaking and having drops of water, toilet water rain down on your head.
Back to square one tomorrow morning. Repeating the whole process once again. Please pray to the toilet gods that it works this time....

Water Leaks

I don't have any pictures yet but we had to tear a big hole in the bathroom wall today behind the shower taps and pipes to try and find the leak we found yesterday.
The water has been leaking down to the ground floor into a back storage closet room and right over the Power breaker panel box. And its been doing it for a while, evidenced by the mold from the water in the closet. Yuck!! Going to take a hefty duty mask and gloves to clean that up. But I digress.
The owners of the house before us did not have any access panels to the bathtub plumbing hence the necessity of making a big hole in the wall to expose said plumbing. So its a bit damp back there but I really don't think that is the source of the leak. The water stain that is visible on the bathroom floor is completely around the toilet, discolouring the linoleum on the floor and I think really that is where the leak comes from. What a headache. The flooring has to come off, the toilet has to come out and maybe the subfloor has to be replaced and the toilet reset. To make matters worse, it is the only bathroom in this house. Hows that for Murphy's Law???
And I am stuck in the house all long weekend with my company's Staffing phone and all the books to do that job with the only bathroom in the house and the water leak. Its my really lucky week!!

Skywatch Friday

This is taken at Othello tunnels looking straight up the cliff to the sky. It was a nice day there, blue skies and warm, the perfect day for hiking!!

Go to bed!!

My cat Speed, sleeps on my bed every night and right now he is saying "Hey, lady go to bed, you have a double shift tomorrow." He has to get close cause I don't listen otherwise!!
So goodnight!!

Tunnels that look like Cathedrals

Yesterday we went for a Day hike to Othello Tunnels just north of Hope. These tunnels were created at the turn of the century by the Canadian Pacific Railway and used to contain railbeds for the trains. These tunnels are located on the side of the mountain and through the mountain as well. It was quite an engineering marvel in its day. Another view of the tunnels where you can see through one into and down the other tunnels.
If you stand in the end of one tunnel and look down you can almost see to the end of the other tunnels. I love the ceiling on the above tunnel. It almost has a cathedral look to it.
There are lots of good photo opportunities here if you are avid about taking pictures.

Our stray is gone today as well. Social Services actually moved for her and got her into a temporary grouphome for now. She is on the list for independant living as soon as that can be arranged. We also got her registered for school in September. She will be able to attend that while she is on independant living.
It's the first time in all our dealings with Social services they have actually come through in a timely manner. Maybe miracles do happen!!

Ants not aunts...

This fine image above is a Thistle plant I saw while out to Othello Tunnels here in Hope. All the orange spots are ants enjoying a feast!!
I am still struggling on with Photoshop but I am not one to learn something by trying to teach it to myself. I learn better going step by step with someone who knows the craft. I play around in it but still really have not got a clue about it. I am going to have to take a course or something. I am taking a Basic Photography course that starts in October but that is a long time to muddle along like I have been.
I did play with this above picture and then saved what I did but could not get it to upload here, so clearly have done something wrong. Back to the drawing board....

Skywatch Friday

This is the evening sky taken at my friend Sherri's place from her garden. I love the rays of light coming from behind the mountain and the silver linings of the clouds. This is the same sky taken from a different angle and different setting.
Neither picture is touched up with Photoshop. It's just as it came from the camera.
(I am still figuring out that photoshop!!)
Enjoy!!!

Bringing home another stray for the weekend.

My hubby needs to quit doing this. One of the kids he has councilled off and on for a few years decided to leave home a couple of weeks ago. Her friend said no problem, come live on my couch. Well, her friend's mom who is a single mom put up with that for a week or so but she can't afford the hungry mouth to feed so suddenly she is without a place to stay. So she is coming here. And we will be doing the social worker etc. thing to get her placed. And that takes time because as long as she has a place to stay, why should they work to place her somewhere that will cost them. We've been down this road before. And it ain't pretty as the say.
And maybe I am being a bit selfish here, heck I am being a bit selfish, but the next four days I have off just went up in smoke. And I have a ten day stretch at work after these four days off so no rest for the selfish here.
Anyways, that is the end of my rant for now. I am off upstairs to make up the guest room.....

Minnie gets a Haircut!!

It has been hotter than Hades around here lately and I started feeling sorry for Minnie with all the long fur she has. Usually we have to shave her about every three months or so but it had been a while since the last beauty treatment and it was time.
Supplies needed for this adventure include a big towel to lay her onto, the kitchen counter( I know, but it is the only spot with access on both sides), my next door neighbour who is the only one who is not afraid of her switch blades and is strong enough to convince her to lay still and take it like a cat. He needs a good pair of leather gloves that will withstand punctures as well. And of course the shears. About two shaves ago we discovered the shave goes so much faster if we don't use the black gaurds on the blade but without it Minnie looks like she has been butchered rather than coiffed!! The underbelly is the hardest and most dangerous part to cut. She does not like anyone or anything touching her tummy.
Look at that look on her face. She is plotting revenge or mayhem of her own. Really she will thank me in the end of it all when she is ever so much cooler and lighter.
Here is the finished product. Not too much taken off really, or so it looks but she lost about two inches or so of fur. There is enough cat hair in the garbage now to clothe another cat!! It's unbelieveable how much hair she has. She even feels lighter after the haircut. And she is no lightweight cat to begin with!!!
I'll give her a nice big bowl of her crunchies and she will soon forgive me for this sacrilege!!

Warm Summer Night in the Gardens.

My neighbour and I were invited to her sister's house last night to see the gardens and have some wine. Her sister, Sherri has one acre property right on the river with a beautiful garden in the back that borders farmer's corn fields. The night was warm and the sky partly cloudy and as the first picture shows it was an awesome sunset. The rays of light and the silver linings were great.
We sat in Adarondac chairs in front of the pond and had snacks and wine and visited.
The pond is stocked with Koi fish as well. They used to have problems with the herons coming by and helping themselves to the fish. You can see a few fish in the water above.
I do have a lot more pictures but I am just getting the hang of uploading pictures and this is my second attempt at it for this post. I am still trying to figure out how to get them in the right order!! I'll post more later on.

Front Door Back Door August.

I got this from Dlyn's blog so thought I would try it out here too.
The middle of the month means it is time for the Front Door/Back Door Meme.This is a photography meme - an easy fun project.
1. Step out your front door and take a picture.
2. Step out your back door and take a picture.
3. Put them on your blog, along with the rules.
4. If there are things in the photos that you particularly like or dislike, you can point them out, or just explain what we are seeing. Maybe changes over the seasons or some junk in your neighbor's yard that drives you nuts.
5. Tag as many or few people as you like - preferably at least one though.6. You can join in anytime and participate in the months following, every once in a while or even just one time if you like.


This first picture is out my front door. Just a typical neighbourhood. We are at the end of a cul-de-sac and the only thing that really changes day to day here might be where people put thier cars. Cul-de-sacs don't have a lot in the way of parking and we have a number of teens in this block who all have thier own cars. Sometimes its a little crowded!!
This next picture is looking outside my back patio door. It's not a pretty site!! We have green space behind the house that up until the beginning of this year was an unmaintained park and is now being changed into a Sports Park. Right now they are working on fixing the drainage problems that have always plagued this park. The section directly infront of the back of our property is going to be a water retention pond with a berm all the way around for walking. Behind that will be a soccer field and a baseball diamond and further up a multi-purpose court and a children's playground. Further up from that will be the parking lot and park facility buildings.

The front end loader in the picture wakes up precisely at 7am each morning, right outside our bedroom window. Don't know why he has to start his digging there when there is so much dirt away from us he could move until a decent hour. Go figure.

The lovely red chain link fence marks the edge of our property and my dead grass in front of it. Having the park redone cost us about 10 or so feet of our yard. Apparently we were encrouching on park property!

This whole park will take until next year to complete so my back yard pictures will show a progression of the building of this park and redoing my yard as well when it is further into completion.

I am looking forward to when it is all finished and being used by children and thier families every day doing what children and families should be doing when they visit thier local park!!

Skywatch Friday again!!

Do you see a pattern here? I love the sun as it sets shining through trees and the water. This is down at Whiterock overlooking the ocean as the sunsets. We were sitting at an outdoor cafe across the street enjoying some icecream when this picture presented itself. Hope you enjoy it!!

Big Time Ouch.

I am nursing a sore lower back for the past couple of days. Don't know what I did, or where I did it but it sure is sore.
Background, I have had two bad lower back injuries, one 6 years ago and one 4 years ago and a car accident last year that injured upper back and neck.
I joined the gym three months ago, so maybe I overdid it there, I have not walked as much since I joined that gym either, maybe that has made a difference. I bought new runners and have been wearing them without inserts in them, maybe that contributes. Maybe it was the section of fence we took down in the yard last week and carried off. Maybe it was all of the above.
Anti-inflammatories, ice and heat and stretching are my constant friends the past few days. Hope it makes a difference soon.

Martini Party Night.

Now I know that this is probably one of the worst pictures I have taken in a while but it was also about the fifth Martini of the night I imbibed in before taking this horrible picture.
This party was on Saturday night at the neighbour's place and was the first ever Martini party we have had. Usually we have wine tasting parties which are much more sedate and ladylike than this party was!! There was lots of good food, good company and good music playing and did I mention, the Martini's were flowing.
Well, its taken me until today to feel like I might live through the experience!! I forgot about hangovers, have not had one in years until Sunday and for a while I thought it was going to kill me. Guess who is never going to do that again??? Live and learn as they say.
I have learned my lesson.

Skywatch Friday

Trying my hand at Skywatch Friday. This was taken at our local park catching the last of the summer day sun through the trees.

Cool Supper on a Hot Day.

Its been a long hot day here and the last thing we wanted to do was to cook something for dinner. With fresh fruit in the fridge, it was the perfect thing to have for dinner on a hot day.
I think the best fruit of summer has to be cherries. Its one of the only fruits that is only available during the summer and therefore must be eaten in copious amounts from the start of the season till they disappear as its a long time till the next summer's crops come in.

My Hairy Children.

This is Minnie. She is 11 years old. She was supposed to be my cat when I got her but she took one look at my Hubby and that was it. She is totally his, just puts up with me as a source of food for her!!

This is Speed. So named because from day one he has acted like he was on the drug. He is an insane cat. Speeds here, Speeds there. The first time we saw him at my friend's house, he was being held in the mouth of thier Black Lab. All you could see were white feet and legs sticking out trying for all they were worth to take out some of the flesh on that dog's face. The cat had spunk!

We brought him home that night and since then I have been his human. He is nine years old now.

Both of the cats are strictly indoor cats. Minnie won't go near an open door. The big outdoor world is too much for her. Speed will make a break for outside every chance he gets. We have to be careful about him sneaking out a door.

Way to hot today to cook.

Finally this week summer has come back with a vengeance. The cooler days of the past couple of weeks have been squeezed out for temps up in the 30's Celcius. Its hot enough out there to melt everything except the junk in my trunk!!! Oh, if only it was that easy.

Cooking indoors is out of the question, and without a barbeque this year cooking on the back deck is out too. Hubby and I grabbed some Subways, cut up some watermelon and made big jugs of Crystal Lite with lots of ice and headed down to the local park/lake to dine with the ducks and geese. There were quite a few others who also had the same idea as us. And there aren't any dishes to wash. Gotta love that!!!

Best Laid Plans

What is it about sitting in the garden or yard visiting with friends and having some food and drinking wine etc. that is so much more appealing than cutting the grass/yardwork etc on the very lawn that you are visiting on?

I had the best plans and got half of it done before the urge and the opportunity to visit came up and everything else went by the wayside.

Some things there might not be a tomorrow for and the grass and the lawn cutting will always be there tomorrow. Visiting it is!!!

Welcome to my blog!!

How do you start one of these blogs?? I've never done this before. I know I have a bit to learn on how to set this up and then keep it going as well.

I have enjoyed reading other's blogs and especially to look at everyone's pictures so thought this would be a good place to put some of my photos too for other's to see. All in good time though, have to get the hang of this first.