Mourning The Loss Of My Trees

Take a good look at the before and after pictures to see what I am talking about. The front of our property is actually owned by BC Hydro as the lines run down our side of Rock Island Road. Living on a mountain side has it's downside as far as power outages. We experience frequent and prolonged outages all year round mostly due to trees falling on the lines.

This year BC Hydro crews were out cutting down all the trees growing under the power lines. I do support this effort to minimize blackouts and when the nice young men on the cutting crew came to tell me what they were going to do, I was polite and understanding. I knew it had to be done but seeing the results was so very sad.

In front of our veggie garden we had five Alder trees that created a lovely shade, dappled environment I had dubbed Snake Alley as the snakes loved to hang out there. The birds use to nest in the boughs and come into the garden to eat. These lovely trees also screened us from the road and neighbours.

On the other side of our yard we had twelve pine, cedar and hemlock. Again, these trees provided us with privacy from our neighbours and created a sense of security, of being hugged by trees all around us.

Now, we are completely exposed. When I walked out to survey what the crew had done I felt like I was walking around my yard naked.

Everything changes, new energy now flows on and through our property. I'm not sure yet if it's a good flow or not, time will tell. Funny how that one truth is so hard to grasp and accept even if it is a necessary change.

My Birthday Present

I am posting an email my sister, Tanya, sent me about my birthday present from her. She had asked what I wanted from London and I said I would love a pair of authentic Wellies.

Sometimes, it is not the actual present that is the gift but finding out the effort someone has gone to, to get that perfect expression of their love. So my little Sweet Pea, thank you for your love!!!

Lora, Lora. I have a confession, and today I felt like a fool! I lied about your birthday present being in the mail, it's not. It will be soon though!

Since I have been in London, I have been looking high and low for Wellingtons. Now, I've seen boots that look like Wellingtons... I have googled Wellingtons. I went to Camden looking for Wellingtons, again saw racks and racks of Wellingtons, but none of them said "Wellington" anywhere on them. I have asked friends born and raised in London where I can find Wellingtons.

The latest response from a friend was: the Burberry Factory shop in East London, the Outdoor Store in Haymarket, and a department store in Oxford Circus called John Lewis. I went to the Burberry Factory shop, and again found boots that looked like Wellingtons, but they were Burberry's and £500 which were out of my price range. I was starting to think, there must be Wellingtons somewhere!

But, I decided that before I go to another store, I would again get online. I looked at the site for John Lewis and saw "Wellingtons". Hooray!!! I found Wellingtons. So I trucked it down to John Lewis in Oxford Circus today, high street shopping. Found the shoe department, saw the Wellingtons, picked them up, and nowhere on them did it say, "Wellington". I thought I was crazy.

I went up to a clerk, and said, "I was on your site, saw that these boots that I have here in my hand are Wellingtons, but nowhere on the boot does it say Wellington." She said, "Wellington isn't a brand, it's a description of a style of boot." And then I understood that I have been looking for months for a brand name that doesn't exist!Well, I tried them on and bought them. They only had one style, the style that's in this season here in London. They do have pink in them, but no lavender, and are quite fun looking.

While I was standing in line to pay for them - and remember I'm in a department store in the heart of the city (snooty shoppers galore), the woman behind me said "And where are you going to wear those?" Which I actually thought was a strange question as I see Londoners in, what are apparently Wellingtons, often when it's rainy. I said with pride "These are for my sister in Canada and she is going to wear them while farming on her farm." I think she wanted to tell me that Wellingtons were for the farm, but I beat her to it.So my lovely Lora, I'm ruining your surprise, but I don't want to send you something you won't wear. (You don't have to click these links if you don't want to.) I got you these ones:
http://www.johnlewis.com/Fashion/Women's+Accessories/Women's+Footwear/ Wellington+Boots/8020/1/2/ProductType.aspxI can take them back if you don't like them, in the meantime I found this site:http://www.wellieboots.com/

Bye for nowLove you both lotsTanya