Calgary Zoo Lights

The Zoo, here in Calgary, puts on an amazing display of Christmas lights over the Christmas period and Odelia and Alister and the two boys took Mum, Chris and I to see them on Tuesday evening... and it snowed and snowed and snowed!  The weather forecast said it was only going to get colder as the week moved on so we bundled up and traipsed our way round for two and half hours - resembling snowmen more and more as the evening went on.  Luckily it was only -12 degrees!! ;)

The big cats....

The elephant...

An ice sculptor at work...

It was incredible what this guy could do with a big buzz saw!!

All the photos were taken by Chris.... because my little hands were tucked into big fat mittens and hiding inside my pockets and that is where they planned to stay! ;)

Mum, myself and Chris under the big tree.

Odelia, Alister, Kyler, Merrick and Moi just before we headed off to find a bonfire and hot chocolate stand!

Wishing You All a Very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!!

WOYWW 29th Dec and JYC

All that preparation and hard work and there it is gone.... Christmas is over for another year and here we are doing another What's on Your Work Desk Wednesday... the last one for 2010!!

I am still plugging away at my journal pages... still way behind but if I could get a couple of hours of good scrapping time in, I am sure I could catch up!! LOL

I finally finished the weather page... it took me two days to find those little thermometers... you know when you have something but not a cookin clue where you have put them?  I looked in every jar and box in the scraproom and finally found them in a tub on the shelf but I think they are perfect for this page!

and my gift wrap page is completed - I love my gift wrap from this year... it is double sided!!  yep, double sided Christmas paper, I found a huge roll of it in Costco this year but as its 45 metres long I may have it for a couple more Christmas' yet!! ;)

Here is Pandora on the high ledge with one of my Christmas presents next to her... a wire dress form to go with the bird cages that live up there.

Tom-Tom also had to inspect the new item on the ledge.... 

Don't forget to check out Julia, AKA Chief Inspector Dunnit, for the complete list of desks to snoop at!

Merry Christmas!!

Up bright and early and opening the cat's Christmas stockings...

The tweeting bird in a cage was a big hit....

Pandora says: I think I'll just sit here and have a rest from all the excitement....

Tom-Tom says:  I need a nap.... with a teddy....

Hope you are all having a great day!

Twas the Night Before Christmas....

and my Mum has polished the house, the washing is on and the place is tidy-ish... just got to throw the vacuum around a bit and I am ready!!  Yahooooo!

The bears half way up the Christmas tree are guarding the gifts....

which are all looking very festive!!

We are off out to a Christmas Eve BBQ this evening... I'm sort of hoping they mean the cooking is on the BBG but the eating bit is inside.... ;)

and tomorrow we are out to Christmas dinner to Odelia and Alister's.... so guess who is having a really easy time over Christmas????  

So it just leaves me to say that I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas, where ever they are!

WOYWW 22 December 2010

Happy What's On Your Wwordesk Wednesday to everyone... hope you are all ready for Christmas!!

Hmmmm, so on my work desk this week are still pages of my Christmas Journal... have completed a couple more but I am sadly dragging my feet on the keeping up to date front! 

The weather page is waiting for a photo of the snow... I have quite a few of those to choose from!!

The Lists page is done with most of my lists having satisfactory ticks against the items...

I was planning to have a session of catch ups today but then the Chinook blew in and gave me a headache, it makes concentrating difficult but the plus side of the Chinook is that it brings lovely warmth to the region and a break from the freezing temps.  I bet there are a few folk back in the UK wishing for a Chinook just about now, I think I picked the right year to experience a Canadian winter!!

This is a photo from my bedroom window of the Chinook cloud... such amazing colours!

Pandora taking more than a little interest in a toy mouse...

and posing for the camera....

Here is Tom-Tom with his 'what mouse?' expression...

Tom-Tom with his string toy.... 

Which really just leaves me to say....

and hope that Santa believes my reindeer on the 'fridge....

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas!

Naughty or Nice?

It has been snowing here for goodness knows how long.... and yesterday was no exception, so being Sunday I put on my -40 boots, mittens, Santa hat and jacket and proceeded to clear the snow from the driveway and path again... and the sun was shining and it didn't really feel like -17 whilst I was working so I did my neighbours path... then it seemed churlish not to just finish the job properly and do their driveway too... they were out at church or something and I thought perhaps this kind gesture might just edge me from Santa's 'naughty' list to his 'nice' one!! ;)  It all looked very clean and tidy for a while then after an hour I looked out the window and the heavens had dumped a huge snowfall again so by the time the neighbours arrived home there was no sign of my good deed!!  Do you think it will still count?  Will my last ditch effort get me on the 'nice' list?

In the forefront of the pic you can see my neighbours decorative deer... the deer was an automaton thingy... its head raised and lowered as if eating the grass and its very pretty all lit up at night... at the moment it is stuck with its face in the snow.... hopefully it will still work when it thaws a bit!! 

I did check the mail box across the road in the hope of a Christmas card or two.... my Mum received 3 and I got a bill... I am beginning to think that perhaps not only did I not make Santa's 'nice' list but I also may have been removed from everybody's card list too!! :(

I will be back when it is light to show you my last Christmas tree and card.... for the neighbours with the driveway covered with snow!! ;)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

It's been snowing here for over 30 hours but it's weird snow... it doesn't appear to lay and just flutters about in the breeze - logic says it must be ending up somewhere but my driveway doesn't need clearing so I don't much care!! :)  Chris took Mum and I to Chinook Mall to do some Christmas shopping yesterday - which is the most sensible way to shop when its -12 outside... you drive into the underground car park and spend a couple of hours in the mall and then return to the car....

I have the devil's own job remembering where I parked the car.... and as you can see... if you get to the parkade early you get to choose your space... and our name is West.... so Chris obligingly gave into my sadistic humour and posed for our chosen car park spot.... ;)

 which was great in theory but I had told Mum about the teeniest church on the side of the road at Fish Creek, I have looked longingly at it every time we drive by so with Mum in the car, Chris turned off the dual carriageway and found the back road so that we could see it properly.

St Paul's Anglican Church, Midnapore built in 1885

Isn't that the most perfect photo for a Christmas card?  I imagine that 15 parishioners would fill it to capacity, it is very small, and very quaint and reminds me of Little House on the Prairie. I will have to go back one day when it is open as the inside is all wooden walls and ceilings and quite beautiful.

Mum, Odelia and I had a massive cupcake making session, it was much faster once we set up an assembly line but it still took us 5 hours to produce these...

but Odelia still need 2 more for her list of gifts....

So Mum and I stayed up late and got the last two done...

Here is Mum looking as though eating cupcakes were on her mind rather than making them!

and Odelia looking mighty happy at seeing her Christmas present list nearly completed!

Had to make some changes to the corner with the tree early yesterday morning.... the presents were taking over and the tree was beginning to look a little lost, so I found a small table and plonked the tree on it so now it shows again!

Now, call me weird but I think the most forlorn thing at Christmas is a tree with no gifts so I have been buying a few bits and pieces that go under the tree and stay there so that it isn't bare.  I found a couple of lovely empty box books which are stunning but when I tried to get a photo of them Tom-Tom decided he should be in the shot....

Hmmmmm... big orange blur ruined that one...

So just behind his right ear.... are the books!

Hope everyone is staying warm and has hopefully completed the majority of their chores ready for next weekend!!

WOYWW 15th December and Journal Your Christmas 2010

Another week closer to Christmas and another week further behind with my Journal Your Christmas!!  But... the good news is that on my work desk this week I have made a start on the journal.  I decided to make a change from the books I normally make and have made a box with hanging files inside for the days of the month. Chris saw it and said it looked nice but I hadn't made the box fat enough... he obviously remembered the problems I encounter every year with my Christmas Journal and how obese they become by month end... I am sort of hoping that the hanging space will be adequate but only time will tell!!

So here is my work desk this week... and yes, it is a bit of a mess by my standards... Julia would have no problem with it though, there is still green mat showing!! ;)

This is the front of the file box.

This is a photo of the top with the files hanging inside... I sat for an hour and dabbed glitter glue in gold, green and red on the the tops of the hanging files to cheer them up a bit and love the effect it gives.

This is day three... a work in progress about Christmas cards and I made a small version of the cards I made last week and have space for journalling on the inside.

and beside my work desk I have this.... and quite why Pandora has a duster beside her bed is a mystery to me because she never helps with the cleaning!

and this.... obviously Tom-Tom hasn't learned that ginger haired men should not be seen in red...

Here is the tree now it has lights... I think you can just see them faintly twinkling!

and here is my Christmas Angel Bear... I found a pair of angel wings whilst out shopping and have kitted him out for his tree top position!

On the way to Okotoks at the weekend I asked Chris to pull over so I could get some snow scenes...

I love this one with the bails of hay in the field.

How cool is this?  Mum in the back of the car with the winter scene reflected in the window. 

Don't forget to check out our desk leader, Julia, for the list of lovely desks to visit.