Here it is the end of another year. Where does the time go? 2009 is promising to be a very good year, not that 2008 wasn't.

Christmas in Florida was the best! Christmas day was spent with good friends together enjoying a great meal. It was so good to see everyone again! (I do love the warm temperatures & sunshine too) However it was back to the "real" world for me December 28, somebody has to work....The PICU remains busy, unfortunately some of our children weren't able to be discharged for the Holidays so we do our best to help the kids & their families through very tough times.

Back to work tonight for one more night, my colleagues & I have planned our own New Year celebration...food!...always a good thing.

Temperatures were quite mild when I first returned to Ottawa but the past 2 days have seen rather nasty wind chills. There has not been any new snowfall, & the ice has broken up making the sidewalks a lot safer to walk. I'm still using my poles & find them very helpful!

There is still no end to the city's transit strike. Hopefully it won't go much longer. I would really like to be able to get around a bit more. Very restrictive with no buses & no vehicle.

My daughter will be coming to Ottawa to spend a few days with me. I'm looking forward to that. I just heard though that she is in hospital with a possible appendicitis attack. She is being assessed for need for surgery. Tough way to bring in the New Year. Her Dad is keeping me posted but as with most health care facilities it's a long wait in the emergency department.

Another night to go then a few days off. I'm hoping to connect with some friends here to catch up on things. Perhaps a little snowshoeing, dinner, movie. Time to get out a bit.

For all of you celebrating tonight have a great time & stay safe!

Take care & keep smiling!

Hello again. My days off are coming to an end. Back to work tomorrow then back to sunny Florida on Tuesday! I can't wait! It's only December & I've crawled through enough snow banks to last me a long time. But wait! We are getting 2 more storms this weekend!!


I'm not sure how far I've walked in total this week but I do know my workouts at the gym are getting easier. I managed to beat my previous records on the elyptical machine without needing to nap afterwards. I was also able to go up my repetitions for my weight program. Feeling pretty good right now. Can`t wait to start seeing results.

The bus strike continues here in Ottawa & there is no end in sight. It sure has created a lot of problems all around. Oh well, feet don't fail me now! Walking around the city, & I've covered a lot of it since the strike, is not easy. A lot of places don't have any sidewalks forcing one to walk on the roads & jumping into snow banks to avoid oncoming traffic. Picture that! I walked home after getting my hair done last night & had to do just that. I had visions of headlines reading, ``Woman struck down diving into snowbank to avoid cars, she didn't make it but wow her hair sure looked good!!`` Sidewalks that are ploughed are slippery & have high banks to climb over to cross the streets. I feel for seniors who are forced to navigate this way.


I`m so excited! I bought myself a Black & Decker hand held vacuum. After cleaning the cave yesterday I decided I had enough crawling on my hands & knees with duct tape to clean my carpet. I know, the things that keep me happy....


I`ve been trying to work my way through the books on photoshop elements & my new Canon Rebel XSi 450D that I inherited from Mark. Let`s just say I have a long way to go before I will be as good as he is. Trying to figure it all out is harder than I thought. I`ll keep at it though. The picture you see is one I took of a mural in Lake Placid.

I was hoping to get some nice pictures of Christmas lights in the neighbourhood. I tried a couple but my hands are not steady enough to hold the camera still for the required time to take the picture. I also noticed that there aren`t a lot of decorated homes around here. Must be a sign of the times.

Life is good, Florida next week!

Take care & keep smiling!

I left sunny Florida to return to a storm that had dumped at least 20 cm of snow on Ottawa. While I didn't want to see the snow I have to admit it was pretty. The streets were very hazardous for drivers & walking was a challenge. I sometimes hit snow up to my knees!




As if the storm wasn't enough the Ottawa City Transit went on strike! This created a nightmare for commuters. It wasn't unusual to hear reports of people taking over 3 hours to get to work! Fortunately I don't rely on the bus to get to work so snow or sun it's about a 20 minute walk for me.

I have some appointments that I was concerned I'd have to cancel due to the strike. Taxis will not allow pre-booking & the wait is very long, if you can even get through to one on the phone. My friend Kawal came to my rescue & gave me the use of his car. Thank you so much! I was a little worried about taking his car with the weather & the fact that it is a standard shift. It's been a while since I drove one of those but...I had no problems at all & had forgotten how much fun it is to drive a standard! Only one issue, I couldn't find the gas cap to fill it up & he wouldn't tell me where it was. I WILL find it next time, I just won't look in the usual places for it.

Tonight is our units big Christmas party. I won't be attending as I have to work. Well somebody has to. I am told that one of the staff & her husband prepare a feast for those of us who don't get to attend the party. I'm looking forward to that, seems I will have a better meal than the party goers as they only get appetizers!

Hope all is well with you!

Take care & keep smiling!

It's been a while since my last post. My last stretch at work was very busy, the ICU was overflowing. We had to put a couple of our children in the recovery room across the hall because there was no room in the unit. By the end of my four shifts I was exhausted as were all my team members. We were ready for a much needed break.

I just returned from a quick trip to Nova Scotia to visit my parents. It's still nice & green there. You would never know they got a major dump of snow last week.

My parents are doing reasonably well. Mom has her good & bad days. I guess that's to be expected. Dad does a great job taking care of her.

Mom & I got some shopping done, she was very pleased about that & I think Dad was very glad he didn't have to go! We had a very nice Turkey dinner on Friday with my daughter & her boyfriend. It was fun to have everyone together even if it was just a short time.

My sister and her girls met me for lunch at the airport today. I always enjoy the company while waiting for my flight.

The flight back to Ottawa via Montreal was good. Quite bumpy between Halifax & Montreal. Hard to read with the words jumping all over the place. I'm not sure how the flight attendant was able to serve everyone with the amount of turbulance we had.

Back to work tomorrow. Hopefully things have settled down a bit. Then the best part...my return to Florida on Friday for my days off. I can't wait!

Take Care & Keep Smiling!

Today is the middle of my days off & I have managed to keep very busy. I joined a local gym here with plans to stay active over the long winter. I had a training session today with one of the Trainers there. She pushed me a bit so that I could see that I really was capable of more than I thought I was. It was a very good workout, I expect to be sore tomorrow.

I have been walking a lot these days, enjoying getting out & about. Not sure how I'll feel about it once the really cold weather with north winds & snow get here. Just thinking about it makes me shiver! Also brings back memories of the cold Frozen Arctic.

This picture is from Qikiqtarjuak on Baffin Island. I worked up there for 3 weeks last year. Very beautiful place. Mark, you could take some awesome pictures up there!

Another busy day planned for tomorrow, a little shopping. Time to get some ideas for Christmas. Also plan to get out my poles for some Nordic walking. That's a great exercise! Helps maintain a better posture while walking which is good for the abs & breathing.

Hope you are all well & keeping active!

Take Care & Keep Smiling!

Picture sunny Florida...now picture this. I forgot what the sun looks like! It's raining today but temperatures are still very mild. I'll enjoy this while I can because winter is just around the corner.

The flight back to Ottawa was good. We arrived early, & the pilot & his crew received a round of applause from very satisfied customers.

Work was very busy these past couple of days. My co workers were glad to see me back & jealous of my tan. George, one of my "team" members gave me a big hug telling me it was about time I got back. hmmm, I was thinking I wasn't gone long enough.

Today a couple of friends & I are heading off to a Photographic,Video & Digital Imaging Show here in Ottawa. I'm hoping to get some good pointers as I would like to be able to take pictures as good as Mark's. First I have to learn what all the buttons mean, and how to focus.

I'm working nights tonight & tomorrow. Somebody has to do it.

Time to meet my friends. Hope you are all enjoying a great day!

Take care & keep smiling!

Welcome to Caveside

This is it, the first instalment from my cave, on what promises to be a very interesting winter. I thought it would be a good way to keep all of you updated as to what is going on in the frozen north while you & Mark enjoy the warmth of sunny Florida. Sigh.......it is only one winter......it will go quickly.....

There will be lots to keep me busy here, work, the gym, I might even get in some winter sports like snowshoeing, and of course the occasional trip to Florida! I will also be taking some pictures of the winter scenes to share with you.

Mark & I, (Buddy too) are very excited about our trip to Florida next week. So much to do! I have 4 more shifts to work. We start our drive after I get off work on the 30th. Can't wait to see you all again!

Take care & keep smiling!