April 14 - Spring

Just a few days ago we left the snow on the ground in Central Alberta and drove to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.  The drive across the mountains was not pleasant.  When we left the town of Golden, there was heavy rain, burst of hail, and at the summit of Rogers Pass some light snow.  It wasn’t until we turned south on Highway 97 that the clouds began to clear.

A further two hours down the road we came to the town of Peachland.  (Don’t you just love that name!). We got out of the vehicle to stretch our legs long the lake front.  We were already commenting on the green grass when we came to a small tree covered in blossoms.

There is a picture below with me standing in front of the tree.  I thought that the blossoms were a spectacular white but Lyle assured me that they had a pinkish hue.  I do have some trouble in accurately distinguishing  colours so I must take his word for what he sees.

Whatever their colour, the blossoms were a delightful sign that Spring is on the way.

 

Sue in front of a tree with blossoms

 

April 8 - Familiarity

We are home from our holiday. Although we had a wonderful time, it is good to be back around familiar things again. Until we are actually at home, I don’t think I realize just how much I appreciate the ease of not having to adjust to new things all the time.

I love sleeping in my own bed. Like Goldilocks in the Three Bears, my mattress is not too soft, not too hard, but just right. I like being able to turn the handle of my shower to the right temperature for me, and not having to adapt to different knobs and handles to get the right heat setting every time I step under a different water spout.

I know that Lyle likes to be home so that he doesn’t need to do all the cooking! I am fine with my home stove, microwave, etc. but I struggle with ones that aren’t marked with my tactile buttons. I can do the basics when we are away but generally speaking, Lyle needs to take over for most of the cooking.

Last night as I lay in bed, I reflected that I had even been missing familiar sounds. I like the sound of the chiming of our clock in the living room. If I am awake at four in the morning I even like to hear the train whistle as it regularly passes by down the hill at that time. Of course I miss the audible program on my computer. When we are away, we only take Lyle’s i-Pad and I often just dictate whatever emails I need to send. It’s not the same as typing the words and thoughts myself.

Yes, there is much to be said for the familiarity of home, but having said that, I am still looking forward to our next travel adventures.

 

 

April 2 - Canberra

We spent several days in Canberra and I wish that it could have been longer. There is so much to see and do in Australia’s national capital city. Still, Jenny had planned our trip well and we made good use of the time we had available.

A must stop for me was the Australian War Memorial Museum. The building and its records are a great tribute to Australians and their participation in the many conflicts of war. We took a free guided tour and I would highly recommend this. As a visually impaired person I found the tour especially helpful. There are many, many written accounts and Lyle would have been exhausted if he had tried to read them all for me. As it was, our knowledgeable guide chose highlights and I thought it made for a much more informed experience. I was especially interested in the records of World War II as my father was part of the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) in the 1940’s in New Guinea. We had his service number and were able to find 44 pages of information about him.

Another must see on the tourist list would be a tour of the Old Parliament Buildings. These are no longer in use but are open to visitors and once again we took the free guided tour. This was much better than just wandering aimlessly through the various rooms and chambers. As an Australian born myself, I think that I was surprised at how much of the history had evolved during the period of my own lifetime.

Another stop on the tourist list was the Australian Institute of Sports. We took the tour. Unfortunately we had chosen to do this on a Sunday and most of the athletes were on a regular day off so we didn’t see much action. However, the tour of the building site was impressive and it was obvious how much Australians value sports as a part of their lives. We noted the names of a few athletes to watch for in the Paris Olympics.

We had our eight year-old granddaughter with us in Canberra and so some of our time needed to be spent with a focus on childhood activities. One of these was the pod playground at the Arboretum. What a fantastic place for kids! Lexi had a great time on all the equipment and Lyle and I loved the setting. The Arboretum is set in a valley to the north of the city and the views are amazing.

Also to the north of the city is the Walk-In Aviary. This was an enormous amount of fun, although perhaps not recommended if you don’t like birds. When we entered the netted area, the squawking of the lorikeets was almost deafening. The admission included a small plate of cut up apple, and when we held these out the birds landed on our arms and hands to feed. A few of the birds even landed on my head. It was a lot of fun and a chance for me to see the colourful birds close up. I am always grateful when I can “see” wildlife of any form at close range.

There are three pictures with this post. The first two were taken at the aviary with the birds and the last one is of Lyle and me outside at the Arboretum.

 

Sue with lorikeet

Sue feeding a lorikeet

Sue and Lyle at the Arboretum

 

 

 

 

March 28 - A Little Road Trip

Last week we travelled from Sydney to Canberra and back.  Canberra is Australia’s capital city and is a great stop for any tourist.

Our trip began with a train ride to Wollongong.  We picked up our rental car at Unanderra and drove on to Kiama, Ulladulla, Mollymook and Bateman’s Bay.  I love the sound of some of those place names.

The road down the coast was scenic but it was our stops that were really great.  Kiama is famous for its blowhole.  It is here that the ocean water surges into a crevice in the rocks.  Because there isn’t enough space for the volume of water, the water then surges up in a mighty fountain-like cascade.  Quite spectacular - especially at high tide.

Our next stop was the beach at Mollymook where you can literally walk for miles at low tide.  We spent the night at Bateman’s Bay, a last stop before the highway turns inland toward Canberra.

I loved all the experiences of the day - the water spray at the blowhole, the sand under my feet at Mollymook and the crab pasta at the Stingray Restaurant at Bateman’s Bay.

I will write more about Canberra in my next post.  There are two pictures with this post today.  The first is at the Kiama Blowhole and the second is of the beach at Mollymook.

 

 

Kiama blowhole

 

Mollymook beach

 

 

 

 

March 19 - Morning Coffee

For the past three weeks I have enjoyed my morning coffee at the beach.  It is one of my favourite times of the day.

Lyle and I have been staying at a beach town an hour or so north of Sydney on the east coast of Australia.  Our holiday unit is just over a ten minute walk to the beach itself - and also to my favourite coffee shop.

Freestate Coffee is a very narrow shop.  All ordering is done inside a busy space. The tables and chairs are set up on the sidewalk outside. I like to take my coffee across the street where I can sit at the beach front and watch the waves.

My morning coffee stop has been made even more enjoyable because of the attentiveness of the coffee shop staff.  I think they may have noticed my “Low Vision” identity badge and began giving me special attention.  Generally they greet me by name, remember my coffee order, and are careful when placing the full take-away cup in my hand.  This recognition and special attention has been a great start to my day.

At home, I often enjoy coffee with friends in a variety of places, but these past three weeks have been special.

There is a photo with this post.  I am sitting on a low stone wall in front of
the sandy beach.  In the background the rising sun is just beginning to light up the waves.

 

Sue on the wall in front of the beach

 

 

March 10 - The Australian Reptile Park

This past week we had an amazing day at the Australian Reptile Park.  Of course, the best part was that we were there with our daughter and granddaughter, but also I was excited to be able to see and touch some of the animals.

One of our first stops was an informational talk about a few of the reptiles.  It was obvious that Ranger Laura loved her job, and because the crowd was relatively small she invited us to come forward for a closer look.  I stood at the rail beside Lexi and we patted the bumpy hide of a small alligator and the satiny skin of a python.  I was hesitant at first as I couldn’t see clearly and didn’t want to touch the head of either of these creatures.  However, Jenny and Laura guided my hand so that I could touch these reptiles safely.

Another amazing stop was at the koala enclosure. Jen had paid for a picture so we all trouped into the enclosure.  We were all able to pet the koala.  They have such soft fur - but also sharp claws.

At another enclosure I was excited to see two fat echidnas waddling close to the fence of their habitat.  On previous visits to the park, the echidnas had always been too far away for me to see.

I would highly recommend a visit to the park if you are in the area.  The Reptile Park is located just over an hour north of Sydney, close to Gosford.

There are three pictures with this post.  In the first picture I am standing beside a very cuddly koala.  The second picture shows Lexi patting an alligator.  In the third picture I am touching the satiny skin of the python.

 

 

Sue with Koala

Lexi petting an alligator

Sue touching a python

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 4 - Flying Blind

This past week, Lyle and I flew from Edmonton to Vancouver.  As usual, I registered as a legally blind passenger.  When I boarded the aircraft I was wearing my low vision badge and I used my white cane. Lyle’s seat had been changed to an exit row and I was now four rows back from him and on the other side of the aisle.  Essentially I was travelling alone.  I was mildly annoyed when I wasn’t given the required safety briefing but I didn’t complain.  The flight was already delayed by over an hour and I just wanted to get going.

We had a relatively uneventful flight over the mountains, but as we approached Vancouver Airport the trouble began.  We were flying in heavy rain on final approach to the runway with the flaps and wheels down. At about 300 feet above the ground the airplane suddenly lurched forward and the power surged.  Immediately the cabin lights were turned off.  The airplane veered crazily from side to side as we made an abrupt turn into the clouds. I felt as if we were out of control and I imagined that the pilots were struggling from flying visually to a sudden return to instrument flying conditions. We eventually regained altitude and went around for another approach.  This time we came in for a smooth landing.

Lyle and I have flown hundreds of times over the years, but for me this was the most frightening experience ever.  I was very concerned about a possible crash landing. I think that that day I wasn’t the only one flying blind. For that short period of time the two pilots on the flight deck were also flying blind. We all had a lucky escape.