Welcome to Our Web Page
When this web page began more than twenty-five years ago, it described most of the activities of our whole family. Now that most of our children have flown the coop, it is mostly about what Ann and I (Dave) have been up to. I update it most weekends. We save all the messages over the past year in an Archive along with links to what we were doing ten and twenty years ago.
You can click on the pictures above to get a bit more information about each of us.
Sunday December 14
An ornament on our tree, one of four birds that Ann got at a craft sale last year
We are now in the final countdown to Christmas. Ten days ago we made our almost-annual trip out to Hogan's U-pick Christmas Tree Farm in Mount Uniacke. "Almost" because they were not operating last year; but this year they were back in business and we had a nice chat with the owner, presumably Mr. Hogan, before venturing forth to find the perfect tree. As usual we found it only a few feet away from the house, then dutifully trudged around the whole field to ensure that it was, in fact, "the one." It is now installed and decorated in the usual spot in the corner of the living room by the piano.
There have also been the usual succession of Christmas concerts and get-togethers, though not quite as many as when we had four children living with us. Today, the Grace United choir, including Ann, of course, were the centre of attention at the Sunday Service. I went along to lend moral support, spending the hour beforehand, while the choir was practising, having a coffee and a fruit muffin at Two If By Sea. On Tuesday, Ann went with Carl and Roxanne to see a concert at the Halifax Public Library by the Chebucto Community Singers, which includes our biking friend Pauline, and the Military Wives Choir. This week we will be going to a gathering of our biking friends at Bob and Mary's and we will also be going to the annual performance of the Messiah. We also went out to lunch at the Resolutes Club with Kim, Glen, Ingrid, Mike and Alex last Saturday and, on Friday, Ann went to lunch with Cindy, Vicki and Cathy in honour of Vicki's birthday. To ensure that none of her time was wasted, Ann also went to meetings of the ABC and Ramblers Book Clubs.
There has been a lot of effort — though I freely admit that Ann has borne the brunt of it — acquiring and dispatching gifts. Ann has also made it a personal mission to prop up the Post Office in their hour of need by mailing Christmas cards, even to our immediate neighbours, rather than doing it by hand. A week ago Thursday, we went to a show at Viewpoint Gallery featuring photographs made into cards; we bought several, primarily of cute animals and birds in winter scenes, to aid Ann's project.
Although the weather has been pretty miserable lately — our phone weather apps like to call it "wintry mix"; there is some falling as I write this and it is forecast to last until the early hours tomorrow — we have managed to go walking in Shubie Park with the Roadents a couple of times and skating at the RBC Centre once. I had planned to play bridge with my friend Layton in Truro on Friday but, as I was about to leave, he texted to tell me that it had been cancelled due to a localized snow storm.