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| Morning Fire Red Sky |
Good Morning everyone - now doesn't that have a ring of being in the classroom again & being greeted by the teacher?
Currently Shopping: I've bought a few Christmas gifts. This year gift giving will be much more subdued as there isn't a lot any of us need. Those that we gift exchange with all agree, far too costly for most things. We've also agreed to give things that are consumable, edible mostly because none of us want to find a place to store or dust afterwards.
Currently Reading: The Locked Room, book #14 in the Ruth Galloway series. Thoroughly enjoyed & I was ever so pleased for Ruth of what she gained at the end of the story (no spoilers in case you haven't enjoyed as yet). I am just finishing up, A Demon Summer, book #4 in the Max Tudor murder mystery series. I think for me this will be the last read of the series or at least a break, I really don't enjoy & find that I have to force myself to read.
Reading each & every page, not only once, but twice, The Holiday Insiders Report. This is a magazine produced by the grocery chain that I shop at; I shop at one of the subsidiaries of the chain. They showcase all their new products for the holiday season in it, it's like a catalogue for foodies & this year it will feature as a guide for our gift giving. I save all my points with the frequent shopper club card & use to do a lot of treat shopping with the points earned. Candy Cane ice cream is back, they haven't take up with my suggestion of Candy Cane frozen yoghurt 😔
Currently Crafting: or maybe not, I cannot decide this year if I will do a December Daily project. I did not do one last year, although I did lots of Christmas related pages in my day to day album. It's not only about space for another album, but the energy to plan, implement & process. Maybe I need to sort through with my holiday papers & stickers to be inspired.
Currently Virus (up)Rising: Once again COVID is rising in cases of illness & death. What's also scary is the rapid rise of another respiratory illness, RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus) . Primarily this is a virus that affects children but adults can also get this virus.
Our provincial medical officer is now requesting (not mandating) that everyone start wearing their masks again when indoors. I cannot believe there is really any debate about putting on a mask, particularly indoors, when it has been medically & scientifically proven to help reduce the spread of all respiratory viruses.
Three major provincial children's hospitals, Toronto & Hamilton & Eastern Ontario, are now delaying surgeries as their capacity to treat is now at critical capacity because of the rise & treatment required of RSV in children.
I live in a region with a small & over worked general hospital. For more than six months the ER gets closed for 24 to 48 hours, not always, but usually on the weekend. The ambulances, if you can get one, are taking over an hour to get to our village. I recently read that the ambulance shortage is because when they get the patient to the hospital, they must stay with the patient until the hospital can receive them - it's called off loading & that process can take up to 8-12 hours, so it keeps that ambulance out of the circuit !!!!!! You just don't want to risk getting sick or hurt in Ontario.
Currently Garden Visitors: Now that the leaves are all gone off our two large Burning Bushes, Euonymus alatus & only the berries remain, we have been receiving daily visits from Cedar Waxwing & Black Capped Chickadees. Our largest two bushes are located in the front garden so that both cats can sit at the large window & watch as birds fly in & out of the bush - it's bird theatre.
Cedar Waxwing enjoying the berries
Oh yes, I forgot to mention, it snowed yesterday morning. Not a big snow, light, wet & sticking to the ground. I'll say no more for fear of being rude. Happy week everyone ... class dismissed. 😉
Missed the snow although some may have spotted a few flakes. This will change very shortly.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter has asked for a Christmas list. I can’t think of anything.
John take a look at the Insider's Report, you may find a few treats in there to put on your Christmas list. There's a nice Tea Advent calendar that Sue may enjoy :)
DeleteSounds like the hospital numbers and associated wait times are the same there as they are here. The health service is so over stretched. I had heard that RSV was on the rise, but we haven't heard anyone mention wearing masks again ... yet.
ReplyDeleteThose little birds are adorable and there are plenty of berries for them to enjoy on that bush!
My cats are glad for all the bird distraction. As I no longer put out feeders as it attracts the unwanted wildlife more than the birds it is meant to feed, I am glad plants I have do the natural feeding :) Seems both our health care systems are lacking & beside the US of A, we in Canada pay the next highest rates of health care. It is worrying for sure.
DeleteYesterday I ordered take-out from a restaurant which doesn't have a take-out window. That meant I walked through crowds, being the only one masked...everyone stared. I felt like I was walking through invisible fog of viruses.
ReplyDeleteI am encouraged as I see more & more people wearing masks indoors in the grocery stores. In our local school I would say it is about 80/20 of both students & teachers wearing masks. Maybe people in our region do get it. I can only hope.
DeleteYour ambulance service sounds exactly like ours just now ... very worrying.
ReplyDeleteOur entire medical system is worrying. Mr Man is moving into the theory, it's a plot (I jest of course about the plot), but you have to wonder how governments can ignore for so long.
DeleteWell, enjoyed class very much. Especially the bits about the birds, and the two photos that complement each other very well. I am looking forward to my grocery's new magazine. I save all my rewards points all year to go toward the fixins for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you came to class :) This year's Christmas gift giving will be eased with all agreements to edible gifts & points gained.
DeleteWhat a beautiful sunrise! I can just imagine the cats sitting at the window watching the birds! I haven't even thought of Christmas, this year! Sigh. My cousin will probably have a big family gathering and my daughter and I will probably drop off the gifts early.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bless. The cats, especially Soot, will sit in the window, for at least 20-30 minutes watching outside life. Soot has a squirrel friend that comes to the window & they run back & forth chattering at each other through the glass. For you, you probably need to get through Thanksgiving before Christmas dreams drift in :)
DeleteWe had snow showers over the weekend, but there's a chance of measurable snow before the week is out. I'm never ready! I gave up doing a December Daily several years ago, but have to admit, my December albums are among my favorites. I've been doing a daily photography class and enjoying it so much, that I'm thinking of continuing it through December although there won't be the community of photographers that has increased the pleasure of this class.
ReplyDeleteI have been perusing my blog/online connections looking for a workshop/course that might give me some inspiration & I think I have found one reasonable in pricing - our Canadian dollar is so weak to the USD right. I have sent the author of the materials an email with a few question before I decide/purchase.
DeleteOh, and I forgot: a stunning photo of the sky!
ReplyDeleteThanks Karen. That morning the sky just looked like it was on fire, thankfully no notable weather extremes that day!
DeleteLove the top photo. What amazing light on the clouds! I'm sorry to hear that Canada is facing the same ambulance/hospital beds predicament as we are. Another strain on hospital capacity here is that it can be hard to discharge patients who are well enough to leave, but have no family or access to social care to return to. There is a real lack of home carers or space/staff in care homes. It is really scary and I fear the ramifications if, heaven forbid, anyone I knew needed emergency treatment. Our health service is in a miserable state and it seems to be a viscous circle. Staff are leaving en masse because it's so horrible to work there, and many, despite working full time, can't earn enough to live.
ReplyDeleteThanks. The sky that morning was unbelievable in the colour & intensity of it. I probably took about 20 photos while the red was burning through the clouds. It is very scary how broken our medical system is & our medical staff are also leaving the profession in droves ... we certainly thought a lot about how wonderful they all were during the height of pandemic, but now as a whole, society is again worshiping at the social "stars" & forgetting they cannot save us. I'll say no more (for now).
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