Almost February

Hallelujah....we are just about one month closer to spring. It cannot come quickly enough for me this year that is for sure. It is raining again now, about 0 degrees. I guess we should feel lucky as the poor people out West are suffering through such a cold spell.
Ralph just got back today from Ontario. He went up on Monday. Apparently Ontario is getting hit today with freezing rain. Ralph got out before the freezing rain started.
I don't think that I have told you on here about my trip that I will be taking in May. If I have, forgive me, if you don't know read on. I am going with ten other people from the Community College to Southeast Asia. I leave on April 30th (3 months from today) and return on May 27th. I will be flying first of all to Bangkok, Thailand then to Pkuket, Thailand for a week. Then on to Hanoi, Vietnam for a week and finally Beijing, China. I got my first round of shots last week and I get the last two at the end of February.
Flo and Fred left for Florida on Sunday. They left just in time. The Island got freezing rain on Monday night and have been without power since. I hope that they did not run into the storm that hit the New England states on Monday. She said that she would email once she got there so I will let you know how she is doing. Can't wait to hear how hot it is and what a good time she is having :-)
Well must go, have to make some phone calls and get ready for tomorrow.

Enough of the Snow...Let's Think about Summer

So, let's talk about the 6th Murphy Family Reunion which Ralph tells me is only about 187 days away. July 31st- Aug 3rd, in South Branch, Nova Scotia. Be there or be square....

So the emails have been flying hot and heavy about the reunion.
Here's what Ralph tells me is going to be going on:
Easter in August.

Make your own Easter bonnet for the Easter Parade, this includes you males as well. (P.S. Ralph has already started on his you guys so you better get busy).

Easter Egg Hunt

Easter Bunny Hop (3 legged race)

Coloring Contest (Easter Bunny) for the kids, or older if you so desire.

Coloring Easter Eggs (prizes for each category)

Road Rage Rally

Washer Toss Tournament

Golf

And many other activities. And keeping with the Easter theme , we will have Ham & Yams. Pancakes one morning with special homemade sauces contest (prize for the best sauce/syrup).

Gee, sounds like fun doesn't it! All the people reading this blog who are not Murphys will want to come :-)
I will be leaving for my Asia trip in less than 100 days. I leave Halifax on April 30th and return to Halifax on May 27th. I can't wait to blog from Pkuket, Thailand or Hanoi, Vietnam. We are going to Beijing , China also and since they are hosting the Summer Olympics this year that city should be quite exciting. Hope I am able to breathe as I hear that the smog there is pretty bad.
The worst part of this international travelling for me is that I have to go and get shots on Thursday.. Hepatitis, tetanus, maybe typhoid fever and I don't know what else. Oh well, if I have to do it, I have to do it.
Okay that is it for today, talk to you all again soon.

Almost mid January already

Well here it is another beautiful, sunny Sunday in January. This month has been much kinder to us poor snow-weary Nova Scotians, than December was. Here in Hammonds Plains we are almost down to the bare ground in most places. Alas, I hear that we are in for more snow tomorrow. Well what can you do? We do live in Canada and it is January. Could be worse and we could not have a warm place to be in to get out of the weather. Having said that it looks like some people in this province and country are having to make the choice to buy home heating oil or food. No one should ever be put in that position but I know that many people are.
We are paying 1.14 a litre for gas here in Halifax and I know it is a bit more in the rural areas. Told Ralph that we may have to think about getting rid of one of the vehicles.

Read this morning in the paper about the horrible accident in Bathurst, N.B. Seven young basketball players and the coach's wife who was a teacher were killed. The coach was driving the van which swerved on the icy roads and hit a tractor trailer. It just all seems so random and pointless. They were 10 minutes away from the fast food restaurant where their parents were waiting for them. They had made it...almost. Terrible waste.

Been here on the Internet looking for a good Pork Rib recipe. Thought we would have a good feed of ribs for supper tonight. Ralph and I went to a movie last night. Neither of us could remember the last time we went out to a movie. We saw "Juno" with Ellen Page, the actress from good old Halifax. It was really good...funny. We both realized why we don't go out a lot to movies, especially on Saturday. Price of admission, $10.99 @ + about $8.00 for a drink and a popcorn. Total of $30.00 for the two of us and a snack to share. Don't know how families do it? I guess they take their own snacks and go on cheap nights. There were two long lineups to get in the theatre. I had never seen the lines stretched outside the theatre like that before. The security guard said that it has been like that the last two Saturdays.

Happy Belated Holidays

I am getting to be a very lazy blogger. I never seem to get around to updating this Blog lately. I will blame it on Facebook. Since I got active on that I spend way too much of my internet time on it instead of working on this. Well, the holidays have come and gone again. Lots of changes this year. Lost Mom, Joe got a job and he and Trish moved back to Ontario, San has her own place and her practice is doing great and she has a new man in her life. Ralph and I seem to be the only ones that didn't change a lot....too old I guess :-)

Ralph took all of the decorations down yesterday, the house seems so bare for those first few days after everything comes down don't you think? Just got off the phone with Flo. Summerside is socked in with snow. Flo said that it reminds her of the winters on the Island in the 70's. Lots of wind and snow, big drifts etc. She will only have to suffer through it for another three weeks or so as she and Fred leave for a month in Florida at the end of this month. Wish I was going with them.

Tried to make it down to Barrington over the holidays to spend a few hours with my family but on Saturday, the 29th, the snow made us turn back at the Lunenburg exit. We were disappointed but better to be safe.

I've put up a picture that San took at our annual Boxing Day Open House. Good time, good food, good drinks....what more could you ask for. Take care all and I will be checking back soon...I hope.