It's wild out there

I haven't blogged for ages, so hello to anyone still out there - let's go and just sink into a wall of colour. You know how much I like colour.

May and June are classed as Spring in Alberta - this is much later than the March and April I would have been used to in the UK.

As winter finally (and this year, reluctantly) gives way to Spring,  the warmer winds slowly revive the dull landscape.

The town where I live, Cochrane, is situated in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and is an undulating landscape.

We have lots of different grasses here.

The ravine near my house is covered in Wolf Willow. It is a wild, invasive but reasonably attractive silvery green shrub, with the distinctive leaves like wolf's ears, hence the name. The strong bark can be used to make baskets. However, for about two weeks in Spring, it flowers - and in my very humble opinion, it stinks! It literally catches in my throat. Bleugh.

The official emblem of Alberta is the wild rose.  You see the low bristly shrubs everywhere with their small, bright burst of pink flowers.

The wolf willow and the wild rose are frequently seen in the company of each other.

I think this is a yellow clematis - not sure how "wild" this is really, but it was growing alongside the fence line of the municipal tip.  Anyway - I like this one.

The ground alongside the pathways beside the river are a carpet of dotted colours, and mish-mash of anything that can seed itself and get a foothold.

Ahhh - that will do me for a while.

What the internet is all about...

I've had little time to write or read blogs - I skim through my Facebook, and often wonder just how much time a teenager can dedicate to Instagram and Snapchat (it's a lot by the way). 

So things that have made me laugh out loud in recent weeks have a theme.  Cats.  Cats ARE funny.

And as has often be said before, no matter the advances in science and the internet, you can easily spend 90% of your surfing time looking a funny cat videos.  I get it.

There are grumpy cats, fat cats, cute and happy cats, scary cats, cats with different coloured eyes and the let's-beat-up-the-stupid-dog-and-steal-his-bed cats.

It's a long held opinion but a sad fact nonetheless  - we humans know we are merely tolerated.  Affection is doled out on an as-needed basis, and the reality is that cats will indeed inherit the earth. 

The sooner we get our heads around this fact, the easier life will be.

And so to my favourite cat video...



Know your place people.

Alberta is trying to melt...

Finally, at long bloody last, we have had a week with temperatures well above freezing, and as I ignore the growing slushy puddles, I dream of summer.

 Typical Alberta scenes.

The landscape is still marbled with patches of 

brilliant white snow, 

and dull lifeless fields of brown.  

Green shoots of life are a few weeks away yet.

But those skies keep on pleasing.

A Tuesday in March

Love that the clocks went forward because the evenings are beautiful and light.

Hate that the clocks went forward for a few days though - how can one hour make so much difference to waking up in the morning?

Er, it's still cold

It snowed heavily in December.

It's now March, right?  In my head it should be Spring.

Those exact same December snowflakes 

are still on my back deck.

Where were my warming chinook winds this year?

Yep - these pictures just about sum it up.

Getting used to a new normal

My eldest daughter (who was 16 yesterday - how did that happen?) was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes a few months ago.  Not even three months actually, but it seems like forever to me!

Ironically, it was on "World Diabetes Day"   How's that for timing?!

Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease, and it can just happen.  It's apparently nothing she did or we did, and it's nothing to do with a poor lifestyle or eating too many sweets, which is what most people mentally link "diabetes" to (and the next paragraph will tell you why people think this).  It's not hereditary but her genetics could have made her more pre-disposed to get it.  Her pancreas just decided to give up and now she needs insulin several times a day.

And it is quite different from the more commonly known Type 2 diabetes which is what about 90% of people with diabetes have and which is frequently linked to lack of a healthy lifestyle and eating habits.  The huge rise in Type 2 diabetes unfortunately runs parallel with increased levels of obesity. It's not the only cause, of course, but it is the main story.

Here's a scary statistic.  In 1985, there were about 30 million people with Type 2 diabetes.  By 2010, that had risen to 285 million!  Oh dear.  And I think I might be a candidate if I don't get my unhealthy backside in gear.

At home, I have morphed into the "nag" - the mum who goes on and on.  I do try not to, but it's necessary right now so... well, so be it.  Her dad is trying to remain collected and be the reasonable one, and my other daughter (who is 14 next week) is feeling a touch of the green-eyed monster as her sister gets a fair bit of attention right now.  Again, we are trying to negate this, but ....what a balancing act for everyone!

The team at the local children's hospital have continued to be great, and supportive and I have been told, in no uncertain terms, by our GP to make the most of this, and to accept any service that is offered.  For when the child transitions into the adult health care system, it can be very hit and miss and there are gaping holes in the support system and the requisite health checks.  Luckily my GP's clinic also has an experienced diabetic team so fingers crossed that my daughter is able to educate herself sufficiently in the next two years so that she is able to manage her diabetes in a successful way.

What I have to remind myself on a daily basis is that this is ultimately her journey and health issue, and as the mum I will no doubt worry forever, but she is the one that must live with it, manage it, and suffer the consequences if there is a poorly-managed lifestyle.  Sucks really!  But it's not insurmountable, and nowadays there are tons of positive role models to prove that diabetes need not hinder you in your goals and dreams.  You just have to take responsibility for yourself.

I am impatient for her to "get it", to absorb the routines into her whole being; for it all to become a completely natural part of her life.  I need her to pack, organize and grab her kit by instinct. This is going to take a distracted and busy teenager a while to accomplish.  But it's kinda important. 

So I will continue to nag, nudge, suggest and harangue my daughter for a while longer. 

And we will all continue to work on the new normal.

Alberta weather being kind

It has been one of those beautiful clear winter days - the kind that is momentarily warm enough to undo your jacket, bask in some sunshine, and dream of Spring.

The snow is melting a bit - and boy, we have had a lot. December came in hard and fast and was the month that just kept on giving.  Inches of the white stuff.  My back garden is still 10 inches deep.

The dogs loved the opportunity to run today.  Dog outings have been mostly short, brisk and functional these past few weeks.

Honey relishes the whole back-rub thing.... 

... again and again and again.

However, during this hazardous sport, snow does get in your ears.

Smudge finds golf ball, one of those left-over-from-the-summer balls, as it emerges from the melting frozen course.

And just look how much fun you can have hiding a white golf ball in white snow.

You can pounce and dig for hours with this game.

And as ever on my blog, I insist on showing you the mountains.  You can't get bored of a view like that, can you?

And if you do, perhaps you can fly off somewhere new?