Easter Monday

Cute kids shipped fresh to your door each day. Minimum order: 2

The children in this week's picture are Dylan (left) and Charlotte, my inexpressibly cute grand nephew and niece.

Along with a whirlwind trip out west - where, after experiencing how my hip reacted to a normal seat during the flight out, no price seemed too great to pay to upgrade to a return flight seat with more leg room - this has been an inexpressibly strange week.

Time for a quick trip to the land of the Yessir Yessir Highway and our friend the Queen and her Advisors.

**********

After receiving fresh orders from the Head Troll, the Ruler of a small and pleasant realm felt that she had no choice but to demand a spell from her wizard, a spell that would do the work of one hundred with the hands of only one or two.

"But," said the wizard, a grey-bearded one-time casino dealer with long robes and shifty eyes, "no such magic exists." 

With this phase the Wizard began the call and response script of the Official Protocol of Ridiculous Requests.

"Of course it does," sniped the Queen, following the Protocol.

"Well," responded the Wizard, "it can be done, but it will cost a million dollars."

"I don't have that kind money," replied the Ruler.

"And will take a million days,"added the Wizard.

"I don't have that kind of time," said the Ruler.

"What have you got?" asked the Wizard.

"Two hundred dollars and I need it by later this afternoon."

"I'll see what I can do," said the Wizard, completing the Official Protocol script.

Later that day, the Wizard stood before the Ruler with the product of their negotiation, a handful of bright balloons. 

"They're a little small," said the Ruler.

"What did you expect?" snarled the Wizard.

"Something bigger," whined the Ruler.

"I'll see what I can do," said the Wizard.

A very short time later, the Wizard returned with the same balloons, each blown up bigger than before.

"Happy now?" asked the Wizard.

"It'll have to do," said the Ruler, looking at the large clock on the wall. "We're going to be late."

The Wizard and the Ruler both went forth on the Yessir Yessir Highway to get to the Troll Bridge in time for their audience with the Head Troll. 

Fewer corpses than usual littered the Troll Bridge grounds. 

"That's a good sign," thought the Ruler. And it was.

"Good work!" said the Head Troll, obviously pleased with the overinflated, bright and shiny balloons. "Is there anything I should be on the lookout for as I take these to the Emperor?"

"Only anything with a point," said the Ruler. 


Bricking it for Canada

If you don't do anything else to amuse yourself/waste some time this week, please watch this video.

Then visit this site.

And click away. You can see they have a long, long way to go, and it's very important that we build that wall.

Thanks for reading!

Have great week!

Karen

Back At The Malahat

According to the number of times I have photographed it, this is my favourite view in the whole world. Either at or near the summit of the Malahat (we missed the signs and aren't sure) we stopped on our way from Victoria to Nanaimo for the shot I have taken time and time again.

I'm in BC this time to attend the celebration of Aunt Betty's storied tenure on the planet and spend some time with the family I don't see often enough.

More to follow.

Have a great week!

Karen

Hat Hair In Our Time

A: Flatlander
B: Satan's Choice

C: Salad

D: Cockatiel

Sometimes on the weekends, I overdo it. I'll walk too far, or spend to much time on my feet, or exert myself excessively, or all of the above on Saturday, and then spend Sunday seized up in pain, forced to rest so that I might be able to move at all on Monday.

That's where I am today. But, my enforced inactivity has given me the chance to do something I've wanted to ever since the cold weather set in. 

Hat hair is an important part of the Canadian identity. Cataloguing it in its many forms will preserve our cultural heritage so that when climate change has rendered hats obsolete, we will remember where we came from.

Thanks for reading!

Karen

Winter's Tale

Right around spring time, winter has finally arrived.

First things first. If you have not already, you should read a new article about Donald Trump and the new terrifying euphemism American Authoritarianism.

It explains a lot. 

When I'm not wondering how Canada will handle all those refugees ... from the United States, I'm still chipping away in the salt mine otherwise known as the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change. The past week has seen many misadventures, all best considered through the oath-honouring screen of a visit to our friend the Ruler and her advisors.

************

The often tired but still game Ruler of a small and pleasant realm was reviewing her list of things to do one day. 

She saw that she had four audiences scheduled all at the same time. She called for her most trusted advisor.

"Chappie," she said, for that was his name, "I see that I am supposed to be holding four different audiences all at the same time. That can't be right."

"Oh, no," said Chappie, "that is right."

"It may be right," said the Ruler, the needle on her patience gauge slipping just a bit, "but it is not possible. I cannot hold four different audiences all at the same time."

"But," explained Chappie, "the trolls at the Troll Bridge have said you must attend these audiences."

The Troll Bridge. The place of all power and peril within the realm, except for the other places of greater power and peril farther along the Yessir Yessir highway.  The Ruler knew she was in for it.

"Can we eliminate some of these audiences? " asked the Ruler, taking a closer look at the names on the list. "For example," she said, pointing to one name, "this person was exiled from the realm six weeks ago, and..." she looked further down the list, "...and this person is dead! I can't have audiences with dead people."

Chappie, while acknowledging the Ruler's dilemma, assured her there was nothing that could be done.

"The policy from the Troll bridge is that all audiences shall be held as scheduled. No exceptions."

The Ruler had an idea.

"Let's try this. Assuming that there's no harm in not attending an audience with a dead and or missing person, let's put all the dead people and people who are no longer allowed in the realm in one audience room together. Put everyone else in another room. Where does that leave me?"

Chappie moved the names around on the list of audiences as the Ruler asked. 

"Your schedule's clear," he said. 

**********

Thanks for reading!

Have a great week!

Karen