University life in the Virgin Islands

The University of the Virgin Islands has its main campus in Charlotte Amalie, the capital of St. Thomas. The university's 2800 students are on two campuses; two-thirds in St. Thomas and one-third in St. Croix. There isn't a campus on St. John, their sister island.

Again, see how steep the land rises up from the water?

Things are not always as they seem ...

Apparently the Roman poet, Phaedrus, can take credit for having said "Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many." Such was the case for me when I looked out into our "back yard". The treed area didn't hold much interest for me. From my perspective, as the greenery grows, the ocean view is being obstructed. Today, however, I went beyond the first appearance.

Just another day in "America's paradise"

On the cover of the free glossy tourist magazine here, it bills itself as "your guide to America's paradise". Given some of the views we saw today - well I saw, more than Greg, as he does the driving - it may just justify that title. It certainly is a picturesque island with all its sandy coves and shades of blue and green.

Skyline Drive, a great viewpoint to see one of the many coves

We now live at the bottom of Suicide Hill

Yesterday we travelled to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, for our first house sit of our "winter" season. On our second flight, we saw the sun rise. This photo doesn't do it justice; it was beautiful.

Volunteers going to Nicaragua

Tomorrow these sheep will leave our home, to start their journey to Nicaragua.

(L to R) Bambi, Vaquera with Rhoose in front, Belly, and Nico

Snowbirds looking forward to flying south

Meet (L to R) - Belly, Jelly, and Mouton (French for "sheep"). These are the latest to join our family. My husband urged me to take Mouton to live with our youngest grandchild, Soleil (French for "sun"). Not my idea of a child in need, with all the toys she has, but I reluctantly agreed. Maybe Mouton can be donated back to our cause at some point?

Appreciating the Niagara Region, right in our backyard

Travellers often take for granted what's in their own backyard. That's the case for us sometimes, here in Niagara. I've often thought I should do some posts of the Niagara Peninsula, for those who read this blog but have never visited. It's maybe not the best season to see the falls themselves, and the fall colours are not in their prime either. However, I've noticed some colours here lately that I'd like to share.

Last week I went to a mall close to our home. Given that the fall colours are just about over, this view of the Niagara escarpment caught my eye. On a warm, sunny day these colours were actually more dramatic than the photo reflects.

Why the silence from me about Cuba?

A friend recently mentioned that she's been waiting for the blog of our September trip to Cuba.

The sea looks dark here, but the variety of blues and greens is really quite beautiful

I struggled to find an answer as to why I hadn't done a post. Given time, I've come up with these reasons:

Thinning out the herd

At the start of this year, I set a challenge to try to reach as many countries as possible with this blog. Although there's been a lull in my writing since we returned from our winter travels, I've still picked up a few more countries recently, namely Kenya, Ireland, Ukraine, Iran, Romania, and Singapore. This blog has now travelled to a total of 25 countries. I'm impressed.

Keeping in mind the title of this blog, I've fallen behind in sharing sheep stories. For those not familiar with the reason for the title, you can find out more under the Welsh flag to the left on this page.

While in Wales recently, we added two sheep to the herd ...

Her name's Slippery - check out those feet!

Family reunions

This trip to Wales, my third this year, was to arrange and attend my mother's funeral. My mother and I had pre-arranged her funeral two years ago, when she was first diagnosed with inoperable cancer. I encourage others to do the same, especially when your end-of-life can be somewhat anticipated. It certainly relieved family members of the burden of lots of planning. I was still somewhat surprised by the number of things that needed to be dealt with, but the family worked together to get things done.

For Greg and I, this is our first visit to Wales in August, in summer. Well, it's certainly given us a new appreciation for Canadian summers. Let's just say the greenery is so lush in Wales as it rains often!

On the day before the funeral, one of the first few dry days we experienced, we walked part of the Wales Coast Path in my hometown of Barry.

This stretch of coastline is all pebbles and cliff-face

A mother's love is precious: the final chapter

If you look back at my posts of May 11 (Mother's Day), June 1 (93rd birthday), and August 1 you'll see tales of my time this year with my mother. Today's post is the final chapter in this story. Yesterday, my mother peacefully passed away.

June 1, at her 93rd birthday celebration (with her brother)

A mother's love is precious

A mother's love

Many who read this blog will be aware that my mum has health problems. At 93 years of age, up until recently she led an independent life; often walking a mile or two to the grocery store. Never having driven, she's stayed fit by regularly walking. Although as a senior she gets a free bus pass to travel anywhere in the country, she has kept up her walking. I think this is the main reason for her longevity.