Sunday ; Sunny in the morning, then intermittent light rain, +8 C.
We had an extremely late and slow start to the day ... <shrug>. And then ... <sigh> ... spent too long pontificating about ... <ahem> ... current geopolitical issues ! ! !
ELBOWS UP, PEOPLE
We extend our condolences to our former (Dugald Estates) next door neighbour, whose husband just died.
Monday ; Sunny, +7° C.
The sun made it seem warmer today than it actually was. UGH ... today was the first Wal-Martin’ trip of the New Year. It has taken me all of last winter season and almost two months of this winter season to decide which is the lesser goofy Wal-Mart in Victoria ; Hillside Mall or Uptown Mall. Uptown Mall wins. More by default than anything else, because while the two Wal-Marts are somewhat equidistant from the Royal Scot Suites Hotel where we have been for the last two months, the Uptown location is much closer to Robin Hood Inn, where we are moving to in a few days, for three months / the remainder of this winter.
I spent the evening setting up medical, income tax, and investment records keeping spreadsheet files for 2026. The early days of each new year always ends my Holiday Season depression and negativity, and kicks my OCD into overdrive. Although this year, I must confess ... my thought processes right now are extremely affected by current ... <ahem> ... geopolitical concerns ! ! !
Tuesday ; Rain, +7° C.
I was too groggy this morning to check if it was raining before I went outside with Apollo. YIKES ! I ducked into the hotel lobby with Apollo in tow, and grabbed a hotel loaner umbrella. BUT ... poor Apollo ! He did not have his raincoat on, and by the time we had finished our walk, he was as soaked as if he had just had a bath. Sorry, Apollo ... my bad ! I wrapped him in his blankie and he went back to sleep for another couple of hours with Joanne, until he was dry and warm.
At 4:30 PM we went to the pool and fitness room for an hour. While I worked out with dumbbells Joanne did aquatics exercises in the pool, then we soaked in the hot tub. Apollo was quiet while alone in the room. Good dog, Apollo.
Wednesday ; Mostly sunny today, +7° C.
Apollo is sick today. More lethargic than usual, not in and of itself a major concern, but ... he refuses to eat or drink. <sigh> He seems to not be suffering in any way, he’s not vomiting, doesn’t have diarrhea, etc. BUT ... <swallowing hard> ... our lifelong experiences with pets suggests that this might be the beginning of the last week of his life. Unable / unwilling to eat or drink due to slow, multiple organ failures. I certainly hope I’m wrong !
Joanne phoned her respirologist’s office this morning, to inquire about the medical test she has been waiting for since last May. Eight months of waiting for a test that was supposed to have a six week waiting period ! ! ! ! ! And to make a relatively long story shorter ... she discovered that the Winnipeg hospital where the referral was sent last May has bounced the referral to the hospital in Selkirk. Joanne phoned the correct department in the Selkirk Hospital to discover that they are currently scheduling patients who were referred for this test in April 2024 ! ! ! ! ! Their waitlist for this test is twenty-one months ! ! ! ! ! So ... Joanne’s referral has been sent back to the Winnipeg hospital. After eight months of waiting, she’s back at square zero ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
SHE HAS NOW BEEN COUGHING FOR TWO YEARS. No diagnosis ... and no treatment plan, obviously.
I needed to phone Telus about a minor change I wanted made to our cell phone service. This kind of matter, in my opinion, usually results in a whole lot of cell phone drama, and usually ends in failure. Well ... not today ! With kudos to Telus, there certainly was a lot of “drama” in getting this minor issue resolved, but the agent who served me refused to give up until he eventually got the problem solved and my needs met. Thank you, Telus.
Upon reflection, I remember having a minor issue last year with our Telus cell service a year ago while we were in Victoria, and I got a service agent at the Bay Centre Telus store who persisted until my problem was solved / my needs were met.
And finally ... I have just watched the video of the murder by an ICE agent of the woman in Minneapolis, and ... I feel nauseous !
At bedtime I administered an appropriate dosage of Pepto-Bismal to Apollo, followed by a syringe of water. He had not eaten anything or drank today. We went out for a slow walk and when we returned he ... asked for food ! And ate a small amount. WOO-HOO !
Thursday ; Overcast, +6° C.
Well ! Sometimes it certainly is satisfying to be wrong ! Apollo seems fine today.
I woke up when he left our bed at 5 AM and walked to the kitchen for a drink of water. I expected him to return to bed a few moments later and when he didn’t I sat up to see where he was and what he was doing. He indicated that he wanted to go outside. <sigh> I got up ... at 5 AM ! ... and took him for a walk. When we returned he drank a bit more water, then indicated he wanted some food. I fed him a small meal ... HE ATE ! ... and we returned to bed.
That process repeated itself at 8 AM. And as the day wore on it became more obvious that he’s feeling better / healthy. Hopefully yesterday’s illness was simply a short lived mystery ailment.
Today was dedicated to preparing for check-out of the Royal Scot tomorrow morning and move to the Robin Hood Inn for the next three months. Most of the efforts were Joanne’s. I’m mostly the “muscle” behind such activities. And my value as “muscle” is greatly diminished !
Next door to the Royal Scot is a very nice condominium building. A suite has just been listed for sale there. I checked the listing online. It’s a two bedroom, two bathroom suite, similar size to our condo suite in Tuxedo / Winnipeg. Balcony not enclosed, as ours is. James Bay neighbourhood, very nice, but ... not quite on a par with Tuxedo. Price is ... <blink blink> ... more than triple what we paid for our suite in September !
Friday ; from Royal Scot Suites Hotel to Robin Hood Inn & Suites
Mix of sun and clouds, +8° C.
We were up at 8 AM, and checked out of the Royal Scot Suites Hotel at 10:30 AM. We had to kill time until we could check in to Robin Hood Inn & Suites. We went to explore Beacon Hill Park. We found ... <blink> ... a small flock of peacocks living in the park. Who knew ? Then we found a children’s zoo in the park, closed for the winter, but with alpacas wandering around inside the gated compound.
HA HA HA ... Apollo is so “chill”. HEY ... peacocks. OK ! HEY ... alpacas. OK ! HEY ... ducks ! OK ! HEY ... Golden Retrievers ! GRRRRR !
We drove to Robin Hood Inn around noon and asked if we could check in. No, not yet, phone around 1:30 PM. We went to explore the Gorge /Tillicum area. We had a picnic lunch in the car parked at one of the many small park areas along the Gorge Waterway. I phoned the Robin Hood Inn again at 1:30 PM. No, not yet, come at 3:30 PM. We did more exploring of stores and shops and malls in the area. We did a small amount of grocery shopping at Dollarama and Fairway Market, both in the same small mall near Robin Hood Inn. We checked in to Robin Hood Inn at 3:30 PM.
Our suite at Robin Hood Inn is good, slightly larger and better laid out than the one at Royal Scot. The kitchen is larger and better equipped. The building is older and slightly run down. The suites have been renovated and are modern / updated. The area is "uptown", not downtown, in a slightly scruffy, mixed area of commercial and residential. Certainly not James Bay ! Joanne did all of the unpacking, I wasn’t feeling well. Apollo is very happy. He certainly takes “moving” in stride !
Saturday ; Raining, +8° C.
Today was a bit of a rest day. At our age ... aren’t they all ? ! ? HA HA HA ! Yesterday’s move tired us out, especially Joanne. We had breakfast in the hotel’s “great room” where breakfast is provided every day for hotel guests. That’s a nice perk ! I was interested to see and try the “automatic pancake making machine”. HA HA HA ! Very interesting technology. Makes really crappy pancakes ! HA HA HA <SNORT> HA HA !
Around noon we went for a leisurely walk (again ... aren’t they all ?) around the residential neighbourhood behind the hotel. The hotel faces a busy arterial / commercial street, but behind the hotel is a residential neighbourhood. It’s an elegant old neighbourhood, but ... facing reality ... it’s a ****ing rainforest ! Which I suppose is true for much of Vancouver Island. The lawns are ... moss ! The roofs of the homes are ... covered in moss. Same with the driveways and sidewalks. Moss, moss, and more moss ! Oh, well, at least the homeowners don’t need to spend money on snow blowers and lawn mowers. HA HA HA !
It took far too long for me to jump through too many hoops this afternoon to send money via “Global Money Transfer” service of BMO as a deposit on the brand new condo in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico I have rented for five months next winter. However ... I do appreciate the efforts that BMO makes to prevent their (elderly) clients from being victims of fraud / sending money to Nigerian Princes.
DSK
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