Gratitude List #14: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry 2

'Blood Orange Smoothie' (photo by me)

Today's gratitude list is on the theme of the usual: music, free concerts, and summer foods/drinks, in order of the events of this past week, in no particular order of importance:

* The launch of a local Green Party's campaign, Claire Martin, for North Vancouver with appetizers, music, and speeches by her and Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party
* Drop-in singing with an impromptu rock choirin West Vancouver
* Singing with a beautiful view of the ocean (inside though) at Silk Purse Gallery
* Listening to a cool band Friday evening (I thought 'Frozen' was playing so came late)
* A fresh fig given to me directly from a tree next door where I live
* Reconnecting with my previous landlady at her garage sale
* Receiving a raindrop umbrella from my previous landlady's daughter
* Being provided with fresh ice and cold water before heading out again
* Attending a block party in my old neighbourhood
* Summer fruit: blueberries (and organic at that!)
* Preparing and creating a green salad with fruit (blueberries, strawberries, and a fig from next door)
* Salmon patties
* Cold drinks on a hot day: iced tea, water, mineral water
* Popsicles and/or ice cream on a hot day
* A great live Latin band, Alma Chevere, to dance to (http://www.almachevere.com/)

Me (being silly) smelling the herbs of one of my favourite teas today, 'Blood Orange Smoothie' though not a smoothie. (It almost looks like I am drinking it; however, we each received a small plastic container to taste various iced teas with.)

* Sampling different teas at an iced tea event (http://www.teasparrow.com/)
* Tea Sparrow: their integrity, generosity, and sense of fun
* Receiving a goodie bag for volunteering

Just curious, what is your favourite type of tea: black, chai, green, herbal, oolong?

And what are you grateful for at this time? Today/yesterday/this past week?

Gratitude List #13: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry! ;)

Today's gratitude list is on the themes of 'Eat, Drink, and Be Merry' as part of my summer fun in terms of music, free concerts, and summer foods/drinks, in order of the events of this past week:

March Hare Band at Shipyards Market, North Vancouver, BC (my photo)

I have to tell you, I had a fabulous week this past week!

* Kirtan in North Van in someone's home in my old neighbourhood
* I knew the woman hosting the kirtan
* Creating a scrapbook page for a colleague leaving work
* A staff BBQ in a Vancouver park, near the water's edge
* A pair of new runners for walking (hope they work out fine!)
* An outdoor movie playing at the main library's plaza area
* A fun movie, "Into the Woods" with Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Woods_%28film%29)
* Winning a popcorn prize for the trivia question what the movie was based on (I knew as I sang part of the song in a previous choir)
* A free slushie at 7/11 as it is 7/11 day
* Salmon burger - yum, yum!
* Summer fruit: cherries and apricots
* March Hare Band (www.marchhareband.com), a great band to dance to!
* Dancing in the rain literally with other folk: fun and cooled me while dancing
* Rain - finally! - for nature including gardens, wildlife, and us humans
* A volunteer meeting where I got to sample different iced teas
* A free concert of a boys chorale in North Vancouver
* The Maryland State Boychoir (http://www.marylandstateboychoir.org/)

Last week I had wondered if I "should" stop repeating that I love to air dry my laundry. Well I did on this list as I did'nt as we got some much-needed rain! (Needless to say, I really missed doing so this weekend.)

What are you grateful for at this time? Today/yesterday/this past week?

Gratitude List #12: A Feast of Food, Friends, and FUN 2!

Today's gratitude list is on the themes of summer fun - food, friends, and fun including music and drinks (black cherry theme), in relative order of this past week (but not in order of importance!):

* Meeting up with a BAR (Blog-A-Rhythm) blog member, Sanch Vee and her sister in Vancouver, BC after work
* Having 'a drink' (Black Cherry cocktail mix) and dinner at a pub patio (Steamworks) in the cool air on a hot day
* Sharing an interesting dessert amongst us with three flavours of custard/mousse-like dessert
* A holiday mid-week - Canada Day
* A paid holiday (at least for me)
* Fireworks to music (on Canada Day)

* Free concerts outdoors, two nights in a row
* Dancing to live music outdoors
* Bumping into someone I know, a former choir member
* Having 'a drink' - I rarely do (honest!) - and feeling groovy (a little tipsy perhaps as I drank too fast with an empty stomach, not realizing till later that they did allow food in the beer garden
* Creativity - ideas for a scrapbook page
* Another sunny hot weekend to air-dry my laundry*

* A coupon for a free tea beverage
* Fresh brewed iced tea
* David's Tea, a colourful and wonderful shop for tea-drinkers/lovers
* Fresh summer fruit: cherries and apricots
* Ice cream - black cherry! - to keep me cool, albeit temporarily! ;)

*Should I stop saying this as I think it will be a summer-long theme?!

What are you grateful for at this time? Today/yesterday/this past week?