I have the best readers on the internet. It’s apparent that I touched the generous hearts of several of my readers with my plea for some words of encouragement as we are going through the renovation. We are now into month four and expect we have at least another six weeks to go before everything is complete (more or less) .

I am so weary of noise. The noise of saws and voices and boom box radios on radio stations that make me grit my teeth. I wake up in the middle of the night redesigning and worrying about things that I think need to be changed or fixed… On the bright side we have had very few issues to deal with and our contractor has been great.

Back to my opening statement. I received several emails from well wishers and “I’ve been there – done that” kinds of emails. I even received a lovely hand written letter – on beautiful stationery I might add- from Sally H. She went a step beyond telling me to hang in there by suggesting many things I could do to get away from the stress of the reno. Quite honestly, I think her list contains a lot of outings that would be fun to do even without a reno. Thanks Sally!

Here are some:

– Visit a historic house museum (like Rutherford House) for inspiration and have high tea if they have a restaurant.

– Go to your local museum (like the Provincial Museum) and stop for a snack in their cafeteria.

– Take a walk in a park or in historic neighbourhoods – again for inspiration and to soothe the soul.

– Take a walk around the University. It’s beautiful and quiet at this time of year. Enjoy the wide expanses of lawn and the historic buildings.

– While at the University arrange a visit to view the special collections of rare books and historic textiles.

– Go to the beautiful and historic Hotel MacDonald and enjoy a glass of wine on the patio outside while enjoying the view overlooking the river valley.

– Go for dinner at the local college formal dining room. (In Edmonton it is NAIT). The student chefs put together some amazing meals.

– Above all, Keep calm and Carry on!