Central Vancouver Island – The BC Bird Trail – Look Up, Stay Grounded

Posted on December 12, 2020 by theunretired

Deep in the valley, all along the Salish Sea. This three-day itinerary works its way through several unique coastal communities on Vancouver Island.
— Read on bcbirdtrail.ca/trails/central-vancouver-island/

The paths I’ve travelled. City sidewalks

Posted on December 6, 2020 by theunretired

#Sunday stills

Terry Webster Schradt posts a weekly photo challenge and what better way to fill up guarantine time than culling pictures on your computer. I figure this will be a weeks worth of work.

So here are photos of some of the paths I’ve taken. I am an avid walker and have taken lots of pictures along the way. Let’s start out in Mexico. You never know what you will encounter on the sidewalks of Mexico but it is sure to be colourlful.

The sidewalks in Toronto are a little European in flavour and you also may be suprised by encountering sculpture or weddings!!!

Moving on to Ottawa, the seasonal colours are one of the distinctive features of the landscapes. There is a unique walk around the parliament buildings that few people take.

Vancouver sidwalks are often wet, but if you look carefully you will find little and big surprises.

Why Do Most Blogs Fail? – ELENA PETERS | MIDLIFE BLOGGER

Posted on October 20, 2020 by theunretired

Why Do Most Blogs Fail? – ELENA PETERS | MIDLIFE BLOGGER
— Read on elenaopeters.com/2020/10/18/reasons-blogs-fail/amp/

My Social Media Experiences

Posted on September 29, 2020 by theunretired

Social media friends & followers

I was curious to put my experiences on social media down on paper as another blogger asked me about posting blogs to different platforms. I have also reflected on the pros and cons of the social media platforms I use.

Most of my friends are on Facebook so it is my core friend platform. I have followers on other platforms that are strangers to me. Not many of my friends use the other social media platforms apart from Facebook. I have the impression my WordPress blog is mainly viewed by my followers on WordPress or WordPress Reader.

Word press

In the diagram below I show the distribution of friends and followers among social media sites. The arrows show where I post my WordPress blog. WordPress does not automatically post to a Facebook Page so I selectively post to my facebook page depending on the topic. I stopped the automatic posting to Linkedin as I did not see many Linkedin readers were picking up the WordPress link. I have posted to Facebook Hornby Island occasionally and this generates a lot of viewers when the topic is pertinent. This group is like a Twitter feed and I have blogged about this. My WordPress blog post is automatically posted to my Twitter feed but I have the impression no one on Twitter reads the link.

My perception of friends and followers use of social media

Pros and Cons of Different Social Media Platforms in my experience.

I went on to compare the strengths and weaknesses of the social media I use and have to confess I am a twitterholic.

Platform	pros		cons
Twitter		Interesting topical posts by experts all over the world. Good way to track social movements. Con pick who to follow Cool get to more followers Easy to post links	Too much information (TMI) A lot of repetition
Facebook	Most of my friends are on it Limited personal communication Can choose who to follow		Ads
Facebook Group Hornby Island	Community, new friends. Peek into lives of people you would not normally meet. Interesting posts by people in the community What’s happening on Hornby.		Themes are repetitive.
Word Press	Community, new friends Peek into lives of people you would not normally meet.		Time consuming to post. Not free if you use some extra functions beyond basic.
Instagram	Photos and art viewing		Very little communication. Hard to use Duplication of Facebook
Linked in	Business contacts in theory		Very little communication

Seniors using the internet

This study explores internet use by seniors in Canada and mirrors my experience. Seniors uptake of social media increased with the onset of COVID-19. This might be considered a positive spinoff. Tech Use by Older Canadians for Health, Wellness and Independence in the Time of COVID-19. oatechsurvey-sep2020-final-1.pdf

The dark side of social media

In lieu of watching the presidential debates I watched a documentary on Netflix about the effects of use of the internet on society called The Social Dilemma. Ex-employees of major social media companies are interviewed and they raise alarms about intense use of social media. A revealing look behind the scenes.

The minimalist retirement wardrobe re-titled Quarantine Wardrobe.

Posted on May 19, 2020 by theunretired

Now that many people are working from home.. there is an opportunity to downsize your wardrobe. I did this when I retired but it has some relevance for the quarantine wardrobe. It is tempting to hold on to work clothes, but it is at the expense of freeing up room in your closet. A lot of my work clothes were kind of dated anyway. Joe Fresh has almost everything you need for retirement. Yes I know their hiring practices in Bangladesh have been controversial but you can’t beat the prices and styling and there are no snooty ageist sales people. Ok no sales people. I have converted many of my friends to Joe Fresh who already shop at the Salvation Army. What is about baby boomers that draws them to the Salvation Army? The Tyee has written on the role of clothing in global warming. Most of my peers have had minimalist wardrobes most of their life.

Yes you need a two season wardrobe in Vancouver.. Winter/Spring/Fall and Summer. Don’t forget Junuary. Are you working part time? Ok let’s say you need business casual two days a week. Save something from your work wardrobe. Do laundry once every 2 weeks. If you do laundry once a week you can do with a smaller wardrobe.

2 days a week work wardrobe all year round.

- 1 pair black pants or tights
- 1 long black/grey/burgundy warm sweater
- 4 long sleeve t-shirts any colour. I suggest Patagonia if you want a good quality t-shirt that fits loosely. Or Joe Fresh but their stock varies from month to month.
- 4 short sleeve t shirts any colour
- 4 pairs black socks
- 1 pair shoes/runners depending on dress code
- 2 scarves – warm, fancy etc to dress up wardrobe and keep neck warm.

This takes care of 4/14 days all year round.

Winter/Spring/Fall in Vancouver

Tights – 2 pairs black, 1 multicolor for fun
10 long sleeve t-shirts -various colours

Outerwear

Rain coat with lining: Hely Hansen is my favourite because it has a zip up collar at the neck, a two way zipper and flannel lined pockets as well as a light weight lining
Windproof shell you can wear over down or fleece jacket.
I seldom wear wool sweaters in the winter in Vancouver.
1 Fleece Jacket
Down coat, knee length. It can be very windy in Vancouver and the dampness goes right through you. Here is my favourite from Eddie Bauer. I am on my second one.. buy a dark colour!
Short lighter weight down jacket with shell – Eddie Bauer and North Face have lots to choose from.
And of course you need socks. I love socks that have padding! These are winter socks with lots of padding

Summer in Vancouver/Travelling south in the winter

Knee length tights – 2 pairs, black and multicolour. Joe Fresh has a great selection. Very cute patterns.
2 pairs LLBean Comfort trail shorts because the waist is adjustable, quick dry, will last forever and good for travelling south. Black and khaki. $ 50.00 US.
The Mountain Hardwear Women’s Dynama Capri cropped pants, they are stretchy and have pockets big enough for an iphone. The Mountain Hardwear Dynamo line come in shorts and long pants as well. I have replaced both shorts and knee length tights with the MH cropped pants.

Short Sleeve Split Neck Butterfly Print Blouse

10 short sleeve t-shirts various colours and styles.
Two dresses with short sleeves. Can wear to work.

In Vancouver you will seldom need: Sundresses, tank tops, tops with spaghetti straps or bathing suits. Vancouver is pretty casual so the work wardrobe can work for upscale events. Layers are the best way to go as the weather changes hourly and from area to area in the city.

Underwear

Now that we are in quarantine mode..you can shift to a more comfortable bra. I have been shopping around for the best sport bra/no wire and found it online at La Vie en Rose. Once you switch it will be hard to go back to a regular bra. I have found this style also reduces rashes under your breasts. I have recently discovered a similar model as Walmart. 534-113-0-03_001_1