Overcast and rainy with some sun during the week...

It's been one of those weeks with dull, overcast and rainy weather though the sun made the odd appearance to brighten things up.  The temperatures have been around 9 or 10 degrees during the day with them hovering about 4 degrees Celsius during the night.  As might be expected, the spring flowers such as snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils and some trees and shrubs are in bloom.  We are truly ready for spring while the rest of the country is still in the grips of winter.

Aside from working full-time at my job as a concierge, I have been apartment hunting for two.  Brad will be joining me as my roommate once he is able to leave the east coast to come here.  Meantime, it's a challenge to work and apartment hunt and do all the other things that need doing as well.  Currently I am living in a room on Hastings Street in north Burnaby where I have lived since October of 2007.  I gave up my old apartment because it was too expensive for me, put my stuff in storage when I got the room and decided to put off apartment hunting until after New Year's Day.  Now I am back at it.  I had a look at a place with a two-bedroom unit downstairs in a renovated home in Vancouver but it was too small for our needs.  The realtor that owns and lives in the house has offered to help me look for a place.  He will let me know if he finds anything suitable in Burnaby which is cheaper rent-wise than Vancouver.  Then Craig's list was also mentioned as a source to find apartments.  I plan to have a look online Sunday to see what is available.  My preference would be to get a 2-bedroom apartment but as a back-up plan, there is the option of getting a one bedroom apartment for a short while and then upgrading to a two bedroom apartment later once were settled, have taken stock of what we have and how much space is necessary plus work locations, shopping area, schools, etc.  So much to think about in a move and not as simple as it might appear at first.  Such is life!

Meantime, I've caught a cold in all this.  Now it's going into its third week as of Monday.  This past Monday evening going into Tuesday I was passing tiny kidney stones all night with runs to the washroom every ten minutes or so only to pass a bit of urine along with some blood and mucus.  The pain would cause me to double over.  It seems the cold virus had spread to my left kidney, another week spot for the virus to take hold.  As a result, I had to take Tuesday off work to rest and recuperate.  I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy!  So, it looks like this cold will hang on for a while until I manage to shake it off.  I am trying to build up the body's resistance by eating better and making good choices as far as food and drink.  This means more water, herb teas and hot lemonades.  Fresh cranberry tea is good for this too using the berries to which boiling hot water is added to them in a mug.  The cranberries are then crushed with honey added to taste.  This has been a bad winter for colds with the temperatures going up and down plus all the rain we've had added to the mix.

Stay warm and well.  Even before Easter is upon us, spring is definitely here!