Happy to share that about an hour ago I completed the year end and our personal taxes 😛 It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. The package of papers and lots of manually calculated numbers will be shipped Fed Ex tomorrow. Our accountant in Vancouver will then do his magic and figure out how we can pay the lowest in taxes. The company year end is only the end of May but our wonder guy needs the entire picture to sort things out as the personal taxes are due April 30th. Plus we are ever so slowly working on shutting down the company. We are very cautious at the moment about spending any money as instead we are using any extra pesos to pay towards future taxes. Hopefully we will soon ( a few years ) get to the point where we can continue to enjoy life ( and not work ) while still drawing an annual salary but not have to pay taxes. Of course once we empty the company coffers we will be free and living off of our RIFFS and TFSAS and whatever else might be left. However Colin is already making plans to keep working, just not in our incorporated company. He will never retire 🙄 However I am pretty much done. This was my 32nd year of doing these taxes ( we have been married 36 years ). I am more that ready to retire. If he continues to work he will have to figure out the tax part of it all on his own.

I took this photo and the others shortly after we got home. Taken through the window at my desk.
Our weather remains dreary, rainy and cold – well at least to us. I have yet to get out for a walk since we returned home on Easter Sunday. Of course my various medical procedures have affected my freedom to get out and walk. Tomorrow my right leg gets to be free from the thigh high elastic stocking but it will then be the left legs turn. Sadly despite the special glue that can be used to bind the stocking to my thigh, it usually does not work and I am at half mast with my stocking dangling below my knee 😳 After tomorrow I will then be vein treatment free until the end of September. Between the taxes which are now complete and my face which is now covered with scabs but is always itchy and constantly having a thigh high stocking until May 1st I am rather drained. For some reason I decided to get all the medical appointments done at the same time that I was doing taxes. Not the greatest plan. I was just trying to get out of wearing stockings during the heat at this time of year. Thus far we have had not heat so that has not been an issue. Oh well I will still be free on May 1st and that is important to me 😎 Of course I am to stay out of the sun forever. Well than never works cuz of the reflection of the sun off the sand on the Isla, but I do the best I can.

Itchy face that I need to keep covered with a gel type cream so that scabs don’t dry out.
Two evenings ago we noticed that the swallows are back. I have no idea how many, but at least over 100 and they do the most wonderful ballet all over the sky. We are so lucky to see these artists doing their thing at dusk everyday.

First robin that I have seen. So happy that there are still a few berries left for him.

Taken November 23rd, 2022 by my friend Cindy, So happy that our tree kept the birds fed over the winter. This is the first time that it had so many berries.
Despite the rain the girls have been doing very well. Today was the only day they did not get out on on a walk. I can see that they have become somewhat spoiled over the winter. Ciela constantly wants to sit on us. On the Isla they altered between sitting on our laps or on the foot stool that I used outside. They did their own thing quite a bit but they really wanted to be near us and still do. We have been gone re appointments most days for at least 2.5 hours. Via the nanny cam we have seen that they are not barking but they do get restless and on occasion whine a bit. They have become so used to having us in reach.
They are still puppies and in training. Because we have both been at our desks for long periods of time these past few weeks they have taken to nudging our legs with their long noses to let us know that it is time to give them some attention.
FYI ( Dee ) the black headband I was wearing in the last post was not my doing but put on me by the dermatologist. However that is what made me that I looked like my mother.

I don’t think that I ever will get enough of the Northern Lights. Of course we did not get to see this one as we were away, but the colours are spectacular.

Finally an early warning of what is to come tonight. Sadly we are under total cloud cover. But I will keep checking just in case. One of my buckets lists is to fly north to Yellowknife for two days to see this event. At the moment it is pouring rain.

Colin pulled out Charlie to play with the girls.
One of these days I will get back to showing you photos that I took on the Isla but never had time to share.

A special thank you to Nancy for sharing this with me.
Shoot! We had the Northern Lights visible over South Dakota last night and we missed them. I just joined a group that will notify us if/when it happens again. Good to see the girls are somewhat settled down while being left alone. That makes it much less stressful for you knowing they are at least not barking their heads off or tearing up the house!
So sorry that you missed. When I was young I saw them often. I have not seen them since November 2014. Hopefully your group will give you some great viewing guidance.