Off I go - almost without a hitch --

  Ha! Fat chance. First of all, I drove to the ferry in poor decrepit old Suzie. I had my suitcase, carry-on bag, and purse in the front seat beside me. I remembered to get Maggie, the GPS, out of Bentley so I would be able to find my way across Vancouver.  I got to the ferry half an hour ahead of time and thus was able to board. So far, so good.

Once parked on the ship, I thought about going up to the passenger deck to have my dinner and a nice cup of jasmine tea (the tea is a tradition on my ferry journeys) -- but then I remembered that the locks on Suzie's doors don't work any more, so I had to stay with the car -- because there's no way I was going to drag all that luggage up to the passenger deck and back again.  Then I thought I might as well plug Maggie  in and set my course for my Vancouver journey. I plugged her in, okay, but nothing happened. Oh. I remember now. The cigarette lighter in Suzie hasn't worked for years. So there I was, lost with no direction.  Fortunately, I did have my cell phone, so I called ahead and got the kids to give me directions.  Suzie behaved on the highway, and I got here without incident.

As I was crossing the Second Narrows Bridge, I heard a news report about a grey whale that wandered into False Creek this afternoon, and I wished I had come over earlier in the day. Mind you, I'd never have found False Creek without my GPS. I can't navigate in Vancouver. Everything is in the wrong direction.

Then I remembered how, when Jane and I were on our way to Parksville this morning for my haircut, I said to her "I got so busy this morning, I put some porridge in the microwave, then forgot to get it out and eat it. When I get home, I must take it out of the microwave."  Of course, I completely forgot about it, so now I've called Jane to ask her to take care of that, lest I come home to find that the porridge has grown legs and taken over the house.

It's ten o'clock. I've eaten dinner. I've stuck thousands of dinosaur stickers to a piece of paper in the company of my granddaughter -- one for you, one for me, one for you....."I want the brachyosaurus, okay?"  ....

Sheesh. Kids these days. I don't think I knew what a brachyosaurus was, back when I was going on four. Even now, I'm not sure I've spelled it correctly.

I've watched the kids play on the slide in the living room, then listened to them splashing away in their bath, and I've given them a hug goodnight.

I've booked my airline seat and printed my boarding pass.

Now, it's time to take my (very) weary bones to bed. Tomorrow will be an even longer day.