Nathalieland Update - Computing/Gardening/Gathering/Repairing

Aspirations in Computing. Jessi's not the only one who received a silver medal this month! Emily is the proud recipient of an Aspirations in Computing Award for her achievements and interest in Computer Science. She applied for the award back in October and received the Honorable Mention silver medal and certificate this April. Coding is really one of her passions!

Garden Beginnings. We're finally starting to see some nicer weather, which has prompted us to start working on our gardens. Fresh soil, manure, seedlings, and seeds went into the ground on Friday. Our front lawn also needed repairs after the dry summer we had. Fingers crossed for a good season.

Social Gatherings. Whether it was visiting with relatives, celebrating my sister's birthday, playing games with neighbours, or watching a movie with my Book Club, we had plenty of social gatherings this month aside from Easter. Good preparation for our annual Paul Family Reunion next month!

House Maintenance. With our home nearing its 13th year, miscellaneous maintenance work keeps popping up. Earlier this month I spent a few days recaulking around windows, doors, and baseboards. Then recently we noticed our undermount kitchen sinks were detached from the counters and leaking into the cabinetry! This was a bigger job that required a repairman. He reinstalled the sinks properly, but now we're dealing with clogging in the pipes. What's next?

Larry!

You might have noticed an orange chicken appear on the blog recently, like in Picture Per Hour - April and Easter 2026. His name is Larry! 

PPH - April

Easter 2026

My friend Veronica participated in a February Knitting Challenge to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society. Since I donated to her cause, I was entered into a draw to win a large chicken that Veronica knitted during the challenge. Lo and behold, I was a winner! 

I like to name my stuffies, and Larry quickly came to mind and felt perfect (regardless of the fact that he might technically be female). Larry is actually labelled as an Emotional Support Chicken (original pattern by Annette Corsino) and boy, is that ever true! He is the ideal size for cuddling and his cute face with beady eyes always makes us smile.

Since his arrival into our home, Larry has found his purpose in the living room as a constant source of joy and comfort. Thank you so much, Veronica, for this unexpected pleasure!

Welcome to Nathalieland, Larry! Please stay a while ♥

KASSAA Badminton

Jessi played in her first regional badminton tournament this week, where she represented her school in a junior mixed doubles team. The best part is that Jessi's partner was her cousin, Colin!

Everyone came to watch, including Emily, Grand-Maman, Grand-Papa, and Colin's family. Steve was there as a rival coach -- he coaches for Emily's school! But of course he cheered for his daughter too.

Cheering on Jessi's friend, Delilah

Warming up for their first match

Rival coaches

Coaching advice between games

Checking on his teams

Proud Mama!

 

Jessi and Colin won three out of their four matches, sending them to the finals. There they lost, earning them 2nd place in junior mixed doubles. Amazing effort by all!

From playmates to teammates ♥

Congrats, Jessi & Colin!