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A bit of summer fun

I know I've been away from this blog for awhile; I've been enjoying my much needed summer break!  This is the first summer since I was 16 that I haven't worked full time.  I've been working part time as a sub in a daycare, and it has been so much fun, but I've also had real summery days off!

 I was excited about taking time off during the summer until the last few weeks of the school year when we were forced to go on strike.  I have definitely been hit financially, but the hot, sunny days are (almost) making up for it.

 I've been spending my free days at the beach, floating on Lake Matheson, day camping, reading, hanging out with my nephew, going to movies, picketing, reading, making clip art, trying not to think about and plan for next year (technically I'm not allowed to do ay official planning, as I am on strike and locked out of the job), and relaxing.

 Here is a look at my summer so far...

We've been having the most beautiful sunsets recently!


Last weekend, I went to a local music festival called Rock the Shores.  I volunteered last year, but this year, I just went as an audience member.  It was super, super hot for the 3 days of the festival, but I got to see amazing bands like USS, The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer, Mother Mother, Loverboy, Current Swell, The Stanfields,and Our Lady Peace, to name a few!



There were up to 10,000 people in attendance on the final day of the festival!  It's exciting whenever we get any acts coming to Vancouver Island, but to have a 3-day festival with Billy Talent, Tom Cochrane, Gord Downie, and Our Lady Peace only 10 minutes from my house is really special!
USS put on a great show on Friday afternoon.

I was so excited for Our Lady Peace!  I'd seen them before this weekend, and they put on an amazing show.  The best part was that they still seem so grateful and happy to be playing.
I got sun stroke on the Friday of the festival and had to leave early.  This was me on the Sunday, hiding from the sun under my umbrella.  Temperatures were up to 28 degrees Celsius!  So hot, and no shade on the festival grounds!

I've also spent time at various watering holes!

Esquimalt Lagoon with the Olympic Mountains and Washington State in the background.  I love our island so much because I can go to this beach in February and walk along in a T-shirt when the rest of Canada is buried under snow!

This is Matheson Lake in Metchosin.  The other day, my mom and I decided to cool off from the 27 degree weather by taking floaties out to the island, watching the eagles soar above us!
My nephew, Caleb, on a boat at Pedder Bay in Metchosin.  My parents were camping here for the last week, and I was able to "day camp" with them.  It's only about a half hour drive from my house, so I went out a couple days before lunch, had all the feel of camping (fire, drinks, games, beautiful nature), ate their food, then left at around 9 or 10 at night.  I got to camp, but come back and sleep in my own comfy bed!  It's the perfect situation!
I love hanging out with my 4-year-old nephew, Caleb!
We were making our shadows do different moves.

He was practicing writing his name.  Then I practiced writing it!

My mom asked him to write Nana.  If you had a mirror, this would be perfect!

He loves the "Anti-Gravity" chair as much as I do, and he stole it from me!
 And of course, I was out on the picket line.

Our premier, Christy Clark, is trying to ruin public education in BC.  She is sticking behind her illegal actions of raising class size limits, although her son is enrolled in a private school.  BC Teachers have been in the courts since 2002 fighting for better conditions, and despite 2 supreme court rulings in our favour, Clark and her Liberal Government have not reinstated the illegal policies.  We are in an ugly fight, and they refuse to negotiate with us at the bargaining table or agree to mediation without a long list of "pre-conditions."  I am not very hopeful at this point that school will be back in session in September.  I think the government wants to drag out this labour dispute as long as they can.

How have you been spending your summer?  Tell me in the comments below.
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