Lump Sum Investment

Investment    

1.)    Lump sum money! usually severance pay.

There is a very important responsibility with lump some payments, and they can have drastic tax responsibilities or advantages.

If you receive the money in you hand, it can have devastating consequences.

 It all becomes taxable as primary income. 

That means if you worked during the year and had and income of $40,000 add the lumps sum of say $80,000, and you now have and income of $140,000.

 If you have been making your RRRSP contributions each year, you can only contribute 18% of your previous year’s income. So you can get an RRSP of $7500 for a tax refund of approximately $3000, leaving you with a gigantic $132,5000 to be taxed.

Now in scenario two, you do not get the cheque, but your employer transfers thee $80,000

Into an RRSP in your behalf You get a tax break of $32,000 so you have $80,000 in your RRSP and you add the amount of tax saving,  you have $113,000 in you RRSP. 

If you have sufficient income to buy your allowable RRSP for that year, you could add the other $3000 to it and your invested retirement is now working for you at a huge $116,000 compounding.

And this makes lifestyle changes

So let’s pretend you are 55. So your RRSP at least should bring in 5.5%

$116,000.00
*5.50%
add interest  $6,380.00
$122,380.00
add interest *5.50%
$6,730.90
$129,110.90
So In 3 years you have increased your portfolio by  $12, 220.90

Life Coaching

Life coaching is not anything other  than giving yourself permission to reach down inside yourself, and find the things that keep you from reaching your full potential.
 So being as Spring is coming, lets deal with some of the areas that we can Spring  Clean in your life.

A session helps a person decide what three units or modules they want to to deal with first.

The usual areas as followed, but many more areas can be add.

 Short course like a life check up is especially handy every 3 to 5 years. This keeps you current and refreshes your outlook on life.

If you are entering the work force or a new job, coaching can help you in many ways, Even how to conduct an interview for your new job. Yes you do have to interview a prospect employer. Are they where you want to work or are you just settling.

Life Coaching

This is a roadmap of your life and parts we want to visit and explore. 
We hope to develop skills that you can use to enhance the journey and give you tools to take control and give you control over your own path.
We are not re-inventing you. We are developing your own unique personality

Areas of Appreciation

Investmens and financial planning    

1.)    Lump sum money!

2.)    RRSP many.

3.)    Savings

4.)    School costs children

5.)    Spending

6.)    Debt reduction.

Personal Growth.

1.)    Define dreams and goals. Are they different?

2.)    Prepare yourself for change.

3.)    Learn to communicate.

4.)    Reading.

5.)    New Interest.

6.)     Discussion group.

7.)     What is deadwood in your life

                   Getting Rid of the Deadwood

1.) De clutter your relationships

2.) De clutter your home (take it easy. We can’t do it all in a day)

              3.)  De clutter your car

    4.) De Clutter your computer

Be Selfish.

1.)     Cannot move ahead dragging the past with you.

2.)    Developing tools to lay the past to rest.

3.)    Time management

  4.)   Make time for your family

  5.)   Make time for your significant other

              6.)  Make time for yourself 

  

                   Paper work Critical 

1.) Draw up debt list

             2.) Consolidate debt where advantageous.

a.)    Lower interest rates on credit cards. And eliminate all but one with lower interest.

b.)    The limit on that one.

c.)     Use for emergency use only.

3.) How to pay down debt

4.) Draw up a will

5.) Draw up a living will

            Personal Image

1.)    Update your image to reflect what you want out of life.

2.)    Update make up or hair style

3.)    What do you not like about yourself?

4.)    What are you prepared to do about it?

5.)    Clothes make a man or a woman.

6.)    Lets look at wardrobe or what not to wear

7.)    What a bit of cosmetic enhancement? Almost instant age defeating changes that give a youth and confidence lift.

                    Mental Gymnastics

It has been said that if you know 5 authors 5 artist, 5 statesmen and 5 current events, you can hold a conversation with anyone.

1.)     Reading

2.)    Writing

3.)    Art Appreciation

4.)    Performing Arts

5.)    Entertainment

6.)    Current Affairs

7.)    Learning to speak  introductions, ice breakers, and proper English

8.)    Fashion in the home

  

Practical Work with others

1.)    Entertain planning menu and picking out wine invite  2 other couples or group of singles

2.)    Start or join a discussion group or public speaking group

3.)    Plan a tour i.e. Wine, Art, Museums

4.)    Write a small biography

5.)    Write a small fiction

6.)    Read 4 books (not pocket novels. unless they are also in hardcover). Let’s look at the library.

7.)    Interview a person and find out where they are from, what they do for employment, what they hope to achieve. But don’t make them feel interviewed. 

8.)    Develop the are of really listening

Blockages

1.)    Fear of failure.

2.)    Who are you doing it for?

3.)    What are you expectations

4.)    Fear of looking foolish.

5.)    Fear of losing what is familiar.

6.)    Discouragement of friends.

7.)    You can do it yourself (so Why haven’t you?)

8.)    Are you good enough?

9.)    Is this vain?

 Over the next couple of weeks, we will explore some of these areas and talk about tool you can use to enhance your self and your attitude and demeanor.

A face Lift and Other Things

Well Big Brother Google does it again. A FACE LIFT! It has redesigned the  blogger page from being really user friendly to being OMG.  I hope they get enough feed back to put it back


A few things this week. One of my beautiful Granddaughters celebrated her 11th birthday.
Here she is with her Mom. Dad, and baby sister on Castle hill on a visit to Newfoundland.
She will soon become one of those hormone riddle creatures we lovingly call a **teen**.

I am doing some knitting this week.

The neat yarn bowl was a gift from Monike Haweks-Frost

I have a pair if socks on the go . I do the toe up version on one needle. I use Judy's magic cast on and end up with Estonia cast off. both are on you tube.
I love the self striping sock wool. It makes such interesting patterns.

My Iceland  sweater to be.

I have started a sweater for myself. I an using Lodi Iceland wool.

John Walls wearing the Jacob Wool Sweater I spun and knitted.

We are having a spin in this Saturday, and I was going to take the sweater to "show and tell" however as it will not be done, I will have to borrow the sweater back that I knitted for John.

Weaving Bull Kelp

On a Valentines lunch to Point No Point I found some interesting weaving. This is bull Kelp. there is plenty of it on the West coast of Vancouver Island.

Good Bye Bill Morgan VE7MOG.

One a sadder note, we lost a good friend today and a  fellow HAM Bill Morgan.VE7MOG

Bill married his life time love after re-meeting her years after each had been married and were single again.
They were married December 30,2011, in the Chapel at Saanich Historical Artifacts Society and had six weeks together before Pancreatic Cancer claimed him.
Walk slowly Bill, we will all catch up one day. You will be missed in the HAM community and at Saanich Historical Artifacts Society.

— at Victoria BC

February to May $$$$$$ keep your money while you earned it $$$$

February 14 is not just Valentines day. It is the first day Canada Customs and Revenue Agency will allow you to start to file your income tax.

We can start them, but their filing system does not run until the 14th.

I do income tax preparations for a living, well part time employment of three months.

I see the programs offered on line and in the store for only 30 to 50 dollars.And it makes me so very sad. People are throwing away money away that should stay in their pockets. I can't help but think that this is a windfall for the government.

There are so many things you can miss.


The usual ones like the kids day care, bus passes and daycare, but do you know that summer camps, summer programs are also a tax deduction.

Then there is medical travel. If you have to travel 40 km away for medical care that is not available in your area, you can claim medical travel.   so it the road trip was 80 Km @.52 that would be $41 in medical expenses. Add on $8 for parking, and $10 for a meal. We have a medical expense of $59 for the one visit. Add on several trips as these things happen to be and we may be looking at $180. Add on the part you paid for glasses, dental care, your out of pocket prescriptions,
If you are on a plan that pays 80% of your medical, add up what was submitted and what you were given. With most medical insurance companies, they pay 80% of the National average. This can work out to as little as 49%. The rest came from your pocket and is a deduction. All the medical should be claimed for the family by the lowest earner. This is because the total  has 3% deducted from it. hence 3% of the lower earner is less that 3% of the higher earner.

The list is so long on what is allowable medical expense,. I will just give you the CCRA link to medical allowable expenses.
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/ncm-tx/rtrn/cmpltng/ddctns/lns300-350/330/llwbl-eng.html
Then we can add training to look after a relative in home. If your child had ADD, training for the care is a write off as is your First Aid course.
Which brings me to another point that is not really tax related. If you have to go to Vancouver for medical treatment, you ask your Dr for a TAP form. This does not depend on how much money you have, but that treatment is not available on the Island. This will allow free passage for car and patient. If the patient cannot drive themselves, then the driver is free also for the round trip. 

I has a chap who had been coming for about 5 years and I prepared their taxes. The year he brought his wife, I discovered she was sight impaired. I gave a T2201 and they received  $16,000 in deserved rebate.

I usually get 1 or 2 of these a year.


T2201 covers a deduction for anyone who is impaired on a severe, prolonged and restrictive in the following areas:

1. Has your impairment in physical or mental functions lasted, or is it 
expected to last, for a continuous period of at least 12 months? Yes or No 
 
If you answered yes, answer Questions 2 to 5 below. 
If you answered no, you are not eligible for the DTC. To claim the disability 
amount, the impairment has to be prolonged (defined on the previous page). 
 
2. Are you blind? Yes or No 
 
3. Do you receive life-sustaining therapy  Yes 
or No 
 
4. Do the effects of your impairment cause you to be markedly restricted 
 in one of the following basic activities of 
daily living, even with the appropriate therapy, medication, and devices? 
 
- speaking 
- hearing 
- walking 
- elimination (bowel or bladder functions) 
- feeding 
- dressing 
- mental functions necessary for everyday life 

If you have a child in post secondary school, they will receive a T2202. This will stat their tuition and number of months in full or part time education. It full time, each month is worth $400 deduction and part time is worth $125 a month, plus:

Eligible tuition fees include:

• admission fees;
• charges for the use or library or laboratory facilities;
• examination fees;
• application fees (but only if the student later enrolls in the institution);
• charges for a certificate, diploma, or degree;
• mandatory computer service fees;
• academic fees;
• the cost of any books that are included in the total fees for a correspondence course taken through a post secondary educational institution in Canada; and
• fees, such as athletic and health services fees, paid to a university, college, or other educational institution in addition to your tuition for post-secondary courses, when such fees are required to be paid by all students. The amount of eligible fees is limited to $250 if the fees do not have to be paid by all students.

If the student does not need the education amount to bring their taxes to 0. It can be transferred to a spouse, common law, or parent and grand parent.
And the student may claim moving expenses each semester if they actual move.
If they get a T4A for bursary, anything over $300 is taxable unless  THEY have a T2202 proving they went on to post education, then up to $5000 is a tax free.
Or it can stay in the students account and be applied against future taxes.
The amounts for moving are a real benefit if you are moving to work.Again there are so many deductions  must first determine if you qualify to deduct moving expenses, either as an individual who is employed or self-employed or as a full-time student.

If you qualify, you can claim reasonable amounts that you paid for moving yourself, your family, and your household effects. Not all members of your household have to travel together or at the same time.

Eligible moving expenses

Transportation and storage costs (such as packing, hauling, moving, in-transit storage, and insurance) for household effects, including items such as boats and trailers.

Travel expenses, including vehicle expenses, meals, and accommodation, to move you and members of your household to your new residence. You can choose to claim vehicle and meal expenses using the detailed or simplified method.

Temporary living expenses for up to a maximum of 15 days for meals and temporary accommodation near the old and the new residence for you and the members of your household. You can choose to claim meal expenses using the detailed or simplifiedmethod. If you choose the simplified method, although you do not have to submit detailed receipts for actual expenses, we may still ask you to provide some documentation to establish the duration of temporary lodging.

Cost of cancelling a lease for your old residence, except any rental payment for the period during which you occupied the residence.

Incidental costs related to your move which includes the following:

• changing your address on legal documents;
• replacing driving licences and non-commercial vehicle permits (not including insurance); and
• utility hook-ups and disconnections.

Cost to maintain your old residence (maximum of $5,000) when it was vacant after you moved, and during a period when reasonable efforts were made to sell the home. It includes the following:

• interest;
• property taxes;
• insurance premiums; and
• heat and utilities expenses.

NoteThe costs must have been incurred when your old residence was not ordinarily occupied by you or any other person who ordinarily resided with you at the old residence just before the move. You cannot deduct these costs during a period when the old residence was rented.

Cost of selling your old residence, including advertising, notary or legal fees, real estate commission, and mortgage penalty when the mortgage is paid off before maturity.

Cost of purchasing your new residence if you or your spouse or common-law partner sold your old residence as a result of your move.

NoteIt includes legal or notary fees that you paid for the purchase of your new residence, as well as any taxes paid (other than GST/HST or property taxes) for the transfer or registration of title to the new residence.

Then there are accounting fees, safety deposit box fees if you keep stocks and bond, accounting fees if you have stocks or bonds. So you brick shares, or a $100 CSB in your safety deposit box, tax prep so you win all ways.

Now do you really think you can find all little bits and pieces in a $29 program?
Or do you want someone with over 24 years of experience?
This is what you can get from a professional:

Basic tax preparation is priced at $45 and includes:

• T4's
• T5's
• T4(P)
• T(OAP)
• WCB
• T4RSP
• Charitable Donation
• Medical Expenses
• Child care
• GST Application 
• E-filed

For a Spouse living in the same household, the price is $35 and includes the same items as above, however we will evaluate how the couple benefit from the deductions that are allowed to be shared or claimed by one of the couple. This included pension income splitting for Seniors. Both returns are E-filed

For a Child in the same household or at Post Secondary School we do the same basic service plus transfer of education amounts to a parent, bus fare, tuition and tuition intest pay back, education 
refund credit, the fee will be $25

We do rentals and small business at a cost of $15 extra for each rental or business. This applies only if the total are prepared. If accounting or partial accounting is required, we charge $35 an hour.

We also claim appropriate: meal allowances, room and lodging and Northern living allowace


Hope we hear from you
http://www3.telus.net/public/palea/

Girl Time.. Well Ladies any way

It has been a weekend of mixed Blessings with the weather.
 Sun and warm enough for sweaters, and bleak grey and rain 10 minutes later.

It is just as well we had projects inside to entertain ourselves.

I belong to the Juan De Fuca Art and Craft Guild.

 There is traditional fine arts, carving, models of boats, planes, railway sets, cats and bugs, rocks and stamps, and  all manner of things.

But we are the fibre ones. Sewing, quilting, knitting, weaving spinning, anything that can be create by applying fingers to fibre and fabric.

Each year we take over the  walkway in the Can West Mall, in Langford. The main purpose is to recruit interested new members. We also can showcase our particular crafts and have the opportunity to sell some of the things we have made.

Quilts knitted for charity by the JDF Arts and Craft Guild.

I picked up a really neat carrier for pies or pots for pot luck dinners for $15. Well made and sturdy.

Bibs for both babies and the older folks who may need a little something to keep their dinner off their vests. These go for around $3.
I just have my glasses hanging around my neck and catch the fallout in those.

The ladies do a lot of charity work with: homemade quilts for the nursing homes or for a new baby.

Baby and children's knitting, slippers, Chemo hats and special wipes for the fragile are among the desired items

A number of warm items are donated to local charities that deal with the battered spouses or the homeless also.
 The sense of sharing and giving is outstanding.


They not only give their time and talent, but also often buy the materials.

 They are always open to donations of yarn, fabric, batting, or any other project material. If you would like to donate, email me at palea@telus.net and I will make sure you are put in contact with the right person.

The other asset of these groups, is the mentorship that happens.
With our nomadic communities now, we cannot all learn the crafts from out relatives, so the good ladies will take a novice under their wing and share their skill.

We need more of this type of caring.

Several of us took our spinning wheel and demonstrated to the interested people how to spin and card and knit.

I took some needle felting and happily sold out of dryer balls.
I also took some Tunisian knitting/croquet and demonstrated that.

It was a great time and we manage to stay the whole three days.

Then our Fibre Friends group had our weekly spin day at my house today.

I had turkey broth in the freezer, so did a Winter soup with all root vegetables, and made two homemade loaves of bread. One was Apple and ginger and the other was raisin bread.

We all brought projects and talked and ate, and spun and generally had a great time.

I think it is important for each gendre to have some time with their peers.

Some women have daughters, sister, or other relatives to chat with. But for us that do not,  it is a healthy special way to touch base outside the family circle.

One a year I try and go to a Spin-in. We stay at a hotel for 2 nights and take our wheels and spin. There are anywhere up to 100 spinners, so the groups keep reforming and  opinions, tricks and tips are shared.

Venders bring fleece and yarn and books and bits and pieces we may need.

There is one coming up in March, and a one day Spin-in in a couple of weeks
 at Metchosen.
I will at least take in one and again refresh my creative side.

My Special Family

It was in 1981 that I answered a call from a concerned relative to come and see her nephews.

She had been unable to contact them and was concerned.

I was a crisis worker at the time and certainly these boys were in crisis.

Their Dad was away working and the boys had been left to** the tender mercies** of the other principal residents in the home.

This was a co parenting home that was supposed to be supportive of the single dad and his three sons.

I found three youngsters 3, 5 and 6, dirty, hungry and frightened.

The **caring adults**. Had been away 2 days and left the boys alone in an old house with the fridge ties up.

Their was a rope off area to their bed, the bathroom and a small sitting area.There was a jug of water available.

I picked up the boys and took them their aunt to talk about the situation. She fed them and I took them home.

When the father returned I refused to give him back his children.

Time and circumstanced passed and I gave the dad visiting privilege. It is a long involved story, enough to say it was not the fathers fault. he was caught in a trap and was as much a victim as the boys. With no other alternatives that he could find, he felt he could not escape.

Human Resources would not help him find reliable help for his little family unless he gave up custody of his kids.

Over time, the boys stayed with me and flourished. They attended my church and each in turn accepted Christ as their savior.

As time passed Jim and I fell in love and eventually married Mar 23 1983.

I have been mom ever since. The middle one tried to explain the relationship once and said, three of us are adopted, but I forget which ones.

Tomorrow will be the oldest will turn 39.

He still lives with me and cares for me, and helps me in a million ways.

The other two are so close to me, that I too forget which are by love and which are blood.

After Jim died, it seems some power knew he couldn't be here,so he gave my my three special sons. That make a total of 5 sons.

I want all of you, my sons, to know I love you. You are the greatest gift a woman can have.
Thank each of you, all five, for your special and unique person that you are.

And the bonus of this is I have gained 3 wonderful daughter. My boys married winners.
And then they produced families and gave me grandchildren to love.

I am proud of all my family and consider myself a very fortunate woman.

love mom

Size Does Matter

Today is cleaning day.I have to do the weekly deep clean, not the daily wipe down.

Two bathrooms, two bedroom, stove fridge, dishwasher, pellet stove, vacuum sweep, polish not just dust,
Porch, doors, counter and cupboards, and if I have any life in me, tackle the draws in the kitchen, office, library, craft room, and walk in closet. |It  didn't used to be this difficult did it?

I ran across a blog that made me think.   http://camperrevamper.wordpress.com/

Ewans Truck and 5th wheel

Think about our summer days, where we can hook up the 5th wheel I sold to my son, to the Ford truck I sold to my truck and take off with Chelsea and become summer Gypsy's.

I think of the maintenance, There is limited washing to do, the morning cleanup is a green disinfectant wipe of the bathroom, dumped the lavatory, wipe counters and mop the floor.

The dishes are few and done by us both after each meal and put away, not in the dishwasher

Fresh Roast ready to cook overnight

.
We buy fresh and local to the area so no freezing, canning, cooking ahead.

Both Ewan and I like to cook so we share the job, enjoying how creative we can be on four burners and an oven.

Our evenings are spent exploring, visiting, taking pictures, playing a game of cards, or my personal favorites knitting or reading.

Sifton Spin-well wheel

I have a spinning wheel which rides nicely bungied to the leg of the table. It is a Spin-well so it is made to travel.
I have a tablet now so my 400 books and knitting patterns can travel in my purse. Strangely. I only need one purse and 2 pair of shoes.

Then I think of the homes I knew when I was growing up.

We had a bedroom that was kept clean because we treasured our few possessions, we looked after our clothes because it might be a long time till we got new ones. And it was a place we could entertain out same sex friends.
Comic books were  kept mint so they could be shared and pictures of loved ones or the odd film star were on the walls.

We sat at the table in the kitchen on chairs around a table and talked of our day.
 We knew if our parents were facing difficulties and we tried to help in any way we could. Mom was sick, do the laundry, pop was off colour, play quietly.
They knew what we were up to as well.Quizzes would see how far we were in school.

General conversation would let the parents know that we were feeling rejected because only 2 valentines were in our letterbox at school and one was from me.
So mom would bake a batch of sugar cookies for me to take the next day. My letterbox was overflowing from hopefuls of scoring a sugar cookie.

My brother. Grade 7 Class at Thomas Hodson in Nanaimo

When my brother was being bullied at school and picked on because of his British accent. He and dad took a walk and dad explained and demonstrated the rules of boxing according to the age old fashion of the the Marquess of Queensberry When defending ones self  and the weaker ones was a gentlemanly thing to do, not street bawls.

We had a living room where we would gather after supper if we didn't have a public speaking meeting or a 4H meeting.

These activities were enough to keep us occupied for the month. There was not the opportunity to go out every night of the week to **expand ourselves**.

My brother would lay on the floor with his text books around him and do his homework. Often asking a question that led to a story from the folks. Or asking how to spell a word, led to a discussion on were the word originated and we would use the word in past present and future tense, should it be a verb.

I would be learning the art of knitting and sewing . My brother was 6 years older than I so  when he battled the books. in Grade seven. I was in grade one and was under tutelage of Mother for the arts that were considered female n those days.

I learned to measure cut and sew, and with out a pattern. I knitted in the same way, doing a rough drawing based on my tension swatch.

Sweater I designed and knitted

I was responsible for the baking powder biscuits, though not allowed to tackle the pies.

And I would lie on my piece of floor by the stove and explored foreign lands, not on Google, but through my stamp album.

Sometimes my Dad would call me and say "Come here you, you may as well learn this."

And with black tape, a pen knife and some knowledge, I learned to safely change a plug on a lamp.
By changing fuses I learned why you didn't put a 30 amp fuse in a 15amp socket.

Even when television invaded our living room, my parents knew what we were watching, because they were with us. And they got first pick.

Dad loved the outdoors. The Gypsy in him hated the four walls. Getting dinner from the land was always an adventure, and another opportunity for stories when he exposed his Romany roots.

I found out what mushrooms could be eaten and which ones would spell your doom. We carried home baskets of  greens from the undergrowth to add to the stew pot or a salad.

But in this strange division of  responsibility it was moms job to take me berry picking.

Dinner of the hoof

I would hurry home and tell Dad, I saw sign today by Arbutus Hill.

Early next morning, we would arise before dawn and creep through the forest to Arbutus Hill where dad would hide us both near the creek. Soon a buck would appear, and for those not into blood survival, suffice to say we had fresh and salted meat for awhile.

This was in the days when our little house put us with close contact with each other. Manners were learned every day at the kitchen table. Conversation became an art on the living room floor.

Our friends were known to my parents, and  visited by the front door, or I was delivered to a friends house, possibly once a month.

We went shopping on Saturday and walked with our parents unless we had 15 cents for the matinee.

Yes there was a lot more to do, but it seemed easier, We knew how to behave and how to make do. I think the most we learned from living in a small house was that homes with Rumpus rooms, Media rooms, Recreation Rooms, Man Caves , en suite bathrooms, were not always homes. They were houses.

The bond we forged with our parents was worth all the times we got smacked in the face with wet socks and undies drying for the next day.

So their we have come from house work to home..work.

What a journey life is.

How I became a HAM and I don't mean Pork.

I was widowed in 2002. The days dragged on for hours, only to be taken over by the nights that were even longer.
 I would try and stay awake at night so I would sleep in in the morning and shorten the empty time.

One day a friend said," Hey want to go to Burnaby for a swap meet.?"
 My first instinct was to say no. Then the thought struck me that there was no reason not to go.

Patty at the Swap Meet in Nanaimo

I live on an Island on the West Coast of Canada. If you go much farther west, you go swimming.

So at 6:30 in the AM we boarded a ferry boat for the 2 hour trip to Burnaby, which is very near Vancouver.

A Swap Meet in HAM terms is a big flea market of radio equipment of every kind.
 Stuff that is good for Boat Anchors all the way to sophisticated radio and electronic equipment.

We wandered  around for about 4 hours, looking at some things that resembled my CB days when we called out ** breaker, breaker good buddy, You got your ears on 10/9 ** to things I had absolutely no idea what they were.

 Then we decided it was time to eat. As we walked out and got in my friends truck, My friend handed me a bag and said,"You get your licence in 3 months of this comes back to me."

I opened the bag and saw a very compact little 2 meter radio.

I had 3 months to get my HAM certificate of proficiency or I had to give up the little Alinco.

Lincolnshire

Of course this was second hand and came without a manual, so we had to sort our way through programming  about 40 frequencies in this radio.

A frequency is not as straight forward as it sounds.  If all were simplex, that is call on one frequency and receive on the same one.

We had to program in repeater frequencies. This is where you call on one frequency, it hits a repeater is sent forward on a frequency that is either 600 mhz below or above the frequency.

This is a long range system. ( I won't get into IRLP)  Then there is a thing called a tone. This will make two frequencies that are close, ignore each other. Utilizing more of the band.

I joined a class of recruits in Duncan and duly passed my course and obtained the beginners licence.

Ride for the Disabled

This allowed my to talk to people on 2 meter.

I had my teeth into this communications thing now I wanted to go big time with HF. Some where along the bought an HF rig. This is the one you see in all the movies that you see the around the world conversations or CUSO's.

I could listen, but I couldn't talk, till I met one small requirement.. I had to pass my test for CW. That is continuous wave, or Morse Code.

Kenwood HF3000S

I had the radio and appropriate antenna hooked up beside my bed and would listen to my friends from all over BC and Alberta.

Of course they knew I was listening so were happily making snide  remarks.  AND I HAD to listen... I wanted that CW qualification so badly, I got it in 6 weeks, which is somewhat of a record.

Shortly after, they change the rules so you didn't have to use CW. But I am glad I got it the old way and joined the purists.

It changed my whole life. Instead of looking at the clock and thinking, it is too late to phone someone at 10PM. I could turn on my Kenwood 3000S and there was always someone to talk to.

A group of us always seemed to end up on a certain frequency and we known as the "44 crew.
Sometimes the conversations were technical in  nature and I learned a lot. Sometimes the nightly subjects would be light hearted and a lot of kidding and telling tales on each other in good fun.

After a few years, I moved to Victoria from Ladysmith and brought my HAM shack with me.

I used my skills to help in an Emergency Communications Centre, I volunteered to  help with The Royal Victoria Marathon for 7 years, I worked with the Victoria 10 K, bike aces, Ride for the disable, Mind over Mountain, CARHA hockey tournament and anywhere that communication is needed.

In an emergency, we can't always depend on phones and cells. The electricity may not be there to power the phones, cell towers may burn down as they did in our forest fires tat burned up large parts of our province.

My job in that was family reunification. If families were in different emergency shelters, the radio operator would radio me on the Island and I could phone an out of province relative and pass on messages of where different family members were safe and  well.

 We also passed messages to emergency response workers who had no other means of communication. people like forestry, medical aid, fire crews and community planners.

Each year we have something called a Field Day. This is where HAM from all over set up temporary sites and make contacts all over the world. In fact, I will let a friend tell you about it. he does a better job than I.

VE7ALB  at Field Day

ICOM T70A

Kenwood D700

I have a Kenwood D700 in my car hooked to a GPS, so friends can find out where I am at any given time.

I had a kenwood D7, that unfortunately got stolen, and for my birthday a few days ago, my friend John presented my with a brand new Icon T70A

73's  and 88's VA7PTY

Repeater site on My Brenton owned by CVARS