Tom has been away for the past couple of days so I have been ferrying the children around in the dark in the Rav. Yesterday they both started swimming lessons at the motel down the road and today we had a parent teacher interview with Rose's Teacher in school.
I haven't really had to drive in the dark since we arrived in Canada and it wasn't without its problems. After swimming last night we sat for ages in the motel car park while I tried to work out why the dash didn't light up when I switched the engine on and attempted to find the right button to press. I am ashamed to admit that it took me about 10 minutes to work out that it would light up automatically when I switched the headlights on. Durr. I have got so used to swanky new cars I had totally forgotten that I needed to switch headlights on at all.
Tonight when we reached school in the dark I couldn't find the door handle to get out and had to ask Jacob to get out and release me from the front seat. How sad and embarrassing, I think perhaps I should get a small trolley to put on the back of my bike or carry the children around in a back pack and not bother with engines at all, I am clearly not suited to them.
Thursday 29 November 2012
Monday 26 November 2012
Christmas Pudding
Now it's 'Cyber Monday' invented to encourage people to shop online, it's marketing gone crazy, at least electronic shopping is unlikely to result in fisticuffs in Macy's.
Yesterday I diligently made my Christmas pudding. I mixed it 3 times East to West (so did J and R) covered it in a double layer of pleated grease proof paper then foil then left it in my Crock Pot on low overnight for 13 hours as per online instructions. I have no idea if it is cooked or not. What I can see of it looks like Christmas pudding and it smells just like Mum's. In fact I unwrapped it today (in order to wrap it all over again) inhaled a big sniff of it and it was magically transported back to many Christmas Days, I hadn't previously thought what an individually Christmassy smell a pudding has but for an instant I had definitely defied the arrow of time. (So there Professor Brian Cox)
Yesterday I diligently made my Christmas pudding. I mixed it 3 times East to West (so did J and R) covered it in a double layer of pleated grease proof paper then foil then left it in my Crock Pot on low overnight for 13 hours as per online instructions. I have no idea if it is cooked or not. What I can see of it looks like Christmas pudding and it smells just like Mum's. In fact I unwrapped it today (in order to wrap it all over again) inhaled a big sniff of it and it was magically transported back to many Christmas Days, I hadn't previously thought what an individually Christmassy smell a pudding has but for an instant I had definitely defied the arrow of time. (So there Professor Brian Cox)
Sunday 25 November 2012
First Snow
Today we woke up to a little winter wonderland. For inexplicable reasons all of their own the children saw fit to roll in it like little Snowy Slugs, they got very wet but I guess they had a good time.
The garden looked really pretty, especially the chalet, Tom pointed out that if it was the UK tiny creatures would probably still be picnicking on the veranda saying things like 'Ooh, it's a little chilly out here today' and 'I'm ever so glad I put on 2 pairs of socks'.
What festive weather for stir up Sunday. I used up approximately 10% of my candied peel in the Christmas Pudding so I guess I'll be making Christmas Cake and my own mincemeat too, or possibly very high end, labour intensive suet cakes for the birds.
The garden looked really pretty, especially the chalet, Tom pointed out that if it was the UK tiny creatures would probably still be picnicking on the veranda saying things like 'Ooh, it's a little chilly out here today' and 'I'm ever so glad I put on 2 pairs of socks'.
What festive weather for stir up Sunday. I used up approximately 10% of my candied peel in the Christmas Pudding so I guess I'll be making Christmas Cake and my own mincemeat too, or possibly very high end, labour intensive suet cakes for the birds.
Friday 23 November 2012
Pointsetta Mania
To suitably mark Black Friday and another PA day the children and I went to a local garden centre for a pointsetta festival. I don't know what I expected but I was quite astonished by the vast acres of them on display and the variety that was available, I wish I'd had a camera. Actually it was quite an outing with something for everyone, 9 varieties of pointsettas for me to choose from, a small indoor play area for the children and free cookies and hot chocolate for all of us. I chose 2 plants, a fairly traditional 1 called Merlot and a really pretty bi-colored variety called shimmer shine. Look and admire now because my current house plant keeping record is not good.
On the way home we popped into 'It's Thyme', by far the best gift shop in Grand Bend, to choose a posh bauble each for the Xmas tree. Rose found a pink sparkly hand bag shaped one in 3 seconds (no surprise there) and Jacob spent half an hour picking out a highly breakable and expensive glass acorn.
Shopping today was a bit like trick or treating. At the post office this morning (my parcel was 999.7g on the post office scale! Phew, no repackaging and breaking down) the children were given lollipops, there were cookies at the garden centre and cookies and reindeer poop at 'It's Thyme'. If all shops are like this on Black Friday perhaps they should call it Fat Friday instead.
On the way home we popped into 'It's Thyme', by far the best gift shop in Grand Bend, to choose a posh bauble each for the Xmas tree. Rose found a pink sparkly hand bag shaped one in 3 seconds (no surprise there) and Jacob spent half an hour picking out a highly breakable and expensive glass acorn.
Shopping today was a bit like trick or treating. At the post office this morning (my parcel was 999.7g on the post office scale! Phew, no repackaging and breaking down) the children were given lollipops, there were cookies at the garden centre and cookies and reindeer poop at 'It's Thyme'. If all shops are like this on Black Friday perhaps they should call it Fat Friday instead.
Thursday 22 November 2012
Happy Thanksgiving USA
Today is Thanksgiving in America. I am so uninformed about American culture that I didn't realize that Thanksgiving is on a Thursday every year, I guess I just assumed that it was a Sunday like most holidays that change dates. I also hadn't heard of 'Black Friday', the busiest shopping day of the US calendar. I googled it and got very confused with lots of information about a stock market catastrophe on 24 September 1869 before I added 'shopping' to my search criteria and discovered it is the public holiday after Thanksgiving and traditionally the first day of Xmas shopping hence all the flyers everywhere advertising sales.
Which leads me nicely on to the Krypton Factor challenge that has been getting my Xmas shopping posted out to the UK this year. I was all smug and organized and ready to send everything out at the beginning of the second week of November which I thought would be plenty of time for surface mail. When it got close I decided to actually look up the last recommended post date and found that it was 23 October. Doh!
So I sulked for a week and then sat down to work out how to send everything cheapest by air. The optimum package has dimensions that add up to no more than 90cm with the longest side being less than 60cm and weighs up to 1kg (I sound like Jacob now). I have spent ages arranging and rearranging stuff to get the right things in the right boxes and have just packed up parcel #2, it weighs 997g, and I had to leave off the ribbon and be very, very careful with parcel tape and gift tags to get it to that. I really hope that my scales are accurate and I don't get turned away by the nice ladies in the post office tomorrow. I might break down if I have to do it again, my only hope will be retail therapy so at least I'll have picked the right day.
Which leads me nicely on to the Krypton Factor challenge that has been getting my Xmas shopping posted out to the UK this year. I was all smug and organized and ready to send everything out at the beginning of the second week of November which I thought would be plenty of time for surface mail. When it got close I decided to actually look up the last recommended post date and found that it was 23 October. Doh!
So I sulked for a week and then sat down to work out how to send everything cheapest by air. The optimum package has dimensions that add up to no more than 90cm with the longest side being less than 60cm and weighs up to 1kg (I sound like Jacob now). I have spent ages arranging and rearranging stuff to get the right things in the right boxes and have just packed up parcel #2, it weighs 997g, and I had to leave off the ribbon and be very, very careful with parcel tape and gift tags to get it to that. I really hope that my scales are accurate and I don't get turned away by the nice ladies in the post office tomorrow. I might break down if I have to do it again, my only hope will be retail therapy so at least I'll have picked the right day.
Tuesday 20 November 2012
Xmas Ingredients
Today I made candied peel. Kathrin suggested it and despite finding out that you can buy it readily in Sobeys the idea took hold. It's a bit of a faff and took all day with all the various stages of boiling in water and in sugar syrup, not letting it boil dry or boil too hard, bla bla bla. I made the mistake of leaving it off the heat for half an hour while I picked up the kids from the bus stop so now it looks a trifle crusty, I hope nobody will notice when it's buried in Christmas pudding as the recipe made loads! Now I have to leave it for 3-4 days in an airing cupboard (don't have one so will have to use the walk in closet and deny all knowledge when Tom asks what the funny smell is) then see how it is. Shall update you on Friday.
Actually, I am in the midst of a blogging crisis right now - both of my cameras are on the blink. Thank Heaven for Tom's I phone or you may never have seen this.
Note that as well as 2 tutus and a wand there are wings (and there were high heels), its a shame you can't tell that the longer of the tutus is accidentally hitched up into stripey pants at the back.
Actually, I am in the midst of a blogging crisis right now - both of my cameras are on the blink. Thank Heaven for Tom's I phone or you may never have seen this.
Note that as well as 2 tutus and a wand there are wings (and there were high heels), its a shame you can't tell that the longer of the tutus is accidentally hitched up into stripey pants at the back.
Saturday 17 November 2012
A Walk In the Park
Today was glorious so we went for a walk in the Pinery. I remembered my camera and it was so picturesque that I will now inundate you with photos. Here is Jacob (looking normal for a change) and a large piece of driftwood
Here is a sequence of Rose falling off a log, you are probably not supposed to laugh very hard at your children falling over but she does things with such aplomb.
I took loads of photos and will not bore you with them all as they are quite similar but here is a final image of reflections on the Ausauble River.
What a fabulous place to live.
Here is a sequence of Rose falling off a log, you are probably not supposed to laugh very hard at your children falling over but she does things with such aplomb.
I took loads of photos and will not bore you with them all as they are quite similar but here is a final image of reflections on the Ausauble River.
What a fabulous place to live.
Jacob Post: Rose
Rose dresses up strangely a lot. Today, she was all dressed for dinner (maybe overdressed) in apron, dress and other stuff.
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| all dressed for dinner |
Friday 16 November 2012
No Good at Shopping
What a busy couple of days, Tom and I have been out on our own! Yesterday we drove down to St Thomas to look at some energy star rated houses, they were lovely but the centre of St Thomas reminded me of Barrow in Furness so that's not going to be our next destination. Today we drove into London to look at a few neighbourhoods and do some shopping. There seem to be a few nice places to live around London, my favourite is called Byron, if I live there I shall start writing poetry or take up boxing and possibly wear my hair in an affected and foppish style.
Shopping was not particularly successful, I do it so little these days that I am completely out of practice and rubbish. If I go into a department store like 'The Bay' (what is left of the mighty Hudson Bay Company and a bit like John Lewis) it can take me over half an hour just to get to the right department as every few steps there is something that needs closer examination like red gloves or patterned legwarmers or shiney hand bags and at the moment there is also masses of twinkly, sparkly Xmas paraphernalia. This would be ok on my own but with a man in tow it just doesn't feel like acceptable behaviour and I end up concentrating so hard on not getting side tracked that I forget where I'm going. As a result I went in today for snow boots and a winter coat and came home with Xmas cards and pajamas, oh well, just have to try again I guess.
Shopping was not particularly successful, I do it so little these days that I am completely out of practice and rubbish. If I go into a department store like 'The Bay' (what is left of the mighty Hudson Bay Company and a bit like John Lewis) it can take me over half an hour just to get to the right department as every few steps there is something that needs closer examination like red gloves or patterned legwarmers or shiney hand bags and at the moment there is also masses of twinkly, sparkly Xmas paraphernalia. This would be ok on my own but with a man in tow it just doesn't feel like acceptable behaviour and I end up concentrating so hard on not getting side tracked that I forget where I'm going. As a result I went in today for snow boots and a winter coat and came home with Xmas cards and pajamas, oh well, just have to try again I guess.
Wednesday 14 November 2012
Packaging
Stir up Sunday is coming up and I am avidly awaiting the arrival of specially imported vegetarian suet. As far as I can work out this is another ingredient like marrowfat peas that is alien to Canada. I google researched ordinary suet of the meat variety and that is available but I would never have found it as it is kept in bags in the freezer department not in a box in the home baking section.
I've come across a number of things since we moved that are packaged quite differently, nuts often come in glass jars and cranberry sauce is tinned. You buy flour in huge quantities, the average bag is 2.5kg/5lb, not many of those fit in a shopping bag or my kitchen cupboards. But the weirdest one is milk in bags. In some ways this is really sensible as it reduces the packaging quite considerably and once you've wrestled it into a custom made jug it is fairly easy to handle but a bag does not seem to me to be the most obvious vehicle for pourable liquid.
I've come across a number of things since we moved that are packaged quite differently, nuts often come in glass jars and cranberry sauce is tinned. You buy flour in huge quantities, the average bag is 2.5kg/5lb, not many of those fit in a shopping bag or my kitchen cupboards. But the weirdest one is milk in bags. In some ways this is really sensible as it reduces the packaging quite considerably and once you've wrestled it into a custom made jug it is fairly easy to handle but a bag does not seem to me to be the most obvious vehicle for pourable liquid.
Monday 12 November 2012
Cool in the Shades
Nothing sensational to report from the past couple of days. On Sunday the temperature was about 15 degrees so along with pretty much everyone else we made the most of probably the last coat free day of this year and took Gary for a 'peaceful' walk in the Pinery. It was lovely but I'm afraid my camera never left my pocket so no pictures.
Today the temperature dropped about 10 degrees, it rained persistently all day and didn't seem to get properly light. In response my shoulders have become lodged in a hunched position and my neck has shrunk back into my torso so my chin is resting on my clavicles. Feels very much a British winter to me.
To make up for lack of photography in the Pinery here is Jacob with our Operation Christmas Child shoe box that we put together today.
And here are Tom and Rose looking cool last Friday.
Today the temperature dropped about 10 degrees, it rained persistently all day and didn't seem to get properly light. In response my shoulders have become lodged in a hunched position and my neck has shrunk back into my torso so my chin is resting on my clavicles. Feels very much a British winter to me.
To make up for lack of photography in the Pinery here is Jacob with our Operation Christmas Child shoe box that we put together today.
And here are Tom and Rose looking cool last Friday.
Saturday 10 November 2012
Jacob Post: Curling
Today, I went to a bonspiel. I was luckily on the team of the only person I know in curling. We won the game thanks to our skip. A skip is a person on a curling team who helps the thrower do what's best. A lead is the person who throws the first rocks. A second and vice throw the 3rd to 6th rock. We won the first game. We won the second game too. WE WON!!!!! This is my prize:
Curling Champion
This afternoon I had a beer at 3.30 and now I am very disorientated and quite inarticulate. I seem to have been very busy the last couple of days doing nothing at all so have had nothing at all to say. Today we took Jacob out for his first bonspiel and somehow he managed to get on the the winning team so here is a pic of him with his prize (the basketball, not the small child in swimming goggles)
That's it for now, I'll try to think of something more interesting to say in the next few days.
That's it for now, I'll try to think of something more interesting to say in the next few days.
Wednesday 7 November 2012
Bird Houses and Wildlife
What a change has occurred in the woods around our house, here is the view from the front door today.
Now that there are minimal leaves on the trees I have a really fine view not only of the neighbors and the highway but also all the bird houses in the garden. Jacob went on a hunt for them in the summer and he said he counted 14 hanging up or propped up on posts. There are many different sizes and shapes including 1 cat and another posing as a man smoking a pipe but my favourite is the bird chalet pictured below. It is tucked away at the back of the property and was covered in dense leaf growth so I'd not really paid close attention until this week, but look it even has a little picnic table and food basket on the veranda. Rose and I added the bird and mouse to make it look occupied.
It's all nature today. I looked out of the window this evening while I was making tea and there was a female white tailed deer standing in the middle of the lawn about 10 feet away from me, oh for a decent camera. Rose and I watched her for a few minutes before she retreated under the pine trees where there were 2 calves from this year waiting for her. I knew they must be around because deer are my prime suspects for nibbling my jack-o-lantern and mangling my pansies but I hadn't seen one in the garden until today.
Now that there are minimal leaves on the trees I have a really fine view not only of the neighbors and the highway but also all the bird houses in the garden. Jacob went on a hunt for them in the summer and he said he counted 14 hanging up or propped up on posts. There are many different sizes and shapes including 1 cat and another posing as a man smoking a pipe but my favourite is the bird chalet pictured below. It is tucked away at the back of the property and was covered in dense leaf growth so I'd not really paid close attention until this week, but look it even has a little picnic table and food basket on the veranda. Rose and I added the bird and mouse to make it look occupied.
It's all nature today. I looked out of the window this evening while I was making tea and there was a female white tailed deer standing in the middle of the lawn about 10 feet away from me, oh for a decent camera. Rose and I watched her for a few minutes before she retreated under the pine trees where there were 2 calves from this year waiting for her. I knew they must be around because deer are my prime suspects for nibbling my jack-o-lantern and mangling my pansies but I hadn't seen one in the garden until today.
Monday 5 November 2012
Bonfire Night
It is very weird being in a place where nobody has heard of bonfire night, it is even weirder trying to explain it. What a very barbaric holiday, but how much better it is to have fireworks on 5 November when it's dark by 6pm than 1 July (Canada Day) when you have to keep the children up until 10pm to watch them, Tom and I were in bed before then this year!
We have not done much to celebrate, I planned the 'traditional' tea of sausages in buns and cheesy baked spuds with baked beans and I was considering baking Parkin but I suspect that nobody but me would eat it and as I am still trying to give the healthy lifestyle a go I decided against. Toffee apples didn't seem like a good idea with so much Halloween candy in the house and I can't buy treacle to make treacle toffee. Oh well, maybe I'll plan a little ahead instead of worrying about dressing up costumes next year.
I think its against the local by laws to have a bonfire in the back yard and the idea of Rose and sparklers is too scary to contemplate so Its a good job we went to the fireworks display in Arnside last year.
We have not done much to celebrate, I planned the 'traditional' tea of sausages in buns and cheesy baked spuds with baked beans and I was considering baking Parkin but I suspect that nobody but me would eat it and as I am still trying to give the healthy lifestyle a go I decided against. Toffee apples didn't seem like a good idea with so much Halloween candy in the house and I can't buy treacle to make treacle toffee. Oh well, maybe I'll plan a little ahead instead of worrying about dressing up costumes next year.
I think its against the local by laws to have a bonfire in the back yard and the idea of Rose and sparklers is too scary to contemplate so Its a good job we went to the fireworks display in Arnside last year.
Sunday 4 November 2012
Nothing Much
Daylight saving ended today in Canada, the children were up at 6.10am by yesterday's time so that's 4 days this week that I have been out of bed well before 6am. It's no wonder I look about 100 years old right now.
Yesterday we bought snow boots for Rose and more trainers for Jacob, for curling this time so I'm not frantically scrubbing the mud off the soles of his shoes 5 minutes before we have to leave for Forest. At curling today Jacob said he got frostbite but still wanted to be signed up for his first bonspiel next Saturday.
Most of my weekends seem to revolve around laundry these days, it's not that I can't do that sort of thing during the week but everyone is on a sort of economy 7 system over here where electricity is cheapest at night and on the weekends. This means that because I am a bit of a miser but don't want to stay up until midnight folding clothes I save as much laundry as possible for the weekend then spend Saturday or Sunday getting annoyed because I am doing housework when everybody else is off work/school.
No photos for 3 days now (slacking) so here is Rose's chosen outfit for today, the temperature has not risen above 5 degrees all day so as appropriate as ever.
Jacob finished his beam engine earlier this week and here it is, he says it was done exactly to the instructions but there are 5 mysterious pieces left in the box so I don't know. It works though so he's pleased.
Yesterday we bought snow boots for Rose and more trainers for Jacob, for curling this time so I'm not frantically scrubbing the mud off the soles of his shoes 5 minutes before we have to leave for Forest. At curling today Jacob said he got frostbite but still wanted to be signed up for his first bonspiel next Saturday.
Most of my weekends seem to revolve around laundry these days, it's not that I can't do that sort of thing during the week but everyone is on a sort of economy 7 system over here where electricity is cheapest at night and on the weekends. This means that because I am a bit of a miser but don't want to stay up until midnight folding clothes I save as much laundry as possible for the weekend then spend Saturday or Sunday getting annoyed because I am doing housework when everybody else is off work/school.
No photos for 3 days now (slacking) so here is Rose's chosen outfit for today, the temperature has not risen above 5 degrees all day so as appropriate as ever.
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| check out the tattoos |
Friday 2 November 2012
Ooh, Wintery Weather
Today in Grand Bend it snowed! Not much mind, it fell through the air quite impressively in a couple of good flurries through the day and melted as soon as it landed but it was still snow. Average annual snowfall here is 155cm and I have to admit that I am still 'green' enough to be looking forward to snow, I am told that by next April I will be thoroughly fed up of it. Jacob saw on the weather network this morning that Edmonton in Alberta had proper snow cover and now he wants to move there.
I have been looking into what I should carry around in my car in the winter in case of emergencies. I compiled a list from various sources and here's what seems to be recommended:
I have been looking into what I should carry around in my car in the winter in case of emergencies. I compiled a list from various sources and here's what seems to be recommended:
- Torch
- Blanket
- Snow shovel
- Brush for removing snow from windows
- 2 liters of water
- High calorie snacks
- First aid kit
- Tool kit
- Wind up radio
- De-icer
- Water proof clothes (for changing a tire in the rain - yeah right, I've got break down cover and a phone that will hopefully be charged)
Gary said I should also have a candle in a jam jar as that will produce light and heat but I'm not sure if he is winding me up. It all seems very dramatic. So far I have 2 snow shovels and a brush for removing snow from windows in 1 car, another brush in the other car and 4 torches and
lots of high calorie snacks in the kitchen. Perhaps I'd better pull my finger out and at least put what I've got in the right places, or I could just give up and resolve not to drive more than 10 minutes from the house all winter and only in nice weather, and I'd really better start practicing keeping my phone properly charged.
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