Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Museums

Sep 24 to 27
Greenwich was lots of fun. There was a choir there singing sea shanties on  the dock right next to the Cuttysark. We saw lots of people dressed up in Sailor hats and wearing striped shirts. There is a market there as well and so Anne and I browsed around there for a bit. She bought a dress and scarf and I bought some earrings. After some lunch we went to the Maritime museum, lots of activity there too, singing and dancing. A really good museum. Del came into the city, and we met for supper, Japanese food, first time I have had the noodles and very delicious. A drink in a lounge nearby, then Anne and Del went off home to Oxford and I came home to the flat.

 On Sunday Grace got here. I met her at the Tube station, and we walked back to the flat, through the graveyard. After  some lunch and a bit of a rest we walked over to Canary Wharf, just to explore a bit. What a difference there is around there compared to central London, everything seems new and shiny. We had some supper at Jaime Oliver's restaurant and caught the DLR back. Up bright and early on Monday taking the train to Windsor, to tour around there. The Queen  was not in residence so we saw everything. The exhibition of her dresses was really great, it went from the time she was a guide to present day. They also had some of her hats!! Very cool. When  we went to St. George's Chapel, there was a choir practicing which made the visit there even  more special. By the time we got back to London we were both pretty tired and picked up a quick supper to eat at home.

Tuesday was museum day in London, the first stop was Florence Nightingale. It was pretty interesting, even for a non nurse. Kensington Palace was the next stop. Even  though it is a palace, it seemed more like a home than Windsor. There was an exhibition there of some of the Queen's dressed too, along with some from Princess Margaret and Princess Diana. The V&A has an exhibition on right now called So You Say You Want a Revolution, all about 1966 to 1971. It was really good, I went to that, and Grace wandered around the rest of the museum. Last night we went to see The Curious Incident at the Gielgud Theatre, which we both enjoyed. It was a long day, but lots of fun. Today we are off to Bletchley.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Peace River

Just got back from PR.  Spent the weekend there with my friend Allyson. Lots of fun, laughs, great food and wine. We walked along the river on the pathwAy, the colours are so vibrant.  On the way down saw lots of combines working to get the crops off.  A very Alberta scene, most of the times there were more than 1 working in the field.  Kind of cool to see the dust in the fields and then come up on the combines working away.  I feel i could live along a river it is endlessly  fascinating to me.


Saturday, September 24, 2016

At KGH

This is Lisa writing under Mom's name.
Mom had shower today with  my help, and  continues to get more energy.
Her tube feed has switched to 3 times/day. And I nag her to get up to the chair every visit. Richard says I dont even need to nag now.
I said Im a pleasant nag, Mom said, well you're not unpleasant.
RW and I went to Value Village and bought a few things today.
Mom says, 'Lisa and Richard are great' For real.
We are looking forward to seeing Theresa and Geoff!
Weather is supposed to get up to mid 20's next week!
Last weekend we went to Ribfest, was good food, and inspiring me to make pulled pork when Theresa and Geoff come visit.
I am going on conference go Niagara Falls last week of October, staying at the sheraton
Mkm really appreciates emails and cards she has gotten. As you can see, room has great view, but hospital is boring.
Mom has to go back to bed, so I will end this!


Two weeks

Two weeks left until our trip. We are doing it Geoff's way, with minimal planning. I am interested to see how that works out. I did do one pre-trip thing, booked an apartment in London for just before the cruise. I booked the wrong dates so had to send an apologetic email. Perhaps Geoff's way is best.
We have been having a busy September, starting with our trip to BC. Spent the long weekend in Kelowna and Mom seemed tired the whole time so we did a couple of things ourselves, like going to the Armstrong Fair which I have always wanted to do. It was fun.
Then we drove out to Tofino where we found a sick Will. It rained the whole time we were there but it was enjoyable to sit by the fire visiting between Will's naps. We left sooner than originally planned when we heard Mom was in the hospital. It sure is nice to be able to just go when something happens.
We were pretty worried about Mom after our first visit but the next day she seemed like a different person, she was so much improved. And she kept getting better at every visit. We are going back Monday for a few days.
The garden is mostly in but I have some bulbs to plant before we go. If we could get a couple of days without rain. It would be easier.
We got season tickets to the Citadel Theatre so went to the city for the first play. We got Sam tickets for his birthday so met him and Nancy for supper beforehand and got caught up on their summer. We also visited George and Kay and our friend Amy who is going through cancer treatments right now. It was good to see them all.
We were going to have the boys for a sleepover tonight but Kane is sick and Tim and Court don't want us bringing germs to Grandma. If he feels better tomorrow maybe they can come for the afternoon.
Enough procrastinating, must get outside.


Multicultural Meals

Sep 20 to 23
Things have been going quite well so far. Geoff dropped me off at the Bus, on  Tuesday afternoon which took me right to the Calgary Airport. My flight was to leave at 6, I got to the airport at 3:30 so everything was lining up, flight got delayed for two hours and did not leave until 8. Minor inconvenience. Flight  itself was fine seatmate was a bit of a manspreader. It was very cool, when  we were approaching Gatwick, I must have seen  6 or 7 different planes in  the air, some at quite a distance others that seemed quite close, never seen so many at one time. Instructions on  how to find the flat were very good and I had no trouble at all. Met my landlady and settled in  quite comfortably. There is a little store a half a block away that has everything, so I stocked up on  a few things. Took a day to get over jetlag, and feeling that was a good thing to do. Friday Anne got here we visited for a bit and then took a walk around the neighborhood. We had some lunch at a Lebanese restaurant, visited a local graveyard, and then naptime for me. For supper we found a Thai restaurant. So nice to catch up with Anne and have some company to explore with. Today we are going out to Greenwich, look around there for the day, and then meeting Del at some point during the day and Japanese food for supper.

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Ten years

It was 10 years ago today that Anne made the first Family Ramblings post.

Sunday, September 11, 2016

best laid plans

I know I said I would post on our holiday but the wifi was spotty and slow so never did. But here are my memories of the trip.
We flew from GP to Moncton left at 9am arrived at 11:30pm, with stops in Cowtown and Montreal.  We were going to stay with Wilf's old navy buddy Les and his wife for a few days at his cottage in Grande Digue about 30 minutes out of Moncton, beacuse of the late hour we decided to book a room for the first night then pick up our rental in the morning. So called the hotel for the shuttle, he was not awake so they said just gat a cab and they would  pay.  Did that, hotel was nice and Wilf asked the girl at the front desk where Grande Digue was from there. She looked a little puzzled but said she had just  moved there from Alberta so she was not sure.  The next day went to pick up the shuttle it was not there again, so took a taxi Wilf asked where Grande  Digue was he laughed and said Grande Dig you mean?  Maybe if we had said it correctly the lady might have known where it was.  Anyway we set off Les had said they would come and get us but Wilf wanted to try it, so Les sent directions which Wilf promptly forgot. We find grande Digue then drive around for a while, ask for directions at a store get lost again but finally arrived at the cottage.  It is beautiful about 300 yards from the beach on the Northumberland Strait so it is warm water.  Les and Deb are very welcoming and we hit it off right away.  It was like Wilf and Les had stayed in touch for all those years instead of the reality which was they had lost touch for 35 years, only got together for the first time last year.  Being in the navy for 37 years Les alwYs wants a plan and we did not have one. But got along anyways. I had said to Wilf I did not want them to feel obligated to show us around, but they were welcome to come.  So we said that to them and they wanted to show us around.  The first day we sat around and talked.
The next day we went to Bartouche which had an Acadian village, based on books and a play written by a lady about Acadian lifestyles, it was most interesting, I would recommend it highly although all in French the people did speak English to us and we fid the English tour.  Then off to Hopewell rocks on the Bay of Fundy, pretty amazing. The are also called the flower pot rocks. The tide is very fast and comes in very high there. The national park service keeps a sharp eye out for the tides and clear dvryone off in a hurray because it is so fast. The day before we got there they had to rescue 4 boys who got caught on a rock because they were hiding when the rangers went out to get people in.  That night Les made us seafood supper, muscles, scallops and lobster rolls.  Wow so tasty.  Les cooked all the meals while we were there, sure is a good cook.
The next day George (another navy buddy) and his wife Beth came from Fredricton for a sort of mini reunion, another very nice couple lots of laughs. They stayed until Sunday.
On Sunday night Les suggested we go to Parrsboro and they would pick up their motorhome and trailer with the miata and motor bike and spider and see some of Nova Scotia. We could all stay in their motor home and tour around, they on their bikes and we couls drive the miata. So that is what we did. Drove to Parrsboro and stayed overnight, did some sight seeing around there the next day, went on a coastal drive, saw Ottawa House  built by Charles Tupper, father of confederation and prime minister I think as his dummer home, it was beautiful. Very nicely restored. We then drow out to the force, it is an experimental thing, where they are trying to see if the tides there can generate energy, it has been done successfully in England and they are trying here, very very intersting.  The next day we headed to Haifax.
We  were meeting an other naval buddy, Sylvain,  who could not make the BBQ in Grande Digue, another very nice guy visited for a couple of hours then off to Bridgewater to a campground. Sat around talking at a campfire for the night.
off to Lunenburg, the next day. We were in the Miata they were on their bikes. Really liked it there, so many beautiful old homes, it was great to just walk around and look at them. There are lots of churches there also, one we went into had been rebuilt to the original after 60 %had been burnt down in 2012. It was the most beautiful church. While there a violinist and pianist were practicing for a concert, it was amazing and so beautiful.  I founf a wool store in Lunenburg and bought some NS wool, very pretty.  The Bluenose 2 was in the dock, such a interesting ship, just like the dime.  We also went to a distillery called Ironworks very nice rum, so I bought a bottle, so smooth. They also made liquors that were good.
Back to Parrsboro for wings night at the local pub.  But before that to Advocat for the best seafood chowder I ever had, a little restaurant that hols maybe 10 people in a holiday trailerpark, run by friends of Deb and Les. Big chunks of lobster, haddock, scallops in a very creamy buttery broth,  it is a family rdcipe that the cook does not tell, well worth the trip.
the pub night was fun, looked like the whole town showed up. Live entertainmet with dancing. The singers were very funny and actually sang the lyrics "the bathroom  is on the right". I laughed and laughed.
we decided we wanted to go to PEI, so talked to Deb and Les and gave them an out if they wanted it, but they decided to come with us. We went across the Confederation bridge at times it felt we were driving on water if you looked out the window.  Went to Charlottetown and walked around there, found some amazing wool bought too much but so what.  Then eent to the campground by Cavenfish beach.  Next day drove around PEI, went to a Lucy Maude Mongomery museum that was in the house she was married from. I think it was called Silver Birch, very well done, just drove and looked at the island, so pretty.  The next day we left, but I had seen an ad as soon as you got off the bridge "get your picture taken as Anne" and wanted to do it. Everyone was game, so we did and the pictures were hilarious, I feel it was the best value for $4.00 pp that you can get on the island. Back to the cottage for one last night then we went home. It was such a great holiday, relaxing and full of fun we made some very good friends and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Wednesday, September 07, 2016

An Eventful Summer

I have had a pretty eventful summer!  All in good ways, which is nice, since eventful isn't always the same as good.  I got a job in Nova Scotia, Allie and I got engaged, and as long as Scotiabank continues to cooperate, I think I bought a house.  I'm a little leery of being too sure on that last one until I have the keys though. 

I'm going to be working at the parish of Christ Church, in Amherst.  Amherst is right on the Nova Scotia/New Brunswick border, and is a small town of about 10 000.  Well, it calls itself a small town, after Tofino, I call it the big city!  It's a little like Rocky in that it's the center for the even smaller towns around - it's got the Walmart and the hospital.  It's about two hours from Halifax, but only half an hour from Moncton. 

The church there seems to be really interesting.  Their clergy stay for a long time - they've had three priests since 1975, and one of those served for six months.  The congregation is quite a bit bigger than the one in Tofino, but still isn't huge in the overall scheme of things.  Anyway, it looks like an interesting place to minister, and the folks there certainly are nice. 

While all this was going on, Allie and her mom came to visit.  They had a couple days in Tofino, then we drove to the Anglican retreat center in Sorrento, where we all took classes for a week.  My class was taught by a friend of Allie's and was on Science and Theology.  It was great, and the best part about Sorrento courses is that they're only in the morning, so you have all afternoon to sit around or go swimming in the Shuswap. After the course, we drove to Kelowna for a couple days.  Mom and Dad came out, and Allie and her mom Judi got to meet Grandma and Lisa and Richard.

While we were all in Tofino at the start of the visit Allie and I got engaged on the beach, at sunset.  Tofino has a way of making amazing settings easy to arrange!  We managed to time it just right, so that we got to see lots of friends and family as we travelled around BC and tell them in person about the engagement.

We're still in plan making mode, but the wedding will be in Nova Scotia next April or May.  It'll be after Easter (which is April 17) but we're not sure of the exact date.  We have a priest, a church and a place to stay picked out, and whatever day works for all three of them will be the big day.  More details will come as we figure them out!

My last Sunday in Tofino is October 16, and I start in Amherst November 1.  That felt like a lot of time when I set it, but now feels like not enough.  I think I'm going to fly out, and either ship the car or sell it and buy another one.  I want to stop in Kelowna and Rocky on the way, and still get to Amherst with enough time to settle in before work starts.  This might be wishful thinking, but I'm going to try.  

Monday, September 05, 2016

It cooled off this week, and it is feeling a bit like fall here too.
We went camping last weekend at shuswap lake, which really is a nice spot. Big sites, with sun and shade. We got some rain, but tent did not leak. We saw some kids with a little electric car, why would you bring that camping?
Jude, Theresa and Geoff got here Thursday. Geoff fixed a couple electrical things for us:) and we went to Armstrong fair Saturday. Richard had to work, unfortunately, which he felt a bit bummed about. Saw lots of piglets, funny looking chickens, and lots of crafts, including rice krispie scriptures.
I got a new I phone. I got tired of taking a long time to text. And having GPS and internet is helpful at times.
Theresa and Geoff left for Tofino this am, and will be back later in week. Jude is staying until next Sunday, when she jets off to edmonton.