New Authors?

Jude suggested that Del should be able to post to the blog, so I have invited him. While I'm at it, anyone else who wants to be able to post? Send me an email or comment here!

 I have been back for almost a week now. Had an awkward conversation with my supervisor about holiday time - I forgot how crappy it is in America. Turns out there is an official policy that postdocs get 12 days PTO per year for everything - holidays, dentist appts, whatever. (Plus a couple of sick days). Quite grouchy about this as I said upfront that I would need to do some travelling to go see Del if I took the job, and he seemed quite happy with that at the time. I don't think he knew there was an official policy. I have negotiated some "working from home" time for days I am gone and I think he will be okay with that if I don't push it. (Apparently three weeks off at Christmas was kind of pushing it, whoops!)

But anyway, probably no visits now till April and I do end up working most weekends it seems, so it's not as if I won't be in the lab a lot. I guess if there turns out to be a problem I will start keeping track of hours and "working to rule", and since in my experience most postdocs work way more than 40 hours a week I think that should get me some time in lieu. It is weird though - my American colleague is coming from a job where they complained when she actually used her sick days and barely let her take a few days off for her wedding. She thinks it is great that we have more flexibility here and that no one minds if she gets sick. Meanwhile, I am chafing at the thought of only 12 days PTO after years of extremely flexible working/school, where I would be in the lab 10 or 12 hours for months and then take all of August off to escape to Oxford and do some writing or whatever. Personally I think the American system is messed up, but hopefully I can make it work somehow, because I really can't go an entire year with only 12 days to see Del... not to mention anyone else!

Other than that things are okay, though. Have a lot more energy than before Christmas - think I really needed the break. Obviously the trip back was ridiculous, but I recovered fairly quickly. I am busy writing a grant that would fund my salary for a year. Not very likely to get it, but coming up with some cool ideas and hoping maybe I could slip them in to existing visits anyway. We shall see.

 It was so great to see everyone at Christmas. Going back to a totally non-social existence is a bit of a shock. Helena has finally got her paperwork (after they made her miss Christmas) and headed back to see her family and do her embassy appointment on Friday. She has booked an open ticket and is not sure when she will return. I will definitely miss her but am thrilled they finally sorted things out.

Holidays

It's funny how having the people who used to live here all the time back for a visit makes the house feel so full. Hard to believe we had that many people living here at one time. I guess they used to take up less space. Our company kept gradually arriving, than suddenly yesterday they almost all left.

It has been a great holiday. The kids went out on Saturday to get the tree (we left it till they arrived so Del could take part). Geoff and others went into Red Deer Sunday to pick Jude up. Tim and Courtney went to Clive on Christmas Eve but Tim came back Christmas afternoon and had dinner with us. He came back because he had to "work" Boxing Day. His "job" was to pick Will up at the airport, we later found out. What a great surprise that was! So we had a day all together (except for me at work) along with Dallyn and Sandeep and Christine, who drove up from Calgary and stayed overnight.


Then yesterday Grace and Dallyn left for a few days in Banff and Anne and Del went to Calgary with the Mishras. We've still got Will though until next week. I think a few people will be back for a few days after New Year's.


Christmas Day was good. It really is fun seeing what we give each other. I made out very well, especially with this new iPad.


Del was under the weather a bit, then Anne and Geoff but it seems there is always someone sick during the holidays.


Anne has been researching wedding venues. It looks like it will take place in the UK. They are thinking of maybe renting a manor house for a weekend, then lots of guests can stay right there. There is a Ferrey ancestor, Benjamin Ferrey, who was a noted architect, and Anne found a place he designed that is available for rent, http://www.huntshamcourt.co.uk. I voted for it, but realize it is not my decision. No date has been set. But Anne has a very nice ring.

Merry Christmas!

Well, it was a busy and merry Christmas in Victoria.  This month has been crazy with getting ready, and leaflets and sermons and so on.  Christmas Eve we had four services, so I was planning on relaxing all day.  Then  I got a call that there was a man dying in the hospital, and would I come pray?  He's not a parishioner, but that doesn't really matter when someone's in hospice.  That interlude aside, the day was a good one.  The evening services went off with an acceptable amount of hitches.  We have candles in the window sills, protected by glass chimneys.  We took off the chimneys, lit the candles, and replaced the chimneys.  However, at 7 one didn't get put back on straight, and shattered just before the service from the heat.  Luckily no one was hurt!

Dennis and I were trying to find supper before the 7 (and after the 4).  It was about five past five, and three restaurants that we went to closed their doors pretty much in our faces.  We were forced to reduce our standards and go to McDonalds.  It was surprisingly busy - the old men who always seem to be there were still there, so I guess they don't let things like holidays interrupt their schedules.

Today I got up at the traditional Christmas time (7 am) and opened presents.  I have to say, Christmas on my own wasn't totally fun, but it's nice to be able to reasonably indulge in the Tradition of Christmas without a lot of back talk from lieabeds.  Then we had the morning service (successfully) and I took communion to a fellow who wasn't able to get to church.  Tonight was supper at another parishioner's house.  The supper was wonderful, including a real Christmas putting with custard!  Then after supper, the several musicians began to play.  There were three harps, an incredible guitarist, and a flute. 

I'm glad the rush of Christmas is over, and I'm looking forward to a few days off!

A Duvet is Born

This is the photo of a duvet Mom and I made! It's a piece of Nigerian fabric I bought a long time ago, and on this trip we bought backing material, fired up the Sewmaster, and created it. Lisa chose the green fabric. It was a good choice. The woman working at the Fabricland cutting table was very crabby. I also bought an iron-on initial L for Lisa and an S for me. We will be like LaVerne Defazio.

Xmas has been very fun here. We went to the big H2O centre and went on the waterslides. One of the lifeguards gave me trouble because I didn't wait enough time after the person in front of me before going. I maintain she was chatting and not doing her job to observe and let me go.

It was fun to hang out with Jim, too. Lisa made him retell the Ron Rodgers story.

Tonight we will go bowling. We also watched Paranormal Activity 2 -- reasonably scary.

Christmas in Victoria part II

Mallory, Patrick and Esther are still here, and we're still having fun! Esther got us up nice and early on Christmas morning (7:00 am), which was tough after a late night. It was worth it watching her open presents, and carry our presents to us. Then we had church, which was a surprisingly well attended service - I had assumed that most people wouldn't bother to come in the morning, but I was wrong. We spent the day playing with Esther's toys. Supper was three kinds of curry, courtesy of Patrick.

We're having a good time exploring the kid friendly parts of Victoria. So far one of the best parts has been the dog park down in Beacon Hill Park, downtown. It's right on the water, which is nice, and Esther loves the dogs. She runs as fast as she can toward them, then suddenly stops before they get too close.

Christmas in Rocky

Was also different this year, No Will and Grace working 7 to 7, but those of us who were here had a great time. I was the last one up (too many Yule Mules?) so all the others had opened their stockings by then, I opened mine and then Sam handed out the presents. What a great set of gift givers in this family, lots of variety and thoughtfulness. The Traditional breakfast followed, Tim and Geoff put their culinary skills to work and we had enough food to keep us until chili cheese dip time. In the afternoon, we watched The Muppets (dvds from their original series) and laughed and laughed. Grace got home from work and we had supper, then Grace opened her gifts and each of us had saved a gift from her and we opened those at the same time. We had dessert after presents, did the dishes and then a little conversation, and people wandered off to bed, or a walk or reading. A very satisfying day.

Christmas in Victoria

Well, it's not traditional, but Christmas is going ok here in Victoria! We're through one of the Christmas services - the 4:00 children's service- and have two more tonight ( 7 and 10) and one tomorrow morning (10:30). The service tonight was wonderful - over a hundred people there, most of them kids. It's a pretty informal service, and was a lot of fun! I'm leading the service at 7, and preaching at 10.

My friends Patrick and Mallory are here. I know them from school - Patrick is studying to be a priest. They are from Ottawa, so are sort of stuck for Christmas. We decided that since we were all stuck out here, we may as well be stuck together! They have a 2 year old daughter, Esther, who is a lot of fun. She's pretty easy going, and very chatty. We took her to the park yesterday, and she ran around saying "hi" to all the dogs. Tonight we set out milk and cookies for Santa, but he's going to have to move quickly if he wants a shot at the cookies! Since the service tomorrow is not till 10:30, we're going to get up at 7 and open gifts. Tonight after the 10, we'll have appies. Aside from playing with Esther, all we've been doing is eating - I didn't do much baking, but my parishioners stepped bravely into the breach and have sent table loads of cookies. Tim and I made nuts and bolts when he was here, and they were all gone by today, we made a second roaster full. I've also got big plans for some chili cheese dip.

It's strange being here - no snow, no cold. It doesn't quite feel like Christmas, more like another Sunday with a few extra services. I wish I was home, but having Patrick, Mallory and Esther here is the next best thing.

Tim's Visit

Tim has been here since Sunday, and we're having a great time. Well, I am. I think he is. He got in Sunday afternoon just before evensong, so I was able to go and get him from the airport. We've been taking it easy, just relaxing. Yesterday the big adventure was making nuts and bolts. This was a success, and now it smells and tastes like Christmas here.

Today the main item on the agenda was getting a Christmas tree. I wasn't really sure where you buy them in the city (this being the first time I didn't just go cut one down). I knew they had them at Home Depot, but they were sold out when we went there. We were just about to drive to Langford to the other Home Depot when I noticed the garden store was suspiciously green looking. After a brief investigation, we came away with a very nice little tree. Tim bought me lights and some decorations to eke out the ones that Mom and Dad brought, and the tree looks pretty good.

Tim leaves tomorrow night, and I have some work to do tomorrow. The low-income seniors housing has a lessons and carols service, and I get to lead it. Hark the herald angels sing!

Christmas Lists (the other kind)

I am proposing a new addition to the holidays. Sometime before Christmas, could everyone please write a list of things they would like and post it to the blog? Then we have a central reference from which to buy (or make) people awesome gifts.

It's been another excellent Christmas in Rocky. Couldn't have been much better, in fact. All the Kelowna folk are here, and a full house makes for the best kind of Christmas. We had a nearly symmetrical tree and a giant stack of presents and lots of baking and several choruses of Good King Wenceslas. I love Christmas in Rocky.

Christmas List!

Beth has Jude
Geoff has Richard
Theresa has Sandi
Anne has Grace
Will has Anne
Grace has Jim
Laura has Theresa
Jim has Geoff
Sandi has Will
Lisa has Laura
Richard has Beth
Al has Lisa
Judith has Allison

Yay, another happy Christmas, and time to draw names. Everyone remember who you got this year!

Xmas in the oilsands

Nice little comic about spending xmas in Fort McMurray. This is as xmasy as I get.

Home Again

after another great Rocky Christmas. The thing I really like about going to Rocky is I always feel very relaxed while I am there, no pressure to be busy all the time. I had a good visit with all, except maybe Tim, since he has his own place and life in Rocky, I did not see as much of him as the other Ferreys. I managed to catch a cold, and so that made me sleep a lot, which in my non medical opinion, helps me get better faster. The updated bathroom in Jack's suite is very nice, lots of light, and Geoff is continuing with the insulation of the kitchen and living room. I feel very fortunate to have him getting the suite ready for my retirement, although this my come as a bit of a surprise to Geoff, that I am moving in, but I am pretty sure he will be ok with that. I also had a quick tour of Tim's house, what a difference some paint and new hardware make on the cupboards. He has his new hardwood, stored in one of the bedrooms, and it is going to look so good in the living room. It is looking like a brand new place.

Will kept me company on the way home, he had to fly out early this morning because he was going to a wedding in Kamloops today. We made pretty good time and were all unloaded by 4:00 pm. Supper was at a nearby Italian restaurant, which was very good. After we got home from supper, we started watching the Quantam of Solace, I could not stay up to see the end, but the joy of Shaw on Demand, means I can watch the end today. After dropping Will off at the airport, I returned the rental car, and came home. It is kind of a blustery day so I think I will stay home curled up on the couch and watch TV and read.

Last Week

I went for supper with 3 of guys who are over here from India. I had worked with 2 of them on previous accounts, and had a surprise when I was walking down the hall at work and spied them. I was not sure where to go, and of course they made me pick a place, so we went to Doans for Vietnamese. We had a good visit, talking about some of the differences between the two countries as well as catching up on colleagues we had in common. When the bill came, the guys would not let me chip in for my part, what a nice treat.

This weekend, on top of all the cold weather, I felt crummy, so spent 4 days in my PJs, alternating between sleeping on the couch and sleeping in my bed. Had to skip Third advent at Kirstens, which made me sad, but I also did not want to pass along any germs I might have. Today I am feeling waaaaay better.

I have not done anything about decorating my house, so I am not feeling too much in the spirit. However Grace and Anne are coming by on Thursday night to help decorate my tree, and then I will feel much more Christmassy. I still have a bit of shopping to do, but not too much, so no rushing around on the 24th.

Also thanks to all the badgers for posting their pictures of Scotland to Picasa. some of the pictures are the same, but I am amazed at what catches peoples attention and how different the pictures are, even when we were all together.

2009 Xmas List

Beth has Jim
Geoff has Anne
Theresa has Sandi
Anne has Beth
Will has Lisa
Tim has Grace
Grace has Will
Judith has Henry
Laura has Richard
Jim has Theresa
Sandi has Geoff
Lisa has Allison
Richard has Laura
Allison has Judith
Henry has Tim

Henry suggested he could get Tim a mini-keg of Heineken. We thought this would be appreciated by Tim.

Irn-Bru Snowman

This is the classic Scottish holiday advert - Irn-Bru ones are the best! I was showing this to Grace and thought I would share with all of you. Such a touching Christmas scene...

We wish you a Merry Christmas

It is so great to be home for Christmas! Much better than sitting huddled in the middle of the Welsh hills with people I don't really know. And who are pissed off at each other. We've done the usual routine today - Grace up at the crack of dawn, stockings, presents, breakfast of champions, chili cheese dip and punch... next up is a nap! Yay!!

So happy to have everyone here, though. Nothing beats Christmas at home!

Merry Late Xmas

So far, it looks like my flight home will be 2 hours delayed (I can use that time to clean my bathroom before I go)...I am hoping it won't be too much later than that. But am glad I am not one of the people who were trying to travel earlier from Vancouver and have been delayed for days!

Shake It Like a Polaroid Picture

He's lucky

So, we went over to Jamie's and he had cleaned up..and was +++ apologetic and agreed to all our terms, so he's staying. We're suckers. But, his rent is increasing, he offered to give us extra money to redo carpets, agreed to bi-weekly inspections, no more roommates, is getting a housekeeper 2X/month, absolutely no smoking of either substance, said we don't have to give him 24 hrs notice to look (though we would anyway), and will clean according to a list I will give him. So, we'll see. He's aware that he is on, for lack of a better term, probation.
He actually said that if we evicted him that he'd give us some money for cleaning etc. Whether he would have or not is another question, but he sounded very sincere.
We're going over again on the 30th and will keep going over every 2 weeks, I suspect indefinately.
Winter sure is here too. Of course the rest of you will be sneering, but it has been -22 here, and is snowing again-we have I'm sure 2 feet on the ground. This makes me happy though as I like winter. PLus am going to Mexico in a couple weeks, so who can complain? It's supposed to remain like this until at least after Christmas, so it will look suitably festive!
We mailed parcel to Rocky, should be there this week or early next. Except for Tim's gift whioch is still being worked on, but Richard plans to mail it soon-prioity post I am thinking.

What is a chinook arch?

I was in a meeting the other day, and I looked out the window, and commented that if we were not in Edmonton, I would say it was a chinook arch outside. All I got from around the table was blank looks, one of them I could understand, Jeanne is from Kansas, but rest were life long Albertans, I thought everyone who lived in Alberta would know the definition of a chinook arch!!

We have had a return to winter, temps below zero, snow, I was not all that upset, because it meant I got to wear my lovely new red coat and new boots. Christmas shopping is going along, I have some people off my list, and for most of the others I have an idea, which makes me very happy. This weekend, it will be house and tree decoration, with the assistance of Grace and her roommate Leanna. I am looking forward to it, because I just could not get motivated to decorate last weekend after all the hard work shopping and schmoozing on Saturday. Not to mention getting some help with the decorating is awesome.

This week at work has really busy, only two more weeks and then a two week break. Initially I thought I might go somewhere for the second week, saw a seat sale to New York that seemed a good deal. But after thinking about it a little more, I think I will keep the car for the whole two weeks and start looking at stuff related to the renovation I want to do in the condo. I talked to Allison's fellow co-op member at Schmoozy (Jen), and she gave me the name of a good kitchen designer, and a general contractor. That got me all excited again, so 2010 will be the year of change. Having a car will also allow me to drive out to some of those nice furniture stores in the west end, and see if I can find some living room furniture. So if anyone wants to come iwth me to look, you are more than welcome to.