Happy New Year

I love New Year, the season not the party party part.  Never a fan of social gatherings New Years Eve is my introvert hell.  Forced to go out, and stay out for hours. You can't call it a night and slope of home early without people thinking you are an alien.  It's great in movies but in real life it has always felt like a night at the pub that went on 2 hours too long.  Not a problem these days though, as having a kid is the best excuse to stay in at the end of December.

Two of my dearest but long lost friends have their birthdays on New Years Eve. They both used to share stories of being forgotten rather than celebrated....too much party spirit to notice they wanted a party.  As you can tell December is far from being my favorite month.  I have a genuine physical reaction to all of the "joy and wonder".  December sees me having to consciously manage my health for fear of slipping downwards.  My black dog, as Winston would say.

But that's why I love New year! because it is the start of the journey! the possibilities! the adventures.  Horticulturally I can start to plan my veggies,. Thinking beans, cucumbers, tomatoes  and lettuce.  Its not clear yet if that will be in the tiny back yard or in a comunity garden.  Fingers crossed for the later.  Crossed extra tight.

A few years back I took an online course called big-dreams-small-wonders.  I needed some motivation to redirect my life.  I had lots of ideas but everything seemed impossible.  Like many people I was happy enough but not content.  It felt too easy to just carry on in the same routine.  I don't mind routine in small measures, but the idea of thinking big was inviting.  The course helped me work out what I wanted in my life and what I could happily let go of. I dreamt of a move abroad, for adventure and working through the course helped me go from "that happens to other people" to  "I want to do that.  I will do that". And I did.

The course is hosted by my friend Louise.  We worked together 10 years ago.  When she left I got her desk. I sat in her chair and I saw the view from the window that she saw...not sure if that was inspiration to live life, or a desire not to spend years staring at a 1960s block of flats in West Croydon.  There are people who talk about doing stuff and there are people who DO stuff.  Louise is my inspiration to do the latter.

So, starting Monday, I am taking the course again.  It's fun and helps me to focus on what I want to do rather than being carried through life on a cloud of "busy, coffee and wine".  I see wine in my future though, let's not be ridiculous here.  But it's too easy to get tied up in busy stuff and forget yourself. And my husband wants me to visualize getting him a Land Rover Discovery..." You got us to Canada, now we need a car"

Fresh Bread on Christmas Day

Santa was very generous to small person this year, a christmas sack busting at the seams with goodies.  Before we get to that I must tell you this...Small person was in bed on Christmas Eve by 7.30pm.  He can't tell the time, it was dark, and Iron Man 2 makes most people drowsy.  He put out a glass of milk (I suggested brandy, but no, Santa likes milk and cookies here).  There were also three enormous carrots "they'll be hungry, it s a long night for them"...so young yet so wise.

By 8pm all was silent then there was an almighty thud...A small person is at the top of the stairs, teary eyed..."Santa is on the roof, I heard him, I need to see Santa".  Back to bed and much explaining later, that it was ice shifting, not Reindeers landing, finally he goes to sleep.  Sooo excited.

By 8am, no sign of him stirring - do we really have to wake him up?  At 8.10 a small person appears dragging the sack of goodies, very excited as he expects an electric guitar...As I had explained, he already has a guitar - it just needs new batteries...good old Santa, new set of duracells in the sack and mini Brian May can play again.  Soon there is wrapping paper everywhere, a pile of toys and a very happy boy who is now busting to open the presents under the tree.  Wait!

A hangover and need for air lead me to go out into the ice world, to the bakery, for fresh croissants and bread.  I hope I don't fall over.  "don't worry mummy, hold onto buildings as you walk, and if you fall over get up and walk somewhere else where it isn't slippy".  Great advice, out into the cold I went, a brisk minus 13 degrees.  Bakery smells amazing - fresh bread, mmm.  It is heaving with Italian men - the 5' 6" taxi driver type rather then Latin gods - all drinking expresso.

Back home small person is still busting to open his presents.  We start, then there is a 10 minute interlude, where gets to have a think in his room, after he acts like Dudley from Harry Potter bemoaning the quantity of presents he has under the tree.  We take the opportunity to remind him about Esland (in Africa) and Sandoline (in Haiti), the 6 year old children that we sponsor.  Greedy isn't cool.

Ping pong; paper airplane making and Happy Feet...duck rather than penguin is roasting in the oven, small person is eating popcorn and chips...glass of chardonnay beckons.  Merry Christmas one an' all.  Small person is looking forward to Boxing Day, friends to play with...Yay!

White Stuff Continues To Fall From The Sky

A month has flown by and joy of joys our furniture arrived from the UK - that's 12 weeks door to door. Small person is loving finding his toys, despite being asked not to open every box.  He disappeared into the basement yesterday for an hour only to return with the game of Operation.  "Have you been unpacking down there?"  "No, I just found it" okay, so I asked him to show me where " it was in that box at the back, behind that big box, if you climb on here you can see inside it". Hmmmm

Gary has purchased a stud finder, which is a DIY tool not a dating website.  Don't worry landlord...he likes to over engineer hanging our pictures.  He's usually right about this stuff.

Over the last month we have explored on foot (no car...pesky finance rules) and found an awesome. ( translation to British of awesome is good)  spa that offers a fabulous massage.  Went there after a slide on the ice left me crooked.  The Dollarama is still Small persons favourite store, so much so that a gift card might be coming from Santa.  And Small persons party this weekend, at a local art store franchise, was a huge hit.  10 kids, fimo and a plate of wotsits...it had all the elements of a great afternoon avoiding snow.

Saw Santa this weekend, he says hi. I was telling the kids at the party that we were off to see Santa the next day.  2 of them told me that Santa is fake.  What is that about? These kids were 5 and 6 years old.  Stewie was confused by this and many questions followed.  I clarified the situation "these kids were obviously on the naughty list so got no presents last year".  The truth is out there.  Happy Holidays!

At last, the weekend

Another week in Canada has flown by.  Some weeks back we were at the wine store buying a bottle of Pinot.  Gary joked that we should buy the 2 litre bottle...yeah right, like we have no class.  This week we bought that bottle, having polished of a carton of wine the other night.  OMG it is so stressful having a five year old, a crazy work week, one TV and no car.

Lots of long days, twice to the city to get my Laptop fixed.  Both visits end in failure.  Maybe next week the IT guy will find my office in the depths of the office, left at the disused mail room, mind the bins.  I had a lovely email apology today from the banshee who screeched at me down the phone yesterday.  She was raging about an IT problem and thought  I was responsible.  I waited for her to breathe then jumped in and stated that I was the customer not the supplier.  Don' t shout at me.  "Well who should I speak to," she raged.  Oh the desire to say "bovvered" in my best Vicky Pollard was hard to stifle.  Who knew training truely had emergencies.

Lots of walking this week.  Stewie's learning about the senses so lots of time spent listening, seeing, smelling, tasting, touching...I smelt fresh bread and cakes on the way to the GO bus.  Small person  jumps off the school bus and tells me he spent time kissing a girl called Rihanna during class when the teacher wasn't watching.   Omg!  As we walk home I ask what Rihanna looks like.  " Who's Rihanna?" He asks.  So fickle or Walter Mitty? Hard to say.

Small boy had great fun last weekend, playing "soccer" in the street with the kids across the street.  He so wants friends to play with it is painful.   The Boys kicked the ball and dodged cars whilst the little girl and I painted pine cones and made decorations out of pipe cleaners.  Our Christmas window box is a work in progress.  Our one strand of 50 White Xmas light is no competition for our neighbours

What a day, what a week, what a month!

It's been crazy at work.  Long days at the office and days off full of work interspersed with trips to the park.  Stewie and I ventured to the water park earlier today. It's all turned off, as at -6 wind chill I imagine it wouldn't be the most fun.  We truely are the only people in Canada who move places without a car.  We walked there, then played Tag back as that was the only way to get the frozen child home.

Parents day meant talking to the teacher.  "What form of education did he have in the UK?" Floored me a little but my asking effective questions training kicked in and I ascertained that she wanted to know if he can read or write. I showed her his work book from UK and she exclaimed " I knew it, he's clearly a bright child".  Seems his focus is on social activities at school. Transpires that he is playing the dumb card, but I have informed them that he defaults to lazy because he had servants in a previous life.  Light bulb!  They have now moved him to sit next to a bossy girl who takes charge...a future in HR beckons for her!

Back at home we filled the day with painting, model making, watching cartoons, and me working as it was my day off.  Stewie painted with his tongue out, a sign of full concentration, and he declared that when he is grown he will be an artist.  Fabulous that he can do something he loves...although it may be a transient goal.  Last week he was going to be a Rock Star, and the week before, a baseball player.

A long weekend without a car beckons. Lots more walking interspersed with fabulous Italian pastries from my local deli / bakery.  300 yards away and awesome.  The aromas at 7am, as I walk to the GO bus are amazing.  Stewie tells me that the "busagne" taste great too.  Garfield and he being huge fans.

Global Mobility - With Back Ache?

I woke up early last Monday, my back aching as if the baby was coming very soon.  Strange as I am not pregnant, but given the pain, and the closeness to December, I suppose miracles could happen.  Whilst the pain was dreadful, the prospect of getting medical help was worse.  Coming from the land of the NHS - universal healthcare, free at the point of need, I found myself weighing up the pro's and con's of claiming on my private medical insurance or just handing over a bag of Looneys at a walk-in clinic. 

I decided on a walk-in clinic, which is an ironic terms as walking is not wide spread in Canada, folks favoring the car for every excursion.  So I hobbled, in pain, into the clinic to be told that it was $60 cash to see a doctor.  "Do you mean cash cash?" I asked the man, me being used to that term meaning the use of a debit card.  Sadly he replied "yes, cash cash, there is a Bank of Montreal accross the street".  Now "accross the street" is quite a way away in a car led society, and I had no car.  I hobbled there and back, took about half an hour, and the pain was awful. 

As I waited to see the doctor the receptionist declared to another patient that they lived in the same street as me.  Who needs data privacy eh?  I got to see the Dr very fast.  He asked me to bend and touch my toes.  I couldn't, but I assured him that that was normal.  Those toes have been far away from my fingers for years.  Diagnosis - I had experienced a back spasm and the solution was muscle relaxants, anti-inflamitories - and here's the kicker...exercise.  "The worst thing that you can do is sit or lie around".  Seriously?  Hmmmm.

So, one week later, I am feeling a lot better.  Exercise does seem to help and sitting still hinders.  Many conference calls this last week have had me doing yoga whilst participating - another virtue of remote working - no one can see you stretch!  A calm weekend at Blue Mountain (which is actual a hill) saw me hobbling from Starbucks to the "paint your crockery" studio whilst Major and Minor went swimming at the Aquatics Plunge Park.  Of course I was too poorly to go there with them...I was, honest!

Backwards and forwards

Left my home 40 days ago for a huge adventure. The month leading up to that was filled to bursting with spreadsheets and lists of things we had to tick off. (I guess that should be check off, but I can't bring myself to speak North American outside the office).  Looking back we have achieved a lot.

• Stewie started school this week, on the Tuesday after the Thanksgiving weekend. Wednesday he rode the yellow school bus for the first time.  What has he done at work this week?  All I can get from him is that you need to wear your inside shoes inside; they did maths (math?) which was focused on pumpkins; and on his first day he did music twice, either side of recess, whatever that is.
• Gary refered to crisps as 'chips' yesterday. That was just plain weird. Not so much an achievement as an observation of the surreal.
• I have managed to open 2 bank accounts, one in the city at "the worlds bank" where incompetence is required.  I'll be closing that account next week as I have since opened one in Bolton where Jeanne, my bank manager, phones me to let me know my credit card is in the post.  Customer service like I have never seen before. 
• Bus and train trip to the office is relaxing...

We are moving into our new home in 12 days...exciting times.  Our furniture is still in a container in the UK, expected who knows when...we shall be camping out, inside, for while but we'll have beds, TV and each other so let the fun continue!