Ottawa--our new home and moving is a drag July 1 until forever....

After a pleasant evening with Linda and Larry and breakfast the next morning, we left for Ottawa.  We have the keys to our new apartment on the Driveway.  We are in.  It is freshly painted and seems smaller than we remembered.  Anyway, we moved the stuff from our car that has been with us throughout Atlantic Canada.  We went walking and encountered a friend of George’s at City Hall looking at a marvelous quilt that was made to commemorate Canada 150 and highlight all the countries that are represented in Canada.  We continued toward the Hill, got through security and managed to hear Gordon Lightfoot doing his sound check for tomorrow's show.  Must remember to spend June 30 on the Hill next year and see the show twice.  I am afraid that he is beyond his best before date.  Anyway, it was great to on the Hill and in fact, in Ottawa.  What a great city!  Back to our place, we tried to put air into Linda and Larry's inflatable bed which we plan to use until we get a new bed.  However, the pump stopped working and we thought we had broken it.  We made our bed on the floor and by next morning the pump was cool and worked like a charm.  So, no hard floor for us tonight.

It was Canada Day and it was raining.  We donned ponchos and headed toward the Rideau Centre.    We encountered some friends in the Rideau City where we stopped to get out of the rain.  Had a great chat.  We were to be part of the Living Flag which includes a new t-shirt.  (This is our third time to be part of it.)  There were more people there than ever before.  Unfortunately someone had brought their dog to the event and while it was laying and people were getting into place, someone stepped on its paw.  Hmmm, maybe dogs shouldn't be in flags.  After the photo, we wandered to Rideau Street but there were many people waiting to get through security.  A friend and his daughters who got onto the Hill told us later that they waited for four hours.  So we went to the newly renovated NAC for Unisong which was excellent.   In our Canada Day travels, we encountered Flora and her friend as well.  Maybe we do belong in this city--I think when you walk around and encounter friends, it is a sign of belonging.   We stopped for a hotdog and a temporary Maple leaf tatoo and that was that.  Another great Canada Day.

We went back to our place where we were camping-out until our furniture is delivered.  This is as close to camping that I want to be.  Next day, Claire had  some news: her passport has expired.  So George spent most of the morning, texting and planning with her how to fix this problem.   We met up with Frank and Brenda for drinks at the Clocktower in the Market.  Took photos by StandUp for Canada sign in the Inspiration Village.  Great to see them.

Next morning, we met them and had lunch together here—our first guests on July 3.  Went for a lovely stroll along the canal, up to the Hill and along Elgin.  Grant joined us for dinner.  Then he borrowed the car for his ball game.  We said our goodbys as Brenda and Frank are going home tomorrow.

Claire’s passport application was sent by UPS and arrived  to us at 10:00 the next day.  We weren’t expecting it until noon.  George happened to spy a UPS truck arriving early and realized we were not in the intercom system yet and the driver would not be able to call us.  He sped downstairs and caught him.  Lucky we are on the second floor.  By noon, we were at the passport office.  The first contact looked at her application and said that likely it would take 4 to 6 weeks to process.  We were shattered as she has an interview on July 24 and reservations to arrive on the 20^th.   Oh, and, we needed a signed letter from Claire to give permission for her Dad to submit her application.  We got this rather speedily by email through Sooters photography, which was just down the hall.  Phew!  Oh, and he asked if we wanted to talk with an agent - well I guess so!.  Stress was running high by now.  Anyway, after an hour or so, our number came up and in fact the process would take just 2 weeks, and no, we couldn’t courier it to Claire as Canada Passport services must do that part. (But lo and behold, it arrived to her on July 13^th.  Neener, neener.)

After a lunch at Big M and a ft chat with Claire, we were off to shop for cleaning supplies.  We picked up some stuff we left at Josh’s in West Wellington and had a nice visit with him.  We had dinner with Neil who is in town apartment hunting as they will be back in Ottawa by the end of August.  Had a pleasant visit.  We checked our email at Ministry of Coffee the next morning, packed a birthday package for Sheryl and delivered it to GAC (the new acronym for Foreign Affairs).  We bought a patio table and chairs for our balcony because we have no furniture yet.

Grant treated us to a lovely Anniversary dinner at Riveriera which is a special place.  July 8^th is our 45^th anniversary.  Amazing.    

July 6 is furniture delivery day and the stuff and boxes kept coming for 5 hours—all 183 pieces.  There was hardly room to move around after it was all here.  We were overwhelmed and felt stressed by all the stuff.  Next day we started to unpack, quite a challenge.  Going from 3 bedrooms to 2 with no storage room presents concerns like what in the world are we going to do with all this stuff!

July 8^th,  Anniversary day, we took the day off and had lunch at the Canal Ritz.  Then Neil met us at the Rideau Centre with an amazing surprise from them—a gift certificate for an Iphone 7.  George will get a new phone and I will inherit his old one.  Such excitement—we were delighted.  Neil spent all afternoon helping us get it all organized and connected.  We won’t have WiFi until July 23^rd but we have the phones.  By this time our heads were swimming.  We went home for Chili and Neil put the wheels on the bikes before he left for more house hunting.  What a day!  We had a toast and that was that.

The Next few Days were unpacking and stressful.  I wasn’t too tactful about all our stuff everywhere with seemingly no place to put it.  We started with the kitchen and bathrooms which gave some semblance of order.  Then the living room took shape which leaves the bedroom and den.  We are still sleeping on the inflatable bed which is very comfortable.  We will buy a new mattress.  After our 123 beds over the last 2 ½ years, we have ideas what we don’t want and the new one must fit our headboard.  The Den is loaded with boxes but slowly the stuff is finding a place to be.  We are trying to pace ourselves but all the disorder is wearing us down.  We took the afternoon off to see a movie.

Monday turned out to be wash day—clean underwear was getting to be an issue.  We put our laundry into two machines and headed back for more unpacking.  30 minutes later, upon seeing that the clothes seemed really dry, George remarked that the machines must really spin the clothes well.  Well, we took another look and realized that I had neglected to push the start button and in fact, the clothes were dry because the washer hadn’t  started.  Oh well, we know how to do it now.

A highlight, former neighbours are in town from Sweden so we had a lovely lunch with them at the Green Door and then a tour of the Mint.  They are really delightful and we had a very pleasant day.  On our way home, we stopped at NAC to check out what was happening.  The renovations are wonderful—a lovely new entrance was added.  There are many events with CANADA Scene.  Our place is looking better every day.  It is great to take breaks and have coffee and get away periodically.

So we are at July 13, had a lovely lunch with Linda and Larry and then did some shopping.  (we bought another mop as ours has disappeared.  It has to be there somewhere but.....)  I went to NAC to chat to Claire and hear that her passport had arrived.  Yay, again.  They are nearly packed and out of their house.  They are moving to Ottawa and will arrive a week from today.  I attended a concert given by William Prince who is from Winnipeg.  This is part of a nightly free concert series.   He is quite melancholy but has a dreamy voice.  Then I met George at Starbucks to post my second last blog and have coffee.  As I was walking home, I thought about what a great city we live in.  Ottawa is wonderful.

Everyday things are getting into place.  I actually did a bit of watercolour painting over the last couple of days.  George has his desk set up and feeling good about it.  I think we will make it.  Boyd will pick up the empty boxes and packing paper tomorrow which will help.  We met Jack and Judd in Kemptville for lunch and a nice visit.

The boxes are gone and it is Friday, a week after our move.  Saturday we bought Phantom at the Opera tickets for George's bd and enjoyed some more concerts.  One was billed as a Quebec Kitchen party and had two different bands--both quite loud and very enjoyable.  Sunday we hung many of our paintings and some of George's framed photos.  Our home is evolving.  We shopped for curtains after the Tenants Association complained about our red and yellow Niagara Falls ponchos on the windows.  The big thing that is left is to buy a mattress and boxspring.  The rest will get done eventually.

Today is the last day of July.  Claire, Noah and Brienne have arrived.  Claire has a job as a Bio-Medical Engineer  and our granddaughter will continue her growing up here in Ottawa.  We will get to play with her often. Yay.  I have to pinch myself to know this is true.  We have spent some great times with them since their arrival, and also with Grant.  Had a fun birthday celebration with him.  Sheryl and Neil will return to Ottawa by the end of August.  They are long-distance apartment hunting and we are viewing the places on their behalf.  Our family will all be in the same country and city by the end of the summer.  Yay.   It has been a challenging return to  regular life--not being Meanderthals anymore but it is time to do just that.  We are still working on placement of stuff and still no bed!

This is the end of my blogging for awhile.  Many lovely memories and much joy contained in the past 2 1/2 years.  Now, on to our next adventures.

Part 2- Atlantic Canada Road Trip June 1 to Jun 29, 2017

And so to Carbonear. NL On the way, we stopped at Cupids--a quiet little place--which has a museum featuring the oldest  English settlement in Canada started in 1610--beautifully done with many keen guides.  I always look for houses in bright colours but according to a lawyer breakfast mate, that is not a tradition.  It was hard to keep any paint on the houses because of the strong winds and harsh weather and the idea of primary colours for houses only started in the 60s?  And of course, with the TV ads for NL.  Most of the houses in our experience have white or beige or charcoal siding.

A story of Karen, one of our hosts:  She worked for an airline and visited here and loved it.  So she returned a few times and then she turned 30 and visited again.  She took a year off from work and helped with setting up the B&B of her future mother-in-law.  Things like painting and helping with day to day guests.  She felt the pull to move here.  She met Eric who was fixing up his house and he offered his attic to her as a camping spot.  And now, they have a son and a B&B.  When they have guests they move to Eric's parents' house.  They have three bedrooms and we were welcome to use the sitting area.   She told us about a parenting course she is taking online.  A lovely, comfortable person.  She was talking about her parents and their friend who lived in the village.  She used the term "5 minute friends"  which is perfect to refer to people who are friends you don't see much but it is easy to pick up where you left off when you do see them.  We have friends like that.

Our place in Carbonear is a huge house which was refurbished by the two fellows who own it and they are very proud of the results and so they should be.  It is lovely.  Our room had a huge Jacuzzi and a four poster bed.  They are both chefs who also had other jobs in St. John's before retiring here.  The food was yummy.  When we arrived we took a small drive to view yet another iceberg. with a side trip to see George's friend's childhood home.   The chilly weather is why there are icebergs in the middle of June.  The NL Atlantic Ocean is not the same as the Atlantic Ocean of Oak, Island, NC.

And on to St. John's--about 1 1/2 hour drive.  We stopped at the Rooms which is a marvelous museum/art gallery.  It is called the Rooms because it is fashioned after the places where cod was salted and dried.  A wonderful way to begin our trip here and also mark the middle of our road trip.  There were many interesting exhibits, one called Myth or Truth in which Andy Jones had some input.  Two local artists were also featured.  There was Newfoundland A to Z and a tribute to the soldiers who were at Beaumont Hamel in France. A painting by David Blackwood was called "Moving House" painted during the time of resettlement--a house is literally being pulled by a boat in stormy seas.   We had seafood chowder in the restaurant on the roof (indoors, of course).  We sat by the window and had an amazing view of the harbour.   Our hotel is on Duckworth Street--a couple of blocks from the harbour.  We can see it from our window.  Guess what, we have seen the Jelly Bean houses--some are old and some new.  They are all in St. John's.

We settled in and then went walking.  There are many rows of row houses painted many colours--some are new and some are old.  I have been looking for these.  The colours are more muted than the ads on TV. but delightful anyway.  George Street has only bars and there was lots if music and people strolling around.

Next morning we had a sleep in and got to Signal Hill around noon.  What an amazing view!  We chatted with the guides because they were just standing there and I knew they would have lots of info to share.  One was an architecture students at U of T, another was studying French at Memorial U.  They showed us the battery and of course, the cannons.  We asked about whales and seems like it is too early for them to be here. (Maybe next week.) The whales eat caplon a kind of fish that jumps out of the water.  One of the guides had tasted these fish and the other hadn't.  Guide #1 said the other guide was from town (that is St. John's) so she would not have tried them. It was an interesting time.  Then we went to Quidi Vidi to the Brewery for a beer tasting.  Our guide there was very personable.  There was a group of guys who were from the Annapolis Valley in NS and were here for a bachelor party.  We learned that Newfoundlanders drink more beer than everyone in Canada except the Yukon.  Their beer is only sold here.  At dinner, we sat by the harbour and watched the boats come in.

It is June 18 and  we visited Cape Spear the farthest point  east in North America.  Putting up signs that say "Danger, Keep to the walkways"  is like saying come over here and walk near the cliffs.  There are two lighthouses here, one old, now a museum and the other is still in use. We sat in some Canada 150 chairs at the top of the Cape.   It was very windy and I told George that I felt like I had been in the dryer, George replied it would be warmer in the dryer!  Since  leaving Ottawa,  we have driven  3662 kms, slept in 12 beds, ate seafood chowder 4 times, saw zero moose, driven around too many potholes, saw large trucks with moose catchers on the front and have had a grand time.  We also stopped at a marker for Mile 0 on the transCanada highway.

It is Father's Day and we chatted with our Offspring on FT.  I finished George's slippers and they fit.  We  had seafood chowder for dinner and went to see "Wonder Woman"--cool movie.  Driving in St. John's is a challenge.  One guide told us that after the 1892 fire that burned most of St. John's, they were in a hurry to rebuild and there wasn't a plan.  As a result, there are sometimes five roads coming together at an intersection and sometimes three and there are many hills and streets change in the middle of the block.  They have a beer they brew called 1892.  We had a walk to see the point where Terry Fox put his foot into the ocean.  He was only 23 at the time.  There is a monument there like the one in Ottawa.

On our way out of St. John's, we stopped at the Memorial University Botanical Gardens.  Quite lovely, mostly greens.  A worker who is studying Political Science at MUN told us that they compost to get the soil for the garden.  She was planting potatoes in a raised bed.  She grew up in PEI on a potato farm.  We had a pleasant walk and then drove to Argentia where we boarded the Ferry for a 16 hour trip to North Sydney, NS.  We had a cabin and slept pretty well except in the middle of the night when the rocking seemed worse.  Farewell to Newfoundland. You are great.

Next morning, we drove to Moncton with a stop in  Baddeck for breakfast.  We also, stopped in Memramcook, to view Claudette's childhood home town  and a monument to the Acadians.  The lilacs are blooming.  Our Moncton hotel is on the Petitcodiac River which looks like chocolate milk.   We watched  the tidal bore come in with the tide four times.  There is a river walk and viewing sites along the shore.  Often there are surfers waiting for the wave and then they ride it as long as they can.  Chatted with a few Americans while waiting for the wave.  It is interesting the way the water fills the basin to the top. We had dinner at a restaurant suggested by Grant.  Yum.    On Wednesday, our bottoms were "dunched" by the time we returned from our day.  We visited Cape Hopewell--called Hopewell  Rocks-- on the Bay of Fundy.  The tides are truly amazing.  First we viewed the rocks at high tide and then went off to Dickson Falls and then to Cape Enrage.  Then returned at the end of the day to walk on the ocean floor--which was amazing and muddy.    We also visited Fundy National Park and sat on red chairs again.  We have a pass thanks to a friend of Sheryl's.  What a day!

Our last day in Moncton, we watched the Tidal Bore once again.  Even while I watched I wondered if it was really happening.    Next stop Saint John where we visited the museum which was disappointing as the art gallery wasn't open and there were a couple of classes of children there who had no idea about museum behaviour--lots of running and yelling.  Saint John has a vibrant downtown , very charming.  We enjoyed wondering around in the Market Square area where there is an indoor market that was great.  And then on to Blacks Harbour to the Ferry.  We were early so the ferry representative suggested we go to the beach and look for sea glass and that is what we did.  I don't know what to do with sea glass but it was pleasant walking by the beach looking for some.  George had a chat with the husband of a woman who was searching as well.  When I asked her what she did with it, she said she had a huge container of it and she just collected it.  We boarded the ferry which is lots smaller than the ones from NL but we arrived at Grand Manan Island safe and sound.  Our place overlooks the water.  This will likely be a relaxing few days.  Yay!  Just a note, we found a book about sea glass and it really is a thing.

At breakfast the next morning, there were 5 others who told us that there is lots of stuff to see here.    Two were here to take photographs from the USA and the three women were touring around--seeing every site there is and are from BC.  We spent the day driving the length of the island, stopping at coves and to looking over the cliffs.  The rock is in layers and resembles the basalt we saw in Iceland. and in an exhibit at the Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg.    We had a lovely walk on the beach and I collected some rocks, feel a bit like Al Simmons!  We also visited the Swallow Tail Lighthouse which was refurbished by the people of  Grand Manan.  We had probably one of the best chili we have ever eaten today at Jitters, a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop here.  And now there is so much fog that we can't see the ocean from our window.  We hear fog horns all the time.  Interesting place.  We spent a relaxing evening.  I even watched two episodes of the latest season of Murdoch Mysteries--love it.

The day dawned foggy, rainy and cloudy so we went off to do our laundry.  By the time we were done, had pizza at the Post Office/Pizza place. played scrabble  and looked at the things for sale, the sun was shining and it was a lovely day.  We went down to the beach to look for sand dollars but alas, we found some cool rocks and some sea glass but only 1/2 of a sand dollar.  I took my shoes off and oh, the ocean was ice cold and the rocks slippery and green.  Then we went to a Square Foot Show at the Art Gallery.  All of the participating 47 artists had produced a work on a canvas that was one foot square.   We got to vote for three of our favs and had refreshments and then home.  I was tired but George wanted to take a few more lighthouse photos so he went off to Swallow Tail Lighthouse.  We spend most of our time together so it was strange when he was away.  I texted him.

Sunday and we are off to the Ferry to return to the mainland and visit St. Andrews by the Sea.  People are friendly and interesting--chatted with a couple from Quebec City while waiting for the Ferry to arrive.  Then on the Ferry, we were on the upper deck and shared a bench with a couple from Maine who were also great travellers.   The hour and a half  hour seemed to fly by as we chatted about our respective travels.  St. Andrews is a lovely place about the size of Neepawa fewer than 2000 people.  I read this morning it was proclaimed the number one place to visit in Canada.  We are staying at Treadwell House and it will be 200 years old in a couple of months.  It is beautiful--our balcony faces the water.  We had a walk on the beach--I would love to find a sand dollar but alas, none today.  We also visited Kingsbrae Garden and St. Andrews Anglican Church which was built in 1867.   Prince Charles and Diana were there for an anniversary--so says a plaque under the Wales flag in the church. The Garden had a Therapy Garden for all but especially for seniors who live near by.  The beds were raised so they can be tended from a wheelchair.  We are relaxing in the sunshine.  I think George saved the best place for the end of our trip.

Finally we didn't chair swim but visited the beach to watch the tide come in.  There isn't much sand, mostly just small rocks.  The temperature was pleasant so it was great to get our Oak Island chairs from the trunk and use them.until the tide backed us up.

Wednesday, our trip home begins--5 hours and we will be in Riviere du Loup, Quebec by the end of the day.  A black bear crossed over both divides of the highway in front of us.  Although there were Moose Warning signs, we didn't see one the whole trip.  Our Best Western in Rieviere du Loup faced the St. Lawrence and we have floor to ceiling windows to enjoy the sunset.  Thursday, 6 hours to Linda and Larry's.  Our bottoms will be dunched.  We have driven 6000 kilometers since June 1.

We will have keys to our new place by Friday, June 30 and will sleep there.  Saturday is Canada Day.  Yay.  We will participate in the Living  Flag,  have a hot dog and see what is happening on the Hill.

A quote from Henry David Thoreau:  "My life is like a stroll on the beach as near to the edge as I can get."  Our 2 1/2 years of travel have been the best.  Thanks to you all who read these blogs--on average 25 per.  They are a lovely reminder of our travels as Meanderthals.  And we have so many great photos, too.  Yay.

There will be one more blog in this series because moving needs to be blogged about.

Part ! - Atlantic Canada Road Trip June 1 to 29, 2017

Off we go.  We were soon put on alert.  On the way out of Ottawa,  a driver pulling a trailer was speeding past us and the trailer started to fishtail as he got a few car lengths ahead of us.  Finally the driver got the truck under control but not until after the trailer had rolled over into the ditch--a little scary.  After five hours of driving, listening to podcasts, we arrived at Berthier sur Mer, a quaint town on the St. Lawrence.  Our balcony backed on the river so we had a walk on the edge and did some rock scrambling--a beautiful sunny day.  George took some great photos.  I wish I had bought "adventure" boots in Oak Island as there was a small waterfall that we could have waded through and used stepping stones to get to the other side but alas...

Next day, we drove and drove and I knitted until I ran out of yarn.  We stopped at Hartland, the Longest Covered Bridge in the World.  and then on to Fredericton in the late afternoon.  There are lots of lovely, old and large houses in the area where we are.  Our place is in a huge house with wide stairways.  Our first walk in the downtown area took us to a green with CANADA 150 in large letters like Inspiration Village in Ottawa.  We had seafood dinner at Issac's Way  which is a craft beer place.  Neil and Sheryl might be impressed to hear we tried four kinds, two quite dark and one apricot and a citrus one.  I might drink beer if it tastes like the apricot one.  Our first Seafood Chowder, Yay.

Breakfast was great and then we poked around at the market.  Lots of lovely food but we were still full.  We visited Gallery 78 and Beaverbrook Gallery.  Some impressive stuff and also some modern which usually doesn't interest me.  The Beaverbrook family must have been  loaded as they gave the funds to build lots of Fredericton.  The Legislative Buildings are hohum.   We walked to Government House but it was closed.  There was an amazing water park across the street with a giant pail that got filled with water and then tipped over.  We wondered if small children could be drowned by it.  None were while we were watching.  We stopped at a couple of book stores and the big M and then headed on home.

While walking today, we were waiting for a walk sign and a guy turned to us and said, "Just like Moncton, the walk light never changes."  He walked anyway and so did we and others.  We jay-walked again later and cars stopped to let us cross the road.  There was a public service announcement pinned to a pole which warned against having anything to do with Bert because "He was sex diseases.".

Sunday, we walked on the pedestrian bridge (an old railway bridge) over the St. John River and stopped at an information centre.  Interesting display.  We drove through the University of NB.  Then we headed to Shediac, NB.  On the way we stopped at the Magnetic Hill--very strange.  We drove to the bottom of what seemed like a hill, put the car into neutral and it seemed to go up the hill backwards.  It happened again when we turned to face what appeared to be the top.  We walked the route and it was like walking on a level road and then down.  Hmmm.

Shediac is quite small-our place is Tait House which is a huge house built in 1911--wide stairs and lots of balconies and a huge veranda. The first owner made his money in potatoes.   The lady who welcomed us seemed somewhat unusual--didn't seem to understand who we were and what room we were in.  (there was only one other couple there!) Anyway, she came up to try to fix our TV which seemed to only have a black and white picture.  We ended up moving to another room which has a view of the Bay and two lovely wing chairs..    At breakfast, the next morning, we chatted with a couple from Saskatchewan who were farmers and NB is the last province for them to visit.  We drove to La Dune Bouctouche, a conservation site, and walked on the beach.  It is sponsored by Irving, an oil company.  The Acadian Village wasn't open yet so we climbed the observation tower and looked from there.  Chatted with Sheryl.

June 6, enroute to Antigonish to visit Julien and family. A car passed us and the rear, left side window imploded and there was glass all over the back seat.  We just kept driving, I called Julien and he recommended Apple Glass and indeed, they could clean and tape up the window but didn't have the glass to fix it, so they called Sydney and Stephenville to see if they could do it as these were our next stops.  No one had the glass but could get it the next day which was not soon enough as we had a date with the Ferry that night.  I had visions of driving through NFLD with plastic in the window.  My next thought was that probably no one would try to break in because they would think that the plastic would indicate there was nothing worth taking in the car!  So we drove to the Apple place and the owner said he could probably get a used window and do the repair.  I had not considered that window glass could be reused but it was good as new.   Julien picked us up and we went to their home for a lovely lunch.  Great to see Emily and Julien.  Liam and Anna are delightful.  Anna went off for her nap and Liam showed us some of his toys.  A lovely family.  Meanwhile, our car was cleaned and fixed.  So on we went to Baddeck for coffee and to North Sydney for dinner and boarded the Ferry at 22h00.  What a well-oiled organization.  We got to our cabin and found two single beds and a private bathroom.  After a walk around, we settled in only to be wakened at 6:30 for we had arrived in Newfoundland.  Yay.

The Ferry ride was very smooth and we disembarked around 8:00 on June 7th.  We were off to see the sights.  Our first stop was a craft shop that was billed as the best with the best prices.  It was painted in bright primary colours like that in the ads that encouraged us to visit.  We bought fridge magnets and visited with the owner and her sister.  We, old grannies, exchanged ideas on how much child rearing had changed since we had our babies.  Also, they knew the brother of George's friend who we would visit in Stephenville.  First we toured around the Codroy Valley and Cape Anguille lighthouse.  By the time we arrived in Stephenville, it was just after noon.  We had been in the car for 4 hours.  Yike.  Jim and his wife, Donna, came to  our hotel and treated us to lunch and lively conversation.  George and Jim went on a tour, while Donna went home to prepare dinner and I had a nap and went for a walk.  Donna prepared a "Jiggs" dinner for us which is a traditional, Sunday, Newfoundland meal consisting of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, turnip, chicken, partridgeberry dumplings and gravy with a strawberry dessert.  It was all delicious.  George and Jim met in the summer of 1967 and then we all met in Ottawa in 1971 when they were on their honeymoon.  Jim had been to Winnipeg a couple of times in the 80s.

This morning (June 8), we drove to Cow Head which is a tiny village just past Gross Morne National Park.  Our room has a view of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.   The temperatures are unseasonably low so our walk on the beach was chilly.  We attended a play which was a tad dark but funny--called "Fly Me to The Moon".  We had decided not to drive at dawn or dust as that is when the moose are about.  We haven't seen any but there were 1000 accidents last year involving moose so we are watchful.  The drive was lovely as there are mountains(?) or high hills all around.

Rocky Harbour is our next destination but first we had a boat ride on a fjord.  There was a required 3km walk into where the Western Brook Pond boats were waiting.  There was boardwalk through the really wet parts--mostly bog and peat.  The trees are gnarly and wind blown.  Speaking of wind--it was so strong that it would have picked up Piglet and took him away had he been there!   There were some lovely yellow flowers as well as dandelions but spring is slow so the leaves have just started to grow.  We foolishly went to the bow of the boat and got really wet by the spray--the water was quite choppy until we got between the mountains of rock.  There was a formation that resembled Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. --lovely rugged landscape.  We had hot chocolate during our return walk.

While driving in the Park, I often noticed two red chairs in a varied of places.  Seems they are placed for people to stop and sit and enjoy the view.  A friend of George's told him about sitting in some by Clear Lake and enjoying the sunset.  So we found a couple of chairs and had a small picnic.  Relaxing after our walks.

Our place for the night at Rocky Harbour was beautiful, quite newly done and very nicely decorated.  The owners have a small daughter who was playing dress-up when we left.   Tourism here is growing.   We had tickets for "Anchors Aweigh" which is a band that specializes in Newfoundland music and jokes and have been performing for 23 years..  It was a tad  raunchy  and  highlighted some of the history of the Land.  There was much banter, a bit related to taking a break.  Supposedly, a lady in a previous show asked for a break because her "arse was dunched" a Newfoundland word for tired of sitting.  We met a couple walking to the concert and chatted with them during dinner.   Part of the act was a demonstration of how to make and play an 'ugly stick".  Lots of fun.

This morning it is raining and cloudy and we are off to Grand Falls Windsor which seems quite boring but it served as a break on the way to Twillingate, the iceberg capital.   The sun did shine by the time we arrived but it was windy.  There is much construction along the way which bears out another joke from last night which was:  A Brit was talking to a Newfoundlander and said that in England they drive on the left.  The Newfoundlander said that here they drive on what is left of the road.  There is so much rock that blasting is required when roads are being built.  We had ft sessions with all of our offspring.  Yay.  Also, there is no laundermat here.

Twillingate and icebergs.  There is pack ice and icebergs on the water.  Pack ice looks like a lumpy cover of snow.  Because of it there hadn't been any boat tours until today.  All this pack ice is unusual for this time of year.  The temperature today is 19 degrees.  By the time. we went on a boat tour the temperature had dropped and it was cloudy and threatening rain.  It was so great to be on the water, going around and among the ice flows.  Icebergs are huge.  Smaller pieces of ice flow with the current.  The wind brings in the pack ice and also takes it away.  Our place is great and the hostess is very informative.  She seems to enjoy chatting with the guests and the house was full.  We had moose sausages with our breakfast.  She told us that Twillingate has been maintained on Alberta Oil money.  Her husband worked in Fort Mac two weeks and then was home for two weeks.  Now he is in Labrador on the same schedule.  They own a house as well as the B&B house and a cabin.  She has shot a moose and they use snow machines in the winter and also go some place warm for some of the winter.  We noted that the houses look new and well maintained and there are many trucks.  Our hostess told us that last year students at school missed  a month of school because of the weather.  Also, this is her second marriage and divorce is awful!  She let us use her laundry facilities.  Yay.

We had a lovely walk downtown, visited the harbour to admire the pack ice and icebergs in the distance.  We stopped  and relaxed in a couple of Adirondack chairs near the water.   We also visited a little gallery of pencil drawings and bought some wine.  There is a winery in town.  In the evening we went to the dinner theatre--dinner was OK--mass produced as there were over 100 seats in the place.  The show was singing mostly ballads about being homesick for Newfoundland and humorous skits. One skit featured 45 President in Newfoundland deciding to build a wall between a couple of islands.  He promised to create 150,000 jobs which would be people making pothole signs and 150,000 more jobs which would be people holding the signs.   It was an enjoyable evening.

We stopped at Gander the next day to view the 9/11 exhibit in the Aviation museum.  The film and the wall of thank you letters was quite moving.  In the film, the air traffic controller said they had landed 38 planes in 3 hours--amazing.   There is a piece of a girder on display that came from the Twin Towers.  Apparently, when it was being moved to Gander as it passed through the towns on the TransCanada highway,  there was always an honour guard.  We chatted with a young reporter, Josh, who was born in 1992.  His father had been an RCMP officer so Joah had lived in many places but chose to come back to Newfoundland to work as a journalist.  He told us he had convinced his girlfriend to work in Newfoundland as well.  I think they live in Gander which grew up around the airport.  As we travel here, it seems like most of the entertainers are in our age range, so I asked him if he knew any of the Newfoundland  songs.  He said he didn't but he had worked on the Blue Nose as a summer job one year and one of his colleagues was always singing or humming while he worked but that fellow was the only one who did, thanks to his grandmother who taught him the songs.  Josh seemed a very thoughtful young man who was writing about life in Newfoundland.  We arrived in Trinity in the rain.  George has valiantly driven around many potholes.  There is usually  Moose Alert signs and  Caution Potholes signs along the roads.  There is a joke about how drunks weave about when they are driving but in Newfoundland, everyone weaves around to avoid potholes.

We had a delicious dinner and then attended a musical play which told some of the history of Newfoundland and expressed the sadness related to the hard life here. It was about the resettlement program-the decision to move people from their small villages so it would be easier to bring services to them.   I have begun to think that   people  who live here are very brave and resilient.  It is so rugged and fishing is so uncertain and there is so much ice!  I feel quite conflicted between having respect for the choices people make and the life they lead in this harsh climate.  At dinner there was a birthday celebration and the staff sang and played an ugly stick.  Our waitress told us that her husband and son were away fishing for at least six days near St. John's which is about 2 hours from here by car.  They are in a boat with four others and will also sleep on it.  I wonder how they stay warm.  Her son hated school and she forced him to finish which he barely did and then did a fishing course and got 98%.  Her daughter is at Memorial University.

Next morning a young couple from St. John's was at breakfast with us and they talked about coming back to Newfoundland.  They had just been married:  she was a lawyer and he studied Architecture.  They talked about the stress of jobs and had five cats which helped her de-stress.  After a lovely breakfast, we walked around the town.  It was a lovely day, although the temperature was only 7.  The town is sort of a museum town, a bit like Upper Canada Village.  Many buildings are set up for tourists to view and learn some history.  Then we drove to Bonavista, which is another little town, and lo and behold, there were four large icebergs in the harbour.  Delightful to see!  It was very windy and the wind did not stop--heard it all night and in the morning.  We had seafood chowder at an old tea house.  In the evening, we again went to the theatre.  Tonight's play was about the Cod Moratorium of 1992.   Two sisters related their stories of how it affected their lives.  It was so sad.  Many tears were shed.  Life here in the small villages was/is very difficult.

Had some texts from our offspring and a face time session with Brienne and Claire.  We are at the mid-point of this trip.

Tomorrow we are off to Carbonear and then to St. John's. Our bottoms will be "dunched" by the time we arrive.   I have decided to split this trip into two blogs because there is so much to write.  We have noted some interesting speech patterns of Newfoundlanders.

To be continued.

The drive to Canada and 14 days in West Wellington. May 16 to June 1, 2017

May 16, 2017 - After George figured out the puzzle of fitting all our stuff into our car and having one last look at the ocean, we were off to Canada.  Our first day ended in Fredricksburg, Va. but not until I accidentally dropped a Lindt chocolate on my seat and sat on it.  The result was a brown stain on the back of my shorts.  Yike!  Anyway, I spent most of the time just sitting in the car so it wasn't a huge problem.  The next travel day, took us to Binghamton, NY to another Hampton Inn and it happened to be a night where they were serving a pizza dinner which included salad, drinks and cheese cake.  We had huge suite so we spent the evening watching TV, well, I watched many episodes of NCIS as it was a night of back to back shows.  Yay.  We used the Blue Tooth Speaker    that Sheryl and Neil gave us and listened to an  audio book and podcasts using my Ipad during our drive.  It made the time go much quicker.  The book was written by a journalist who was raising a baby and caring for her father who had Alzheimer's--the baby was gathering words and ideas and the father was loosing words and ideas.  Interesting!  We had a ft session with Brienne and Claire both nights which was lovely.  I also sent texts to Sheryl and Grant updating our progress.  Love all the technology that helps keep us in contact with special ones.

GPSes.  I remember the days when I thought they were dumb.  I also remember when it was my job to be the navigator on road trips.  Me, who has no sense of direction!  Anyway, hurray for GPSes.  Our "Carmin Garmin: got us 1600 kms back to Ottawa with only a couple of blips.  One blips was three geese trying to cross the I-81.  George honked and they turned around, just in time for one to be hit by the car beside us.

Wellington West is where we are staying.  Our host is delightful.  This house is his pride and joy and we are relaxing carefully in it.  This area is great.  We are taking many walks and discovering coffee shops.   Took the car  to Tony Graham to have a battery replacement and had breakfast in Nepean.  Got a couple of boxes for Sheryl and Neil's parcel and shopped for Shreddies.  Back on Wellington, we walked to the DQ for ice cream and a poke around at the Superstore.  Had brunch with Grant on Saturday to celebrate his first year anniversary of being a House of Commons Procedural Clerk on May 26 (Gladie's bd.).  Time does fly and his confidence has soared as well.  We also picked up  9 months of mail from his place as we haven't been in Ottawa since last September.  We will need to change our address come July.  Had a telephone chat with my sister.  We discovered that Stella Luna had opened on in Westboro,  YUM.

Today is Sunday of the long weekend and the day started with a ft call from Claire and Brienne.  Delightful.  After breakfast, it was coffee time and another walk and a stop at Stella Luna for gelato.   Had dinner with friends from Kanata--great to connect with them.  Monday morning, we headed downtown to the Rideau Centre--lots of new shops and new look.  Checked out "Simons" which is a new department store.  Also the roof top was dressed in tulips.  The Market opened a space called "Inspiration Village".  We took photos of us by a huge sign that read "Stand for Canada."  There was a cellist performing.  We stopped at the Second Cup on Dalhousie.  I met with a friend for hot chocolate while George poked around at Chapters  and then we met Grant for ice cream.  We headed back to Rideau Street to the Shawarma Palace to pick up dinner for us and Karen.  It was so fun to see her.  She is our "Corner Gas" friend.

We must conserve our energy as we have millions of appointments next week.

Tuesday, started early for George as he had to take the car back to Tony Graham to check a warning light.  I went to the dentist to get my tooth fixed.  It had broken a month ago but I didn't want to see anyone but our dentist.  Wonders of wonders, he was able to repair it in one visit.  I was delighted even though I really dislike going to the dentist.  George and I had a lovely walk to Tunney's Pasture and got home in time to see NCIS.  Yay.  We had a ft session with Claire and Brienne.

Wednesday, George took the two parcels to send to Sheryl and Neil while I had an ECHO at the Heart Institute.  I can never understand why they press to hard.  I always expect to see bruises when it is over but don't.  English was not the first language of this technician, so when he asked me to raise my knees, I had no idea what he wanted me to do.  Anyway, soon it was over and then, I had a blood test and George was back to pick me up.  We went home to relax briefly and then had lunch with some friends.  What a delightful afternoon--our dessert was like eating green air--lovely, a bit like a grasshopper pie with lime instead of Creme de Menthe.  Finally, we met some friends from church at Costco.  It is our practice to have hot dogs there together.  We had a great time catching up with them.  We bought Vitamin D pills and a fan to keep us cool on our first night in our apartment in July.

Thursday, we met with our financial adviser who is new to us.  Seems fine.  Our plan is to die broke so..... we sorted out our money needs.  George had lunch with his friend from the Travel program who is a great traveler so they always have lots to chat about.   I went downtown to get a haircut--used the number 11 bus which used to be the number 2.  Quite efficient.  Next we visited our new apartment and signed a million pages which is the lease for it.  Somehow, it seemed less spacious than I remembered but we checked George's scale drawing with all our furniture and we think it will all fit.  However, when all the boxes arrive, we will feel overwhelmed, I think.  We then, had a ft session with Claire and Brienne and spent a quiet evening and had a chat with Roy and Lois about Newfoundland.  Watched a bit of the seventh game of the semifinals that our Senators lost.  They had a good run.  We also did laundry using some lovely new appliances and detergent the resembles a piece of paper.  Yay, clean clothes.

We need a sleep in and that is exactly what we did on Friday morning.  I had lunch with three women who are always fun and George had lunch with a friend at Perkins.  We are home for a bit and then  picked up some lovely food for Sheryl's friend who has been diagnosed with Colon Cancer.  We met her in Sheryl's Vimy days and at the airport a while ago.  She is very upbeat and is in her last round of chemo and then more tests.

Claire has finished her Linked in process. Yay.

Saturday was the first time we attended the Great Glebe Garage Sale--it is like a fair that covers about five or six blocks with lots of stuff for sale.  We enjoyed strolling around, had a hotdog and then headed home.  Had dinner with Grant at the Carben which was lovely.  We chatted a bit about the Indigenous concerns and I usually think there should be a quick fix for things but there doesn't seem to be one.   We had churros and cinnamon ice cream.  Lovely evening.

Sunday, 28, we skipped church as it is the race weekend and it is impossible to get there from here.  We watched finish of the race online.  I wonder about the strain that must be on the bodies of those who run.  Running anywhere is no longer in my job description. Martin and Claudette met us at Petit Bill's Bistro for chowder and then we went to a concert which was a fund raiser for Matthew House.  Seems like the choir should focus on singing fast moving songs.  The director had written one which was wonderful.  It was called "I Love the Life I Live".  I must look for the lyrics because they were great.

Monday, George did some errands.  I stayed home and walked in the rain to the Metro for food.  Hurrah for umbrellas.  In the afternoon, he had a doctor's appointment and I had coffee.  Then more errands at Billings Bridge.  Ottawa is really a great city and we are enjoying becoming reacquainted with it  I will need to think about getting a cell.  Mostly when we are away, we do everything together but when we are settled we will spend more time doing our own thing.  I was having a ft session  with Brienne and Claire this morning and B asked for Grandad.  She was disappointed because he was out.  So later they called back and B wanted to talk to Grandad by herself and she said to her Mama, " Mama, right back."  so Claire went away and B. told him about her recent dr. appointment.

Tuesday, our second last day, George went to get his glasses adjusted and I met Sheryl's friend for coffee.  She is so brave.

We got home for lunch and then walked to the Heart Institute for an EKG and  to see the cardiology.  Dr. Marquis who had been my cardiology since before Grant was born has retired, so I saw a different one who was OK but I was glad when he said there is now a Heart Valve Clinic who will follow my heart health and I won't see a cardiology unless I have an issue.  So that sounds fine with me.  Anyway, my heart is strong and doing what it should and I am delighted.    To celebrate, Grant joined us at the Keg. Yay.      It was a rainy night.

Our last day--a day to pack and do laundry, which was finished by noon.  We had a lovely lunch at the Chocolate Creperie--a savory and a sweet to share.  Yum.  We stopped at the Cube Gallery to look at the paintings and continued our walk.  We hadn't been to the Hill so we went downtown--I think is my favourite place in Ottawa.  Many years ago, George proposed on the lawn in front of the East Block.  Then we went to the cheap theatres which are now called Imagine Cinema.  We saw a movie called "Maudie" which was set in Nova Scotia and filmed mostly in Newfoundland.  It was moving and engaging but it was difficult to know the timeline--how many years had passed.  It was based on a real life artist.

Thursday, June 1,  we packed the car, left half of our stuff at our AirB&B for a month and headed off to have breakfast with Len and Carol "Ronaldo".  She looked wonderful in her t-shirt.  Had a fun visit and then headed off on our road trip to Newfoundland.  And so it goes.....

Brienne, you are two. OKI March 2 to May 16, 2017

We heard "Granny/Grandad at the Myrtle Beach airport even before we saw you.  Two lovely hugs and we were ready to be together again.  Over the time since December, we managed to FT most days and felt we hadn't missed too much but seeing you and holding you was so special.  You are the best.  You have learned so much.  Mostly you speak in full sentences and sometimes in French.  You love to sing and recite.  You know the ABC song in both languages, Humpty Dumpty, Old Macdonald had a Farm, Itsy Bitsy Spider and more.  You say, I tending (pretending) and I member (remember).  You and Grandad had a great play and dance at your house.  We love you.

March 4.  My bd plans changed when we got an SOS call from your Mama.  You and she went to the Robicon.  The plan was that you would play with Mikey and that his Mom and your Mama would take turns with the caregiving.  However, you weren't especially happy with all the noise and excitement so your Mama asked us to take you home.  The event was 2 1/2 hours from OKI so your other Grandma drove to pick you up and bring you to us.  You had a great sleep but were quite disoriented when you arrived here.  You cheered up when you saw a new Peppa Pig in a yellow raincoat on your little table and we played and played.  You had your first sleep-over ever that night and although I didn't sleep very well, you managed to do OK.  We had a fun day on Sunday, went to the beach, read stories and played in the water.  You blended back into our lives with not problems.

On Sunday, your Mama didn't get home to us until 22h00.  You had a long sleep and although you asked for Mama a few times over the day, you coped well.  We didn't put you to bed because we knew you were waiting to see your Mama come home.  And the reunion was delightful--not sure who was more happy to see who but it was lovely.

 We had a fun time at the beach on Monday.  The beach is just two blocks away so that is a bonus.  We dug and covered our feet and made small sticks stand in the sand.  Then you wanted to throw rocks into the water.  There are lots of smallish rocks washed up to the sand.  First you asked us to throw them in and then you could do it yourself.  What fun.

March 26.  You are like a sponge.  When I sing a new song to you or a rhyme, you say again, again, again and then listen closely so you can repeat.  Your French is amazing.  You even talk about en Francoise and in English.  On the beach one day, you and Grandad were dancing and you were singing "Sure Le Pont" the whole time.  Yesterday you and Grandad were playing Super Grandad and Super Girl Brienne.  You put you fist up and get a determined look on your face when you say "Super Girl Brienne".

You can "read" tell the stories of many of your books.  To name a few:  I Like Hats, Mudpuddle, Wheels on the Bus, BINGO,  Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.  Your speech is very advanced for a 26 month old.  You were so excited about your cousin Violet's visit.  You were like a little shadow and Violet was very sweet with you.   She is 8.

You still love bubbles and yesterday, we put the sponge puzzle numbers together and you ran back and forth on the road and said I fast.  You have a little red bike that you like to ride on the deck.  You aren't using the peddles yet but scoot along just fine.

At the Robotics competition, you were delighted to see your Mama but found the noise overwhelming.  Even the next day , you would say "Robotics make sound" and whimper a bit.

We had a playdoh table and you always have the pink plastic knife and I have the black one.  We make circles and balls.  You ask for chats and chiens which I make and you play with.  You have a great imagination having them chat to each other.

Grandma bought you a new dress and sweater and you wore it and shiny purple shoes to her Gallery Show.  We called it a party and you said that your Aunt Rebeckah gave you ice cream.    You were a big hit as you marched around at the party.

Today you went to your nap room and said, "Brienne chambre.".  You were reading a French book, well telling the story and you did it all in French.  You also "read" Mud Puddle", and like the Richard Scary Cars/Trucks book.

When you arrive this morning, you had Wonder Woman and Super Girl action figures.  When Grandad wanted to see them, you said, "Mine" and wouldn't share.  Then you said "Back" to him so he wouldn't come any closer to them.  Later you showed them to him.  You are very definite.  We have your blow-up swimming pool and you love to play in it when we return from the beach.  There is a fish shaped watering can that you play with.  You were telling us the names for its face.  It said glub, glub.

You wanted to go swimming but it was too windy.  You found your swim suit and put it on with both feet in the same leg.  So I helped you get it straight and you wore it with leotards.  You also prefer to wear two different coloured shoes together and will often wear a pick croc and a red and white spotted shoe together.  You have a trick to get your shoes off by stepping on the toe of one and pulling your foot out.

Yesterday (March 31), it rained very hard and in a lull, we thought we would go to the beach.  So you put on your Lady Bug Girl boots and we had jackets and umbrellas.  Well, we got a couple of houses down and it started to pour again.  We were wet in minutes.  You had been jumping in mud puddles like Peppa Pig gang so I popped you in the stroller and we ran home.  We were standing on the concrete pad under our house and you were again jumping in puddles.  In March, we spent 22 days together out of a possible 29.

April:  Today when we had a ft session, you asked for Grandad which you often do.  He pretended to fly past, you were amused.  Then he flew back and you went for a quick fly around your living-room.  Very cute.  This evening you found your drawer of clothes and put on about 17 dresses.  Some were just over your head and gathered around you top.  You are so fun.

When you visited on Monday, you were having cereal while Mama and we were chatting.  You picked up you bowl and drank the last of the milk.  Your Mama was not impressed.  You looked at me and said,  "Mama not like this game.".  I said that you could only do that at GrannyGrandad's place.  Then later after being at the beach, you were in your pool on the back deck and you drank some water from the pool.  I didn't react and you said, "Mama, not like this game.".  Later your Mama told me that she tells you not to drink out of the pool or tub.  So you are learning that there are somethings you and do only in some places.

You and my friend, Miss Betty played many elaborate games while they stayed with us.  Betty is the best at playing.  You called them Miss Betty and Mr. Tom because well brought up children in the South learn to us the preface words when talking to adults.  Betty brought a book about Penguins.  Betty was reading it to you and talking about a nest.  A week earlier, I discovered a bird's nest in a folded beach chair and showed it to you.  So you thought a bit and then told Betty that nests are in "chair".  Later when I was reading this book, you said, "Miss Betty gave".   You language skills and thinking seems to grow daily.  When you paint you are very intent and even name what you paint sometimes.  For instance, you painted a blue blob and called it a lion.  You love to jump in puddles with your Lady Bug Girl boots on.  You love to dig at the beach and run along the shore.  So far this time we haven't taken you in the water.  (April 11, 2017)

Today, we were chatting on FT.  You asked for Grandad.  As it was early morning, I said, Grandad sleeping.  You said, "Make noise.  Grandad wake and play with me."

You had a great time in the bath.  We had a tablet which made the water pink.  What fun.  After you were dry, I combed your hair into curls.  What a sweetie!

Drove you to Wilmington this am so you could stay with Grandma.  At noon, she brought you to the Olive Garden where we were finishing lunch.  You were happy to join us and then go home with us.  We gave you a little dog who we named "Happy".  We sang the BINGO song to it substituting HAPPY.

Went to the beach with you this morning.  You had a grand time running and jumping in the puddles.  You were wearing a hat and were great at leaving it on but the wind blew it off and it landed in the water.  You were happy to wear it even though it was wet.

After a big rain fall, we went out to jump in the puddles.  Your Grandad bought some boots so he could jump with you.  You got wet because you fell down in the water.  You didn't fuss much just walked on home for a "clean new, shirt and clean, new pants" from the Mud Puddle story by Robert Munch.  You are really into Corduroy books just now.  You like to "read" the story and turn the pages.  At the end of the Pocket for Corduroy book, they nuzzle noses which is something you do with your Mama so when I asked what is "nuzzle noses" in French, you told me.  You love the French TV programs that we watch.  Max and Ruby is one.  You can converse very well in French.  You are even able to talk about the language which is amazing.

Today when we were chatting with Auntie Sheryl on FT, you sang happy birthday to Uncle Neil as it is his birthday is tomorrow.  Later we were reading a Sesame book and there was a picture of a nest for Big Bird.  You mentioned Miss Betty because of a previous discussion with her about nests and penguins.  What a memory.

You had another sleepover at our house last evening.  Mama was finishing a paper just in time to be in by midnight.  You went a tad sad when you realized Mama was not coming but fell asleep easily--not surprising it was 22h00.  You waken in the night and missed your Mama but fell back to sleep and wakened again at 8h00.

Story from Mama:  When you were getting ready to come to our house, you said, "Grandad, saying, Where is my Brienne?.  Grandad saying, Where is the squirrel?"  Upon arrival you wanted to Grandad play "little bit".  You two went out onto the back deck and played.  Then you came in and put your hands on the floor and lifted one leg and said you were an acrobat. And you danced like a ballerina, and  claimed to be Super Girl.

You were saying Fais Do Do which is the song Mama sings to you when you are going to sleep and Grandad found some French songs on the computer and that song in particular. You were delighted and sang along.  Then it was time for your nap and you came along a sweet as could be until you heard another song on the computer.  We returned so you could listen and then off to bed.  We read the two Corduroy books which are your current favs.  You have a book at home called "123 Canada" and of course, there are pictures of snow in it.  In the 'Pocket for Corduroy" book, the bear is left at the laundromat and in his exploring, he slips on some soap so everytime we read that part you talk about snow and Canada.

You think you Grandad is the best and want him to "play a little bit".  You like to be an acrobat:  you put your hands on the floor and raise one let.  You are also a Balerina:  you go up on your toes and put your hands above you head and dance around.  You are also Super Girl:  you put your arm up in a fist and run fast.  You like to look for stuff using flashlights with Grandad.  Usually you look under beds and in the bathrooms where it is dark.  Today you came out and told Mama and me that you found "dust" under the bed.

May 5 -- you were painting with Grandad.  He was painting different coloured lines.  You studied what he was doing for a while and then tried to make some lines as well.  You made two sort of lines and then made a blot and called it an 'H'.  You really study things so closely.  Also, because you had waken quite early, I was thinking it was time for a nap.  You suddenly said, "I sleep now" and toddled off to your bedroom and got into your bed.  You didn't was a story, just to go to sleep and so you did.

What a sweetie.  Except on the last meeting of STEM council, your Mama left home before you waken and Grandad and I went to your house to be there when you wakened, you came out of the bedroom and looked at us and went raced back and got back into bed.  You were quite mad a us because you weren't your Mama.

You have a good memory.  For example, in your bedroom at our house, there are two single beds.  You have one and I lay on the next while you are getting ready to nap.  The third one was used by Krista in March.  Yesterday, you told Grandad that it was Krista's bed.  You still remember Miss Betty and the fun you had with her.

Your eyeteeth are coming in and you have a runny nose and a bit of a cough.  You like to have your nose wiped with a wet facecloth.  Today we "played a little bit".  You helped with Dad's bd cake.  You like to sit on the counter and help me stir stuff.  You like pancakes and part of it is the preparation.

You love your stuffed guys and often give them hugs.  And we play with them together.  Also you like three little cats that were in your Easter eggs and also the monkey puppets from "Monkeys Jumping on the Bed".

We have had the best time watching you grow from a tiny baby to a fun, interesting almost 28 month old little girl.  Today your Mama sent a text telling us that you were blinking at her and said "parpierre" which means eyelids in French.  What a joy.  We are excited that you and your parents are moving to Canada.

Tomorrow is May 16 and Gandad and I are driving home to Ottawa.

  Love you.  Granny

PS  Mama sent a photo of you and the Etch a Sketch whee you had drawn a face with eyes and a smile.  What a smartie.

Toronto, OKI and Brienne and company , Feb. 27 to May 16, 2017

February 28, Toronto.  After 18 hours in the air, George saw the CN Tower first and we had arrived.  We stayed at the airport at the Alt hotel.  There is a train from the airport to it so that was a bonus.  We had a relaxing afternoon.  Next morning Spring had arrived, we took the UP Express downtown to do many errands, including  breakfast at Marche, a blood test for me, buy Coaguchek strips, O Henry Easter eggs, have Tim's coffee.  A bit of a hiccup getting the strips but George ironed it out.  We walked and walked. By the time Frank and Brenda arrived for dinner, winter had returned--windy, windy.  Fun dinner.

Arrived in Mrytle Beach after  a lengthy buzz at the US customs in TO.  Probably checked passports and boarding passes about 10 times before we were cleared to board.  We heard Brienne at the airport before we saw her--she calls us Granny-Grandad when referring to both of us.  What a delight as is her Mama, of course.  We saw Noah later that day.  Our place is different--a bit closer to the ocean and farther from C & N but it is well equipped and has two swings and two rocking chairs.

Listening to Celine was the beginning of my birthday day.  Yay.   It was slated to be a quiet day as Claire and Brienne were at the Robocon and Noah was busy with school stuff.  However, around noon we had an SOS from Claire and the result was that Lynne went to get Brienne and then she spent the rest of the day, night and next day with us.  Having Brienne at the event was too much!  Anyway, we had a lovely time and Brienne's first sleep over ever was successful.  Claire didn't return until around 22h00 and as B had had a long nap, we didn't even think about putting her to bed.  The reunion between mother and daughter was a delight to watch.  I am not sure who missed who more.

Our next two days were full of Brienne including a bd celebration for me with candles and cake.   Also coffee at Southport. On Thursday, George and I drove B. to Wilmington to stay with Lynne.  We did a bit of shopping and went to see "Logan" which is part of the Wolverine movies.  I had not seen any of the previous ones and found this one very violent.  I was glad to be at the back of a sparsely populated theatre as I found I could hardly watch some parts of it and had to stand for others.  Grant will be surprised when he hears that I went to that movie.

We are having daily walks on the beach and sometimes get there twice in one day.  Next week we will do some chair swimming.  Our routines are beginning.  One of which is Wednesday night ribs at a hole-in-the-wall place.

The Texans have arrived.  What fun to have them visit.  The weather didn't co-operate very well but we did have many walks on the beach, plays in the sand, lots of yummy food, a couple of movies and fun.  Brienne thought Violet (almost 8) was the best--she was like a little shadow and Violet was very sweet with her.  It was fun to watch the greeting hugs.  We, four, had an afternoon in Southport with lovely coffee.  A great week.

Robotics is taking Claire to Raleigh on Thursday so we drove there with Brienne.  We had a delightful time at a nearby playground and then went to IHop for pancakes.  (B's current fav.)  Next day we stopped in at the Robotics competition but Brienne found it too noisy so we drove home to OKI during her nap.  Even the next day, she would say "Robotics make sound".  In the evening we went to B's other Grandma's art show.  B was a hit in her new dress and shiny, purple shoes.  Lynne has a lovely studio and lots of lovely paintings.

Today Sunday, March 26, I set up one of the bedrooms for painting.  I want to get doing some acrylics and started a painting of meerkats which are in the mongoose family and we saw them in SA.  Watercolours usually leave me frustrated.  Although I discovered a way to paint little people so have been working on painting Brienne and George on the beach.

Our week has been full of beach time--saw dolphins again.  One was swimming in the middle of a wave and another one breached the water--very cool.  We have been chair swimming.  Yesterday we got caught in a rain storm with B.  It just poured--luckily we weren't far from home when it pelted down but we were all soaked in no time.  We stood on the concrete pad under our house and Brienne jumped in puddles with her Lady Bug Girl boots.  (I really must buy some rubber boots for me.  I think that I have always wanted some and these days they are cool even for adults.)

After last Fall's hurricane, the dunes were washed on to the street and under many houses that are on stilts.  They gathered some of the sand and it is in piles along the beach--looks a bit like piles of snow after a storm at home.  So starting April 10, they will replace all the dunes--six feet high and forty feet wide.  Two truck loads of sand per linear foot. They must either stop or complete the six miles of dunes before the mother turtles come to lay their eggs for this year.  Should be an interested event to watch.

The beginning of April weekend is a quiet one to get ready for company.  We played with Brienne, cleaned, tidied, did some errands and spent lots of time at the beach.  Unfortunately, the tops of George's feet got burned and they are as red as a cooked lobster.  We are usually so careful about sun screen but sometimes these things happen.   Good news today--we have the apartment reserved in the Lamplighter in Ottawa--the very building we wanted to live in when we return there.  Georges main criteria for location was that it be within walking distance of 4 or 5 coffee shops. Yay.  We are excited and delighted and I guess, our days of being Meaderthals will cease at least for a while starting July 1, 2017.  Sad or glad?  Who knows!

Tom and Betty arrived on Tuesday evening and we immediately had a walk on the beach.  It was windy.  Lovely to see them. Wednesday was our day at Myrtle Beach to mini-golf, have KK donuts and walk on the beach by the Atlantic Breeze which is our old stomping grounds.  The day was overcast and finally rained as we finished our walk and then it poured with lots of rain and thunder and lightning while we were having dinner.  George got 3 hole-in-ones but Tom had to buy the donuts.  It was a fun day.

Brienne was over.  It was too windy to stay at the beach--little needles of sand were blowing at us.  So she had her LadyBug Boots and we walked around the block and Brienne jumped in the puddles.  A friend of Claire's and her daughter joined us for dinner.  We enjoyed a video of our golf game, other movies and saw a movie in Shalotte, had coffee and a tour of Southport.  Betty and I had many walks on the beach and Tom and George played crib.  Monday was Passover and Lynne hosted a Seder meal which was yummy and interesting--lots of special foods and traditions.  We all read parts of the ceremony called Haggadah and Noah and Rebekah read in Hebrew.

Brienne thought Miss Betty was the best--which she is as she loves to play and she and Brienne had some elaborate games.  One day they were talking about nests and Betty asked her if she had seen a nest.  Well, the week before, I had discovered a bird's nest in a closed up beach chair and showed it to Brienne. So when Brienne thought about the idea of a nest she told Betty she saw a nest in "chair".  In the South, well brought up children call adults Miss or Mr and then their first name.

We were sad to see Tom and Betty leave on Tuesday.  We always have a great time with them.  Some of the world's problems could be solved by Betty and I during our beach walks.  Until next time

George and I have been walking on the beach in the mornings before breakfast.  One day we stopped to sit.  We were wearing red tops and our "twin" hats that we bought at Walgreens which is at the corner of Happy and Healthy near Southport.  A woman stopped and said, "You look so cute, I would like to take your picture".  We have become "cute geezers".  The weather indicated much chair swimming so that is what we did all week.  One evening we saw about fifty pelicans flying overhead.  They moved like they were playing "crack the whip".  Very cool.  On Good Friday we spent the whole afternoon with our feet in the ocean and then went back to watch the sunset.

On Thursday, we took the car to Toyota in Wilmington to have the oil changed.  Had a pleasant time wandering at a shopping centre while we were waiting.  Suddenly, we heard calling "George, Pat" and there were Noah and Brienne who were going to buy shoes for Brienne.  Imagine seeing someone we know on the sidewalk in Wilmington.

Our days seem to be: walk on the beach and chair swim, care for Brienne, Repeat, have a day off, Repeat again.  She is learning so much so quickly.  We feel fortunate to get to play with her.  There are always lots of pelicans flying over when we are at the beach.,  Haven't seem any dolphins lately.  The end of this time is looming.  Claire's exams will be done by May 8 and her job search will be started and who knows what will be next for them.

George has been working on a trip for us to Atlantic Canada for June.  It is shaping up nicely.  I completed a painting of the story of creation as depicted in the Freedom Park Museum, in Pretoria, SA.  I am quite delighted with the results.  It began with nothing, then, rock. fire and water.  After the animals, the people walked out of the reeds.  I put five people to represent we five, here in OKI.

Our landlord brought two more rocking chairs for our front deck.  He has a very loud voice (110 decibels according to George).  There was a lot of rain on Monday so we went puddle jumping.  George bought rain boots so he could jump with Brienne.  I refused to buy any because they only had black ones with green soles and I wanted some more like Brienne's ladybug boots. ( The old cut off your nose to spite your face!)  It was really fun to watch them jump and the puddles were big.  Brienne fell down and that was that.

We have been doing lots of chair swimming--usually for a couple of hours before a late dinner.  We read while we sit.  I must always be careful not to let my book get wet.  Here is a lovely thought that says it all.  "The ocean, stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings joy to the soul."  Love that.  I would also add that pelicans flying overhead make my heart soar.  On May 3, we were chair swimming, the tide was coming in and as usual I was more in the water and George was at the edge of the where the water rolled over the sand.  A large wave bumped me over and I fell into the ocean.  I got up with no difficulty--just swallowed a bit of water.

We encountered a man gathering rocks along the beach today.  He was putting them into his car.  He told us he was using them for landscaping.  Rocks on the beach are a problem because there are so many.  The dune restoration is complete as far as it can be until after the turtles lay their eggs.  We noted that an ATV drives along in front of the dunes every morning looking for evidence of laying of the nests.

It was a full moon so George and I went to the beach to view the beauty.  The glow of the moon reminded me of the poem by Walter de la Mare called "Silver",   Indeed the water and around had a silver glow.  We laid on the sand and enjoyed the evening.  Enjoying time on the beach has been a special part of this time.

May 12, 2017--we told Brienne that we were on an adventure and we were.  This was convocation weekend in Raleigh--Claire had completed the course work for her Master of Engineering at North Carolina State University and we were there.  First there were photos, Claire looked great in her cap and robe and hood.   Then, ice cream at the Howling Cow on campus.  Then a family dinner with the Klein clan at a yummy Korean Restaurant and that was Friday.  Dennis had flown in from California to be part of the celebration.  Here is a Claire Engineering joke:  George had ironed her robe and couldn't seem to get the ironing board to fold up.  Claire said,"Let me, I am an Engineer."  Early Saturday, Brienne wakened still suffering from teething pain, so Noah stayed home to care for her while the other five went to the big graduation ceremony which was held in the hockey arena and it was packed.  We were in the nose-bleed area but we had binoculars.  The ceremony was to honour all the graduates (Phd, Masters, and Bachelors).  It was so exciting to see Claire in her regalia.  Unfortunately, the speaker didn't seem to know her audience and wasn't a tad inspiring.

We stopped at the "Cook Out" for a quick lunch.  It is the restaurant of choice of students of NCState--the best thing I could say is it was fast and cheap.  We then went to the smaller more intimate graduation for Masters degrees for Engineers.  Claire's name was called and we enjoyed seeing her walk to the front of the room to receive her degree.  Yay.  She did very well and we all felt a part of this celebration because we had helped to care for Brienne over the past 2 years.  The day finished with a lovely meal at the home of a friend of Claire's.  What a day!

On Sunday, we had breakfast with all to celebrate Mother's Day.  Brienne had cards for her  Grandma and Granny.  Noah and Claire took Brienne swimming--she is like a little fish.  We drove on back to OKI and went chair swimming.  A wave surprised me but didn't knock me over this time.  We had face time sessions with Sheryl and Grant and that was Mother's Day 2017.   Yay.

So on our last day, we had a fun morning at the beach with Claire and Brienne.  Noah will join us for dinner after work.  George and I are packing up to leave tomorrow, May 16, 2017.  And so it goes.

Pretoria, SA, Jo'burg, Kendra and Cape Town, January 24 to February 28, 2017

Arrived in Munchen to winter and snow.  Europe is in a cold snap.  George booked us into the NH Airport hotel which is wonderful as we have a late check-out so we can stay here instead of spending the time at the airport.  Our flight to Jo'burg doesn't leave until 20h20.  Ft with Sheryl and Claire & Brienne.  Brienne and her Dad have the flu so her birthday celebration will be rescheduled.  She has been talking about her ice cream birthday--Wow, suddenly she is two!

After de-icing we were off--I decided to leave my Spring jacket in Munchen because my suitcase got full.  We had two seats each on the flight, so we did manage to get some sleep.  And then there was Sheryl at the airport.  Yay.  Good to be in Pretoria again.  We spent the first two days relaxing, napping, doing laundry and now we are ready for anything.  I actually can't believe how lazy we are, short of going out for coffee, moving photos, painting, walking to the House Wife's Market,  reading and relaxing. we are just enjoying being here.  There is lots of sunshine and heat with some rain now and then.  We have started to watch a couple of series on Netflix with S & N.  and had a little shop yesterday.

And voila, Kendra arrived last evening after 30+ hours of travel.  Yay.  After a relaxing morning, Freedom Park was first on our list.  Sheryl drove us there and we had a pleasant afternoon visiting the museum and a tour of the grounds by golf cart.  The opening video was one of dramatic colour and movement.  It was a creation story which began with nothing and ended with humans coming out of the reeds.  I think Kendra and I watched it 5 times--paintings are in the works in my head.  The grounds included a meditation area which encouraged me to rethink my inability to meditate--it seemed to call out for someone to sit and ponder.  The reflecting pond with water lilies, a sculpture in the middle and a small waterfall offered a quiet place to reflect.  There was a view of the Voortrekker monument with the reconciliation  road that connected both sites.  Freedom Park represents the memories of the plight of the black community and the Voortrekker monument stands for the accomplishments of the Afrikaners.  Neil picked us up and we had a lovely dinner at CrawDaddy's.  Then a movie called "United Kingdom"-about Botswana, we three would definitely recommend it.  Neil and Sheryl had already viewed it and went to a bd party instead.

Today we three went to Jo'burg by Gautrain and had a tour via the Red Line and Green Line Hop-on-Hop-off.  The commentary was interesting.  We stopped at the Constitutional Court, the Apartheid Museum and in Brammfontain.  There was an excellent exhibit about the life of Mandala at the Aprtheid Museum.  When we entered Kendra used the door for  blacks, George for coloured and I for whites.  It is shocking to learn about what the country suffered during this time and Mandela's willingness  to forgive and move on.  After not finding a coffee shop we wanted, we returned to our meeting place, Sheryl picked us up and we had a great dinner at "The National".  I must mention that we had doughnuts at Krispy Kreme which is new to SA.  They are not made in this outlet but still ....

And now for a sleep-over and  Game Drive in Pilanesberg National Park.   Our driver arrived on time and asked George to program our destination into his phone which was OK, maybe, due to the fact that the younger set and certainly, our offspring, tend to do things just-in-time.  However, it did not inspire confidence in us and we were even less excited when after 2 hours, we were on a dirt road heading into a farmer's pasture.  His Goggle maps had led us astray so George got out his phone GPS and got us on to the correct road and to The Black Rhino.  This trip took 2 hours longer than expected.  Anyway, we had a warm welcome, got settled and were off on our first game drive.   What fun--we saw so many animals, even a couple of elephants having a "who is stronger contest".  We were back to the lodge for dinner and then to bed as the next drive would be an early morning one--leaving at 5h30.   There were 7 of us in the truck, including two women from Cape Town who had been on many game drives and since Neil wasn't with us and one was an excellent tracker, we appreciated their expertise.  In fact, I stopped looking so hard because Partner #1 always saw everything before anyone else did.   A side story, at our snack break during the first drive,  George was chatting with the two women and asked them if they were sisters.  Partner #2 smiled and said they were just really good friends.  He was slightly embarrassed later because we realized they were married to each other.  So we saw many more animals including a lion.  It was a real "Simba" moment because it was walking across the Serengeti and paused to look at us.  Usually lions are not spotted at all and if they are, they are often laying down.  Also Pumba was around--I love Warthogs especially when they run away with their tails straight up.  My favourite animal is the giraffe and we didn't see any the first night and not until almost the final hour of the second drive.  When  Partner #1, the spotter, said "Giraffe, Pat"  I was so delighted and there were many of them.  Yay.  I had mentioned to our Ranger the night before that I was really hoping to see giraffes, he said he would send an email to them.  So after the drive, Kendra said to him, "I guess the giraffes got your email."  He said indeed they did.  It was a great two days.

So we were late getting back after the second drive--started at 5h30 and returned to the Black Rhino at 10h30.  Our driver was to arrive at 11h00 to take us back to Pretoria.  We quickly ate breakfast and then packed our stuff and were ready.  The driver didn't appear so George called the company and the result was that the driver would arrive around noon.  This turned out to be a bonus as there were about 20 elephants of all sizes at the watering hole by the lodge having a grand time, so we watched them while we waited.  By 12h10 he called to say he was at the front gate and  2 1/2 hours later we arrived at Sheryl and Neil's tired and happy.

By the time Sheryl and Neil got home from work, we had been up for 12 hours and were feeling a bit punchy.  We had a happy time telling them about our exploits.  When dinner was needed, Kendra, Sheryl and I  took a quick trip to the grocery stores.  One was to the "House Wife's Market" which is kind of a produce place which is a-hole-in-the-wall and always has many shoppers and staff.  We lined up and put our stuff on the counter and the guy ahead of us started to gather it as if it was his choices.  He looked at us as we were moving it away and said, "Oh, I thought it was mine."  I think the place is cool.  Then to Woolworths (a high end grocery store) which is where S & N usually shop.  We got some lovely food and dinner was done.  Now we are getting ready for bed as we are very tired and S & N went out with friends.

Saturday was a full day.  It started with Sheryl, Neil and Kendra going to the Boer Market while George and I had a sleep-in.  Then we drove to Jo'burg and visited the Bryanston market where K. bought an Africa mask for her wall.  George had a long chat with a photographer who takes people on photo shots.  Then to the Neighbourgoods Market which is really a happening place.  It is in a parking garage every Saturday--the bottom floor is mostly yummy food which we all sampled.   The icing on the cake was an amazing latte from Artisan Coffee and a shared piece of cheese cake.  The second floor is clothes and jewelry and stuff.  I bought a lovely top. Neil got a t-shit and Kendra bought a lacy dress.  Part of the fun is just watching people.  Our next stop was Soweto which is a settlement where black people were moved to during apartheid.  There were many Kiosks that we checked out.  Kendra and George visited the Mandela house while we, three, shopped a bit.  It is amazing what a promoter of peace, Mandela was. How he could champion peace and good will after all the trauma that was part of his life and the lives of his people is a wonder.  We could all learn from his actions.  We visited the Hector Pederson monument and enjoyed some little dancers and drum music.

Our next stop was the Cafe Pozi's which is a music loud place where people come to party--a very happening place.  We had drinks and pap with Chocolacka sauce which was by turns bland and spicy.  The area included two large chimneys that have a bungee jump strung between them--a jump costs R550 which is about $55.  We watched 4 people jump and arrive at the bottom exhilarated and proud of their achievement--although one of the group seemed overwhelmed at what she had just done.  The young ones of our group decided to take the lift to the top of the tower to have a view of everything.  George and I experienced this vicariously which suited us just fine.  My impression of this place of excitement was 100 times better than when we were there last Christmas.  On our way back to Pretoria with Thai takeaway in our minds, we stopped at the Union Buildings that house the president's office and administrative offices.  There is a huge park in front that has a statue of Mandela which is probably 50 feet tall.  A full day, ending in a delightful meal with dessert wine and then sharing of photos from our game drive and looking at our Namibia photos.

We, three, flew to George, a not-so-small city in the Cape area.  George felt right at home as there was a sign in the airport that said.  "Welcome to George".  We were slow getting to the car rental and as a bonus result, we were upgraded to a larger car.  Leaving George was another sign "Thanks for visiting, George."  (Well, maybe the comma wasn't there.)  We drove to Wilderness (Wildernis) which is on the Indian Ocean.  Our place was lovely--Kendra's room overlooked the ocean.  We had a walk on the beach, picked up a few shells for Karen and had a delightful dinner at Selina's, a seafood place with a great view of the ocean.  We also watched dozens of para-gliders floating down the hill and landing on the beach.  After our walk home, we were tired enough to go to bed.  Had a FT with Claire and Brienne.  Next morning before breakfast, I went out to play in the waves a bit--didn't put a swim suit on so the bottoms of my pants were wet.  It was hard to move fast enough to get out of the waves in time.  After a super breakfast, we drove on to the "Safari Ostrich Farm".  Our guide had a few funny stories.  He talked about how the female ostrich lays the eggs and the male keeps them warm at night.  He said the males take their responsibility seriously and can be quite aggressive.  If one has you cornered, you should just lay down and cover your head, especially if you are bald because it might peck you to death or incubate your head for 42 days.  Kendra climbed up to the staging place and experienced what it might be like to ride an ostrich.

We drove to Montagu on Route 62 over the little Karoo--the scenery is breathtaking:  mountains and flat areas with dusty looking shrubs on it.  Kendra had a turn behind the wheel and did well.  She refused to drive through roundabouts. Our hotel in Montagu featured the era of Art Deco--lots of interesting art and amazing old china cabinets and dressers, quite impressive.  At dinner in the hotel restaurant there was someone playing a grand piano - very classy. The grounds were so well kept, many flowers and especially roses.  Very relaxing and meditative except for a scary pigeon that didn't seem to know that flying away from people is a good thing and the cat who wanted to share my bench with me.  Food was great.  Had Malva pudding for the second time this trip.  It is an African dessert that resembles Sticky Toffee Pudding without the dates.  At breakfast the next morning, the owner was visiting the tables and we overheard him say "Never complain about construction, because it means people have jobs, the roads are being fixed and the economy is moving ahead."  Good idea!

On to Franschhoek to the Protea Hotel--which had a sweeping staircase to the second floor.  Reminded me of Tara in Gone with the Wind.  We enjoyed poking into shops on the main street.  There was a market where Kendra bought a print and some bowls and we bought another mask for Grant.  He has a wall of masks.  I wonder if he wants another one.  Spent some time by the pool.  On our way to Cape Town, we stopped at a couple of wineries--Boschendal and Takara.  George did some great driving and we were soon at the airport in CT to leave the car and taxi into the city.

Cape Town and the St. George's Hotel.  We checked in and then walked to the waterfront with a stop at the Bo kaap area.  This was the area where Muslim slaves settled from Malaysia.  The row houses are painted bright colours just like in Malaysia.  We wandered to the water front and took photos with Table Mountain in the background.  We watched the table cloth slide down the side of the mountain,  There were lots of shops and music and dinner.  By now our legs were tired so we took a cab home.  The car seemed to be on its last leg or should I say wheel.  It wanted to stall every time we stopped.  A great day.

After breakfast, we took a cab to Table Mountain, to the cable car which took us to the top.  What  joy to be walking around on the top!  We could see forever.  Our guide was very informative.  However, there was a man who seemed to want to challenge a few things the guide said which was quite annoying.  We stopped for ice cream and shade--hot day.  Our driver on the way back to the hotel, suggested a scenic route downtown which we agreed to because as soon as he knew we were from Canada, he said he admired our PM, Justin Trudeau.  Need I say more?  We walked along Long Street and found Big Daddy's where we had an amazing meal--Kendra and George had ostrich steak and I had Sea Bream and then desserts.  This place was in a hotel which is one of the oldest in CT and also had a rooftop bar which has 7 of those American airstream trailers that can be rented as rooms.  Our waitron was pretty cool and charming except he thought Celine was an American--he nearly lost his tip.  The State of the Nation Address was scheduled for that evening, the waitron suggested that it wasn't a good place for us to go.  (This was an echo from Sheryl and Neil who also wanted us far away from Parliament.)  Kendra and I thought we should go but George vetoed it with the others so we headed home to watch the excitement on TV.  There was a brawl in the House and many armed military people to keep the rabel rousers down.  The speech was very boring.

Next morning we joined a walking tour which was excellent.  The guide had many stories to tell. He mentioned that crossing the street was a challenge because the walk sign is only green for 3 seconds and then the red one flashes for 13.  So we had to hustle to get across and usually walked when others did.  Cape Town has a unhappy apartheid history.  We visited the Cathedral where Bishop Tutu had been the leader.  He did a great deal for SA.  We had Steam Dogs at Truth Cafe and wandered some more.  Kendra went to the District 6 museum and George and I visited a bookstore that we know.  We stopped for brownies and then again for a beer in a square where there was live musics and lots of activity.  Before we knew it, we needed to get back to the hotel to get our stuff and take a cab to the airport.  On the way, as we jaywalked, a safety officer was shaking his finger.  I turned to see who he was looking at and is was us.  He was smiling so we were relieved.   We had talked about paragliding but didn't manage to do it.  Kendra is off to Regina and we flew to Jo'burg where Sheryl and Neil were waiting to take us back to Pretoria.  We are ready for a sleep-in.  Cape Town is truly a wonderful city and a good time was had by all.

February 11, 2017 a quiet day by the pool for us and a busy visiting with friends day for S & N.  Sunday we went to Jo'burg--my feet really needed some new sandals with arch support.  We enjoyed a poke around at "Exclusive Books" and yummy lunch.  Had a FT time chat with Grant and another with Claire and Brienne.  "You never get old if you keep trying new things."

George and I walked to the "House Wife's Market" my fav shop.  We shopped for nuts to make yummy granola and also stuff for potato salad.  We had coffee at Rock@88 which is a restaurant/bar and is usually very busy in the evening.  We had Jaffles which is a meat pie.  On Wednesday, Neil dropped us at Menlyns Shopping centre.  George went to see "Passengers" and I saw "La La Land"--quite disappointing.  I guess my expectations were too high!  On Thursday, George worked with photos and I did some painting.  I am nearly out of water colour paper.

Friday, we, four, flew to Cape Town for the weekend.  Sheryl will stay until Thursday as she has many meetings there next week including a Canada 150 celebration.  We had dinner at the Dias Diner which was rocking.  Then we went to the theatre to see "Kanala" which is set in District 6 in the 60's.  It is a delightful musical which we all enjoyed.  Strange though when we arrived at this old theatre, I was expecting to see "The Meeting" so was surprised when Neil bought a program for Kanala.  It soon became clear that I was thinking about the wrong show.  The performance was done in English and Afrikaans so at times others in the  crowd were chuckling and we weren't.  Anyway, the music was great.  "Kanala" means please in Afrikanns.  I asked a young woman who was selling programs what the word meant and she said, "Please..... that is, please buy a program.." which we already had.  She was amused.   Saturday was coffee and market in an area called Woodstock--very cool.  Then we had High Tea at a very special hotel--yummy food and beautiful surroundings.   In the evening, George and I went to the opera, "Rigoletto" which was amazing--it was the first time the whole cast was black for this opera.  I found the beginning too raunchy but the singing was excellent and the costumes were modern dress--a sad story, very well done.  Neil and Sheryl picked us up and we went for pizza.  I forgot to mention the vehicle we rented ended up being a large 7 seat van.  We were surprised but that was all there was.  Neil did a great job of driving and parking and Sheryl was great at navigating with the help of Carmen/Garmin the GPS lady.

Sunday morning, we were hoping for no wind as we had reservations to go paragliding.  Alas, it was windy so had a special brunch and then took a drive in the Camps Bay area and ended up at a winery where we had a picnic which was super.  There were tables and blankets and these cool triangular pillow chairs that we lounged on.  Next morning was also windy and so we didn't get to paraglide again.   Neil drove Sheryl to her first meeting and we checked out of our place and went to an Art Supply centre--yay, water colour paper for me.  We drove Sheryl to her next meeting and we, three, went to a street market.  I found a sundress which is a tad big--it is hard to know because it isn't possible to try them on.  Anyway, I bought a belt and necklace to match today and will have the dress altered when we get home.

So we are back in Pretoria, relaxing, shopping, reading, painting and doing photos.  Our internet is finally fixed so we are saved!  Sheryl is still in CT so we, three, went to the Big M for dinner.  Next day, George and I did a walk to our usual market and then to a nearby centre.  He had a haircut and I poked around.  He always feels a bit ripped off because it only takes minutes to cut his hair.  He thinks he should get a discount.  George has been sorting photos and I did some not so bad wc painting.  Today,  I feel like maybe wc is not so bad.  We made granola and muffins.

Here is something about words for dead from "The Double Comfort Safari Club" by Alexander McCall Smith. (pg. 158)  "She used the expression that the Botswana preferred: to become late.  There was a human sympathy here: to be dead is to be nothing, to be finished.  The expression is far too final, too disruptive of the bonds that bind us to one another, bonds that survive the demise of one person.  A late father is still your father, even though he is not there; a dead father sounds as if he has nothing further to do, he is finished." Think I like this expression.

Sheryl is back.  We went to see "Hidden Figures" which is a great movie--a must see.  On Saturday, Sheryl went to Jo'burg in the morning to a meeting, then we all met at a shopping centre by Graffiti Books at an event that could only happen in SA.  It was a book launch for a book about Milk Tarts and a MT Championship competition.  The greeting speech was only in Afrikaans.  Luckily I had chatted with Zeldine who speaks Afrikaans so she whispered some info to me so I had some inkling about what was happening.  There were 10 Milk Tarts in the competition so after the talking, there was a tasting time and also lots of other appetizers and water and wine.  Val joined us and we had fun tasting and rating the MT.  My tastes did not agree with the judges, but whatever..... it was a fun time.

Sunday, we relaxed in the morning and then went to Jo'burg, to shop for a teapot for S & N and to see "The Meeting" which is a play about a fictitious meeting between Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  It was moving and had a few light moments, like, at the beginning MX was having a nightmare on the couch and then later when Dr. King arrived, during the talk he said, "I had a dream...." and then said, " Oh, that is your line".  The play focused around whether violence is necessary when wrongs need to be addressed.  It was sponsored by the USA embassy.  Before the play, we had food at the Potato Shed which featured potatoes, what else, and live music.  Then we had tea and milk tart at Darshana and Yats' place.  A lively, fun time.

A now it is Monday, February 27 and we are packing.  We will fly to Toronto via Frankfurt.  By Tuesday at noon we will be in TO and by Thursday,  March 2, at noon we will be in OKI,  (Just in time for my birthday.)  We will sleep and do some errands in TO and have dinner with Frank  and Brenda.

South Africa is a wonderful place and it is especially wonderful because Sheryl and Neil are here.