Today is November 9, 2016 - a day after the election - I have the need to make of list of all the things you can do: You are a couple of weeks before your 22 month birthday.
As of yesterday, you can sing the alphabet in English, count to 10 in both English and French while sometimes mixing up the languages. You love to watch the French programs on TV and seem to soak up all new ideas
Songs: Fav: Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Twinkle Little Star
Finger songs including anyone or anything that you are playing with or thinking about.
- you sing it in French as well as English
Baa Baa Black Sheep
ABCs
The Wheels on the Bus
You like to tickle us between the slats of the chairs at the dinner table. When you Findlay great uncles were having dinner with us and also your Grandma, you tickled all of us except the great uncles. You were not quite comfortable enough to touch them.
You say please when you want help. You say "merci, Granny". You say "Happy Birthday Grandad" whenever you see a birthday cake because we celebrated his bd with you all.. You say, "I Love You". You know how to bring up UTube on your Mom's phone. When we put up U Tube on TV, you want to swipe your finger over the screen to make it work. UTube is where we find Peppa Pig episodes in both English and French.
You are the best.
November 18 - you speak to Mama in French. You ask for Cheerios and Milk, Yogurt. --when you arrive in the morning.
We were singing Itsy Bitsy Spider and you raced off to get your colouring book which has a picture that I coloured a week ago of Spiders. (We just returned to OKI from Alberta last evening.)
When putting stickers on the window, you wanted to add a "Chapeau" to one of the princesses. You put it on upside down, said uppydown and adjusted it so it was right. You remembered that I had called a dinosaur in the sandbox "goofy" and said he was goofy because he doesn't stand up by himself.
On the way to the beach, (Nov 25), you were singing the alphabet song. You love to dig in the sand and fill a castle form, pack it and then dump it. You say, "pack it, dump it" The beach is a fun place with you although you sometimes race away and Grandad has to run to catch up with you.
You were talking through a frog toy yesterday.
You continue to like the "sleepies" game. You line up who ever or whatever toy you are playing with and cover them up to their chins. Yesterday, you were playing with the Peppa Pig family and decided that Grnadad and I should play, so you went off to your bedroom and brought the quilt and two regular sized pillows to the living-room so we could also be covered.
You said, "Grandad, what doing? Com'on".
This am we were playing with bubbles on the back deck. You said the yellow wand was "mine" and didn't want to give Grandad a turn. So he took another orange wand , blew a bubble and then shared it with me. Soon you were also sharing your wand. Quick learner. When we came into the house, you said "acrobats" and raced off to the couch where in the past you and Grandad did acrobats. He held you up and you held you feet out of straight. This was very cool because we hadn't done this for a long time and you remembered.
When I was changing your "coush", it wasn't wet so I suggested that you use the potty. You did and felt very good about it. You have been watching "Daniel Tiger Potty" show so you wiped and flushed as well.
You and Mama arrived and your Grandad was not in sight. You said Grandad, Grandad, Grandad and raced to our room, knocked on the door and said "Tock, tock, tock" and burst in to greet him.
Today, we played on the back deck with bubbles. We have been getting rid of the little sand box that we have there. You started to put the sand into the dust pan and then added water to make a mud puddle like Peppa Pig has. We said you could only jump in the puddle if you were wearing boots. You immediately went to the door to get your boots. You jumped and then asked us to jump and you referred to the mud puddle using the French term. We said that we didn't have boots so we couldn't. You offered your boots to your Grandad.
We were playing the drums on anything near, like, a pot lid, an upside down dish, an empty oatmeal container, the freebie. When your Gandad was going to leave the game, you said "Where going, Grandad." You always want all three of us to play the games together. You also take turns by saying, Granny turn, Brienne, turn, Grandad turn.
You love to help make pancakes for lunch. You sit on the counter and dump the flour in and then you and Grandad stir with forks. I make three small pancakes for you, you and G. blow and then you eat them.
When we were returning from the beach, you didn't want to be in the wagon so we let you walk. You did well until suddenly you decided to go back the way we came. You run very fast and Grandad had to run a bit to catch up to you. He said the "D" word to you which is "disappointed". When your Mama was little, if he said, "Claire, I am really disappointed in you" she would cry. You were not phased by this as you didn't understand what he meant. He had to carry you back to the wagon and you agreed to get in only with a bribe on a juice box.
We bought 5 little monkey finger puppets for you. You have been reciting this since we arrived and the words become more recognizable as you say it. You were so delighted with them, you said "Wow" and smiled. We played 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed many times.
Today we were having a ft session with Grant when your Mama tried to ft with us on your Grandad's phone. So he answered and then showed you Uncle Grant on ft. Your Mama said, here is Uncle Grant and you smiled and said Hello. He was quite delighted with you.
Just want to tell you our nap time routine. Usually after lunch we play a little or watch a bit of TV usually in French. You love Peppa Pig. Then we change your coush and you trot off to your bedroom for napping. We read books, currently, Monkey Puzzle, Mud Puddle, Wheels on the Bus, and always last, Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. Then you put your head on your pillow and hug the giraffe stuffed toy. I run your back and sing " Rock a By Baby" changing the last line to say, "And I will catch Baby Brienne and all." You fall asleep and usually sleep for about 2 hours. When you waken you come to where we are and are sorta sleepy still. You want a cuddle and then you are ready to play some more.
Your Mama told us that when you were getting ready for bed, you said, Love you Granny/Grandad. We love you so much and feel concerned about leaving you on Thursday. These past months caring for you have been very special for us and also for you. You are a darling.
Your latest game is "Cashe, cashe". You sort of cover your eyes and count to 10 in French then you race off to find us. You are always surprised that we are not always hiding in the same place as the time before. You like stickers. We have some that stick on the window and can be removed that you enjoy re-arranging.
You love Peppa Pig and are not always happy when we say it isn't time to watch it but we can usually humour you out of fussing too much.. You also continue to enjoy playing in the water by the sink. Sometimes there is a flood.
So now by December 15, you can say the alphabet in two languages, you can count to 10 in three, sometimes missing cinq. You can also count in Chinese as you continue to have a play in Chinese at the library with a former student of your Mama. You continue to sing songs in both languages. When we are having a face time session, when you are tired you say "goodbye" and hope that we will go away.
We are sad about leaving you but you enjoyed the Rebecca Rabbit and Emily Elephant from Peppa Pig that we gave you. You will miss us a little but there is so much excitement in your heart and your Mama and Dada will keep you happy. Also your Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt will be there with you for Christmas. We love you and miss you. See you in March.
Sunday, 18 December 2016
Tuesday, 29 November 2016
Oak Island and Brienne - September 10 to November 29, 2016
After spending the night with Linda and Larry and having lots of fun, we were off. Three days of podcasts, driving, 2 Hampton Inns, Olive Garden, Five Guys and knitting slippers, we arrived in OKI, Brienne, Claire and Noah and our green house. It has many walls of a strange green colour but it feels great to be here. Brienne and Claire arrived soon after. Brienne is as sweet as can be and seemed to feel quite comfortable. Probably because we had many face time sessions since we were here last. We had a brief walk on the beach but the temps were 29C so we didn't stay long. Monday the child care began. She talks in two word sentences, understands lots of French and has great expression in her baby jabber. Noah and Lynne joined us for dinner--had a great visit. Noah hooked up his PS4 so we have lots of ways to watch TV and listen to music.
Spent a busy week caring for Brienne. Claire saved many meetings for this week so she was very busy, including a day trip to Greensboro for a Robotics workshop. Brienne is a sweetie. She had definite ideas of games. One is "sleepies" where she lines up her stuffed guys and puts a blanket over them so their faces are out. The blanket must be perfect. She asks for help by saying "please" when she can't get things to work the way she wants them to. We had a great game with a small beach ball. She is great at kicking and throwing. George and I go to the beach as often as possible--often at 17h30 and stay until the sun sets. Chair swimming is the best--viewed some dolphins frolicking in the waves. We also had a blizzard BOGO--YUM! It was a great week except I broke my iPad keyboard so now I must type on the screen. I don't like it.
We have been here for two weeks. Yay. Brienne is like a sponge--seems to me you can see her thinking. Reminds me of Grant when he was young when he asked me to put my ear to his head so I could hear what he was thinking. Brienne is lots like her Mama as well. Yesterday, I was saying a little rhyme to her about monkeys and alligators and she asked me to "encore' several times and then she mimicked the sounds with some words. She also sings "Wheels on the Bus"--while driving we could hear in the back seat going ShShSh and Wah, Wah, Wah, and Uppy Down. "Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" is a current favourite. She loves to stand by the sink and play in the water. We brought a little stool that George made for our three when they were that age. Yesterday she coloured for about 30 minutes--always with the blue crayon. What a joy to be here and have Brienne to play with. (It also makes us tired so we enjoy her naps as well!) RingARosie is also a favourite--although we sing jump up at the end because the grandparents get tired falling down so often.
We had a great chair swim Sunday morning. Watched the pelicans and also a young woman fishing. She caught a sorta small one but she was delighted and had photos taken and then she went down to the waves to throw it back but it slipped out of her hands and then she tried to "herd" it back into the ocean. It was funny to watch. For some odd reason, I neglected to put sunscreen on my legs so my legs were red and hot and I didn't sleep so well last night.
I have been working at painting a shorebird picture for Karen. Oh, my, sometimes creative ideas seem too far from my brain. However, I had an idea this morning--and it was a good one. Spent this morning with no Brienne, painting and I am feeling quite good about the results. I have three paintings on the go which is good because it ensures that I stop because one of the hardest things for me is to know when the painting is done.
We joined Lynne for lunch and a movie last Thursday. Saw "Sully" which was good--hard to go wrong with Tom Hanks. This is Monday and we are going to see a movie at Shallote. We have been enjoying ft sessions with Sheryl and Grant. Today when Brienne arrived George wasn't in sight. She stood in the middle of the house and called Grandad, Grandad, Grandad. I told her that Grandad was in the shower. She called a few more times and he finally appeared. The next time she couldn't find him she said, "Grandad, shower?
So Matthew is on its way. We have been hearing that it will be in Oak Island by Sunday. Lynne booked two nights for us all in Raleigh to get away from it. So we readied the house and left with Claire and Noah and Brienne on Friday, October 8--the sun was shining. It was cloudy when we arrived at our hotel. The next day we thought we would take B. to the Children's Museum and I also wanted to buy some frames for my paintings. After visiting the art store, it was pouring rain and the wind had begun so we decided the best idea was to go back to the hotel. There was a football team staying at our hotel and we happened to be in the elevator at the same time as a few of them--one said he was 6' 6". He was enormous. They played in the rain and wind that day and at half time the players changed their cleats and socks and it took over a thousand towels to get dry. Sunday morning, the sun was shining and you would hardly guess that there had been a storm at all. We did take Brienne to the Children's Museum--what a wonderful play place--and she had five adults following her around. One of her favs was a stuffed dog on a leach that she pulled around. Then on Monday, our caravan of cars and people drove back to Wilmington for Lynne and Oak Island for the rest of us. Except for the mess at the beach, there wasn't many signs that Matthew had been here. The dunes are completely gone, a pier fell into the ocean and there is debris on the beach. There is also sand on the roads and about a foot of sand under a house on stilts by the beach. Matthew was pretty devastating in the path he took--some people are still without power. We were lucky and fortunate to be able to get away from it. Even though I think it might have been cool to be here, in my heart, I know I would have been frightened. I found some fabulous shells on Tuesday after the storm. They are called "whelk"--very beautiful.
Two days after returning from Raleigh, we flew to Atlanta so Claire could attend an engineering conference. We were all staying with a friend of Claire's whose parents live with her and her 3 1/2 year old. What delightful, very full, play room--Brienne had a blast checking out all the toys. Also three dogs live there and were very gentle and used to small children. Brienne loved the dogs, especially, Daisy Dog who was the smallest. The father is a rabid Trump fan and loved to talk. I found it rather distressing because T. is nothing but trouble in my opinion and I fear for the USA if he becomes President. With his attitude toward women, I can't understand why anyone would vote for him. Anyway, we played and played and I kept a vigil over Brienne and the dogs because even though they were well trained, I never completely trust dogs around small children. Atlanta has the most confusing airport that I have ever encountered. It wasn't sign-posted very clearly and there were all sorts of trains and elevators to use to get to the baggage and then to the rental place. By the by, George stood in line for an hour and a half to get to talk to a rental person and we had reserved a car. Travelling from Wilmington to Atlanta to our final destination took most of the day.
There is a book series called "Lady Bug Girl" that Brienne likes and so does Bonnie's daughter, so George and I shopped for lady bug costumes in the Hallowe'en costume section and there were two in the right size and we found leggings to match and the outfits were born. The little girls were quite delighted with their costumes.
We had dinner and visited with Lynne and her brothers before returning to Oak Island. Lynne is a great artist so I enjoyed viewing some of her latest paintings. In all the driving over the last few days, I always sat with Brienne in the back seat so when we took her to do some shopping on Tuesday, when I was putting her into her car seat in the middle of the back seat facing backwards, she said, "Granny, sit", thereby inviting me to sit beside her. When we are driving she often sings to herself. Her Mama often sings with her when they are driving somewhere.
Lynne and the great uncles came to play on the beach with Brienne and us, and also for dinner on Monday. Brienne has no fear of the water so I am happy that she has a life jacket with a handle at the top so we can grab her when it is necessary to save her from the waves.
Friday is George's birthday so the celebrations have begun. We spent the day on Wednesday in Myrtle Beach starting off with Krispy Kreme doughnuts and coffee. Then we did a bit of shopping and then to a wonderful show at the Carolina Opry. It was a marvelous variety show with music from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Of course, we still don't remember music from the 80s because that is when all our children were born. Dinner was at the Olive Garden which is predictable and good and then a walk on the beach by our old stomping grounds. We have great memories of many special holidays at MB--one included all our children and their mates and our brand new granddaughter in 2015. Grant will tell you that MB is boring but we love it.
Brienne had her first sleep-over at our place. Her DaDa went to a Science event and her Mama went to Durham to hear Neil Degras-Tyson speak. Claire came to our place after and spent the night as well.
Brienne came over to play and help celebrate George's bd. We played in the sand and with bubbles. C& N brought Bojangles chicken and cake and we had a lovely dinner. Brienne sat on George's lap and helped blow out the candles. She has been singing "Happy Bithday Grandad, ever since.
We went to Raleigh again to care for B. while Claire presented at a STEM conference. Turned out the hotel was under major construction and the pool wasn't open and the place looked like a war zone. We had a lovely dinner with a friend of Claire's. Tuesday was a bust as we hadn't planned what to do very well. Wednesday, the shuttle took us to the park and Brienne wandered around and then enjoyed a swing ride while we chatted with other Moms with small children, George showed off his Portuguese to a couple of Moms from Brazil and then his words in Croatian to a young Mom who was born there. Claire's presentation went well and we left for Oak Island.
It is almost Hallowe'en. There was a "Spooktacular" at the Rec centre so we all went and a friend of C's and her 3 year old son also joined us. There were so many kids and costumes--didn't know there were so many kids that lived in OKI. The most popular costume for the 10 to 12 year old boys was a Trump rubber face and shirt and pants. Yike. The winner of that category was a serial killer. Imagine that! Brienne looked delightful in her Lady Bug costume.
Saturday, we took Brienne to the library in Shalotte where Claire was teaching French to a former student. Then the student spent the next hour teaching Brienne Mandarin. Brienne knows some words and was very popular at the Chinese restaurant we had lunch at as it belongs to the student's parents. Brienne also knows lots of French because Claire only speaks to her in French. Today she could count to ten except seemed to forget cinq.
We had a relaxing Sunday, me painting and George planning trips. Then we had lunch and went chair swimming. The pelican were very entertaining. Then we went to see "Inferno" and had dinner at the big M. Yay.
George and Brienne worked together to make a jack o'lantern. B. drew on the pumpkin, George cut the top off, B. was not interested in taking the junk out of the pumpkin but was interested in the eyes, etc. We took it into our walk-in closet, put out the light and put a flashlight inside. The sight frightened B. so that was the end of that. There were no children at our door for treats. It is a custom here to have "trunk and treat" which is sponsored by the church. People drive their cars into the parking lot, make a circle, open their trunks and kids file past getting treats. Claire met some friends for this event but Brienne didn't like standing in line plus, she doesn't get to eat the candy so what is the point.
November has arrived and with more fun with Brienne. She loves to blow bubbles and play in the sand. We have a ball game going in the kitchen, where we three take large spoons and hit a beach ball and small balls around. George showed Brienne a stick handling move and she copied it immediately. Before the pumpkin needed to be thrown out, we also included it in the game. Brienne has learned to say her name. As well as calling herself "baby", she now says "Brin" turn when it is her turn. She is quite diligent at ensuring that we all get a turn.
She loves the "Lady Bug Girl" series. Me too, because Lady Bug Girl can do anything.
My brother and his wife stopped to visit on their way to Florida. Noah had an open house at his school so we went to take a look at his room. Looks great. We had a nice visit, played some cards and they left on Saturday morning by 8:00. The rest of the weekend was quiet with a couple of beach visits.
And on to a celebration of my sister and her husband's 40th wedding anniversary. We left Myrtle Beach, arrived in Toronto. I felt like kissing the ground because of the results of the USA election. Got to Calgary, spent the night at the Clique Hotel-very nice and then a 3 1/2 hour drive to Medicine Hat. We listened to podcasts all the way there. What a joy to see them all. The party was excellent--most of the wedding party was there although a tad older than the time of the actual wedding. It was a busy time--especially enjoyed the times with my extended family and the children and grand children of the honoured guests. Our trip back was long--we drove Linda to Calgary leaving MH at 6:30 am. After leaving her at the airport, we went to a shopping centre that had: Chapters, Starbucks, Apple store and a movie theatre. We had coffee, bought some books and went to the movies and had popcorn for lunch. On to Best Buy, to check out keyboards for my iPad, good news, mine might be under warranty still. Then a highlight of the trip--Tony Romas. These places were all important because OKI doesn't have any of them. Our trip back was 16 hours, including driving, taking the red-eye to Toronto. We also stopped in MB for Krisby Kreme doughnuts. Arrived back to our green house. Claire and Brienne came over--what a joy to see them. We played and played. Brienne said, "What doing Grandad?"
Friends from Ottawa arrived on Sunday. They did some sight seeing while we were home with Brienne. We took Brienne to a gymnastics place that opens up to age 0 to 5 years in the mornings. Lunch was at a favourite Mexican place that makes guacamole at your table. We had a lovely afternoon in Wilmington strolling in the downtown area on the Wednesday before American Thanksgiving. We stopped for groceries and planned to buy flounder for our meal tomorrow. Unfortunately, there was no flounder just some salmon and it was too late to get a cooked turkey meal. So the butcher was very helpful and told us about a seafood place that sells all sorts of seafood and propane. He gave directions and it was nearby. Luckily, George had GPS on his phone or we may have never found it. The place was a hole-in-the-wall with board counters and not much paint on the walls. I asked one fellow if they prepared the fish and he looked at me with amazement and said, "I don't know anything." Another fellow came over to ask me to choose which flounder, I wanted. There were about six on ice. He recommended one, cleaned it, and we took it home and cooked on Thursday and our meal was complete. It, of course, included pumpkin pie and whipped cream. We viewed lots of lovely sunsets, cared for Brienne and they left on Saturday.
Every morning we unlock the door and around 9:30, Claire and Brienne appear. Brienne comes rolling in ready for everything. We play, blow bubbles, go to the beach to dig and collect shells, have lunch, watch some MiniTFO (a Canadian French channel on You Tube which is excellent!), have lunch, read books and have a nap. Sometimes all three of us do the nap thing. Around 16h00, Brienne comes out of her room and we cuddle and then she is ready for play. Her Mama or Dada come to get her and then the next day, we start all over again. Yay. We are at November 29 so our time together is getting shorter.
I will start a new blog tomorrow as it is November 30 and marks 2 years since we began this adventure into being Meanderthals.
Spent a busy week caring for Brienne. Claire saved many meetings for this week so she was very busy, including a day trip to Greensboro for a Robotics workshop. Brienne is a sweetie. She had definite ideas of games. One is "sleepies" where she lines up her stuffed guys and puts a blanket over them so their faces are out. The blanket must be perfect. She asks for help by saying "please" when she can't get things to work the way she wants them to. We had a great game with a small beach ball. She is great at kicking and throwing. George and I go to the beach as often as possible--often at 17h30 and stay until the sun sets. Chair swimming is the best--viewed some dolphins frolicking in the waves. We also had a blizzard BOGO--YUM! It was a great week except I broke my iPad keyboard so now I must type on the screen. I don't like it.
We have been here for two weeks. Yay. Brienne is like a sponge--seems to me you can see her thinking. Reminds me of Grant when he was young when he asked me to put my ear to his head so I could hear what he was thinking. Brienne is lots like her Mama as well. Yesterday, I was saying a little rhyme to her about monkeys and alligators and she asked me to "encore' several times and then she mimicked the sounds with some words. She also sings "Wheels on the Bus"--while driving we could hear in the back seat going ShShSh and Wah, Wah, Wah, and Uppy Down. "Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" is a current favourite. She loves to stand by the sink and play in the water. We brought a little stool that George made for our three when they were that age. Yesterday she coloured for about 30 minutes--always with the blue crayon. What a joy to be here and have Brienne to play with. (It also makes us tired so we enjoy her naps as well!) RingARosie is also a favourite--although we sing jump up at the end because the grandparents get tired falling down so often.
We had a great chair swim Sunday morning. Watched the pelicans and also a young woman fishing. She caught a sorta small one but she was delighted and had photos taken and then she went down to the waves to throw it back but it slipped out of her hands and then she tried to "herd" it back into the ocean. It was funny to watch. For some odd reason, I neglected to put sunscreen on my legs so my legs were red and hot and I didn't sleep so well last night.
I have been working at painting a shorebird picture for Karen. Oh, my, sometimes creative ideas seem too far from my brain. However, I had an idea this morning--and it was a good one. Spent this morning with no Brienne, painting and I am feeling quite good about the results. I have three paintings on the go which is good because it ensures that I stop because one of the hardest things for me is to know when the painting is done.
We joined Lynne for lunch and a movie last Thursday. Saw "Sully" which was good--hard to go wrong with Tom Hanks. This is Monday and we are going to see a movie at Shallote. We have been enjoying ft sessions with Sheryl and Grant. Today when Brienne arrived George wasn't in sight. She stood in the middle of the house and called Grandad, Grandad, Grandad. I told her that Grandad was in the shower. She called a few more times and he finally appeared. The next time she couldn't find him she said, "Grandad, shower?
So Matthew is on its way. We have been hearing that it will be in Oak Island by Sunday. Lynne booked two nights for us all in Raleigh to get away from it. So we readied the house and left with Claire and Noah and Brienne on Friday, October 8--the sun was shining. It was cloudy when we arrived at our hotel. The next day we thought we would take B. to the Children's Museum and I also wanted to buy some frames for my paintings. After visiting the art store, it was pouring rain and the wind had begun so we decided the best idea was to go back to the hotel. There was a football team staying at our hotel and we happened to be in the elevator at the same time as a few of them--one said he was 6' 6". He was enormous. They played in the rain and wind that day and at half time the players changed their cleats and socks and it took over a thousand towels to get dry. Sunday morning, the sun was shining and you would hardly guess that there had been a storm at all. We did take Brienne to the Children's Museum--what a wonderful play place--and she had five adults following her around. One of her favs was a stuffed dog on a leach that she pulled around. Then on Monday, our caravan of cars and people drove back to Wilmington for Lynne and Oak Island for the rest of us. Except for the mess at the beach, there wasn't many signs that Matthew had been here. The dunes are completely gone, a pier fell into the ocean and there is debris on the beach. There is also sand on the roads and about a foot of sand under a house on stilts by the beach. Matthew was pretty devastating in the path he took--some people are still without power. We were lucky and fortunate to be able to get away from it. Even though I think it might have been cool to be here, in my heart, I know I would have been frightened. I found some fabulous shells on Tuesday after the storm. They are called "whelk"--very beautiful.
Two days after returning from Raleigh, we flew to Atlanta so Claire could attend an engineering conference. We were all staying with a friend of Claire's whose parents live with her and her 3 1/2 year old. What delightful, very full, play room--Brienne had a blast checking out all the toys. Also three dogs live there and were very gentle and used to small children. Brienne loved the dogs, especially, Daisy Dog who was the smallest. The father is a rabid Trump fan and loved to talk. I found it rather distressing because T. is nothing but trouble in my opinion and I fear for the USA if he becomes President. With his attitude toward women, I can't understand why anyone would vote for him. Anyway, we played and played and I kept a vigil over Brienne and the dogs because even though they were well trained, I never completely trust dogs around small children. Atlanta has the most confusing airport that I have ever encountered. It wasn't sign-posted very clearly and there were all sorts of trains and elevators to use to get to the baggage and then to the rental place. By the by, George stood in line for an hour and a half to get to talk to a rental person and we had reserved a car. Travelling from Wilmington to Atlanta to our final destination took most of the day.
There is a book series called "Lady Bug Girl" that Brienne likes and so does Bonnie's daughter, so George and I shopped for lady bug costumes in the Hallowe'en costume section and there were two in the right size and we found leggings to match and the outfits were born. The little girls were quite delighted with their costumes.
We had dinner and visited with Lynne and her brothers before returning to Oak Island. Lynne is a great artist so I enjoyed viewing some of her latest paintings. In all the driving over the last few days, I always sat with Brienne in the back seat so when we took her to do some shopping on Tuesday, when I was putting her into her car seat in the middle of the back seat facing backwards, she said, "Granny, sit", thereby inviting me to sit beside her. When we are driving she often sings to herself. Her Mama often sings with her when they are driving somewhere.
Lynne and the great uncles came to play on the beach with Brienne and us, and also for dinner on Monday. Brienne has no fear of the water so I am happy that she has a life jacket with a handle at the top so we can grab her when it is necessary to save her from the waves.
Friday is George's birthday so the celebrations have begun. We spent the day on Wednesday in Myrtle Beach starting off with Krispy Kreme doughnuts and coffee. Then we did a bit of shopping and then to a wonderful show at the Carolina Opry. It was a marvelous variety show with music from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Of course, we still don't remember music from the 80s because that is when all our children were born. Dinner was at the Olive Garden which is predictable and good and then a walk on the beach by our old stomping grounds. We have great memories of many special holidays at MB--one included all our children and their mates and our brand new granddaughter in 2015. Grant will tell you that MB is boring but we love it.
Brienne had her first sleep-over at our place. Her DaDa went to a Science event and her Mama went to Durham to hear Neil Degras-Tyson speak. Claire came to our place after and spent the night as well.
Brienne came over to play and help celebrate George's bd. We played in the sand and with bubbles. C& N brought Bojangles chicken and cake and we had a lovely dinner. Brienne sat on George's lap and helped blow out the candles. She has been singing "Happy Bithday Grandad, ever since.
We went to Raleigh again to care for B. while Claire presented at a STEM conference. Turned out the hotel was under major construction and the pool wasn't open and the place looked like a war zone. We had a lovely dinner with a friend of Claire's. Tuesday was a bust as we hadn't planned what to do very well. Wednesday, the shuttle took us to the park and Brienne wandered around and then enjoyed a swing ride while we chatted with other Moms with small children, George showed off his Portuguese to a couple of Moms from Brazil and then his words in Croatian to a young Mom who was born there. Claire's presentation went well and we left for Oak Island.
It is almost Hallowe'en. There was a "Spooktacular" at the Rec centre so we all went and a friend of C's and her 3 year old son also joined us. There were so many kids and costumes--didn't know there were so many kids that lived in OKI. The most popular costume for the 10 to 12 year old boys was a Trump rubber face and shirt and pants. Yike. The winner of that category was a serial killer. Imagine that! Brienne looked delightful in her Lady Bug costume.
Saturday, we took Brienne to the library in Shalotte where Claire was teaching French to a former student. Then the student spent the next hour teaching Brienne Mandarin. Brienne knows some words and was very popular at the Chinese restaurant we had lunch at as it belongs to the student's parents. Brienne also knows lots of French because Claire only speaks to her in French. Today she could count to ten except seemed to forget cinq.
We had a relaxing Sunday, me painting and George planning trips. Then we had lunch and went chair swimming. The pelican were very entertaining. Then we went to see "Inferno" and had dinner at the big M. Yay.
George and Brienne worked together to make a jack o'lantern. B. drew on the pumpkin, George cut the top off, B. was not interested in taking the junk out of the pumpkin but was interested in the eyes, etc. We took it into our walk-in closet, put out the light and put a flashlight inside. The sight frightened B. so that was the end of that. There were no children at our door for treats. It is a custom here to have "trunk and treat" which is sponsored by the church. People drive their cars into the parking lot, make a circle, open their trunks and kids file past getting treats. Claire met some friends for this event but Brienne didn't like standing in line plus, she doesn't get to eat the candy so what is the point.
November has arrived and with more fun with Brienne. She loves to blow bubbles and play in the sand. We have a ball game going in the kitchen, where we three take large spoons and hit a beach ball and small balls around. George showed Brienne a stick handling move and she copied it immediately. Before the pumpkin needed to be thrown out, we also included it in the game. Brienne has learned to say her name. As well as calling herself "baby", she now says "Brin" turn when it is her turn. She is quite diligent at ensuring that we all get a turn.
She loves the "Lady Bug Girl" series. Me too, because Lady Bug Girl can do anything.
My brother and his wife stopped to visit on their way to Florida. Noah had an open house at his school so we went to take a look at his room. Looks great. We had a nice visit, played some cards and they left on Saturday morning by 8:00. The rest of the weekend was quiet with a couple of beach visits.
And on to a celebration of my sister and her husband's 40th wedding anniversary. We left Myrtle Beach, arrived in Toronto. I felt like kissing the ground because of the results of the USA election. Got to Calgary, spent the night at the Clique Hotel-very nice and then a 3 1/2 hour drive to Medicine Hat. We listened to podcasts all the way there. What a joy to see them all. The party was excellent--most of the wedding party was there although a tad older than the time of the actual wedding. It was a busy time--especially enjoyed the times with my extended family and the children and grand children of the honoured guests. Our trip back was long--we drove Linda to Calgary leaving MH at 6:30 am. After leaving her at the airport, we went to a shopping centre that had: Chapters, Starbucks, Apple store and a movie theatre. We had coffee, bought some books and went to the movies and had popcorn for lunch. On to Best Buy, to check out keyboards for my iPad, good news, mine might be under warranty still. Then a highlight of the trip--Tony Romas. These places were all important because OKI doesn't have any of them. Our trip back was 16 hours, including driving, taking the red-eye to Toronto. We also stopped in MB for Krisby Kreme doughnuts. Arrived back to our green house. Claire and Brienne came over--what a joy to see them. We played and played. Brienne said, "What doing Grandad?"
Friends from Ottawa arrived on Sunday. They did some sight seeing while we were home with Brienne. We took Brienne to a gymnastics place that opens up to age 0 to 5 years in the mornings. Lunch was at a favourite Mexican place that makes guacamole at your table. We had a lovely afternoon in Wilmington strolling in the downtown area on the Wednesday before American Thanksgiving. We stopped for groceries and planned to buy flounder for our meal tomorrow. Unfortunately, there was no flounder just some salmon and it was too late to get a cooked turkey meal. So the butcher was very helpful and told us about a seafood place that sells all sorts of seafood and propane. He gave directions and it was nearby. Luckily, George had GPS on his phone or we may have never found it. The place was a hole-in-the-wall with board counters and not much paint on the walls. I asked one fellow if they prepared the fish and he looked at me with amazement and said, "I don't know anything." Another fellow came over to ask me to choose which flounder, I wanted. There were about six on ice. He recommended one, cleaned it, and we took it home and cooked on Thursday and our meal was complete. It, of course, included pumpkin pie and whipped cream. We viewed lots of lovely sunsets, cared for Brienne and they left on Saturday.
Every morning we unlock the door and around 9:30, Claire and Brienne appear. Brienne comes rolling in ready for everything. We play, blow bubbles, go to the beach to dig and collect shells, have lunch, watch some MiniTFO (a Canadian French channel on You Tube which is excellent!), have lunch, read books and have a nap. Sometimes all three of us do the nap thing. Around 16h00, Brienne comes out of her room and we cuddle and then she is ready for play. Her Mama or Dada come to get her and then the next day, we start all over again. Yay. We are at November 29 so our time together is getting shorter.
I will start a new blog tomorrow as it is November 30 and marks 2 years since we began this adventure into being Meanderthals.
Sunday, 18 September 2016
Face timing with Brienne April to September
Just watching you eating an apple this morning. Your Mama said you had been enjoying it for a long time. You giggled when you saw me. Your Grandad was in the shower at the time. We played making noise and banging the tray. Idea: Maybe I could babysit you from here and your Mama could have a shower. This is probably about the tenth time we have used face time since we arrived here. You are always glad to see us and smile. Sometimes you are coy and put your head down and smile at us. We say Yay and cheer and clap. I showed you my sea star this morning and you thought it was a cracker and asked your Mama for a cracker, please. We talked about "Baby Signing Time" and you made the signs.
One of you front top teeth has erupted (April 5.)
Saw you on face time twice today and also yesterday. You are so busy playing with lego and your stuffed guys. You now say please which is cool. You are so excited to see your Grandad--you smile so big. Today April 15, you put your DaDa's shoes on and walked from the bedroom to the livingroom with no falls. You were also carrying another shoe that belongs to him. You had you feet in the back part of the shoe. Your Mama sent a video for us to enjoy.
On ft, you made the sign for please and then clapped and said Yay. You are taking swimming lessons.
Your Mama has many deadlines with her classes and is feeling a tad stressed at times. I know it will all come together. (And it did!)
We wanted to show some friends how face time works so when we were visiting them, we called you up. When you appeared on the screen, you saw your old Granny and our two friends who you have not seen before. You were slightly concerned and whimpered at us. So you Grandad took over and you were smiling and fun. He is your favourite person to see on Ft. Often if it is only me, you ask for him. You can say Elmo.
Hi Brienne, I haven't been keeping this blog up very well. We have had many sessions on FT since we left Canada. You are so sweet and we love to watch you play. Today is May 31, we chatted with your Mama and you yesterday. You were playing with your ball pit and dog dog and Violet who can sing "Itsy, Bitsy, Spider" which is your current favourite song. Other things you have learned are how to balance on a curb at the park, how to say Hi DaDA and cracker, and chein, You still love to look at books and had a good study of the family calendar. You played on the beach in a new swim suit on Memorial Day. You seem to light up with joy when you see your Grandad on ft. You were also wearing a onzie that we bought for you in London which says I love my Grandad or something like that. You still love to dance and dance when there is music or someone is singing. What a charmer. We love you.
June 2--what fun it is to watch you play. You brought many stuffed things to show us. We talked about noses, eyes and mouths. You chatter away in your talk mixing in real words like Elmo. What a sweetie. You had a fun time at the beach yesterday with some playmates and a friend of Mama.
Today when we were chatting, George and I were being silly and Brienne turned to her Mama and seemingly rolled her eyes. I don't think she did but her head told us we were silly.
June 13 - texts told us that you were sick with the croup. Poor little girl. You wakened, sat up and couldn't breath. Mama took you to the bathroom for steamy air. Dad called 911 and the fire department arrived and checked you out and advised going to the hospital in an ambulance so that is what you did. They did x-rays and gave you medicine. Seems all this was not to your liking or your parents. It is hard on parents when their child is ill. They took you home after a few hours with instructions to see your doctor. Dad went to work as he had a presentation to give and your Grandma came to help out. She and you two went to see the doctor who advised more medication. When we had a face time session you were very active but your breathing is still raspy. Grandad read that that is common with croup and that you might be better in a couple of days. You will see the doctor again on Friday. Your Auntie Sheryl is coming to visit on Thursday. When your Mama was a little girl, she also had croup and we spent a night in the hospital under an oxygen tent. Today, you said please both with words and signing so your Mama would put a sheet on your head to hide you. You also asked us to please give kisses. You like to say MMMaaah and kiss you hand in our direction. Love you lots.
June 14 - your breathing is still raspy but you are playing although not a keenly as usual. You and your parents have been watching "Elmo" and "Daniel Tiger" to keep you calm. You are also eating Popsicles to help keep you hydrated. Poor little you, hope you are soon back to normal.
Your Auntie Sheryl arrived from Pretoria yesterday. Your DAD went to the airport to pick her up in Myrtle Beach. We chatted with the sisters in the afternoon, you needed a nap so were not too interested. It was lovely to see out daughters together. Had a lovely chat with the three of you today, (June 18). Grandad took a wonderful photo of you hugging your Mama and Auntie and we posted it on FB. Yay for technology. You are lots better from the croup. Love you all.
You are so much better today--just a runny nose and a little cough. June 21--you were so fun today jabbering to us in your own little language but with such concentration. You also like to look at the photo book that your Grandad made of photos of you from our spring visit.
June 29-- we are back in Ottawa and I had a small session with you and Mama. You just got a new book about your body being yours. Mama says you love it and just want to read it together again and again. I love to watch you play and talk with such expression with some words very clear and others not so much. You are a treasure. You did errands with your DaDa this am so Mama could study.
Happy Canada Day. when we chatted today, you were trying on your Dad's shoes and walking in them. Then you found your rubber boots and tried with not much luck to get them on and walk. You said shoes, shoes, shoes. Later your Mama texted that you had successfully put on one boot. You are determined. We also sang Old Macdonald's farm and you went to find the lamb and dog and sang EIEIO. You do some great playing while we chat to Mama--great expression and some words that we can decipher and others not so much.
July 6--Many ft sessions. I said something was amazing and you repeated it many times. You say lots of words. Today Mama sent us a photo of you sitting at the table and colouring--you were very intense and had much concentration. We continue to sing songs you like and you scurry off to find the animals we are singing about.
July 10 - Saw a video of you saying OK, OK, OK. You also looked at an Elmo book that I showed you on FT. You had a Chinese lesson Saturday morning which you enjoy. The teacher is a former student of your Mama's. You were happy to see us and we watched you play. You were very smiley and laughed lots.
July 24 --today you are 18 months old. Time has flown and you have learned so much. You are talking and mimicking words. When we chatted today, you were sitting at the table colouring, You asked your Mama to draw a puppy, a baa baa, a kitty (neow) and then you would point to them with your thumb when I asked you to find one or the other. You also gave many kisses and some with the "Anna" tiny figurine that we gave you when we were there in February. You went to the gymnastics session with Mama and did some great climbing. There are videos to show you and photos. Your Mama's Auntie Val called you a Claire clone when she saw your photo.
You have new shoes that you and your DADA bought. You will no doubt see a wonderful video of you and you Dada dancing--very cute. Your parents have a great schedule for summer time care. You spend your mornings with your Dada and then the afternoons with Mama. So they get to paint and study.
August 18 -- have been chatting on ft often. You like and ask for my Elmo book. You say dinosaur and now have some figures and ones that are magnetic. You often say Happy and smile.
You can sing along with your Mama in French to Frier Jaques and Daddy Finger. You also respond to your Mama when you are cross and trying to do something and she says, say please (in French), you say please and she helps you and you relax. Today, August 31 you were very interested in my whistling. You blew and tried to whistle. what a sweetie.
Today you and your Mama were eating noodles together and you chatted to me with such expression and knowledge. We will see you soon.
September 19 - We have been here a week caring for you and enjoying time with your parents. You have a great memory: We played Row, Row, Row, your boat and you were singing along by the time we were done. We held hands, faced each other and rocked and sang. One day I put you into a large bar with handles and we sang Rock A Bye Baby which you loved. DADA bought you a small beach ball which your Grandad and you and I played with in the kitchen. First you and I kicked it to each other. Then Grandad was invited in. You tossed the ball to me and then I kicked it back, then you tossed it to Grandad and he kicked it back. All this time you were running between us. Then DADA played, too. What fun. When MAMA came home you wanted to show her how the game went.
You are speaking and understanding three languages or maybe four: French, English, Baby jabber and Chinese. What a girl.
One of you front top teeth has erupted (April 5.)
Saw you on face time twice today and also yesterday. You are so busy playing with lego and your stuffed guys. You now say please which is cool. You are so excited to see your Grandad--you smile so big. Today April 15, you put your DaDa's shoes on and walked from the bedroom to the livingroom with no falls. You were also carrying another shoe that belongs to him. You had you feet in the back part of the shoe. Your Mama sent a video for us to enjoy.
On ft, you made the sign for please and then clapped and said Yay. You are taking swimming lessons.
Your Mama has many deadlines with her classes and is feeling a tad stressed at times. I know it will all come together. (And it did!)
We wanted to show some friends how face time works so when we were visiting them, we called you up. When you appeared on the screen, you saw your old Granny and our two friends who you have not seen before. You were slightly concerned and whimpered at us. So you Grandad took over and you were smiling and fun. He is your favourite person to see on Ft. Often if it is only me, you ask for him. You can say Elmo.
Hi Brienne, I haven't been keeping this blog up very well. We have had many sessions on FT since we left Canada. You are so sweet and we love to watch you play. Today is May 31, we chatted with your Mama and you yesterday. You were playing with your ball pit and dog dog and Violet who can sing "Itsy, Bitsy, Spider" which is your current favourite song. Other things you have learned are how to balance on a curb at the park, how to say Hi DaDA and cracker, and chein, You still love to look at books and had a good study of the family calendar. You played on the beach in a new swim suit on Memorial Day. You seem to light up with joy when you see your Grandad on ft. You were also wearing a onzie that we bought for you in London which says I love my Grandad or something like that. You still love to dance and dance when there is music or someone is singing. What a charmer. We love you.
June 2--what fun it is to watch you play. You brought many stuffed things to show us. We talked about noses, eyes and mouths. You chatter away in your talk mixing in real words like Elmo. What a sweetie. You had a fun time at the beach yesterday with some playmates and a friend of Mama.
Today when we were chatting, George and I were being silly and Brienne turned to her Mama and seemingly rolled her eyes. I don't think she did but her head told us we were silly.
June 13 - texts told us that you were sick with the croup. Poor little girl. You wakened, sat up and couldn't breath. Mama took you to the bathroom for steamy air. Dad called 911 and the fire department arrived and checked you out and advised going to the hospital in an ambulance so that is what you did. They did x-rays and gave you medicine. Seems all this was not to your liking or your parents. It is hard on parents when their child is ill. They took you home after a few hours with instructions to see your doctor. Dad went to work as he had a presentation to give and your Grandma came to help out. She and you two went to see the doctor who advised more medication. When we had a face time session you were very active but your breathing is still raspy. Grandad read that that is common with croup and that you might be better in a couple of days. You will see the doctor again on Friday. Your Auntie Sheryl is coming to visit on Thursday. When your Mama was a little girl, she also had croup and we spent a night in the hospital under an oxygen tent. Today, you said please both with words and signing so your Mama would put a sheet on your head to hide you. You also asked us to please give kisses. You like to say MMMaaah and kiss you hand in our direction. Love you lots.
June 14 - your breathing is still raspy but you are playing although not a keenly as usual. You and your parents have been watching "Elmo" and "Daniel Tiger" to keep you calm. You are also eating Popsicles to help keep you hydrated. Poor little you, hope you are soon back to normal.
Your Auntie Sheryl arrived from Pretoria yesterday. Your DAD went to the airport to pick her up in Myrtle Beach. We chatted with the sisters in the afternoon, you needed a nap so were not too interested. It was lovely to see out daughters together. Had a lovely chat with the three of you today, (June 18). Grandad took a wonderful photo of you hugging your Mama and Auntie and we posted it on FB. Yay for technology. You are lots better from the croup. Love you all.
You are so much better today--just a runny nose and a little cough. June 21--you were so fun today jabbering to us in your own little language but with such concentration. You also like to look at the photo book that your Grandad made of photos of you from our spring visit.
June 29-- we are back in Ottawa and I had a small session with you and Mama. You just got a new book about your body being yours. Mama says you love it and just want to read it together again and again. I love to watch you play and talk with such expression with some words very clear and others not so much. You are a treasure. You did errands with your DaDa this am so Mama could study.
Happy Canada Day. when we chatted today, you were trying on your Dad's shoes and walking in them. Then you found your rubber boots and tried with not much luck to get them on and walk. You said shoes, shoes, shoes. Later your Mama texted that you had successfully put on one boot. You are determined. We also sang Old Macdonald's farm and you went to find the lamb and dog and sang EIEIO. You do some great playing while we chat to Mama--great expression and some words that we can decipher and others not so much.
July 6--Many ft sessions. I said something was amazing and you repeated it many times. You say lots of words. Today Mama sent us a photo of you sitting at the table and colouring--you were very intense and had much concentration. We continue to sing songs you like and you scurry off to find the animals we are singing about.
July 10 - Saw a video of you saying OK, OK, OK. You also looked at an Elmo book that I showed you on FT. You had a Chinese lesson Saturday morning which you enjoy. The teacher is a former student of your Mama's. You were happy to see us and we watched you play. You were very smiley and laughed lots.
July 24 --today you are 18 months old. Time has flown and you have learned so much. You are talking and mimicking words. When we chatted today, you were sitting at the table colouring, You asked your Mama to draw a puppy, a baa baa, a kitty (neow) and then you would point to them with your thumb when I asked you to find one or the other. You also gave many kisses and some with the "Anna" tiny figurine that we gave you when we were there in February. You went to the gymnastics session with Mama and did some great climbing. There are videos to show you and photos. Your Mama's Auntie Val called you a Claire clone when she saw your photo.
You have new shoes that you and your DADA bought. You will no doubt see a wonderful video of you and you Dada dancing--very cute. Your parents have a great schedule for summer time care. You spend your mornings with your Dada and then the afternoons with Mama. So they get to paint and study.
August 18 -- have been chatting on ft often. You like and ask for my Elmo book. You say dinosaur and now have some figures and ones that are magnetic. You often say Happy and smile.
You can sing along with your Mama in French to Frier Jaques and Daddy Finger. You also respond to your Mama when you are cross and trying to do something and she says, say please (in French), you say please and she helps you and you relax. Today, August 31 you were very interested in my whistling. You blew and tried to whistle. what a sweetie.
Today you and your Mama were eating noodles together and you chatted to me with such expression and knowledge. We will see you soon.
September 19 - We have been here a week caring for you and enjoying time with your parents. You have a great memory: We played Row, Row, Row, your boat and you were singing along by the time we were done. We held hands, faced each other and rocked and sang. One day I put you into a large bar with handles and we sang Rock A Bye Baby which you loved. DADA bought you a small beach ball which your Grandad and you and I played with in the kitchen. First you and I kicked it to each other. Then Grandad was invited in. You tossed the ball to me and then I kicked it back, then you tossed it to Grandad and he kicked it back. All this time you were running between us. Then DADA played, too. What fun. When MAMA came home you wanted to show her how the game went.
You are speaking and understanding three languages or maybe four: French, English, Baby jabber and Chinese. What a girl.
Wednesday, 7 September 2016
Sandbanks, Niagara Area, Toronto and Carriage Hills, Burlington,Kars, Celine and the Glebe August 7 to Sept 8, 2016
Left Robbie, the cat, this morning. He is a fine fellow but we will not be getting a cat any time soon. Had a wonderful after church lunch with friends from church and then we were off to Belleville. Tomorrow Prince Edward County and Sandbanks Park--what a great day of playing in the water. Sandbanks is so shallow--you can walk forever and the water is clear and soothing.. I did have a woggle which makes being in the water more fun for me. We did a bit of reading and then had a lovely dinner with a wonderful sunset before returning to Belleville.
On to Niagara Falls: Arrived at the Embassy Suites and there were Arleigh and Dave. This was the beginning of four days that just couldn't have been better. We settled in on the 32nd floor and were off to the Falls. Our room window faced the Falls so we could see and hear them. There is a funicular which we used to go down and up from the hotel to the Falls. The next day the ponchos began: We wore blue to Niagara's Fury. a film on the formation of the Falls, yellow behind the Falls and red on the Hornblower (which was formerly "The Maid of the Mist"). So it rained and snowed on us, we got a little wet behind the Falls and swallowed a bit of the Falls on the boat ride and had the best time. Then a lovely dinner at the Keg and to bed. Our last morning, we went on the White Water Walk which was a boardwalk along the Niagara River viewing the white water rapids.
We stopped at Laura Secord's house on the way to Niagara-on-the-Lake and had an interesting tour and ice cream. Please note she didn't serve it in 1812 but the company who is using her name spent a pile to make the exhibit. We had a meal at the Irish Pub--the highlight being corn-beef and sauerkraut rolls and sticky toffee pudding. We walked Queen Street by the clock tower-interesting shops. We went to "Engaged" which was hilarious. Arleigh navigated and Dave drove us to a park where we could see the CN Tower and the skyline of Toronto across Lake Ontario. What a wonderful four days. Oh, we also had beer and wine flights which is a great way to taste four kinds of beer or wine.
On to TO, A & D to an anniversary party and us to meet Kendra. What a great couple to spend travel with. Kendra met us at the check-in at Massey College. Being in the res made us feel like students again. The down side was ac only in the common areas, the up-side was we had a fan. So we headed to Queen's Park for a tour--our guide seemed to have memorized the script with no expression or enthusiasm in her voice. We knew there was life in her soul when she answered our questions. She neglected to mention that the house was being refurbished so we thought maybe our Premier sat on the first scaffolding and the opposition on the second. We walked and walked and walked until I had blisters on two toes. Next day, we had a huge breakfast in a room like Hogwarts and headed to the market, and on to the CBC building to explore and watch some of the Olympics. Our lunch date at the CN Tower was at 15h00. Having lunch or dinner at the 360 Restaurant is the best way to see the view and not wait in lines forever. Kendra stepped onto the glass floor, I never feel comfortable doing that. We walked around in the Harbour front and then took a street car back to Massey College in time to see Bolt win gold and De Grasse win bronze. A couple of students came to the TV room to watch. At 17, one had been the carrier and helper to Donovan Bailey in Atlanta. Cool, what people get to do.
So this morning we had a wonderful breakfast and conversation with Kendra (she is a delight.) and then we drove to Carriage Hills to a time share. It is great but the highlight is there is a washer and dryer. We connected with Grant, Sheryl and Claire on FT and watched a bit of Olympics. Tuesday, it was raining when we got up and it rained all day. Yay. We are happy to eat popcorn and watch the Canadian women play soccer-- they won the bronze medal on Friday.
On day 3, George got a muscle spasm in his back and was in a great deal of pain. He used ice and heat and resting and is much better today on day 4. He is using the broom handle to help him when walking. I tell him he looks like Rafiki from Lion King. We will have pizza for dinner today because they deliver. On Friday, we went to the pool and the hot tub, Rafiki is much better but must still be careful. Saturday is our last here, so we drove to Orillia and visited the Leacock museum and enjoyed sitting at Lake Couchiching . There was a wedding happening and the bride was doing last minute stuff including feeding her 10 month old daughter.
We had the best dinner at Horseshoe Valley Steak House--yum--even sticky toffee pudding.
Then back to Carriage Hills and the pool and hot tub. Great discussion in the hot tub about USA politics and poutine. On our way to Burlington, we stopped at a Flea Market--one lady was giving out yummy nectarines. George bought a CD of Enya for $1--sadly, we found the case empty when we tried to play it. We did buy yummy strudel and a peach pie for dinner with Frank and Brenda. They have a new sun room, very nice. We had a lovely lunch, strolled by the water front and visited a favourite book store. We watched a bit of "Grace and Frankie", very funny. It was hard to say good bye.
George is still having some twinges in his back so I continue to help him with his socks. We stopped in Belleville and connected with friends from BC who were on a road trip. We did a bit of shopping before we left for Linda and Larry's. Great to see them, Linda always has some great books to share. We had a tour of a new rec centre and a delightful dinner at Strathmere--lots of laughs and excellent food, including soybeans. And then we were off to Ottawa for a couple of appointments and then the train to Quebec City. On the train, there was a family of five with five screens. I forgot that QC is uphill both ways when I suggested we walk to our hotel. My poor old heart was a pounding and then we were on the third floor! Our hotel was Le Clos St. Louis which was so old and lovely after we got the door open. It is billed as the most romantic hotel!
Saturday, I was so weary, I had to go back to bed after breakfast. I might have slept all day if the cleaning staff hadn't knocked on the door. George went off to explore. We went to a restaurant and sat in the window and had Italian food and then the concert....."The show must go on" and it did--Celine was amazing--so much energy. It was mostly in French, including a lengthy monologue which ended with the moral about remembering the child within. George and I were not sitting together--my seat from 11 from the stage and George was 22 from the stage. A couple of fellows beside me had bought VIP seats--$400 plus--which included a bag of treasures. Two of them became mine--one was a large photo of Celine and the other a bag that could be for bowling shoes or wine! I felt so fortunate to be at her concert--she is as wonderful as ever. She is truly loved in Quebec--this was her sixth concert in QC, she had also been in Montreal and Paris. What a treasure.
We walked on the Plains of Abraham towards the Musee de Beaux des Arts--enjoyed a poke around there. The train left at 14h00--we arrived to our place at Lansdowne by 21h30. Our hostess was out of town--she operates the Fred Astaire Dance Studio. We picked up one of her employees who showed us the ropes of the Air B&B. Today, the painter came at 8:30 and we asked him to come back later. Had a stroll around and coffee at Aroma.
This evening Grant came for dinner--what a fine young man. We had a delightful time and will see him again on Saturday. He showed us how to download podcasts on my Mini so we will be able to listen to them in the car using a gadget that Sheryl and Neil gave us. We will have many miles to go to Oak Island on September 8.
Wednesday was a celebration of my W5 group of 5 women who got together to do something about Harper and his government. The Liberals fixed that so now we just have lunch together and it was super--food was great and company superb. Must do it again. Yay. Then in the evening we met W & B for Chinese food and then went to the Sound and Light Show on the Hill. It had too much war remembrances for me but singing O Canada at the end was very special.
Thursday, September 1, was the day to see a cardiologist--my regular one was away. Anyway, since my pounding heart of QC, I was nervous about this appointment. However, the ECG showed no change in my Atrial Fibrillation and that my valves were doing their jobs. I was DELIGHTED and we celebrated with Port, flowers and Lindt chocolate. Yay.
Friday, I took the bus downtown and worked away at my "to do list" with great success. Also I met Karen and we had a lovely time--first with lunch at El Furniture Warehouse on Clarence in the Market and then coffee at Nordstroms. She helped me with my Mini--I also visited with Chris and Paul at the Apple store and now I can unlock it with my thumb print, load ebooks and do podcasts. An afternoon of lemonade and conversation with Inge and then bus to Billings Bridge to meet George and pick up medications and such. We went to the Fury game in the evening--it was in our back yard as this condo backs onto the TD Place field. We had hotdogs and beer and watched them play--not quite the caliber of Ronaldo, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Now we must do something about this carpet whose threads are crawling all over the place. I think they wait until we aren't looking and then move fast. Had brunch with Grant in Mechanicsville and shopped for chairs. We all sat in many chairs but he wasn't ready to make a decision. Then friends came for dinner and brought what Claire calls the Canadian Grandmother dessert--marshmallows, butterscotch chips and peanut butter are the main ingredients. Had a lovely visit.
Lansdowne is a great area--had wonderful coffee, beer at the Craft, take out food from Whole foods. There is a fantastic skate park and play area and lots of places to walk. We are in our final days here. Had a lovely dinner with Grant t the end of Labour Day. Now, a few more gatherings and we will be off to Oak Island. Next on the list is registering the car which also needs an emissions test. This would normally be done in my bd month and the earliest it can be done is September 6.
So the car passed but needed some work on the brakes. In a few hours we will be off to Linda and Larry's for the night and then on to Claire and Noah's on Thursday arriving on Saturday. Staying in one place for three months will be pleasant, and best of all, we get to play with Brienne.
On to Niagara Falls: Arrived at the Embassy Suites and there were Arleigh and Dave. This was the beginning of four days that just couldn't have been better. We settled in on the 32nd floor and were off to the Falls. Our room window faced the Falls so we could see and hear them. There is a funicular which we used to go down and up from the hotel to the Falls. The next day the ponchos began: We wore blue to Niagara's Fury. a film on the formation of the Falls, yellow behind the Falls and red on the Hornblower (which was formerly "The Maid of the Mist"). So it rained and snowed on us, we got a little wet behind the Falls and swallowed a bit of the Falls on the boat ride and had the best time. Then a lovely dinner at the Keg and to bed. Our last morning, we went on the White Water Walk which was a boardwalk along the Niagara River viewing the white water rapids.
We stopped at Laura Secord's house on the way to Niagara-on-the-Lake and had an interesting tour and ice cream. Please note she didn't serve it in 1812 but the company who is using her name spent a pile to make the exhibit. We had a meal at the Irish Pub--the highlight being corn-beef and sauerkraut rolls and sticky toffee pudding. We walked Queen Street by the clock tower-interesting shops. We went to "Engaged" which was hilarious. Arleigh navigated and Dave drove us to a park where we could see the CN Tower and the skyline of Toronto across Lake Ontario. What a wonderful four days. Oh, we also had beer and wine flights which is a great way to taste four kinds of beer or wine.
On to TO, A & D to an anniversary party and us to meet Kendra. What a great couple to spend travel with. Kendra met us at the check-in at Massey College. Being in the res made us feel like students again. The down side was ac only in the common areas, the up-side was we had a fan. So we headed to Queen's Park for a tour--our guide seemed to have memorized the script with no expression or enthusiasm in her voice. We knew there was life in her soul when she answered our questions. She neglected to mention that the house was being refurbished so we thought maybe our Premier sat on the first scaffolding and the opposition on the second. We walked and walked and walked until I had blisters on two toes. Next day, we had a huge breakfast in a room like Hogwarts and headed to the market, and on to the CBC building to explore and watch some of the Olympics. Our lunch date at the CN Tower was at 15h00. Having lunch or dinner at the 360 Restaurant is the best way to see the view and not wait in lines forever. Kendra stepped onto the glass floor, I never feel comfortable doing that. We walked around in the Harbour front and then took a street car back to Massey College in time to see Bolt win gold and De Grasse win bronze. A couple of students came to the TV room to watch. At 17, one had been the carrier and helper to Donovan Bailey in Atlanta. Cool, what people get to do.
So this morning we had a wonderful breakfast and conversation with Kendra (she is a delight.) and then we drove to Carriage Hills to a time share. It is great but the highlight is there is a washer and dryer. We connected with Grant, Sheryl and Claire on FT and watched a bit of Olympics. Tuesday, it was raining when we got up and it rained all day. Yay. We are happy to eat popcorn and watch the Canadian women play soccer-- they won the bronze medal on Friday.
On day 3, George got a muscle spasm in his back and was in a great deal of pain. He used ice and heat and resting and is much better today on day 4. He is using the broom handle to help him when walking. I tell him he looks like Rafiki from Lion King. We will have pizza for dinner today because they deliver. On Friday, we went to the pool and the hot tub, Rafiki is much better but must still be careful. Saturday is our last here, so we drove to Orillia and visited the Leacock museum and enjoyed sitting at Lake Couchiching . There was a wedding happening and the bride was doing last minute stuff including feeding her 10 month old daughter.
We had the best dinner at Horseshoe Valley Steak House--yum--even sticky toffee pudding.
Then back to Carriage Hills and the pool and hot tub. Great discussion in the hot tub about USA politics and poutine. On our way to Burlington, we stopped at a Flea Market--one lady was giving out yummy nectarines. George bought a CD of Enya for $1--sadly, we found the case empty when we tried to play it. We did buy yummy strudel and a peach pie for dinner with Frank and Brenda. They have a new sun room, very nice. We had a lovely lunch, strolled by the water front and visited a favourite book store. We watched a bit of "Grace and Frankie", very funny. It was hard to say good bye.
George is still having some twinges in his back so I continue to help him with his socks. We stopped in Belleville and connected with friends from BC who were on a road trip. We did a bit of shopping before we left for Linda and Larry's. Great to see them, Linda always has some great books to share. We had a tour of a new rec centre and a delightful dinner at Strathmere--lots of laughs and excellent food, including soybeans. And then we were off to Ottawa for a couple of appointments and then the train to Quebec City. On the train, there was a family of five with five screens. I forgot that QC is uphill both ways when I suggested we walk to our hotel. My poor old heart was a pounding and then we were on the third floor! Our hotel was Le Clos St. Louis which was so old and lovely after we got the door open. It is billed as the most romantic hotel!
Saturday, I was so weary, I had to go back to bed after breakfast. I might have slept all day if the cleaning staff hadn't knocked on the door. George went off to explore. We went to a restaurant and sat in the window and had Italian food and then the concert....."The show must go on" and it did--Celine was amazing--so much energy. It was mostly in French, including a lengthy monologue which ended with the moral about remembering the child within. George and I were not sitting together--my seat from 11 from the stage and George was 22 from the stage. A couple of fellows beside me had bought VIP seats--$400 plus--which included a bag of treasures. Two of them became mine--one was a large photo of Celine and the other a bag that could be for bowling shoes or wine! I felt so fortunate to be at her concert--she is as wonderful as ever. She is truly loved in Quebec--this was her sixth concert in QC, she had also been in Montreal and Paris. What a treasure.
We walked on the Plains of Abraham towards the Musee de Beaux des Arts--enjoyed a poke around there. The train left at 14h00--we arrived to our place at Lansdowne by 21h30. Our hostess was out of town--she operates the Fred Astaire Dance Studio. We picked up one of her employees who showed us the ropes of the Air B&B. Today, the painter came at 8:30 and we asked him to come back later. Had a stroll around and coffee at Aroma.
This evening Grant came for dinner--what a fine young man. We had a delightful time and will see him again on Saturday. He showed us how to download podcasts on my Mini so we will be able to listen to them in the car using a gadget that Sheryl and Neil gave us. We will have many miles to go to Oak Island on September 8.
Wednesday was a celebration of my W5 group of 5 women who got together to do something about Harper and his government. The Liberals fixed that so now we just have lunch together and it was super--food was great and company superb. Must do it again. Yay. Then in the evening we met W & B for Chinese food and then went to the Sound and Light Show on the Hill. It had too much war remembrances for me but singing O Canada at the end was very special.
Thursday, September 1, was the day to see a cardiologist--my regular one was away. Anyway, since my pounding heart of QC, I was nervous about this appointment. However, the ECG showed no change in my Atrial Fibrillation and that my valves were doing their jobs. I was DELIGHTED and we celebrated with Port, flowers and Lindt chocolate. Yay.
Friday, I took the bus downtown and worked away at my "to do list" with great success. Also I met Karen and we had a lovely time--first with lunch at El Furniture Warehouse on Clarence in the Market and then coffee at Nordstroms. She helped me with my Mini--I also visited with Chris and Paul at the Apple store and now I can unlock it with my thumb print, load ebooks and do podcasts. An afternoon of lemonade and conversation with Inge and then bus to Billings Bridge to meet George and pick up medications and such. We went to the Fury game in the evening--it was in our back yard as this condo backs onto the TD Place field. We had hotdogs and beer and watched them play--not quite the caliber of Ronaldo, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Now we must do something about this carpet whose threads are crawling all over the place. I think they wait until we aren't looking and then move fast. Had brunch with Grant in Mechanicsville and shopped for chairs. We all sat in many chairs but he wasn't ready to make a decision. Then friends came for dinner and brought what Claire calls the Canadian Grandmother dessert--marshmallows, butterscotch chips and peanut butter are the main ingredients. Had a lovely visit.
Lansdowne is a great area--had wonderful coffee, beer at the Craft, take out food from Whole foods. There is a fantastic skate park and play area and lots of places to walk. We are in our final days here. Had a lovely dinner with Grant t the end of Labour Day. Now, a few more gatherings and we will be off to Oak Island. Next on the list is registering the car which also needs an emissions test. This would normally be done in my bd month and the earliest it can be done is September 6.
So the car passed but needed some work on the brakes. In a few hours we will be off to Linda and Larry's for the night and then on to Claire and Noah's on Thursday arriving on Saturday. Staying in one place for three months will be pleasant, and best of all, we get to play with Brienne.
Saturday, 6 August 2016
Paris to Ottawa and beyond June 29 to August 7, 2016
The Portuguese/Croatia game was so exciting--Ronaldo saved the day in overtime and so they will advance to the quarter finals. The square was so crowded last night that we could hardly get a spot. It was fun to be part of the excitement but we left at half to watch the rest on our TV. (a better view) Being in Porto this past week is the best--George planned well. Porto is about the size of Regina and is in the top 5 of my favourite cities.
And so to Paris--our hostess talks a mile a minute. This time we have a bedroom, bathroom and use of the kitchen in her apartment which is huge. We are in the area of Montparnesse which is less of a tourist area and very interesting. George climbed to the top of Notre Dame Cathedral and I visited the church part. I happened along to a choir singing in the church which was lovely. I finished reading a book while I waited for George. He really enjoyed the views from the top and was exhilarated when he returned. I don't like closed-in spaces and probably would have a hard time with all those steps. We walked and walked--a grand day. Here is something cool: Celine is performing in Paris tomorrow night but alas there are no available tickets and more shows have been added. We visited the book shop called "Shakespeare and Company". A very old, interesting place--the top floor has old books and many places to sit. There were young people sitting in every spot, reading away--so young people are still reading! Yay.
While visiting the Luxembourg Garden, we were watching many children playing with small sail boats on a large pond. The boats were rented and each child had a stick to push them around and each sailboat had a flag from a different country. We watched two small girls whose boat had a Canadian flag so we asked them if they were from Canada. They said no but they had lived in Toronto. Their father said the girls had chosen a Canadian flag boat so no one would connect them to Trump--they live in Tennessee. Mondays in Paris are when lots of museums are closed.
Wow, Iceland has beaten England in the EuroCup. What a shock, especially to England. We will try to watch the Portuguese game on Thursday.
Our day didn't go as planned today. George went off to the Catacombs but after waiting for 1 1/2 hours, decided that he wasn't going to get in this time so he came to our meeting place. I have no interested in walking in tunnels so I went to Montparnasse and scouted around. I visited the Montparnasse Cemetery which was way more interesting than I expected. I have to say my expectations were pretty low as I don't enjoy cemeteries but I was amazed at the monuments and the family mausoleums-there were some really old grave stones and some as new as 2015. I wonder what they do with the old bones. I also sat on a bench there and read, as I think I want to read and relax more frequently. I bought a small black purse at a market. One would think that I like purses as I seem to be drawn to buying them. We will go out for dinner and then get packed up for our flight tomorrow.
Here we are on Argyle in Ottawa--our bodies know it is six hours later than the clocks and sunshine here. Got settled in and went to bed. Early morning rising, George has a small surgery booked for this afternoon so we prepared for it and sorted out our stuff. We are travelling with cabs as our car is still with Sheryl and Neil. I am working on changing my attitude toward cab drivers--seems I always expect to be ripped off and often my expectations are met. We often talk about not owning a car anymore so I better get a new attitude. George's surgery went well--eight stitches--all is well and we got home safely.
Had a lovely dinner with Grant at Datsun--Asian Infusion food. Food these days involves so many textures and flavours. It was fun to hear about his new position as a Procedural Clerk in the House of Commons. He is learning lots and getting settled.
And then it was Canada Day. We joined the group participating in the Living Flag--about 600 people. When we were leaving after the photo, we noted a banner near the Chateau Laurier of previous Living Flag photos and there in the right hand corner, were George, Frank, Brenda and I from a couple of years ago. Pretty cool. We walked up to the Hill but there were so many people that we didn't stay for everything. The Snowbirds were amazing as usual but the schedule was changed and we needed a hotdog before the speeches got under way. We went on home to watch the Wales/Belgium game and Sheryl and Neil joined us. We had a fine time and then had dinner at our favourite Chinese restaurant on Elgin and it rained.
We are still waking up early but always seem to fall back to sleep. Today we had brunch with Grant, Sheryl and Neil at a lovely spot and then hung out until we had to leave them at the train station. Their flight leaves from Montreal--it is always hard to say good bye but it was so special to see them. We are back to facetime until next time.
Sunday we visited with Linda and Larry and sorted through some stuff we had left there. I felt badly as we hadn't remembered that it was Larry's bd--maybe we will have lunch together later. Anyway, we had some lovely cookies and checked out their garden. Then we went to Cirque de Soliel--an anniversary gift. It was fantastic--we enjoyed every second of it. The special effects were so dramatic--there was a volcano eruption, a flood, a landslide, a waterfall, and an earthquake. The performers were superb. It was an adaption of Avatar and I won't mention the blue, Spandex bums! After the performance, we had coffee and dessert with C and M. What a day.
We have started our days of coffees and lunches--today's lunch lasted for 5 hours. I wanted to watch the Iceland/France football game so I tried to record it with Fibe but only got the pre game part. I am disappointed. After another lovely lunch with M & W, we watched the end of the Portugal/Wales game--Yay Portugal and Ronaldo. Today the stitches are out and George is fine. Now for a coffee date and then the Germany/France game, yay France.
Today marks our 44st wedding anniversary--imagine!--and Claire's birthday. Time flies. To quote Sheryl, "...happy that you got married and got the three of us". Us, too. We did have a wonderful celebration. Our lunch at the "Pure Kitchen" was really good with former neighbours. I am so glad we met them and keep in touch. I guess I can thank FB for that. The parents are lovely and the girls are sweet—we told them stories of when they were little. Parliament Hill was great. Isabel thinks Grant’s name is magic because he had requested tickets for us and as soon as we mentioned his name, we were treated like important people. Quite cool—also if he hadn’t arranged for tickets, we would not have gotten to go as the tickets were all gone. Our dinner with Grant, complete with a lovely card with all the names on it , was great. “Fauna” was the restaurant and they gave us complimentary champagne to help with the celebration. It was a lovely meal and lively conversation including memories of our wedding day.
And Portugal won the EuroCup final game. What excitement and also concern as Ronaldo was injured at the beginning of the game and didn't play the rest. We went to the Royal Oak and wore our Ronaldo shirts. Yay. We visited the Service Ontario to extend our time away and now we can be out of Canada for another year to August 2017.
And to Montreal for four nights. We are staying at a Boutique Hotel on Sherbrooke East called Armor Manoir Sherbrooke. It is part of three large mansion houses that has lots of old wood and furniture and charm and a great location. There is a four day street circus happening on Rue St. Denis which is a couple of blocks away. It covers about four blocks. The first night we watched a tightrope walker cross St. Denis in the clouds and tonight there was a group called Fracas which was spectacular. The performers dressed like acrobats walked down St. Denis and encouraged everyone to follow them. So we did--it was like the Pied Piper. We walked to a park nearby and then they put on a marvelous show-what skill and talent was displayed. It was like Cirque de Soleil. Then we had a hotdog and went on home but not before getting caught up in a truck food bank line. We had spent the morning in Parc La Fontaine reading and enjoying the duck pond.
Walked to Musee des Beaux Arts--first time there but certainly not the last. George has a guide book that mentions the top ten things to do in Montreal and it is one of them. There is a list of 10 paintings to see while there. This was my task but I couldn't find one so I asked a security guide who was very interested and tried to help me find it with no results. So a minute later two art gallery employees appear and wanted to help. They were using goggle to find the painting. Anyway we found it and most of the others and had a wonderful day. I even got to attend a water colour workshop in French--introduced to water crayons which seem perfect. Mexican food for dinner--as well as a Margarita with a bottle of beer turned upside down in it. I only had sips because I like tequila but not beer and --voila day 3 is gone.
Last day was a sleep-in, a lazy breakfast and then to the lounge to practice drawing Eiffel Towers and George sorted photos. The lounge is like an old fashion drawing room--we spent most of the day there--delightful. Then we walked to a pedestrian street, Prince Arthur, had dinner at Else's, a bar type restaurant which probably hasn't changed since the 50's. The owner was Norwegian so there are many trolls around. There was little park with a fountain in the middle which was a relaxing place to sit and watch people. Today is Sheryl's birthday. She is celebrating with Neil and other friends in Franschhoek, SA.
And so VIA will take us to Ottawa and then a drive to Prescott. We are in the country, along the mighty St. Lawrence for two weeks. We have spent a relaxing time: watching the River and the ships going by, sitting on the dock, listening to train whistles, seeing plays and concerts, gardening which included getting rid of potato bugs Bob McLaughlin style and eating peas in the garden, reading, visiting, painting, taking care of stuff and mowing the lawn. We got the kayak out but it made me nervous to be in it alone. So we carried the canoe down to the River and had a lovely paddle. There are many big ships on the River. Our nephew is playing Roller Derby in Calgary so while the cats are away, we are playing. I am delighted that I have now completed lesson 13 in wc and also painted a few Eiffel Towers. We had a lovely evening with our niece and her partner--lovely food and great company.
Today is Grant's birthday. Part of his celebration will be a dramatic reading of his favourite play, "The Importance of Being Earnest". There will be 10 readers with food and cake afterwards.
Jack and Judd arrived home after a long day in the car. We had a fine visit and met some of their friends. And now we are in Sandy Hill cat sitting. Robbie is a fine cat--came out to check us out. He and George became pals. This place is on three levels with a back staircase that goes down to the ground. We need to close and lock two doors when we go. Robbie likes to spend time in the stair well so one would trick him into coming into the kitchen while the other closed and locked the doors. He figures us out so George would go down or up the stairs and herd him into the kitchen. The cat is very well behaved. He also follows George up stairs to the bathroom George uses and when George pats him, we hear purrs and it is the cat! We had a fine but busy time in Ottawa. We had a lovely bd dinner with Grant at Belmont, a small plates restaurant, the food and company was excellent. Is it possible he was born 28 years ago! We visited with Karen's grandsons, had tea with M & W, celebrated a bd dinner with friends. George had lunch with a friend and I had coffee with another.
Company of Fools was performing in Strathcona Park--enjoyed the performance but first had to buy two lawn chairs that weigh a ton but were comfortable to sit on. Then we went to the Oydessy Theatre production the next night but first a picnic with friends. Both were delightful.
I got new glasses which need adjustments and I got a new iPad mini. We started our shopping at the Apple store at the Rideau Centre but they didn't have the keyboard to fit the one we wanted. There was some discussion whether to buy a 2 or 4. Next we went to Staples, they had the keyboard but no 4's. So I was ready to give up. We texted Sheryl and Neil and chatted with Noah and Claire and the consensus was best to buy the newest. The next day we went to Best Buy and found exactly what we wanted including a wonderful technician who didn't roll his eyes once at my questions. Yay Us.
Tomorrow we will go to church, have lunch with a couple there and then on to Belleville and Sandbanks for a couple of days.
And so to Paris--our hostess talks a mile a minute. This time we have a bedroom, bathroom and use of the kitchen in her apartment which is huge. We are in the area of Montparnesse which is less of a tourist area and very interesting. George climbed to the top of Notre Dame Cathedral and I visited the church part. I happened along to a choir singing in the church which was lovely. I finished reading a book while I waited for George. He really enjoyed the views from the top and was exhilarated when he returned. I don't like closed-in spaces and probably would have a hard time with all those steps. We walked and walked--a grand day. Here is something cool: Celine is performing in Paris tomorrow night but alas there are no available tickets and more shows have been added. We visited the book shop called "Shakespeare and Company". A very old, interesting place--the top floor has old books and many places to sit. There were young people sitting in every spot, reading away--so young people are still reading! Yay.
While visiting the Luxembourg Garden, we were watching many children playing with small sail boats on a large pond. The boats were rented and each child had a stick to push them around and each sailboat had a flag from a different country. We watched two small girls whose boat had a Canadian flag so we asked them if they were from Canada. They said no but they had lived in Toronto. Their father said the girls had chosen a Canadian flag boat so no one would connect them to Trump--they live in Tennessee. Mondays in Paris are when lots of museums are closed.
Wow, Iceland has beaten England in the EuroCup. What a shock, especially to England. We will try to watch the Portuguese game on Thursday.
Our day didn't go as planned today. George went off to the Catacombs but after waiting for 1 1/2 hours, decided that he wasn't going to get in this time so he came to our meeting place. I have no interested in walking in tunnels so I went to Montparnasse and scouted around. I visited the Montparnasse Cemetery which was way more interesting than I expected. I have to say my expectations were pretty low as I don't enjoy cemeteries but I was amazed at the monuments and the family mausoleums-there were some really old grave stones and some as new as 2015. I wonder what they do with the old bones. I also sat on a bench there and read, as I think I want to read and relax more frequently. I bought a small black purse at a market. One would think that I like purses as I seem to be drawn to buying them. We will go out for dinner and then get packed up for our flight tomorrow.
Here we are on Argyle in Ottawa--our bodies know it is six hours later than the clocks and sunshine here. Got settled in and went to bed. Early morning rising, George has a small surgery booked for this afternoon so we prepared for it and sorted out our stuff. We are travelling with cabs as our car is still with Sheryl and Neil. I am working on changing my attitude toward cab drivers--seems I always expect to be ripped off and often my expectations are met. We often talk about not owning a car anymore so I better get a new attitude. George's surgery went well--eight stitches--all is well and we got home safely.
Had a lovely dinner with Grant at Datsun--Asian Infusion food. Food these days involves so many textures and flavours. It was fun to hear about his new position as a Procedural Clerk in the House of Commons. He is learning lots and getting settled.
And then it was Canada Day. We joined the group participating in the Living Flag--about 600 people. When we were leaving after the photo, we noted a banner near the Chateau Laurier of previous Living Flag photos and there in the right hand corner, were George, Frank, Brenda and I from a couple of years ago. Pretty cool. We walked up to the Hill but there were so many people that we didn't stay for everything. The Snowbirds were amazing as usual but the schedule was changed and we needed a hotdog before the speeches got under way. We went on home to watch the Wales/Belgium game and Sheryl and Neil joined us. We had a fine time and then had dinner at our favourite Chinese restaurant on Elgin and it rained.
We are still waking up early but always seem to fall back to sleep. Today we had brunch with Grant, Sheryl and Neil at a lovely spot and then hung out until we had to leave them at the train station. Their flight leaves from Montreal--it is always hard to say good bye but it was so special to see them. We are back to facetime until next time.
Sunday we visited with Linda and Larry and sorted through some stuff we had left there. I felt badly as we hadn't remembered that it was Larry's bd--maybe we will have lunch together later. Anyway, we had some lovely cookies and checked out their garden. Then we went to Cirque de Soliel--an anniversary gift. It was fantastic--we enjoyed every second of it. The special effects were so dramatic--there was a volcano eruption, a flood, a landslide, a waterfall, and an earthquake. The performers were superb. It was an adaption of Avatar and I won't mention the blue, Spandex bums! After the performance, we had coffee and dessert with C and M. What a day.
We have started our days of coffees and lunches--today's lunch lasted for 5 hours. I wanted to watch the Iceland/France football game so I tried to record it with Fibe but only got the pre game part. I am disappointed. After another lovely lunch with M & W, we watched the end of the Portugal/Wales game--Yay Portugal and Ronaldo. Today the stitches are out and George is fine. Now for a coffee date and then the Germany/France game, yay France.
Today marks our 44st wedding anniversary--imagine!--and Claire's birthday. Time flies. To quote Sheryl, "...happy that you got married and got the three of us". Us, too. We did have a wonderful celebration. Our lunch at the "Pure Kitchen" was really good with former neighbours. I am so glad we met them and keep in touch. I guess I can thank FB for that. The parents are lovely and the girls are sweet—we told them stories of when they were little. Parliament Hill was great. Isabel thinks Grant’s name is magic because he had requested tickets for us and as soon as we mentioned his name, we were treated like important people. Quite cool—also if he hadn’t arranged for tickets, we would not have gotten to go as the tickets were all gone. Our dinner with Grant, complete with a lovely card with all the names on it , was great. “Fauna” was the restaurant and they gave us complimentary champagne to help with the celebration. It was a lovely meal and lively conversation including memories of our wedding day.
And Portugal won the EuroCup final game. What excitement and also concern as Ronaldo was injured at the beginning of the game and didn't play the rest. We went to the Royal Oak and wore our Ronaldo shirts. Yay. We visited the Service Ontario to extend our time away and now we can be out of Canada for another year to August 2017.
And to Montreal for four nights. We are staying at a Boutique Hotel on Sherbrooke East called Armor Manoir Sherbrooke. It is part of three large mansion houses that has lots of old wood and furniture and charm and a great location. There is a four day street circus happening on Rue St. Denis which is a couple of blocks away. It covers about four blocks. The first night we watched a tightrope walker cross St. Denis in the clouds and tonight there was a group called Fracas which was spectacular. The performers dressed like acrobats walked down St. Denis and encouraged everyone to follow them. So we did--it was like the Pied Piper. We walked to a park nearby and then they put on a marvelous show-what skill and talent was displayed. It was like Cirque de Soleil. Then we had a hotdog and went on home but not before getting caught up in a truck food bank line. We had spent the morning in Parc La Fontaine reading and enjoying the duck pond.
Walked to Musee des Beaux Arts--first time there but certainly not the last. George has a guide book that mentions the top ten things to do in Montreal and it is one of them. There is a list of 10 paintings to see while there. This was my task but I couldn't find one so I asked a security guide who was very interested and tried to help me find it with no results. So a minute later two art gallery employees appear and wanted to help. They were using goggle to find the painting. Anyway we found it and most of the others and had a wonderful day. I even got to attend a water colour workshop in French--introduced to water crayons which seem perfect. Mexican food for dinner--as well as a Margarita with a bottle of beer turned upside down in it. I only had sips because I like tequila but not beer and --voila day 3 is gone.
Last day was a sleep-in, a lazy breakfast and then to the lounge to practice drawing Eiffel Towers and George sorted photos. The lounge is like an old fashion drawing room--we spent most of the day there--delightful. Then we walked to a pedestrian street, Prince Arthur, had dinner at Else's, a bar type restaurant which probably hasn't changed since the 50's. The owner was Norwegian so there are many trolls around. There was little park with a fountain in the middle which was a relaxing place to sit and watch people. Today is Sheryl's birthday. She is celebrating with Neil and other friends in Franschhoek, SA.
And so VIA will take us to Ottawa and then a drive to Prescott. We are in the country, along the mighty St. Lawrence for two weeks. We have spent a relaxing time: watching the River and the ships going by, sitting on the dock, listening to train whistles, seeing plays and concerts, gardening which included getting rid of potato bugs Bob McLaughlin style and eating peas in the garden, reading, visiting, painting, taking care of stuff and mowing the lawn. We got the kayak out but it made me nervous to be in it alone. So we carried the canoe down to the River and had a lovely paddle. There are many big ships on the River. Our nephew is playing Roller Derby in Calgary so while the cats are away, we are playing. I am delighted that I have now completed lesson 13 in wc and also painted a few Eiffel Towers. We had a lovely evening with our niece and her partner--lovely food and great company.
Today is Grant's birthday. Part of his celebration will be a dramatic reading of his favourite play, "The Importance of Being Earnest". There will be 10 readers with food and cake afterwards.
Jack and Judd arrived home after a long day in the car. We had a fine visit and met some of their friends. And now we are in Sandy Hill cat sitting. Robbie is a fine cat--came out to check us out. He and George became pals. This place is on three levels with a back staircase that goes down to the ground. We need to close and lock two doors when we go. Robbie likes to spend time in the stair well so one would trick him into coming into the kitchen while the other closed and locked the doors. He figures us out so George would go down or up the stairs and herd him into the kitchen. The cat is very well behaved. He also follows George up stairs to the bathroom George uses and when George pats him, we hear purrs and it is the cat! We had a fine but busy time in Ottawa. We had a lovely bd dinner with Grant at Belmont, a small plates restaurant, the food and company was excellent. Is it possible he was born 28 years ago! We visited with Karen's grandsons, had tea with M & W, celebrated a bd dinner with friends. George had lunch with a friend and I had coffee with another.
Company of Fools was performing in Strathcona Park--enjoyed the performance but first had to buy two lawn chairs that weigh a ton but were comfortable to sit on. Then we went to the Oydessy Theatre production the next night but first a picnic with friends. Both were delightful.
I got new glasses which need adjustments and I got a new iPad mini. We started our shopping at the Apple store at the Rideau Centre but they didn't have the keyboard to fit the one we wanted. There was some discussion whether to buy a 2 or 4. Next we went to Staples, they had the keyboard but no 4's. So I was ready to give up. We texted Sheryl and Neil and chatted with Noah and Claire and the consensus was best to buy the newest. The next day we went to Best Buy and found exactly what we wanted including a wonderful technician who didn't roll his eyes once at my questions. Yay Us.
Tomorrow we will go to church, have lunch with a couple there and then on to Belleville and Sandbanks for a couple of days.
Saturday, 25 June 2016
Paris, Esposende and Porto, Portugal June 8 to June 26
Arrived in Paris at 5 in the morning--the flight was uneventful, managed to sleep a bit as we had an extra seat between us. We are in the same time zone as SA so other than missing Sheryl and Neil and a night's sleep, we are fine. Le Bus Direct left us at the Arc de Tromphe 1 1/2 hours later and we walked to our place. George won as he saw the Eiffel Tower first. We are in the mezzanine of a very old apartment--it is comfortable but definitely needs some TLC. It is beyond its glory days. It is a very large apartment with high ceilings and lots of windows. We have a lovely balcony which looks out on many chimney pots and Sacre-Coeur. The hosts are delightful if a tad eccentric. The husband talked and talked, mostly in French, George is amazing in his ability to carry on a conversation with him. I find I can generally follow the conversation. They have another guest who is here from California learning French. (He is from China and is a computer nerd.) We had some breakfast and then George organized his stuff and I went to bed.
After showers and a nap for me, we were off. Paris is so wonderful. We walked for miles seeing the sights and enjoying the bustle that is part of this city. We walked down Champs-Elysees and stopped to ride on the Roue de Paris which gave us views of the icons. We took chairs at the pond in Jardin des Tuileries and watched life go by--many tourists. Paris is the most visited destination in the world. We continued past the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, stopped in the courtyard of the Louvre where there is a new exhibit which is called the magic of trompe l'oeil (trick of the eye). Muralist J. Jones has cast a spell over the Glass Pyramid which appears to make it disappear. George took a great photo. We walked along the Seine which is currently high as there was flooding before we arrived. We stopped in the Petit Palais for bathroom break and poked around at the exhibits just before closing time. We enjoyed a sit in the park in the shade--it had been hot and very sunny day. We were tired. When our heads hit the pillow, we were out for the next 10 hours.
Day 2 began slowly--breakfast was bread and jam and coffee. As we were getting ready to leave our balcony, we spied our hostess below on another balcony and she was smoking a cigar and proceeded to throw the butt over the balcony!
Park Monceau provided a photo shoot for George. We wandered around and relaxed. There were many exercisers and nannies and small children enjoying the park as well. There was a delightful carousel with unusual animals and bikes and train cars--each make a sound. The carousel man went around showing the children to push a button and the noise would start. I heard him say "ooo la la" to one who was extremely excited to be on a motorcycle that made the noise of one. We had coffee and then went to the Musee Jacquemart Andre--what a lovely surprise, there was an impressionist exhibit as well as the regular ones. There were also a few Madonna and baby paintings--one showed the baby swaddled so tightly that it looked like a mummy with red feet and a baby face. We chatted with an American in the cafe who is visiting for a month. Oh, we went to the second floor of a fav on Champs Elysees to watch people for awhile. We walked and walked to get home. A lovely day.
Today, our last in Paris for a couple of weeks, we wandered down Champs Elsysee, toward the Jardin des Tuileries and sat and watched the ducks play. It began to rain so we enjoyed the light rain while thinking about Woody Allen's movie, "Midnight in Paris". The Eiffel Tower has a pink and white soccer ball hanging in the middle. The EuroCup Football tournament in happening in France with some games played here in Paris and other cities. We had a lovely lunch in the Garden of the Petit Palais and took more time to check out the paintings and sculptures. It truly is a magnificent building. Then we wandered on home to relax, read and have drinks with our hosts in their parlour. We had crepes for dinner. We are seeing a different part of Paris this time. Now we are packing and will leave here at 6:00 am to get the bus to Orly airport. The bus picked us up at Champs Elysee and travelled around the round about and then right past the Eiffel tower on our way. On our flight to Portugal, we were sitting right behind Business Class and as soon as we were airborne, about 6 Portuguese women rushed beyond the curtain. It put me in mind of that old Wayne and Schuster sketch about the party happening in first class.
Here is my toe story: As we were getting ready to leave for the airport, a monster thing fell out of the closet and right on my big toe. It hurt very much and turned very purple and was throbbing a bit during the walking, busing and on our airplane but was lots better by the following morning. Yay.
And here we are in Porto, our driver was waiting to take us to Esposende. We have to explore while we wait for our room to be ready. We are living across the street from the sea--the place has some beautiful paintings which I plan to admire again. Had a delightful walk around town on Monday--also Magnum ice cream bars. Esposende is a sleeping little place with many coffee shops and squares. Here is an example of how Portugal works. We went to the tourist info--there were four people sitting at the desk looking at computer screens not noticing us. We looked around, picked up a few brochures and used an electronic info thing. Finally, we asked our questions re: getting to the market, what is happening this week and getting to Porto on Sunday. The man was helpful and as we were leaving they all got up and left as well. It was lunch time and I think they had been waiting for us to go so they could have lunch.
Raining today so that means a chance to paint. The paintings here are lovely so I wanted to attempt at least one. I remember when we were here before, that I loved the paintings.
The Football game for the EurpCup between Portugal and Iceland is being shown on a large screen outdoors this evening. We had our dinner at the restaurant that sponsored this event. It was fun to be there with all the Portuguese people although they are pretty calm fans. After the game, George read in an English newspaper that tying the game with Portugal was probably the best thing that happened to Iceland since the 1200s.
What a sleepy, lazy day we had today--it was rainy so we stayed in and I painted and George did stuff with the computer. By 17h00, the sun was shining and we were walking beside the Atlantic Ocean and sitting on the Dunes. Thursday was market day in Barcelos (Barcellosh) so we got on the bus and I said Bom Dia (good morning) and helped with paying the driver and then instead of saying Obrogata I repeated Bom Dia. Hummmmm guess I need to practice more. Anyway, at the market, I wanted to buy a purse for my not-bought-yet Ipad. George had checked the sizes so I figured my purse needed to be about 12 ins. deep so it would fit. So I was off to find a measuring instrument. I found a lady who was selling ribbon and fabric and only spoke Portuguese. I tried to explain what I needed. The fellow behind me spoke English and French and his wife spoke French and Portuguese so he told his wife and the wife told the lady and she sold me the ribbon for 30 euro cents and I bought my bag. It rained again and the tarps that covered the market stalls were heavy with water and they were many spills. We saw many rooster statues which are the symbol of Portugal.
We watched the Poland/Germany soccer game in a restaurant in the evening. I think I could get into watching soccer. This afternoon we walked on the beach and enjoyed sitting on the dunes. The sky was blue, blue, blue and the sun was shining. Some swimmers were doing para/kite surfing which was wonderful to watch. I know it is not in the cards for me.
We stopped for coffee at one of the many small cafes. The owner didn't speak English but did speak French so George ordered coffee for him and port for me.
I had some colour added and had some length removed from my hair. The hairdresser didn't speak English but seemed to understand English. It is amazing how much communication happens with gestures. As usual, my hair will be fine in about two weeks. We will have another beach/pool day--George skipped stones into the Atlantic Ocean. We had Magnums which in our minds are equal to being in Portugal because that is the first place we ever had the yummy ice cream on a stick.
We went to the square to have dinner and to watch the next Portuguese football game. Poor old Ronaldo had a few great shots on goal but once he was off side and the other time he hit the goal post. Needless to say, the fans and us were disappointed with a 0 to 0 tie.
And on to Porto--we took the bus from Esposende and all was well until we arrived here. George and I were that last two on the bus and then the driver stopped and motioned for us to get out. He had been grouchy with everyone since leaving Esposende and this trip was to end at the bus depot not in the middle of the street. Anyway, at first we couldn't get a cab to stop and then a fellow came from the bar and showed us where to get a cab. Our place is in the best location--right on the Douro River and in the middle of where John the Baptist Day celebrations will happen on June 23rd. Our hostess came over to tell us how to use the washing machine--turns out it doesn't work so she offered to do our laundry--we have hardly any clean clothes because we were counting on doing it here. So we went to her place--she lives behind this building--and filled her washer. She said she would dry it and it would be ready tomorrow. We thought it would be done today so we even put our pjs in--Oh My.
Our laundry is back but they used a very strong detergent--it will take a few days to air it out. We had a lovely walk over the bridge to the other side of the river. Watched some of the England/Slovakia game.
After showers and a nap for me, we were off. Paris is so wonderful. We walked for miles seeing the sights and enjoying the bustle that is part of this city. We walked down Champs-Elysees and stopped to ride on the Roue de Paris which gave us views of the icons. We took chairs at the pond in Jardin des Tuileries and watched life go by--many tourists. Paris is the most visited destination in the world. We continued past the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, stopped in the courtyard of the Louvre where there is a new exhibit which is called the magic of trompe l'oeil (trick of the eye). Muralist J. Jones has cast a spell over the Glass Pyramid which appears to make it disappear. George took a great photo. We walked along the Seine which is currently high as there was flooding before we arrived. We stopped in the Petit Palais for bathroom break and poked around at the exhibits just before closing time. We enjoyed a sit in the park in the shade--it had been hot and very sunny day. We were tired. When our heads hit the pillow, we were out for the next 10 hours.
Day 2 began slowly--breakfast was bread and jam and coffee. As we were getting ready to leave our balcony, we spied our hostess below on another balcony and she was smoking a cigar and proceeded to throw the butt over the balcony!
Park Monceau provided a photo shoot for George. We wandered around and relaxed. There were many exercisers and nannies and small children enjoying the park as well. There was a delightful carousel with unusual animals and bikes and train cars--each make a sound. The carousel man went around showing the children to push a button and the noise would start. I heard him say "ooo la la" to one who was extremely excited to be on a motorcycle that made the noise of one. We had coffee and then went to the Musee Jacquemart Andre--what a lovely surprise, there was an impressionist exhibit as well as the regular ones. There were also a few Madonna and baby paintings--one showed the baby swaddled so tightly that it looked like a mummy with red feet and a baby face. We chatted with an American in the cafe who is visiting for a month. Oh, we went to the second floor of a fav on Champs Elysees to watch people for awhile. We walked and walked to get home. A lovely day.
Today, our last in Paris for a couple of weeks, we wandered down Champs Elsysee, toward the Jardin des Tuileries and sat and watched the ducks play. It began to rain so we enjoyed the light rain while thinking about Woody Allen's movie, "Midnight in Paris". The Eiffel Tower has a pink and white soccer ball hanging in the middle. The EuroCup Football tournament in happening in France with some games played here in Paris and other cities. We had a lovely lunch in the Garden of the Petit Palais and took more time to check out the paintings and sculptures. It truly is a magnificent building. Then we wandered on home to relax, read and have drinks with our hosts in their parlour. We had crepes for dinner. We are seeing a different part of Paris this time. Now we are packing and will leave here at 6:00 am to get the bus to Orly airport. The bus picked us up at Champs Elysee and travelled around the round about and then right past the Eiffel tower on our way. On our flight to Portugal, we were sitting right behind Business Class and as soon as we were airborne, about 6 Portuguese women rushed beyond the curtain. It put me in mind of that old Wayne and Schuster sketch about the party happening in first class.
Here is my toe story: As we were getting ready to leave for the airport, a monster thing fell out of the closet and right on my big toe. It hurt very much and turned very purple and was throbbing a bit during the walking, busing and on our airplane but was lots better by the following morning. Yay.
And here we are in Porto, our driver was waiting to take us to Esposende. We have to explore while we wait for our room to be ready. We are living across the street from the sea--the place has some beautiful paintings which I plan to admire again. Had a delightful walk around town on Monday--also Magnum ice cream bars. Esposende is a sleeping little place with many coffee shops and squares. Here is an example of how Portugal works. We went to the tourist info--there were four people sitting at the desk looking at computer screens not noticing us. We looked around, picked up a few brochures and used an electronic info thing. Finally, we asked our questions re: getting to the market, what is happening this week and getting to Porto on Sunday. The man was helpful and as we were leaving they all got up and left as well. It was lunch time and I think they had been waiting for us to go so they could have lunch.
Raining today so that means a chance to paint. The paintings here are lovely so I wanted to attempt at least one. I remember when we were here before, that I loved the paintings.
The Football game for the EurpCup between Portugal and Iceland is being shown on a large screen outdoors this evening. We had our dinner at the restaurant that sponsored this event. It was fun to be there with all the Portuguese people although they are pretty calm fans. After the game, George read in an English newspaper that tying the game with Portugal was probably the best thing that happened to Iceland since the 1200s.
What a sleepy, lazy day we had today--it was rainy so we stayed in and I painted and George did stuff with the computer. By 17h00, the sun was shining and we were walking beside the Atlantic Ocean and sitting on the Dunes. Thursday was market day in Barcelos (Barcellosh) so we got on the bus and I said Bom Dia (good morning) and helped with paying the driver and then instead of saying Obrogata I repeated Bom Dia. Hummmmm guess I need to practice more. Anyway, at the market, I wanted to buy a purse for my not-bought-yet Ipad. George had checked the sizes so I figured my purse needed to be about 12 ins. deep so it would fit. So I was off to find a measuring instrument. I found a lady who was selling ribbon and fabric and only spoke Portuguese. I tried to explain what I needed. The fellow behind me spoke English and French and his wife spoke French and Portuguese so he told his wife and the wife told the lady and she sold me the ribbon for 30 euro cents and I bought my bag. It rained again and the tarps that covered the market stalls were heavy with water and they were many spills. We saw many rooster statues which are the symbol of Portugal.
We watched the Poland/Germany soccer game in a restaurant in the evening. I think I could get into watching soccer. This afternoon we walked on the beach and enjoyed sitting on the dunes. The sky was blue, blue, blue and the sun was shining. Some swimmers were doing para/kite surfing which was wonderful to watch. I know it is not in the cards for me.
We stopped for coffee at one of the many small cafes. The owner didn't speak English but did speak French so George ordered coffee for him and port for me.
I had some colour added and had some length removed from my hair. The hairdresser didn't speak English but seemed to understand English. It is amazing how much communication happens with gestures. As usual, my hair will be fine in about two weeks. We will have another beach/pool day--George skipped stones into the Atlantic Ocean. We had Magnums which in our minds are equal to being in Portugal because that is the first place we ever had the yummy ice cream on a stick.
We went to the square to have dinner and to watch the next Portuguese football game. Poor old Ronaldo had a few great shots on goal but once he was off side and the other time he hit the goal post. Needless to say, the fans and us were disappointed with a 0 to 0 tie.
And on to Porto--we took the bus from Esposende and all was well until we arrived here. George and I were that last two on the bus and then the driver stopped and motioned for us to get out. He had been grouchy with everyone since leaving Esposende and this trip was to end at the bus depot not in the middle of the street. Anyway, at first we couldn't get a cab to stop and then a fellow came from the bar and showed us where to get a cab. Our place is in the best location--right on the Douro River and in the middle of where John the Baptist Day celebrations will happen on June 23rd. Our hostess came over to tell us how to use the washing machine--turns out it doesn't work so she offered to do our laundry--we have hardly any clean clothes because we were counting on doing it here. So we went to her place--she lives behind this building--and filled her washer. She said she would dry it and it would be ready tomorrow. We thought it would be done today so we even put our pjs in--Oh My.
Our laundry is back but they used a very strong detergent--it will take a few days to air it out. We had a lovely walk over the bridge to the other side of the river. Watched some of the England/Slovakia game.
We had a good day today (Tuesday). We used the Teleferico de
Gaia (read cable car) to get to the top of the second bridge and then
walked over the bridge and toured around on the other side of the
river. We went to a fancy McDonald’s, used to be called the Imperial
café. One of our traditions is to go to the big M in a new city. We bought some hammers for Festa de Sao Joao (Festival of St. John)
celebration. This is the Mad Midsummer Party where people party all night
on the 23 of June. In the past people would hit others on the head with a
large leek or a large smelly garlic stem, these days you can buy a plastic
hammer that squeaks. Supposedly, the hit is to show that you like the
hittee. We also made Baloeiros which are like hot air balloons made
out of tissue paper. Cotton is soaked with paraffin and lit to make the air hot
inside and it floats. The tradition is to make a wish before letting it go.
If it catches on fire, it is necessary to stomp on it. It was
serendipitous as we just happened to walk by the place when the construction
was happening. We will attend some of the party but will not be up
all night as we are geysers. The day after is a holiday and there
will be a regatta of barcos rabeirs, the wooden, flat bottomed boats that were
traditionally used to transport wine from Douro Valley to the port houses. We
have been invited to our hostess’s for dinner which will include grilled sardines.
We had a tour of Sandeman which is a port house down the street from us. The symbol is a person dressed in black that resembles Zorro. Our guide wore this costume and she looked great. We had a port tasting with our group and chatted with some fellows--two from Czech Republic who are studying computer science in Portugal and the other is a nurse from the Philippines who works in Cambridge--just started and he gets 9 weeks of holidays. Then we had a delicious lunch at Taylor's another port house. We had the best table on the balcony overlooking Porto and the Douro River. To get there we walked up a few skinny, winding rabbit warrens. In the evening, we went out to buy a basil plant as a hostess gift. These plants are everywhere and are part of the celebration. When you bounce your hand on the top, it smells lovely. On seeing me carry it, a lady stopped us to tell us about the festival--most we already knew but she was being kind.
Well, Porto really knows how to do a party. This festival is one of the best I have ever been part of--wow! We strolled around in the day time but really things only got under way after 20h00. We went to our hostess's courtyard which is just behind where we live. There were many people there. We wore our Ronaldo shirts and took our hammers. Also, a basil plant which is a symbol of good health, luck and fortune and some dark chocolate which goes well with port. We could converse with some of the friends there--one fellow and George discussed football/soccer for a long while. The food was tasty--highlights were the sardines and a yummy cake. There was also a cake which had the symbols of the festival-hammers, basil plant and St. John. (Sao Joao). We also took our baloerios--one of the guests had one that floated really nicely. It is the same idea as hot air balloons--lighting the paraffin soaked cotton puts hot air into the balloon part and it floats very high. The men at the party were really keen to get the baloerios to float. I am afraid mine had to be stomped because it just wouldn't go up. All evening we saw hundreds in the sky floating away.
The fireworks were the best I have ever seen anywhere. They had five barges in the river that were spouting the lights and the bridge had one that looked like a water fall running down one side. The street in front of our building was so crowded and it is two hours since the fireworks ended and people are still trying to get to the bridge to return to the other side. They are singing and clapping just outside our window and probably will be for another hour.
The hammer thing was a blast. A lady stood on the opposite side of our street and was selling plastic hammers. She started with three bags full and by the fireworks, she had about six left. People just tap who ever is near them on the head. We also saw some garlic stems in the crowd which were used instead of hammers. The crowd was estimated to be 200,000 and I think they are all passing past our window. It is 2h00. Oh, what a night!
Friday, today, is a holiday here and also for us. Yay, we had a great sleep-in and when we looked out the window, we were surprised how clean everything was. Seems the cleaners have been through. There is one blue baloeiro stuck in the tree nearby. We will have a quite day and then watch the regatta.
Portugal will play Croatia today (25), we will don our Ronaldo shirts and join the crew at the Square near City Hall. It has been a wonderful week.
And so to Paris, arriving at 19h00 June 26.
Well, Porto really knows how to do a party. This festival is one of the best I have ever been part of--wow! We strolled around in the day time but really things only got under way after 20h00. We went to our hostess's courtyard which is just behind where we live. There were many people there. We wore our Ronaldo shirts and took our hammers. Also, a basil plant which is a symbol of good health, luck and fortune and some dark chocolate which goes well with port. We could converse with some of the friends there--one fellow and George discussed football/soccer for a long while. The food was tasty--highlights were the sardines and a yummy cake. There was also a cake which had the symbols of the festival-hammers, basil plant and St. John. (Sao Joao). We also took our baloerios--one of the guests had one that floated really nicely. It is the same idea as hot air balloons--lighting the paraffin soaked cotton puts hot air into the balloon part and it floats very high. The men at the party were really keen to get the baloerios to float. I am afraid mine had to be stomped because it just wouldn't go up. All evening we saw hundreds in the sky floating away.
The fireworks were the best I have ever seen anywhere. They had five barges in the river that were spouting the lights and the bridge had one that looked like a water fall running down one side. The street in front of our building was so crowded and it is two hours since the fireworks ended and people are still trying to get to the bridge to return to the other side. They are singing and clapping just outside our window and probably will be for another hour.
The hammer thing was a blast. A lady stood on the opposite side of our street and was selling plastic hammers. She started with three bags full and by the fireworks, she had about six left. People just tap who ever is near them on the head. We also saw some garlic stems in the crowd which were used instead of hammers. The crowd was estimated to be 200,000 and I think they are all passing past our window. It is 2h00. Oh, what a night!
Friday, today, is a holiday here and also for us. Yay, we had a great sleep-in and when we looked out the window, we were surprised how clean everything was. Seems the cleaners have been through. There is one blue baloeiro stuck in the tree nearby. We will have a quite day and then watch the regatta.
Portugal will play Croatia today (25), we will don our Ronaldo shirts and join the crew at the Square near City Hall. It has been a wonderful week.
And so to Paris, arriving at 19h00 June 26.
Tuesday, 7 June 2016
Cape Town and Namibia and Pretoria and Swaziland Bushfire May 9 to June 8, 2016
Our trip began with the Union/Pearson Express Train which took us to the airport. In seven hours we were in Amsterdam and then ten more took us to Cape Town and our driver who brought us safely to our place ....... It is lovely and rustic and has a huge jacuzzi tub and a veranda on the roof. It was great to get into the sixtieth bed since leaving Ottawa on November 30, 2014. We slept late and then, had coffee and omelets at Origin. We walked to the harbour and enjoyed the sights and the Ferris wheel ride. Oh, we had a discount because we are seniors. Since my last birthday, the government has been paying me to be alive. Yay. We shopped for some food and came home for a quiet evening.
We had a face time session with Brienne and Claire. She has completed her courses for this term and did very well. Sheryl, who is in Port Elizabeth on business, sent some emails. She and Neil will meet us in Cape Town on Friday. Grant has been offered a new position as a procedural clerk in the House of Commons, which is exactly what he was hoping for. Details are still scant but he will begin on May 26th (which would have been Gladie's bd). Yay.
Thursday, I had to sleep in so instead of a Hop On Hop Off tour,we went to the District 6 museum. Our guide had been a young man when the powers decided that the whole district should be moved to townships. He was allowed to return in the last few years but is a tad bitter. All of the rest of his family has passed on. It is quite sad all the things that happened during Apartheid. The decision to give the land back smacks of similar things in Canada.
We had coffee and a steam dog at "Truth". I usually don't eat hot dogs anywhere but in North America, but this one was delicious. On Friday, we had a motorcycle/sidecar ride. It was funny as I first noticed it and thought it would be a fun thing and then started to change my mind and then George decided that it would be fun and so we went off with a driver. We saw some lovely scenery and went up to Signal Hill. And on the top there were people doing parasailing. Maybe that should be on our bucket list. It has been a great time in Cape Town. Our driver from Tuesday, returned to take us to the airport to meet Sheryl and Neil. He was quite chatty and told us that cooking was his passion--gave us a lesson about cooking crayfish. He tended to talk with his hands at times so that was a bit disconcerting.
Sheryl and Neil arrived. While we were waiting there were two families reuniting with a travelling parent coming home. It was so sweet to watch how excited the children were to see the parent arriving. The arrival part of airports is quite heart warming. We rented a car and left for Franschhoek which is about one hour from CT. We were staying at a lovely winery hotel, Asara. We attended the literary festival--we all had tickets for four events over the two days. One of my sessions was a discussion about how the future is effected by the past. One of the authors wrote, "God, Spies, Lies"--I must read it. Even though I am starting to know a bit about SA politics, many times in this discussion, I felt a tad lost. I also attended a string quartet which included a pianist in the second half. Two of the other sessions that I attended were about authors talking about the processes of writing their books. So many books, so little time.
Today is Monday and we are in Namibia---flew from Cape Town leaving at 6:30 am which is way too early. We rented a giant 4X4 truck thing which will be useful if we get driving in the dunes and gravel roads. It is a Toyota, Hilux--turned out there were many of them at our hotel as there is some convention happening. Also, they are shooting an ad which we will likely see sometime. Namibia is on the Atlantic Ocean and is mainly desert. We had a lovely walk on the beach and now must go to bed.
Oh what a day--after breakfast on Tuesday, we were off to Sandwich Harbour and a Land Rover tour of the dunes. I can't express the amazingness of seeing sand dunes and more sand dunes and more sand dunes. We had an excellent driver who could drive down one dune and up the next and repeat and repeat. We climbed to the top--well, to be honest, George and Sheryl and Neil climbed to the top--I stopped in the middle and waited for their return. I made a sand angel. Neil jumped over the edge of a dune into much more sand. It is hard to stand on the top of a dune and realize that it is 110 meters deep. That is a lot of sand. We were surprised to see jackals, springboks, oryxes and many birds including flocks of flamingos. In the middle of the tour, we stopped for a champagne snack which included oysters--delightful, well, not the oysters! Sheryl said at the end of the day that things just kept getting better and they started our just fine. I would go on this tour again in a minute. Our driver was so keen--even seemed excited to see some of the animals--got his giant camera out and took photos, too. This was our very own piece of "Fury Road".
Our next day--after another lovely breakfast, George and I walked on the beach and checked out the market which was quite uncomfortable. The sellers were like flies on honey--we did finally buy a mask for Grant and were glad to have escaped with our lives. Then we rode quads in the dunes. I was quite frightened about this escapade--after the first few feet, I would have been happy to stop and we were still on the concrete. Anyway, our guide was excellent and very encouraging. It was scary going up the dunes but worse coming down. I learned later that when asked if we could go faster, he said that he didn't think Mama (Mama meaning me! Guess I have arrived to oldhood.) wanted to go any faster. I gained confidence as we went. We stopped in the middle and Neil went down the dune on a board for sliding--it was very far and fun for him. Then our guide went down to pick him up on his quad. It was so cold for a short while when the fog rolled in. Someone said that in Namiba, one can experience all the seasons in one day! We spend 2 hours driving in the dunes. I felt like I was glad to stop but would not have missed the experience for a minute.
Tomorrow we are off to a new location called Outpost and that is exactly what it seemed like. It was way darker than the farm ever was. We have two rustic, well equipped chalets. The trip here was mostly on gravel roads which Neil and our truck thing managed just fine. We had a lovely dinner and then checked out the stars. The moon is nearly full. We can get on the roof of our chalet to star gaze. We went to bed early as we were going on a balloon ride the next morning and have to leave here by 4:00 am. The balloon ride was spectacular-so much sand and mountains of rock. We floated along and the pilot brought our balloon down so the trees brushed the bottom of the basket. Then we had a marvelous, champagne breakfast at the bottom of a sand dune. Desert! Yay.
Our early rising meant a nap time for me while George organized photos and Neil and Sheryl had a walk around the site. We have been relaxing by the pool and doing email stuff. It is so lovely. Next day, we drove on the gravel, stony roads to Namib Park to see and climb the dunes. I wasn't planning to climb as by the time we arrived it was very hot. George and Sheryl and Neil climbed for 2 hours while I read and played Angry Birds in the shade. They were hot and tired when they returned but also exhilarated after the climb. The sand was really quite orange. We also walked on Dune 45 which was amazing. Our shoes were too small because they were of the fine sand. It is still difficult to take in all the dunes. What an amazing country.
Alas, our last day in Namibia is Sunday. We are now in Pretoria after six hours on very bumpy, gravel roads, one place there was water over the road. That is the most water we have seen here. They haven't had rain in 4 years. Anyway, back to the travel, we arrived at Windhoek which is the capital and from where we will fly to Jo'burg. Our flight was uneventful which is always nice. We picked up the car and are now getting settled in our usual room at Sheryl and Neil's. Yay. We have been en route since 8:00 this morning and it is 21h00 here. While they go to work, we will have a quiet day tomorrow. Namibia was the best.
Three days of relaxing--we hardly strayed from this place. I did spend one day following a watercolour painting course--did two lessons. Yay. George has been sorting photos. We walked to a nearby shopping centre for coffee, groceries and a haircut for me.
We attended a Quiz night at the High Commission. Our group, called "The Wheat Kings" won a prize for being last. Maybe because the questions were tough and certainly, trivia is not a strong point for me. Anyway, I meet a colleague of Sheryl's who knew of PattiCakes in Ottawa. Small world.
And now we are off to Bushfire Music Fest in Swaziland. The car is packed with stuff because we will be "glamping" while at the festival. The border process was interesting. We had to show passports and get the car approved on the way out of SA and again on the way in to Swaziland. The lines were long because many were going there as well. Our wait was a tad shorted because the car has a diplomatic licence and both S & N have diplomatic passports. We were travelling there with five friends of Sheryl and Neil's. Unfortunately, the roads were bumpy and uneven in places and the other carload had an accident. (I will refer to them by the first initials because I forgot to get permission to use their names--V, D, Y, M, L) We were following and when we arrived their car was in the ditch, going the wrong way. What a shock to learn that they had got caught in gravel and flipped over and then landed on the tires. Miracle of miracles, no one was hurt except Y had a very sore neck. Oh, yeah, and it was dark--darkness comes really quickly and we were in the middle of nowhere. So what to do? A few cars stopped and one guy said he would call the police and report the accident. So while Sheryl drove D, Y, and L to the nearest clinic which was forever away. (George and I went too.) Neil and V and M stayed with the car to wait for the police which took forever too. We spent many hours at the clinic and Y ended up with a neck brace and the others were OK. Interesting fact: the private clinic we went to didn't have a radiologist to read the x-rays so they sent them by phone to L's father who is a radiologist in Chicago. They also sent the results to a radiologist in SA. Meanwhile, back at the accident car, the three were giving statements and the police were writing things and looking and were very helpful and kind. A tow truck finally arrived and the driving agreed to drive them to Bushfire grounds. He then towed the car to the SA border and the insurance guys would get it the next day. Riding in the tow truck: the two women shared the seat with the driver while Neil stretched out in the box and viewed the stars. Trucks here are called "Buckies". By the time we all got to the "glamping" place it was midnight.
Now let me talk about that--"glamping" is just camping in tents with cots and sleeping bags and dark. The write-up was a stuff up! (This is a new expression learned in relation to the border crossing). Anyway, George and I got into our tent and it was dark, very dark, and also cold as it is winter here and the temperatures go down around 9 degrees or less at night. Imagine us stumbling around, putting something down and loosing it and maybe never finding it again and it was dark even though we had flashlights. Wait a minute, we hate camping even if it is called "glamping". I put on many clothes and zipped up my bag and put my head inside like a turtle and tried not to move much. Good that morning came. Oh, the good news was that we were so close that we could walk to the events, but the bad news was we could hear the music until 3:00 am. I think I won't talk about the bathrooms and the showers because George says that was too traumatic.
We had a delightful day listening to many bands and cruising the food court and the market place and eating. It was 22h00 and we were waiting for a special band to begin and George went looking for a bathroom, I was cold so I moved nearer to a table that had a heater. There were two women sitting there and a man standing. I asked if I might sit to get warmer and that was fine. I said I would move when the man wanted the chair. They were from Limpopo which is a province in SA. Anyway, the group was quite dozy waiting for the band to begin. Finally I asked the man if he wanted the chair and wait for this, he said, "No, you have it because you are old". I was warm and willing to play the old card in order to stay near the heater but felt a tad hurt. Do I really look that old? We chatted and he was surprised that we were from Canada. (English was not his first language so our conversation was short and really he didn't look much younger than me.) Anyway, when the band started, the other mate and my mate arrived and we all danced around and enjoyed the music.
After the band player, we walked home to enjoy another night glamping. Did I mention that breakfast next morning was better than Saturday morning's which was awful? There was light at the end of today's tunnel, we are moving to a guest house for Sunday night. Yay. We enjoyed some more bands and missed some as they was a "stuff up" at the border and they didn't arrive. Who would have thought crossing the border would be such a big deal. V who owned the crashed car spent the day shuttling to the airport and around getting a rental car that they could all drive home in. By 20h00, we had all arrived to the Guest House which was lovely and they served a very delicious meal. It was a table d'hote and we could order small plates and taste everything. What a delightful time, good food, good company and fire places. At one point in the meal when we were discussing travel, D said, "When I get big, I want to be you (ie me)!" She was wise not to say, when I get old!
Next morning, which was Monday, we had a delicious breakfast and were on our way from Swaziland. We stopped at a glass factory where they make beautiful things using recycled glass. We had to buy a few things, including a glass elephant. Imagine buying an elephant when I don't have a house to display it in. Oh, well, S & N will enjoy it on our behalf. It was great to be back in Pretoria and home again. What an unforgettable weekend, including these great friends.
Our many driving trips, were made much better because we listened to podcasts and a Sherlock Holmes series that Neil had downloaded. We also listened to Cat Stevens which is a fav for us all.
Wednesday when Rose comes to tidy, George and I took the Gautrain to Jo'burg. We had planned to go to the Rosebank to shop but there was a stuff up between there and Sandton, so we stayed at Sandton. I found a pair of black leggings, a cozy pj for Sheryl, but no runners. The sizes are different and I was looking for black ones so they could also be a bit more dressy. My current runners are done--all that sand in Namibia.
We are discovering that it is possible to walk somewhere in this neighbourhood although we may have been the only white people who walk anywhere. Our first walk was to a shopping centre where I got a hair cut. The hair washer person also massaged my neck and hands which was lovely. She also brought me some magazines which were written in Afrikaans. We had coffee as well. Yesterday we had coffee at Woolies (Woolworths is an upscale grocery store and sometimes clothing shop here.) Our young waitress cleared up the value of Rand coins for us but was disappointed that we didn't have any Canadian money to show her. Then we shopped at the "Housewives' Market" which is at the other end of the scale and has large quantities of stuff including nuts. We bought nuts to make granola which is a fav of Neil.
Had some relaxing days--I am delighted that I have done up to Lesson 7 in my wc painting book. I have been moving the patio table into the sun and painting until my heart is content. I watched a Quebec movie called "Lawrence Anyways" about a transgender man and the trials of change. Interesting and sad and somewhat complicated.
Our wonderful time here is fast speeding away. We had many lovely meals together and enjoyed many laughs. We will miss Sheryl and Neil but will see them briefly in Ottawa when they are in Canada to celebrate the anniversary of Neil's parents. Next stop-Paris!
We had a face time session with Brienne and Claire. She has completed her courses for this term and did very well. Sheryl, who is in Port Elizabeth on business, sent some emails. She and Neil will meet us in Cape Town on Friday. Grant has been offered a new position as a procedural clerk in the House of Commons, which is exactly what he was hoping for. Details are still scant but he will begin on May 26th (which would have been Gladie's bd). Yay.
Thursday, I had to sleep in so instead of a Hop On Hop Off tour,we went to the District 6 museum. Our guide had been a young man when the powers decided that the whole district should be moved to townships. He was allowed to return in the last few years but is a tad bitter. All of the rest of his family has passed on. It is quite sad all the things that happened during Apartheid. The decision to give the land back smacks of similar things in Canada.
We had coffee and a steam dog at "Truth". I usually don't eat hot dogs anywhere but in North America, but this one was delicious. On Friday, we had a motorcycle/sidecar ride. It was funny as I first noticed it and thought it would be a fun thing and then started to change my mind and then George decided that it would be fun and so we went off with a driver. We saw some lovely scenery and went up to Signal Hill. And on the top there were people doing parasailing. Maybe that should be on our bucket list. It has been a great time in Cape Town. Our driver from Tuesday, returned to take us to the airport to meet Sheryl and Neil. He was quite chatty and told us that cooking was his passion--gave us a lesson about cooking crayfish. He tended to talk with his hands at times so that was a bit disconcerting.
Sheryl and Neil arrived. While we were waiting there were two families reuniting with a travelling parent coming home. It was so sweet to watch how excited the children were to see the parent arriving. The arrival part of airports is quite heart warming. We rented a car and left for Franschhoek which is about one hour from CT. We were staying at a lovely winery hotel, Asara. We attended the literary festival--we all had tickets for four events over the two days. One of my sessions was a discussion about how the future is effected by the past. One of the authors wrote, "God, Spies, Lies"--I must read it. Even though I am starting to know a bit about SA politics, many times in this discussion, I felt a tad lost. I also attended a string quartet which included a pianist in the second half. Two of the other sessions that I attended were about authors talking about the processes of writing their books. So many books, so little time.
Today is Monday and we are in Namibia---flew from Cape Town leaving at 6:30 am which is way too early. We rented a giant 4X4 truck thing which will be useful if we get driving in the dunes and gravel roads. It is a Toyota, Hilux--turned out there were many of them at our hotel as there is some convention happening. Also, they are shooting an ad which we will likely see sometime. Namibia is on the Atlantic Ocean and is mainly desert. We had a lovely walk on the beach and now must go to bed.
Oh what a day--after breakfast on Tuesday, we were off to Sandwich Harbour and a Land Rover tour of the dunes. I can't express the amazingness of seeing sand dunes and more sand dunes and more sand dunes. We had an excellent driver who could drive down one dune and up the next and repeat and repeat. We climbed to the top--well, to be honest, George and Sheryl and Neil climbed to the top--I stopped in the middle and waited for their return. I made a sand angel. Neil jumped over the edge of a dune into much more sand. It is hard to stand on the top of a dune and realize that it is 110 meters deep. That is a lot of sand. We were surprised to see jackals, springboks, oryxes and many birds including flocks of flamingos. In the middle of the tour, we stopped for a champagne snack which included oysters--delightful, well, not the oysters! Sheryl said at the end of the day that things just kept getting better and they started our just fine. I would go on this tour again in a minute. Our driver was so keen--even seemed excited to see some of the animals--got his giant camera out and took photos, too. This was our very own piece of "Fury Road".
Our next day--after another lovely breakfast, George and I walked on the beach and checked out the market which was quite uncomfortable. The sellers were like flies on honey--we did finally buy a mask for Grant and were glad to have escaped with our lives. Then we rode quads in the dunes. I was quite frightened about this escapade--after the first few feet, I would have been happy to stop and we were still on the concrete. Anyway, our guide was excellent and very encouraging. It was scary going up the dunes but worse coming down. I learned later that when asked if we could go faster, he said that he didn't think Mama (Mama meaning me! Guess I have arrived to oldhood.) wanted to go any faster. I gained confidence as we went. We stopped in the middle and Neil went down the dune on a board for sliding--it was very far and fun for him. Then our guide went down to pick him up on his quad. It was so cold for a short while when the fog rolled in. Someone said that in Namiba, one can experience all the seasons in one day! We spend 2 hours driving in the dunes. I felt like I was glad to stop but would not have missed the experience for a minute.
Tomorrow we are off to a new location called Outpost and that is exactly what it seemed like. It was way darker than the farm ever was. We have two rustic, well equipped chalets. The trip here was mostly on gravel roads which Neil and our truck thing managed just fine. We had a lovely dinner and then checked out the stars. The moon is nearly full. We can get on the roof of our chalet to star gaze. We went to bed early as we were going on a balloon ride the next morning and have to leave here by 4:00 am. The balloon ride was spectacular-so much sand and mountains of rock. We floated along and the pilot brought our balloon down so the trees brushed the bottom of the basket. Then we had a marvelous, champagne breakfast at the bottom of a sand dune. Desert! Yay.
Our early rising meant a nap time for me while George organized photos and Neil and Sheryl had a walk around the site. We have been relaxing by the pool and doing email stuff. It is so lovely. Next day, we drove on the gravel, stony roads to Namib Park to see and climb the dunes. I wasn't planning to climb as by the time we arrived it was very hot. George and Sheryl and Neil climbed for 2 hours while I read and played Angry Birds in the shade. They were hot and tired when they returned but also exhilarated after the climb. The sand was really quite orange. We also walked on Dune 45 which was amazing. Our shoes were too small because they were of the fine sand. It is still difficult to take in all the dunes. What an amazing country.
Alas, our last day in Namibia is Sunday. We are now in Pretoria after six hours on very bumpy, gravel roads, one place there was water over the road. That is the most water we have seen here. They haven't had rain in 4 years. Anyway, back to the travel, we arrived at Windhoek which is the capital and from where we will fly to Jo'burg. Our flight was uneventful which is always nice. We picked up the car and are now getting settled in our usual room at Sheryl and Neil's. Yay. We have been en route since 8:00 this morning and it is 21h00 here. While they go to work, we will have a quiet day tomorrow. Namibia was the best.
Three days of relaxing--we hardly strayed from this place. I did spend one day following a watercolour painting course--did two lessons. Yay. George has been sorting photos. We walked to a nearby shopping centre for coffee, groceries and a haircut for me.
We attended a Quiz night at the High Commission. Our group, called "The Wheat Kings" won a prize for being last. Maybe because the questions were tough and certainly, trivia is not a strong point for me. Anyway, I meet a colleague of Sheryl's who knew of PattiCakes in Ottawa. Small world.
And now we are off to Bushfire Music Fest in Swaziland. The car is packed with stuff because we will be "glamping" while at the festival. The border process was interesting. We had to show passports and get the car approved on the way out of SA and again on the way in to Swaziland. The lines were long because many were going there as well. Our wait was a tad shorted because the car has a diplomatic licence and both S & N have diplomatic passports. We were travelling there with five friends of Sheryl and Neil's. Unfortunately, the roads were bumpy and uneven in places and the other carload had an accident. (I will refer to them by the first initials because I forgot to get permission to use their names--V, D, Y, M, L) We were following and when we arrived their car was in the ditch, going the wrong way. What a shock to learn that they had got caught in gravel and flipped over and then landed on the tires. Miracle of miracles, no one was hurt except Y had a very sore neck. Oh, yeah, and it was dark--darkness comes really quickly and we were in the middle of nowhere. So what to do? A few cars stopped and one guy said he would call the police and report the accident. So while Sheryl drove D, Y, and L to the nearest clinic which was forever away. (George and I went too.) Neil and V and M stayed with the car to wait for the police which took forever too. We spent many hours at the clinic and Y ended up with a neck brace and the others were OK. Interesting fact: the private clinic we went to didn't have a radiologist to read the x-rays so they sent them by phone to L's father who is a radiologist in Chicago. They also sent the results to a radiologist in SA. Meanwhile, back at the accident car, the three were giving statements and the police were writing things and looking and were very helpful and kind. A tow truck finally arrived and the driving agreed to drive them to Bushfire grounds. He then towed the car to the SA border and the insurance guys would get it the next day. Riding in the tow truck: the two women shared the seat with the driver while Neil stretched out in the box and viewed the stars. Trucks here are called "Buckies". By the time we all got to the "glamping" place it was midnight.
Now let me talk about that--"glamping" is just camping in tents with cots and sleeping bags and dark. The write-up was a stuff up! (This is a new expression learned in relation to the border crossing). Anyway, George and I got into our tent and it was dark, very dark, and also cold as it is winter here and the temperatures go down around 9 degrees or less at night. Imagine us stumbling around, putting something down and loosing it and maybe never finding it again and it was dark even though we had flashlights. Wait a minute, we hate camping even if it is called "glamping". I put on many clothes and zipped up my bag and put my head inside like a turtle and tried not to move much. Good that morning came. Oh, the good news was that we were so close that we could walk to the events, but the bad news was we could hear the music until 3:00 am. I think I won't talk about the bathrooms and the showers because George says that was too traumatic.
We had a delightful day listening to many bands and cruising the food court and the market place and eating. It was 22h00 and we were waiting for a special band to begin and George went looking for a bathroom, I was cold so I moved nearer to a table that had a heater. There were two women sitting there and a man standing. I asked if I might sit to get warmer and that was fine. I said I would move when the man wanted the chair. They were from Limpopo which is a province in SA. Anyway, the group was quite dozy waiting for the band to begin. Finally I asked the man if he wanted the chair and wait for this, he said, "No, you have it because you are old". I was warm and willing to play the old card in order to stay near the heater but felt a tad hurt. Do I really look that old? We chatted and he was surprised that we were from Canada. (English was not his first language so our conversation was short and really he didn't look much younger than me.) Anyway, when the band started, the other mate and my mate arrived and we all danced around and enjoyed the music.
After the band player, we walked home to enjoy another night glamping. Did I mention that breakfast next morning was better than Saturday morning's which was awful? There was light at the end of today's tunnel, we are moving to a guest house for Sunday night. Yay. We enjoyed some more bands and missed some as they was a "stuff up" at the border and they didn't arrive. Who would have thought crossing the border would be such a big deal. V who owned the crashed car spent the day shuttling to the airport and around getting a rental car that they could all drive home in. By 20h00, we had all arrived to the Guest House which was lovely and they served a very delicious meal. It was a table d'hote and we could order small plates and taste everything. What a delightful time, good food, good company and fire places. At one point in the meal when we were discussing travel, D said, "When I get big, I want to be you (ie me)!" She was wise not to say, when I get old!
Next morning, which was Monday, we had a delicious breakfast and were on our way from Swaziland. We stopped at a glass factory where they make beautiful things using recycled glass. We had to buy a few things, including a glass elephant. Imagine buying an elephant when I don't have a house to display it in. Oh, well, S & N will enjoy it on our behalf. It was great to be back in Pretoria and home again. What an unforgettable weekend, including these great friends.
Our many driving trips, were made much better because we listened to podcasts and a Sherlock Holmes series that Neil had downloaded. We also listened to Cat Stevens which is a fav for us all.
Wednesday when Rose comes to tidy, George and I took the Gautrain to Jo'burg. We had planned to go to the Rosebank to shop but there was a stuff up between there and Sandton, so we stayed at Sandton. I found a pair of black leggings, a cozy pj for Sheryl, but no runners. The sizes are different and I was looking for black ones so they could also be a bit more dressy. My current runners are done--all that sand in Namibia.
We are discovering that it is possible to walk somewhere in this neighbourhood although we may have been the only white people who walk anywhere. Our first walk was to a shopping centre where I got a hair cut. The hair washer person also massaged my neck and hands which was lovely. She also brought me some magazines which were written in Afrikaans. We had coffee as well. Yesterday we had coffee at Woolies (Woolworths is an upscale grocery store and sometimes clothing shop here.) Our young waitress cleared up the value of Rand coins for us but was disappointed that we didn't have any Canadian money to show her. Then we shopped at the "Housewives' Market" which is at the other end of the scale and has large quantities of stuff including nuts. We bought nuts to make granola which is a fav of Neil.
Had some relaxing days--I am delighted that I have done up to Lesson 7 in my wc painting book. I have been moving the patio table into the sun and painting until my heart is content. I watched a Quebec movie called "Lawrence Anyways" about a transgender man and the trials of change. Interesting and sad and somewhat complicated.
Our wonderful time here is fast speeding away. We had many lovely meals together and enjoyed many laughs. We will miss Sheryl and Neil but will see them briefly in Ottawa when they are in Canada to celebrate the anniversary of Neil's parents. Next stop-Paris!
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