Holiday Wishes

As we're into the holiday countdown now, a quick update.

I've managed (with a couple of extended evenings) to complete the craft projects on my list. The house and tree are decorated, the outside projection lights are up. The wrapping (including the projects built in Santa's workshop aka shore captain) is completed and I'll tell you that doll furniture is NOT easy to keep from poking through the edges! I've baked apple and mincemeat pies and frozen the chocolate cheesecake - to keep it safe. I'm heading out now to brave the crowds for a final grocery shop.

Today I'm capturing the grandson at school dismissal and we're heading to the airport to pick up his auntie who is flying in from Ottawa for five fun filled but all too short days of festivities. The excitement in Ontario and Nova Scotia is building as although we've visited the capital, she hasn't been home in over a year. There is even talk of stopping for garlic fingers on the way home.

We'll be joined by one set of offspring from the city this weekend who are visiting both branches of their families. The large extended family gathering is here on Sunday, complete with photographer to capture all the generations and with the weather forecast of wind/rain it should make for good attendance by the lobstering crowd. By Christmas Eve it'll just be the three of us having a quiet holiday. The working nurse will host the family on Boxing Day in the city and then we'll take the oldest back to the airport that evening.

After all the get togethers, it'll be time for me to drag out my northern stuff and pack for my next adventure as my first flight is January 2. I've received the travel guidelines from GN and they will pay for two 50 lb. bags only so....after the essentials it'll be whatever food I have space/weight for. So....a two hour flight (leaving at 1 pm not 7am) Halifax to Ottawa and overnight visit, Ottawa to Iqaluit is a 3.5 hr flight then a two hour flight to Clyde River. A much more manageable commute with the bonus visit. Due to flight schedules on the return in February I'll be overnighting in Iqaluit (chance to visit buddies there) as well as Ottawa. I was tickled to see that the travel email included instructions to 'Matthew' to arrange for my pickup in Clyde River...made me feel like Anne of Green Gables, except that I'm Ann without an E. Getting excited for the next chapter...

Hopefully an update before I head to the tundra. In the meantime have a wonderful holiday with family, friends and good food. 

It's all good!

Well,  the best of intentions did not result in a posting in November. As usual there are multiple reasons, and amazingly some of them exciting, all of them positive. Let me fill you in on all the developments...

My Canada to Cuba commute. even with the stop in Toronto including delay was routine. An issue with getting all the luggage aboard at Pearson translated to 30 bags not arriving in Holguin with us. Although my suitcases were last off the belt, I was thrilled to see them. A quick stop at the money exchange and outside in a blast of tropical sunshine to meet the cabbie my son in law had arranged. Off to the bus station and time to grab a sandwich and drink before the 5 pm departure. Pleased to see my son in law's smiling face and his father's vintage motorcycle sidecar at the arrival in Santiago de Cuba.

Santiago de Cuba 

vintage cars 

Clearly the words wonderful and Cuba belong together when
describing any travel there but...add solo and it's over the top. It was what could only be described as a working vacation but the most fun I've had for a while. I certainly have experience with solo travel but that is my commute to work, this was completely different. It's a lovely selfish experience to only have to think of yourself as far as schedules, decisions etc and with the total Spanish immersion it was better to not have anyone to speak English with. My helpful Cuban son in law was of course available and it was great to visit with him.  He (with my daughter's oversight) had found me a lovely casa, a professor and scoped out restaurants. Details to follow.

I spent four weeks in Santiago de Cuba with a room in a casa particular (Cuban version of B&B) in the Sueno area (quiet residential spot near the university) with a lovely family in a large room with two beds, ensuite (hot water), large closet, air conditioner, fan and fridge. The linens were changed every three days as I was told I'd sleep better in clean sheets. The room cost $15 and would have been

breakfast of champions

the same price for two people. La senora (Maria Christina or Tina) was everyone's grandmother and there were three generations plus 'la domestica' (cleaning lady) to try to figure out what I was saying. I was spoiled with a huge daily breakfast of fruit plate, eggs various ways, bread, ham, cheese, homemade juice (jugo natural) tea and anything else I mentioned I liked ex. mermelada/conserva etc. Seriously enough food for breakfast and lunch and this costs $3/day per person. Had my own key and came and went as I pleased. Watched Cuban baseball playoffs frequently on TV with my host Luis and we agreed Las Tunas are going to be the champs. As of yesterday they're still in first place. He was pleased to find someone to watch the games as the Europeans who visit only watch/understand soccer. La senora (and most of Cuba) have enjoyed novellas for years - first on radio, now TV and moving from Brazilian to Turkish and East Indian dubbed into Spanish. It's a serious addiction. Don't try to interrupt a viewing just sayin.

La profesora Cecilia is retired from Universidad de Oriente and was in fact Dean of the Spanish department when our daughter studied there 15 years ago. She is fluent in Spanish, English, Russian and French and is well travelled having taught/studied in various countries Ghana, Spain, Canada, Russia, England etc. over her career. She has a comfortable home less than a block from my casa and

not a tourist beach pose

conducts lessons in her airy third floor veranda. An initial assessment revealed that although I have a fairly extensive vocabulary (nouns) and my pronunciation is acceptable my grammar (verbs, pronouns, tenses etc) is abysmal. This wasn't news to me as I have avoided working on the grammar for over two decades. Cecilia later shared that she was gobsmacked when she did my initial testing as she had never encountered a student who could communicate  in another language without verbs! The classes were conducted entirely in Spanish. As Cecilia stated "it's Spanish you're learning, I'll only use English if you're stuck and it adds to your comprehension". Being forced to explain the various situations I found myself in daily was a steep learning curve. For example, when both my RBC credit cards got blocked for 'fraud security' after I attempted to get a cash advance. This meant my daughter had to Western Union me the funds and did you know that a Canadian cannot receive a WU transfer there, it has to be a Cuban? Good thing I have connections. So for these amazing, customized private lessons I paid $5/hr and did two hours of class per day. I had asked for more but Cecilia assured me that this was plenty and with the homework and extra reading of three to four hours daily...she was correct. It took a lot of work to earn an E (excellent) on my homework or a "muy bien" in my oral replies as she's a tough cookie. Cecilia is an intelligent, independent feminist, a bit older than me, who knows Cuba, loves good food, has children and grandchildren like myself and as Anne of Green Gables would say...I feel we are....kindred spirits. I am already planning a second session in March.

With Cecilia's assistance, I managed to live less like a tourist and learned/put together various things I'd wondered about for years. I shopped for pan suave at the local panaderia (bakery) fruit / veggies off the market cart, found supplies and ways around the city, navigated the new supermarket etc. We went on a field trip to a lovely hilltop restaurant in Puerto Boniato and then visited the cemetery where Fidel and my friend Liliana who passed away two years ago are resting. I enjoyed two weekends in Chivirico where it's always nice to escape the city and hang out with friends. Stayed with my nurse friend Elena and visited other friends in the area. Clearly my grammar has a long ways to go but I noticed that conversation was much easier. For example, Elena's parents (who I've known for over 20 yrs) made an effort to chat with me vs the nods, smiles, hand gestures, dictionary and Elena translating attempts we've made at communicating in the past. And clearly it's a different level of conversation that can be conducted. So, this gives me the motivation to continue with the homework....

It wasn't easy to return to the cold and snow of Canada but the pending arrival of a new grandchild helped. I overnighted in the city on the way in, spending some time with a friend and visiting with the granddaughter. Since it looked like the expected arrival due in about a week was a ways off, I headed home Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday morning I received a lovely photo of our 9lb 7oz grandson. I extended congratulations to all and made plans to head back down at the end of the week as I'd arranged for our oldest grandson to spend a few days here. So last week was spent enjoying the company of grandchildren, visiting friends and getting some errands in. I also attended the movie Bohemian Rhapsody and if you get the chance to see it, do so and you'll understand why it's being nominated for Golden Globe awards etc. Headed home for the weekend, ate some lobsters, got my snow tires on, did some Frenchy shopping, enjoyed supper with our German chef and friends and stuffed a couple of stockings for the mission.

On the topic of work, this will after all the yanging on about it, come as a complete surprise but....I have a six week contract to be TB nurse in Baffin. Over the past few years Nunavut has had a major outbreak of TB, to the point that entire communities are screened and treated if required. TB teams of epidemiologist, diagnostic imaging techs, Dr and nurses go in with mobile equipment and deal with the outbreak and later a nurse maintains the program. I feel as if it's been nine months gestation to get to this point, no one should have to be that persistent to work in an area which is drastically understaffed. I am heading to Clyde River (Kanngiqtugaapik) from January 2 - February 14. This causes looks of confusion when I state this locally as the small village of Clyde River, NS is five minutes drive from my house which I pass through on the way to the highway. Clyde River, Nunavut pop. 900 is a traditional Inuit community at 70N latitude near the Davis Strait. Of course 24 hrs of darkness at present, but only -24c this week so quite pleasant. I'm pleased to be traveling through Ottawa and thus visiting with the first born daughter on the way in and out and we'll hang out at the Hilton Garden Inn as it's only seven minutes from her place.  This is a new region, new community, new program and no on call with just a Mon. to Fri. position, so lots of things to look forward to. Have been trying to sort out the internet access to keep in touch and there are several options as well as the work network so you'll still be hearing from me.

I've gotten the Christmas decorations out (with the usual waves of nostalgia as I recall the times when our kids were small) and am enjoying the cozy atmosphere. There's a tree on the front steps to be brought in - this in itself is an amazing statement, as the non retired shore captain usually was pressured to bring one home by December 22. It will be a busy holiday celebration this year as the oldest daughter will be home for five days - likely her last solo holidays as 2019 will be the year for her husband to join her - Citizenship & Immigration Canada willing. We'll have all the grandchildren here on December 23rd as well as the extended family for supper and then join the youngest daughter (nurse working Christmas) on Boxing Day for our family meal. The nurse daughter is moving to a new job in the local hospital (my old stomping ground) as they plan to build on property they were gifted and our son in law is a lobster fisherman. So lots of changes.

This evening I survived assisting the life partner with the installation of a new microwave  - although it's not an exercise I plan to ever be involved in again and no I don't want to talk about it. A few more craft projects to finish up and some wrapping. Off to the city the end of the week for some visiting and concert attending with a friend and then the shore captain. Time to wrap this up as the oldest grandson will be coming after school tomorrow and since he's told me that my chocolate chip cookies are the best he's ever tasted (what a charmer) I'd best fill up that cookie jar. 

in the province....momentarily...

I attended a Dr appointment today for my annual influenza immunization and prescription renewal and he expressed surprise that I was in the province. As I'm all packed for my next adventure.....leaving Monday for a four week study adventure in Cuba...as per my routine, I am really only in the province for the moment. I have been back for three weeks from my western vacation so it's time to be on the move again. 

For those of  you following my craft projects I did finish up the granddaughter's green bedspread and she was pleased with it. I've almost completed the red and white sparkly pinafore for her to wear for Christmas and have begun work on the zebra for the expected grandchild - well if one leg can be considered a start that is. I managed to crochet a scarf for myself and one of my buddies I visited last week (as well as a dishcloth for both of my hostesses). Just so many WIPs (works in progress) in various bags with only the usual number of hours in the day. As well, I also put together a photobook and with 150 pictures, that's a good sized project. Especially as the uploading of the photos needed to be done with decent internet so I multi tasked and did that at the library during knitting group - such is the life of a rural broadband user. Sigh. 

Last week was a road trip to visit New Brunswick to visit two nurse colleagues who were wonderful hostesses. It was a long but lovely drive with the autumn foliage to entertain me. I stopped off in Dartmouth in both directions which broke up the travel nicely and allowed for additional visiting of friends and family. So a busy five days but lots of catching up which was lovely, a stop at Frenchys in Moncton (best I've shopped at yet) and some great craft shops + Briggs & Little yarn mill in Harvey Station with my buddy.  Home to find the daughter and granddaughter here for the weekend. Had a nice video chat with the oldest daughter on Saturday and the granddaughter was the entertainment as she pretended to be a cat on top of the couch, showed off her crocheted play food, threw treats for the kitties and more. By the auntie's Christmas visit she will be great fun! Sunday was a meet and greet for the newest great grandchild in the shore captain's family who had travelled from northern BC to meet us all. I made brownies for the event and as suggested by the granddaughter added sprinkles to the frosting....very festive. 

This week has been a series of appointments - car servicing with knitting group/catch up with friend while I waited, spa appointment as I'm heading to the warm, haircut and then Dr appointment today and tomorrow is physio. In addition we entertained our German neighbours (plus our German chef/wife friends to translate) for supper so a total of eight of us. Lovely evening of food and visiting. They fly back across the pond this evening and likely will not return until spring. 

The shore captain has been exceedingly busy, so busy in fact he hasn't even gotten duck hunting yet. Talked about it a few times, but the boat sits on the bank as hunters bang away with shotguns on the water. He attended whale meetings with the Minister of Fisheries the first of the week and this morning was up at 4:30am and 'helped out' at the plant as they packed a transport with fish landed yesterday. Apparently a repeat performance tomorrow am despite having promised to 'work around it' when I asked about availability for keeping an eye on the grandson. To put it plainly there is no working around it when you leave the house at 5:30am. I am having a deja vu moment of decades of

1994 Corvette

this which to quote Shania Twain 'don't impress me much'. Not to mention that the man who whines about my Dodge Dart being small and inaccessible, travelling in it only when absolutely necessary has purchased this yellow beauty on the right... from his widowed sister. Although it could be considered a mid life crisis he swears he's just doing her a favour to get it out of the garage. I suggested it should be the granddaughter's as it is a perfect match for the playhouse. Seriously looking forward to my solo travel jaunt. 

I fly early Monday morning up through Toronto and on to Holguin Cuba arriving by 1:20pm. My daughter/son-in-law have arranged for a taxi to meet me at the airport and drop me at the bus station for my 5pm trip to Santiago de Cuba (I've purchased the ticket online). My travel guides have also arranged for a casa particular (a B&B) with air conditioning, fridge, hot water, sitting room available and option of additional meals, located near the university, parks (with wifi), shops and restaurants for the equivalent of $23.50 Cdn per night. Apparently the host speaks Spanish clearly and slowly for tourists and there is limited English on site so a total immersion, which is a good thing. The Cuban professor they have engaged will come to my casa for Spanish lessons 2-5pm Mon to Fri for under $600 Cdn total. I have been asked to choose between intense or slow and those who know me understand that I'm pretty intense but at my age kind of slow :) There's been discussion of the course being shared with PowerPoint, the professor having taught foreign students for the university and previously tutored at this casa, so a fair bit of planning. The last message was that she would be at the house at 2pm on Oct 30th ready to give classes so I am thinking I'd best be on my game. Having the firm arrangement is the motivation I need to add grammar to my list of Spanish nouns, hand gestures and translator on my phone as is my present communication style. I can do the month for under $2000 (transportation, accommodation, meals, course etc) including a couple of trips down to Chivirico to visit my friend Elena and enjoying meals out with my son-in-law. Hard pressed to find a resort for that and the cultural experience cannot be compared. 

I packed my backpack earlier this week and am awaiting the assistance of the shore captain this weekend to climb into the closet and source a non returning suitcase for my 'stack' awaiting packing. Household goods, fishing supplies, study materials (pens, paper, texts) and various goodies will stuff my 'free' bag with WestJet. Starting to get excited to head to the warm. Have also packed a few warm weather clothes to stash in the car should the anticipated grandchild make an early appearance arriving before I return and I remain in the city. I am as usual a bag lady. 

Had hoped to have a date for a January TB contract in Baffin but HR is still staffing for Nov/Dec so I shall be forced to check emails next month a bit more regularly than I'd usually do in Cuba but at least in Santiago de Cuba the parks are closer. Hasta en noviembre.....

Westward ho and back

My friend and I had an excellent adventure to the west coast and back. I had a leisurely drive to the airport via Frenchy's and Michael's (my two fav guys :) and met my buddy off the shuttle from Cape Breton. We made our way to the gate and stopped for a late lunch at the wine bar - isn't this how all good girls trips begin? We had wonderful sandwiches with a glass of vino and the waitress even photo bombed our first selfie just for fun. We were shortly on our way to Toronto and enroute I watched the movie Book Club which is a great chick flick with lots of laughs if you get a chance to watch it.  A quick bite at Red Rocket in Pearson and on the flight to Vancouver. I managed to sleep the flight away with the help of noise cancelling earphones, iPod and neck pillow, awakening as we descended into Richmond. We collected ourselves and grabbed a cab as the Travelodge shuttle stopped at 1 am. We were quickly deposited at our hotel for an exorbitant $20 as it's only a few minutes and we later in the week only paid $35 all the way to downtown Vancouver. My mistake for not asking the fee first but I've found that elderly caucasian Canadian drivers have the highest rip off percentage overall. Just sayin. We checked in at the hotel with a clerk who was cloned from Dev Patel in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. He even went upstairs himself to check the last available non smoking room to see if it was acceptable for the 'ladies'. We quickly settled in and crashed for the night as it was 5am 'our time' by now. 

We surprised ourselves by being up in time for the included breakfast and found ourselves joining an eclectic mix of travellers from BC and beyond as we managed to scratch up something to eat. A quick trip to the Dollar Store for luggage tags as we found in reviewing the info that the bags aren’t carried on to the Rocky Mountaineer but rather transported by bus and sent to our nightly hotel rooms. We’d planned to take the shuttle back to the airport and the skytrain to downtown but the front desk clerk suggested that Bridgeport station was a 10 minute walk and there was a $5 surcharge for the airport station so…we readied ourselves and headed down the street on a warm sunny day. We joined a lady from Terrace, BC who worked in tourism and had a great chat on the way to the station and on the train. What interesting people you meet when you travel! We arrived at the station, and since we had a voucher as part of our tour, checked out the Lookout which was a great way to get our bearings. The tour guide in the 360 degree viewing area suggested several spots for lunch and so we ambled off through Gas Town shopping our way along the street as we purchased some jade jewelry. We found Peckinpahs which was a trendy casual restaurant with great BBQ and enjoyed a wonderful meal. Out on the cobblestone street to explore the shops, Gas Town steam clock and views of the harbour. Made our way to the skytrain in now rush hour traffic (their ridership is much higher than Halifax) and exited at Bridgeport. After a bit of wandering in the parking lot and questioning the host at the local casino we were on our way back to the hotel. We regrouped and strolled next door to Moxies sharing a marguerita pizza for supper and then quickly settling for the night after a full first day. 

We’d booked a day tour to Victoria with a company called Land and Sea Tours and I’d recommend them for such things. We originally thought we’d be in a bus of 30 passengers as there were several travelling to Victoria that day but won the transport lottery as there were eight of us assigned to a Sprinter van with our guide Erich. We travelled with an Australian couple (meeting friends) and two American couples who were a pretty amicable if somewhat limited mobility foursome. Got the historical overview of Canada, Vancouver Island etc on the drive to the Tsawwassen - Swartz Bay ferry and then browsed the terminal while we waited for the next run. Beautiful crafts, special treats, fruit and lots of tourists. We grabbed a muffin and warm cider and enjoyed the balmy day. Onto the ferry and up to sit in the warm sunshine on deck until we turned and the cool breezes sent us inside. A trip to the cafe gained us a salad and soup, lots of noise and a great view of the islands slipping by. Back into the van and down from Swartz Bay to Victoria to find that the city has grown exponentially since my 1996 visit there. Some more background info and we’re dropped off downtown at the inner harbour to explore for two hours. We wander along the Empress Hotel, buy an island ice cream (good but isn’t all ice cream?) and head towards Chinatown. Victoria’s version is the third oldest globally and has the narrowest street in the world with commercial shops (Fan Tan Alley). Although I wasn’t looking I found a cute navy dotted summer dress that should travel well, so impulse bought it. We strolled through Bastian Square and were impressed with the quality and uniqueness of the craft work there. Finally wandered our way back to the waterfront and watched the seaplanes taking off in the inner harbour and joined our group. Off to Buchart Gardens for a tour of the former limestone quarry which is a privately maintained garden for decades. It was a lovely drive out through the interior of the island and the fall garden was a much different setting than our spring visit in 1996 but still beautiful. As the day wound down and we weren’t sharing the space with multiple tour buses it was peaceful as well. We strolled through the various collections, shopped in the gift shop and promised ourselves afternoon tea here should we ever return. Into the van and off to the ferry terminal, and once boarded we made our way to the buffett and ate a delicious supper as the sun set over the gulf. ahhh. Docked, back into the van and deposited at the hotel. A great day was had by all. 

We’d done the skytrain the first day as a dry run for our relocation from Richmond to Vancouver on Friday morning but I’m used to backpack travel and my partner had a rolling suitcase so we had voted on the airport shuttle to the train vs 15 minute march. But after a bit of math I suggested that we ask about the cost of a taxi and for $35 we were efficiently transported (as well as entertained by his ‘new to Canada’ take of our country) by our Bangladeshi cabbie to the Pinnacle Waterfront downtown. We had intended to store our bags but were delighted to find that our room was ready and so we had luggage delivered, checked out our digs, were delivered gourmet chocolates (birthday gift to me) switched bags around and headed down to catch the hop on hop off tour bus which was included in our package. A beautiful sunny, fall day (apparently it had rained ALL week the previous one) and we joined lots of tourists enjoying the city. At the suggestion of the front desk clerk we hopped off in Stanley Park and enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Pavillion restaurant then strolled the grounds and rejoined the bus to the totem poles (great display) and some photo ops of the Lions Gate bridge at Prospect Point. Over to Granville Island and we took in the market which is a wonderful collection of any type of food you can imagine - you MUST do it if you make it to Vancouver. We munched on blackberries and finally crawled back to the bus stop. A lonnnggg wait for the bus as there were various accidents on the route (not surprised with the crazy traffic) and we were finally rescued. Made our way through a bit of the east side and chinatown (pretty sketchy) and back through Gas Town to the hotel. A run downstairs to check in with the Rocky Mountaineer staff in the lobby and get our boarding passes. No ID or documentation was requested so should anyone have picked up our purses and assumed our identity they would've enjoyed a great trip. Into our dressy outfits and down for a three course supper in the beautiful hotel restaurant. Great company, good wine and delicious food - what a great way to turn 62! A short soak in the hot tub. Ahhhh and off to bed. 

Silverleaf service car

Up at 6am to ready for the day as the bags were to be collected at 6:35. By 6:15am the bell hop was knocking on the door so we shoved the final items in the bags and off they went leaving us half an hour to get ourselves together. Down to the lobby as the final guests checked in and the coach waited. This is one super early group of risers! We were whisked off to the North Vancouver station through Squamish reserve and then greeted at the platform by large numbers of staff. We were quickly settled in coach #1 (sliver leaf service) seats 51 and 52 by Shay and Sarah our stewards and ‘all aboard’ we were off on the Rainforest to Gold Rush tour. Past industrial views, then curving around Howe Sound we were given safety briefings, served warm facecloths and linen napkins, a toast to the journey and breakfast - warm croissant, butter and jam, tea, frittata and we were smiling. The bar is open by 9:30 am and fellow passengers were enjoying coffee with Baileys and bloody marys but we opted for a second cup of tea. Lots of info on the geography, environment of the temperate rainforest, and history of our route. A mid morning snack / drink as we chugged our way up the steep inclines noting snow capped peaks, along lakes, crossing trestles over rivers and before noon we were pulling into Whistler station on our first abbreviated day. We were advised that Australian staff completely run Whistler and that was found to be correct. We had opted for Blackcomb peak to peak tickets and purchased them on the train, which was a wonderful choice as we eyed the ticket lineups later. We were transported by couch to the Delta Inn and Suites and told that our room would be ready by 4pm so we could store any hand luggage with the bell hop and our bags would be in our room. Off to wander in the sunshine through the squares with pretty foliage in the tourist town that is Whistler. As we reached the gondola cars we were advised that the temperature at the top was -11c so pulled the gloves and hats from the pockets. Lots of extreme bikers making their way with their bikes in the cars and then rapidly down the mountainside. A beautiful ride up the incline and a stop to sightsee and pose on the Olympic podium. Over to the peak to peak gondola and a few minutes delay as some heavy equipment was working. Hanging suspended over the chasm was something we were proud to say we’ve done but don’t need to repeat. Especially the extra five minutes

Peak to Peak Whistler

swinging in the breeze as we neared the far side while the crane was moved again. Amazing views of the ski slopes, river with dam and fall foliage. Retraced our steps to the first lift and settled in a car where we joined a couple off the Rocky Mountaineer - he with a swishy camera complete with huge lens. We’re about halfway down when he leaps up shouting bear and begins snapping photos of a baby bear picking blueberries. Apparently there about 60 resident bears in Whistler (evidenced by complicated garbage/compost containers which humans struggle with and mother bears teach their young to open). We discussed the surprise of connecting with a mama bear on a bike traveling at high speed and decided the gondola was the best mode of transport. Down through the village and back to the hotel to try to check in - had to wait until 4:45 pm to get in and then the key card didn’t work so not impressed with the service. The suite however was lovely - a small apartment really - with walk in closets, full kitchen, living room, bedroom, large bathroom, balcony and fireplace. You could easily stay for a week of skiing here. We readied and off for supper - tried 21 Steps which was a tapas spot recommended by Shay but a 45 minute wait, Old Spaghetti Factory but closed for a private function and finally settled on Bocca which is an Italian restaurant where were had a wonderful, very authentic supper. Back to the room to crash and awoken several times in the night by young revellers in the street outside our window. Whistler is one big party town. 

Up at 6am again and this time  the luggage was only picked up 15 minutes earlier than stated. We made our way to the lobby and the Rocky Mountaineer hostess advised that almost everyone had been very early. Thinking my travel partner had gotten on the bus, I climbed on the coach in the predawn dark and was unable to see anyone’s face in the full bus so I quietly called out my friend’s name to no response. Finally a male voice said “if you’re going on the Rocky Mountaineer you’re on the right bus” so I shuffled my way to the open rear seat. My buddy arrived in a few minutes saying “this bunch are keeners, I was getting another cup of tea”. We were off to the station in the light rain, quickly boarded and settled for the morning routine. As we made our way through  interior BC industrial towns towards Quesnel I compared the views to the spring ones of 1996 and they were similar but not as dramatic. Lots of ranches, a few deer, some osprey nests and in the upper elevations…snow. Information again, lots of music, chatting with the other passengers from USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and even Switzerland as we got to know each other a bit. After a full 12 hour day we pulled into Quesnel station and were transported by coach to the Sandman hotel. Very clean, quiet accommodation and attentive staff. When we arrived in the room, only one of my buddy’s two bags had been delivered. Call to the desk and within 15 minutes it had been located and delivered. Whew. We dropped into bed and slept soundly as there are no revellers here, only blue collar workers. 

The usual early rising, coach to the station and boarding in the dawn light. Out through Quesnel and the pulp and paper mills/yards and on to Prince George where there was a crew change of engine staff. We discovered that Gayle, the female engineer, was doing her final run after 38 years of service. We discuss our travel plans with Robin the train manager and he promises to check into it. Off in the drizzle past industrial towns, over steep trestle bridges, past lakes with ducks, small settlements and then ranches as we made good time until noon. By the afternoon we met snow again in the higher elevations and were frequently sided for long freight trains to rush past. By suppertime the updates include several hours of delay into Jasper. We are fed supper (penne pesto chicken with garlic bread) which they whip up from somewhere in the kitchen and the drinks flow. Almost midnight into Jasper, it’s snowing and cold and there has been no help with the travel arrangements - the forecast is for 30+ cm of the white stuff - and the staff are fussing over mobility impaired American passengers. As I said to my travel buddy “they’re paying .35 less on the dollar than we are for the same trip”. But of course they are the demographic being courted. We slip and slide across the street to the Whistlers Inn and are pleased with our reception - we’ve been upgraded to a suite, have free drink tickets (actually had supper as well but missed it) and a lovely warm welcome by staff. We forego the trip to the bar, opt to crawl into the cozy beds and deal with travel in the morning. 

In the am we check in for our flight at 6:25am the following day. The weather forecast is terrible with people being advised to stay home in Calgary and videos of folks cross country skiing down streets with over 30 buses stuck in them. A dialog with the two daughters who have lived west including highway closures, pics of accidents and road reports encourages us to cancel the rental car and opt for a bus to get us to the airport. I call Dana at Rocky Mountaineer ‘guest experience’ and she offers to cancel the rental and finds us tickets on the Brewster express bus leaving at 1:30 pm and and arriving at 10:30pm. No choice. We accept, ready for the day, head down to breakfast and pick up our bus confirmation. We chat with a senior British couple making their way from Vancouver to Halifax on the Via train and they have been delayed 16 hours by the same freight train situations! We decide to use our voucher for the Jasper sky tram even though visibility is just about zero - have the morning to spend pre bus waiting - so we wander the streets shopping a bit in the bitter cold. We find the tour office and wait for the next shuttle bus to the gondola. The clerk tells a vacationing couple that the Icefields Parkway is closed today. hmmm. We catch the 10 am shuttle and are the only passengers onboard as our driver discusses this third storm in a few weeks and life in Jasper. We are dropped in the snowstorm at the lift and an Aussie clerk gives us ‘flight’ tickets so we wait for the next car while exploring the gift shop of unique, reasonably priced offerings. We head 7700 ft up the mountain with our Aussie car operator, ears popping and almost no visibility. We giggle as we take blizzard selfies at the top and then head in for hot chocolate. We opt to take the next car down and as it’s cleared a bit we are able to see just in front of us. The shuttle returns and drops us downtown so we stop at a bakery for a boxed lunch to eat on the bus. We catch up with some Aussie passengers from the train as they’re staying over and heading to Banff then back to Vancouver on the Rocky Mountaineer. They describe being unable to do most of the coach tour this am as various roads are closed. I receive a call from the bus company and….the bus is cancelled today as the Icefields Parkway is closed. Options suggested are Greyhound or Sundog buses but when the hotel clerk checks for us, they leave at 8am. Sigh. We call Dana again, she hasn’t cancelled the rental so has the bus company refund our tickets and we head over to Avis to pick up a vehicle. We are given a white Dodge Durango with only 13,000 km and the most complicated operating system you can imagine. Good thing I have a copilot to operate the computer screen as you can’t operate this sucker and drive alone! My buddy figures out how to reduce the heat in the steering wheel and seat (whew) and we make our way out of town. Within a few km we’ve seen a large coyote, big

Jasper wildlife

horned sheep licking salt off the road, mountain goats playing on the rocky roadside - more wildlife than the entire train trip. The roads are fairly clear and we make our way past Hinton but are soon into a bottleneck before Edson due to multiple accidents involving tractor trailers, losing about an hour. The sky clears, the road is dry and we hustle along over to bypass Edmonton and down the #2 highway towards our waiting Calgary airport hotel. We stop for tea and a restroom break at Pokono (famous for its rodeo) and back on the highway. Everything is fine until Innisfail when the snow returns, visibility is poor and the road is + + slippery making 70km/hr the top speed yet vehicles are flying by us. We predict what will happen and within 15 minutes this is the case as we come to a complete stop with a highway closure at 9pm. The bed we’ve booked at the Delta Calgary Airport is sounding really comfortable but feeling a country away. As the truckers step outside their rigs for a smoke and skate back to the cabs and emergency vehicles scream by on either side of the two lanes of stopped traffic, we sit and wait. Soon there is a diversion of vehicles from behind us heading into Cartstairs on the secondary highway from the preceding exit. After more than two hours we are finally, slowly inching forward and then diverted to the next exit. A driver, who is clearly a new Canadian from his thick accent and likely only knows how to get from Edmonton to Calgary on the #2 highway, bails from the cab of his 10 ton truck and asks if we know where the 1A is? Nope! I offer to Google map it for him but he rushes off to the rig behind us and then runs back to his truck. Since he’s likely gotten local information, we follow him. In the dark on the slippery, rough, winding, secondary road the extensive line of vehicles inches along and finally we are returned to the #2 highway. Now in NS, that scare would mean the traffic would slow down, but here? I manage to get up to 70 km/hr again which (as long as we don’t have to stop) seems manageable. Within five minutes the vehicles are flying by us. If we can just make it to the airport without another road closure…The driving conditions worsen as we near Calgary and we are ecstatic when we see the airport exit - well, my navigator sees it as I don’t dare take my eyes off the ruts in the snow to look. We attempt to find gas as the requirement is a full tank and all the service stations are closed due to the storm. It’s 1 am and after one perilous circle of the area we decide to head to the hotel. Return the rental to the lot, drag our stuff to the hotel, check in for the three hours remaining before our flight, shower and become horizontal until the 4:30 am alarm. 

We’re still pretty groggy when we ready for our day but the relief of actually making our flight tops our fatigue. We grab a cup of tea/muffin in the departure lounge and board without incident. When I find my row I notice a (non English speaking) lady sitting in the aisle seat so I point at ‘my’ window seat - which usually indicates that I need to get into the seat so anyone in aisle or middle seat would step out and allow me access. In this case missus hops into the window seat I’ve pointed at. Nope, not gonna happen as I am going to sleep the flight away in my little nest so I shake my head and point to her and the aisle seat then me and the window seat and she complies. I smile and settle in. The scene is repeated when a young woman appears for the middle seat but she simply shrugs and accepts the aisle seat after missus hops next to me. My seat mate is clearly nervous and she fidgets, reads the emergency card, sighs and glances around. We are delayed for 45 minutes as first the cargo door is frozen shut and must be dismantled to put baggage in, our spot has to be plowed, then we must deice twice due to the delay. The first officer notes the female pilot and I am instantly reassured as she’s had to work twice as hard as the old boys to put her butt in that seat. I am oblivious to my surroundings from take off to landing but upon awakening decide I should be more sociable so I say to my neighbour “tu hablas espanol?” as she looks Central American and with a look of terror, she shakes her head firmly. "Oh great" I say to my travel partner “I profiled my seat mate on the flight, don’t tell HR”. My buddy says “did you see how young that pilot was? she’s younger than our kids” to which I replied “our kids aren’t that young anymore really”. There was much angst as those with tight connections rushed to their next flight and some had been rebooked. We weren't concerned as we had a nine hour layover in Toronto so we stored our bags and headed out. 

We spent our time in Toronto exploring and visiting with my friend’s grandsons. We took the train downtown and strolled as tourists and it was much warmer than the March adventure. We found a pub for a late lunch called The Town Crier and enjoyed a sandwich and soup. Then we caught the subway north and followed up with the bus to Scarborough. Got to spend a couple of hours with the boys and their parents before we had to grab an Uber and head back to the airport. The usual drama of the last flight in to Halifax as we gathered at the gate so we opted to check our bags (assured it was gate check but NOT) and spent 20 minutes waiting at the carousel in Halifax of course. As one of the other passengers said “you know Air Canada’s motto? We’re not happy until you’re not happy!” and I agreed. Napped for over half the flight and didn’t lose much time getting over to the ALT Hotel and settling. 

My buddy headed out on an early morning flight to Sydney and I didn’t even hear her ready and leave. Up about 8am, organized myself and headed home via a Frenchys stop on the way so as to avoid the cleaner who was supposed to arrive - this didn’t happen but that’s a first world problem. Over the course of texts / phone calls from the shore captain I gathered that he had engaged in another of those adventures with his German chef friend and we were having a pig roast on Saturday. It involved a ‘cheap pig’ as a local farm was culling the herd. This hobby farm reminds me of Green Acres as the couple are both city folk with limited animal husbandry skills. Apparently earlier in the day three of the larger pigs had been harvested and when my spouse (wrangler) and his buddy (marksman) arrived for their two pigs they were pretty wiley. My apologies to PETA as it does sound like a horror movie where three of your group are killed and the murderers return for you later in the day so you try to escape. There were issues with a pen, a foot chase through the woods (these are free range critters) and several near misses. After several hours their antics yielded two carcasses which now needed to be butchered so that involved in another 30 minute drive and assisting the chef before heading home. The practical German friend reinforced the ‘It’s a cheap pig’ theme but my life partner was not convinced. 

Friday (as our oldest winged her way to Cuba to see her husband for two weeks) I unpacked, did laundry, straightened up the house and made supper as the daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter arrived from the city for two nights. Saturday was taken up with the pig roast and while it turned on the spit our granddaughter noted “pig no oink no more’ but not in a vegan way as in “it’s delicious’ We had congris (rice and beans) yucca and salad with the pork and fed about 20 people from family and friends. Always a good time and we have leftovers for some time. Sunday we travelled to the German chef’s for supper as he had roasted his pig and invited a large group of his neighbours to share it. Monday I baked a pumpkin pie  for the family Thanksgiving dinner which we travelled to. Busy weekend. 

Today I was a lady of leisure and made my way into town to partake of three activities. I began at the rug hooking group and while I socialized I worked on the granddaughter’s blanket for her new ‘big girl bed’ . For such gatherings it’s important to have a simple pattern that can be managed while chatting. A buddy and I moved on to the book club at the library where we discussed The interpreter by Suki Kim, which a story of Korean immigrants which turned into a murder mystery. The knitting group arrived to the same library space at 2 pm and three of us continued on. My summer neighbour joined us and had a tutorial on thrummed mittens. I continued to crochet on the blanket (the knitting group doesn’t discriminate) and am 3/4 of the way finished. I made my way home in time to whip up leftovers for supper. Ahhh life is good. 

A Musical Interlude

Yesterday was an extended office work kind of day which ended at midnight so I’m easing back onto the computer today. 

I printed off the documents for the Rocky Mountaineer adventure and we’re all set up now to enjoy ourselves. My friend and I took a few minutes before we parted ways on the weekend to book accommodation in Vancouver, a day tour to Victoria, a rental car for Jasper to Calgary and the airport hotel there. Those kinds of arrangements are more easily made while in the same space vs distant communication. I’ve since arranged a hotel in the city upon return as with the parking included it’s only slightly more expensive than the lot itself and a chance to catch some sleep before heading out on the road. A review of the trip itinerary leads me to believe that rest will be required when we get home. 

My friend and I spent a great musical weekend on the Northumberland shore. We met in Truro and made our way to Fox Harb’r Resort just after the check in hour of 3pm only to be told that the room wasn’t ready as they'd had full occupancy the night before and today (you’d think a hotel would plan for that) so we waited 90 minutes until my travel partner decided to speed things up. We were wanting to make the use of the facilities as we had less than 24 hours and a hefty price tag. The large room was lovely with a small veranda on the golf course, heated granite floors in the bathroom and a great shower. We quickly showered and dressed for the evening and called for pickup as instructed. A large event tent housing the buffet (one of the best I’ve enjoyed) complete with roast pig and hip of beef and the Jost wine flowed freely. We sat at a corner table with a young couple (she was a nurse who knew a classmate of mine as prof and coworker) and his parents. Very friendly and great company. It was casually mentioned that Donald Sobey (yes that grocery tycoon) was an uncle so rather upscale table mates. We settled ourselves in the event room for the songwriters circle and realized that Ron Joyce (owner of the resort and Tim Hortons billionaire) was settled next to the senior Mr Sobey in the front row. The musical evening was wonderful with Myles Goodwyn of April Wine (hadn’t heard him sing/play since the first concert I attended in Yarmouth arena the summer of 1974 and he’s still got it) Matt Minglewood, Charlie A’Court and of course Bruce Guthro doing acoustic sets. This is the way to enjoy these singers, very personal and informal. We smiled our way out into the warm summer evening and wandered back to our digs to sleep soundly. Up in time to enjoy the very swishy pool/spa before breakfast. I had blueberry pancakes with lemon ricotta and maple syrup and YES they were as delicious as they sound, although not included in the pricey room. No time to walk the trails before check out so we opted instead to drive over through the condos to the marina/lighthouse and oggle the very pricey motor yacht and Mr Joyce’s hacienda. Ahhh.

Off down the road to Malagash and Jost Winery for the music festival STOMP which had a great lineup of musicians such as Christine Campbell, Matt Andersen, Evans & Doherty, Sons of Maxwell, Lennie Gallant, Richard Wood, and Matt Minglewood, Myles Goodwyn and Bruce Guthro of the evening before. As such events go it was ok but some irritations….Security was very vigilant, our bags and chairs were thoroughly searched and my bottle of water was confiscated, my buddy had to pour hers on the ground. Can you imagine if we had bought one bottle of water less in that heat? At no point did I see security dealing with intoxicated guests (large numbers of them) crowd control, asking people to be seated or stop having yelled conversations in the middle of the crowd. In fact, Myles Goodwyn stopped in mid song (think his band was concerned as to what was happening as he is a senior musician) and insisted that women be moved from the front of the crowd as he was unable to sing as he couldn’t hear his backup with their noise. This guy plays rock n roll remember. My partner and I had thought the very annoying non  musical noise was because we were at the rear of the tent and would improve with VIP seating….apparently not. The food for purchase was good - a sausage on a pretzel bun with chips and salad and it was good to sample the wine before buying a bottle. At one point my buddy was showered with red wine and we saw tables with $400+ beverage collections. Jost winery certainly did well. At the end of the evening when we visited the wine store, security insisted we sit under their direct line of view with our purchases vs rejoining the crowd, I assume to prevent us drinking it although it was the same price in the shop and from the tent. There was no screening as large crowds of people exited the grounds and I’m sure designated drivers were not universal. We left as Sons of Maxwell wrapped up as to quote my travel partner “I’m just done with this now”. We made our way to the Balmoral Motel and checked in, it’s a Mom and Pop outfit originally from the 60s I’d guess, but modernized, immaculately clean, quiet, comfortable beds and lots of hot water and only $120/night per room with full breakfast for us both. We made a quick run to Robin’s to pick up some tea and muffins and climbed into our pjs after a full day. 

Up for scrambled eggs, wholewheat toast, bacon, juice and tea to start the day. I’d packed the computer to do the travel planning as mature eyes don’t manage as well with those little albeit convenient phone screens. We weren’t long choosing and booking and were soon on the road. Dropped my friend at her car and headed off down the highway towards the city and the traffic was if it were Friday afternoon at about 5 pm, at one point I was doing 80km on the 110km 102! I stopped at Michael’s for yarn (priorities) where I landed some great finds and good sales, before heading over to visit with a friend for the afternoon/evening. Back to for a visit with the pregnant teacher daughter and crawl into bed with my book. 

Nice surprise for the granddaughter that I was there in the morning and she got to hang out with me for the day. We enjoyed breakfast, read some books, played with the puzzles and tried on the minion backpack I found at Frenchy’s, did some laundry and took a stroller walk to the library to return/borrow some books. There’s a nice play area but there was a child who hadn’t been taught to cover her cough with a mother who was oblivious (I would’ve diagnosed the kid with either pertussis or at least bronchitis). This parent is on the phone inviting a group to join her and shortly after their arrival one of the preschoolers manages to fill a small round chair with projectile vomit. They clean him, the chair and the carpet up and we make a hasty exit. As we passed I glanced in through the window to see them all (pale child included) settling in for a visit….would you not take your ill child home??? Back to hang out the clothes, eat lunch and then it’s nap time. I did receive a phone call from Baffin HR - details to follow. By the time my son in law arrived home from work the granddaughter was up and had packed her backpack with stuffed animals and pretzel sticks and announced she was “going to Gramp’s house with Nanak in her blue car”. When I told my son in law this could be a plan for when the baby cried in December he agreed and said “I’d like to come too”. We discussed that this part wouldn’t be well received by the mother of the household though. I was on the road before 4pm and the heavy traffic soon thinned making it a routine trip home. 

The Baffin HR clerk in Pangnirtung apologized for the delay (not seeking an apology, looking for a January contract was my thought) and advised she’d be sending along documents to update my file because…wait for it….I have been previously employed with Government of Nunavut so they requested my hiring documents from the Kitikmeot region and no interview is required (basically an internal candidate). Since this was 2012 however I needed to provide a new criminal records check, copy of my RN registration etc. When I opened the email yesterday there were eight forms attached to be printed, completed and signed, scanned and returned and a long email requesting various supporting documents including my RN diploma. This last request required that I find the step ladder and climb up into the back of the closet for the 42 year old record! As well, a letter from a physician stating I was was mentally (debatable) and physically able to work in a remote northern environment. I messaged my Dr and he agreed to to provide this stating “I see you’re well from your FB pics” which is accurate. I worked my way through the paperwork as I collected banking info for direct deposit, various certifications, my SIN card and birth certificate etc etc, scanning the info and attached it to email. This process was repeated multiple times until each document was attached as a separate file and two emails were finally received. I was annoyed to think that most of the information is on file somewhere north of 60 but the left and right hand do NOT know what the other does.  I also noted with annoyance that my criminal records check will be six months old tomorrow as I obtained it at the beginning of this saga and so I’m sure that will be called out as the details sure get noticed but not the fact that this has taken over five months - not seeing the forest for the trees isn’t an apt metaphor in the tundra but…So today’s email from HR stated some documents were missing - the oath of secrecy and letter from the Dr so I got on the phone and set the ‘office minder’ on my GP and received the ‘I faxed it just now, sorry I forgot’ message from him this pm. I quickly replied that I forgave him and THANKS! I pointed out to HR that the oath was to be signed in front of a Commissioner of Oaths of Nunavut, could I have a Maritime version sign one?  The response was that I could complete the top portion and sign it when I got there. My thoughts run to…so I have to fill in my details, scan and email it to you why? But of course those thoughts are not voiced as this is becoming the longest running series since Bonanza and I am determined to have a January TB program contract. So, to that end I shall retrieve my letter and email those north tomorrow. 

Speaking of sagas, the quest for my 2018 RN reimbursement continues and last week I applied for 2019 registration! Since I hadn’t received the deposit I emailed my former manager and clerk asking about the $930. No reply from the manager so I email her manager and get an ‘out of office’ reply followed almost immediately by a reply from the clerk that ‘the receipt never made it to Yellowknife’ and she instructs me to contact the association again for another receipt. She suggests I may wish to use the GNWT credit card and the following day provides me with the details. I contact the registrar and explain that my employer has lost my receipt twice (once last fall, once this summer) and insists I must have the original for reimbursement. The registrar replies with an email copy and advises that as of August 1 there are no longer paper copies issued. I forward this email with the receipt to the clerk with the expected dialog of…you must provide a paper receipt, you have to contact the association, did you receive an email from the manager as we are handling 2019 registration. I try my best to clarify that the email clearly states the association is NOT going to be providing paper copies from August 1 onwards. No budging from her position. I phone the registrar the next day, thank her for the email and explain my dilemma. She tells me that GNWT has been advised of the change and agreed to it, but she notes they require some further education and she will discuss this with the Executive Director. After suggesting that I contact the Deputy Minister of Health (even quoting the webpage) and advise them of how badly I’m being treated by my employer, especially as northern locums are so difficult to fill the registrar asks for the clerk’s name and phone number and apparently straightens her out because I receive an email from the clerk within the hour asking me to send the email receipt. I think…you mean the one I sent yesterday and you refused to deal with it? The one in the very email you’ve just replied to? Instead I forward the email again. I receive a reply stating this is only a logo, not the receipt so….I download, save and email the receipt two different ways. Although I have had no further correspondence I am hopeful of a pay deposit at some point in the not too distant future…maybe even before my credit card payment for the $945 2019 registration is due. I am such an optimist. 

The remainder of yesterday afternoon/evening was spent creating a photobook as my Picabo voucher for three 9x11” books was expiring at midnight and feeling a little like Cinderella I put a rush on it. Not going to repeat that anytime soon. Selecting over 100 photos from my Dropbox backup, uploading them (on this wi-fi the painful part) and then creating the book under time pressure isn’t recommended. Last week I managed to put together the New Years cruise book and yesterday resulted in one on Argentina. I had originally aimed for the third on Chile, then revised it to just Easter Island and eventually missed both targets as procrastination was not my friend, but…at least I didn’t lose my entire voucher. 

Last Tuesday was less stressful as I spent the day being a lady of leisure and joined my friend at rug hooking which is held weekly at the local yacht club. Caught up with some former coworkers I haven’t seen for a while, checked out all the beautiful crafts and crocheted while I visited. Off to get my license renewed and walked in and out of DMV without seeing a soul but the clerks. Back to the library to crash book club as my friend attends monthly and I used to years ago. Decided I’d find the October read as I’ll be here for the meeting and it wasn’t available at the library - usually they read a listed book or one where there are owned copies to share. It’s The Interpreter by Suki Kim and I used the free wi-fi to download a copy from ebook.bike (apologies to authors as it’s a kind of a pirate site) and then corrupted the librarians by admitting what I’d done. I have no shame and don’t plan to obtain any. As in…today I downloaded Reese Witherspoon’s recently released biography called Whiskey in a Teacup. We finished off our Tuesday afternoon at the Beandock with a cup of tea and cookies in the lawn chairs while we chatted with tourists from Ottawa about our lovely unspoiled area. 

Today I found a bottle of fava beans from the cyclades which were a parting gift from our host in Schinoussa two years ago and since they are approaching their best before date, I opted to make them as an appetizer for supper. The recipe I used made them too watery but I reduced them and they were fine. The shore captain didn’t arrive with pitas though and tortillas do NOT substitute. The fish tacos with the tomatillo salsa verde were fine and sautéed garden veggies cannot be topped. We had zucchini brownies for dessert. Yum. 

We got some much needed rain yesterday and although more was forecast for today, that appears to have missed us. Many in the area with dry wells although we’re still hanging on. I was reading through a journal I kept in 2016 and yesterday we had run dry, although we hadn’t been checking and weren’t being careful then. To think that two years ago I was doing chemo - grateful to be so well and have it behind me. I was chatting with a fellow survivor as there was a local ‘walk for the cure’ event this weekend and although everyone’s journey is different, we both agreed that those sorts of things are depressing to us. As he said “I don’t need to have a t-shirt and flowers to remember the fight’ and I agree that seeing ailing warriors and candles for those who haven’t made it is just a downer to me. Now lots of folks get a real boost from such things, enjoy posting every little update on FB, asking for prayers etc. so I’m not judging but….not my style. 

Planning on having the grandson this weekend and looking forward to hearing how grade three is going. He has the daughter of a former coworker as his teacher and she's very capable so hopefully...Will be nice to spend a few days doing fun stuff with him. 

Only six more sleeps until our girls getaway. Woohoo!

Gimme All Your Lovin'

Grabbing a few moments before I head out to watch the first game of the grandson’s ball tournament this weekend. Each team is guaranteed two games so Friday evening and Saturday morning are on the calendar. Will be good to catch up on his review of grade three thus far. 

Last week was a busy time of hanging out with my granddaughter while her mother set up the French Immersion grade primary classroom she’ll teach in until November. We had a great time on our urban field trips to playgrounds, library, friends, duck pond etc and I am missing my little buddy. On Saturday we managed a three generation girls morning and had pastries at Two if By Sea cafe, then took in the Farmers Market on the waterfront, picking up local corn, blackberries and blueberries ahhh. I managed to spend some time visiting with a friend who is a bit under the weather and this made for a full but well spent trip. I accomplished a number of projects I’d set out for myself including crocheting a mobius shawl for my friend and one for my daughter, a crown to go with the Supergirl costume, sewing curtains for the nursery, yarn shopping and some which were assigned to me such as assisting with classroom materials prep. Not too shabby considering the heat and humidity were at peak measurements. But first an end of August recap. 

We managed our extended weekend getaway to Ottawa/Montreal and a great time was had by all. Good thing the grandson is a calm traveller as we landed with a firm bang, bounce and then quick reversal of engines in Ottawa on Friday morning. I’d just looked out the window and thought ‘we’re coming in at about double speed of what we usually do’ and apparently we were. Northern pilots wouldn’t have been amused with that landing. We were picked up at the airport by our oldest daughter and enjoyed a great brunch, settled our things at her place, then the shore captain and I headed off for an overnight in the daughter’s car while she and the grandson hung out. Due to rainy

ZZTop at age 70...woohoo

weather they enjoyed the afternoon/evening at Funhaven an indoor park which included laser tag, bowling, rides and more.  The old folks braved the traffic down to Laval and took in ZZTop at Place Bell. It was a wonderful evening from the meal at the hotel, the immigrant Uber drivers to and fro the venue and the event itself. The Damned Truth (rock n roll band from Montreal) opened for ZZTop and were a great start. The travel partner commented that Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill “didn’t spin their guitars like they used to” and I had to point out their advanced age. Not to mention that I’d never noted the drummer’s name is Frank Beard and ironically he is the only clean shaven band member. More to the point is that these three (plus one who died five years ago) are original members from 1969. That is impressive in the throw away world of rock music. The weather cleared for the remainder of our travels and we enjoyed a lovely buffet breakfast then back out on the highway to Ottawa. You would think an early Saturday morning run would be straight forward but until Mirabel it was nuts! Who would expect a complete standstill on a four lane highway?

We spent a great weekend as tourists indulging in the Greek Festival a showcase of all things

Fireworks competition

Greek including a delicious meal, music and dancing. A stroll and meals in Byward Market, then wonderful fireworks over the river. We visited the Canadian Agriculture & Food Museum aka experimental farm in Nepean and it’s a wonderful spot for kids - they were hosting summer camps and birthday parties from the ads. Lots of critters, plants and things to learn - the gentleman farmer felt he’d done well while comparing crops. We took in Northern Lights on Parliament Hill which tells our history in a great light show projected on the centre block of the parliament buildings. Lots of new Canadians enjoying the outing. In the three years it’s been running over 1 million have attended. Our final day was a stroll along the Rideau Canal, a visit to Little Italy with a great lunch and being dropped off at the airport. A few tears, a seamless checkin, uneventful wait, flight, drive home and immediate bedtime.

The grandson stayed on for a few days to hang out with visitors next door. It’s a complete circle of life when the kid who used to babysit, drops her sons off to play with your grandson while she gets a haircut. Lots of shared interests including Lego, cars, swimming and archery so they amused themselves well. Good to catch up with their mother too on her annual family visit. 

We’ve enjoyed the pool all summer, especially with the warm, dry weather. In our area of the province, it’s close to the drought of two years ago with lots of wells dry or very low levels, folks showering at the provincial campground and using the laundromats. We’re being careful and the garden is being sustained by water transported from the fish plant. The lawn hasn’t required much mowing and in fact is brittle and dry. Sure could use a good long rain in this area. The zucchini continue to flourish and I’ve experimented with both zucchini brownies (delicious) and lasagna (delicious but required draining) in order to manage the harvest. The gentleman farmer has been freezing bags of tomatoes to use for future salsa and we are eating garden fresh daily. 

Had a nice visit with the former coworker who’s heading north to work as a homecare nurse. She had the usual packing, travel and contractual questions and I remembered my nervous excitement of six years ago. Surprised myself by how many of her questions I could answer without pondering too deeply. I’ve been in contact over the past two weeks as she immerses herself in the new culture and discovers the quirkiness of the north and recalled my own journey.  Am sure she’ll do just fine and they’re lucky to have her.  

The saga of northern nursing has continued and although I’ve i ignored it for the most part, the developments have reached beyond ridiculous. My former job share partner had resigned, her resignation wasn’t accepted, she was offered a ‘too good to be true’ position and rescinded her resignation, the job ‘unfortunately wasn’t available’ so she reinstated her resignation and opted for a casual contract with the neighbouring territory, the manager advised a replacement couldn’t be arranged (although a coworker was able to leave immediately) so her departure was prolonged several times and….the contract in Nunavut was held for a week or so but eventually was filled and since my buddy needs to work she now finds herself doing a casual contract with her former employer in…wait for it….the original community we worked in. Still hopeful for an indeterminate position with GN she is awaiting an interview. The summer season usually sees a mass exodus of HR staff and almost complete cessation of hiring. 

No further word from HR on my TB contract plan. A colleague suggested I contact one of the more likely to respond HR staff as she’d seen her in the airport flying in. I emailed yesterday  - it hasn’t yet elicited a response. Moving up the chain I’ll contact the Baffin managers by next week. I am particularly ticked off as a CHN coworker (without my infection control, tropical medicine, occupational health qualifications) was able to score a 4week TB casual contract in Baffin for mid September within 90 minutes. I’m looking at a January contract now as the October target has clearly slipped by with all this dysfunction. Although I’ve been working on this over three months I’m no closer to the goal and yes, there is a large nursing staff shortage in the north. 

Have been fortunate to find someone to houseclean and she does a wonderful job, equal to some former greats from over the years. She’s the third over the past six months and the others have only lasted a couple of visits, so fingers crossed. We’ve settled on every two weeks and work around her schedule at a local nursing home. Can actually think of inviting folks over with that part of the entertainment puzzle taken care of. 

Dropped in to a former coworker/neighbour’s for tea and a visit, had another in for the same and attended a nursing school classmate’s 90th birthday party this past week where former coworkers converged and caught up on life news commemorated with a lovely group photo. When I commented on the much younger lovely photo of my friend she confided it had been in her trunk and she’d planned it to be displayed for her wake then decided the party was also a great venue so she said “this is my wake/party you know” and I explained that there’d be lots of music, food, beverages and stories at any send off for the life partner and myself and she nodded in agreement. Speaking of himself….a coworker noted him with his white beard, sitting with a high school classmate (a home support worker of many years) and said “Sherry, you brought one of your clients with you to the party did you?” Our giggles increased when he (deaf as he is) said “whaaa?” Ahhh nurse humour I guess as mister wasn’t as amused. 

Meeting up with a buddy to take in music on the north shore the next weekend and perhaps put the final touches on our Rocky Mountaineer trip. Friday night is buffet and songwriters circle at Fox Harb’r resort which is an upscale spot….will have to review the wardrobe choices and perhaps a Frenchy’s run is in order. At $450 each for the one night, the reviews which state ‘phenomenal’ best be accurate. We’re moving on Saturday to Stomp at Jost vineyards in Malagash and more modest accommodation with room/breakfast at $120 for two. I’m planning to head out by 10am on Sunday to attend The Crochet Crowd Stitch Social in the valley that afternoon before heading in to the city. I’m scheduled with the granddaughter on Monday as a day the sitter isn’t available. Have pencilled in lunch that Wednesday with former coworkers. Will be an eclectic social calendar that week. Ahh the life of the semi retired. 

Wishing on falling stars

Attempting this update at a more reasonable hour and YES I am pasting it over from  a document after the last fiasco. 

The weather has been rather unsettled - hot at times, humid and drizzly but no real rain (although flooding in other parts). At least not locally for us and the water situation has become an issue for some folks. We were only a few days without water in 2016, but used conservation measures for quite a while. And although we haven’t had the dry spring this year, this month’s rainfall matched the August of two years ago. We still have about a foot and a half of water in our well and as we all know, you can’t save it…the water table dictates but no use in looking for hassles. I have instructed the gentleman farmer that the crops need to be watered by an alternate source. Previously when the well went dry we’d continued on with our usual habits which included the hose to the garden. As I said “not going to use paper plates, drag clothes to the laundromat and shower at the provincial park in town so the garden can get the well water”. A good solid rain would put this all behind us. Thoughts have turned to well drilling as the more permanent solution others have invested in. 

Fair bit of infrastructure renewal required this year, which we hadn’t anticipated as we’re having to have the roof redone. When we built the house in 2005/6 the contractor used ’50 yr’ shingles which are now in need of replacement. Wouldn’t trust them another winter season, especially if it’s a windy one like last year. Turns out there’s a class action suit for the shingles and quite a number of local folks are having to do re-roofing. We’ve chosen a metal roof as replacement which will hopefully outlast us (said that last time) and one of the positives is not having to remove the previous shingles (less mess and labour involved) so no worries about the weather. Thinking of going with charcoal grey this time. Decisions, decisions. 

This past few days, while being a relaxing at the beach house kind of week, has seen the completion of some projects. I managed to finish the mobius shawl for the baby daughter and although it’s a prototype…I think it will suit. I have worked the kinks out of it and it’s a bit snug on me so should fit,  I have offered it to her on trial and she can gift it and I’ll redo if it doesn’t fit.  Working along on the mommy part of the mommy and me poncho and should have it together by the weekend. I’ve got the coffee pot cozy done for daughter #1 and will adjust it onsite if required. Lots of plans for projects. Always more projects than time…that’s the reason for the yarn stash :) With the garden bounty, we’ve done a large batch of million dollar relish and a double batch of sweet mustard pickles - I eat neither of these, a true labour of love to chop, stir, cook, boil, seal and label these jars. 

Had a message from a nursing school classmate who was forwarding sad news that one of our classmates had found her husband of 41 years unresponsive and expired on the floor. He was a diabetic of many years and the situation hit close to home for those of us sharing the same age group. I sent along a note expressing my sympathy and received this reply... "Knew I would find him this way someday, thought I was somewhat prepared, but wrong again! Thanks for your kind words." 

I dropped over for a Sit and Yarn session at my summer neighbour’s and worked on my projects while we drank tea and ate cookies and caught up on the news. Tomorrow we are heading to another yarn shop (she’s a fan of wool fibres) and then off to walk the beach. She’d met a ‘come from away’ person from that area so she and my former coworker will make it a foursome. We’ll likely source some lunch before heading home…such is the life of the (mostly) non-working folks. 

Saturday morning was clear (no early morning fog which has been the daily norm for over a week) and I took in the village wide yard sale doing very well (especially for my Cuban friends) in the form of new towel sets, sheets, beach toys, shorts, pencils a collapsible colander, as well as blocks for my grandkids, and yarn for my stash. It was a good chance to chat with folks I hadn’t seen for a while. And the most positive outcome was an arrangement with a girl who’d posted online about housecleaning on her days off, she agreed to take on our place. Woohoo! Even with a stop to pick up a few groceries, I was home by 10 am. We had donair burgers on the BBQ and salad for a great summer supper. I tried the peach, chicken and brie quesadillas recipe which I’d seen online, using my neighbours peaches which she’d gifted. It was (sadly) one of those recipes which sounds a lot better than it turned out. Edible but…

This week will bring the visit of a previous coworker who is heading north to work in homeware for Government of Nunavut. She’s going to Kugluktuk (formerly Coppermine) where I’ve been twice so I’m doing a short tutorial on the northern lifestyle. Mostly packing tips. As I told her….think camping x 8wks and you’ll be on track. Have some former coworkers coming on Thurs for a visit (hopefully the weather cooperates for a swim) and so pretty excited to have the cleaner the day before. Thursday night I’ll pick our grandson up from his ballgame and Friday a.m. we’ll be on our way to Ottawa for a long weekend. Getting excited to see the oldest daughter! The summer is slipping away and lots of plans aren’t going to make the cut this year it seems.

Tonight is the clearest and brightest of the perseid meteor showers. The life partner and I enjoyed a few in the front yard just now. Reminded us of the time decades ago when we were newlyweds and mister came home from an evening RCMP shift, wrapped me in a quilt and we sat in front of the open window in the frigid Labrador air watching the meteor show. Crazy kids.