Back across the pond

A good time was had by all at Naomi and Sam's wedding in Gilling just a couple of days after we arrived in the UK. Of course the wedding day itself was fantastic but we also loved being able to help out with preparations the day before. Steve helped to move tables and chairs and set up while Caitlin and I arranged flowers. I then left with Brendan to make a short stop at Easingwold School to see the old gang before going to collect Paddy and Jo at Thirsk railway station. We then met all the Skehans at the Fairfax for a pub dinner and then Caitlin, Paddy, Jo and the three of us stayed at Eimears lovely house in Wombleton. All in all a busy day.
The next day was the highlight of our trip this time. Pre-wedding drinks at the Fairfax where Brendan had a short nap in the buggy. (He didn't sleep again till about midnight!) The church service was beautiful and then we walked or drove up to the Castle for the reception. Everyone was grateful for the gorgeous weather, especially considering the British summer had been wet and cold until September. The food was lovely, the dining room and whole building were just perfect. Lots of fun, dancing, singing, good speeches, games, playing rugby outside, great cake (made by Glynis) and lots more. The singing and drinking continued at the Fairfax- we didn't want it to end. Jo, Steve and I finally bundled the VERY drunken Caitlin and Paddy into the car and headed home to Eimear's for a well needed sleep.

We drove up to Scotland and stayed with Nicky, Fi, Niamh and Aedan for the week while we went back and forth to the flat in Glasgow to work on it. Niamh, Aedan and Brendan had lots of fun playing together and we had a good trip to the zoo. Steve worked like a machine and painted, fixed floorboards and skirting, did a bit of plastering and generally achieved more than the average two people put together (as usual). We then moved Paddy out and cleaned the whole flat from top to bottom before signing with a letting agent. It was all worth it as new tenants moved in the day we returned to Canada so the flat should now look after itself for a while (fingers crossed for no major problems).

Also got to visit Kath, Lee and Ella in Dundee and Phil in Tayport. Ella is just beautiful and Kath is a wonderfully natural and easy going mum- it is so exciting to see us all grown up and mummy's now!

Helicopters, Dragon Boats and a Canoe!

It has been a very busy few weeks with Steve's work. Last weekend, CFB Gagetown was honoured by Fredericton with the ancient Roman tradition of Freedom of the City. Soldiers from the base paraded through downtown with bayonets fixed and drums beating. Steve was in the lead helicopter of a four ship flypast which apparently brought the roar of the crowd up a notch as they came down low and loud along Queen Street in a diamond formation.

The following day was taken up by the McInnes Cup Dragon Boat Races. Steve was on the Base team which did fairly well. They placed fourth overall and came within one second of winning the Premier's Cup in their division. Brendan and Siobhan came to watch in the rain and had a good time until Brendan got a little too damp while playing in the puddles.

One of the biggest highlights of the summer had to be picking up our new canoe. Ali and her dad Harvey put in a lot of work and built us a cedar strip canoe for our wedding gift. It has all sorts of different woods such as BC cedar, NB cedar, mahogany, birds eye maple and oak. She has beautiful lines and is light enough that Steve can put it on top of the Jeep by himself. We took it out a few nights ago for its first paddle. We took it down the Oromocto River and she paddles fast and true. We've already received several comments from friends and bystanders. Thank you very much for our special gift.

A Garden Update

Well, it has been a few months since we started the garden and it's doing really well. We've been able to 'harvest' green beans, yellow beans, radishes, turnip, sweet sugar snap peas, carrots, little onions, zucchinis and tomatoes.

As for our herbs, we've been taking advantage of rosemary, thyme and oregano.

With the end of the season approaching fast, we're just waiting on the last batch of carrots, onions, tomatoes and eggplant.

We're really looking forward to next year.

Visitors From The UK Part II

Bernadette, Lucy and Aisling arrived on the new direct flight from Gatwick to Fredericton.

Just realised I haven't posted this yet- it is so hard to keep these things up to date!
We had a great time with Bernadette, Lucy and Aisling. Highlights included lots of boating- Lucy got the hang of waterskiing and they both had fun being towed along on the tube. I wasn't there but they tell a story of Steve taking them, barefoot, into a swamp where they were attacked by a million, huge, ferocious, man-eating mosquitoes which took chunks out of them and made them itch for weeks!We also went to the market, swam in the pool a lot, enjoyed the sun (the weather was a hundred times better than the month before when A-M and C were here. We went to a couple of parties which was interesting- gave them a chance to meet some Canadians.

It is just interesting to see/hear other people's perspective on what is similar and different between here and the UK. I meant to keep a record of all the things I noticed when we first moved here but never got around to it. It's amazing how quickly many of those things become unnoticeable and you just adapt. We still may write a list sometime, for fun. Having spent over 3 years in the UK Steve is just as aware of the differences as I am. We laugh at stuff regularly:)

A Summer Of CISV Activities

Well, July was a really busy month when it came to CISV. There where 3 main events which proved to be very interesting.

The first was the CISV Village which was held at Magaguadavic Lake. The pre-camp preparations inlcuded Steve's help with the set up of the Army modular tentage and terrain upkeep (what?-ed.) while Siobhan helped with the arts and crafts cabin. Even Brendan got to help out by attempting to drive the front loader. There were kids and leaders from 12 different countries. The Camp itself was an excellent venue for the kids. There was a beautiful white sandy beach with an onshore breeze which took the edge of the blazing sun. Mid-way through the camp, there was an open house where each group presented their country through information stands, skits and songs. It was a lot of fun and interesting watching all the kids.

Upon completion of the open house, this is when our second event took place, Siobhan, Brendan and I got to host 2 kids from the Camp, both 11 years old. They were Mustafa from Turkey and Mathias from Sweden. From Friday to Sunday, the boys where kept busy swimming, boating, going to the Farmers' Market, Science East as well as bowling and video games at Kingswood.

The last big event which was the most intensive for Siobhan was the local Fredericton CISV and MCAF mini-camp. Siobhan hosted 16 kids for 4 days at Greer Creek Lodge with Catherine, her assistant. The 4 days were packed with loads of activities, swimming and discussions along with all the chores of cooking and cleaning. Brendan even took part in the 4 day event and loved every minute of it. As for me, I helped out on the first and last night.
(Should we record Brendan's close call with calamity? He "escaped" (out the front door which was left open) and headed straight for the water. A good ten minutes after seeing him last I noticed he was missing and ran straight for the water too, yelling at the others to search the lodge and around. But there he was, standing right on the water's edge, happily throwing rocks in, minding his own business and enjoying the sunshine. Anyway, I cried and cried and have never loved him so much!)

Anyhow, a busy month which lead us into a busy, busy summer.

Visitors From The UK Part I

Summer has finally arrived along with our guests. Our first guests from the United Kingdom where Anne-Marie and her sister, Catriona. Although they came for a 'relaxing' holiday, it didn't take long before Siobhan had a fun filled schedule built. After a quick tour around Fredericton, they were off to Grand Manan Island for 2 days of camping, walks and whale watching. From there, Steve meet up with the four of them at Fundy National Park. Over the three days, we hiked the Copper Mine, Caribou Plain and a couple of others we've forgotten the names of. Once back in Fredericton, some last minute shopping was done and Anne-Marie and Catriona got in some horseback riding. Their trip ended with a weekend in Halifax. We had a good look around town, caught some shows at the International Busker Festival and did the tourist thing and drove the coast down to Peggy's Cove.
All in all we had a fantastic time- thanks for coming!

Our first attempt at growing some veggies.

Check out our first edible produce of the year!! Brendan promptly took a bite so he's already learning about where our food comes from.



Below is a photo of about one third of the whole vegetable patch. We're trying lots of different things... green and yellow beans, peas, carrots, onions and leeks, cabbage, courgette, butternut squash, aubergine, tomatoes, watermelon, pumpkin, okra and, of course, the radishes.
We've probably grown about three quarters from seed ourselves and the remaining quarter were transplants bought at the market. So far so good, although the first beans we transplanted don't seem to be doing very well.

First camping trip of the year

The weather forecast wasn't very promising but we decided to go anyway. Steve was camping in Jasper, Alberta, while over that way for work, so Brendan and I packed up and headed to Mactacquac on our own for a bit of nature and to soak up the springtime vibe. It really was beautiful weather on the first day and we enjoyed playing at the edge of the lake, exploring in the woods and running around in the grass. We met up with four other families, only one of which we'd met before. Caroline and Ian are a couple we met last year- from France and England respectively. They have two children, Amandine,5 and Louis, 19 months. We get on particularly well because we have similar ideas about raising children. Brendan and Louis spent much of the time running around without nappies on while the other 3 toddlers there were either strapped in their buggies or watched so closely they couldn't get more than a few feet away. It was a lot of fun and made easier because everyone watched each other's children as they ran around and occasionally got too close to the fire. At one point though, I decided to follow Brendan covertly, hiding behind trees, just to see how far he would walk before he turned to look. I wondered if he would realise he was a long way from home and how he would react. Well, we got at least 200 metres (no exaggeration- I paced the return journey) before he even looked around. Unfortunately my timing was off and he immediately spotted me running for a tree trunk, laughed at me, then turned away and started to run! So I still don't know if it would have upset him to find himself alone. All that little adventure showed him was that I'll always be right behind him- good and bad I suppose.





Just snapped this pic to show you the current hair situation. A proper hair cut has been due for weeks now but this morning I got fed up of seeing his hair sticking in his eyes so I took a pair of scissors to his fringe as he ate his breakfast. Well now we'll just HAVE to go to the hairdressers ASAP. He looks ridiculous! Sorry Brendan.

Right, so we're not very good at keeping up to date on this thing. Going to stick with it though and try to improve the frequency of posting.
First, a summary of the rest of our Cuba trip. The whole things was a great experience. Mostly fascinating but sometimes frustrating. We travelled around quite a lot. I'm going to attempt to stick a map in to show the ground we covered. We'll have to go back another time to explore the eastern half of the island.
Highlights included:
- Vinales is a village in a stunning valley with limestone scenery. We camped the first night but moved to the village because there was no water at the campismo. Went for a walk through fields to a large, deep cave with a place to swim a few hundred metres into it.
- Went to a beautiful, quiet beach at Cayo Juteus where we went snorkelling and swimming. The restaurant was a bit rubbish there though- only thing available was shrimp and chips.
- Crabs on the road to Maria La Gorda. Not pleasant but memorable. Our minibus must have squashed a thousand at least. Maria La Gorda too expensive so we didn't stay.
- Tried to get the ferry to Isla de la Juventud but had no luck. The taxi ride there squashed into one car and the bus trip back to Havana were probably our most memorable journeys. The bus was jam packed and the temperature must have been about 35C. A lady who had a seat took Brendan from me and he promptly went to sleep on her lap and missed the 2 hour trip. Lucky thing!
- Had a couple of relaxing days in Havana. Steve, Paddy, Jo and Jo went swimming in the sea off the rocks at the Malecon with the locals. Had my small bag stolen while we had a drink in a bar. Amazing they could snatch it from my chair while 4 people were facing me. Didn't get much so no worries. Swimming on a hotel rooftop for free. First man we asked said no, asked another who said yes. Pleasant afternoon.
- The Bay of Pigs and Playa Giron next. We stayed in an old resort straight out of the 70s. Hardly anyone there and the food was terrible but the little cabins were ok. Steve and Jo went for a dive and the rest of tagged along to go snorkelling at a good spot. Also went to a cenote- a flooded faultline. Very interesting- salt water below but the top metre or so was fresh. Lots of tropical fish in the salty bit but not near the surface. Jumping and diving in from some trees and rocks surrounding it. Everyone was showing off!
- Wanted to go on a trip into a national park but didn't. We'd have to hire our own guide, it was very very hot, siobhan was feeling sick, and we were told the flamingos had left which was my main reason for going. Hitched a lift on a tour bus back to Varadero with a tour group. Had to hang around at the most touristy attraction looking for a bus. Had some time to kill when we found one so we did a little boat trip to a replica pre-columbian village. It was the most tacky thing I have ever done! Still had fun though. At least the lake we went on was natural even if the canals weren't.
- Paddy and the girls went to cienfuegos and a beautiful waterfall. Shame we missed it but I was not up to it by then. Pregnancy nausea kicked in fully in Varadero and I couldn't wait to get home. Only the last three days were a bit difficult.

All in all a great experience. Cubans are friendly and welcoming. We loved the community spirit and the way everyone works and lives together. Having Brendan ensured more interaction with Cubans than we might otherwise have had. They would regularly play with him and take him off to show him to their friends and family, which sometimes made Steve a little jumpy!
The history and politics were also incredibly interesting. Paddy was our most knowledgeable so he kept us informed.
Only difficulty we experienced, apart from my nausea, was finding good food. There was very little in the way of fresh fruit and veggies and the usual 3 or 4 things on the menu in every government restaurant. Casa owners made good meals though so we survived. Only other thing was what Steve started calling the Cuban two-step. It was often hard to get a straight answer and the inflexibility was a little tiring. For example, you can't sleep three to a room anywhere, there is never the option of lower prices for the third person and "yes" might later mean "no".

I'm going to get the photos online soon and they will have detailed comments- diary-like.

Hola from Habana

We arrived safely after a long fairly uneventful trip. After trying to negotiate a lift on one of the tourist buses we gave up and jumped on a local bus that pulled up at Varadero airport about 10 minutes after we got outside. The two hour drive was fine with beautiful coastline with crystal clear water to look at. Brendan became increasingly pale and then threw up all over all three of us and didn't look too good on another bus we took so we've come to the conclusion he gets bus sick. After getting off the bus and working out the map we realised we only had a 5 minute walk to our Casa. The casa was pleasant and the family were very friendly and played along as we tried out some phrases from the phrasebook. Paddy appeared in our room at 9 am the next day and then Jo and Jo arrived that afternoon. Highlights in Habana included walking round the old colonial part of town and stopping in various plazas, trying some street food that Paddy bought with the non convertible currency (his Spanish is a lot better than ours), the Museo de la Revolucion, swimming at a hotel pool, walking along the Malecon (seafront), Plaza de la Revolution with its big monumant and Che wall art, trying to imagine 1.2 million people in that square at a political rally. WOW. HAd a couple of good dinners but we are glad we brought the dried fruit as the sum total of available dishes is basically beans, rice, fried chicken and spaghetti. Although the bananas are delicious but too many may not be a good idea.
We are now in Vinales, about 3 hours west of Habana. Caught a bus yesterday morning and stayed at a campismo last night. It was in a hut but basically camping. No water, frogs, geckos and ants in the room but the surroundings were incredible. Beautiful limestone scenery. Went for a walk yesterday and asked a farmer to show us to a cave where we walked in 300m and then Steve swam in the underground pool.
Enough for now, we are heading out for tea. We'll write more later but just wanted to check in.