Bruges

Last Saturday we got up fairly early, as usual, and threw out ideas of things we could do. And as usual, we couldn't make up our minds! At about 10 ish, after pottering around the house a bit we decided we definitely had to get out (we all get along much better with each other if we don't hang around inside too long on weekends) and so I suggested Bruges and within about 10 minutes we were in the car and on our way. I wish we could get out the door that quickly during the week when we do actually have to get somewhere at a certain time.


Bruges is beautiful. It isn't a particularly busy time for tourists but it was fairly busy anyway, although we didn't have to wait to find a horse and cart or a boat tour.

I couldn't resist snapping a photo of Steve walking hand in hand with his boys- so cute. They both had a wonderful day. We parked at the train station and took the free bus into the centre. We jumped on a horse and cart first, then did a bit of walking, then had lunch, did lots more walking, a boat tour, more walking, went in a few shops, passed by a few museums (thinking we'll come back without the kids one day) and finally headed back to the station and home. A great day all round.

Oh, and note that long haired photo of Tadhg which is an appropriate "before" shot. His long golden curls are no more! I'll need to get the "after" shot from the camera and put it on here.

Stories and chat

Brendan and I were reading a story in which a new baby was born.

Brendan: Mama, why is the baby in the mummy's tummy?
Me: It's growing and waiting until it's ready to come out.
B: Why does it come out?
Me: Because it's big enough so it's ready to get out of there and see the world.
B: Oh
Me: You were in my tummy too you know, and then you decided it was time to come out.
B: But when I was coming out of your tummy, I was coming out and then I went back in and then I couldn't come out.
Me: Why couldn't you come out?
B: Because there was no room and I was pushing and something was in the way, there were bricks in the way.
(all of this with extra gestures- bumping his head on "bricks")
Me: Then what happened?
B: I was stuck
Me: But then what happened?
B: Then the bricks were smashed out of the way and then I came out really really fast.

Wow, do you think he remembers his birth? :) Not that there were any bricks involved but it may have felt that way to him I suppose.

I think I should start writing down some of his stories. The other day, as we sat round a fire in the garden, he told a very long rescue story that became quite elaborate. I have a habit of prompting him by asking questions but I'm trying to just keep quiet and listen sometimes. More often than not now he needs little prompting anyway and goes off on various flights of imagination. It's often obvious which story or cartoon or real event is his inspiration but sometimes he totally surprises us with something completely random and interesting.

Tadhg is into imitating his big brother. It's very comical- he's so exact and quick to copy. It's just as well Brendan doesn't find it annoying. Our favourite time of day is when they wake up and come through to give us a cuddle and kiss and sometimes climb in to bed for a bit. Then, once they are both awake, Brendan says "Come on, Tadhg" and they toddle off to his room to play with trains or do puzzles or read books. We just lie in bed listening to them playing and Brendan speaking so lovingly and gently to Tadhg.
This morning we watched as Brendan went to the loo saying "I need a wee. Come on Tadhg, come and watch me doing a wee... This is how we lift the seat and then I pull my trousers down and then I do a wee like this, are you watching Tadhg? And then I have to pull my trousers back up like this and then we can flush the toilet. Okay, let's go back to my room now. Come on, Tadhg."
The peace usually lasts about 20 minutes and then they start to argue and push each other around and that's our cue to get up and head for breakfast.

I'm gathering some photos of our village and the centre of town and will get them on here soon. We just had our friend Anthony over from Canada for a visit. Steve and Anthony went to Amsterdam at the weekend and then to Vimy Ridge for a day trip. We also went back to the wonderful Parc Paradisio for the 4th time this year and generally enjoyed Anthony's company, sitting around the fire, talking about life, our dreams for the future, and various topics such as Afghanistan (arrghheucchh). Oh, and sharing "annoying" you tube clips.


Anyone else want to come and visit soon? We LOVE having visitors. And the spare room is nearly finished. Paris is 2 and a half hours away, Brussels is close, Amsterdam not too far, Christmas markets start next month, have a caravan, have a minivan that seats 7, have two motorcycles, lots of good bread and food and beer, Belgians are lovely and French is fun. Oh, and the chocolate is seriously good. Everyone always mentions chocolate and I just shrugged it off thinking yeah, whatever, lots of countries make good chocolate, but I am not so indifferent now. It really is good.

Childhood outside

I love being with the boys when they are out exploring and experiencing the world. They just become enraptured by the smallest little thing. Brendan is into conkers and falling leaves and other signs of autumn at the moment. As well as asking "why?" at least 10o times on a walk. And Tadhg imitates my exaggerated expressions of awe and wonder so perfectly- he'll pick up a piece of grass or whatever and look at it intently and go "wow" and "ooohh". If we are having a bad afternoon or if someone's a little tired we just need to head outside and a grumpy day is transformed into a calm and peaceful one. Until we get back inside, that is, and the fussing or fighting just starts right up again :)

I've taken on a bit too much at the moment but I'm thinking of starting a little outdoorsy playgroup that will get together somewhere (maybe even just the garden) once a week regardless of the weather. Maybe in the spring. I just need to find some like-minded folks now.

We're seriously thinking of getting a few chickens in the spring. This picture shows a couple of the very fancy chickens at a park near us- ours are unlikely to be as good looking! One of my french teachers offered me some young hens that are about ready to start laying but when I asked if the boys would be able to pick them up we agreed that it might be better to wait till spring and get some teeny tiny ones. Anyway, we need to build a hen shed, clear some of the weedy field and put up some more fencing first.
Watch this space.

I'm off the bed now, thinking about my friend Kath who is hopefully birthing her second baby any minute now! It was fun talking to her a few hours ago while she was in labour and breathing through contractions while I jabbered on. Looking forward to hearing of his or her safe arrival tomorrow.

Brendan

Here's Brendan and his wee brother just before going to his new "school" for the first time. He's in the first class of the 'ecole maternelle' in the local school.

It's about a 4 minute cycle, 7 minute walk or about 15 or 20 if Brendan walks himself, depending on how many things we stop to look at! Here's part of the route to school with the little shop that we sometimes pop into on the way home.
(Edited to add that he doesn't walk to school BY HIMSELF.I just meant walking himself as opposed to riding in the bike trailer or buggy.)

And this sort of shows the maternelle section of the school. All children are entitled to free school from the day they turn two and a half. So Tadhg could start on June 10th next year- way too early :(

I'm sure I'll write more later about my thoughts on school. Totally mixed feelings about the whole thing.

And finally, I have to include this video. (And a description for once this is printed out... it's a clip showing Brendan strumming on his ukelele and singing along to John the Rabbit by Elizabeth Mitchell. He's really into music- how early could he start lessons do you think?)

Sharing with caterpillars

I didn't tell them to pose for this, I promise. I was just walking around the garden with the camera. Aren't they gorgeous?! And I hope Brendan never grows out of that jumper. Actually, I take that back. I hope he does grow. Just not too quickly.

Here we are picking caterpillars off the veggies and checking out the egg we found just lying on the lawn. A neighbour on one side has a bunch of hens of different breeds so it may have come from them- but how it got onto our grass I'll never know. Anyway, a few days before this I was out picking caterpillars off the basil plants on the patio and telling Brendan that they were eating our food when Brendan said "but mama, shouldn't we share with the caterpillars?" So I stopped squashing them and we took them to their "new home" at the end of the garden.

Reading books in the garden. We pulled out a bunch of nature-y themed books but of course Brendan snuck in a couple of fire truck ones.

Tadhg and Spiderman bring in the supper ingredients.

Here's the view over the back fence of a lovely field of weeds. We are without a single tree in the garden so we actually have plans for this small patch of weedy field right outside the fence because it has a wee tree in it. Steve and Brendan are planning a tree house :)

Anyone know what this is? Steve bought a bunch of different, unlabelled seedlings at the flower market and we've forgotten what this is. Maybe cauliflower? Maybe brussels sprouts? We'll see soon. If the caterpillars leave it alone.

And Steve came back from the food market the other day with a pumpkin on the back of his bike.

It may look as though we've settled in to the garden but it's actually the only "problem" with this new house and is still a work in progress. This week sometime the landlord and a gardener are coming to turn over the topsoil, clean it of all the bits of bricks, rusty metal and broken glass, add some better quality top soil and then sow new grass seed. Then we have to stay off it for a couple of weeks. ouch. We're in the garden all the time so that will be interesting. It'll give us a reason to do lots more exploring in the neighbourhood.

First days in Belgium.

OK. So it has been a long, long time since we wrote. I'm missing it and I think I need to get back on top of it :) Blogging seems to be our alternative to photo albums (there are a few unfinished ones lying around in a box somewhere), it helps me remember to take photos to record special moments and days, keeps me motivated to do interesting things with the boys and anyway, some of you guys out there reading keep badgering me to write so this will get you off my back!

Not sure where to start so here are a few photos taken over the last couple of months since we arrived.
We missed our connection in Montreal due to a thunderstorm delay. It meant we got to fly through a spectacularly beautiful sky but more importantly we were able to spend some time with Steve's family before we headed across the Atlantic. Nana and Papa saw us off in Montreal.

We spent a week in a hotel before getting the keys to our new house. Here's Tadhg checking it out. It was a further three days before our container arrived and three more days after that before we could go out the back doors onto the lovely newly laid patio.

An early outside supper. It will be a while before everything finds its place in the house or garden. It's coming along slowly.

We've acquired a caravan! It was for sale by a family living round the corner from us and the price was too good to pass on the chance to try it out. We spent a weekend on the Belgian coast at a weird but interesting seaside resort that obviously had its heyday around 100 years ago and has lost any charm it might have had. We still had a good time though, despite the stormy weather, and the big sandy beach was fun for the boys (all three of them).

For our first and only day trip so far we went to the Grotes de Haan, about an hour south east of here. Fairly unspectacular but it had a couple of cool bits, including one fairly large cavern and some scary evidence of how dirty the air is today, although the guide was speaking in very fast Walloon french so I only caught bits here and there.

And we also went to the UK for a week. Here's the Hubbards' garden all ready for a party and below is the caravan from the outside.


More on our house and garden, our neighbourhood and Brendan starting "school" soon.

Grand Manan

Lindsey and I decided to take the kids to Grand Manan for a couple of days. We are not quite sure what we were thinking... it wasn't exactly the most relaxing of holidays given the unfavourable ratio of adults to children combined with the miserable rainy weather. Nevermind though, you soon forget the tough bits and only remember the fun and friends :)

Five kids on a big boat. The kids are aged 1,2,3,4 and 6.

Funny photo of Tadhg taken by Brendan. We spent some of the boat time inside eating fish and chips- it kept them contained in one spot for a while!

Five in the van.

When we woke up the first morning it was pouring with rain. So we headed to a cafe for breakfast.

Then we stopped in to the island's used clothing shop to find rain coats for Lindsey's kids (they had come straight to Grand Manan from somewhere else without going home and didn't have rain gear). We ended up spending a long time in there and coming out with a costume for each of them.

We also went to the library for a bit and then Lindsey took Ira, Hannah and Brendan to the museum while I got Esme and Tadhg to sleep in the car.

We then stopped at a beach and soon the older three were naked and paddling in the water.



We wanted to stay out as long as possible so that we could tire them out and get them to bed early but it was one of those days where time passes very very slowly. So the afternoon was spent watching a kids movie from the library and dressing up to be dragons, a turtle, a princess and a bear. Tadhg was banished to eat his spaghetti supper outside to minimise the mess.

Here's the cabin we stayed in. On three floors with extra loft bedrooms and a fish pond in the floor of the living room. The owner has built a few cabins dotted around in a patch of woods by a salt marsh and he has chickens and ponds and an organic garden. He also has a big gravel pile intended for some future project that was Brendan's favourite spot. Ira tried fishing for goldfish with a net and Tadhg and I gathered some wild strawberries by the driveway.


On both nights they did all go to bed early so Lindsey and I got some valuable time by ourselves. Next time we'll go somewhere without the kids- can't wait :)

And here we all are.

More goodbyes

On our way to Grand Manan we stopped in to visit our friends in Quispamsis one last time. I lived and worked with a good friend from New Brunswick in Cairo 10 years ago and her parents have been very welcoming and special to us during our time here. On several occasions over the last few years we've enjoyed spending time with them, playing in their garden, sharing lobster, being fed lots of other lovely food and meeting Ali there. And of course this is where our canoe came from.

This time we went for a little nature hike...

...which ended in swimming in the river. Lots of fun. Except the part where Brendan got a leech between his toes. I've never liked leeches much but am grateful that I experienced many a leech in Sri Lanka so that I was able to get it off without Brendan really knowing what was going on.

Strawberry picking

Here are a few pictures from our strawberry picking outing last week. This is the first organic strawberry U-pick in this area and it belongs to relatives of a friend of ours. We went along with a group of our friends and picked (and ate) lots and lots of berries before having a picnic together. Every special day like this is all the more important because we're going so soon now.