Friday, April 22, 2011

6 Blankets are not enough....

SORRY...no pictures as Brian didn't bring an essential cable with him. 
WARNING...this is a long blog...but there's lots to tell!


Greetings from nippy Nova Scotia!  We are enviously hearing about 25 degree temperatures in England, with wading pools out and barbeques at work!  It is about 5 degrees in the house right now, I am tucked under blankets with Marmalade acting as a hot water bottle in the bed (thanks for that great, much in demand hot water bottle, Nicky!) and Jasper acting as a foot warmer.  Electric blankets are the key to a cozy night's sleep, bless the inventor.  We are layered up in clothes and physically active during the day, so that isn't a worry. 


Now...to start at the beginning.  Marmalade yelled all the way from Colchester to Heathrow.  Then she had a rather large bowel movement in her carrier as we entered the terminal.  We had emergency supplies to cope with this, but one piece escaped the cage, hit the floor and rolled by a very startled lady before I could retrieve it.  We were in hysterics!


My flight was great, Marmalade survived the flight in the hold, and were greeted by darling Steph who had made a welcome sign and was a sight for sore eyes!  We went to the nearby hotel where Marmalade made herself at home and we ordered in food, talked and slept until it was time to pick Brian and Jasper up.  Brian had a little trouble with customs and paperwork.  The situation was probably not improved by him commenting that they had training issues!  It was great to see him when he finally came through.  Brian knew that Steph wanted to stay longer, so he booked another room in the hotel and crashed out.  I think the clothes and makeup strewn surfaces, cat litter tray and cat food bowls in our room put him off!


Next day, we dropped Steph off at Colby (suburb of Dartmouth where her Dad and family live) and then went to the Valley.  Marmalade went to sleep, so the trip was peaceful and we installed the cats at the old house, before beating a hasty retreat from the cold and dirt to my Aunt Marg and Uncle Bill's home up the road. 


This is where photos are needed...so I will just briefly describe and get photos up when we get container goods and find cable.  The land around the house has greatly increased, but it is dirt, not lawn at the moment.  The removal of the huge corner chimney in the living room/kitchen has really opened up the space. 


We spent a week working at the house during the day and doing errands to get necessary documents and a car.  We now have a 2003 Ford Focus silver station (estate) wagon (I had my heart set on a red PT cruiser, but practicality won out.), driver's licenses, a doctor, a dentist, Bri now has a social insurance number, house insurance, phone, internet, roof shingles replaced, and I created a kitchen area and unpacked dishes, etc. that were already here (remember that this house has been used as a summer place for decades by my family) while Brian took off the kitchen walls.


Wow...there was a tree growing in the wall at one point, they used cardboard to insulate at another area, wonderful hand made nails in the huge beams, and adze marks on the wood.  Some of the beams still have the bark on, and the most amazing thing is that one of the boards is 23 inches wide, from the first growth forest here in 1760. 


We have moved into the house full time, and it is great to be here.  We have been to St. Luke's
http://parishofannapolis.com/?page_id=8
where we were made very welcome and met several English people who have moved here.  One lady grew up a block away from where Brian lived in London! 
Brian has been to a meeting of the Order of Good Cheer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Good_Cheer
which is the oldest social group in Canada, but for men only!!!  To counteract this outrage, some of the women went out for dinner and then played scrabble.  I am thinking of naming this group the Order of Even Better Cheer.


I am going to Acadia University to help Steph move back to Dartmouth for the summer early next week
http://www2.acadiau.ca/index.php
and am then going to Halifax (just across the Halifax Harbour by bridge from Dartmouth) to pick up Brian who will have sorted out the paperwork for our container which has arrived from England!  We were so surprised, as it only left the UK on the 5th of April.  A lot of stuff will be stored in the attic/basement here until the house is ready for it.

So, we await spring, the daffodills aren't out yet, nor are tree leaves, but the sun is warm and the river is sparkling.  The walk into the woods via the logging road is beautiful and the coyote howls at night make you glad to be inside! 

2 comments:

  1. Glad you're all settling in, lets hope it soon warms up.
    Brian forgot something? Never!!

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  2. Well, Sally, that's just it!!! Sunny weather and warmer temperatures are a great boost, and the movers have just arrived. Hope you are all well. love, Jenn.

    ReplyDelete