In Ontario now

Hello. Here I am, in Ontario! It has been a busy few days. I left Fort M on Saturday. My plane was delayed, so instead of flying into Ontario at 6:40pm, I didn't arrive until close to 9:30pm. I didn't mind the delay too much while still in the Fort, though, as I found out before Zenon drove away, so we were able to go home until it was time to leave again. When I got to Toronto, I had another delay, though, as they lost one of my bags. It was about 10:30 by the time we left the airport. I felt bad for my Mom, sister and Anie who had all come to pick me up. It was a late night for them. It was great to be reunited with them all, though.

I realized when I got home that the bag that was lost was the one that contained all my toiletry items. Luckily, I had quite a supply still at my parents' house, so I was able to make do until I could go shopping the next day.

Yesterday was a bit of a blur for me. Tammy and Anie were still here in the morning, so we had a delicious family breakfast of fruit salad and muffins. Later in the day, we went to visit both of my Grandmas (one at a time). We went shopping briefly at Zellers to pick up a few things, and then out for dinner (to Swiss Chalet! I have been missing this place). After dropping my Grandma O. off back at the home, my Mom and I watched the movie The Family Stone which I would not recommend to a friend. This movie had some really interesting ideas and so much potential, but it just got ridiculous by the end.

Today was a bit more relaxed, and I had the chance to catch my breath a bit. I spent the morning reading a book (I am reunited with my book collection! How lovely! I have so many things that I want to read during my vacation) and doing some suntanning on the deck. This afternoon my Mom and I went shopping for Anie's birthday present and some clothes. I bought some nice sweaters on sale for $15 each, as well as some T-shirts and things to get me through the rest of the summer.

My time here is filling up quickly. Tomorrow I am going to Michael's (the craft store) in the afternoon to drool over yarn and knitting equipment, and then tomorrow evening is Anie's birthday party. Wednesday is my Dad's surgery, and Thursday Mom and I are thinking about getting rush seats for a show in Stratford if we can. We also want to do more shopping and go to some movies before she goes back to work.

What I can't get over about here is how quiet it is! I haven't heard a siren since I left Fort McMurray, and I have trouble sleeping at night because it is so quiet, even with the windows open. There are no traffic sounds, no drunks walking home, no obnoxious motorcycles at 1am... It's so refreshing. I think that once I relax, it will be quite good for me.

Photos

Hello. I figured out how to make our new camera take smaller pictures. Here are some pictures of our apartment, some that I just took today, and some that I took a while ago with the old camera.

This is our dining room, which is never used for eating. We use it more like a study. This is where I do my letter-writing and bill organizing, and Zenon has started using it as a place to do his business paperwork.

Here is half of our living room. I just took this picuture 10 minutes ago.

Here is the other half of our living room. In the foreground you can see our ergonomic chair, also known as the "knee-bum chair" because of how you sit on it.

This is our kitchen.

This my bathroom - the ensuite.

This is the view from our balcony back in May.










In other, non-photographic news, Zenon became an uncle this morning! He has an as yet unnamed nephew. Mother and son are doing well. Yay!

Also, it is one week from today that I fly home! Double yay! I picked a good time to go home, too, since my Dad is having major surgery while I am there. This is not something to yay about. But, I will be there, and that is yay worthy. Yay! Yay home!

I am having a pleasant day so far. Zenon, John and I went out for breakfast before those two went to work. Now I am having a quiet afternoon catching up on chores and drinking organic green tea, the taste of which reminds me of Wolfville. Last year's summer there was so wonderful - falling in love with Zenon, walks with Ashley, tea parties at Andrea's, spending each day reading in the sunshine... Wow I miss that lifestyle. The taste of green tea brings it all back.

I am also missing Brad today. He took off to Calgary (as usual), and there were many garage sales afoot this morning. Alas, I had no vehicle and no companion to explore them with. Oh well. It leaves me with more time for tea.

Knitting pattern, Brad's pockets, and stuff

Hello. I have had a request for the pattern for my purse that I made. How exciting! I almost feel bad calling it a pattern because it's so easy, but anyway, this is what I did: I used Lion Brand Chenille Thick and Quick yarn, and then cast on about 30 or so stitches. I stitched in stockinette stitch until I was through one ball of yarn. Then I cast off. I made the strap by casting on 4 stitches from a second ball of yarn and doing garter stitch until it looked long enough (keep in mind that the straps will stretch once you wear the purse). Then I folded the bag in half (wrong sides together) and sewed up the sides, and sewed on the strap. You will want to line the inside with fabric, though, before you sew it all up. I missed this crucial step and my pencils always fall out. I have bought some fabric, though, to add to the purse. The final step is to find a funky button and sew it on the top, then attach a loop of the Thick and Quick to use with the button. Voila! A cool new purse in a weekend!

The other night Brad came home with wood in his pockets. We thought that he was just happy to see us, but no, it was actual wood - petrified wood, to be exact. He found it out at Suncor while he was working and thought that Zenon would like it. We guessed the wood's age at "older than real wood, but younger than tar sand."

In other news, it is now less than 2 weeks until I fly home. Yay! I am so excited that I can't even tell you. I have 8 more working days, not counting today.

Other exciting news is that Zenon's business is finally taking off. He quit his old job and is fully self-employed as of yesterday. It is scary, but exciting. I am going to have to very quickly learn how to do accounting so that I can take care of the books and of payroll for the business. 'Twill be interesting indeed.

And, of course, today is my Mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!