September 10th - 3 days post Dorian

It's Tuesday, a full three days since we had our brush with Hurricane Dorian. We still don't have any power but there are lots in the same boat.

We were fortunate to not experience any damage to our house or property, some others not so lucky.

Note the plane on the left is upside down

Cornfield flattened

But there were no reported injuries that we know of so that's really all that counts. I suppose we are luckier than some as we have a generator to keep the fridge and freezer running (as well as our internet) and we have a propane stove for cooking so we can easily heat water for washing dishes, etc.

But I am looking forward to a nice hot bath which will hopefully be soon!
I took a drive into town on Sunday morning to see what the rest of the area looked like. Mostly downed trees, which in turn took power lines with them, of course. But the up side of this big storm is we didn't have to shovel any snow when it was over. In fact it's been lovely and warm so able to get some quality convertible usage in before time to put it away for the winter.

Meanwhile Lloyd is working on his garage and we hope to have the majority of it closed in before the 18th. Needless to say, it's considerably smaller than the one he built at our last place.

Braced ahead of the storm

Other than the weather not a lot is new. We've planned a Pig Roast for September 18th. It's a Wednesday because I have that day off.  I'm working part time at Sobey's in Stratford making pizza's. I think it's more my speed than just being a cashier, although I have done that in the past. So I'm working from 9 till 2 four days a week.  It's going to pay for a cruise I'm going on with a group of friends in September 2020.

Speaking of traveling, Meghan left on Monday to travel to Italy to spend 2 months going to school there. She was pretty brave, I think, to travel all by herself. Patti had gone to Rome a few weeks ago and picked up a sim card for her phone so she can use it over there. (one of the perks of having a mom who works for an airline).

So far we know this: she's made two new friends along the way - one from Thunder Bay and one from Nova Scotia.  She arrived safely and has seen the Trevi Fountain. I'm sure there will be more updates to come.

Arriving in Rome

Snap chat from Meg

James is still in Halifax (fortunately for me). He saw much more serious weather with Dorian than we did. He's on the 15th floor overlooking the water and it was pretty brutal at times. But he managed to survive without power or internet for a couple of days.

Tristen spent some time at Cadet camp this summer and he loved it. He's just started grade 9 - can't believe he's so grown up now. Cadets has been a really good experience for him.
James went up to Borden to pick him up when he was finished.

Our two forces guys

Okay, that's if for now. People have been very thoughtfully texting and messaging to make sure we're okay. Thank you for that - you know who you are! I'll update things soon.

August 12th - today would have been my father's 100th birthday!

It's been a little while but not quite as long as previously. A few things have happened since we last shared information.

I got another year older and was honoured to share my birthday once again with Ethan VanGaal (not like he had a lot of choice - I just keep showing up!)

We had a lovely meal at Brenda and Bernie's followed by delicious cake complete with candles.

Another great surprise was a visit by my good friend Nancy, from Rockwood. She was in Halifax and drove over for a visit. She arrived around lunch time and I met her in town. We grabbed a bite to eat then headed off to explore. I took her out to Wheatley River to see our friends Charles and Laura. I was in search of lavender  for the sachets I sew for them. Unfortunately it wasn't ready yet but it gave us a great excuse to see some of the island. From there we headed out to our place so she could see where we finally ended up. I had planned on the three of us going to the beach for supper but we ended up having a really simple supper at our place. Then it was off to the beach. She said the walk on the beach was worth the whole trip. I agree.

Before dark I drove her back to her car in town so she could be at least part way home before dark. There are moose on the other side of that big bridge!
I was pleased to hear she made it safe and sound back to Halifax.

Work has been progressing slowly but continuously on the decking at home. There really isn't  a whole lot I can do to be of assistance so I decided to take myself on a little vacation.

We bought the camper in the fall so haven't really used it, although it did serve as a kitchen when we were between places to stay.

I went online and found a campground not too far from town. I knew I'd have to come in at least twice to work. What I didn't plan on was one poor woman in our department breaking her hip so now they're scrambling to fill the hours so guess who's first in line? Instead of working 2 days this week I'm working 5. Not quite what I had in mind. But look at the bright side - it isn't MY hip that's broken!

On Sunday Brenda came out to the campground on her bike and we took a little tour around the north side of the island. We had a lovely lunch at a little cafe in North Rustico then we just explored. We did find ourselves in Kensington  to get ice cream - just before the rain started. We got a little wet but not bad. Brenda made it home in time before the storm really hit. I thought my little screened tent over my picnic table was going to blow away but it managed to stay in place until the storm  eventually passed. Lots of rain, thunder and lightening for the second night in a row but fortunately I was cozy and dry in the camper.

Lloyd is staying at home with the dog and the work on the decks. Things are apparently progressing. He came out to join me for BBQ steaks tonight (Monday) and he's headed off to Nova Scotia on his bike with some folks from his work on Wednesday, I, on the other hand, will be joining Brenda and Meghan for a local comedy and music revue that we've seen in years past. It's always a very enjoyable time. Then on Thursday we are off to see Mama Mia at the Confed Centre. We missed it last time it was here so we're making sure to catch it this time.

More on that at a later date!

Thursday, July 25th - well hello strangers!

Hey there. Really long time no chat! Sometimes real life just gets in the way.

Lots going in since my last post over a month ago.

Brenda and Bernie's son, Will, and his fiance Amanda got married on June 29th. Because the wedding was to be in the yard at Brenda's there was much work put in before hand. They worked tirelessly for many weeks to make sure everything was perfect. It also prompted the start and finish of some long planned projects that had just never got underway. 

The morning of the wedding dawned beautiful and sunny. I was doing the cake and cupcakes and we dropped those off at the hall in the morning. Then Brenda and I set about arranging tables and chairs around the yard. The ceremony was taking place at 5:00 followed by drinks and nibbles before heading to the rec centre for dinner and dancing.

As the day progressed, the clouds moved in. Just before time for the wedding very light drizzle was starting. Then it was all hands on deck to move the motorcycles out of Bernie's shop and quickly move the tables, etc inside for later. Fortunately the rain didn't really amount to much and with umbrellas in hand the ceremony was able to be held as planned in the front yard.

All smiles now that the day if finally here

In restrospect most found the slight dampness somewhat refreshing. Probably much better than really hot, sticky and humid would have been. Needless to say a good time was had by all.

Fresh oysters anyone?

I was challenged with making a cake to look like a birch log in keeping with the rustic theme. I'd met with Amanda and she sent me a picture of what she had in mind. Then sometime later we came across what was labeled a" lumberjack cake" online.  Now there's a challenge if ever there was one. Since the VanGaal boys all spend a fair bit of time in the woods, it only made sense to give it a try and Amanda was a really good sport and said go for it.

I researched how to actually make a cake that looks like red lumberjack plaid and decided this was doable.  I think the results turned out not too bad.

First you bake a bunch of cakes in different colours and flavours.

Then you cut them up and put them back together, just not in the same order they started in

Then you stack them in a very particular order so that when you cut into the cake the inside looks like this:

Yes, this is actually THE cake

Then once the layers are stacked you ice it to look like a birch log

Put it on a table with a bunch of cupcakes and see how many people are fooled into thinking this is just a log as part of the decor - turns out quite a few.

The bride was happy and so was I so that's all that really counts in this case!

All in all a really great day. Congrats to the happy couple.

Once all the work and stresses of the wedding were passed, it was time for some down time.

Where better to relax and destress than supper on the beach. Caitlyn and Mike were here for a few extra days so it was only fitting.

The summer is quickly passing by.  It seems like it took forever to get here but it finally arrived. We've had some pretty warm and humid days but certainly  nothing like southern Ontario has experienced this past while.

Patti, Greg, Meghan and Tristen got to escape for a short time (although maybe not escape the heat) as they traveled to Spain with Meg's dance group. She left a few days before the family and traveled with the other dancers and guests. Greg's mom went with them to enjoy the whole experience. The rest of them arrived a couple of days later and they all spent quite a bit of time touring around. The kids were performing at several music festivals but along with that they had a fair bit of downtime.
As the family had rented a car they were able to travel a little further afield and enjoy some great experiences.  By all accounts a great time was had by all.

Lots of fun but bittersweet that the girls of Comp A danced together as a group for the very last time. They've become such a tight knit team and have been through a lot together. I know there are some friendships that will last a lifetime.

But just before they left for Spain, everyone drove out to Quebec for  James' graduation from his basic training. Very proud of this young man...

and his scary looking friends! (yup, that's him, far right in the back row)

Meanwhile, back on the island, things are slowly progressing. Bits of grass are starting to grow,  the skirting is all in place and a fresh coat of paint has been applied. Work is now underway on the front and back decks to replace the temporary stairs. Needless to say Lloyd has been busy.

We have a small semi circle of grass beside what will eventually be our lane. I wanted an old hand pump to put in the centre. Not an easy find. But I kept looking and finally found one locally. It was old and brown and missing a handle but I could absolutely see past that. I think the end result speaks for itself.

When I first got it home, Lloyd pointed something out about it I had failed to notice. It was made by Beatty Bros. of Fergus, ON.  It's like a little piece of history from home!

Wednesday JUne 19th - It's all good!

Lots has happened since my last post almost 3 weeks ago.
We are finally pretty much moved in. I still have one small bedroom that's being used as a storage room but I'm grateful to have to space to do that.

There is still much to do outside but the inside has finally taken shape just as I had imagined. While we have a little less space than the last house I'm really impressed with the functionality of the layout and the roominess. It's also very easy to look after (aside from the sand that gets tracked in everyday by both us and the dog). Eventually that will lessen once we have a front deck and some grass as well as stone on the laneway.

I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days in Ontario. I went up to watch Meg's dance recital(s). It may well be the last one I'll see as I'll not likely go up next year. I'm more likely to arrive in Guelph for her highschool graduation next year instead. It was cool and rainy the day I arrived in Toront  but the rest of the time the weather was glorious.





 I didn't have time to connect with everyone but I did manage to
squeeze in a breakfast with Fran and Walt and a fast supper before a performance with Nancy and Stu, Marla, Jan and Robin.

Another unexpected treat (because Patti and I were running late) was a hot dog at Rocky's, an Guelph Institution since I was a kid.








When I got back to the island our weather began improving as well. Lots of BBQ suppers (even though I now have my stove back!) Lloyd's working two nights a week at the homeless shelter but on his days off he's busy getting everything underneath the house sorted before the final step of putting on the skirting. He needed to rent a hole digger to install the anchors (that hopefully keep it from blowing away in a hurricane) so while he had it he dug the holes for my clothesline. I've been wanting one for quite some time so I was ever so thrilled to arrive back to see the posts in place.

We had our friends Jens and Linda over for lunch on Sunday. They were our first official guests to eat in our dining room! I've always liked to have a seperate dining room and believe it or not, I have one now. My doll house is sitting in front of the picture window. It's not meant to be there permanently but it will have to stay until I clear out the storage room. It's meant to live in there with a single bed but for now the single beds are set up as bunk beds in the other spare room.

Last time I posted some photos of the house being moved. While there are still little areas that need attention, for the most part we're unpacked.

Finally have a dining room

The den is just the right size for a small living room. The other side of the room houses the TV, stereo and recliner. More than enough room for the two of us

My slightly messy kitchen, although it seems to be pretty easy to keep fairly tidy

My fridge didn't fit in the designated spot so found another place for it. The usual spot is jut the right size for my upright freezer.

The master bedroom. It's not huge but we can fit both night tables for the first time (even with a new king suze bed). The two dressers fit and we have a two piece ensuite and a small walk in closet.

All in all, it's starting to feel like home. It's pretty quiet where we are and we have a huge back yard that's bordered by trees. Photos of that next time.

Thursday, May 30th - I can see the light at the end of the tunnel....

...and it's not attached to the front of a train!

It's been a challenging few weeks but things have almost all fallen into place - finally.

There have been many times I was planning to post an update but then something else would happen and the last thing anyone needs is to hear me moan about yet another obstacle.

Now that all the obtacles have been removed, we are moved in (mostly) and as of today we now have all the essentials - plumbing, heating, running water, propane to cook with and electricity 😃

Moving a home from one location to another is quite a challenge. Unfortunately I wasn't here the day it was moved so I missed all the action. I was on my way to Halifax to visit James, but fortunately Lloyd took lots of pictures.

House on the move on Monaghan Road

Left turn onto Fort Augustus Road then a right onto Five Houses Road

Sharp left turn onto Patti Lane - backing up no less

Back...

,,,and back some more...

...and finally back far enough to drive into place

Left turn (forward this time) onto our lot

And finally onto the prepared pad

A day like this requires spectators!

Finally all in place

The storage trailer backed up to the front door so we could begin unloading.
I'm amazed that the whole process only took a little over 3 hours (from the time it made it to our area)

So it's not like just moving into a new house. Trenches need to be dug, pipes and wires need to be strung as well as run underground, and all the various trades people have their own special part in the dance.

But the dance is almost over and we can get on with things.  Fortunately our weather is finally warming up as well. Of course with that comes blackflies, which will soon be followed by mosquitoes. But that's summer here in Canada.

Just as we get everything up and running I'm heading to Ontario for a very quick visit to attend Meg's dance recital.  Then it will be back to help out with Brenda's son's wedding. I'm making their cake so the hook ups couldn't come at a more convenient time.  We've had very limited electricity for the past couple of weeks and no propane so all cooking had to be done on one induction burner on the counter. I'm so looking forward to finally being able to use my stove again.

Of course like any "construction" project, the grounds around the house are all dirt. Some major work needs to be done out there but at least the weather is now cooperating. Without any grass or gravel it becomes a bit of a mudpit pretty quickly.  So on to the next project. Then it will be time to start Lloyd's garage. With luck, it will be usable by fall at least for storage and tools.

Lots of work to do yet but at least we are no longer homeless. It's been a long haul since October but we absolutely could not have done it without the help and support of really great friends.

Update: since starting this post last Thursday, everything has finally been hooked up and is now functional. The little things we so take for granted: hot AND cold running water when you turn on the tap (many thanks to the Andersons for allowing us to keep filling our water jug at their place),  a furnace to keep us warm and propane to cook with, electricity so that you don't have to make sure two things aren't plugged in at the same time (but many thanks to our neighbour for allowing us to run an extension from his place). My fridge and 2 freezers are now home and have been loaded with their contents.(again thanks to Richard for housing our freezers and the VanGaals for housing our fridge). It's great not having to rely on a tiny fridge to hold all you might need. The only thing left to do is pick up the wine and various other adult beverages that have been gracefully aging over the winter in the VanGaals celler. I had hoped to retrieve those items this afternoon but it started raining so I'll maybe do that tomorrow.

Tuesday I'm off to Guelph for a really quick trip to watch Meg's dance recital.
She just learned that they've found a host family for her in Italy so she's pretty excited about that. They speak English and the 15 year old daughter will be going to the same school as Meg. The mother is a graphic artist and works from home and also has Celiac's so it's a wonderful fit for Meghan.

Tristen is busy with Air Cadets, although I guess they'll be shutting down for the summer soon. He will be going to Cadet camp in the summer and will likely continue with his drumming lessons. This past weekend he played with the band for the first time at a public performance at a basketball game. He's the one playing the big bass drum.  Well done, T !

James is away for his 8 weeks of basic training in Quebec. He was apparently at the Air Show near Montreal over the weekend. Lots of fun!  I'm sure he'll have lots to tell us when he gets back.

Well, I'd best get going. When I get back from Ontario I'll post some photos of the inside. It's actually turning out just as I had imagined and I'm pretty pleased.

Sunday, April 14th - time flies when you're having fun...

...or at least that's what they say.

Lounging around

Let me catch you up on the past few weeks. I'm still in Wheatley River and all my charges (8 ducks and one very large dog) are all still alive and doing well. Wish I could say the same thing for the mint plant on the kitchen window but that's another story.

James has moved into his own apartment in Halifax. He has one bedroom but also got a pull out couch so we have a place to stay when we visit Halifax. We'll try not to take too much advantage of that😃

I wasn't able to go over and help because of the livestock here but  Patti flew down, and with the aid of a rental truck they were able to move all his stuff out of residence as well as pick up furniture at Ikea. He's all set now. He's almost finished school then he heads off to basic training for 8 weeks.

Just a little bit of the hardware they earned ths year

Meg has been really busy with dance competitions, her last ones ever as she's not doing competitive dance next year. Fortunately for me the last two competitions were streamed live so I was able to watch online. They did really well and I know she will miss that next year. But she won't have time to miss much in the next few months as she's going to be a really busy young lady. She's been accepted into a leadership program at the Diabetic Camp she's attended the last few summers. So, she's off to Spain in July with her dance troupe, camp in August and if all goes well, she may be off to Italy in the fall for two months. They just have to find a family over there willing to take her with her special needs - the diabetes and celiacs. Hopefully it will all come together for her.

Tristen is very busy these days with Air Cadets, something none of us saw coming. Besides the regular meeting each week he also has band practice and drill team practice. He's also going to Cadet camp in the summer. I'm so pleased that he's enjoying this experience so much,

As for PEI not a lot is happening. We have one more week before Charles and Laura get back from Japan and then we are on our own again. Our plan is to set up our hard top tent trailer and try staying in there. There is a heater so it might be okay. Worst case scenario is we put all the craft stuff that's piled in the bunky into the storage trailer and we move the two single mattresses into the bunky. At least it's a warm place to sleep if mother nature doesn't cooperate. Our weather is all over the place right now. We woke up two mornings this past week to a couple of cms of snow but yesterday and today are quite mild. Monday and Tuesday are going to be raining and mild but snow flurries and 2' predicted for Wednesday. So who knows.

Weight restrictions are still on our roads and likely will be yet for some time so nothing will be happening with our new home at least until they are lifted.

As I write this Lloyd is in Toronto. He finally made his way back to Canada, arriving in Vancouver on Saturday night, then Toronto this morning (Sunday). He's staying up there for a couple of days to visit some of the guys from the airport. Weather here will be crap so he may as well, can't do much here. There are some bits of stuff we can do out in Fort Augustus but it can wait till weather improves.

We may make a trip over to Halifax for a couple of days after he's back and then on the 26th of April I'm off to Toronto. Patti and Greg are leaving early on the morning of the 28th for Hawaii (it's a work thing for Greg - life is rough ) and I'll be chauffering the kids around for a week. Besides being able to spend some time with the kids I have a pretty full schedule of lunches lined up for that week. I sent emails to the usual suspects and my calendar is getting quite full so it should be fun.

Hopefully by the time I get back things will be dried up and progress can start being made. It's been almost 6 months now. All I really want at this point is to sleep in my own bed, wake up and make coffee in my own kitchen. I don't think that's so much to ask. There's got to be a reason for all of this, I just haven't figured it out as yet, but eventually it will all make sense!

In the meantime, it's burger love month! Ive only sampled three so far but I'm sure there will be more over the coming 2 weeks. Brenda and I spent Friday afternoon doing some shopping then finished off splitting a burger, topped off with Dairy Queen for dessert....it was a lovely warm day. So we'll see how many more we can fit in before the end of the month when we head into .....LOBSTER SEASON!