All gone!

Tuesday, 17th October.

Not sleeping well now; it's as if our bodies are here and our heads are already in the UK.  Woke throughout the night again.


I went to meet Jacques Trudeau who looks after Michel's house for him.  Nice man.  I shall contact him before we come in the winter - if we manage it....

Getting stuff in to the basement; we went into the village after lunch to pay the rates and to stock up on maple syrup for those back home!  The mouse-proofing is done:


Mostly little things today but I laid out the cable across the lawn for the car block heater in the winter and  cleared and fastened the tunnel doors.  Burlesque lies there in her cradles, waiting for repairs in the winter. Such a lovely boat, such good memories of and with it.




Karen and Denis arrived to collect their car; Karen will come for us tomorrow, Denis will meet up with us in Tremblant for lunch.

Bathroom cleaned; fridge cleaned and emptied; Ali's packed!

Not surprising we're tired with the broken nights.  Big push tomorrow and then home!
























Wednesday, 18th September.

A glorious morning.

The usual, final chores and ready for Karen at noon.

Now sitting in the airport for the flight in just over two hours.

Big thanks to all the 'angels' we have met this summer, but especially to Karen and Denis.

Some fond farewells

Sunday, 15th October

True to their word, Karen and Denis arrived at 09.00 with their van for us to use!  They had reclaimed Mark's truck from Derrik and it was loaded with a roll (bale) of hay!

So, we weren't late for church at all; the service went as well as I could have hoped - people were kind (as you expect, but they don't have to be).  Wanda snapped this character in the pulpit at some point.....

And then these characters in the car park - So I "got 'em" in return!

Happy partings.  See you in February, D.V.



Leisurely home, huge rain storms again; fairly idle there - leading worship drains me (and others, I'm told; I'm not alone in this).  Karen and Denis came for supper, we made another version of the chicken dish from the Church Supper, and ate up deserts from there, also!  Too much food.....

Monday, 16th October.

We were so tired on Sunday night that we went to bed at about 9.00 pm - and then woke at 3.00, and 4.00, started reading at 5.00......

Eventually up at 8.00 to go in to the village to clean out the car.

We are very sad to say "farewell" to this car; it has been the agent of our coming to know much of the Canada we do know.  It has seen us off and collected us on our trips.  It's really comfy and really capacious, however, large as it is, it has been "little car" for a long time.




But I feel that it has come to the end at least of our road with it.  Marcel will perform the last rites and either move it on or consign it to the recycling.......

Giselle's for breakfast - toast and bacon - and then home to begin the clear up.

Enough leaves are down now to justify raking the front lawns.  A few of the trees are hanging on in splendour but most are already sticks.  The remaining leaves below the lawn gave me a chance to sketch out the new path for next year......


I had a very happy visit with Claude, mutually regretting our lack of time together this summer but looking forward to February perhaps.  I had more time with an ebullient Yves, sharing the same sympathies and arranging the snow clearing for this coming winter.
















And then, having stopped only to cart some timber from where we had left it at the bottom of the cabin drive up to the trail foot, driving the quad straight past a doe and her fawns perhaps 30 feet away in plain sight,



a quick visit to the cold-prompted loo and down on foot to the lake for a last time to collect the Big Green Canoe and to snug it away in the barn.




Nightfall.  Supper; bundling up foods against the potential winter mice.  The tumble drier rumbles, otherwise it's very quiet.

(F)all gone!

Thursday, 12th September.

Woke to bright sunshine and the first frost of the year!

Away early and in to St Jovite to meet with Lorne Eason, the Deanery warden of Readers.

A good, long chat in a very nice coffee house called Cafe Couleurs.  Most memorable question?  "What do you find different between the Anglican Church in Canada and in the UK?"   I think it's the lack of stuffiness and hierarchy.  Most of the priests I've met here came to their vocations in their forties and fifties.  And they're so easy to see us all, ordained and lay, as equal partners in ministry.

The peak of the Fall colours today.







Home; Karen and Denis dropped by late lunchtime; they're dog-sitting Roxy.   Then Ali and I fitted the roof supports for the screen room.....  Winter's coming!

But not before I had to drive back in to the village to buy more screws - could NOT find the originals which I took off in the Spring!


Michel Rocher and his daughter (on holiday from France)  came in in the evening; we broached a bottle of  PEC wine from last year. We're going to buy his car - he's leaving for France, despite not having been able to sell his house here...




Friday, 13th October

Michel and I drove to St Jovite to transfer ownership of the car (a Ford Edge like this) and to arrange the insurance.  He will garage both of the cars over winter in his garage and we'll sell ours in the Spring.  Four hours of constant French was a challenge!

The leaves are falling fast and so the colours, so late to arrive, are already fading.  Such fleeting beauty.

The little rituals that mark the turning of the year; Ali was baking Nanaimo Bars for the Church Social on Saturday evening; I changed over the fly screens in the back doors for the glazed panes. 

In the evening, we went for supper with Denis and Karen at Mark's place where they're staying.  Scrumptious food, great chat; just a lovely evening.

Saturday, 14th October.




A gentle day of cooking for the Autumn Supper this evening at Grace, and preparing to lead the worship there for the first time!

It was a huge success, - the supper.  I have never seen so many deserts in one place!


And we chatted with the new priest - Rev Josee Lemoine.  She's great; later to the ministry, sensible, down to earth, Francophone / bilingual.  Very impressed.


 It was foggy as we left at about 8.30 to come home.  The engine light had been on for about ten minutes on the way there - but that's often the fuel cap not fitting well.  We joined the 117 at Tremblant and began the climb up past the turning to Montee Ryan  - when the gears just seemed to give up.

We turned off into the road for lac Duhamel and rang CAA.  And then we rang Denis.  And the very nice man from CAA turned up in about 25 minutes and Karen and Denis met us at SOS Meccano about 40 minutes later!

I tell you (as Denis is fond of saying),  that could have happened anywhere in the last 7 days and we would have been stuck, really stuck.

So Karen and Denis have it all planned out.  They will bring their car at 09.00 tomorrow for us to use until we leave; they will use Mark's truck.

I tell you - whether it is in terms of the timing of the breakdown, the friends we are blessed with, this country, whatever; we are looked after and cared for and loved in the most extraordinary way.

Thank you Father.

Movin' on!

Tuesday, 10th October

An easy drive really; Dixon Road (the planes were taking off over us this morning, not landing over us!), 401, north to Peterborough, then 7 to Carleton Place and down to Ottawa.  Just long.





We stopped at Lee Valley Tools (fatal for the bank balance...) and then a lovely supper with Greg and Peter.  We had somehow left our waterproofs at Pam and Noel's place in Aylmer on the way down so we took the opportunity to stay over there, arriving about 8.00 pm - thanks guys - and then up home the next morning.



You don't see either of these in England!






Wednesday, 11th October.



Home to little things; a good Skype Chat with Val and Mike about PCC to be held in Flax tomorrow evening; I brought all the roof-support timbers in to the screen room ready for the annual fixing; I managed to potter round the estate a little.

Deer at the front door. 

Glorious; not a spectacular Fall, but not bad!

Thanksgiving

In the UK we have - mostly associated with Christian Churches - a continuing tradition of Harvest Festival, even Harvest Supper in some places.

Here in Canada, and in the US, the Thanksgiving event is non-spiritual, although it will be mentioned in churches, temples, mosques and homes across the nation. 

It is a good thing; a time for family and for gratitude.  The UK should adopt it.








Every house has its own traditions; turkeys feature largely, unicorns rarely - but sometimes.


We had a lovely supper, Jo came to share with us all.  The kids were great, the food delicious and (too) plentiful; the craic good.

Farewell was too soon and too sad.  Stay safe all of you; you are loved.

Living dangerously.......

Saturday, 7th October.

Well, not a very dangerous start!  Late up and a hotel breakfast; 'though that was a bit dangerous I suppose....

The main-road drive to Julie and Guy and then Julie and Lila in round one of baking!  I suppose balancing 4 layers of scrummy cake is a bit dangerous; certainly having your five year old daughter helping with the crumb layer of icing counts as a bit dangerous!  But all went very well.  Lila and I made leaves for the Thanksgiving banner and spent a couple of hours colouring, cutting and naming in French and English.  Les feuilles d'erable will be revealed tomorrow!

A Thai supper after the park with the children and then back to the hotel.  Not very dangerous, fortunately.

Sunday, 8th October.

Up just in time so we took the 401 etc down to church.  They drive so fast!  Definitely felt dangerous - but we were there on time.  We got a ticket for parking facing the wrong way :-(


But the message in church was great; "the gift of giving".  And Ann spoke of the risk of giving and how we are so blessed by the return.  Roncesvalles United Church had some years ago just decided to give of itself, of its resources, buildings and talents.  Most recently, they had welcomed a group of Middle Eastern "New Canadians" to use the church kitchens to cook.  That group has gone on to found a successful business and last week made a presentation - a thanks gift - of $5,000 dollars.




But Ann said that we have to pour out of ourselves joyfully and just trust.  However risky (dangerous) that might seem, it was her experience that we would be more blessed than blessing.






After lunch, Lila and Julie decorated the cake!  Definitely dangerous.



To work off some of the anticipate feast tomorrow, we went to the park.  Toronto is so very fortunate in the number of playgrounds and parks that it has.  And they are all in good order!






Of course - transport is always a problem; who wants to herd kids across busy streets, and no-one wants to take the car.  So a truck is the answer!
And Some-one just needed to show how little birthdays matter!













After a gentle evening - baths for the kids were definitely in order -  Ali and I headed back the divided highway way.  Very quick but oh! 
Do you remember the lines from the Charge of the Light Brigade?  That about has it!

And then this character was nosing around the bins as we arrived at the hotel.  Sorry the photos are taken with a long lens, but you get the point, there's a limit to "living dangerously"!

It's a long way ........

Thursday, 5th October

....  To Toronto via Port Perry!  We wanted to see where we need to begin our trip next year.  It seems like a nice place - just no camp sites!

To an hotel right under the approach path for Toronto Airport!  Which is actually quite fun!  Not soooo much noise as they  fly past the window, and a great view!

















Friday, 6th October,

Ali's birthday.  Messages waiting from Ginny and hers and Bryony's boys :-)  Wonderful.

We met up with Guy for the day and "did" the Eaton Centre and The Bay.  Loaded up the iphone again :-(  Ali had a manicure as a present from the kids.  We played around in Canadiana:

Then we headed home for fun with the kids and tourtiere for supper.  Skype with Ginny and Bryony :-)

Thanks Guy, a lovely day


Tired - home to bed.

Friends

Tuesday, 3rd October

MarRon and Burlesque were scrubbed within an inch of their lives.  The non-transfer of aquatic invasive species is a big issue up here.  And then we tucked them in the basement.  Just Big Green, the discount canoe, still down by the lake.

And then a lovely supper en famille with Lorne and Audrey at their place.  Made us remember why we fell in love with Canada!

Wednesday, 4th October

We woke really late; 9.50!






Moderate flap to pack and get down to Parc plaisance Jacques Cartier in Gatineau to meet Noel and Pam and to go around the 150 celebration garden.

Back to their place in a thunderstorm;  great supper and great to catch up.

Toronto tomorrow we hope!

I shall miss......

Saturday, 30th September






Ammunition on open sale in the corner store! 

Hunting season is getting going - bows only at present.  We hear that our hardly-ever-seen neighbour shot the little six-point buck earlier in the week. 

Very sad; surely not a difficult shot, the animal was here or here-abouts almost every day.


New friends, Ted and Ingrid came with Karen and Denis for supper.  A lovely evening.







Sunday - 1st October

I shall miss....

Grace Church Arundel, Nick Pang's preaching and his company.  Love it!

Being able to "Go fishing" just like this.  A small Bass for Karen's breakfast (they're staying over :-)  ) but a fawn came down to drink, a beaver swam across, a Loon preened itself as it floated past, the sun set in a purple fire and the moon rose!  Beat that!

Monday, 2nd October

I shall miss paddling pristine water - the Rouge from last time's take-out point to Brebeuf - 26 km current assisted.  A really lovely paddle; shallow enough to have to get out from time to time.  Karen was a real trooper; she hasn't paddled too much this year and even with the current, 26 km is a lot of paddle-waving!

It was so pretty that I would be very happy to paddle that again - but perhaps not tomorrow......




We went to Steak-frites for supper; Ali and Karen were shattered.  Thanks for treating us, Denis; Perfick!