Toronto

 

5^th July.

A new day, a new government and starts already.  The Rwanda scheme scrapped – complete waste of money.  Car to the garage to have the water drained from the back of the dashboard!  Chores here and there ready for the trip to Toronto.  Chocs and wine for Pam, more wine for Guy and Julie, sushi lunch in Tremblant.

6th July.

To Pam and Noel via the old road beside the Ottawa river.  We’re trying to find camp sites for our canoe trip in September.  I’ve spent hours on Google earth and have a few at decent distances but nothing finalised.

So, to Montebello marina and very warm welcome.  That should be fine; there’s a wooden dock at the western end of the marina and camping right there.  Great.

 

Second stop, Parc national de Plaisance in the middle of low ground and at the mouth of the Petite Nation; that would be good also but it’s long paddle from the previous stop upstream….

Third stop – We headed for that next stop upstream, but I decided that we needed to look for somewhere a bit closer so, after a fairly precarious U turn, we decided to pull up at a small business.  Where, as it happened, the owner was just pulling up on his Motor Bike – it was Saturday of course so the place was properly closed.  But he was very welcoming, a Swiss originally who spoke very good English – after we had both ploughed along well enough in French!  But of course, we could camp in his field which is totally adjacent to the river.

Hooray!

Just to find the last (first out of Ottawa) Camping des Rives d’Outawais.  Well, we found ourselves in a lovely nature reserve, but not at a camp site.  Time pressing on, we can try this again on the way home….

To Pam and Noel’s for a delightful welcome, good food and a cool bed (did I mention the heat?).

7th July.

A very leisurely day: Noel and I didn’t put the world to rights – bit too big a mess for that just now I think – but we did at least identify a good number of the issues!  Ali and Pam watched tennis mostly.

Supper at Restaurant Antonyme in Aylmer; fairly newly opened.  A good chef, tapas-like choices of main dishes; assemble a banquet from the menu sort of thing.  Some really lovely cooking.  Some really pricey wines!  A very pleasant Sicilian white went fairly well.  I don’t remember the red, only that it benefitted from leaving in the glass a while!

 

Then a stroll to the riverside – 3km wide at that point, to feed the mosquitoes and watch the sunset.  Not before this little beauty put in an appearance!

Home to bed – pretty tired….

Monday, 8^th

Up quite early for us!  Away by 10.00 and then a very long run down to Toronto.  We used the ferry at Guyot for a change which does add to the journey length but is very pretty.

Nothing remarkable save for the formidable queues on the 401 on arriving at Toronto.  Straight to G and J for supper and then a late check in to the Old Mill – as ever. 

Tuesday 9^th to Monday 15^th

It’s not that nothing’s happened, its just that we have entered into the painting and decorating game at the new flat.

Day 1 – carpets up.  I became very overheated at least twice.  It transpires that the previous owners had left the air conditioning on 80F.  Lots of carpets to lift and bundle; Guy was very focussed on work; Ali was helping to divert the children.

Day 2 – 10^th   To the ROM for an exhibition of “Cats”.  There and back on the subway, really quite easy a day!

 

.

Day 3 – 11^th.  More of Day 1.  In better control of my water intake – and of the air conditioning!  A planning day.  We think that there is work for us decorating.  On the way home we stopped off at Home Depot for paint brushes, rollers and so on.  Ah me!

Day 4 – 12^th  Preparation for painting is the key.  Walls washed with TSP then dried then rinsed; then two coats of emulsion – no oil paints allowed in Ontario at least, maybe all of Canada, no undercoat in sight.  A long day but a pretty substantial inroad into the master bedroom.  Fox and John’s sports bar (Pub!) for supper.  Fun.

 

Day 5 – 13^th Second coats of the Master bedroom, out onto the landing and into the blue room – James’ to be.  It looks disgusting but actually succumbed to thorough use of the TSP.

This is the last remnants of the job; all the walls had been as bad.

Day 6 – 14^th; Bastille Day. We moved out of the Old Mill.  It has been a haven and a refuge for us.  😊

Down to the new condo living room, fleeing the floor laying upstairs.  Same old same old, only Ali managed to watch the last set of the Men’s Tennis from Wimbledon and all of the Euro Soccer.

I finished the long wall in the living room.  Phew.

A well earned Thai supper.

 

 

 

Day 7 – 15^th.

We slept on an inflatable queen-sized mattress in the blue room which was interesting.  But the black out was good although the results of the Thai were noteworthy, shall we say?  I had coffee on the upstairs veranda with a view of Toronto centre. 

A fractured day since someone had to be in the old house whilst the air conditioning unit was replaced and also, someone had to be in the new place for the wi-fi installation. I'm afraid that I dozed on the settee with a cat!

And it was a very, very wet day, too.

Nevertheless, Ali has cleaned much of the stairways and the front door; I managed to complete painting the living room and the kitchen-facing wall.    Ali has painted many doors.  That’s all I’m afraid.

A great trip but I fear me that we have to flee back to the cottage.   Bolognese and Apple crisp for supper which Julie made for us.  Delish.