Another week passes...

Well its Sunday once again and time to append my blog with happenings and observations from the last 7 days.
Deborahs Dad left on Wednesday after spending two weeks with us. He seemed to have a nice time. Unfortunately he had a bit of problematic journey home. His flight from Halifax to London was delayed leaving Halifax by 90 minutes while they unblocked a toilet. The plane had come from Montreal, so say no more!! Anyway, he then missed his onward connection in the UK, the next flight was full, so he had to get the train to Edinburgh. Modern transportation - isn't it great!.
Matthew and Emma have been at 'Dare to Discover' every afternoon this week. Its a series of activities laid on at the local recreation centre. They seemed to have a good time and certainly brought home lots of 'things they'd made'. This coming week should be quieter with only the usual football (skills training on Mon/Wed and matches on Tues/Thurs). They are booked into swimming lessons at a local lake for the last two weeks of August. We were a little concerned that their skill level wasn't up to it, but the way they have both come on in the last month of using next door's pool is incredible. Basically they are in it every day! Emma will now dive and considering she used to hate getting her face wet, this is a major acheivement! The pictures of them in the pool were taken this afternoon, where we were at a BBQ next door. It was a big family get together and we were invited along. It was a great afternoon, but it did drive home how much we are going to miss them as neighbours. They are building a new house about a mile up the road, so they won't be far....
Nick (the lodger) and I were sat one morning having coffee before departing for work, when a Hummingbird appeared at the new feeder attached to the kitchen window. It was absolutely incredible seeing this beautiful little bird hovering there feeding then darting off. I mentioned this to Emma and got the response 'we see them all the time!' Anyway, it was the first time I'd seen one so close and it was amazing. We have a camera positioned in the kitchen now, so hopefully we'll get a photo to post. We suspect they are nesting in one of the trees in the garden.
Yesterday was spent in the garden weeding and clearing. We suspect we have a water leak in the front garden from the mains, so we'll have to call about that tomorrow. I didn't get as much done as I'd have liked as it was soooo hot. Up in the 30's. In fact yesterday evening we walked down to the local shop for ice cream and it was still mid 20's at 9pm. However today we had a nice breeze which was fantastic. I even lay on the deck for 30 minutes to 'catch some rays' and I definitely caught the sun - could be an uncomfortable night tonight!
Anyway, there goes another week. So much to do, so little time....

A late entry...

Well it's now Tuesday and I am now only just settling down (well grabbing 5 minutes at work actually) to write an entry for the blog.
Problem is now I have to try and remember what I did last week...I can remember we had a water outage one morning, so I had to come to work without showering which wasn't good. Luckily it was back on by 8.30 so myself and Nick were the only two to suffer....Burst water main apparently.
The week seems to be taken up with ferrying children to various activities. Matthew has soccer skills on Monday and Wednesday mornings, then soccer on Tuesday and Thursday evening. I took him Tuesday and he actually played quite well. However on Thursday the whole team were abysmal and they lost 6-1 or something close. Apparently it wasn't a good display.
I think half the problem is that most kids are enrolled in so many activities that they are basically shattered, so when they are asked to play a game of football on an evening, they haven't the stamina. A lot of kids are enrolled in day camps (glorified day care) where they are kept really active, which is good in that they aren't vegetating in front of a playstation, but the downside is that when there is nothing organised they come out with that old 'I'm bored' saying because they are incapable of organising anything themselves. Plus they keep asking to go on sleepovers where they stay up to midnight and beyond and this makes them a delight the following day. Oh the joy. Anyway Matthew and Emma have been kept busy with Grandpa and showing him various museums and things. On Saturday we drove up to the Valley to visit a couple of Vineyards and we went to the Grand Pré Visitor center which tells us all about the Acadians and when they were driven out of Nova Scotia.The top picture is Grandpa and the little cherubs in the grounds of the visitor center which is also where the picture to the left was taken. We went for lunch at the Evangeline Inn and Motel, which coincidentally featured in the weekend paper. They do excellent homemade pies and of course we had to sample a couple. The Lemon Meringue was very good...
Then on Sunday I stayed home to catch up on stuff while the rest went downtown to visit the Maritime Museum. We then had Planked Salmon for supper. Very good.

Glorious day today, shame I'm at work.

More Visitors

Our next visitor has arrived. Deborah's dad flew in on Thursday for 2 weeks. When he last came over in December he arrived and departed in the pouring rain (the only two days of rain we had!) so it was no surprise that when he arrived on Thursday it was coming down in Stair-rods! However, since then it has been absolutely glorious, which is a relief.
So how did the week pan out? Well on Tuesday evening we went over to the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park for a night walk amongst the animals. It started at 9.30 and finished around 11pm. It was fascinating. Problem with this time of year is that as it is so warm during the day, all the animals sleep most of the time, so day visitors actually see very few animals! However, at night it is cooler and all the animals come out to play.
When we arrived we could hear the wolves howling on the other side of the park which was kind of spooky - very Hounds of the Baskervilles...However, we saw all sorts of animals. Racoons, Cougar, Otters, Mink, Porcupines, various Birds of Prey. The moose were at the other end of the field as were the caribou so we didn't get to see them. However the wolves were very interested and came right to the fence. They were gorgeous and even licked the hand of the guide. This park is different to a lot of them in that all the animals are here as they have been rescued and cannot be released back into the wild due to injury and are not able to fend for themselves. Most of the birds have damaged wings for instance.
The bears and the skunks were locked away for the night. The bears in case someone breaks in - (they are really dangerous) and the skunks to stop them being caught and eaten by predators (they have their smell glands removed, so have no way of repelling attackers).
Anyway it was a great experience and apparently the best time to visit is in the winter when most of the animals are active (except for the ones that hibernate of course).
Matthew and Emma were at a Day camp on Thursday doing Crazy Costumes. They both came home with a very impressive costume - Emma was a monkey (very apt) and Matthew was an alien (again very apt as he spends most of the time on another planet to the rest of us....!)
Then on Friday they went to a friends house (Emma for a sleepover and Matthew to play on the XBox with her brother) and we went into Halifax to the Atlantic Jazz Festival opening evening. We didn't actually go into the festival, but Spring Garden Road was closed for the first time and they had three bands playing in the street to get everyone in the mood for the festival. Deborah's Dad took us to Ryan Duffy's (a magnificent steak and seafood restaurant) for dinner where we had the most amazing Ceaser Salad and New York Striploin steak. The ceasar salad is made at the table to your requirements and the steak is cut in front of you as well. All in all it was absolutely top rate. It was a glorious evening and we stayed around and listened to one of the bands. When we picked Matthew up, Emma decided she wanted to come home and not stay for the sleepover, so we had them both home. A free evenings babysitting, so can't complain!
Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny and we went down to Dollar Lake Provincial Park. It was National Parks Day and there were a range of activities going on throughout Nova Scotia (and probably Canada) at a majority of the Provincial Parks. Anyway, Dollar Lake was having an 'Introduction to Paddling' which we thought was a chance to have a go at paddling a Canoe. However, as it happens it was an introduction to going out in a canoe. Whilst it wasn't as expected, it was still an experience and one which we want to pursue at some point. The peace and tranquility of canoeing is hard to surpass and the attraction is easy to see.
We then came home and went for a swim in next door's swimming pool (they were away for the w/e in PEI at a soccer tournament said feel free to use the pool - so we did!).
Deborah and I then went out Saturday evening to a friends 40th Birthday party. It was a nice evening with a live band in the back garden. Apart from the odd mosquito, it was a lovely evening.
Sunday was again hot and sunny, I went out for a cycle ride and the rest were back in the neighbours pool. We then topped off the weekend with a barbecue and a walk down to the local shop for Ice Cream. Lovely. And it's sunny again today...(Monday)

Only 9 weeks to go...

Till the end of the school summer holidays that is - not that I'm counting of course! It gives us plenty of time to get the supplies together for the new school year. Hopefully this time we know what most of them are. (duotang???)
Matthew and Emma are really into the swing of all this time off. Alright for some! They seem to spend a lot of time in next doors' swimming pool. The weather actually hasn't been too bad. A blend of the occasional shower but mostly sun. Got the grass cut Monday and again today. I should put Deborah's pedometer on to see how far it is I actually walk! How far do you walk in 2 hours? I look upon it as good exercise and there's less to go wrong than a ride-on.
I was on a training course Wed-Fri which was a nice change. Unfortunately we had to conduct it in our office as the training room was booked out until end of August. It worked out well though and it was a light hearted affair. Nick has been with the company now for two weeks and seems to be settling in well. He is currently staying with us until he completes on his new house in Nile Mile River. thanks Nick for the photo of the Squirrel!
The Royal International Tattoo is on at the moment in Halifax and is apparently spectacular. Hopefully next year we'll go along and see it. We've had too much on recently. However, a lot of the acts are appearing during the day at various Sobey's branches around Halifax. Sobeys's (one of the Supermarket chains) is sponsoring the Tattoo. Deborah took the children along to see the band of the Oman Air Force and a German act with wheels in the Sobeys in Bedford. Very good apparently.
Matthew has started soccer and plays on Tuesday and Thursday evening. They lost last Tuesday, but won on Thursday. He is getting better, if only we could work on that concentration and killer instinct! He was in goal for a while last Tuesday and let two goals in which he thought was hilarious....He was then at a Day Camp on Friday learning all about Dinosaurs. Emma went off with Deborah and got her nails done. As you can see from the photo, it's very intricate and lots of people have said how nice they are!
The photo of me with the children was taken last weekend when we visited the memorial site for the SS Atlantic. This is on the South Shore towards Peggy's Cove before you reach Prospect which is the other photo. A beautiful part of the country.
Yesterday we were invited to a Pool Party by one of the neighbours. They live at the end of the road and are the nicest people you could wish to meet. Anyway, they have a lovely pool and the children had a great time, while the adults chatted and drank and ate. The weather was fabulous and as it was so warm the dreaded blackfly kept their distance. We got home around 5.30pm and next door asked if we wanted to go round for a swim. We thought this an excellent idea as we hadn't actually swam at the Pool party. It was also a good chance to sample a round pool, (the other one was oblong). Although it's not heated, the temperature was 79 degrees and while it left you a little breathless, you soon got used to it and it was lovely. We ended up staying for a barbecue and didn't get home until 11.30!
This morning started off really nice (grey but warm) so I set about mowing the grass (again). It started to rain when I was nearly finished, but I carried on and got it completed, but the blackfly were terrible by the time I'd done! They should be over by now, but as it's been so mild, warm and damp, they seem to be hanging around!
Anyway, at least I got it finished. We even managed to move the trampoline and do under that. We must move it more often as it's ruining the lawn!
We had another Barbecue this evening and that wraps up another week. Deborah's Dad arrives on Thursday and I found out yesterday that my Mum & Dad have booked their tickets to fly out in September. Very excited!!
Hope you all enjoyed the photos I uploaded via the link on the right. You can comment here or on the photo site. Till next time.

Squirrel

Just caught him at it again and managed to grab a picture with the digital. Not the best quality as it hasn't got as good a zoom as the SLR, but you get the idea!! Cheeky little monkey.

Canada Day!

Canada is 139 years old. Yesterday was Canada Day and as a consequence there was a lot of activities and fireworks etc. It was a beautiful day weather wise and we had plans to go into Bedford where there were bands playing, a beer garden and finishing with a fireworks display. Sadly Matthew woke up in the morning with earache and was beside himself in pain for a lot of the morning. So it was a trip to the doctor in the afternoon (managed to get an appointment really easily!) who confirmed he has an ear infection. Problem was that as it was quite early it was difficult to see if it was viral or not and therefore whether or not it should be treated with Anti-biotics. He didn't have a fever, so it was difficult to say. Anyway, she wrote a prescription for us and told us to fill it if a fever developed. He had a major sleep in the afternoon and sure enough woke up with a fever. Time to fill the prescription! What were the chances of finding a pharmicist open at 7.30 pm on Canada Day? Actually, very good!! Shoppers Drugmart are open 8am until midnight, 7 days a week including holidays including the pharmacy. Very impressed, so off I went! He's now on a mixture of anti-biotics and pain killers and was happy enough this morning to walk down to get an ice-cream!
We also popped out yesterday evening to Bedford to see the fireworks, which were very good, so we didn't miss out totally.
Anyway, it was another busy week at work. Our presentation to the customer appeared to go well. They certainly seemed impressed, so let's hope they are.
It seems ages since Charlie & Karen were here! It's amazing how quickly time flies. Deborah's Dad arrives a week Thursday for 2 weeks, so we're looking forward to that. He should see a change having been here in December the last time.
The garden is coming along - still loads of stuff to do and that should be easier now that the blackfly are on their way out. We got a lot of ideas and inspiration from the 'Over the garden gate' event a few weekends ago. Just need to put them into practice. We bought a couple of Hosta's in Annapolis Royal last weekend so we've made a start!
We're seeing plenty of wildlife at the moment in the garden. We have our own resident squirrel who is VERY mischeivous. He was in the top of the bird feeder (under the lid!). I took some pictures with the zoom lens and will post once I get them developed. (yes they are on film!!). I saw my first ruby-throated hummingbird yesterday and we had a strange woodpecker out there this morning.
We have a new family moving in behind us. We can't see the house as it's through the woods, but apparently they have three children, so lets hope they are ages with Matthew & Emma. It would be nice to have another boy in the vicinity as Spencer (next door) will be leaving in October.
Anyway, a lack of photo's taken this week, so I've included another couple from Charlie & Karen's visit. A phot of us all on the Whale watching boat waiting to depart, and Matthew swimming in a local lake (fully clothed!). Wonder where he picked up his ear infection.....
And so there we are - another week goes by. Matthew and Emma are booked into a couple of Day-camps over the next few weeks, and there are a lot of activities going on over the summer to keep the little darlings occupied. I'll keep you posted.