First Snow

The weather forecast for today was snow but when I woke up this morning there was none.  I took the boys to school and just as they had closed the doors, it started to snow.  

I went in to assembly today and watched some very entertaining children.  Then I watched while Alfie received his certificate for Student of the Month - not bad in 2 days eh?  (It was actually for Courage for being the new boy).

He looked really embarrassed at first but the more people that got up, the more he seemed to be comfortable.  He is actually posing for a photo here which is unusual for him.

Then the snow really started - I decided to stay in and clean and do washing today (hey the life of a stay at home MOM!).  But the good thing is I got to watch the snow from the safety and warmth of the house.

Now the house is clean and tidy I have decided the boys can stay outside. It smells too nice to let them in!!

When I picked the boys up from school the snow was starting to melt ................

(the sun was out) but they still decided to throw snowballs at me................

Then we went off to buy my car.  I got it.  Pick it up on Friday.

I decided it was time to shower the boys as the house is clean I thought they should be too.  What should I find in Smallest's hair?  oh no not again!  Those goddam nits.  Arrghh.  Sent Huffle out to buy some stuff while I painstakingly combed through his big mop of hair.  It took ages, at least you can see them in his blond hair.

.... And now of course my head itches all over.  Whether I've got them or not (I didn't before) I now have to condition my hair and also painstakingly comb through my big mop too.    Arrrgggghhhh.  

Oh yeah - my car - I nearly forgot.  I've had a few messages about the fact that I said it looked like a dog.  (do you ever say something and wish you hadn't?) - I fear you may be disappointed!

.......just squint a bit.  His big black nose?  His puppy dog eyes?  His tongue hanging out?

Test drive in the rain

Smallest and I dropped Small off at school this morning.  He didn't want us to wait with him, he wanted to walk in by himself.  So we stood and watched him walk to the playground (he looked back and waved) and then we left him to it.

We then tried to find a car lot where we were going to test drive the car that Huffle found on the Internet last night.  It was absolutely piddling down with rain, flowing down the streets, buffering the car, we got wet through.

Anyway we test drove the car, seemed okay, solid, good price, rang Huffle, he said buy it.  WE BOUGHT IT.  Papers filled in, signed, deposit paid.  He gets it in a few days.  The car lot man was very nice and friendly (who isn't?) and said he wouldn't add this and he wouldn't add that, all because we were new to the country and he knew how hard it was to be new.  He arrived here in the 80's and he said they weren't quite so helpful and friendly then, so he said he would always be helpful to anyone he met who was new.  He was from Iran and Newcastle (not sure in what order!)

Then we did some shopping and picked up some lunch which we had to eat in the car because it was still raining, very very fast and wet.

We went off to find the car I found on the Internet last night.  Had a test drive.  NICE.  I have all the details and we are going to talk about it this evening and make a decision.  My car looks like a dog!  I'll show you tomorrow if I buy it!   Honest It does!

Just had an invite to dinner with KP and A.  Cool.  While we were out we met someone else from Smallest's class and they live near where we will live too, so there's another person I've met and her other daughter is in Small's class.

Apart from the fact that it has rained ALL DAY (I got the blame, KP said I brought it with me from England!) it has been a fairly good, productive day.

Loved spending it with Small today although we haven't done anything except drive and look at cars but he is happy today and kept saying "we're having a lovely day aren't we Mummy", he knows the right thing to say eh?  

We came home, got dry, watched TV, 

...... put shopping away and prepared dinner, got Small, had dinner, waited for Huffle to come home.

Small won an award today for "A great sentence in his agenda".  This means he wrote a great sentence in his diary (they have an agenda they have to write in everyday, this gets signed by the teacher and then comes home for us to see and we have to sign in it too).

There is an assembly tomorrow morning (monthly) and I have been given the heads up by Small's teacher that he will be given an award so I have to be there.  How exciting!

Huffle's day was good, busy, lots of meetings and lots of seeing people.  Another busy day for him tomorrow.

Monday afternoon/evening

Well the day got better.  I met Huffle at the licence centre.  When we got there, there were two queues.  One for tests (very short and moving fast) and one for issuing licences (very long and very slow). It took an hour of waiting and then half an hour to sort us both out with a licence.

The lady was very friendly and helpful.  She took our uk licences, made us do a sight test, took a photo of us not smiling (not easy when Huffle was making me laugh), took $75 off us both and issued us with a paper licence. Cards to follow in two/three weeks.  JOB DONE.

Now we need to look for cars (although I am quite attached to my BMKB car).  

I picked the boys up from school.  Smallest came out first.  Grinning and holding a folder.  He had had a good day (although hadn't been to the toilet all day!). He loved his teacher and he had made some new friends, although he couldn't name them.

Small came out with books, looking tired, but happy.  He loved it, he had had a good day and he had made a new friend (he could remember his name).  Small's teacher then introduced me to another teacher who moved here fours ago from the West Midlands UK, who gave me her number and said I could call anytime and she would take me around if I liked to show me where things were.  There is no doubt that people are genuinely friendly here.

Huffle came home happy but tired.  He just needed to know that the boys were settled and liked school.  

He has also met (well via phone) someone who lives near where we will live and has a son in Smallest's class and who has invited us for Christmas drinks. 

I think we will be fine after all.

I don't have any photos today because I have spent too much time driving.  I will be spending the day with Smallest tomorrow while Huffle is at work and Small is at school so maybe there will be some photo opportunities then.  I have to find a snowman outfit for Small for a concert he will be in!  Now that's a challenge!

Indoor shoes, backpack and snacks

Monday morning

Huffle was out of the door and off to work this morning by 7am.  

The boys got up at 6:30 (eager), had their breakfast, got ready and were sitting on the settee playing on their DS waiting for school time.

Off we went, Smallest navigating (it's a straight road from here to there but he did really well).

First we went into the office and waited for their teachers. We met Smallest's teacher first - she was lovely, I think he will be very happy there.  He will go Monday, Wednesday and alternate Fridays (starting this Friday).  They started by sitting in a circle on the floor, introducing themselves and then they jumped up and started singing a song (could have been the Canadian National Anthem), Smallest looked very lost but full of wonderment!

Small's class was more like a classroom environment.  His teacher was lovely too.  She said she was strict but fun.  She wanted Small to be happy, safe and secure.  They have literature, art and math today.  He said he was looking forward to the art and he noticed they did science too.  He'll be fine.  He got sat next to one of the older boys.  The do their math on IPad's - RESULT!

They both need indoor shoes, a backpack to bring things home and 2 snacks a day (healthy if possible).  I asked if they needed their hats and gloves and the secretary said "oh yeah when it gets cold!". I asked was it not cold now?  Oh she said, well if they want them they can bring them!

I left them and burst into tears.  My plan was to go to a coffee shop and Skype or blog and then go and get something nice for dinner.  I came home and sobbed.  Then skyped family and friends.  What a silly billy. 

Hope Huffle is okay.  We are meeting later at the licence place.

NEW CARS AND TALL BUILDINGS

It has been a difficult day today.  It was my turn to have a wobble.  I woke up feeling sad and then I read an email from a very dear friend in the UK, and although she was being very helpful and supportive, it made me even sadder.  I got lots of cuddles from my three boys which helped although I can't really explain to the small ones why I'm sad.

We went off to the airport this morning to take back the Big Biffa Car and collect two more less Biffa Cars.  I could tell that Huffle was struggling to keep it together.  (The hire people were being a bit troublesome).  In fact later on he told me that he wished we'd had our bags there so we could go home.  NO - this is not supposed to happen.  We are only allowed one wobble at a time.  That was the deal.  One wobble, the other sorted them out.  Oh boy, this is sooooooo hard.

The boys were as good as gold waiting for us.

We took our new Hire cars and drove into a Toronto Mall and caught the subway into Downtown Toronto (Tur-Ron-oh).

I had no idea what car I was driving, what it looked and probably wouldn't remember where I parked it so I took a photo and tried to remember the number plate.  Small and I came up with .......

Big momma kicks butt

Small and Smallest were very excited to go on a train which helped to lift our spirits, seeing their little excited faces.

When we came out of the station Small's face when he saw the huge tall buildings was "awesome".

It was so cloudy we couldn't see the top of the CN Tower

We liked the gold building - is it really made of gold????

CN Tower between two skyscrapers

The boys at Lake Ontario

"Can we go on a boat across the lake Mummy" they asked.  "oh no" said Mummy "I'm not good on boats and it looks a little choppy, can we wait till Summer?"

A really big dog - watch out Smalls. 

Small and I went in my BMKB car, we got on to the Express Way by mistake but I quickly realised that that was the best place to be, quick, speedy. Small navigated me home very well using my GPS which ran out of charge ten minutes from home, but we got there and saw a deer in the dark - NO I didn't hit it (before you ask!).Smallest went with Huffle and they got lost. Huffle has a good sense of direction though and they got home eventually. 

Boys have been showered, sitting in front of the TV with a sandwich and a pot of Jello. They are happy.Huffle and I are sitting drinking a cup of tea - we are feeling a little bit better.

Also just had a lovely phone call from America.  Aunty Plant and Uncle Dermott are there visiting Huffle's cousin Mr & Mrs Miami.  It was good to hear their voices and Huffle had a long heart to heart with both Aunty Plant and cousin Miami.  

Hope tomorrow is better.  Huffle is off to work and Small and Smallest are at school - Keep busy Mummy, they will be home soon enough.

DO BEARS WATCH TV IN THE WOODS?

We spent the whole of this morning driving to Scarborough and Pickering in order to look at cars.  We had a few in mind we wanted to see but quickly realised we were going about it the wrong way.  We need to sort our driving licences out first.  Then KP suggested we find a car we like, look it up on the Internet to find who is selling them, and then ring lots up and try and find the best bargain.  Which means tomorrow we have to go back to the hire company at the airport, take our Monster Biffa car back and get two other cars (for hopefully not more than a week).

One good thing about our trip this morning was that it made us realise we certainly didn't want to live in the places we visited this morning.  We chose right.

We got back to the house to wait for our TV man to connect us.  While we were waiting we made a Roast Dinner (not easy with an electric oven I've never used before and pots and pans that aren't my own), and we played hide and seek in the garden.  Great fun.

ready or not, here I come

smallest is here somewhere

Ahh, there is a head.....

Surprise!!!!

After we had our homemade dinner (it actually worked out okay except that we couldn't find proper gravy and the sachet we found was too thin and Huffle tried to make me pastry without any scales or measuring spoons) and we saved our pudding for later.

We went back to the Woods for a really nice long walk.

A really long tree trunk broken across the top of the track we were walking on

The sun is just starting to go down

Swinging on a branch

They climbed this slope and then slid all the way down.

We found this little elf sitting on a log

It was a great walk and we managed to get just a little but further than last time, so maybe we'll get even further next time.  There were a few mountain bikers there today but it was still relatively empty.

I decided to drive home (I need the practice after all).  I ran over a squirrel on our drive.  I thought it was a leaf, honest.  The red squirrels here are small and a bit leaf like!!??!.  I sent the Smalls to check it out and I'm sorry to say that I had definitely run it over.  Poor Mr Squirrel!!

When we got home, the kids put the new TV on.  We couldn't find a lot but what was interesting was that it told us what age it was applicable for before it came on.  Now that's a good idea.

Goggle eyed in front of the TV.  

If you look in one of the pictures you can see a reflection of what they are watching

We had another game of Hide and Seek this evening before bed, this time inside (challenging due to the smallness of the place) but fun all the same.

We have done a lot of skyping the past few days and have managed to speak to Moo, Grandma, LizzieDotDot, HB, Aunt Pear, Grandad, Yahoo, Elderflower Meadows.  Nice to speak to people and to see them too.  I have own set up Skype on my phone too so expect some invitations from me soon (those of you that Skype us).

Three Weeks Yesterday...

Today we all went to see the new house.

This is our street one way

and this is our street the other way

Here it is

the boys ran around lots, up and down the garden.......

In and out of the barn

They loved the jungle jim

They really loved the basket ball hoop - whoops, better put that on Santa's list

the lounge

View through landing window

The boys playing in the lounge

Downstairs bathroom and laundry room

Kitchen from the lounge

The loft

...and my bathroom, where no boys are allowed.

Hopefully we have taken different photos this time and you are not just seeing the same old ones you've seen before.

I think we all felt better after seeing the house.  It reminded us what we were moving to and made us feel like we could live in the Small house for longer because it will be worth it in the end.  The boys chose their bedrooms and had a long play in the basement - they decided that would be their playroom

We weren't sure whether this was where the squirrels nested or not

I took the boys for a walk around so we could see what was near to us.  We saw a black squirrell high up on top of a telegraph pole.  We didn't know how he was going to get down.

We went for a drive around, had lunch at home and then went out again to buy supplies.  Huffle and I have bought ourselves sturdy boots.  We bought an ironing board and iron.  KP let us do some washing today so once it is all dry we can get on with the ironing in preparation for Monday.  

I rang the school today, the boys can definitely start.  Smallest will do Monday, Wednesday's and some Fridays.  

Hopefully our money was transferred today so we could be in a position to buy a car soon.

I think Huffle is feeling a bit happier although we are all very tired today.  Smallest has got our cold and he struggled to sleep last night.  He kept wriggling and accidentally kicking Small, so Smallest ended up in bed with me (he kept jumping on me and hugging me in his sleep!) and Huffle slept with Small on the air bed.

We ended the day with an ice cream.  It has been a mild day today with lots of sun but as the sun went down it got quite chilly (and we were sitting outside eating ice-cream, I bet we couldn't have looked more British if we tried).

Ummmmmmmm Kawartha Dairy Ice-Cream.  NICE!

Your satisfaction is all the thanks I need

Yesterday I purchased a new phone with a voice recognition service.  Last night I was playing around with it and asked it what time it was in Canada.  When it told me and I said "Thank you", expecting some reply like "I'm sorry I don't know what you mean", but instead it said "Your satisfaction is all the thanks I need". COOL.  how very Canadian

I have been missing things, really silly things, like jars to put stuff in, my pantry, a saucepan to cook Smallest's egg in (we do have saucepans here in the house but they are not the right size). I'm missing my personal things where I know they should be.  I'm missing the routine of everyday 

I've.  It's like being on holiday but not quite.   It's just the little things.  Friends and family we can email, Skype and text.  Yesterday Huffle downloaded a new app for me and I can now listen to Radio 1.  Now that's better.  Maybe it's just familiarity I crave.  I have my blog.  I can write and get things off my chest.  I think that helps a lot.

We have no tv set up here and the boys are starting to miss the simple act of turning on the telly.  They are missing their own rooms and their toys and books.  we are ringing the tv company today to see if we can get it set up.  They watched some of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this morning on the IPad.  They were glued to it.  Couldn't take their eyes off it.  Bless.

The house is feeling small and there is still so much to do.  We can't buy cars until our bank has transferred money into our Canadian account.  That won't be done until next week which means that we will have to hire two cars now.

Huffle is struggling today.  He is really sad about leaving his family.  He is also feeling trepidation about starting his job on Monday.  He feels the house is too small and there is just so much to do.

This morning we are taking time out to go for a long walk in the forest.  Try to forget about the things we miss and forget about what has to be done and sorted.  Just be a family out for a walk in a new place.

"Bet yer never smelt a real school bus before"

It rained in the night (apparently it was freezing rain), there is a difference between freezing rain and snow!  

This is how our car looked first thing this morning.

Look at those icicles

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr - actually it didn't seem so cold today - the sun was out

We achieved lots of things today.

We had a trip to the Bank to get temporary debit cards.  Got me a new phone (hurrah).  Bought the boys some snow boots.  Smallest got a pair of jeans and some pants (No, briefs).  Picked up Huffle's new work phone and met his new Personal Assistant who was very eager to help us with anything at all.  Set up Huffle's Social Insurance Number.  Went to see the Driving Licence people (not sorted yet) and the OHIP (health) people (not sorted yet).

We drove past the boys school again - I think they are missing the routine of school.  Small says he wants to take his time and go once he's settled (I think he's heard me say that) and Smallest wants to go NOW.  He has JUST had a manic tantrum - I think he SHOULD start school very soon.  Use some of his energy up!  

He is very into drawing and writing at the moment, well they both are.  We bought them some felt tips and paper today.  Smallest keeps drawing pictures of Him and Small and Me and Huffle.  Small keeps drawing pictures of Dinosaurs.

A woman in a shop gave them a Sears Catalogue the other day and they have been looking through it avidly. Today they cut out pictures and stuck them onto pieces of paper and labelled them.  This is their Christmas Wish List.  They were very careful to only choose things under $100 (although some things were priced at $99).  I heard Smallest say "I don't need to write a letter to Santa, I'll just give him my pictures!"