Canada Bound - of family, dogs and horses

You sound to be in pretty good spirits despite the injury, its certainly going to be one of those things you look back on when you remember your first days in your new life
We found the precipitation thing very odd too - reminded us of Chemistry lessons
We have now come to realise that 'showers' can mean anything from light rain for an hour to a torrential downpour that lasts for 24 hours. A dusting of snow is anything up to 4 feet and freezing rain doesnt mean that its cold and wet it means that your yard, trees, vehicles - basically anything it touches is covered in a sheet of ice.
Invest in some sort of grippers to fasten over the soles of your boots!!!
We also started out with nice economical cars and now have hefty 4 x 4's - we look at things like the Land Rover Discovery now and think how small they are!!! I would still like a Beetle for the summer though - they just look so cute
Keep up the good recovery

Aaargh! Is it just my bank (HSBC) or all Canadian banks that operate an Internet Banking site out of the dark ages?

Sorry, I know I don't normally indulge in pointless rants but really I do find it frustrating...

No we found exactly the same when we moved from Lloyds TSB to a local bank here. I was suddenly back to writing cheques and posting stuff You'd expect the HSBC as an international bank to be different though - I used them in the US at one time and the internet banking was good so maybe it differs from country to country
On a plus side they are really lovely, know us by name and I can dial the branch direct and chat to someone and the list of things I can pay direct through them by internet is increasing all the time.
I'm still getting used to all the overhead cables but it doesn't look as awful to me as it did when we first came

Well put, jaydee! "A dusting of snow is anything up to 4 feet".... Are you sure you're not in N Michigan? Hee Hee What you describe is exactly our climate up here - and Shropshirerosie, do definitely get some sort of an AWD (all wheel drive) as I'm certain your winters will be similar. I drive a Subaru Forester, which is like a car/small SUV combined, and it has gotten me through thick and thin where I live! One has to climb a hill to get to our road, then climb again to get to the house (1,313 ft) and nary was a time I couldn't get home! (We don't get plowed on the weekends as well) Anyway, so glad your recovery is going well, and continued good wishes sent your way :)

It is amazing to be able to read all this, especially considering how I'm not sure where life will take me with international travel or moves!

I love hearing about your adventures and hope to hear more.

How's the arm?

Darn it! Am I still going to have to use my brain and prepare for uncertainties! Doh.....

The locals keep themselves amused trying to scare me with tales of the winters here . Yes, I've got a Dodge Ram; a truck is my favourite vehicle by far - 4wd, towing, moving hay bales, the uses are endless.

Call me mad, but I was still take a Canadian winter over an Irish (which can't be too far from an English) anytime! Yes, snow and -40 BUT in a country prepared for it and without the bitter "into your bones" damp cold we deal with here. Plus, once you have enjoyed the endless opportunity to go sledding, skiing (get some cross country skis, we had a set and I managed to use them on countless occassions in the park in the middle of the city), skating, snowmobiling, ect you will come into spring and then a proper summer where you get to enjoy sunshine, tshirts and shorts without wellies

Northernstar
It has been a learning curve for us. Our first snow was forecast as 'Litchfield Hills will get a dusting of snow' tomorrow. We expected the typical UK inch of the stuff and woke up to digging our way out of the garage!!! We were so excited though - not so much by February when I was waking up every morning and saying 'when is this f****** stuff ever going to go away. I was contemplating sending out hitmen to all the people in the UK who kept telling me they had daffodils
Anyway we are used to it now - having the right boots, clothing, vehicles and equipment makes it all so much easier as does having 'indoor' stuff to while the hours away - I took up painting again and trying to write a book plus my family history project
Maple I agree with you - Once you have learnt to live with the snow its way nicer than knee deep mud and constant rain, now I mostly see blue skies and sunshine every day instead of all that grey gloom and know that its going to be 75F plus all summer - a lot of 90+ this year.
Shropshire Rosie I know you are going to deal with all of these things and have a wonderful new life. A whole chunk of my family emigrated to Alberta in the late 1800's and others followed them right up to the 1950's. They made a great life there, I only wish my father had found the courage to join them

Just saw this thread as I'm new on here - I live in Fort McMurray (5-6 hours north of Edmonton). It's a dry cold here, you will get used to it, just dress in layers I go to Edmonton often as it's the only place close to us with tack stores and good shopping.