Canada Bound - of family, dogs and horses

Keep writing please! I'm from Canada, moved to Ireland 10 years ago and am in the middle of convincing my husband to make the move next year... so I'm going to use your experiences for my own benefit when we take the big step. We're planning to head to Saskatoon I think, although he'd rather go to BC.... but we'll see how it goes. Although I'm a Canadian citizen, I know that alot will have changed in these ten years.

As for getting used to driving on the other side... I am nervous when we first go over, but if you tuck in behind somebody for the first few minutes you will quickly get used to it.

Welcome to Canada! You'll be around 30 minutes from me. Keep writing and tell us how it goes!

As a note, we don't have Dunkin Donuts here. Just Tim Hortons.

And Robin's Donuts ;)

Oh, well then that will not work lol. Starbucks but no dunkin, I wouldn't make it very long lol.
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Ooh what a good day I had yesterday. The labelling tasks are done, so I could release myself from that task.

First off WOW we had the most astonishing storm in the morning. Son and I were eating breakfast and it was dark enough outside to turn the lights on - England in late June, that's not right. Then at half past eight we set off to walk to school and a rumble of thunder started around the sky, and didn't stop: it rolled around and around the sky for half an hour! Son is reading the Percy Jackson series at the moment about Greek Gods so a bit of Zeus's favourite sign was most appropriate. I said it sounded like a Bowling Ball being rolled around Olympus, and honestly that is still the best analogy I can come up with to describe it.

So I stood in the playground with son and other children all watching the sky in amazement until school doors opened and they went in. Then Down It Came! The sky opened and rain started. I sprinted home and into the house and Hail started to bounce off the lawn, the windows, the house.

I have a builder here supposed to be building a wall at the front, but that wasn't going to happen, so he and I had a cup of tea and studied adverts for second-hand tractors on kijiji. He's a farmer when he's not a builder so ideal to advise me. Very funny to be sitting in Shropshire studying tractors for sale in Edmonton.

Of my two dogs, the fierce-looking shaggy German Shepherd Cross called Rufus is scared of fireworks, gunshot and thunder. When I got back from the school I found him upstairs trying to find somewhere to hide. Poor dog was petrified. He's not the only animal to suffer in the storms yesterday - a gamekeeper friend of mine lost two pens of pheasant chicks in the flash floods that followed the storm; poor things were drowned.

Aha, young son has just woken up. Will finish this entry later......
..... Back now!

Yes indeed the weather yesterday morning was sudden, deadly, and awe-inspiring.

I set off to Ludlow in the midst of the storm to go to Boxercise. My truck ploughed through the flooded roads with ease and not for the first time did I feel supremely grateful for it's capabilities. A diesel engine is the way to go round here! I made it to the class, and had so much fun! I haven't done Boxercise before, but I now heartily recommend it to anyone who needs either an adrenaline or endorphin kick, or is feeling a lot of pent-up rage.

Friend H had to back out of lunch due to baby non-cooperation on the sleep front, so I zoomed over to Kidderminster to purchase suitcases for son and I to live out of, and travel with. I'm the sort of shopper who would like all choice to be limited to the old Ford advert of "any colour you like so long as it's black"' so I found the array of models and patterns more of a hindrance than a 'great thing'. I narrowed it down to the biggest two, and made my purchase. I increasingly observe that the nicer one is to shop assistants, old ladies, and harassed waitresses, the easier the world becomes.

Gosh what a long entry! Suffice it to say that I finished the day with Core Stability, son with Tai-kwon-do, and big fat bed for both of us.

Oh, yes. And the howling of dogs in the middle of the night. Midnight, moonlight, sleepy village with no streetlights, mysterious howling from down the Lane. Me wondering whether I should go out in my pyjamas to find out what's up, then deciding that I don't want to meet a werewolf so going back to bed....

OOOh. I LOVE Tim Hortons. Much classier than Dennys.

Although you are not here yet, welcome to Canada. I am biases but this is a great place, with lots of opportunities, and money to be had (ESP if you are a trades person).

Make sure to take the time to take in Canada's many sights. Everything from the mountains of Jasper to the Polar bears of churchill, and the beauty of the east coast. :)
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Welcome welcome to Canada!!! Alberta is beauutiful! You'll love it I'm sure. But if you don't mind me asking... why the move?

And yes you can't beat Tim Hortons (well except for Starbucks for certain drinks of course). ;) Personally I can't stand Dunkin Donut... but then I only ever went to one, so maybe I just fell on a bad egg.

You are way more organized then I will ever be!! Haha!

My sister lives (I'm living with her currently right now as I'm working down south rather than north) three hours south of you, my home is an hour and a half north (in Canada, you'll find distances like that - not like England where you drive for five minutes and hit the next town) and you're more then welcome to come out and go riding or whatnot!
My sister has an awesome six year old (in July, birthday party?! LOL) and a rowdy two year old that he'll make great friends with. :)

I'm sure it'll all go awesome for you! Just make sure you buy lots of winter gear. You'll need it.

I work there now and I must say, I see some of the craziest people. Someone brought a cat (as in feline) through the drive thru on Friday. And man do people like to throw their food at us.