We have photos...(at last!) & it's a small world.

At last - we are able to upload photos from 1 of the cameras. We had to buy a new laptop (as I knackered the old one!) & this laptop has a photo card slot in it! Yahoo...

My Boys - having fun... going 'down the meadow' (note the bonfire in the background!)

At the end of a hard day's fun!... Then ready for another one...

The septic getting installed, below the Lodge! Note the huge, new deck! Ace. The lower,long section of the Lodge is where we replaced most of the roof tiles.

View from the 'Skyline' walk on Thanksgiving Day & a moose we spotted in the brush that day...

& finally... my gorgeous antique piano from Toronto, made for the 1903 Toronto Exhibition, in Burr Walnut, with glass feet & ball & claw feet on the piano stool... fab! Sad I only have 2 sheets of music to play with so far - still waiting for the container to arrive...

One final final piece of news... a lady called at the Lodge today - she owns 'The Manse' an old renovated property, just down the road from us. We knew she was British & that her hubby was American & they live in Florida - holidaying in Middle River once or twice a year. When talking to her she mentioned that she came from 'near Chester' in the UK, well so do we... 'Well actually a town called Heswall', well so do I - now this gets even more weird - she used to live in 'Downham Road South' - I lived in Downham Road North. She went to Pensby Secondary School like me & Deb & she said she remembered Deb in school & we knew a number of the same teachers!!!!!!!!!!!Small World!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Neat hey??

Purple Gravy... & Roofing tiles... & @*&ty coyotes!

Most of you probably know that I'm not a great cook, but I am trying... well I did my O Level Home Economics & got a 'B', but that was quite a few years ago...However...! As we are now trying to be Eco friendly/living the 'Good Life' I am making meals for Ian & trying to make best use of all the food with little waste... Well, an American couple who were staying at their holiday home & left a few days ago, dropped off their left over, but still usable food for us... which included a purple cabbage... hmmmn now I've never cooked purple cabbage before - so (as my Internet was not working!)
I guessed it must be the same as the regular green cabbage & boiled it
up in the same way - I made Ian some gravy, using the water from the
purple cabbage... & ended up with purple gravy!!!!!!!!!!! (have you ever
seen the film Bridget Jone's diary where she makes blue soup!!!!!!!!!
- still he did eat it politely!)

We've also been very busy replacing the roof tiles on the back kitchen & back room - yes just the 2 of us - how romantic! Stripping off the tar tiles was the hardest & pulling out all the tacks. Ian did a brill job of laying ice sheets, waterproof membrane thingy & then the felt tiles- me I was the 'gofer' - hauling up the packs of tiles bit by bit... & I hate heights! 2.5 days to complete - what a team!

Oh - forgot to mention that we both passed our Canadian driving tests - yahoo. The examiner was a very small Frenchman (with attitude) - who forgot which centre he should have been in on Tues 14th & ended up in Port Hawksbury - an hours drive away! Not to be put off, as we'd psyched ourselves up for the test - we hung around the Baddeck centre until he turned up & could fit us in - however his main concern seemed to be that he needed to eat at lunchtime - never mind having cocked several people's day up!! Anyway I went first & thought 'hey that wasn't bad' - until the lecture at the end of the 10 minute test... which lasted 15 minutes - longer than the test. He said he was being generous passing me (I've only been driving for 26 years!) as I failed to do sufficient shoulder checks... he seemed to think that we should be shoulder checking both ways at ALL junctions - even single lane ones! Anyway I passed which was a relief. Then Frenchie went for his much touted lunch - so I took Ian on the course & told him where I 'went wrong'. So armed with all that info - he couldn't fail... His head was on a spring & he did shoulder checks galore... he too had a 10 minute test... & then had the SAME 15 minute lecture! The man is obsessed!! & obviously has his speech set up for every test, pass or fail... funny or what! Anyway we are up & running & have our lovely driving licences which are also ID cards -so we have landed!

'Pooh Crossroads' is very busy at the moment...

& the coyotes were like howling banshees last night!

I'm kinda getting used to it now...

We've also found HUGE Moose hoof prints + smaller hoof prints in the meadow - we assume this is a mummy & baby.

We will be clearing out some undergrowth to make a footprint pad (Ian called it summat bushcrafty, but I can't remember what it was!) so that any animals that walk over it should make clear imprints & we can see what is around - clever hey...

Ian's 'gone fishin' with Chuck - so he's in his element - & I'll make him a nice brown stew for his tea! We are preparing for that great British event 'Bonfire night' & I've stacked a huge bonny with old trees we've cut, that were too close to the house. Not many locals know the Guy Fawkes story - but I don't think we'll be burning any effigies - its a bit gruesome! We do have on order 2 large firework 'cakes' & we'll have hot dogs, soup, jacket spuds & beer - & as it'll be dark it doesn't really matter what colour they come in! Oh - I'm hoping to make Cream of Tomato Soup - anyone got any good recipies??

Still waiting for our container... I only have 2 pieces of sheet music for my beautiful piano so can't wait for more to turn up (neither can Bob Erik & Ian!!)

Bob has a sore ear - too much swimming & getting water in his lugholes (or is it my piano playing?!!). Anyway he's got drops so he's OK...

Congrats to Abi & Nic on their news - expecting again! (Have a dog its more fun & cheaper!!) & Congrats to Ange & Andy on their engagement! happy birthdays to Aunty May (25th), The Lovley Lynne (27th) & Kimbo (28th)

Love to all - post a comment if you feel like it! Don't be scared...

The H-Js

Do bears sh1t in the woods...?

Yes they do - although we've not seen any evidence yet - just rustlings in the bushes! (Scared the shit out of me but was probably only a deer!) Oh - & the H-J's no longer use the woods either... phew...

But we have found lots of coyote poo & there seems to be a competition between 'Wile E Coyote' & Bob Jones as to who can poo the biggest & best at the 'Pooh Crossroads' on Tickle Trout Lodge meadows!!

Spotted a lovely woodpecker yesterday & a few bald eagles crossing the meadows too. The leaves are turning gorgeous colours: red, pink, orange, gold, lime etc.

It's Canadian Thanksgiving here this weekend & we've been invited out with Chuck & Ann, Sharon & David for Thanksgiving lunch at the Lakes Restaurant - sounds lovely & then everone takes the Monday off (well Ian isn't as he's helping Chuck & another neighbour Ian build Chucks deck - then its national voting day + the H-J's will be doing their Road Driving Test @9.30 & 10.30am in Baddeck - which has 1 crossroad, no traffic lights, a few pedestrian crosswalks & the odd left turn! So wish us luck - we'll need it!

I've been taking photos - but alas don't have my photo card reader with us - its in the container somewhere - which won't be delivered for a few more weeks.

Hit a problem with the great idea of shipping out our new (gorgoeus) 'Godin' enamelled wood burning stove... looks like the Canadians have regulations shooting out of their ......!

'It must be to Canadian code (ULC), must be fitted by a certain trained engineed (WETT), must be at the end of the apex of the house DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or you won't get insurance cos your house may burn down.'

So not to be defeated we're waiting for the French manufacturers to get back to us to advise what safety code it's been made to & then see if the Canadian authorities will accept this - the French company export to Canada & US so I think we may be OK... or have no insurance - either way - my Godin is going in - even if Ian needs to train to do the WETT test (should have put that another way!!)

I'm checking out flights in Jan back to old Blighty so look out UK I'll be in the vicinity from 27th Jan (mothers 80th birthday) until 2nd Jan - then off to Hampton Court Palace for a visit with Deb & hopefully Vic - should be a laff...

Yesterday I mixed 4 bags of concrete for the platform for my lovely Gargoyles, when they arrive - quite pleased with my efforts as it was all by hand, on my own & the 1st time I'd done it...& that reminds me - I've decided to make my own bread cos we're not too keen on the bread here... (now bear in mind that I burn boiled eggs & boiled rice!!) So I'm building myself up to it - have ordered the bread tins of good old ebay, bought some organic flour, found Delia's 'SIMPLE' white or wholemeal bread recipie - need to buy some yeast, neighbour Sharon has donated a huge stoneware bowl to the cause... now I just need to be in the mood... not sure when that'll be but I'll post the results on the blog in the near future! We will get our dental insurance up to date before sampling begins.

BOB n Erik the Viking (who should haved been called Popeye as he's massive!) say hello folks & Ian's busy building the magnificent dog pen. Photos to follow...

Love to all

the H-J's