WE'RE BACK ! Part 1

 

Hi All! !!

After many months of first high activity and then a long enforced inactivity, and (to me) insurmountable technical problems (which a young computer-shop chap just sorted in under 10 minutes !),I’m back at the blog. We have just published the one I started in March, so bear with me.

It’s so long since I wrote, it’s hard to get started…- As usual it seems, we were running ragged just before we left for Canada. We got some problem tenants out and spruced up our final property for sale; we keep thinking we’re finished cleaning, painting and all that nonsense , but we keep finding more --for our sins ! The other biggie before we left was deciding and planning our latest project,- a granny flat and plunge pool at our home in Yunderup. The planning and paperwork continued long into our Canada trip by email, and it’s now good to go,- we think. In fact the site works will start the day after we get home on Sept 4th !! We had a lovely farewell/leaving for Canada this year, with Hansons and Berrys coming for lunch for pretend birthdays/Mothers Day; really a wonderfully enjoyable Just as we were getting ready to leave for Canada, Cristina was in an horrendous car accident, with multiple breaks to arm and legs and  a serious burn as well. Over the summer, she’s been in hospitals, had surgeries and intensive therapy  and has made remarkable progress! When we left Canada, she was walking quite well on two/often one cane already, still attending therapies, but home and  making rapid progress.!’

This year I was absolutely determined not to get my usual ‘airplane cold’ as I so often do after the Aus.– Canada trip, so I started taking every health remedy remotely reputed to boost the immune system. Something worked/changed?? because I didn’t get my usual cold/bronchitis; instead I got an ear infection-in my good ear! A perforated eardrum led to Meningitis and I ended up critically ill in an Ottawa hospital for over two weeks. It then took me a month or so sitting on the boat after discharge to fully recover, but I’m back to my usual ‘perfection’ now, except for a small residual further hearing loss, which may yet restore itself. However, my illness made big changes to our summer plans, and to some others’ plans as well. Kris had fortunately planned on coming anyway, but changed her plans  to come early when I was so sick. She got to spend time with Tanya and family, with the extended family mob, and with us on the boat, which was wonderful; but not travelling, which was a disappointment. We had planned on a circuit with the houseboat to Montreal,   Ottawa and down the Rideau system  back to our start in the 1000 Islands. But as Alison and Grahame will testify, I was in no shape and quite incompetent to handle the boat. They came over for a planned houseboat cruise and ended being Carers Inc. while we simply sat in the houseboat in the marina where the boat had been wintered, twiddling our thumbs ! Anne, Alison and Graham got some local touring in, but I wasn’t up to much. We tried one fairly disastrous outing on the boat,- just enough to scare my crew and convince me I wasn’t ready. They finally went off to Toronto and New York to salvage something of their trip before they went back to Aus. When I was finally ready, Anne’s cousin Les came with us for a couple of days as backup to take over if necessary, which fortunately wasn’t needed, but lovely of him and such good company.
We finally started proper summer early in July, celebrating Canada Day at a family picnic, then travellingg up the Rideau on a much reduced, but still most  enjoyable trip. Our friend Judy from Perth and her sisters joined us for a few days, then we spent a week or so in Westport moored next to friends and experienced personal rescue crew, Lori and Vicki. They managed to tow us in about four times this year I think, an ‘improvement’ on the only one time last year !



Anyway, having technical problems again, and am going to do this one in two parts. So that's it for this first half. Wish me luck.
Kathie

WE'RE BACK - Part two

WE'RE BACK  -Continued--

Finally, the four friends/neighbors who had joined us two years ago near the beginning of the houseboat adventure, Wanda and John, and Anne and Paul, fittingly joined us again to help us wrap up the adventure. And despite some engine challenges, we wrapped it up in fine style, and had a wonderful relaxing and fun trip back down to Kingston where we

 met other friends, Denise and Mike, and did a dinner cruise in the 1000 Islands (on a rather bigger and more reliable boat!!) to help them celebrate their anniversary.



Along the way, we had made the decision to sell the houseboat, and quit our  seasonal migration to Canada, after 27 years. We advertised, showed the boat as we travelled, and found buyers who were willing to let us stay on until
after our various guests had been and gone. End of an Era! We’ll miss both the boat and the lifestyle; we’ll also miss Canada

(in summer) and mostly all the family and friends there. But we won’t miss that trip over and back !! Now the word is out;- we have visited all you Canadians for many years, now it’s your turn to visit us !!

After a very rough and harrowing crossing of the end of Lake Ontario to take the boat for handover to the new owners, we got off and stayed at Maureen's for much of the remaining holiday. She and Don had gone out west to his family, so we had house and car to ourselves. We spent a few days in Ottawa helping Tanya and Cristina unpack and settle into their new house, assembling new furniture and a bit of painting. Busman’s holiday!!  We were also so pleased to be able to catch up with a family friend, whose mother was a very close friend of my parents; hope we stay in touch Lyn. We also spent a couple of days touring the St Lawrence Seaway project and the lost villages flooded by it, as well as Upper Canada Village. It had been years since we’d been to
that area; and this year we had a more detailed interest due to a novel we’d just read, set in that era.-Thanks Carole

Our last week or so was fun and wonderful, but bittersweet, saying goodbye to older friends we probably won’t see again; being wined, dined and generally treated like royalty by various cousins and friends; a family Sunday at Maureens block; catching up with some annual ‘traditions’ like scrabble tournament, fondue night, etc. Besides seeing so  many of the people important to us in one short period, we were privileged to be visited by a doe and fawns at Caroles, and deer and a beaver at Maureens. This year, perhaps because Canada was having such a hot dry summer, there seemed a remarkable amount of wildlife about! Besides those mentioned above, here are a few glimpses.

We managed to change our flights to get home early on Sept 4, which gave us a head-start on things. We let the firms involved with our redevelopment know they could move their starts forward; they took us at our word and the siteworks people started at 7:30 am on the 5th !! Alison and Graham had made a start in our absence by taking down the pergola;- thanks guys! By the end of the first week we had a sand-pit and a dirty great hole where the jungle used to be !! We’ll be  living in chaos for the next while. Wish us strength and patience!. As I write, instead of the 'jungle',  there is a forest of 2x4’s and tin out there in the vague semblance of a pool, so it’s taking shape!

 There were a number of other bonuses to getting home early!
We got home in time for Katie's baby shower, a remarkably lovely afternoon high tea. Anne was inspired to dig out David's blankie,which she'd been intending to try to repair for years. She asked Alison's advice/help and Ali ended up taking it on and doing an amazing job on it!! Have a look!


We were home in time for school holidays and got to catch up with some of the grands, with excursions to Dwellingup and to Whitemans Park.


Another milestone we were home in time for, was my wee cousin Georgia's third birthday party. Hordes of preschool kids having a wow of a time while all the adults visited, ate and drank.

So all in all, it's been good to be home early, despite the unseasonably cold spring we've had! (All you Canadians, sit up and quit laughing!) We've really been enjoying the young cygnets, the dolphins and at least one calf, as well as catching up with everyone and getting the jump on jobs and appointments.                       

We are again having tech problems, so wish me luck!  I'll close now and try to publish both parts of this blog. Cross your fingers for me.Wishing you all much love and every happiness.

Anne and Kathie
Happy Not Wandering (for now)