In the Beginning

Okay, so it all started when we packed up our things (into four separate piles), and the movers took it away to (almost) where it was supposed to go. Our house closed on the 16th of July and we left Ottawa for a trip around the golden horseshoe to the Niagara region (with a quick pitstop in Port Hope to say hello and drop of Zeke). We stayed at a great place in Niagara Falls called the Americana. Accomodations were okay, but the indoor water park was great! Delaney and Shane are now old enough that they could go on the waterslides on their own, and Tom and I took turns taking Kate down. It was a hoot. We got to spend some time with Holly (Tom's neice) and she even spent one night with us at the hotel. It was also great to have a meal out with Mike and Cindy as well.

Then there was the falls. Always impressive. As the kids had never seen them before we approached them from up the river and walked down until the water fell away in a roaring torrent. The kids were in awe. I of course maintained hand contact with children at all times(especially when Shane started speculating about how another boy had made it over the falls, so maybe he could...)! We also went to the butterfly conservatory, which was also a hit. Butterflies everywhere. Each of the children had at least one land on them... although I wasn't quick enough with the camera to catch it.

Spot the butterfly...

Tom's mom hosted us in fine style on the way back through towards Ottawa. We got to see lots of friends and relatives, spending time with both sides of the family. We even spent a day at Cobourg Beach. Then it was back to Ottawa for a final two days at Les Suites downtown before dropping Zeke off at the kennels(he wasn't allowed in the UK until the 10th of August), and boarding our plane in the early evening of the 26th.

The flight was remarkably uneventful. One exciting thing was that our friends we had met in Ottawa (who were also posted to the same course as Tom) were on the same flight as us! They even sat in the row in front of ours. Our kids were delighted as their children (they have three) are more or less the same age. Everyone played happily until the lights went down, and then all three children (and Tom) had a long nap. We touched down more or less on time and got through customs quickly. Our prearranged transport (a 'people mover') was waiting for us on the other side of security, we loaded up and headed off towards our new home, exhausted but happy.

So that's how we got here. Even the trip was fun!

B.

2 months already?

Wow. It's hard to believe we've been here for 2 months!! Where did the time go? Our year long adventure began on the 26th of July, 2007. We touched down in Heathrow and have not stopped since. So far life in the UK has been everything we imagined it would be and more. We've been to London, Oxford, Bath, Bristol, Wales, Ireland, Stonehenge and lots of other little places in between. We've boated on the Thames, seen water bubbling up in Bath's sacred springs, sailed across the Irish sea on a high-speed ferry, and walked the paths of the ancient druids. We've had pub lunches, riverside picnics and Irish feasts. We've walked the halls of Hogwarts (or Lacock Abbey), and won prizes in local reading festivals (Delaney won a draw prize last week). The kids are loving their school, Tom is working hard at his course, and I'm having fun meeting people from all over the world.

It's an opportunity of a lifetime being here, and we're not going to let it pass us by!

So, that said, I'd like to update you all on the past few months, share a few pics (so as to not completely block up your email inboxes) and give you a general impression of life so far and what's to come. It may take me a while to get caught up to the current happenings as we've been so busy! Bear with me if you can.

B