The Next Chapter

Gosh, you are probably wondering where we have been lately. So many nights I think that I am going to get to update my blog, and it just hasn’t happened; except for now, of course, as I write this to all of you.

Life is pretty darn good. We received a letter from Chan’s school (and Rick’s too for that matter) that he is going to be presented with an award on Tuesday. Not sure for what subject, but so far he has received one for Science, Music, and English. We are quite excited about this. He also won a few medals at the recent school sports’ day. Guess he rocked at shot put, of all things. Chan has really had an awesome year here and has fit in just swimmingly in the UK.

My temporary contract at EY is finally coming to an end in July and I am looking forward to my next assignment where ever that may be. The agency is looking for something for me and I am hoping to gain some experience in communications or a more generalist HR role. Man, when I get back to KPR, I will be able to run the place. Ha! I have also taken up running again and I have to say that it feels awesome to be strong and healthy again.

Rick has recently picked up a tutoring job of a year 13 girl from the local Grammar School and she is a bright and eager student. She is such a pleasure for Rick to work with and her family are loving and supportive people (Dad’s a doctor and mom’s a pharmacist, so you can understand why Science is important to that family). Anyhow, Rick quite enjoys working with her and he is truly a natural teacher. I just love listening to him use his great sense of humour and passion for the subject with her every Wednesday and Saturday. I find myself listening while I am preparing dinner, doing the laundry, or cleaning house and soaking up the data particularly about human biology. I knew I should have become a nurse! I just love the study of the human body.

Let’s see what else is new with us. Well, we had a week off and went camping on the Isle of Wight and then along the coast of Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. Two places were on my wish list and we managed to make it, not only to Land’s End and Shepton Mallet, (where my mom was born) but to so many other beautiful places along the coast. Land’s end brought me to tears as the last time I was there I was 10 and it had a huge impact on me then as well. Now that we are suited up with all the right gear, we plan on doing some touring of Europe this summer and make the best of this inexpensive form of accommodation.

So I know that all of you are wondering what our plans are for next year and we have had to put a few of you off when you have pressed for answers, and I am sorry about that. Honestly, for weeks we were on a swing set about this and it was so difficult to decide what we should do. The tipping point really was that Rick was guaranteed full time and good paying work here where as back in Ontario the best we could hope for was a long term occasional job or the supply list. Having investing a year in Rick’s education, it wouldn’t seem right to return home to an uncertain future. Additionally, we are quite comfortable here, we can travel, see and do many things, and we felt as though we had just snipped a piece from the corner of the pie. Believe me, it has been hard to be away from our friends, family, and our house, but they will all be there when we come back, God willing.

Chan, however, will be returning home. I really can’t comment too much on this, without feeling as though I will break down. I would be lying if I said I am totally comfortable with this. This is something that will take some time for me to digest and accept. I realize that he is almost 16 years of age and really in two more years, he will be on his way to school or perhaps travelling just like Keaton did. He is already talking about seeing South East Asia. I will miss him like mad and I am so incredibly proud of him and most of all thankful for his willingness to take the leap along with Rick and me. Love you Chan Chan, you’re my rock.

So August will be another chapter in our book. Only this time it will be just the two amigos. It feels strange even writing about it now. Rick and I have never lived alone together and this will enable us to explore things about our relationship that we never could before. Love you too, Ricky Bee!

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and ask for guidance as we approach this new and exciting phase of our journey in England.

And the Winner is...

After 20 years in a career in HR with the school board, I managed to score myself an honourable title today. I feel humble, I feel proud, I feel like some brace-faced over achieving teenager at McDonald’s that has scored herself the plaque next to the check out. Yes, today, folks, I was informed that not only had I been nominated but also chosen as the EY temp of the month.

So it is dinner time and Rick and I are sipping on some champagne that we snagged the last time we were in Calais, France, and I have the case of the giggles. It could be the bubbles, or that Chan is also getting a hair cut from Rick and has just announced that he wants to be able to cut a slice through his eyebrow cause that is the cool thing to do. And I remind Rick that at least the boy isn’t asking to get a tattoo or some obnoxious piercing or plays loud durgy music while he buries himself in his dark room for hours. Just let him try it, I say. What is the big deal? At least he isn’t poking pencils in his earlobes and experimenting with dread locks that end up looking like Side Show Bob (I am referring to our beloved Jackson, of course) on crack.

And they head back upstairs and the clippers buzz again and I hear them beaking at each other like they so often do. And when Chan returns back downstairs to show me the end result, I say hey that is interesting, it looks like you have only half an eyebrow now. And he looks disappointed. I think he was hoping for something more dramatic, more impactful, more well, and the giggles set in. I know I shouldn’t laugh at him but it really does look like he is missing a chunk of his brow. But I don’t care, he likes it. It is his choice.

So maybe I haven’t been promoted to head of HR or scored the book deal that I thought I would, but at least my efforts have been recognized.

And with that in mind, I suck up my chuckles and comment on how cool the zip in his forehead looks and then he scoots back upstairs feeling pleased.

Oh yes, and I dyed my hair red. Chan picked out the colour.

Let's Make a Deal

For the first time in my life, I was able to pay cash for a vehicle. Now I realize that it wasn’t an expensive car, so don’t get the impression that all of a sudden I am flush. But when Rick and I went to Chatham today to check out a car we had seen on-line and we were pulling out 20’s to settle the deal, I felt like I was loaded.

After renting a car a few times since arriving, and realizing that it enabled us to really get into the heart of England, we tossed the idea of owing a car around for a few weeks. However, I was concerned that owning a car here wouldn’t fit into our budget, so I quickly dismissed the idea. Still Rick spent time calling and visiting local dealerships, checked out ads on car sales websites, and on Saturday’s would pick up a copy of the Auto Trader newspaper. We were amazed at how inexpensive second-hand cars were, not to mention very plentiful. We also discovered that certain makes and models were in demand and as quickly as they were posted on the web, they would be scooped up. So we had to act fast, if something was of interest to us. Obviously, the vehicles that were hot here are those that are cheap to run and cheap to insure. And it was not unusual to find hundreds of cars under the 1,000 pounds , so once we officially decided to get serious about snagging ourselves a bargain, I felt optimistic we could pull it off.

The chap in Chatham sounded pretty normal when Rick called him in the morning to ask about the 1996 Vauxhall Astra he had listed on Gumtree. Turns out it was his mother-in-law’s car and he was helping her sell it. After they chatted for a bit, they arranged for a time to meet; he even offered to pick us up at the train station and take us to his place.

Now you have to understand that my paranoid OMG I hope he isn’t a psycho instinct kicked in at this point. What if he really doesn’t have a car for sale? What if he robs us and dumps us on some remote country lane? Where would Chan go? How would he know how to reach our landlord if we suddenly perished? Of course, I didn’t vocalize this to Rick, but he probably already gathered that I had all of those crazy things rolling through my mind. Just ask him about the “Condo/Vacation Villa” tour in the streets of Dominican Republic during our honeymoon. See Bev bolt and run.

Anyhow, I managed to keep my feelings of uncertainty to myself until we were waiting for John to pick us up at the train station. I told Rick I was feeling nervous, and he reminded me that not everyone in the world is a mass murderer, which actually pissed me off because I wished he hadn’t guessed right away what was really on my mind. Maybe I was just excited about buying a car? Did he ever think of that? Huh, did you, Rick? Okay, who am I kidding?

Turns out that John was only 23 years old and had three kids and I knew the moment we greeted that he was a kind fella. There was a softness to his eyes as he chatted about being a dad for the first time when he was 16 and how he was still with the same girl. I reminded myself, that the fact he had offered to fetch two complete strangers and allowed us into his vehicle also spoke to his trusting character.

Once at his place, we inspected the car which was parked on the street and then all three of us took it for a spin around the block. The engine sounded good, it had descent pick up going up the hill, and the brakes were fine, the wipers worked, she didn’t smoke in the car, she hadn’t been transporting a dog or a cat, the windows opened and closed, and the heaters were functioning. I don’t have all of the Top Gear terms to describe the car for you, but I can say that it felt solid, and it didn’t ride like a wheel barrow.

So as we were counting out 450 pounds on the iron board and finalizing the deal in their front room, the kids clambering in the kitchen, and John’s mother-in-law telling me to have a seat it looks worse than it is, I thought of how silly I could be. Not just some of the time, my friends, really most of the time. Why do I even entertain such outlandish ideas about strangers? And why did I think that buying a car would have cost us an arm and a leg? Where do these preconceived notions come from?

Return Ticket

I am feeling exceptionally lazy about writing tonight but I did want to share some photos we took this weekend at Leed's castle.

What you do need to know is that our trip there involved riding a bus that had to navigate roads that were so small, cars had to pull aside in some spots to take it in turns passing through.

At one point, a chap that was towing a car behind his, was too hasty and as a result ended up blocking our path. So he tried to back up; several times, but was unsuccessful. Now the old men on the bus were yelling instructions and what sounded like obscenities to the poor guy and the rest of the passengers, including us, were on our feet gawking out the front window. Finally, the bus driver put us in park and hopped into the vehicle being towed in an attempt to get them both out of our path. Back a few feet they would go and invariably swing against the curb. Then forward it came to straighten up and try it all over again only to swing back and jam against the side of the road with nowhere to go. This resulted in more obscenities, fists pumping in the air, more jeering and I finally coaxed Rick to go out and help. God knows, he has had lots of experience with backing up the trailer when we would be dumping wood on the front lawn to be stacked on the porch. But no sooner had he stepped out of the bus, the driver that clearly had no clue how to handle a vehicle in tow, miraculously backed it up far enough for the bus to pass. With the bus driver back behind our wheel this time, we squeezed through the narrow road feeling like we had just come through another dimension in some bizarre episode of Dr. Who. It really was worth the fare of 5 pounds 50, though.

A Place in Time

Ah, spring fever has hit Kent County, and the blossoms are in full bloom and the greenery, which never really lost its hue during the winter months, is now thicker and lusher. We are enjoying the bright days by making good use of the British Heritage membership that we recently purchased for 70 pounds. This pass literally allows us free access to hundreds of heritage sites across Britain, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. We were initially introduced to the idea after a visit to Stonehenge while Molly was here for a week over Easter break. A map of all of the historical sites was provided to us when we signed up and we were amazed at how many were located so close to Dartford and subsequently an easy train or bus ride away. Since then, we have been to Dover Castle, Down House the home of Charles Darwin, and Eltham Palace.

Dover Castle was the most picturesque castle we had seen so far (apart from Leeds which had the best gardens) as it was situated on top of a hill above the white cliffs and overlooking the English Channel. We had a fabulous view of the ferries approaching and then leaving the docks after we climbed up into the turrets.

They offered a tour of the secret wartime tunnels, which as you can imagine, Channing and Molly were keen to see. However, the timing of the tour and the departure of our ferry to Calaise meant we wouldn’t have enough time to explore beneath the castle and make our sailing. We decided that we would have to make a trip back to Dover castle in the future to see the underground hospital, the barracks for over 2,000 soldiers, and experience life as it was lived by 700 personnel based there during WW 2.

Charles Darwin’s place made me feel homesick as it was a massive home in the country in which he and his wife, Emma, his first cousin oddly enough, lived for 40 years and raised their 11 children. Not that I ever entertained the notion of a family of that size, but there was such a warm and loving feel to the mansion even though it was only their former possession that visitors could see. The famous scientist worked on his revolutionary theories there and he wrote “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection” which rattled the Victorian world and has influence our thinking ever since.

He also had an outdoor laboratory, which were two greenhouses, where he made many of his discoveries. It was funny because just the other day, Rick and I were talking about how we have always wanted to add a greenhouse onto our garage in Douro so our tour to Darwin’s place inspired us to get plans in order when we return home. Oh yes, and we took lots of pictures, as a reminder too.

Eltham Palace was the former home of millionaires Stephen and Virginia Courtauld and was built in the 1930’s. It was a glamorous palace done up in Art Deco complete with pink leather upholstered chairs, maple veneered walls, aluminum-leaf ceiling, and black and silver doors portraying animals and birds. Virginia had a vaulted bathroom, with gold-plated bath taps, and I personally wanted to end the tour right there and just hang out in her fabulous loo. And for those of you that know me well, know I have a passion for exceptional powder rooms. Good lighting, a heated floor, no man hair in the tub, or toilet lids left up, hey, can you blame a girl?

The fact that their home was equipped with all the latest modern conveniences such as under floor heating, a built-in audio system, and a centralized vacuum cleaner, made it very unique. What I got the greatest charge out of was that they had a centrally-heated sleeping quarters for their pet, Mah-Jongg, a ring-tailed lemur. In the floor of his quarters were an escape hole and a tiny ladder from which he could climb down and into the lower level of the house and wander freely throughout the mansion. Not sure how I would feel about a lemur crawling on my bed in the night. And as I write this, I just know I will be getting some cheeky and inventive responses from you folks about Mah-Jongg.

After the tour, we sat in the sunshine and sipped our tea amongst the palace’s 19 acres of gardens which included a medieval bridge, a sunken rose garden, and a rock garden sloping down to the moat and we talked about what sites we wanted to visit next.

Happy Easter

Holidays are an odd thing, I find, living in another country. After spending years, following certain traditions and routines around Christmas and Easter, whether through food preparation, gifts, or entertaining friends or family, I find myself at a bit of a loss today on Easter Sunday. Molly is visiting for a week and she and Rick have ventured off to London to a couple of markets and a museum and I opted not to go. I thought they could use some quality father and daughter time since it has been almost 8 months since they have seen each other.

Chan is hanging out with his best friend, Sam, today. Sam’s cousin is having an egg hunt for the younger kids and the boys are going to “assist” with the event. Personally, I think it was simply a guise so that they could really romp around too. I think it doesn’t matter how old you get, there is something kinda magical about finding chocolate behind the cushions on the loveseat, on top of a picture frame, or tucked into some little crevice in the stairwell.

At our place in Canada, we had so many places in which to hide the eggs. In fact, weeks and even months later one of the kids would joyfully find a tin foiled egg or dusty jelly bean behind some sheet music on the piano, or next to a bottle of Three Habs on the infamous hot sauce shelf. My favourite thing to do for the kids was to leave an empty Easter basket outside their bedroom doors so that when they woke up on Sunday morning they would pick it up and follow the trail of treats to where their big gift would be waiting. Some new Disney movie, a Lego Transformers set, or perhaps a new spring jacket were my picks for the kids and, the solid Mr. Bunny and a Kinder surprise or two. It was always a challenge to get the kids to wait until after breakfast to start hunting for eggs. It is the one day that you would just have to say screw the rules about starting the day with a balanced meal and let them have some fun.

So before Molly arrived here on Good Friday, Rick told her that we would have an egg hunt in our backyard. Having not been here, she obviously didn’t know exactly how much smaller our home was compared to the farm in Douro so I am sure she thought it would be fun. But when she arrived and saw our postage stamp sized garden with little more than a few patio stones and a garden hose, we all laughed at how ridiculous the concept of trying to hide anything out there really was. I guess it’s the thought that counts.

Now our little English house is quiet and I am debating about whether I should take the time to hide a few eggs around the place. Sure I won’t have piano keys, family portraits, or staircases to use as hiding places but let’s face it; my life is dramatically different now than it was just one year ago.

I had no clue that come Easter 2010, I would be wandering around my two-bedroom terrace house in Dartford, Kent, putting mini cream eggs on our telly we dragged out of the rubbish, and the keyboard Rick found through an ad in the Kent Messenger, and on top of the oil paintings of Greece that I scored at my fav thrift shop.

Does it matter where they find them, even if they aren’t so obscure? Won’t the feeling of discovery still be the same? I have to think that this time it will mean more to them though not only because they won’t expect it, but because it represents something greater than Mr. Bunny or the next best Disney movie. I think what it really means is that no matter where we are in the world, we will always be a family to each other.

The long and winding road

Hello dear friends. I am sure you are wondering where I have gone. I have been meaning to update my blog and it has been on my mind daily, when I am standing on the platform at London Bridge, when I am walking across Tower Bridge and when I am sitting on the train to Dartford but by the time I get home of an evening I am pretty wiped and the blog, unfortunately, doesn't take precedent. So much has happened in the last few weeks and I have many things to share with you all, including updates on our few amazing days in Wales, but I have felt distracted.

We are at a point in our journey where we have a decision to make. It is hard to believe that it is exactly one year since Rick had his interview in Toronto for a job here in the UK. How far we have come from the job offer to renting our house and all of the other arrangements that needed to be made to make this all possible.

I feel somewhat like a wishbone spread between our new life in England and our home back in Douro. Walking to the train station this morning amongst a soft spring rain, a scent caught my attention, and it made me think of a time in my life when I was a girl and living in B.C. The pine trees were fragrant and the mist lingered amongst the mountains and I remember feeling a little like I was submerged in a dream. We had lived in Ontario for most of my childhood and our move to B.C. took a lot of adjusting, not just for me, but also for my family. The culture was different, the climate mild and moist, and our friends and family were miles away. So as I was hiking my way to catch the train this morning, this wonderful smell of pine struck me as a reminder that Douro felt so far away too and I actually missed my connection with the earth there. I miss the expansive sky, the swallows that swoop and dive as they greet me, Frank's tractor plugging up the 4th line, a crimson sky on an Autumn night, and Rick cooking up something tasty is our fabulous kitchen.

And yet, even though I do yearn for all of the things that make Douro my home, I still feel like there is something else I need to do or something else I need to experience. My temporary work at EY has been very gratifying and has stretched my HR skills and encouraged me to take more chances in my career. I am really proud of my ability to integrate into an entirely new work environment and be successful and also become a valued part of their recruiting team. I am starting to make friends and also gain a reputation as the friendly Canadian with the wacky sense of humour. I have been teaching them some of my favourite sayings like "Take off, eh" and "hose head" and "time to split this popsicle stand". Now that comes as a surprise, doesn't it?

Chan is still awesome and thrives at school. He recently received awards for Science and Music last module and I have signed him up for private piano lessons. He has discovered that he has a love of making music and the classes here have helped to support that. He fits in well with the British kids and plays football and rugby weekly. But he does miss his family back home and a year away from the people that you love can be a long time.

Rick continues to learn so many things as a first year teacher. He finds the classes of 60 students very challenging, but enjoys the concept of team teaching with two other colleagues. As with any teaching assignment, there are up's and down's and finding the right balance between the two is what he strives for.

So as I hopped on the train and flipped out a copy of the Metro for my morning read, I thought of the creaky wooden floors of Towns' General Store, sipping wine and listening to Jackson Brown on our deck, and watching the wind rustle through the tall evergreens that line our lanky driveway and I can't help but think... will our path lead us back home or will we venture onward.