Three sheets to the wind ..

No shortage of wind here.   You just have to make sure to clip things onto the line really well.  Otherwise items end up on the lawn below.  The mucky, dog-infested lawn below.

Today I:

• got taken on a marvellous 3 hour driving tour of the Eastern Shore area by Amy Lynn.  I had been following Amy's Blog (called Flandrum Hill) for a few months and had been sending her comments and questions.  She has a lovely nature Blog about life here.  Turns out she lives about 1 km from my place. 
• did a few loads of laundry
• walked Wendy and Chandler on the boardwalk at McCracken's Beach next to Fisherman's Cove.

• went to the hairdresser and got my hair done.  (I look STUNNING).  Should I worry that the sign out front of the salon had multiple bullet holes ?   

Recycle THAT ... or not

Folk in Halifax are pretty impressed with their recycling programs.  So I was a bit surprised to find out that I'm back to checking the bottom of  containers for the ol'  "PET 1" or "HDPE 2"  and having to throw any other plastic containers in the garbage !   They do however offer a refund on some containers and there is quite an involved explanation of what is OK.  ie.  tetra pac juice containers get a refund while tetra pac milk containers go into regular recycling.  Garbage is picked up every TWO weeks and you can put out SIX bags and a large item of furniture !  

Boxboard gets bundled and put out at the curb while lighter weight cardboard goes in the composter !

When we arrived we scrounged a good TV stand for the basement while curb cruising.  Can't wait for next garbage day !

A bridge too far

Last week I sought out the Unitarian Church in the south end of Halifax and went to the Sunday morning service.  

 I wanted to join the choir and the first practice was Thursday evening.    When Thursday evening came I was still unpacking, tired and didn't fancy the half hour drive through the fog.  So I stayed home.   And I'm glad I did. 

Dear old Tugger, our oldest cat who had been acting a bit demented for a few months suddenly seemed very unwell.  We'd been so busy with unpacking we didn't notice that he perhaps wasn't eating and drinking as he should. 

This pic is from last week a day after we moved in.  We didn't have any furniture but we set up a camp table with blankets inside the front bay window.

That evening his health declined.  We stroked him and Thumper lay with him most of the evening.  I pointed that out to Kait and said that Thumper didn't usually do that.  "It's because Tugger's warm", my rational daughter replied. 

The next morning I found Tugger dead in his cozy bed.  He was cold.  But Roswell, one of our other cats was curled up next to him and stayed there for several hours while we dealt with our loss and dug a grave in the back yard.

It's amazing that a house full of animals can seem so empty because some poor old demented cat is gone.

It's been a long trip ...

It's been a long road here both symbolically and literally. We -- Kait, her bf Matt and me -- are finally settled into our new home. We endured the trip down. The kids on the bus and me driving with the SEVEN pets. Four cats and three dogs. 

 Wendy & Roswell in the
 back seat on the trip down.

We then had to live in an empty house for a week.  

This is my bedroom "before".

 The moving truck came last Moday and we've been unpacking and "moving in" all week.  We're all tired.  The house is now feeling like HOME !  In the midst of all this we've explored the area with the dogs and explored a couple of shopping centres as well as downtown Halifax.  We visited the Citadel on a windy cold day and the Rainbow Haven Beach on a lovely, warm summery day.  We also returned to it on a foggy cool afternoon.  Each visit was a marvellous experience.  Needless to say the dogs love romping on the beach and we love drinking in the scenery.

Kait & Matt on our first visit to Rainbow Haven Beach.

Our first week here was sunny and warm.   Over the past few days the rain and cooler tempertures have moved in.

 I'm feeling emotionally drained.   My younger brother, Robert, died quite suddenly the week before we left Peterborough.  His memorial was three days before we left.  I still am coming to grips with his death and the unresolved relationship we had.  And though it is hardly of the same importance, our oldest cat, Tugger died quite suddenly early yesterday morning.

Thanks to email, I've been able to stay in touch with my many marvellous supportive friends back in Peterborough.  And thanks to my phone plan I can talk to Sandy whenever I want.  Wednesday nights we play on line double solitaire.   

My bedroom "after".

So.   A lot has happened.  But that's what life's about.  Isn't it ?