Happy Birthday Jasmine!

Jaz had a lovely birthday yesterday. She received the new bike that she's wanted for ages, and even got the chance to ride it as the sun was back and shined all day long! The arrival of the sun again lifted our spirits and made the world seem beautiful again in spite of the cold. She had breakfast in bed at her request, while she planned her future shopping trip to spend the birthday money she'd acquired! (Heelys at the top of the list!) and then had a fun time chatting to family and friends throughout the morning either on the phone or on the webcam. In the afternoon, we took her new bike for a spin on the road up to the park, then went sledging in the sunshine, before returning home for birthday cake and hot chocolate. We then played card games until dinner time, when we disappeared off to Pizza Hut. She thanked us for a lovely day with super squeezes at bedtime. It was a lovely day!

Christmas is coming!

I can't believe our little girl will be 8 years old tomorrow. It seems like yesterday that we set off for the hospital in Swindon at 4am. Here we are, 8 years later, 4000 miles away where she came into the world. Christmas is just a couple of days away and finally we are beginning to feel more festive. We've watched a couple of Christmas movies which always helps get you in the mood, and the house finally feels more of a home as we now have our bedroom furniture (complete with the bed from heaven - huge and like a cloud!) and sofas in our downstairs sitting room at last! More neighbours have appeared with Christmas goodies, including jars of cakemix - no excuses, I'll have to make them now!
Christmas spirit abounds in Okotoks. There is a feeling of warmth in the air, in spite of the freeeeezing weather (more about that later). Everyone is smiling, full of festive cheer and happiness. It's a lovely place to be. Christmas Canadian style is all about the little things you can do for others, like shovelling snow from someones drive, making them cookies, or giving your time in some way. Charity donations and collections are commonplace, and presents generally consist of homemade goodies. Everyone bakes like crazy and makes beautiful ornaments to decorate the tree. It's all about the people around you - less commercial and less about money - I love it! Landmark Homes, who built our house, delivered us a large hamper of christmas goodies the other day. It was a lovely touch, and we've put it under the tree.
The children finished school at lunchtime on Friday, and came home with backpacks full of special Christmas crafts, including gingerbread, tree ornaments and candy canes. They have been enjoying just chilling out watching movies and playing with all the toys they'd forgotten existed for the last few months.
We are looking forward to our first Christmas as a foursome. It will be strange not to have our families around us, but kind of nice in a different way. It's going to be a relaxed affair with lots of eating, drinking and movies to watch. We also have planned an outdoor walk (and sledge) in the snow on Christmas morning.
The weather continues to be extremely cold, although it is supposed to get slightly warmer in the next few days. We have had a really long spell of extreme weather. There has been a lot of snow, ice and fog, with very little sun (unusual for Alberta!) and very low temperatures for over a fortnight now. The windchill has made it feel boneshatteringly cold - up to minus 38 at times! The average temperature has been down around -25 or so. It is unusual for it to be so cold for such an extended period of time here. You get odd weeks of very cold weather, but this is dragging on and on! There is a bit of blue sky today, and it is a welcome change. Your mood lifts when the sun comes out, the mountains come into view and everything looks beautiful again. We've been plugging the cars in on the coldest nights to stop the engines freezing, and you have to remember to warm up the cars in the morning for a good 15 mins before you go out, otherwise it's freezing in the car!
Neil is applying for part time work to supplement our income while he completes his realtor training. He has his first exam in January. My work has started well and I am really enjoying the work. The hours are ideal, although I have an early start and a long commute time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays as the weather has made traffic bad travelling into Calgary. A half hour drive doubles in the wintertime!
We'll put some Christmas photos on here in the next few days. Meanwhile, Happy Christmas to you all wherever you may be. Have a peaceful, relaxing holiday season xxxx

New jobs and new beginnings

Well, as time is moving on, and the festive period approaches, so do the costs of day to day living and mortgage repayments! Time to look for work then - darn it!
Much as I have loved the last few weeks being a lady of leisure (and frankly think it suited me very well thank you...cup of tea....bit of Jerry Springer.....hoovering....bit of Colin and Justin....cup of tea....lunch.....tidy up a bit and unpack another box....bit of Ty Pennington and Extreme Makeover Home edition...cup of tea...you get the idea) it is time to act a little sensibly and drink a little less tea! I dug out the local paper and decided to look for a job. After a bit of searching I have managed to land a lovely part time job working with pre-school children to help them with their speech and language skills. The two children I am assigned to have some delays with their speech development, and so I get to work with them for a few hours each week to help them practice their skills and have some fun learning through play. Ideal!
I have just completed my first day and loved every minute! I have come home brimming with ideas for topics to start after the Christmas break and am full of enthusiasm for what lies ahead. I met the little girl I will be working with today and she is adorable! She cried when I left and I've promised I'll come back tomorrow to do some painting and playing again. I meet the little boy I'll be working with tomorrrow morning. Even better....it pays the mortgage! Superb!
Neil is busy starting the ball rolling with his training to become a licensed realtor. He's registered with the Calgary Real Estate board today and has applied for the first part of his coursework. Everything is moving along really nicely, and to top it all off, my dishwasher is now plumbed in too! What a great day!

Snow!

Yesterday morning, as I spoke to Mum on the phone, it started to snow a bit....and then didn't stop for the rest of the day. We had 16cm of snow yesterday in Okotoks - the first big fall of the season, and it was fab! As we drove to the skating rink yesterday afternoon, it looked like a winter wonderland. "This is what we came for!" we said.
The children had a blast, sledging for hours on a hill just down the road with their friend Liam. Jaz came back rosy cheeked and with icicles on her eyelashes. They've also enjoyed shovelling the driveway and paths around the house (although after a couple more falls I reckon the novelty will wear off!). Neil even bought them their own shovels....no flies on him!
We need to keep the driveway clear for the removals men today as our furniture arrives in just a few minutes. The children were up bright and early to lend a hand.
Last night there was a knock on the door, and our neighbours were standing there with hot pecan pies and butter biscuits to welcome us to the neighbourhood! How fantastic is that? I truly believe we are living in 'The Trueman Show' sometimes!

Moving in

We took possession of our new home on 4th December at 11am. It was wonderful to have our own space again and more room around us. It's been over 3 months since we last had a home of our own so it was an extra special feeling to get the keys to our own place again. The house feels so spacious and bright and we are thrilled with it.
Since we moved in, Neil and I haven't stopped unpacking, sorting and building and have gone to bed each night exhausted. We haven't got much furniture yet but there has still been plenty to do. I can't believe that we arrived with 5 suitcases a month ago, and ended up moving about 4 carloads of stuff over from the basement apartment where we have been living for the last month!
On Friday, we had to go to Canada Customs in Calgary to clear our container, which had arrived by train the night before. They were very pleasant and helpful, and didn't want to open the container to check things, which saved us time. The removal firm over here are going to deliver our goods on Monday morning first thing, so at least we will have some furniture at last!
Even though we haven't got much furniture at the moment, at least the children have beds to sleep on, and a big TV to watch, so they are happy!
Well, still plenty to do, including installing blinds at the upstairs windows to give us some privacy! We have clear glass in our bathroom window (which seems to be commonplace in Canada) so need to get a blind up pretty quickly!
The children are enjoying the freedom of walking to and from school on their own, and particularly like letting themselves into the garage using keypad entry and the automatic garage door opener! They still seem really happy at school and are doing well. Jake in particular seems much happier now, which is a big relief for us. I'm going in to help out with some of their school Christmas activities next week, which I'm looking forward too - particularly making gingerbread houses!
The next step is job hunting I suppose. Much as I like being a lady of leisure, we need to start earning soon. Time to start scanning the job pages. I can't teach until I'm registered (and I've just sent off my forms - which usually take a while to get approved), so need to look for something else in the meantime. Neil has an appointment with a real estate agency next week to discuss becoming a realtor, but will also need to look for temporary work in the meantime.

Light up Okotoks!

Last night we went to our first town event - Light Up Okotoks. The main street was shut off to traffic for the evening, and shopkeepers open up their stores until late, offering free food and hot chocolate to the townspeople. All the Christmas lights are switched on and at 7pm the tree in the town square was lit up. Local children gathered to sing xmas carols in the square, and there were horse and cart rides, wandering reindeer and occasional wood burning stoves to stand to warm yourself by.
One of the car parks on the north side of the street became an unofficial skating rink due to the unmelted ice that had accumulated there over the last few days! Jas had a blast running and slipping around in her snowboots, and then decided to buy possibly the largest bag of kettle-korn you've ever seen swearing that she was going to eat it all! I think not! There was a lovely community feel to the town with lots of people greeting each other warmly and wishing each other glad tidings of the season - and it's not even December yet!
There are so many lovely little gift shops and craft stores along Elizabeth Street - I can't wait to explore them, and we saw some interesting little restaurants and cafes that we've missed just driving through. We had a lovely evening and felt very at home.

We have found a new home!

Well, after a day of house viewings in the Drake Landing area, we have found the home we want to buy. It's a brand new 'ready to go' home just around the corner from where we are renting. It's a lot bigger and nicer than we thought we could afford, and I think we've got a really good deal - which has cheered us up after taking such a drop on our UK home price.
Much nail biting was done once we submitted our offer, and after a little negotiation, we had a deal! The house is detached, with a south facing rear yard, 2150 sq ft of developed space inside, with an undeveloped basement (one of our first projects as we have to have space for the rellies and friends to come and stay!) It has a front den, a large kitchen/diner/sitting room across the rear of the house, a HUGE bonus room at the top of the stairs, a large master suite with a double shower, large tub and twin basins, and 2 good sized other bedrooms. There are views of the Rockies from the rear bedrooms and our bathroom, hardwood floors through the downstairs and granite worktops in the kitchen! It's a fabulous house and we feel very lucky to have found it! Completion is set for the 4th December, so fingers crossed all the legal stuff goes through quickly. Our container of furniture is due in Calgary on the 1st of December, so this should tie in really well.

School stuff!

This Monday, the children started school at Dr Morris Gibson Elementary in Crystal Shores, Okotoks. It is a 15 minute walk from where we are staying in Drake Landing, and there's nothing like being woken up by a brisk walk in the cold morning air! The children have been put in the 3rd and 5th grades so are now closer together grade-wise than they were in the UK - which is nice. Although the school years run from September just like in the UK, in Alberta, the children are graded differently - from March birthdays through to February birthdays the following year. This has made Jake (7th March b'day) one of the oldest in his grade, and Jaz (23rd December b'day) one of the younger ones in hers.
The children met their teachers on an orientation visit last Friday, which was great for them as they could visualise their classrooms and stuff over the weekend before they started. Both teachers were really lovely and very welcoming. They are in smaller classes than in the UK (around 22 students) and are really excited about not wearing uniform anymore!
Both Jake and Jasmine thoroughly enjoyed their first day, and came out of school unusually chatty, really keen to tell me about their experiences. Both had made new friends but said all the children were really friendly and helpful. Jake had really enjoyed Language Arts (literacy in the UK) and really loved a game of street hockey he'd played at recess (playtime). He went in goal (of course!) and his team won! I guess that made him popular!
Jas came home with a lovely postcard and lolly from her teacher saying how delighted she was to have her in the class. She loved the morning rendition of the Canadian National Anthem and was particularly proud as she had learnt the words over the weekend - so could sing along confidently!
First impressions were really good all round. The children seem to have settled in really well and are adjusting to the new Canadian terms for things in school, and new systems and routines really well. I've noticed Jaz is getting a slight twang to her accent already - I knew it wouldn't be long!

Our first week

Well, what a packed first week we've had. The first few days were filled with the boring admin type stuff of registering for Alberta Healthcare, SIN numbers, car hire, driving licences, appointments with our bank manager to sort out bank cards, savings accounts, credit cards etc, and shopping for basic food supplies and other essentials such as a hairdryer!
We also reminded ourselves of the areas of Okotoks and quickly decided that we really want to live up on the ridge to the north of Sheep River. Crystal Shores or Drake Landing for us! (and we're veering towards Drake Landing at the moment).
We've tried to keep the boredom in check for the children by interspersing the mundane jobs with more interesting things such as trips to local restaurants, the trip into the city, to the movies, etc but it's been a little dull for them so far.

Yesterday we decided that as we plan to live up on the ridge, and we're currently renting up here anyway, we may as well bite the bullet and get them into school. Jaz has been desperate to start for the last few days although Jake is less keen (no surprises there then!). So we went up to Dr Morris Gibson elementary school yesterday afternoon and enrolled them. They start on Monday but are going to visit their teacher this Friday and take a tour of the school.

We live too close for the school bus (which they are gutted about) so they will need to walk about 15 mins. It's a nice walk with one main road to cross - and here's the difference with back in England - they will walk by themselves. It's not cool for your parents to walk you and not really considered necessary here. Even 5 year olds walk by themselves, cross the roads etc. Here in Canada, the pedestrian is king, and when we tried the walk out yesterday, the traffic just spontaneously stops to let you across at any junction! I've never experienced anything like it. It's going to seem quite alien to us at first to just let them go, but there is something really nice about it too. It is like going back in time to when I was small, when you could play out for hours without supervision. All the subdivisions (housing developments) here have very strict speed restrictions and there isn't the paranoia of 'stranger danger' at all. Nevertheless, we will walk with them for the first day, then up to the main road on day 2, then they're on their own! I've been drumming it into Jake that he needs to take care of his sister, hold her hand across the road etc, so fingers crossed he takes it on board - you never can tell with Jake!
We've got a mortgage pre-approved now, so we start house-hunting in earnest over the next day or so. It's more expensive up here on the ridge as the school has a fantastic reputation so it is a desireable area. We will have to compromise on the size of house that we were considering as we don't want to overstretch ourselves before we get jobs sorted. Neil is already being offered jobs in sales! He's not sure it's for him, but it might be a starting point until he finds his niche. Once the kids are in school, we'll have time to start writing resumes and job hunting in earnest.
Here are some photos of us at Princes Island, on the Bow river just north of downtown Calgary. It was darned cold (-4) but a beautiful place, and we enjoyed the afternoon sunshine, followed up by a lovely hot chocolate!

We're here!

Well, we've made it! We 'landed' in Calgary at 8pm local time on 5th November.
Gary and Lisa drove us to the airport (thanks so much guys) and the farewells were hard - as we expected! After tearful hugs and promises to see each other next year we waved them goodbye. As we sat in the airport lounge, and then aboard the plane, I started to have my 'Oh God what are we doing????' thoughts. I was warned that it would happen by those who've been there and done it before us, and wondered when it might occur. I don't think it helped that I was so tired after very little sleep the night before. The nerves really started to kick in as we taxied down the runway and I felt really sick. It took a few hours before I began to feel more human again (a little nap helped) but by the time we were over Greenland I think I'd sorted myself out!
The flight was good, and the whole 'landing' process was really smooth and uneventful. All the immigration officials were really friendly and polite 'typically Canadian!' and put us at our ease. We made it through to the exits within the hour and Ian and Jayne were there to meet us and give us a ride to our apartment.
The apartment is a 'walkout' in Fiona and Terry's house in Drake Landing. It is brand new and gorgeous! It has everything we need for now and is very comfortable. Jake and Jaz are particularly impressed with the real flame fire that automatically turns itself on and off to keep the heat regular! We all had a good night's sleep and woke up raring to go!
There was a snowstorm as we landed on Wednesday which excited the kids no end! There's not much by Canadian standards but enough to get Jake and Jaz excited! Our first full day dawned bright and sunny with crisp white snow-covered rooftops around us - better than another grey English autumn day any time!
We packed a lot into our first day - registering for Alberta healthcare, Social insurance numbers, driving licence applications, car hire, new simcards for our phones, and an appointment with our bank manager at RBC - not to mention a trip to the pet store to buy our cat Domino some goodies for her arrival on Friday!
Lots more to do over the next few days, including shopping for a car (test drives - yippee!) and a meeting with our mortgage advisor before we start house hunting. The children have been really good so far so we also need to reward them with some treat time - maybe a trip to the cinema or the ice rink is on the cards!

We're off!

I can't sleep, so I'm up at stupid oclock in the morning writing this instead. After 3 years to the day that we sent off our application to become permanent residents of Canada, we are finally going!
I can't believe this is really it. We've waited so long and now it's finally going to happen...today!
I'm feeling quite emotional - probably because I'm not sleeping well at the moment. Lots to miss...but lots to look forward to.
I think the airport goodbyes will be tough today. We went to Gary and Lisa's for farewell drinks last night and I started to well up! I'm rubbish! They are taking us to the airport today as we thought it best not to have family there. We aren't going to say goodbye - just 'see you soon'. I really want to thank everyone who's been wishing us well with texts, emails and Facebook wishes over the last few days. My phone hasn't stopped beeping! Love you all xxx
I think we'll be over our weight limit on the baggage but I don't really care any more. I've done so much packing and sorting and have got it down to the bare bones of what we need.
The last few days have been a bit fraught. Neil has been quite stressed with all the final letters, phone calls and arrangements for our departures. The children have been fantastic really. They have managed not to kill each other in spite of sharing a small room, having no toys and no space to call their own - this is progress! Maybe once they have a big house to run around in, they might appreciate it more...who knows.
So, looking back at the last few months since we received our '90 day letter' back in January, it has flown by. We've achieved so much in such a short time. I'm so relieved we managed to sell the house as now I think we'd have no chance in the current financial climate. We've seriously de-cluttered our lives and feel the better for it. We've also really begun to appreciate the value of friendship, and appreciate each other more as a family. I think, in spite of the stresses and strains of emigration, we are closer than we've ever been.
Now I'd better go, as I've finished my Lemsip (getting a cold....lovely!) and I've still got a few bits and pieces to do before we leave. My next post will be from Okotoks! Our new home...sounds so strange!

Family farewells

Last night was our chance to say goodbye to our families. We had a lovely evening at Pinocchio's restaurant in Bournemouth. The whole family got together for the first time in ages and everyone had a really good time. Lots of holidays to Canada were planned for 2009 and Jake and Jasmine had a whale of a time with the cameras taking shots of everyone.

An evening of goodbyes

Last night was our leaving party in Swindon. It was a chance for us to say farewell and to thank all our friends for being so fantastic. Since we moved to Swindon 15 years ago, we've met so many wonderful people and there's no doubt that one of the hardest things about emigrating is leaving them behind.
A good night was had by all and there were very few tears - which was our main aim! It was a chance to celebrate friendship and have some fun. We sincerely hope that just because we are moving a few thousand miles away, we will carry these friendships with us and keep them alive in the years ahead. So many have promised to visit us - we can only hope that they keep their promises! We would love our friends to see the beauty of Canada through our eyes, and hopefully understand what has made us decide to make it our new home.

Last day at work

Well, it's the end of an era. After nearly 13 years at Brook Field Primary School, I've finally left! I never really thought the day would come.
I've been so tired over the last few weeks, not helped by rampant insomnia as my brain ticks over with my 'to do' list. I've been longing to finish, just so I can focus on the move....however...when it came down to it, it was one of the hardest days of my life.
I went through every emotion possible yesterday, and used up a whole pack of tissues! However, I didn't cry quite as much as I thought and was quite proud of myself for not becoming a jibbering wreck!
Now, I'm still looking around for work to do. I've never been in a situation where I've not had school stuff to do and it's really weird. I keep looking at my school bag, only to realise that there are no books in it to mark, or planning to sort out, or assessments to do. Weird...but nice weird!
In spite of emotions running high, it felt really good to have so many lovely messages of support and know that I will be missed, and that I have made a difference to some young peoples lives. You put in so much to a teaching career - your heart and soul, your time, dedication, everything - it's a good feeling to know that some of it is appreciated and valued.
However, now it's time for ME! I'm really looking forward to some family time, a chance to say yes when Jake or Jaz want me to do something with them, like play cards or make stuff, instead of my usual answer of 'in a minute, Mummy's busy with this', or 'maybe tomorrow, I've got to do this work for school first'. That's a good feeling!

We move out

On 2nd and 3rd of September. We moved out of Exmoor Close after nine happy years there. It felt very unsettling and was quite an emotional experience for both of us.

Luckily the children went to Neil's parents for the few days leading up to the move, and the moving days. I think this was best as Jasmine is finding the whole emigration idea a little traumatic at the moment.

Robinson's did a fabulous job: Jim, Steve and Aaron were packing demons and attacked each room like bubble wrapping machines! Their motto was - if it doesn't move, pack it up! - we had a few close shaves with unexpected things going missing as they cut a swathe round the house. Our documents got swept up and buried in a box but luckily we were on the ball and rescued them in the nick of time!

We both felt very weird as we watched the lorry drive off on Wednesday afternoon with all our worldly goods aboard. We know we won't see them again for at least 12 weeks. The house suddenly felt very empty and ....not like our home!

I went off to work the following day knowing that I wouldn't return again. The final few belongings we have left are going with us to our rented house, before we sell them on or dispose of them in time to fly off on November 5th. I couldn't bear to return that evening to say goodbye. I would get too upset. When we bought Exmoor Close back in 1999 I remember thinking that I would be there forever and it was our dream home. Funny how a few years changes your feelings and horizons. I have loved it though. It is a beautiful house and we will always have some fond memories of it. I hope the new owners -Craig and Kelly - are as happy there as we have been.

It's all getting really real!

We are entering the final weeks of our impending move to Okotoks now. Just 10 weeks to go! EEK! We've spent much of our summer break clearing, sorting, chucking out, carbooting, e-baying etc.
The loft is now clear (that was a BIG job!) and we are getting there with the other rooms. We've booked our one-way flights for 5th November and have sorted out accommodation for the first few weeks of our stay. We've been in touch with banks and mortgage advisors in Calgary and it's suddenly all feeling like it's really going to happen...we are moving across the world for a new life!
I've just realised the significance of the date. 5th November is the date that we posted our visa application to CHC back in 2005, so 3 years to the day we will be flying out embarking on our Canadian adventure!

We're off to London tomorrow to the CHC (Canadian High Commission) to pick up our passports which should have our shiny new Permanent Resident Visas stamped inside! We're making a day of it and taking the kids to see the sights. We've only recently realised that we've never taken the kids to London, so we thought we'd make the most of it before we go.

I go back to work next week. It's odd trying to motivate myself for just 7 weeks before I leave. Everyone keeps talking about a leaving party. I'll have to get organised with that I suppose. I'm not sure how I feel about it to be honest. Part of me would prefer to slip away quietly without any fuss. I'm an emotional wreck at these sorts of events usually - God knows how I'll be when it's actually MY leaving do!