The Squamidian Report – April 19/03

 

Also in the issue:

North Nova News

The Ontarion

The Melbourne Report

 

Hi All,

 

I’ll start off by welcoming Sue Redpath to our mailing lists. She is a friend of Clyde and a past GRCI person. I’m starting to understand why so many of use are a bit strange; we all carry the emotional scars of having attended ‘Carp Collegiate’.

 

Now on to some neat stuff. We have crows out here, just like everywhere else. However, we also have Ravens. Wow, are they ever big. The first time I saw them I thought they were some kind of eagle. Then I got close enough for a good look. (Getting close wasn’t very hard; they were busy rooting through the garbage at the local Tim Hortons). These things are about twice the size of a large crow, and they have a huge beak and their feathers are quite coarse and ruffled looking. If they were people they would be motorcycle gang members. I now see why the natives had myths and legends about them.

 

They tend to look at you as if they were sizing you up. Maybe wondering if you would make a good meal, or perhaps trying to figure out how to steal your wallet.

 

Well, I started my new job on Monday. The company I’m now with is set up much closer to how I was back in Kitchener. Similar equipment and similar types of jobs, within reason. Out here we do a lot of stone wall work. Stone being the cheapest and most abundant building material. What’s really great is that I can be at work in minutes and I don’t have an hour drive home when I’m tired at the end of the day.

 

When working in Squamish you come to realize how much friendlier people are here than in Whistler. There is so much money and arrogance in Whistler that it is a cold lonely place to be. Even the other construction workers on a job site up there look down their noses at anyone who they think is less than themselves. Strangle enough; almost no one there is competent. If you can hit a nail on the head 3 times in a row you are considered to be a master carpenter. Most people there are only concerned about how big a bill they can run up, not how good a job they can do.

 

And speaking of incompetence, Sue and I went out on Thursday evening for a restaurant dinner. Now most of you know that I’m not much interested in going out to restaurants to begin with. We decided to try the ‘White Spot’. What a mistake. After waiting forever for our order to be taken we waited an hour before we flagged down a waitress to see where or grub was. She came back with it but it was cold, it had been sitting somewhere all along. They apologized and said dessert was on them. We said no, keep your dessert and just get us the bill. We ended up asking for it several times before someone could get it.

 

I had wanted to just walk out but the ever-illusive Sue made me behave myself. However, we will never go back there and never miss a chance to tell others where not to go.

 

****

North Nova News

Finally, I believe spring has come to our neck of the woods.  I uncovered my shrubs and did some puttering around the yard between some stubborn piles of snow.  The rhubarb is popping up and the pussy willows are visible along the sides of the road.  Our pond, being in a very sheltered spot, is still mostly frozen over. In the past we have made bets on what date the last piece of ice disappears.  This involves constant daily checks, even at night, when it gets right down to the crunch.  It looks like we have a bit of a wait this year, unless some extra warm temperatures start happening soon.  We may seem far behind all of you in experiencing spring but you have to remember we live in the high country.  Closer to the water, like in Pictou, crocuses have been blooming and you’d be hard pressed to find a snow bank.  It is a different world down there.  Living in the mountains does have its advantages though.  Frost comes later in the fall, fresher air, less crowded, cheaper land, flood free, closer to nature, peaceful, just to name a few. 

Pictou Harbour is free of ice, but just outside the entrance you can see from our high vantage point, white.  It will take awhile for the masses of drift ice to leave.  Some of the lobster fishermen are expecting a delay in their start date that is usually around the first of May. Meanwhile, they are all busy getting their traps repaired and transporting them down to the wharfs for the big day.  Lobster fishing season rotates to different areas around the province allowing fishing all year long.  Our season is from May to July ending with the Lobster Carnival when everyone celebrates this event and people here; of course, believe that the lobster caught off the Northumberland shore is the best. 

 

Another great thing about spring arriving is the fact we can do our early morning walk up over the mountain. (The view from up there is breathtaking)  Now you would think after walking all winter on the road my legs would be in shape for anything.  Well the hill is a different story.  It starts out as a steady 20 minutes climb on a trail to the top where it levels out for maybe 5 minutes, then a downward slope on a gravel road for another 20 minutes to home.  Some of my leg muscles were just not getting worked, obviously.  I’m trying to get in shape for the Chief so I can race Doug up to the top! 

 

Until next time,

 

Sus

 

****

 

THE ONTARION REPORT

 

April 18, 2003

A lovely Good Friday to you all! It’s a bit overcast here in Kitchener but seems to be drying up. We are supposed to have BC weather for the next 5 days. You know what I mean Doug, RAIN! LOL! I attended the funeral of the father of a friend of mine on Wednesday. Sad, but I guess we all have to go through those things in life.

Back to the happy stuff! It’s Easter weekend and we all have a long weekend. Well, I guess I always have long weekends but I hate to rub it in. Doug gets jealous. This coming week should be interesting. The annual retirement banquet for the Fire Dept is this coming Wednesday night. The members that retired within the past year are honoured by the city and the Waterloo Firefighter’s Association. This is an event put on by the Union and all retired members are treated to an evening of speeches and food. It’s usually an interesting time. It’s my last formal event for the Fire Dept and I get to take my family along. I’ve attended so many of these for other retiree’s and this time it’ll be different. They’ll expect me to actually get up and say something. Whatever will I say? You know by now that I’m a man of few words! LOL! Oh well, I’ll think of something to say once I’m standing there.

Spring has finally sprung here so I put the snow blower in the shed last week. I just know that I won’t have to use it again, I hope. Things are not yet starting to green up but I’m sure they will soon. It’s an amazing sight when this happens. One day you notice a few buds on the trees and it seems that the next day the Jolly Green Giant has had an unexpected bowel movement! LOL!

Sorry for the graphic description but, you know what I mean! Actually, that is what’s nice about living in this area, the change of seasons. I think if we moved to someplace that’s warm all year round, I’d miss that. It’d be too boring having nothing but sunshine or rain all the time. I pity the Californian’s having nothing to complain about but the heat. At least here we have something to bitch about when it’s cold, hot, wet or in between! LOL! Having spent one Christmas in Florida for a vacation, I know that it just isn’t the same seeing Santa in shorts and a flowered shirt. I guess it’s whatever you’re used to weather wise. I like the change of seasons because each season has its special activities. Not all of them pleasurable mind you but nonetheless different. In reality, I don’t mind blowing the snow in winter, raking leaves in the fall, working to green up the yard in the spring or mowing the lawn in the summer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a yardaholic but it keeps life interesting. I especially enjoy working on our MGB and driving it around with the top down. We all have to do our duties around the home but there is lots of opportunity to do enjoyable extra curricular things as well. I’m really looking forward to being retired in the nice weather. So far, it’s been mostly in the winter months and not being a skier, the winter seems very long. Carole and I are hoping to do lots of traveling in the MG this summer. Cruising the roads of Ontario is never boring. We’ve got so much to see and do that every day holds something new. From visiting the CN tower to kayaking the rivers to picnicking on the shores of one of the Great Lakes, Ontario is full of beautiful activities. I may be retired, but I’m far from old. Now all I need is a Lottery win to spruce things up a bit and we’re all set! Now if I can only talk Clyde into investing in a British sports car so we have someone new to travel with Hmmmmmmmmmmm, I’ll have to get working on that one.

Until next week, take care all and HAPPY EASTER!  GREG.

PS: Something to Think About >

Wouldn’t it be nice if we find other things as easy as we find fault?

****

 

The Melbourne Report

 

Hi Everyone,

 

Well, it is Saturday morning, and the first thing I have to do is write this damned Melbourne Report. (only joking)

 

I tried to get it out early, Doug, but I am such a perfectionist when it comes to these things that I ended up editing and fixing it to the point where it was driving me crazy. The worst of it is, that when I went to save it (to re-read it later), I accidentally clicked on no, and all my editing efforts were gone.

Well, first I swore a lot (fortunately nobody was close by), and nearly cried, but after some reflection I decided, all things happen for a reason and I wasn't meant to send it. It was probably a load of crap anyway.

 

So here I go again.

It's a bit of a coldish morning, but the forecast promised 20 degrees during the day, (cooler at night).

It seems unseasonably cold, but a lot of people prefer that to the hot summers.


Yesterday (Good Friday) was a gorgeous day. (Also cool in the morning, 20 in the day).  Karl decided to get into the yard work, since our grass was getting a bit long. He also picked his grapes. There weren't many, some had turned into raisins already. They are a small variety, which they use for making red wine (called Cabernet Sauvignon). He wanted to make some wine with them, but there aren't enough to make it worthwhile.

 

Karl also finally cleared away the pile of mulch, which we'd had on our front lawn for several months. We had already piled it on our front and back garden, but there was just too much, so he gave some to the neighbour.

 

 I don't know if any of you are into gardening, or if you know much about mulch, but over here, where water is precious, mulch is a big thing. With the recent drought there has been a lot of emphasis in the gardens on saving water. Mulch is one of the tactics used. The other one is to grow native plants which don't need much watering once established.

 

Well, I wasn't really intending to talk about gardening today. Some of you have expressed a wish to hear more about Australia and how it is different from Canada, so that is what I'm going to keep in mind as I write these articles, or columns. By the way, I appreciate any feedback. It really helps me to know what you are interested in, so please write to me any time. Just in case, my address is kzeller@optushome.com.au

 

One of the first things I noticed when I first arrived here is that everyone drives on the left side of the road. That took some getting used to. I didn't drive right away when I came here. I walked everywhere, but it could even throw you off to cross the street. I had a few close calls when instead of looking left first, I was used to looking right first. It's the things you do automatically that really throw you off, when it is all switched around.

 

I eventually got my driver's license, and it took me a while to get used to driving over here, as you sit on the opposite (passenger) side of the car and you have to operate the gear shift and everything with your left.

 

 The other thing that was different, is that they have a lot of roundabouts at intersections, instead of stop signs and traffic lights. Mind you this is mainly in the suburbs. On the busier roads and in the city they need traffic lights. So these roundabouts are everywhere. They have this kind of island in the centre of the intersection, and as you get to the intersection, you have to "give way" to the traffic coming from the right. Simple, and effective. My son used to call them an accident waiting to happen. He didn't like roundabouts much at first. I actually did have someone bang into me at one of these roundabouts (a minor bingle), and have had a few near-misses. So I guess he is right...

 

The other thing that we Canadians noticed when we got here is that suddenly we had an accent. I mean I never was aware of having an accent until I came here. So it was really surprising at first how many people used to say to me, "Oh I love your accent, are you American?" Occasionally they thought it was Irish, which always breaks me up...I think the Irish comes from my German background, maybe. Only occasionally they would guess Canadians, the ones who were really clever. Well, my accent was often a conversation starter with strangers everywhere I went. I met a lot of people that way. They would notice my accent, and then ask where I'm from, was I just visiting, how do I like it in Australia, etc. I met a lot of really nice and friendly people that way.


I sometimes found that people liked talking to me just because they liked the accent. Recently one teenage boy who worked at the grocery store, with the veggies, struck up a conversation, when I asked him about some lettuce or something. He got really friendly and started to ask me about Canada, and we just chatted like old friends. I found it amusing when he said to me, I could listen to you for hours, because he liked the accent so much.

 

 A lot of people are interested in Canada too. One other time I ended up chatting with a young Asian woman at the bus stop: she had a bit of an accent too. She told me that I speak beautiful English... it's really weird and still surprises me still, when people notice the accent.

 

So enough about accents, but I could tell you many more stories.

 

Well, as it is Easter weekend, a lot of people are on holidays. Over here the public schools get two weeks off for Easter break. Karl also gets 11 days off work, and Jennifer is off school for 10 days.

Kris only gets the long weekend off. He has gone camping and four-wheel driving to South Australia, with a bunch of friends. I'm not exactly sure where they went, but I'm hoping he'll bring back some great pictures of his adventure. He has one of those really "flash" new digital cameras that takes awesome pictures.

 

Karl and I turned down an opportunity to go sailing this weekend. Karl's brother-in-law, John has a sailboat, and they invited us to go out on the Bay for three days. From previous experience on this boat we know it can get pretty intense on board, so being boring and lazy, we said no.  Actually I was a bit afraid to go for that long, because last time I went it was pretty stormy, and the waves were quite high. After about 1 1/2 hours I started to get really sea-sick, and it's not an experience I would like to repeat. Mind you, other than the seasickness, I found it quite thrilling and fun.(a bit scary too, when the boat leans). The boat can sleep 4 people comfortably. It is actually quite cozy. It has a kitchenette with table and benches, fridge, stove, toilet. Sleeping quarters in the front and the rear. It would have been a fun adventure, but as I've found out in the past, sometimes there is a fine line between adventure and ordeal...

 

So we opted for a more safe and boring weekend instead. 

 

Yesterday I decided to go for a 12 kilometer bikeride to Williamstown. I took my camera, hoping for some good pictures along the way. Well, it was a bit windy, and the windsurfers were out. Windsurfing seems to be a new craze here, and some days we see a dozen or more surfers on our local Beach, racing back and forth on their surfboards, while hanging on to what looks like 1/4 of a parachute, which catches the wind and pulls them along. It is fun to watch them. Once in a while a big gust of wind will flip them up in the air, and you can tell that it's an exhilarating experience. It is a lot like surfing, but instead of riding high waves, they are being dragged along by the wind...

 

Well, I am going to wrap it up, since I have a lot of things to do today. It's Jennifer's birthday tomorrow, and Easter. We are going to a family barbecue. I want to bake a cake for the birthday, and also make something for the barbecue, maybe some pasta salad, and my famous caesar salad. Hope the weather will be as good as yesterday.

 

Hope you all have a happy Easter, and a great week !

Cheers!

Karin

 

****

I have posted 4 pictures that Karin took on her bike ride on my web site. They can be seen at:

http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b under the ‘Down Under’ link. And just a reminder, all the past issues of this letter are available at my site under the ‘Report’ links for anyone that is really desperate for something to read.

 

Have a good one.

the doug