Expedition Canada

Another Perspective  Fri 3rd Aug  Fred catching up on gardening mag It is five months to the day since we arrived in Canada on Apr 3rd. The time has gone so quickly. The sticky heat of summer mornings has given way to cool autumnal early morning air, gin clear blue skies to cloudier days; days that are getting noticeably shorter and weather more variable, though still no significant rainfall.  Whilst we miss family and friends and our favourite haunts in the UK, we’re feeling very settled in BC. Canadians we have met have been friendly and welcoming and we are beginning to count a handful of people we have met as friends, including a few Brits!  The highlight of the day was the morning walk on Hopkins Landing Beach and watching three. Young otters playing on the rocks.  Whilst enjoying BC, I have been absorbed by events several continents away. The unfolding story in Afghanistan has been part of my daily reading. I still have fond and vivid memories of my t...

Loosening Ties Thu July 15th Simple Pleasures At the same time we are making decisions about our continued presence in Canada and what we do with our main house in the UK, we learn the NZ branch has been granted residency in the country they love.  After two and a half years, the stress and uncertainty over their continued presence, Covid travel restrictions and wedding plans; their residency came through today - well tomorrow their time, it's already Friday there!  A bubbling, babbling Ros was overjoyed.  We were for her, though it cemented the international nature of the Cronk gene pool.   In some ways it reinforced our wish to stay in BC and loosen our ties to the UK.  We have decided to go ahead and put Eastcourt House on the market.  Even if our plans fail, we're not sure we'd want to come back to the house the 'kids' were brought up in knowing they were so far away and have all the maintenance liabilities of a three hundred year old pro...