Hi again
We moved into our Airbnb on the 12th December. The first 4 days were a bit of a blur, as I suffered from Jetlag from the 3rd day. I got really dizzy and felt hung over, even though I was getting enough sleep. It started dissipating from Friday. I got a lift to Ottawa with Diana and her Fiancé Paul. I stayed with Ant and Marg until just after Christmas. The weather turned cold over the weekend, dumping a lot of snow. I was made to feel right at home. Marg set up a folding mattress in front of the fire, which is where I spent every evening. Many nights with a glass of wine.
It was a lovely way to de-stress after all the stress of the move. Ant makes breakfast every morning. He cooks his oats on the wood stove and then adds seeds. Delicious!!!!!
Some of you may not know who Ant and Marg are. Anthony is my great uncle, he is my gran’s brother (from my mom’s side). They converted an old Church into their home(the “Chome”). It is the most magical home to stay in. I crave to be there every moment I can. Below are some videos from around the Chome. You can see how thick the snow is and also the surrounding area. The video that shows the snows thickness, is filled from the road in front of their house, and the second video is their backyard. They live in a little rural town 10 minutes outside of Arnprior, where Tara owns The Gallery Gift Shop. Here are some videos of the snow and the beautiful area around the Chome.
The week of the 18th, we did a road trip to Montreal to fetch our fur child. It is so lovely having him back with us. We arrived early so that he wouldn’t need to wait longer than necessary. The whole process took about 3 hours. He was really cute on the way home. We had a 3-hour drive which felt a lot shorter. He couldn’t make up his mind if he wanted to be inquisitive or cuddly. He snuggled in the blankets on my lap and under Ant’s seat.
When we got home he discovered he could climb in the rafters. Marg decided to make him a bed in the rafters above a bookcase because he was spending so much time up there. He is yet to make friends with the resident cat. Hopefully they start getting along soon. Just before Christmas Ant and Marg heard a sloshing sound during the night, but then thought nothing of it and went back to sleep. When they woke up in the morning, they saw a puddle of water on the floor and an empty fish bowl. My child had a craving for sushi and gave their poor 3-year-old goldfish a new home in his stomach. I was totally mortified. The fish had survived 3 winters before my child arrived. He is quite the mischievous cat. He is addicted to his kitty treats, and we had to start rationing them. He learnt how to open the treat cupboard, so we had had to start locking the door.
The Christmas period is very busy in the Gallery Gift Shop. It was fun helping out where I could. I made a few roles of paper and helped with the odd little job of stocking the Jellybeans or soap display. I really enjoyed my time in the store meeting the locals.
Christmas was spent with Marg’s family at the Chome. Everyone brought something for the meal and they made a roast turkey. The next days we were taken on a driving tour of downtown Ottawa. We had planned on going to ByWard market, however Canada takes public holidays very seriously and everything closes. We look forward to visiting it in Summer.
