| In April we found out about the Canadian Newcomers club! Just like every bit of information in Fredericton you have to really search it out, they would really benefit by adopting the British model were the libraries have lots of information. There is also a World Newcomers club website
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We have joined the Fredericton branch and this has suddenly increased out circle of friends and at the first meeting there were about 5 British couples at least 50% of the members are British. I won the raffle (a selection of beauty products … wasted on me so the girls claimed them all). Our social life is definitely more active here than in the UK.
It helps that I get home around 5:30 – 6pm even if I work late, plus we have a house were more than four people doesn’t make the room feel crowded, and we can always spill out into the garden (weather permitting). We have held several “curry” dinners which have caused a stir with lots of people asking for the recipe and I took a curry to the company “pot luck” lunch (pot luck means everyone brings a dish and they are all shared, great way to have a lot of food and people without having to spend a fortune).
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We have brought our first gas (petrol) powered lawnmower as I have nearly half an acre to mow (notice now it involves an engine with exhaust and a manly pull start it is not Julie’s job any more, lawn mowing in Canada is very macho). As soon as the weather allowed Julie was in the garden and has been organising the how it will look, getting some of the 150 (approx) trees cut / pulled out (great to have a friend with a chain saw) and digging out the stumps, making flower beds, staining the deck, planting things and generally pottering around and working hard
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Looking forward to the summer, we have visitors booked in for the rest of the year, with Julies mum and dad starting off 29th June – 20th July followed by Gemma’s boyfriend arrives on the same plane as Julie’s parents leave on, he stays until mid August, then my mum and dad are coming over in September! That’s our summer holiday this year, being tour guides and learning more about the Province of New Brunswick at the same time. It should be fun. You can join in and send us your ideas for a tour see the website www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/en-ca for details. Might save us some time.
This emigrating game must be in the Whelbourn blood, My sister, Lynda has emigrated to Australia with her husband and family. They have settled in Sydney after a visit to Perth. Richard is working and they are just at the beginning of their emigration journey. So good luck to them and hopefully in a couple of years we will be swapping houses in the winter :~) they can enjoy the winter snow and we can get the beautiful sunshine in February without going to Cuba, Canada’s equivalent to the UK’s Spain.
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Before we know it, we will be celebrating our 1st year in Canada with a traditional Whelbourn bonfire night party, the 5th Nov is on a Sunday.
Right now we are preparing for the summer visitors. We are fitting out the basement workroom by splitting it in two and creating a new guest bedroom and a smaller workshop. I am finding that DIY in big old North America is like the rest of everything here Bigger than in the UK! It gives him the chance to browse around all the power tools at Canadian Tire (his favourite store) http://www.canadiantire.ca/index.jsp for all you camping / power tool, automotive gardening freaks here’s what he gets to look around! Our post code is E3E 1A3 (you may need it for the website)
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PS we saw our first humming bird in the garden on Sunday 21st May. | 