sysclp

I agree! I am not sure who this would have pissed off the most, me or my husband. However, I can say that neither of our parents would have ever pulled a stunt like this anyway thankfully. My mother won't travel anywhere now (she is 83) and his parents are very good about making plans and sticking to it.

I agree you should just tell them that is not a good time and give them an alternate date to come or the option to not come.

Airseir

This will be my 2nd Xmas in Canada but first as a Canadian resident - we came over in 2003 for Xmas to see what life was like here during the festive season and to experince some of the winter passtimes.

Life has changed a lot in the last year. We were here in February for a fact finding holiday knowing our PPR was due any time - got home to find it in the ppile of mail - then came back over in May for a job interview. Flew out in August to start the job and my wife joined me in September.

Every weekend we go out to find a new area locally and have taken lots of great pictures, found loads of walks and places to shop etc. I love the fact that I can walk in the lower lands with the sun on me and then drive 20 mins to the ski resort. we have been to Vancouver and Victoria, Decorated the rental apartment - whoops got carried away there. Made loads of friends and had lots of facinating discussions in many bars. Walked in the heat of summer, seen the fall and now experienced the snow.

Bought a car, rented a house, Learnt to make sausages, found marmite, found a real butcher (but he doesnt do real sausages), experienced the thrift shops, learnt about snow tires, discoverd that hydro is in fact electricity not water. Learnt about medical coverage, dicoverd the strange phenomena of not being able to shop around for car insurance, tried Canadian whiskies and wine, convinced the local bar to strat stocking Guiness, taight my work collegues about train spotting, Eddie Stobart Lorry spotting, Trout Tickiling, Gurning and other great British Passtimes, still looking for snow otters but not seen any yet.

it is hard to believe I have only been here for four months.

And today I sent xmas presents and Xmas cards so need to start saving again so I can send them all next year ( perhaps time to train friends and family to accept e-cards or print one out as an e-mail attachment

Souvenir

So's mine, but she does.

<sobs>

Pretty Flowers

My Mum has Queen Mother tendancies. When she came over in April just after I bought the house, her first remark was "I don't like the colour the walls are painted, you should redecorate"

At times, I'm very happy to be 3 1/2 thousand miles away...

Don't even get me going on about her thoughts on Mr. Canuk...

sysclp

Yeah, but I still have to go there once a year. I stayed for 8 days last year and swore never again. After 4 days I was so ready to get away from her. I guess the worst is she does nothing but sit and watch TV all day with the volume maxed AND the close captioning on (she is quite hard of hearing but won't wear a hearing aid). Drives me crazy very quickly. Escaping the house to go shopping is all that saves me. :-)

woodmanbg

My mother is 82 - how about travel insurance at that age, does it cost an arm and a leg? Its bad enough getting my husbands renewed at approaching 65 with hypertension!!

gvanleer

We arrive in Nova Scotia on December 7th for our first Christmas in Canada. As Maple posted - please let us have a white one (but delay until after our furniture has been delivered!)
We complete on our house in Fletcher's Lake on December 8th - getting very excited now....

Graeme

Souvenir

It can cost more limbs than that.

My mother has a history of heart problems (heart attack about 12 years ago) and is also on medication for high blood pressure. She was quoted about £1500 for proper insurance. She eventually settled on insurance costing about £90. That insurance specifically excluded coverage for the two conditions above and was thus about as much use as something not useful at all.

I spent a very nervous two weeks praying that she wasn't going to bankrupt herself.

maple

Hi Graeme,

7 sleeps to go......thats if you're managing to sleep.....Pickfords have been here since Monday and are doing a fantastic job.....you'll spot us in the line at check-in.....we're be the tired looking ones....with very soppy grins......

SEE YOU SOON!
michelle

Posidrive

Don't blame you. I used to love them until I discovered the aroma of them when they are deep fried as was popular with some of the oriental students at University.

hot wasabi peas

Here's something you might find innerestin'...

During some anthro lab course in uni we were learning about various genetic differences between various different populations of people and turns out that the ability to taste a certain type of bitterness - the one in sprouts phenylthiocarskljhf-wtf? or PTC - is caused by a gene. We tested ourselves by licking strips of paper coated with PTC to see who and who did not have the gene and the ability to taste bitter - totally disgusting for me! I have the gene! Therefore, I am genetically unqualified for the consumption of sprouts! <-- there's a handy excuse for you.

Most of the people with SE Asian origins in the lab couldn't taste the bitter at all which, to those who could, was very shocking... as it was like sprouts to the power of 10! :scared:

Souvenir

So, in essence, people of SE Asian origin eat sprouts for reasons other than masochism. Funny bunch.

Sprouts (Brit fashion) are the culinary equivalent of self-flagellation.

And what's with this bleedin' weather? Last week is was cold enough to, well, you know, and snowed chunks. Yesterday we have plus 16 and it's wazzing down (cleared the snow though).

It would seem that Mother Nature is getting a bit menopausal.

nicanjoe

I don't really belong on this forum, I have lived in Canada for 39 years, Oakville for 11 years. I am actually part of the Australia forum, but I wanted to check out the Canada one. The only thing (besides family and friends) I'll miss is the snow at Christmas....expecially in downtown Oakville, it's one of the prettiest places around. Also just wanted to mention, the movie 'The Santa Clause' starring Tim Allen was filmed in downtown Oakville, have a look if you haven't seen it already. Glad for everyone that has found a home here.

Cheeky

Grah

Well let them come leave the key and the fridge full and they'll enjoy themselves. If not you'll not have to worry about scheduling ever again