First Snow

It snowed pretty hard here in Toronto last night. It's mostly gone this morning, just piles of dirty slush everywhere now. But I stood in the doorway last night and watched it fall, thinking that I may not be seeing much of this stuff for awhile. Don't get me wrong, I am glad... but the first snow is always pretty, and I was happy to see it last night. Not so happy to scrape it off the car this morning.

Only a few weeks now. Jonathan comes home on the 19th, (and not that I am counting, but..) only 22 days to go! I am really looking forward to seeing him again. It has been too long. Lucky him, he gets to come home after everything has been packed and moved.

I just wanted to note - in response to the numerous requests for photos, I promise to post some as soon as we get there. Jon so kindly left the camera with me, so he is without it at the moment. But I promise to post pictures soon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am headed back to Michigan this weekend for a few days on the old homestead. I realize it may be the last hometown Thanksgiving for awhile, maybe years. It's kind of sad. I am looking forward to seeing everyone, but I am sorry to be going home without Jonathan. (Don't feel too bad for him... he'll be spending the weekend here: http://www.shoalbayresort.com/ )

I plan on eating lots, and hanging out with the Fam. I am also going to try and snag some Black Friday deals for the crate... which is STILL not packed. But I am getting there. The house is slowly emptying and the boxes are piling up. The lists keep growing, as quickly as I cross items off. Sigh.

Only a few more weeks of work for me here, and I will officially be unemployed again. It might be nice to have a few weeks off... but I am sure I'll be ready to get back at it after the new year.

I just wanted to wish all of you, (friends, family and crazy internet stalkers) a very Happy Thanksgiving this weekend. May your time together be peaceful and may you have many things to be thankful for. Gobble, gobble!

The Miracle of Air Travel

I had the opportunity to fly to British Columbia last week to visit my sister Virginia, her husband Steven, and their 4 lovely kiddies. As I sat on the plane to Vancouver, I couldn't help but marvel at how a giant tin can filled with people can actually fly. It was a pretty miserable flight, and I had to keep reminding myself that this was only a trial run for the 24 hour flight next month to Sydney, which will no doubt make me want to gouge my eyes out. Funny to think I used to love flying. Heh.

It was great to visit the Haab Herd, and so much fun to finally see where they live. Quite a shock to see so much snow already, and I was so glad to return to sunny autumn in Toronto. It's even been a bit breezy here, so I just may get out of raking those leaves yet!

I am back to packing in full force. Or should I say - planning to pack. I will get around to it eventually. I am just not feeling motivated to make decisions about what to bring and what to leave behind. Maybe this weekend.

Urban Living

In my last blog, I left you all with the Aussie burger bit. Since then, I've also come to learn that even McD's has copped to the sterotype. Who would have guessed... Anyway, I think it's a funny read:

http://www.aussiecitylife.com/the-mcoz-australias-homegrown-maccas/

That brings me to the next bit. What the topic is really about. I am now an urban-suburbanite. That is to say I live in a urban-suburb of a major metropolis. It's a bit of an oxymoron really. But I'll save that for the next post. What I'm really after here is that I'm in the heart of a "village". An as such, there are countless shops, pubs, bistros, cafes, noodle houses, Mc'D's, and so many more varieties, that I find myself struggling to figure what to cook. Add to that, that the fridge, just got delivered today, so I've had a bit of an excuse so far. But now, I've committed to making the trek to the local grocer (I'm still feeling out Coles v. Woolworths), and it's hard to stay on track as I exit the building to a veritable bouquet of fragrant aromas. Garlic. Mmmm. Yep, the kind that emanates from any number of Italian joints. Just like those on the Lower-East side. Curries. Delicate blends of many spices creating a taste sensation... I could go on.

For now, it's off to the Woolworths. Maybe I can find a "heat & serve. Wait. No micro yet. Hmmmmm.

We have a home!

At long last, we finally have a place to live! I met with the agent today and signed all the necessaries... Now I just have to stop in tomorrow to pick up keys and access cards for the garage and front door.

Although it's only week 2, it's been quite an adventure. The house hunting has been somewhat frustrating. The process along with being totally foreign to me, is far different than anything I've experienced in any other part of the world. The one saving grace I find in all of it is that when Valerie arrives, she'll be able to subject countless numbers of other people to the same sufferage. Hmmm... Suffer...Rage... Yep, that's accurate. Anyway, all that assuming she choses to continue her real estate career here, and not do something else like "bookstore-flower shop-barista". Not that there's anything wrong with that...

I'm also a bit surprised at how much of life in Oz ends after 6 pm. I tried to do some shopping this evening and found everything to be closed. Seems shops only have "Trading Hours" from like 8:30 to 6:00 at best. The shopping centres seem to be open late (9PM) on Thursdays. So I suppose that tomorrow will be the day of sojourn to find the appropriate furnishings.

As for now, I'm hungry. I think I'm off to find myself a traditional Aussie-style burger. Yep, one of them char-grilled 100% Aussie beef things, garnished with beetroot. Yum.

Sleeping on a Park Bench

Well... so far the search for a new home has not been sucessful. Jonathan is still in a company-provided studio apartment. He has been making efforts to find an apartment, but it's a whole new world down there. Apparently, real estate works a bit differently in the land of Oz. What seems like an average process - finding and renting an apartment - is actually akin to running a marathon. (I'll let Jonathan explain, if he ever gets internet access. LOL) I am confident we'll find something soon, and I'll be sure to post photos of the new place. Until then, Jonathan will go on feeling a bit homeless.

I am, ironically, almost in the same boat. Systematically sorting through everything we own and trying to get rid of as much as possible. It's starting to feel pretty empty in here. Doesn't help that I dropped the tv and killed it. One less thing to put in storage, I guess. Heh.

Now, our landlord here in Ontario is starting to make noises about finding a new tenant. I imagine it is only a matter of time until I am hosting waves of weirdos as they "view" our home. That should be lots of fun. Maybe I should clean a bit.

On an interesting note, it is in the 70's currently in Sydney. And here in Ontario, they are saying we may get the "s-word" on Wednesday. Ugh. Really should get around to raking those leaves.

Oh - and due to recent "daylight savings" issues, we are now 16 hours apart. When it's 8am here, it's midnight there. Crazy.

Leaves

I am trying to enjoy the fall colours a little more than usual this year, considering I may not see them for a while.

I'll have to get used to seeing palm trees instead of maples.

Of course, less time spent raking means more time at the beach!

The Crate

There is a huge, wooden crate sitting in my garage. It's 3 feet high by 4 feet wide by 6 feet long. Picture a really deep coffin.

I am supposed to fill that crate with everything I wish to take to Australia. When we got the crate (which weighs as much as a mid-sized elephant,) I thought "great, it's huge! lotttts of room!" Hmm. I am not so sure. The list of Things To Pack keeps growing and that crate is not getting any bigger.

Once I manage to fill The Crate, it will be hauled away by forklift and flat bed truck. It will go 30 minutes from here to Oakville, where it will be weighed. (cringe) Then it will go on a train and travel all the way across the continent, to Vancouver. Then it will be loaded on a ship, and it will sail to Australia. Stopping first in Malbourne, it will be placed on a truck and shipped to a warehouse in Sydney, where we will empty it.

All of this is supposed to take 5-6 weeks. Heh. We shall see.