Although we have not gone down that far again, it has still remained pretty cold lately and we have had snow although not as much as usual. One day we had freezing rain which was horrible. These are photos of the car after driving 75km in it.

Ice rain

Yesterday we had snow and heavy winds which caused havoc on the roads and made for a very slow journey home. Whilst sitting watching TV last night it was snowing outside but we also has thunder and lightening. How weird is that?

Because of the ice and snow I have been using the Tuscan to drive in as it is better in these conditions than our new Veloster. It is a shame as since we got it we have only done 1300km. I’m sure it will make up for it during the summer.

Well this winter finally took its toll on the steps and they were starting to fall apart and become unsteady, so Chris decided now was the time to rip them up and start again. So the other day we went from this:

To this:

We now have a lovely rockery area which we will plant out later!!

The next stage was building a main step from pavers and we are then going to build a deck and steps leading from this to the door.

Since the weather took a turn for the worse we, or rather Chris has had to stop, but we are planning on getting the wood for the deck & steps this week, so we can make a start on the rest of it.

Other news:

Yesterday we saw the pair of flickers for the first time this year. They were hammering away in the back garden. We also spotted the thrasher the other day, but not since.

We definitely have two black squirrels, one very black the other more ginger. They both turn up most days, usually separately. We are hoping they are nesting near by and will bring babies over. Our reds are starting to molt and their coats are getting very tatty. Chipmunks are everywhere!

Weather is still very changeable lately. One day we have 21C, the next it is 4C. We have had rain, snow, thunder and lightening, sunshine, you name it we have had it. The other night we had a huge thunderstorm which woke us up several times during the night. One particularly loud bang which rocked the house had us thinking we had been struck, but we could not see any damage. The next day we found out large areas surrounding us were without electric, but we were okay, so somewhere close definitely got hit.

Whilst I was on the phone to my aunt in Spain yesterday morning we went from bright sunshine, to cloudy skies then snow, all within an hour. She was a bit shocked we were still in danger of snow as it is April. In Spain they are in the mid 20′sC with bright sunshine, but have had quite a bit of rain. When we went to bed last night there was a light covering of snow on the ground, but it had vanished this morning.

Hopefully the weather will get better for May, especially when for when our daughter and girlfriend arrive. We have so much planned to do that it will be a shame if the weather spoils it.

Our black squirrels are still regular visitors. This is one on our deck. As you can see this one is actually pretty red in colour, but next to the real reds, he is pretty black. We know we have more than one black one as they vary in colour so much. Nice to get a bit of variety though.

Also we have lots of chipmunks running around. This is just one of many.

Spoke to my aunt and uncle in Spain yesterday and it is mid 20C there at the moment and no humidity, so pretty perfect.

Today is the last day of March and it is once again snowing, but they promise that it will be temporary and that we will have sun over the weekend with temps around 10C.

Lots of grackles and red-winged blackbirds in the garden. The gold finches are also starting to change colour ready for the mating season. No sign of the cowbirds yet, sure they will arrive soon.  The deer are getting more absent as the weather improves, so we are not going to see too much of them now.

Our visiting black squirrel comes by most days. It is the longest any black squirrel has stayed with us. He comes by, eats for a while and then disappears. The reds don’t seem to mind him for some reason and let him stay, very unusual. We have lots of chipmunks about again, chasing each other round the garden frantically. The killdeer are back but we haven’t seen much of them. Hopefully they are nesting and will reappear soon, with chicks.

Visited a new mall (well new to us) last week. Fairview Mall in Toronto. It was pretty big and quite nice, not sure it is any better than say Pickering which is nearer for us, but at least we have explored it. It must be in a very Asian community as many of the people there were of Asian origin. It is also close to Ikea which of course we had to pop into whilst there. A bit disappointed as we didn’t find much we liked but did come back with a new kitchen mat which we needed.

Hoping to get over to the States sometime in April, but will wait for the weather to clear a bit. Might go to Syracuse, or perhaps Rochester. Time to stock up on summer clothes! Most shops are in the transition stage still so not all have very much in the way of summer stuff, but hopefully within the next few weeks that will change.

Oh well, it is Canada!

Yesterday we spotted the killdeer for the first time this year. Bet they are wondering what they have come back to now!

Lots of blackbirds and grackles are arriving and we have seen several robins. The geese are also about and the flock we have in the woods at the back of us have arrived and are honking happily. We have also had quite a few redpolls, pic below.

Chipmunks are up and about and frantically running around the garden and we still have the deer most days, but I’m sure their visits will be ending soon. But the raccoons are out and about. They are cute but a nuisance.

We are still waiting for the arrival of the killdeer who have come back every year we have been here to nest and raise their young. They usually arrive during the last two weeks of March so we expect them any time soon.

The junkos will be leaving us soon, no doubt. But it definitely feels more like spring now.

On another note I have decided against eye surgery at this time. The $4k price tag is too high to justify at the moment. I will readdress the issue sometime in the future perhaps.

Also daughter Stacey and girlfriend Amy will be visiting from the UK in May, so we are really looking forward to that. Planning lots of trips and adventures, so I don’t think our feet will touch the ground whilst they are here.

This means that we are literally just a few feet away from the baby whilst it feeds.

This is a video Chris took.

The ironic thing was we had to first clear the snow from our very long driveway in order to get the car out so we could go into town to buy a blower! So, dressed in layers we each grabbed a shovel and off we set to clear the driveway. It total it took us two hours and we were completely knackered at the end and knew we would suffer with our backs later, but it had to be done. Have I mentioned that it is a very long drive? Here is the result of our labours.

Next we went into town to find a snow blower. Of course this is the wrong end of winter to buy one as most places had very few models left. We ended up in Sears and chose one recommended by the sales guy who was very helpful. We paid for it and were told to pick it up from the collection area. This was fine until we realized it would not fit in the back of the vehicle. Remind me why we downsized our SUV? So then we decided to have it delivered. The guy told us we could have it delivered on Saturday (it was Thursday) and that it would cost $65. We then had to go back in the store to arrange this.

We had to wait at the cashier desk for ages whilst he dealt with another customer, then it turns out he didn’t know how to arrange delivery for an item that had already been issued a receipt. So we had to wait for another staff member to come over and help him. Eventually it was done and they told us they could deliver on Tuesday. We told them we had been told Saturday but apparently the person who told us this was wrong and shouldn’t have done so.

We really wanted the blower before that as we were forecast more snow over the weekend and would have to clear the driveway to allow the delivery vehicle access when it turned up. By this time (we had been in Sears nearly an hour) Chris was really fed up and decided to cancel the purchase and buy one from Lowes where we could hire a van for $20 and take it home ourselves. Unpon this revelation the sales guy phoned the manager and asked for help saying his customer wanted to cancel an order. Next thing we knew the manager was offering to deliver it himself that very afternoon.

This was great news, although one has to wonder why a store as large as Sears cannot deliver more than once or twice a week. Anyway, we gave directions to our house and drove home. About 40 mins later the manager turned up with the snow blower. We then realized we didn’t have any gas in the canister to fill it with, so whilst Chris read the instructions – well that is what he told me he was doing – but he is a man so he probably just fiddled with levers until he did the right thing! I went to off to get a canister of gas.

Within minutes of me arriving back laden with fuel the blower was up and running and off he went to try out his new toy.

Since buying the snow blower Chris has been out three times to clear the drive, so well worth the investment so far. Now he has his ride on mower for the summer and his snow blower for winter enjoyment. Boys and their toys!!

Oh, and yes we did suffer from the shoveling. Aching backs, aching arms and I am so glad we don’t have to do that again.

Wow, finally we have a new bird in the garden.

Since Christmas we have had plenty of snow, but not as much as many other places in the country or indeed New York state under the lake. We currently have about a 6 inches of snow outside but lots more is promised tomorrow night – could be another foot if the forecast is correct. We have also had really really cold temps. This photo was taken earlier this month – 17th Jan. With the windchill it actually felt like -36C.

This has led to several extreme cold weather alerts – thank goodness for heating!

The deer have been in the garden most nights and once again the snow tracks in the garden make it look like Times Square. Along with the deer we have lots of rabbits – five the other evening all eating bird food under the tree, squirrels, birds etc. We have had one unexpected visitor and that is a mole or vole, not sure which. He spent most of yesterday poking his head out of a hole and steeling the bird seed we had put out. Very amusing to watch. Here is a video I took.