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.

After several days of no snow and lots of sun with much of the snow melting – last night we had a snow storm of sorts. By this morning we had about three inches of snow on the ground, so the grass has disappeared once again.

On a good note it looks like my aunt and uncle who live in Spain will be able to come over again this year. They really loved their visit last April and want to try to get over again this summer. Not sure of the dates and timings yet, but fingers crossed the weather will be great. Last year they bought the Spanish sun and heat with them. Really looking forward to seeing them again.

TV at Christmas was really crap, so we rented several films from Blockbuster to keep us going. One we thought was really good was Eagle Eye. I also bought several games for my Nintendo Wii and have been playing those quite a bit, certainly more than I would normally play on the Wii. I tend to play on Sunday’s whilst hubby is watching football – trouble is the season is coming to an end soon, so my Wii hours may be reduced! I really like one game that I bought almost by accident – Zack & Wikki. One of the stores I found another game in had an offer of 2 for $40 so I got this game and it is really good. I also really love Rayman Raving Rabbits – it is hilarious.

So that is what I have been doing over the holiday period – playing games and watching films.

Some snowy pics.

Oh well, just have to accept that winter is on its way.

I spoke to my aunt and uncle in Spain yesterday as it was his birthday and they are having brilliant weather at the moment. Hot, dry and sunny, but not too hot. They said we should go over – if only it was that simple! One day hopefully we will get back there, but it won’t be anytime soon.

Another thing we cannot complain about is the weather. Here we are in November and we are having temps in the high teens with bright sunny skies – lovely. However it is due to change and they are predicting temps dropping to the 5-7C area over the next few days. Yesterday it was 18C as we drove to Kingston. However on Tuesday I went to Ottawa for a meeting and although it was very warm and sunny there were snow banks on the sides of the roads and in car parks where they had a lot of snow last week. We escaped it completely where we are so it was a shock to see evidence of so much snowfall. Still I am sure there is plenty more to come over the next few months!

When I spoke to my aunt and uncle in Spain on Sunday they had been getting torrential rain for many days and were having to clear up lots of sand. Apparently when it rains heavily there it brings sand from the Sahara desert and leaves a lot of mess behind. They were clearing it all up ready for another onslaught of rain in the next few days.

I am so pleased the U.S. elections are finally over, I am fed up with seeing it on TV and now hopefully it will die down a little. It completely overshadowed the Canadian general election we had here – yes really we did! I was surprised by the fact that I felt left out of the Canadian election. As we have not been here long enough to become citizens yet we are not allowed to vote. I did not think that would bother me, but it did.

I was always bought up to vote as my grandfather always said “If you don’t vote, you have no right to criticize the government after.” Wise words! I really felt I was missing out by not voting, after all we still have to pay our taxes and all the other stuff, but have no say on who is in power or how it is used. It also annoyed me that only 59% of eligible voters actually voted. Hopefully by the time we have another election we will be citizens and will be able to have our say.

I never thought I would end up discussing politics on my blog!!!

As I mentioned we went to Presqu’ile Park on Wednesday. Here are some of the pictures I took.

As you can see the weather was great.

On Thursday we were going to Charleston Lake and 1000 Islands area, but at the last minute we decided to take them across the border to the USA as neither had been before. Judy was so excited she could hardly sit still in the evening.

We set off in the morning and drove to the border crossing at 1000 Islands and managed to get through customs etc pretty quick with visa waivers in hand. They were very excited to get a USA stamp in their passports. We drove down to Watertown which is only a few miles over the border and stopped at the mall as it was a convenient place to stop. We had a coffee in the book shop and then spent quite a while in the book shop as both Judy and David and indeed myself all love books. Contrary to what we are led to believe the books are still cheaper in America.

We wandered round the mall for a while and drove through the town then decided to drive back over the border to visit the 1000 Islands whilst we were there. The views over the river when you cross the border are truly spectacular. We drove down by the riverside and took some more pics.

As you can see the temps were even better than the previous days – they certainly brought the Spanish weather with them.

On the way home we stopped off in Kingston to eat at Kelsey’s as they fancied a burger. They ordered the peppercorn burgers and they loved them. We have been spoilt this week with David cooking as he is fantastic – me thinks I will have to up the ante when he goes home or Chris will be moving to Spain!

On Friday we were all flaked out so we spent the day at home relaxing on the deck. One again temps were in the high 20′sC and we just sat outside reading and chatting, it was lovely. J & D cannot believe the weather here, they expected it to be really cold and wet. They also expected us to live in an igloo, but that is another story!

On Saturday we took David into town so he could pick up their hire car to travel to Niagara in. He had ordered a Pontiac G6 which he thought was really cool, but ended up being upgraded to a Pontiac Grand Prix – he was like a dog with two tails. I drove home with him so he could get used to using cruise control and find the way home from the 401.

Here is the dog and if you look carefully you will see his tails wagging!

In the afternoon we drove down to Picton to show then around this lovely little town. Judy loved all the little shops so much I suggested we drive onto Bloomfield which is known for its quaint little shops full of all sorts of nic nacs. Although the men didn’t seem too impressed, we ladies loved it. After, we drove home and relaxed.

On Sunday they drove down to Niagara Falls in their new car and our sat nav which apparently came in very handy. They come back on Tuesday evening so we will catch up on their tales then.

Yesterday was out first full day together and they got up really early as they were still on European time. We spent the morning catching up on thing and then later took them into Belleville to show them the sights. We took them to the mall and Chapters book shop which they were really impressed with. We toured the city and went across the bridge to The County and went along Rednersville Road where there are some really nice waterfront properties.

We went shopping and they were very impressed with the choice and price of food available. $200 of food shopping later we went home and my uncle cooked us a meal. I know you are all thinking, poor man, he comes here on holiday and has to cook a meal. But he loves cooking and is very good at it so is doing us all a favour – honest!

Every night we get deer in our garden and we had told them about this. So, with video camera set we waited for them to come – but no, the deer decided that last night was going to be their night off – making liars of us, typical!

The evening was spend watching telly and chatting, but soon the jet lag was catching up and they went to bed.

Today we went to Presqu’ile Provincial Park in Brighton. Trouble was many of the trails were flooded and inaccessible, but we still managed to visit a lot of the places and the lighthouse etc. They were amazed that Lake Ontario was so vast and looked to all intense and purposes like the sea. The weather was great and temps up to 16C so they haven’t got frostbite yet!

Tomorrow we are going up to 1000 Islands and Charleston Lake which should be really nice.

Also our chipmunk has remembered that he was tame last year. Last night we sat out on the step feeding him. He comes right up to us but hasn’t quite got to sitting on knees yet, but he definitely isn’t bothered by us. Another day or two and he will be once again sitting on our laps feeding.

And yes, they are plant shoots that you see – spring really is starting to arrive!

We have been snowed on, rained on, ice pelleted and the sun had been shining this week. We have fluctuated between -25C with wind-chill to a barmy +11C the other day. When you have been used to very cold temps, eleven degrees felt like the height of summer. However it did not last and the very next day we were back to wintery weather and it is snowing as I write with another 15cm promised over the next day or so.

The deer don’t seem to like it as they haven’t been round nearly as often as they have been. The squirrels are still using the multitude of tunnels they have dug all over the garden. Some people are reporting having seen robins, but we haven’t yet. They would be a sign that spring is on the way but none here yet.

Next month my aunt and uncle are visiting from Spain. I cannot belive that it is next month as their flights have been booked for so long it seemed they would never get here. They are getting more excited now and we are planning their itinerary so that they have places to visit etc. They are going to drive down to Niagara Falls for a couple of days and we will probably take them to places such as Algonquin Provincial Park which we love, Ottawa and other places. We are hoping the weather will have sorted itself out by then. After all, they are coming from Spain and will really feel the cold if it is not at least 20C. Talking of Spain, anyone want to buy a villa in a lovely hot location? It is very tempting!!

Well I had better go an batten down the hatches ready for the next snowy onslaught.

My aunt and uncle are selling their Spanish villa located in the Alicante region. Having been there ourselves we can totally recommend the villa, the area and the nearby beaches and towns.

See here fore details and pics

Use the contact page for any more info