Well the gas prices are certainly plummeting, at last. Yesterday we only paid 83.9 which is only 10c dearer than when we first arrived here two and a half years ago. Can’t really complain about that!
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!!!
Well we have hardly stopped for breath this week. Judy & David, my poor aunt and uncle have been here there and everywhere, but seem to be loving every minute. David has had his video camera permanently attached to his head!
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.
