Archive for: UK

Tragic news from the UK

On Wednesday 7th April we received the worst news possible: that Chris’s daughter Samantha (Sam) who lives in the UK had died suddenly, she was only 25. No parent expects to outlive their children which makes this type of loss so much worse. The fact that we are in Canada just accentuates the whole thing. I cannot put into words the pain and loss we feel, particularly Chris of course. We are trying to get on with life, because that’s what you have to do, but it is so hard. This is when emigrating half way round the world seems like such a bad idea.

I feel so bloody useless. I am trying to offer as much support as I can to Chris whilst coping with my own feelings, neither of which I appear to be doing very well. Neither of us knows really how we feel or how we should be coping. This is so different to loosing a parent or grandparent and it seems so senseless. One minute you feel reasonably okay, then bam it hits you all over again.

The autopsy did not reveal a cause of death and so far it is looking like she simply went to sleep and never woke up. The best possible way for anyone to leave this world, but all the more devastating to those left behind as we cannot see a reason for it. A few more tests are going to be carried out which might shed some light, but who knows.

It is at times like this though when friends and family really show their true colours and ours have been wonderful. We have had so many people expressing their sympathy and support  in many different ways. It doesn’t make anything better but it certainly helps.

There have been lots and lots of phone calls to and from the UK and to make everything worse a volcano erupted in Iceland spewing out volcanic ash and grounding all air traffic to and from the UK, so we cannot get there at all. More than anything we want to be able to give support to Stacey, Chris’s other daughter who is suffering badly. Hopefully she will be able to come over to us for a couple of weeks in the future. She is being amazingly strong for her mum and we are very proud of her and love her to bits. All in all this is a really bad time for us all.

I never tire of stunning sunsets

One again this week we were privileged to see a stunning sunset.

I was cooking dinner and just happened to look round out the window and there it was – stunning.

On a completely different note, we have recently joined the Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners which is a group set up to help British expats in Canada to get fair rights to their state pensions. There was a special feature in Muchmor Canada Magazine which highlighted the problem of Brits who leave the UK having their pensions frozen at the time they leave. If a Brit moves to most other countries this does not happen but is a problem in Canada.

The CABP charges members just $20 a year for membership and sends out a great newsletter and lots of info, so any other Brisith expats in Canada reading this – you should check them out too.