Between car options, birthday parties, countertop issues, camp planning, flooring choices, field trips and kitchen cabinet selections - not to mention catching up with friends here in Canada - I've been running around like a mad woman. I've had no time to gather my thoughts, let alone write about them here in my lovely, peaceful corner of the bloggy world.
Until school's out and the renovation plans have been nailed down, I suspect life will continue at breakneck speed. I'll try to post every now and then, but please bear with me if I'm unusually silent during the next few weeks.
31 May 2008
28 May 2008
Just In Case You Wondered...
Christopher, please clean up your room. Your friends are coming over and this place is a pigsty!
Mamma, all boys' rooms look like this. Trust me. I know.
27 May 2008
Fueling Fires
I'm looking to get a new car at the end of the summer, and after a long mini-van career, I really want to get a smaller car this time around. I'm not talking "Smart car"-ish, because that would be too small with two young boys, but something on par with the VW Golf we had in Norway, which I adored. I also want the car to have a diesel engine.
Most new cars for sale in Norway and the UK run on diesel, and yet I'm finding the selection of diesel cars in North America to be extremely limited. Diesel is vastly more efficient than gas, so how can it be that a car model is available with a diesel engine in little Norway with its limited population, but not here?
Furthermore, the selection of small-ish cars in North America is tiny (no pun intended) compared to Europe. It seems to me that while we've been away, the SUVs and trucks surrounding us have actually gotten bigger. Granted, the roads here are built to accommodate them, but why on earth do we need such gigantic vehicles on the best highways found anywhere in the world? There are no crater-like potholes to cross over, or dirt roads to traverse. The roads here are in such good shape, a normal car will do just fine.
It's almost as if we refuse to acknowledge the on-going oil crisis, and the need to conserve. A car sold in both Europe and North America will invariably have a bigger engine here. I know that bigger has always been better, but this is getting ridiculous. We cannot deny the fact that the oil price has cracked $ 130 a barrel. It will have consequences for all of us, whether we like it or not.
In the meantime, I will wait until the fall, since rumour has it that there more diesel cars are on their way to the North American market. Do you think I'll be disappointed?
Most new cars for sale in Norway and the UK run on diesel, and yet I'm finding the selection of diesel cars in North America to be extremely limited. Diesel is vastly more efficient than gas, so how can it be that a car model is available with a diesel engine in little Norway with its limited population, but not here?
Furthermore, the selection of small-ish cars in North America is tiny (no pun intended) compared to Europe. It seems to me that while we've been away, the SUVs and trucks surrounding us have actually gotten bigger. Granted, the roads here are built to accommodate them, but why on earth do we need such gigantic vehicles on the best highways found anywhere in the world? There are no crater-like potholes to cross over, or dirt roads to traverse. The roads here are in such good shape, a normal car will do just fine.
It's almost as if we refuse to acknowledge the on-going oil crisis, and the need to conserve. A car sold in both Europe and North America will invariably have a bigger engine here. I know that bigger has always been better, but this is getting ridiculous. We cannot deny the fact that the oil price has cracked $ 130 a barrel. It will have consequences for all of us, whether we like it or not.
In the meantime, I will wait until the fall, since rumour has it that there more diesel cars are on their way to the North American market. Do you think I'll be disappointed?
25 May 2008
Settling In
The house looked great when we returned.
There were a few oddities - like every single frying pan I own being completely burnt. Apparently the friends who stayed in our house while we were away are serious about avoiding under-cooked foods.
Another funny thing was that our house plants - all five of them - had been gathered in one place, apparently to die a slow death.
Which is fine, because I wanted to get new ones anyway - and now I can do so without feeling guilty. A win-win!
Therefore, the only thing we've really had to deal with upon our return has been the garden. And truly - it is a holy mess of crumbling brick patios, dandelions and peeling decks. We couldn't stand looking at it, so yesterday Mike sanded the decks while I proceeded to fill 4 bags with garden waste. I wouldn't be surprised if another 2 or 3 bags will be added to that number before pickup tomorrow. Flowers have been purchased, and more will be bought today to liven things up.
The grass really needs to be redone, but we'll have to wait until the fall or next spring to do that - there's just too many other projects on the go this spring.
Tomorrow, we are going to start contacting contractors to get to work on fixing up the mess caused by the leak last fall. This includes the kitchen, the dining room, the downstairs rec room and guest room, the boys' bathroom.
While we're at it, I'm planning to get the white tile in the main floor hallway replaced by something more dirt friendly. I am not a clean freak by any stretch of the imagination, but I have a hard time ignoring muddy footprints throughout the house. So what better solution than to hide them with a darker flooring? If anyone has any suggestions, I am all ears!
Our boys had a sleepover at a friend's house last night, and I am crossing fingers they slept for more than 5 hours. Mike's mother (my second mother-in-law - as Mike's parents divorced a long time ago) is spending the afternoon with us, after which we're going to our friends' house for dinner.
I'm pondering going away more often - I've yet to cook a meal in our house, seeing as how all our lovely friends are taking such good care of us. We are being incredibly spoiled.
Hope everyone's having a lovely weekend! I've been a bad bloggy friend, but next week will be better.
There were a few oddities - like every single frying pan I own being completely burnt. Apparently the friends who stayed in our house while we were away are serious about avoiding under-cooked foods.
Another funny thing was that our house plants - all five of them - had been gathered in one place, apparently to die a slow death.
Which is fine, because I wanted to get new ones anyway - and now I can do so without feeling guilty. A win-win!
Therefore, the only thing we've really had to deal with upon our return has been the garden. And truly - it is a holy mess of crumbling brick patios, dandelions and peeling decks. We couldn't stand looking at it, so yesterday Mike sanded the decks while I proceeded to fill 4 bags with garden waste. I wouldn't be surprised if another 2 or 3 bags will be added to that number before pickup tomorrow. Flowers have been purchased, and more will be bought today to liven things up.
The grass really needs to be redone, but we'll have to wait until the fall or next spring to do that - there's just too many other projects on the go this spring.
Tomorrow, we are going to start contacting contractors to get to work on fixing up the mess caused by the leak last fall. This includes the kitchen, the dining room, the downstairs rec room and guest room, the boys' bathroom.
While we're at it, I'm planning to get the white tile in the main floor hallway replaced by something more dirt friendly. I am not a clean freak by any stretch of the imagination, but I have a hard time ignoring muddy footprints throughout the house. So what better solution than to hide them with a darker flooring? If anyone has any suggestions, I am all ears!
Our boys had a sleepover at a friend's house last night, and I am crossing fingers they slept for more than 5 hours. Mike's mother (my second mother-in-law - as Mike's parents divorced a long time ago) is spending the afternoon with us, after which we're going to our friends' house for dinner.
I'm pondering going away more often - I've yet to cook a meal in our house, seeing as how all our lovely friends are taking such good care of us. We are being incredibly spoiled.
Hope everyone's having a lovely weekend! I've been a bad bloggy friend, but next week will be better.
22 May 2008
Arrival
When we finally unlocked the door to our house mid-evening local time on Tuesday, we did so to balloons and "welcome home" signs made by the daughter of one of my closest friends.
The fridge had been stocked with milk, bread and butter, as well as cheese, strawberries, grapes and other luxuries. There were flower baskets by the front door, and inside a huge bouquet decorated the kitchen island.
A big box of Twinings Earl Grey tea had also been purchased, in anticipation of the many afternoons to come, sitting around the kitchen table with a cup of tea, while the kids play downstairs.
Another friend had left a tray full of home-baked delicious cookies. Needless to say, they didn't last long.
Everything looked amazing. I was so touched.
Then yesterday noon-time, a third friend stopped by to pick me up for lunch. 7 of us chatted for 3 hours over the most amazing dim sum I've ever had. Some of the girls had even rearranged their work schedule to be able to join us.
How can you possibly express your gratitude for something like that?
The girls all looked wonderful. Better than wonderful, in fact. And it was easy to slip right back into the conversation - almost like I hadn't been gone at all.
Except that the dim sum tasted so incredibly good. Oh.My.Goodness. I'd forgotten how much I missed it.
My re-introduction to food groups other than meat and potatoes continues today, as a sushi lunch has been scheduled for noon. Then tomorrow, we hit Asian Legend.
Being of stoic Viking stock, I could never adequately verbalize how much my friends mean to me, but I am immensely grateful to have them.
And though I'm filled with conflicting feelings about being so far away from Norway, one thing is crystal clear: The best friends in the world - they are all right here!
The fridge had been stocked with milk, bread and butter, as well as cheese, strawberries, grapes and other luxuries. There were flower baskets by the front door, and inside a huge bouquet decorated the kitchen island.
A big box of Twinings Earl Grey tea had also been purchased, in anticipation of the many afternoons to come, sitting around the kitchen table with a cup of tea, while the kids play downstairs.
Another friend had left a tray full of home-baked delicious cookies. Needless to say, they didn't last long.
Everything looked amazing. I was so touched.
Then yesterday noon-time, a third friend stopped by to pick me up for lunch. 7 of us chatted for 3 hours over the most amazing dim sum I've ever had. Some of the girls had even rearranged their work schedule to be able to join us.
How can you possibly express your gratitude for something like that?
The girls all looked wonderful. Better than wonderful, in fact. And it was easy to slip right back into the conversation - almost like I hadn't been gone at all.
Except that the dim sum tasted so incredibly good. Oh.My.Goodness. I'd forgotten how much I missed it.
My re-introduction to food groups other than meat and potatoes continues today, as a sushi lunch has been scheduled for noon. Then tomorrow, we hit Asian Legend.
Being of stoic Viking stock, I could never adequately verbalize how much my friends mean to me, but I am immensely grateful to have them.
And though I'm filled with conflicting feelings about being so far away from Norway, one thing is crystal clear: The best friends in the world - they are all right here!
21 May 2008
Plane Pain
We got up at a decent hour yesterday morning, ate breakfast and drove to the local airport to catch the commuter plane to Heathrow. The airport was quiet, no line-ups while checking in, and we didn't have to pay any overweight fees!
Our flight landed ahead of schedule in Heathrow, we picked up our luggage and rechecked it onto our scheduled flight to Toronto. Again, no hiccups. Then we sat down to a final fish and chips lunch, spent our last few pounds on duty-free wine and made our way to the gate.
Judging from the line-up at the gate, the flight was full - primarily of families returning to Canada. Cute little toddlers were running around everywhere. We happily took advantage of the pre-boarding option for families and got settled into our seats.
People seemed to be boarding at a good pace, and when the captain came on and informed us that the winds were favourable and we'd actually be landing an hour ahead of schedule, it put a big smile on my face and made up for the fact that we hadn't lucked out with one of the planes with upgraded personal entertainment systems. The boys could make do with their GameBoys and movies on the computer for the next 7.5 (as opposed to 8.5) hours.
As the plane started taxiing out, I looked at my watch and registered with utter disbelief that it was doing so 10 minutes ahead of schedule. I mean, when does that happen? And at Heathrow, to boot?
I've travelled via Heathrow countless times, and I know that "Never" is the answer to those retorical questions.
Which is why, mere seconds after the purser had expressed his utter delight at the shortened flight schedule, the plane screeched to an abrupt halt.
Words like "...a bit of concrete flew into engine upon start-up..." and "...damaged engine blades..." started coming out over the speaker system, combined with lines such as "...need to call maintenance..." and "...unfortunately the paperwork will take at another 45 minutes to an hour..."
And so it was that we ended up standing on the tarmac for 2.5 hours, waiting for the plane to be fixed and re-cleared for take-off.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate Air Canada making sure the plane is fit to fly, but it is beyond me why the paperwork should take longer than the actual work done on the plane.
Bottom line, our precious one hour of saved time turned into an added 1.5 hours of total travel time, even with those helpful winds. Ugh!
And those lovely families with happy toddlers running around during boarding? Not so happy after a while. Let's just say it was the longest shriek-fest I've ever experienced! Double ugh!
But we're here now. In our own house after 10 months away. It feels strange and familiar at the same time. But more on that later. For now, I must focus my attention on the piles of luggage that are literally blocking our front door.
Our flight landed ahead of schedule in Heathrow, we picked up our luggage and rechecked it onto our scheduled flight to Toronto. Again, no hiccups. Then we sat down to a final fish and chips lunch, spent our last few pounds on duty-free wine and made our way to the gate.
Judging from the line-up at the gate, the flight was full - primarily of families returning to Canada. Cute little toddlers were running around everywhere. We happily took advantage of the pre-boarding option for families and got settled into our seats.
People seemed to be boarding at a good pace, and when the captain came on and informed us that the winds were favourable and we'd actually be landing an hour ahead of schedule, it put a big smile on my face and made up for the fact that we hadn't lucked out with one of the planes with upgraded personal entertainment systems. The boys could make do with their GameBoys and movies on the computer for the next 7.5 (as opposed to 8.5) hours.
As the plane started taxiing out, I looked at my watch and registered with utter disbelief that it was doing so 10 minutes ahead of schedule. I mean, when does that happen? And at Heathrow, to boot?
I've travelled via Heathrow countless times, and I know that "Never" is the answer to those retorical questions.
Which is why, mere seconds after the purser had expressed his utter delight at the shortened flight schedule, the plane screeched to an abrupt halt.
Words like "...a bit of concrete flew into engine upon start-up..." and "...damaged engine blades..." started coming out over the speaker system, combined with lines such as "...need to call maintenance..." and "...unfortunately the paperwork will take at another 45 minutes to an hour..."
And so it was that we ended up standing on the tarmac for 2.5 hours, waiting for the plane to be fixed and re-cleared for take-off.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate Air Canada making sure the plane is fit to fly, but it is beyond me why the paperwork should take longer than the actual work done on the plane.
Bottom line, our precious one hour of saved time turned into an added 1.5 hours of total travel time, even with those helpful winds. Ugh!
And those lovely families with happy toddlers running around during boarding? Not so happy after a while. Let's just say it was the longest shriek-fest I've ever experienced! Double ugh!
But we're here now. In our own house after 10 months away. It feels strange and familiar at the same time. But more on that later. For now, I must focus my attention on the piles of luggage that are literally blocking our front door.
18 May 2008
It's Time To Celebrate...
Saturday's big Par-Tay went off without a hitch. 90 people gathered at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate to celebrate my parents-in-law. In return, we were treated to great food, good wine, and fantastic entertainment in the form of 'The Three Waiters' - three opera singers pretending to be a French, Italian and British waiter, respectively. It was a hilarious battle of the silly, much to the amusement of everyone present.
My boys were the only children at the party, and I am proud to say they were very well behaved (though I must admit to a little confusion -- I mean, how come they don't behave like that around the house?). They did get to sneak their DSes into the dining room, but played very little, preferring to socialize (another source of confusion...).
Family and friends drove from all over the country, and some flew in from as far away as Germany, Switzerland and even the US for the weekend. Most of the family spent last night at the hotel, which is how we were able to put the boys to bed nice and early (eh...11:30 pm), and still continue partying until the hotel closed us down at 1 am.
Sadly, some of us (cough 'Mike' cough) thought we could continue partying like we were 21 all night, so he decided to join his much younger sister and brother on the town for another few hours. He finally made it back into the hotel room at 4 am, making quite a lot of noise and annoying me to no end with his utter lack of consideration for me and the fact that I was trying.to.sleep.
It was only this morning I realized the extent of his..ehem...inebriation, as he suffered through the worst hang-over in years. Even his 25-year-old brother was in pain, and had to spend most of the day sleeping it off. Only Katherine stood proud, proving once again that women really are the stronger sex.
Today was spent at the house in Ripon, where my mother-in-law hosted those out-of-town guests who had not yet left at a casual garden lunch. I even had the opportunity to meet a childhood friend of Mike's, a guy he's known since he was 4. It was a pleasant and relaxed day, with everyone being tired and slightly run down after yesterday's festivities.
I'm thinking tonight will be an early night.
Tomorrow is the big packing day. We have to squeeze everything we brought to England back into the suitcases we came with AND add to that pile the things we've acquired during our three weeks here. Thankfully, we've limited our purchases here to necessities only (football shirts for the boys, name plates for their doors (very important, that), cooking chocolate to make delicious toffee shortbread, that sort of thing), so it should not be an impossible task.
What will be an impossible task, I fear, is getting through check-in on Tuesday without having to pay for the extra weight we'll be begging the airline to take home with us.
At least they can't charge me for the extra weight I've piled on around my waist this year.
We began our adventure with a big family birthday party for my mother in Norway last July, so it is only fitting that we ended it with another big family celebration this weekend. I feel as if we've come full circle.
Our sabbatical has been all about family, both immediate and extended. We've made fantastic memories, for our children, and also for ourselves. I can't wait to immerse myself in the wealth of photos we've amassed during our time away, to relive some of the experiences of the past 10 months.
But now it's time to return to our life and our friends in Canada.
I'm curious to see how Canada will seem to us after a year away. Have we changed as much as I think we have, or not at all? Will there be a period of re-adjustment, or will we be back in the old swing of things within days?
My boys were the only children at the party, and I am proud to say they were very well behaved (though I must admit to a little confusion -- I mean, how come they don't behave like that around the house?). They did get to sneak their DSes into the dining room, but played very little, preferring to socialize (another source of confusion...).
Family and friends drove from all over the country, and some flew in from as far away as Germany, Switzerland and even the US for the weekend. Most of the family spent last night at the hotel, which is how we were able to put the boys to bed nice and early (eh...11:30 pm), and still continue partying until the hotel closed us down at 1 am.
Sadly, some of us (cough 'Mike' cough) thought we could continue partying like we were 21 all night, so he decided to join his much younger sister and brother on the town for another few hours. He finally made it back into the hotel room at 4 am, making quite a lot of noise and annoying me to no end with his utter lack of consideration for me and the fact that I was trying.to.sleep.
It was only this morning I realized the extent of his..ehem...inebriation, as he suffered through the worst hang-over in years. Even his 25-year-old brother was in pain, and had to spend most of the day sleeping it off. Only Katherine stood proud, proving once again that women really are the stronger sex.
Today was spent at the house in Ripon, where my mother-in-law hosted those out-of-town guests who had not yet left at a casual garden lunch. I even had the opportunity to meet a childhood friend of Mike's, a guy he's known since he was 4. It was a pleasant and relaxed day, with everyone being tired and slightly run down after yesterday's festivities.
I'm thinking tonight will be an early night.
Tomorrow is the big packing day. We have to squeeze everything we brought to England back into the suitcases we came with AND add to that pile the things we've acquired during our three weeks here. Thankfully, we've limited our purchases here to necessities only (football shirts for the boys, name plates for their doors (very important, that), cooking chocolate to make delicious toffee shortbread, that sort of thing), so it should not be an impossible task.
What will be an impossible task, I fear, is getting through check-in on Tuesday without having to pay for the extra weight we'll be begging the airline to take home with us.
At least they can't charge me for the extra weight I've piled on around my waist this year.
We began our adventure with a big family birthday party for my mother in Norway last July, so it is only fitting that we ended it with another big family celebration this weekend. I feel as if we've come full circle.
Our sabbatical has been all about family, both immediate and extended. We've made fantastic memories, for our children, and also for ourselves. I can't wait to immerse myself in the wealth of photos we've amassed during our time away, to relive some of the experiences of the past 10 months.
But now it's time to return to our life and our friends in Canada.
I'm curious to see how Canada will seem to us after a year away. Have we changed as much as I think we have, or not at all? Will there be a period of re-adjustment, or will we be back in the old swing of things within days?
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