Just a couple days left

before we leave the cottage and head back to Waterloo, then home to Sweden on Tuesday.

So many thoughts are running through my head, memories, frustrations, sadness and, well, a whole lot of other stuff.

After 6 weeks in Canada I long for my own family- especially for my mum, I long for some space with my man and my children and I long for some time alone with my man - another time perhaps, another lifetime......

It is all down hill from here, the cleaning up, packing up, and then the packing to go home, the last minute things that need to be done, the good-byes, and the sadness from those who struggle most when we leave. Then the unpacking and the quietness of our little home. I have to deal with the car, a wasps nest and where to put everything once we get it unpacked. Then to make some phone calls to friends to try and pick up the pieces, pick up where we left of over 6 weeks earlier. Ty will highly stressed every inch of the way. Once at home he will want to work before he starts back at school, less than a week after we get home. I will have two kids to keep busy, to get back in to a routine, to help re-connect with their daily life. My work will have to wait.

I will take home all my "nice" clothes, nicely folded, as they were when I put them in the suitcase back in June. No get-away to Toronto, no day on our own in Elora, not even an evening meal on our own in some little restaurant. One day I will learn to get my expectations in line with my reality - and save myself a whole lot of heartache and frustration.

But until all that starts we have one more full day here at the cottage, here's hoping it is a nice one and I can put all my thoughts aside and enjoy it. I will really miss the cottage, we all will!

Bob & Ev came to visit

Bob is an old family friend and someone we have seen a lot of over the years. Makaila was out on the property watching Paul and Bob at work even before she could walk. It was great to see him and Ev and the kids loved every minute of their day at the cottage - the photos will explain why.

Hiding with them in their cubby house and discussing lost teeth and all sorts of other things.

The cubby house built from the vines that daddy and Mark pulled off the trees. They cut down the vines - I built the cubby.

Discussing the riding of her new bicycle. The little miss now puts her hands on her hips to make a point!

A dangerous kind of ride but one that was lots and lots of fun!

Teaching a hysterical Kieran to march - he laughed so hard all the way up and back on the road.

Our Chipmunk

Photos courtesy of Julie.

Cycle to Walk

Just called in to Gadd About B&B to check my email as the Cycle to Walk team was pulling out.

Ramesh Ferris is cycling across Canada to raise awareness and help eradicate Polio - he is a Polio survivor and was adopted from India by Canadian parents as a child.

Danielle put them up for the night to help support their efforts.

The last week at the cottage

Counting down until we head home.

On the road again

Tracy & Dolton's new house

Sister Tracy and family have moved back to Waterloo, and consequently have a lovely new house. We called over there to check it out - it is really well designed and seems to be equally well built! The kids had a great time playing together!

Cookie Cutters

The kids just love having their hair cut at Cookie Cutters. They get to watch a movie, sit on a cool chair and they get a balloon and a lollipop when it is all done.

Shopping

Today was a day of shopping.

Grandma took the kids to Chucke Cheese and we headed into the big smoke.

I won't tell you how much we spent but we went to downtown Toronto to go to MEC, then back to the Mississauga outlets and went to Mexx, The Childrens Place, Esprit, Tommy and a couple of others.

We are now outfitted for another year - the 5 dollar jeans (30kr) for the kids were the best buy!

Kieran, tractors, Wally & Andrew

We called in at Wally & Lois' on the way home from the cottage and picked up our 3 litre supply of maple syrup to take home.

Then we went on over to Wally's shop where he sells and repairs farm equipment - from chain saws to big harvesting machinery. After having a look around and a chat we went out back to where cousin Andrew was fixing tractors.

Kieran was in awe - looking at all the machinery and he was suitably impressed to know that Andrew pulls these things apart, fixes them and puts them back together again.

While Ty, Andrew, Wally and Lois stood talking, Makaila played with Rosie the dog and Kieran and I went out to inspect all the tractors. He climbed on some of the old Massey-Fergusson tractors, taking his little red Massey-Fergusson with him.

Then it was time for Kieran and Makaila to have a tractor ride. Kieran had his own little seat next to Wally, seat belt and all, Makaila stood on the other side and held on. She waved and smiled and looked like she was having a great time. He was solemn, did not say a word and we wondered if he was going to burst in to tears.
They went round the carpark and backed back into the parking spot. Makaila said it was fun but bumpy, she had to hold on. Kieran said nothing.

That night when I was putting them to bed he said he loved it, he was just disappointed he didn't get to drive the tractor and that it was just a short ride, he wanted to go on a long ride.

I've seen that solumn look in his eyes before, he gets it when he is so excited that he is so excited that he just absorbs everything around him, the sights, the sounds, the whole experience. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him working side by side with Andrrew some time in the future. At this point in his little life, it would be a dream come true for him.

The road back to Waterloo

Mennonites

Farms

Corn

The Bruce Caves

A lovely wander through the forest on Sunday took us to the caves nestled in the face of the escarpment, across the bay from the cottage. The kids had a great time climbing and exploring the caves, crevices and pathways along the foot of the escarpment.






After leaving the caves we headed off along the www.artistsaroundthesound.org tour and while we only visited 3 places I would love to visit them all!!

Gleason Brook Pottery

While out on our Sunday drive to look at the caves we stopped in at Timothy Smith’s studio just a stone’s throw away. The buildings and gardens were magnificent as was his work which we went inside to look at. We could easily have picked up a couple of items but know we already have a lot to take home. Instead we stood outside chatting to Timothy himself and two of his three teenagers.

Lovely man, as were his children (not to mention the dog that happily fetched the ball for the kids) and although he does not have a website you might find some of his work on www.osartistsco-op.com – well worth a visit if you are in the area!! We will be back another year to make some purchases if not this).


Next on our list was Don Dubois’s studio – some magnificent pieces and we could easily spent some money there too but it will have to wait until we have the mansion in which to display them (ha ha!!).

Rural Rootz

Our last stop for the day took more from us than we expected – both time and money, but it was a great stop. We stood for at least an hour and chatted to the man of the house, Tom, while he showed us around the products in the store, their little pieces of interest and their garden.

Having discussed our garden needs at the cottage we came away with four new plants, 2 bat boxes (bats can eat 500 mosquitoes an hour) and some hemp mosquito repellent. In the meantime we tasted a whole lot of flowers from his garden, drank sunshine tea and learnt a whole lot more about a whole lot of things.
http://www.ruralrootz.com/

Always work to be done

Things to be fixed, painted, put up, cut down or chopped up. Very entertaining for the little ones - to watch or help.