Spring!

After my last posting I received some concerned feedback, so to reassure those of you who worried that I may be wallowing in nostalgia I've decided to introduce a random list of things I like about living in Victoria. Of course I still miss Montreal. Sometimes it just seems ridiculous to be this far away from so many loved ones, especially when I am so bad at staying in touch properly (apologies to almost all my friends and family). But the purpose of this exercise was to focus on the positive, so... Number 1: I like that 90% of people riding public transit say thank you to the bus driver as they get off the bus, even if they are getting off at the back (they yell). And I don't care if people think Victoria is putting on airs - I still like riding on the top of double decker buses.



Last week was spring break for the children. It was a cloudy week, but in one of the brief bursts of sunshine we made it out to Swan Lake, a nature sanctuary home to many birds and a Garry oak ecosystem. We hiked through the Garry oaks to the lake, where we saw ducks, Canada geese, Western grebes, an American coot and a bald eagle. (No swans!) Back at our home we noticed a new bird at the feeder. I think we were all almost equally excited about this - in addition to the house sparrows, Northern juncos and purple finches, we now see the red breasted nuthatch (photo below).



We also accomplished a little spring cleaning last week. We moved the sideboard in front of the windows which opened up a space for the sofa. It really feels like a living room now - I don't know why we didn't do it earlier. (For anyone wondering, the contraption over the wood stove is our energy efficient drying rack. Assembled with hockey sticks and duct tape, this Red Green inspired creation is a great conversation piece.) On the topic of spring cleaning, you may have noticed my stunted attempts to revamp the new vics. Unfortunately, I am lacking the technical savvy to get the title where I want it on my new banner (if anyone has advice please help!) Along with a list of my favorite ways to procrastinate, I have also added a flickr badge, which you can click on if you'd like to see the photos that don't make it onto the blog. Last but not least, I figured out how to allow everyone (not just Blogger members) to leave comments. Hope to hear from you! Happy Spring!

Ode to 327

Goodbye old house. It seems a little strange to only be saying goodbye now, seven months after we moved out, but I suppose that until you sold two weeks ago there was still a little part of me thinking we might end up back within your walls at some point. The photo above was taken in December 2007. It seems such a long time away now, even though it isn't really. The kids were playing in the backyard as Dave shoveled the snow off the skating rink, Christmas lights twinkling all around. Not knowing then that it was our last winter there, I ran to the front of the house wanting to capture you as you were, glowing with so much warmth. We go a long way back, you and me. The slumber parties and summer parties I remembered from my childhood evolved into birthday barbecues and friday pizza nights for my own children. I felt so lucky when we got you, feeling we had magically been given the perfect place to raise our family. I remember the day we moved in, Mairi had left a little pair of red rubber boots in the entrance, and an orchid in a vase on the shelf by the kitchen. It was just me and my little three-month old firstborn in that almost-empty house for a short while before the movers (Dave, Al, George, Blair and assorted offspring) arrived. There were still some raspberries for the picking, and Cam found a soccer ball under the porch and started kicking it around with his cousins. You were home immediately. I would have liked to pass you on in a similar manner, scrubbed you from top to bottom, given your walls a fresh coat of paint, and left some flowers on the shelf for your new owner. But there was no time. Once we made our decision to leave it was as though we had to race to the finish line, because there were too many reasons not to go. If we had slowed down it wouldn't have happened. So all that is left is to say goodbye. Goodbye and thank you, old house.

And especially to those who made it possible for us to live there; Dave, George, and Mairi. Thank you.