Canada - part six

Monday 3rd August 2009

8.45am
Well it’s time for yesterday’s news LOL

We went down to the ‘lobby’ at around 11ish to meet Doug and just as we got down there he arrived too – perfect timing :-)

We got to the church at about 11.10 for an 11.30 Mass so we were there really early :-o They’ve got a thing on the wall saying how much they’ve got left to pay on the mortgage and they’ve nearly paid it!! We were looking at it and commented and there was a priest standing nearby who was saying something but I couldn’t understand him properly. We were looking at the hymn books that were in the bench and what pleased me was that even the congregational hymn books had printed music in rather than just words like ours at home. It was a normal Mass but all the parts were sung and there was no printed music for the parts, just the hymns. The organist was late – the Mass was starting at 11.30 and he literally ran in at about 11.28 – oops hahaha.

After the Mass our chauffeur was waiting for us outside ;-D We took my mum back to AB’s apartment and then I went out for a drive with Doug – argh :-o It was a bit scary at first but naturally got better. When I first got in the driver’s seat I was miles away from the pedals LOL Doug showed me how to get closer and then I started off just driving round the parking lot. When I’d been driving a minute or two I suddenly realised I hadn’t done a proper cockpit check at all – I hadn’t checked and set the mirrors correctly for myself :-o

After a few minutes driving round the parking lot I decided I needed to brave the actual roads. On the way out I clonked the kerb :-$ I was very nervous and kept apologising but Doug was really relaxed and just kept saying it was ok, I just needed to get used to the car. I started off just driving straight and right – right on red was a new concept to me but I didn’t actually get much chance to practise right on red especially early on in the drive. Doug wasn’t actually telling me where to go at first he just let me choose and I said “I won’t get you lost will I?” He said I wouldn’t get him lost but right about now Connie would be lost (about 5 minutes in) hahahaha.

Once I felt reasonably comfortable going straight and right I decided it was time to brave left turns but luckily for me the first few times we turned left I got a green filter arrow so I didn’t need to worry about the traffic coming towards me :-) I think we drove for about 45 minutes to an hour in total but I haven’t yet braved the highway – I will do at some point though!! It was quite funny, because it’s an auto there’s obviously no clutch or gears to worry about but my left leg kept wanting to do the clutch hahaha.

When we got back to the apartment I didn’t dare trying to back it into the space – there’s an awful lot of car at the back!!! Luckily though the steering is VERY light so it was easy to get the full lock on to get into the space. Once I was in the space I was convinced I was too far over but when I got out of the car and checked there was LOADS of space at one side and a normal amount of space at the other side. Everything is so much bigger here and Doug said his car is classed as mid-size so even the parking spaces are bigger than I expect.

When I went in AB was in the shower and the food was all ready for the afternoon so we just chilled out for a large part of the afternoon. A couple of hours later Doug popped in with the 2 dogs on his way out for a walk – he brought them in partly so I could get my photos of them and they got a couple of treats from AB :-) I decided to go out with them so I got Duke on the lead – it was so nice to actually walk with a calm dog for a change LOL. All the dogs I’ve taken out in the past have pulled on the lead but Duke just walked along really calm :-) Doug said Star can be a bit mad so he’d take her but she seemed ok as well.

It was only a short walk and I was glad. I was wearing new sandals that I hadn’t worn very much before and the left one ripped part of my foot – the bone that sticks out about my ankle. Normally shoes rub toes and heels – not mine haha. It was a good test for them though cos for the rest of the afternoon we were in the apartment so I just had my shoes off.

When we got back from our walk Liz had arrived for the barbecue then Connie and Doug came down about an hour later. Renee and Robin were supposed to be coming as well but Renee rang up to say she wasn’t well and Robin just didn’t appear – AB reckons he probably fell asleep after work cos he wasn’t meant to be coming till about 8pm anyway.

AB had said 4pm for everyone to arrive but her friends Sandra and Gary were a bit late so we were waiting for them to arrive before we started the food – in fact as they were walking across the parking lot they were being asked if they wanted cheese on their burgers or not hahaha. Sandra is originally from England as well and she brought Mars Bar Crunch Squares, which is an English recipe – they were VERY yummy. Connie and I had one each even before we’d had our ‘befores’ haha.

Although AB was calling this event a ‘barbecue’ the only barbecued bit was the burgers – other than that it was a variety of salads or chilli. Desserts were pretty good – lemon meringue, strawberry flan, banana cream pie, strawberries, melon and Sandra’s Mars Crunch.

After we’d eaten we just sat round for ages chatting. Doug and Gary were outside and the 5 women were in the lounge – the men wouldn’t have wanted to be with us anyway, Sandra’s pregnant so the conversation got onto pregnancy and labour etc hahaha.

At about 9pm I think it was the men came inside and Doug brought us back to the hotel at about 9.30. We didn’t really do anything other than get ready for bed and read for a bit.

I didn’t really sleep very well last night and I’ve woken up a bit achey this morning :-( I briefly considered not going swimming but decided I couldn’t be bothered explaining to mother LOL. Easier to just go and swim as normal and get woken up in the best way possible!

When we went down to breakfast it wasn’t too busy, I think most of the sports team had already been and gone cos there seemed to be just one table left with them on. A few girls who came down to breakfast it was obvious they’d literally got out of bed an come straight down – still in pyjamas and hair looking really untidy haha. After breakfast when we got back up to the room we’d only been here a minute or two when our room phone rang – my mum had left her handbag in the breakfast room – clever!!!

Since then I’ve just been on the computer and we’re getting picked up in about 45 minutes to go to Port Dover. I’m putting my contact lenses in today cos the other day I got so fed up swapping between sunglasses and normal glasses – at least with my lenses it’s just a case of sunglasses on or off.

I’ve just noticed we need a new calendar on our fridge – it’s still July *rolleyes*