Musings from a greyhound bus

Bill Bryson once wrote in his lost continent book I believe, that only the very poor travel on a greyhound bus. Those that can't afford microwaves and refrigerators and on one occasion described a trip into a city in the US as being with really bizarre people and an awful experience, coming from the UK and having had two pretty good experiences I never agreed with this until today.

I am currently on a bus from Niagara Falls back to Toronto which has windows so covered in salt (it is early April after all) that I can barely see out, I am not tired so not in a dire need to sleep for the duration of this trip, and am too cheap to use up my data all the way on the Internet. So I can peer through the grime at the outside whilst listening to someone who's sitting somewhere behind us have a loud conversation on his cell phone in what sounds like Swahili 

Why do people insist on making others sit through their loud conversations?!! I can't even wonder about his life and the current drama that's going on because I can't understand a word. I darent look back and glare because I am very aware of the guy that had his head chopped off with a machete on a greyhound bus a few years ago, an occurrence that I haven't thought about since then until this very moment. One seat back is someone listening to loud music in their headphones so we have the joy of listening to some nameless beat through their headsets. I hope they turn deaf early in life.

We just had an interesting night at Niagara. First off it's a place of two halves, it's really run down in one respect and completely commercialized In another. There's so much to see and do,at a price of course, from Ripleys believe it or not, to a casino or three, to  a bird kingdom that I am surprised people are even aware that stacks of water is rushing over a waterfall right next to them. 

It's super expensive here too, a caramel macchiato at Starbucks in the hotel lobby set us back $6.50. I made sure of whipped cream and extra caramel at that steep price. Dinner for the two of us, on a deal, was $186 after tax and tip.... I cringe at the $$$$ that have gone on eating this weekend, oh and cab fares... We took a cab to Canada #1 outlets that was clearly in the falling apart and closing down category. It got me to thinking..this is a tourist destination that's clearly an all year round affair where prices are steep for even coffee and there's always people visiting and yet it looks so on the verge of not being here anymore. I had wondered why house prices were so ridiculously cheap here online, now I know. From a living perspective the place is dire.

We did enjoy a great night in the marriot falls view hotel with a nice view (of the falls hence the name) and a jacuzzi tub in the bathroom. The clerk told us that they had complimentary given us a room with a waterfall view like she was bestowing a great favour. I felt a little aggrieved at this comment as when I had selected the hotel I had painstakingly selected such a room and paid for it anyway. It wasn't a great start to my relationship with the hotel. It was freezing cold out too, so we weren't hugely excited about the prospect of wondering around outside finding eating spots and places to part with lots of money for souvenirs. 

Thank goodness that the dinner with its great $186 bill came with a nice view of fog and snowfall and a really decent waitress ( from Glasgow who had lived in Niagara for 17 years) I wanted to ask her about what it was like to live in such a place but decided not to in case she didn't share my view.

Same photos below of our trip, we had a great time in Toronto too, I will put that together in another post:

ugh March

Its the end of March, its overcast outside right now and a bit cold. I say a bit. Only because I don't need to put my hood up to walk as I am in fear of losing my ears to frostbite due to the insane bite of the wind. But its really dull out there.
I am not a fan of this time of year. Even when its super sunny so that you can convince yourself that its not cool out as you sit in your hot car with the sun beating in, it is. Or its cold and grey, and the grass is still dead and the trees are still brown and naked and I KNOW that its going to be about another month of this at least.


This is the time of year that we really ought to be in Florida. Somehow we never ever make it down there at this time. Its pretty depressing really that we are 5 years in and haven't got out shit together enough to recognize that this is what's needed at this time.
Even more depressing is the knowledge that unless we win the lotto we aren't going at all this year.


But.... enough of all that. Paul and I are going to Toronto for a long weekend and we do have a family long weekend to Boston to plan and look forward to and I am then going to Boston for training, so its not all doom and gloom. And the weekends away will really be nice. Summer is really and truly just around the corner and we have plans for the house this year.


The big money grabber will be sorting out the bog that is the back yard. Water pools just off from the house and its all wet and then it stinks, so we need to sort that out.
We also need to paint the interior again, thank God we are not wallpaper people, and put in our coffee bar in the kitchen. The coffee bar has been planned in a vague way for about a year now so I am pretty excited that its almost reality.

March already??!!!

So January zipped by in a flurry of long and busy working days and 2 weeks in Newfoundland where I had to slum it with a car for a week that had no heated seats! wth! So no heated seats and car parked outside overnight did not a happy start to the day maketh but that really is a first world problem resolved by a trip to the Starbucks drivethrough. February flew by, winter is almost over, light is at the end of the tunnel, summer is returning.... joy
So.... I did two rounds of 21 day fix, loved it, nailed it, one round of 21 day fix extreme - not so enthralled, way too much jumping around for me, I hate cardio and i hate plyo and this programme is a joyful meeting of the two.
So onto Hammer and chisel. I started this last night and I am sore today. I also rode yesterday for the first time after work this year. Ace decided that it's incredible good fun to set off into canter with a huge buck so had to ride that out of him. He's way too big to play those games and I am sadly way too old to want to hit the deck. So maybe I am sore due to that, or to both, or who knows... Anyway I hurt.
Onto chisel day 2 shortly so tomorrow should be fun.

It's freezing today too, currently sitting at minus 4 with a playful wind with take your breath away gusts. But summer is coming, it really is......

I had a real blonde movement the other night. I have the bad habit of sitting in the bath reading my kindle and then, gasp, laying it on the side of the tub when I get in or out. It struck me that this is a risky move if I want to keep enjoying my current Bill Bryson " Road to Little Dribbling" and then more worryingly I envisaged that if I knocked it in all the pages inside would get wet. Serious concern, I shared this thought with Paul who was shall we say gob smacked by such a statement.
Maybe it's time it up my RSP contributions for early retirement to the Keys. Clearly propping up a beach bar in my flip flops is where I am headed sooner rather than later.

2016 , not a new beginning but a continuation of a great time

It's 2016 y'all and for the first time in years I stayed awake to welcome it in. I also drank a whole bottle of wine and ate excessively... But you know what I don't care.

For the first time in a new year I have minimal resolutions and the main one called change my life by becoming fit has changed significantly to continue what you started. So at the start of December I joined a challenge group for 21 Day Fix. I am slightly ashamed to admit that when I was asked to join my attitude was that " well what he hell, it's $77 and I can afford to throw that money away" but I also realized that a typical December for me consists of eating whatever I lay my eyes  on whether I really like it/ want it and feeling annoyance and gaining about 8 pounds ( at least). I also realized that even I can stick to something for 21 days.
Well in short I loved it, I gave up International Delight in my coffee which I knew was terrible but I was addicted to, almost ditched the sugar and confronted the ugly truth about just how much sugar and carbs I was consuming in an average day. I also love the workouts and can't go to bed without my date with Autumn. Anyone that has met the 21 day fix knows who Autumn is and I love her. So I lost 6 pounds and gain tone and muscle and love it love it love it.

So... The point is that my New Years resolution is simply to continue with it. I feel different, I feel good and I am going to keep feeling that way.

The other resolution is to repaint the interior of the house this year which means of course that my part in this will be choosing colours and supervision.

And finally save for our vacations from this day forward. We are in a position for the first time in a while to return to this and I am embracing it fully. I plan to save like its the new trend.

First snowfall of the season and what we did with it.....

I instagrammed everything and had some fun...

Currently..... Christmas

This Christmas was another green one, much to my childrens disgust. But despite the lack of the white stuff and the punishingly warm temps we managed it. There was a lack of Christmas crackling logs on the fire as it was way too warm for that on the big day and absolutely no reindeer tracks on a white roof but it was a festive and merry event.

But first... backing up a bit to a couple of weeks ago when I discovered Instagram and got this shot:

Which got me to thinking and resulted in this hair cut (for the season ya know):

Instagram also featured in our Christmas walk around Oakfield park and enabled me to get a picture of Duke that shows his coat colours way better than before;

Our Christmas living room;

My youngest rocking the polar bear onesie on Christmas morning;

It was a polar bear event:

According to the weather network its going to snow today, so I am waiting for the commencement of this event to see if it will require the use of the snowblower thats currently resting its heels in the garage.

November cookie exchange

Still waiting for it to get truly cold, it rained today so there's mud everywhere which is horrid. It's been hard to get the motivation required to get Christmas off the ground this year and I am sure that's weather related.
Tomorrow I am at a cookie exchange which was a great idea three weeks ago when I signed up for it, not so great this morning. The prospect of whipping up 6 dozen cookies broke me out in a cold sweat, but Pinterest prevailed and today I discovered the beauty of cake mix and Kool whip and peppermint chocolate chips. Voila I have managed 6 different cookies and impressed myself actually.
I had some help to be honest, Lily hung around and got involved which turned it into a great afternoon.

M&M and confetti cookies

 Peppermint and white chocolate bark

Lemon crinkle cookies

My little sous chef

Oh and I discovered how incredibly easy it is to make fudge too - go me!

And then I went to the barn and hung out with the cuddliest horse on the planet:

Here's one from September with his pal Tommy, they are a funny pair:

I know I will regret this statement come mid February - but here goes - "bring on the snow!", it looks all kinds of wrong to have a lit snowman on the lawn when its still green. There its out in the Universe now!!!