Day One in Moncton continues….

…..giant lobster, Parlée Beach, flaming dessert

For dinner we decided to go to a seafood restaurant. Dinner was okay but the dessert made our day. Winnie wanted to try the Strawberries Flambé. We knew there would be some alcohol in the dessert and even though the alcohol is burned off we weren’t sure that she would like the taste. Her second choice was carrot cake so we ordered both.

The dessert was prepared table side. I had my camera focused on the server making the dessert and Gaelan had her camera on Winnie to catch her reaction.

Well wouldn’t know it, she loved the strawberries flambé and she ate half our carrot cake as well.

Two Hours in a Propeller Plane

I was worried. I was told that it might be noisy, uncomfortable and turbulent. It wasn’t any of things.

The night before I heard that traffic in the city was expected to be heavier than normal on Saturday and to count on delays. I ordered my Uber to pick me up two hours before my flight was scheduled to leave. I had to be at the airport 45 minutes before take-off.

My ride arrived promptly at 8:30 and 17 minutes later I was dropped off at the airport. No delays whatsoever. I made my way to the tunnel which is under the lake to the island airport. Again easy peasy.

Security was also a piece of cake and by 9:05 I was in the lounge area. I ordered a coffee and a croissant. Here I experienced my first disappointment. My croissant was stale. No big deal.

Foyer before security at Porter Airlines

Luckily I brought a book to read to pass the time. Finally, about 10 minutes before the plane was to depart we were given directions to go to our gate. I was worried that my carry on luggage would be too heavy but no one questioned me. Instead I was given a special luggage tag because it turned out that my bag didn’t fit in the overhead compartment. Turns out that at least ten of us were given these special tags and they were placed in the baggage hold. No extra charge.

The plane was by no means full but I discovered that my chosen seat was next to an occupied seat. When I chose it there was no one next to me. I had a feeling that the woman next to me would be happier and more comfortable if I could move. I politely explained to the attendant that we were not travelling together and was it possible for me to take another seat. No problem, I was allowed to move to the empty row in front of me.

Fifteen minutes late, we finally took off. The seats were comfortable, the noise was quieter than a jet plane and the flight was smooth and without turbulence.

Leaving the Island Airport in Toronto

Despite the delay the flight landed in Moncton on time. Our luggage was delivered to us on the tarmac and after a short walk I found myself at the pick-up area outside the airport. Day one of my adventure in Moncton was about to begin.

Flying over New Brunswick

On a Mini Adventure

I’m hoping to keep my blog going but if the site is empty for a few days it’s because I’m in New Brunswick

It’s not that New Brunswick doesn’t have the internet, it does, but my granddaughter might have other ideas about how her Oma should spend her time. I’m really looking forward to this trip but I’m also nervous. I always get nervous before getting on a plane and this is the first time I’m getting on a propeller plane. I know lots of people who love this airline but it is the first time I’ve flown with them. Wish me luck.

Hopefully I’ll have a few photos of the ocean, lighthouses and lobster rolls to share with you during the trip or at least when I get home. I’ll be back in five days. Here’s my little ‘monster’ that I’m on my way to see. She loves Hallowe’en so I don’t think she’ll mind the reference to ‘monster’, although I have no idea what she wants to dress up as this year.

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The Absence of Art Posts

….from both my husband and me

Has the well of creativity run dry? Have we run out of art supplies? No, none of that is true.

During the holidays making art was difficult because we had the house full of family. Even after they left it took awhile to get our Mojo back. Then the accident happened. Ten days ago my husband, Kevin, fell down the stairs at home and broke his hip. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance and the next day they did a hip replacement.

The amazing part of this story is that his operation was new and his recovery time is much faster. So fast in fact that they sent him home the same day of his surgery. They got him out of bed one hour after his operation and had him walking and climbing up and down stairs. After that they said he was good to go. Everything our friends who’ve had hip surgeries told us to expecthad didn’t apply to Kevin. No restrictions as to movement and his physio is taking place at home.

We set him up in the basement apartment because everything is at his fingertips. He has a walk-in shower with grab bars, a kitchen, TV and new bed. Climbing stairs to come upstairs is not recommended for another week (although I caught him going half way up the stairs to retrieve some mail). As a result I’ve been cooking all the meals (he can do toast and snacks) and all the running around for meds, food and other necessities, such as a new laptop for his business. Needless to say I’m finding it difficult to find time to do my blog and make art.

Kevin was very impressed with the nursing staff a Toronto Western and saw some of the abuse they have to endure from disgruntled patients. He wanted to do something special for them so he made a painting for them. I brought his art supplies to the basement and this is what he made.

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With Valentine’s Day close at hand he also got busy and made a card for the family.

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In New Brunswick, our Miss Winnie was busy making Valentine’s Day cards for every member of her class and she personalized each card by drawing something that the child likes or has an interest in. Luckily she only has 13 classmates.

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A Week of Firsts: New House, New City, New Gap, New School and a Visit to the Hospital

Gaelan and her family left on September 3rd to drive from Sparrow Lake, ON to Moncton, New Brunswick where their first home awaited them. The trip itself was pretty uneventful but they enjoyed the scenery and eating in parking lots. On day three arrived safe and sound. The moving van arrived the next day but they had Winnie’s bed and a mattress delivered earlier in the week.

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On the last leg of the their trip. Winnie and Lucy are exhausted.
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After checking out the new house the family took a 20 drive to the ocean where Winnie was in fine form.

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Immersing herself in the culture of the east coast

On their first day in the new home Winnie lost another tooth.

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She can’t wait for the tooth fairy to visit
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On Wednesday Winnie started her first day of school in a new school in grade one.

After a wonderful first day of meeting new kids Winnie came home and promptly fell off a bed and bit through her upper lip. Another first was the trip to the hospital where luckily it was determined that she wouldn’t need stitches, just a steri-strip.

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Winnie returned to school on Thursday and had quite the story to tell her new classmates. A special thanks to Winnie’s parents for the wonderful photographs.