While China is emerging from weeks of quarantine, and much of Europe is already under various degrees of social isolation, Canada is only just embarking on our own journey of “social distancing”. Around the world many aspects of life as we have been accustomed have ground to a halt. Cafes, bars and restaurants are closed, many people are working from home, schools have moved online, and even some provincial parks are closed. It’s strange to think that the great outdoors…
Although looking out the window today it feels like winter with the grey skies and drizzle, it’s starting to feel like spring around here. Not only are the trees beginning to blossom, the buds open, and the bears awaken, it also seems as though many of us are coming back from a period of hibernation. Living in a small town, especially one which is so remote, can leave me feeling cut off and longing for a more varied social scene….
Sitting out on the front porch, on a little wooden bench like in the movies, under the evening sunshine, listening to the birds chirping as I read and write is quite different from how I was spending my evenings this time last year. At best it would have been on some terrace in front of an overcrowded, over-priced café with the sound of traffic, and the rumble of the metro beneath my feet. If there’s one thing about the rural…
I had never heard of a Bonspiel until this week and as a linguist I couldn’t help but wonder if it might have a particular meaning; perhaps from the French ‘bon’ meaning good and German ‘Spiel’ meaning game. In any case the curling tournament held this week between the local schools was a good game. As I have mentioned before, Winter sports are big in Canada so curling is pretty popular around these parts, for people of all ages. Ashern’s…
Although the snow has melted and as the clocks have ‘sprung ahead’ it feels as though Spring has finally arrived, I couldn’t help sharing some advice in case there’s a freak snow storm to send us back into those Winter boots. In order to avoid a wheel-spinning, snow-spraying situation that might require the neighbours coming over with a tractor to tow one’s car out; it is always best not to neglect the snow clearing duties! I’m just saying…
At last we have internet and can re-connect with the world outside of Ashern! So most of Thursday and Friday was spent reading emails, writing emails, and basically regaining my ‘social network’ online. I tried to explain to Kàrim (in French) that we have dial-up. At first it was misunderstood/ lost in translation due to the incredulous nature of my statement. Finally his response was along the lines of “You mean the type that makes all that noise that we…
I cannot express my disbelief upon hearing the tales of execution this week. All I can say is I am glad I’m not an animal living in these parts. Hunters show no mercy towards any creature no matter how great or small! You only have to glance along the highway to realise that the locals do not think twice about mowing down the wildlife. You could pick up a rather large variety of road-kill, ranging from raccoons to deer! On…
At the moment the fact that it’s raining and the fact that it’s Monday cannot “get me down”. If it’s raining it means that it is not freezing cold and if it’s Monday… well what difference does it make to someone who isn’t working? In theory my online course starts today but with no access to the internet it just means I’ll have more to do when I finally get started. Considering the amount of time I have to spare…
At last we have a postal address. My first ever P.O. Box address! Of course no-one has the address yet so it’s not that exciting because there won’t be any mail. Since we bought postcards in Winnipeg last weekend and have now sent them it would be interesting to see how long it takes for them to reach their destinations. Even sending and receiving mail in Ontario could be temperamental; sometimes taking days and at other times weeks. However with…
So, a whole week has passed since we arrived in Steep Rock, Manitoba (Canada) yet we still have no real connection to the rest of the world – no internet (except for the heavily armoured AEY School connection), no out-going phone calls, and even no postal address! Since this will clearly be an experience quite unlike any I have had before and as I will have a lot of free time on my hands it seems like a good enough…