Goodness me, the whole ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ thing is 100% factual!! I can’t believe how long it has been since I last updated this blog but I make no excuses because we’ve stuck to our ‘restricted travels’ rule and been enjoying Ottawa for the last few weeks so there hasn’t been anything toooooo exciting going on unless you are interested in reading about our every day lives which are very interesting and full of entertaining anecdotes (centred largely around Joep’s pantless existence, Joep’s love of bacon, Joep’s inability to stop speaking in an awkward situation … you get the drift) …
So rather than bore you all to tears with stories of accounting and solar energy generation I shall keep this blog brief and just give a few highlights. These highlights are in no particular order. One highlight is not deemed better or worse than another highlight based on position in the list … we’re all equals around here!
1. A weekend reunion in Toronto with Julz – So the ‘travel restrictions’ were loosened one weekend in the last month for very good reason. Julz and I were reunited once more, this time in Toronto! I trained it to Toronto to meet up with a very hungover Julz on a Saturday morning. We spent the entire day wandering the city, shopping, eating and drinking. And of course reminiscing. We solved the worlds problems and created more of them. We even managed to stumble upon my wedding dress! True story. Julz has now left Canada for the sunny shores of the Isle of Scalpay in Scotland. I miss her dearly. Next catch up must not be too far away. Seriously Julz, focus.
2. Espresso flavoured vodka – Ummmm has anyone else heard of this? Am I the last to know about it? Whilst making new friends here in Ottawa (a relatively successful mission to date … see point 3 below) I was introduced to the wonders of espresso infused vodka. I thought we could be best friends forever but the following morning I decided it is best if we have one of those friendships where you don’t see each other very often but when you do it is amazing! Kind of like what Julz & I have. Still, this discovery is a highlight.
3. Making friends – They say it takes a minimum of 6 months to make friends when you move somewhere new. Joep and I were so busy the first few months here that we didn’t really have a whole lot of time for friend making however time works in wonderful ways and these last few weeks we have relished in our new-ish friends here in Ottawa. For future reference I shall introduce you to a few of them now … Greg & Amy are fellow board game lovers. Greg plays water polo with Joep, Amy invited me to Bikram yoga with her and I said yes one time. And never again. Why? Because Bikram yoga is inhumane and no, I did not feel exhilarated afterwards. I felt sweaty. And my muscles ached. It was not worth it. However Amy redeemed herself by also introducing me to espresso vodka so she is still my friend. Then we have Stu and Jodie. Jodie is an Aussie. Stu is entertaining. They know how to eat good food and enjoy a few drinks. Nuff said. Final couple of note is Mikey & Anne-Marie … last night we bumped into Anne-Marie whilst buying books. We finished the night at 1am after consuming 3 party kegs on a terrace on a Tuesday night. No more needs to be said there. Friend making has proven successful! And continues to be a work in progress. Needless to say we’re enjoying this a lot!
4. Ottawa Ladies Book Club – Yes. I finally got around to creating a book club here. I wasn’t sure if it would be as successful as the Amsterdam book club but I was pleasantly surprised. The ladies arrived with books and wine and the inaugural book club was a total success as evidenced by the reduced productivity of all of us the following day … there seems to be a recurring theme here. Mother ship don’t get all worried, we will settle down one day soon.
5. Visitors – This month saw our first Dutch visitors arrive! Jorn was here for a week after Queens Day. He arrived suffering from a stomach flu and therefore was not able to eat or drink much for the majority of the week but Joep still relished in the manly company. Plus the weather had finally turned (see point 6 below. Yes. Weather gets its own bullet point. I am obsessed with it. Just like all the Canadians are.) … the first few days were glorious and sunny. And then the boys went camping in Algonquin. And it rained and rained and rained. They were supposed to go for 2 nights. On the first night I got a call at 9pm from Joep to say goodnight and to inform me that there were lots of crazy noises outside their tent. Ummmm yes. You are in the wild Joepinator. I then received a call the following morning telling me that they were on their way home. The trip was deemed ‘a great experience’ something that Joepinator was ‘really glad to have done one time’ but not something that is recommended for everyone. The planned camping trip with Bas & Kamiel has now been upgraded to a cabin.
On that note, Bas and Kamiel were in town this last weekend and will be sampling the wonders that Canada has to offer for the next 2 weeks. They are hilarious house guests and we have really loved having them to stay. As I write this they are in Toronto most likely reeking havoc on a dance floor somewhere. The weekend with them was spent enjoying the city and hitting the dance floor. We still have a bit more time with them before they leave so watch this space!
6. The weather – As I type this it is 41 degrees outside. True story. Lets all flashback now to February, only 3 months ago, when it was -30 degrees outside. That is a 70 degree swing! Crazy. I am in my element. Summer clothes are on, the sun is shining and the city is packed to the brim with tourists and Ottawanegians who have come out of hibernation. It. Is. Glorious. Ottawa really is a great city when the sun is shining. There is so much to do … for example …
7. The Tulip Festival – A quick history lesson for you. In 1945, the Dutch royal family sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Ottawa in gratitude for Canadians having sheltered Princess Juliana and her daughters for the preceding three years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, during WWII. In the time that they were sheltered Princess Juliana gave birth to Princess Margriet at the Ottawa Civic Hospital. The maternity ward was declared to be officially a temporary part of international territory, so that she would be born in no country and would inherit only her Dutch citizenship from her mother. Interesting right? So now the Dutch send 10,000 tulip bulbs every year to Ottawa and there is a big festival in the spring with music and food and … tulips of course! Its actually really worth seeing. We were suitably impressed.
8. Getting back on the old fiets – We bought bikes! I didn’t realize how much I missed biking around the place but I am so content now. Joep officially notes that his bike is the best one he has ever owned. Ever. No seriously Jenni, ever. My pink bike still holds that title for me but this one is good as well. We spent Monday biking to the beach and back in the glorious spring weather … it doesn’t get much better than this!
9. Parliament House – We’ve been here for 9 months now and we still hadn’t done a tour of the parliament house. Disgraceful I know. But when Jorn came to visit we did the tour with him and we were impressed! The building itself is beautiful on the outside and inside even more so. There is an amazing library in there which is the oldest building in Canada (nothing compared to the Euro history but still …) and it looks like something taken directly from Hogwarts. So impressive! Those who visit are now required to take the tour. More than worthwhile!
10. David Grey live in concert – I heart David Grey. Big time. I am a gigantic fan so when tickets came available I was on it like white on rice. He is amazing live. Better live than on his cd’s even. I was literally swooning in my seat. Joep, Bas and Kamiel however were so distracted by David’s twitching head that they could not seem to appreciate the music. But they were happily entertained with their own jokes and I was able to swoon in peace. Everyone’s a winner! Oh and I didn’t get bored at all watching him which is very unusual for me. Usually by the time the encore is on I am already out the door. David Grey if I was not an almost married woman I would seriously consider becoming a roadie and following you around everywhere. Swoon.
I think that rounds it up for now. We’re having an amazing time here and if I’m really honest I would have to say that it just keeps getting better. Ottawa is really winning our hearts now that the sun is shining and walking outdoors does not result in frostbite (FYI frostbite is way more painful than sunburn and takes way longer to heal … way longer!). The icing on the cake naturally is that we’re engaged and wedding planning which is actually turning out to be a lot more fun than people say it is!!
We are happy J
