A short post to say hello & that we’re in Canada for a while yet – and it’s snowing at long last!
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A lot has happened since I last posted.
-A US trip with Mum and Dad which commenced with a particularly stressful car journey in a tunnel in Boston. There was no signal on the Sat Nav (where the hell were we?) and Dad had accidently popped the bonnet, which was wavering in the wind.
-A temporary lodger moved in with us, Suvie, an Australian who we met with Grace in a youth hostel in Montreal a few months back
-We’ve had several drunken dress-up nights out/birthday parties
-And I’ve got a new job, although it doesn’t start until January. I’m going to be buying ladies wear, specifically woven tops, dresses & jackets. This will be job number 4 in a year!
Cycling to work I get to see some great sunrises at this spot on a railway bridge, but this morning looked more like the apocalypse was nigh… Strange
Hello all,
The blog has been fairly blog-free recently, mainly due to the large number of foreign immigrants plaguing our city, yes that’s right, our parents.
First up was my Dad (Roger) who came over on the 16th of September I think which wasn’t too long after our summer holiday ended – very nice! He plunged himself into the neighbourhoods & streets of Toronto for the first few days with nary a hint of visible jetlag to hold him back before embarking on the next stage of his Canadian Vacation.
I think he was a little worried that I was planning a whitewater rafting, shelter-erecting, moose-spearing, wilderness extravaganza – and he was right! Well not really, but we did have a great 5 days in Killarney Provincial Park about 4.5hrs north of Toronto canoeing, camping, walking & bear spotting.
You can have a look at our combined photographical efforts here,
http://picasaweb.google.ca/mattharris3/1009Killarney?feat=directlink suffice to say they don’t do full justice to the beauty and stillness of the place, where one’s ears really do tune in to the noises of the wild around.
Happy & relaxed and more than a little wet we drove back to Toronto, trying not to aquaplane the car off a bridge during a torrential downpour (eek!) A rest day followed with an excuse to eat as much carbohydrates as I like in preparation for my first half marathon, a race that was undoubtedly improved by the sight of Anna & Dad cheering me on, replete with pink wigs. Thank you to all who sponsored me in support of Engineers without Borders raising almost $500, you should be proud of yourselves!
The next week Dad ventured forth to the explore more of the city & environs including far flung destinations such as Grimsby, albeit on a slightly tortuous public transport system geared mainly towards commuters. In the evenings we would try to keep him entertained with trips to improv comedy (A Roger 1st, as was brunch), cinema (Lebanon – 4 guys in a tank), free museum evening, a symphony orchestra (Roy Thomson Hall – great venue) and topped off with tongue & brioche with horse meat salami – yum!
Off he popped back to Co’path and we had 3 days turnaround including an almost all nighter at Nuit Blanche (cold & windy) and the Foster parents arrive.. part two coming soon!
So, yesterday Matt, Hannah and I went to a Thanks Giving showing of The Social Network aka the Facebook movie. It was strange to watch a film about my contemporaries (albeit ones on the other side of the Atlantic) inventing this website, which was initially aimed at university students. I signed up for Facebook in 2005, in my fourth year of university. It was started in 2003 in my second year and therefore I, and most of my friends, contributed (albeit in a very, very small way) to the phenomenon. However, that is where any connections or comparisons end as it is a full-blown orgy of riches, blinding intelligence and merciless ambition, none of which I or my friends have (no offence intended to any of my friends who consider themselves to be blindingly intelligent).
Ultimately I think it is a great ‘story’, one that tells of social greed, jealousy and misogeny but it is just that, a story, a bald portrayal of what happened that may or may not be factually correct. If they had not played with the chronology you could argue that it would be dull, because over and above some students having a good idea, it wasn’t a particularly eventful film. Eduardo got scammed out of his shares, but then he got $65m in compensation, small fry compared to the estimated $25bn worth of Facebook. Eduardo came out looking like the good guy although one point to note is that Eduardo was the only person who cooperated with the making of the film. Coincidence?
The Social Network is fascinating purely for the reason that it happened under our watch – the meritocratic nature of the internet meant that a university student was able to make it BIG. Unfortuntely the fact that enough time has elapsed since the launch of Facebook to enable someone to make a film about it means that I, and all the other people who watched this film, were too slow off the mark. Damn it! In fact, this film is really just like Facebook, a tool with which certain people can show off about their lifestyle and it can be a mighty galling watch.
Not bad for a novice.
At 13k
At the end!
Matt and Roger are supposed to be portaging until Friday. Portaging is where you canoe and then carry your canoe for a bit when you hit land and then canoe again. You carry all your camping stuff with you in waterproof barrels and have to keep your food sealed so the bears don’t sniff you out. Last time he went canoeing it snowed. The forecast for Thursday and Friday is lows of 6 degrees and a 90% chance of rain.
I’m sure it’ll be fun in retrospect but, just so you know, I am curled up with a cuppa and a blanket. Mmmm cosy apartment.
When I told Grace there was something on the way for her, she didn’t realise that I meant me. This is the moment when she cottoned on.
Up until about 4 weeks ago I thought that, regrettable though it was, going home for my sister’s 21st was not realistic. 3 weeks ago I realised that a bit of waiting around and 3500 miles weren’t insurmountable obstacles. Nobody (not one person!) knew I was arriving which allowed for my own personal groundhog moment of surprising family member after family member as they all returned from work. It was great fun. However, the most important thing is that Grace had a really, really good time.
Grace and Cameron and their favourite beverages (£0.05 for every viewing)
And this really is England…I love Parbold!
We are nearing the end of our holiday which has been a wonderful contrast of remote island camping with holiday resort comfort. The first half saw us driving 4 hours North to Tobermory then taking a 2 hour ferry to the island of Manitoulin and another 2 hour drive to our camping destination, the last 7km a bumpy ride along a gravel track to the North-Westerly point of the Island where we camped for 5 nights, accompanied by Danielle and Frank for 3. After a 7 hour drive back South, exiting the island from the West over a bridge, we arrived at Blue Mountain where we have spent the last 3 nights. In winter Blue Mountain stars as the ‘it’ resort for Ontario skiing and snow boarding; in summer it strives to maintain the steady flow of guests by offering hiking, biking and swimming all in and around the theme-park style resort (all faux historic buildings and over-priced restaurants, the whole area owned and run by one company).
Apart from attending an Indian Pow Wow (“a gathering of North America’s native people. The word derives from the Narragansett word powwaw, meaning “spiritual leader” – thank you Wikipedia) it has been fairly uneventful, but in the pleasant and relaxing way that a holiday should be. I’ve probably topped my weekly alcohol unit allowance but on the other hand, I’ve done much more exercise than usual, particularly in the last few days. I’ve managed not to think too much about work (apart from the first couple of days when I was reading Sam Walton’s autobiography with a semi-detached curiosity) and feel a small triumph as a result. I’ve learnt a new card game, courtest of Danielle and Frank and am 260 pages into Gone with the Wind, our next Book Group book, which means I only have 800 pages to go. Hurricane Earl just about missed us but the last 48 hours have had whisperings of winter weather; strong winds, torrential rain and less and less sunshine. And Matt and I haven’t exchanged cross words since the first day, which I so delightfully shared with you all!
For more holiday snaps click HERE
Cheers!
We’re all set up camp and what a beautiful site it is too. Good job we stocked up on beers as nearest town is a 30 min drive away. Right on the water front and glorious sunshine to boot.
Anna & Matt in Toronto 