Camp Fort George: Cubs and Scouts

We started with a visit to our beautiful, local library in the Beach to research the War of 1812 before our camping trip to Niagara-on-Lake with the cub scouts. The boys also watched some footage on youtube and started to get really excited!

 Frunty is now part of scouts this year so he got to wear a uniform and participate in the parade through the fields and the town itself. A lot of walking but a lot of fun!

 Pit got to join the parade and carry our flag for the 52nd troop. The cubs made their own stokkas to place on top of their baseball hats. We were very lucky with the weather!

 We celebrated Canadians banding together to fight the Americans. There were mock battles in the fields and Frunty participated in some. A lot of adults had great costumes too.

We also had a lot of fun camping and exploring Fort George. It is really nice to be part of a group that our kids can grow up with and parents who like to volunteer their time. I am grateful that Frunty and Pit are having a lot of fun back in Toronto!

Monsoon

Summer is on its way out as the rain becomes heavier, the fog sets in and the boys and I begin to hunker down with our work. For Frunty and Pit this means that they are back to their Canadian Curriculum books after a summer of enjoying being in Canada for the first time in a long time.

The last time I wrote was just before Frunty went away to a two week camp with Kyle...another first! They enjoyed Camp Couchiching so much. For Kyle, it was perhaps his 4th or 5th time and it is a camp where Scot, his father, also went as a child with his sister, Meredith. 

I was so impressed by Frunty because he said that if Kyle could not get the same weeks, he would go anyway! And he really loved his first experience at an overnight camp!! Next year, Frunty will save up to spend two weeks extra there if he so chooses. A grand total of 4 weeks at Camp Couchiching and Pit will start off with just two.

We had fun at home too! Here the boys are in their blow up row boat at the bottom of our street. We enjoyed boating, sailing, and swimming nearby. The water was very fresh = cold! 

 My three boys enjoyed many days of sailing this summer. Papa joined a sailing club and we visited him there for some sails and some bbqs. The boys had a two week sailing camp at Ashbridges Bay Yacht Club.

 We also worked on our garden and are still waiting for some melons to come up. I wonder if the pumpkins at Auntie Dee's will materialize...

 We had a great time at Scot and Ninon's cottage. For years we had heard about how much fun it was and finally got a chance to experience Christianson Island for ourselves. It really was fun!!

It is very good to be home and enjoy all that Canada has to offer! Not to mention being with family and friends! I will include highlights of our summer with family and more friends in the next post;..

Walk in the Ravine

Before lunch Frunty and I went for a walk in the ravine with Butler. We let him off lease to practice his response to the "come" command which works once. Actually, I don't think he listened even the first time. I think he just thought it would be fun to chase after us. The second time we tried to get him to "come", he wandered off and chased squirrels.

Frunty and I eventually had to chase after him through the undergrowth and muck in order to lease him again. Then it was straight home for a yummy lunch of stewed chicken and rice pilaf. Thanks mummy for a healthy lunch.

Highlights of Oz

Australia is always super fun! After our two weeks in Thailand, the four of us flew over to Perth from Langkawi-KL to enjoy a week together before the Daddy had to fly to the States and leave us to traverse the country just the three of us.

On our very first morning, we were really on the ball. Our flight arrived on time and by 8am we were at the supermarket buying as much food as we could for our one week camping trip. Australia, like Canada, has so many wonderful free from products. We can find gluten and dairy free products galore. Plus wonderfully affordable meat and great wines from the region. There were products that we regularly purchased in Singapore that we now could purchase for much less. It felt like we were in a candy shop as we went aisle by aisle, picking up what we would need for the week ahead. We even bought a fresh sheet for our Wicked camping van, pillows and other essentials.

We got to the Wicked Camper van depot at 9am sharp. We were all ready for a fun week. But guess what? No camper van...the people who had rented it before us decided to keep it  until noon. Or so we thought....

With all our luggage and food, we were at a bit of a loss. A bit annoyed, a bit exhausted from the long flight. Our intention was to drive directly to a camp site in the Margaret River area and chillax. Instead, we found ourselves back at the shopping mall, waiting for a phone call from the depot, and having a hot breakfast. After we ate, we phoned the depot. No camper van yet. Luckily the waiter at the restaurant allowed us to leave our two shopping carts full of stuff in the corner by the kichen. We proceeded to take a taxi into Perth to visit the mint. Hopefully our stuff would be there when we got back and our meat would stay chilled enough.

The Daddy phoned the Depot at around 1 pm and our camper van was on its way! Yipee...we rushed through the mint, missing the tours, to get back to the depot to find...wait for it...still no van...and still no idea when it would return. Well...it finally did...at 5pm. Rats...leaving the depot at the end of the day after a sleepless night on a plane...not ideal...especially with the kangaroos who start to hop around as the sun sets.

The Wicked camper van adjusted our payment but that did not make up to us for having to sit in a lousy depot, waiting and waiting, and going back to get all our stuff from the mall...again. A family just arrived while we were waiting and the boy, about 12, had a meltdown in front of us. He was kicking his brothers and wailing. His mother turned to me and made a grimace. She explained, "a week in a camper van." Already this trip was turning out to be a bit nuts. We went for the cheaper van company but in hindsights, maybe paying more is worth it.

We finally got on our way down south and I am so proud of the Daddy for driving us safely to the camp ground. I had a phone and tried various places that were fully booked as it was a school holiday. We thought if worst came to worst, we could just park on the side of the road in our van as we had read that was possible from others who traveled in Wicked vans around Oz. Well...you can try it but you risk getting a hefty fine if you get caught. Who can sleep wondering if the police will shine a flashlight in your window at 2 am? The Daddy did an exceptional job getting us to our first campsite especially considering that the truck in front of us hit a kangaroo and drove abruptly onto the side of the road as the creature spun out of control and was knocked across the highway to the other side. 

Honestly...this could have been really bad. And probably was for the poor roo. The driver got out and dealt with the injured guy, poor thing, and we kept going safely along. If we had hit the roo, I mean, if the roo had hit us, there might have been a very different story given we did not have a roo bar like the truck did. I am very grateful we were not the unlucky ones that night and am still annoyed we got to the camp site in the dark, hungry and exhausted when we were supposed to arrive by noon. 

Gosh, that is just the first day in Oz. Can you imagine the month-long adventure we had!?! I will have to write more later and eventually post photos. I still have to write about New Zealand and our first month back home in Toronto!!! Break time!

Highlights of Thailand

We had a wonderful two weeks on Koh Lipe. It was great fun seeing Pierre, Ana, and the gang, including their dog, Stella, our friend and yoga instructor, Fernando, and the boys' dive instructor, Anqi from Singapore. We stayed at Cocos Bungalows beside Castaways but one night, Pierre and Ana babysat so Claudio and I could go out on our anniversary for dinner and foot massages. On that night, the boys slept in a cabin at Castaways and was very excited.

Koh Lipe has a wonderful vibe and although it was busier than last time we visited in March, it was still really nice spending Christmas there together. It felt like being with friends and family at Castaways. We met a family from Sweden and another from Switzerland. The kids played really well together and made bamboo swords and thought of other games. Our boys did volunteer work many of the days which included helping George at reception and throughout the resort, fixing hammocks and doing other small jobs. They also helped at the bar with squeezing limes with an old, non-electric press and in the kitchen with Pierre, washing newly arrived glassware.

The Daddy and the Mommy had chances to sit on the beach and chat, read books and swim. We had great weather, maybe a bit windy at some points, but still gorgeous. We love how Koh Lipe is car-free and quite quiet...except for the odd motor boat.

Diving and snorkeling on Christmas day was one of the highlights of the trip. Frunty got his open water diving certificate with Anqi and Pit did his bubble maker. Both boys did very well and were confident and listened well to instructions. A teenager from the States, Nathaniel, was doing his course as well and the boys enjoyed spending time studying with him too. Anqi was an great instructor and gave the boys extra time to pracise scuba diving. The Mommy was happy that the Daddy participated at all times to ensure optimum safety and security. Pit's bubble maker course was really amazing as he was able to scuba dive in front of Sunrise beach where we were staying instead of a swimming pool full of chlorine. He saw fish and coral instead of pool tiles. Anqi gave Pit extra time to scuba dive and he did really well. It was fun trying to take pictures of the boys in their scuba gear, in the water, with Santa hats on. They looked adorable in their little wetsuit we brought along, purchased in Australia and their mini tanks on their backs. I was so proud of my guys as I lazily floated on the surface, watching them way down below, and enjoyed snorkeling myself.

What a great holiday! I know Koh Lipe will keep developing like everywhere else but we have got special memories of one month of our lives spent there. Hopefully we will get to visit again one day...in the meantime, I will enjoy looking at the photos and reminiscing.

New Phone from Dick Smith in Rotorua

Testing its capabilities!

Belgian friends in Melbourne

One of the highlights of our trip has been re-connecting with our dear, Australian- Belgian friends in their lovely home in Lower Templestowe. We spent a wonderful week with our Tasha, Ronny and their three beautiful girls, Inez, Mieke and baby, Liesl. We were at their home for one of the hottest days ever when my thermometer reached 50 degrees celsius in the sun and during which we tried and succeeded to fry an egg on their backyard patio stone in a frying pan. I caught up on laundry which dried in the sun in about 20 minutes. In Singapore, it would take about three days inside and smell hideous. I enjoyed taking the four older kids to the national museum and the science center and was so grateful to Tasha and Ronny for driving us around. We also enjoyed meeting Tasha's family and going to a birthday party on the Puffing Billy train. Ronny did a great job on the barbie! Another highlight was watching The Sound of Music together and singing along. Baby Liesl is named after the oldest daughter in the Von Trapp family. Most of all, it was just great to be together and the children got along so well, just like in Brussels. Thanks so much to such great friends. We hope to host y'all in Toronto one day...or meet you half way between!

 Miss you already! Thanks for such a great visit! Until the next time, adieu, adieu, adieu!