And so the Busy-ness is Over for Now!

Welcome one and all to the Reunion!

 This past few weeks has been crazy busy as we prepared for bi-annual family reunion that is held at our home on the lake. The event occurs in the summer and usually includes a fishing derby, a horseshoe tournament, lots of eating and plenty of socializing with family members and friends.

Even though attendance was a little down this year, we thoroughly enjoyed our guests, their company and the delicious eats that they provided. I will have to head to the lake twice a day for the next few weeks, just to make up for extra calories consumed.

My husband is from a very large family.  There were twelve children in all.  Seven of those children are still living and ten of the families were represented at the reunion. We are all aging gracefully and enjoy swapping stories of days gone by.

Penney, Evie, Beverley, Audrey, George, Maynard, Clarke- seven of the twelve siblings

Adding Corry (eldest son of  Louise), Joey (youngest son of Gloria)
 and Lester (eldest son of Winnifred)-representing ten of the twelve siblings

A common theme of the weekend was that of sibling rivalry. brothers and brothers, sisters and sisters and brothers and sisters, vying for the championship trophy in various events.

 My personal favourite was the bass fishing derby which occurred on Saturday. Corry and Sherry (brother and sister) placed first and second overall.  Corry, the eldest of three, had the biggest fishing tackle box I have ever seen!

The BASS DERBY champion for this year...

The BASS DERBY champion and the runners-up.

The second day competition was the horseshoe tournament. There were four teams competing, which meant only three games of 10 ends were required.  In the first game I join my great niece, Naomi, to battle against my daughter and Naomi's mother's friend. We were whipped 11-3.  So that enabled me to become the referee for the remaining games.

The second game saw my husband, Clarke and his niece, Sherry, take on his sister, Penney, and her partner, Corry, Sherry's brother. This was an exciting match due to the teasing and tattling.  However, my husband's team advanced to the finals again my daughter's team.

I was at a loss as to who to cheer for.  My daughter was the returning champ from two  years ago, and had traveled from Scotland to be with us. My husband had put in an amazing amount of effort preparing for the weekend, and I suppose I secretly hoped he would win, after not winning the fishing derby.  In a very tight match, my daughter's team overcame the comments and put downs and won the championship 4-3.

We are the HORSESHOES champions!

So now it is Tuesday, after the reunion weekend.  I have caught up on my sleep and the house is back in order. We are eating the leftovers and reminiscing about the time we shared together.  As I think back about who was here, I am a little sad that I did not spend time talking to some very fine relatives. I want to apologize to those who came later and left earlier than expected. I did not take the time to sit down and catch up with you. Next time, I will try harder!

July 12, 2014 is our next major event at the lake...please place it on your calendar for next summer!

Until next time,

Bee Rich

Clarke speaking with a beautiful ornament from Bali-
a thank you gift from the family!
Thank you very much!

Calendar Boy

July 2013 with pictures from July 2012

During our time in India we used one of our a great Christmas gifts to count down the days. My husband and I received a fabulous calendar from our son and daughter-in-law, and each day we spied our grandson's smiling face on its pictures.

That same calendar is now in our kitchen in Ontario and as July passes we continue to enjoy the reminders of dates and the pictures of our grandson!  Canada Day, birthdays, dentist and doctor appointments, family reunions and then, the page turns and several new pictures are staring out at us.  I call it the Facebook calendar!

This past weekend we went to our grandson's second birthday party.  It was an honour and privilege to be a part of the afternoon activities. The parents, grandparents and great grandmothers were there to give gifts, enjoy the barbecue and eat cake!

My camera was busy capturing shots for next year's July calendar. Years ago we called these "Kodak moments."  I hope you enjoy them!

Until next time,

Bee Rich

PS  Next event, at the end of this week will be our daughter's birthday then a very large family reunion. Can't wait!

One of several new trucks (Dodges) received along with the new sandbox. 

All of the Dodges lined up ready to go!

Such a beautiful face!

Grandpa gives a helping hand on the trike. 

The happy parents, their son and the car cake!

Leading a game of "Stop"

Two great grandmas!

Peg board stacking...

Chasing bubbles...

B-bye for now...thanks everyone for a very happy birthday!
(The next birthday will be that of his little sister.)

Monsoon Season in Ontario?!

Not quite this rainy!

We have now been home from India for one week already.  That's right, seven full days and for five of them it has rained! There are many advantages to rain...

• you can stay inside and clean the house
• you can stay inside to read a book
• the burn ban is off so that campfires are allowed
• you have to use the dryer to get the clothes dry
• it is so green
• the dog stays close to home
• fishing is better in the rain
• the lake feels warm for swimming
• there is little traffic on the lake

There are a few disadvantages, though...

• the mosquitoes are biting
• the green weeds are growing and it's too wet to garden
• the green grass needs to be cut and it's too wet to mow
• the dog brings wet dirt into the house
• the husband brings we dirt into the house
• you have to stay inside to clean the house!

I am not complaining. If fact, the rain has given us the opportunity to spend more time doing the cleaning that should have been done before we headed to India last summer.  And I am fortunate enough to now spend time looking out the windows at the lovely green surroundings. 

Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; 

without rain, there would be no life. 

- John Updike

Until next time, 

Bee Rich

Return to Canada!

Home sweet home!

If you are reading this then you will now know that my husband and I arrived safely back on Canadian soil after 28 hours of travel, our Internet is now plugged in and all other crises have been either averted or dealt with! 

It is now Wednesday, July 3, 2013. On Friday of this past week we completed our one year contract in Bangalore a.k.a. Bengaluru. We left the apartment at midnight and drove to the airport with three other teachers and their families. There, all seven of us boarded the same Boeing 747 to Frankfurt. While the other two families boarded aircraft to Montreal, Canada and Spain, we met up with Star Alliance partner Air Canada for our slightly delayed flight to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

After a lovely dinner on the way home we arrived at RR 3 Maberly, our home on Little Silver Lake. Ah! As we had anticipated for so long, it was good to finally be home. Our lovely neighbours had turned on the water, vacuumed the living space, left snacks and drinks in the refrigerator. 

As we unloaded our five suitcases and one large box and marveled at the quiet familiarity of our homecoming, we breathed a sigh of thanksgiving. 

After a good night’s rest, we were up and at it on Sunday morning, unpacking, cleaning and preparing for the arrival of our son, his wife and our grandson. And so we spent the last three days enjoying one another’s company.  On Monday, which was Canada Day, my brother from Ottawa joined us for a barbecue and we all laughed and recalled tales from our past year.

It does not take long for reality to sink in!  The following mini-crises have caused a bit of anxiety since Tuesday.

1. Our grandson is quite ill with a fever, vomiting, sleeplessness and crying- poor little guy- better now!

2. We discovered that our freezer half full of meat was unplugged during the year and it consequently was completely ruined- all cleaned up now!

3. I missed the deadline for applying for Long Term Occasional teaching jobs, which means that I will only have day to day work once September rolls around- these things happen!

4. The poison ivy is ten times worse than any other year- still rash free!

5. The deer flies are biting us and the mosquitoes are dining on our blood- I just found some great bug spray!

6. We had to wait for six days to be reconnected with the internet- now connected!

7. The family reunion of 70 plus people is less than three weeks away- can't wait!

8. Our dishwasher broke down and cost $$$ to repair- fixed now!

9. It is rainy, hot and humid- but the lake water is fine!

10. The house was a bit of a mess- slowly getting back to normal. 

All for now and until next time, 

Bee Rich

From India to Canada- 28 hours...

The Final Week

On the way to downtown Bangalore

So there we were in Bangalore with one more week remaining in our one year contract. School wound down with plenty of activities that kept us us busy enough to make time fly.  One of our quests during the final week was to find meaningful souvenirs and gifts for people at home. Consequently, we traveled from our flat to downtown at least five times.

Now my husband believed that there was not been much to do or see in this beautiful garden city; my opinion is a bit different. Sitting in the back seat of our "taxi", my camera snaps pictures which will help me to retain some of the sights of the city. Hope you enjoy.

Next on the agenda- update from Canada!

Until next time,

Bee Rich

Paintings line the highway to downtown

adding to the interest of the trip.

This is an interesting looking shop which sells sarees in silk.

Upon arrival in the down town area we often head to one of our favourite locations, The Monkey Bar, a western type hang out that serves and amazing breakfast on the weekend. We stop often to a burger when we are close to the local meat shop.  My husband still enjoys his beef!

Inside the bar where we enjoy food and drinks

Our favourite meat store in Bangalore!

Experiencing Indian Traditions

It is the weekend!
On Friday our school held two graduations...one for the Reception (Kindergarten) children moving on to Key Stage 1, and one for the Year 13 class, moving on to LIFE!
We dressed up for the latter. The theme was India!

Two graduations, two stages set, many proud parents, plenty of good will and so many India traditions that I really did not know existed.

It was indeed a beautiful day, reminding me of past graduations- reminding me of the passage of time.

In two weeks we are heading back to Canada! Until then, I will enjoy the times of our lives...

I want to thank the people we have met and spent time with; I want to let them know that they will be missed; I want to keep in touch and even get together again one day, to recall those Indian days.

For now I will take the time to say farewell to new friends!  Thanks for the memories, the fun, the food, the sharing of frustrations and joys. You have left your footsteps on my heart!

Beautiful ladies...

Handsome men!

New friends and old!

Just a few of many colleagues

Precious friends...

The dinner was delightful!

Sebastien et Valentine

Every Day is a GOOD Day!

Cheers!

In India the hottest months are April and May. They are past now as June rolls in. Indian summer is over and the India schools are back in operation. The rains have brought cooler temperatures and yesterday on our walk home, we saw school buses whizzing  by filled with children, reminding us that a new school year has begun in Bangalore.

As we turned up our street, we saw several young people disembark from their yellow bus. They looked fantastic,  wearing their perfectly white uniforms, shiny black shoes and brand new clean back packs. They were teasing one another, laughing  and generally enjoying the end of their first day of school

Meanwhile, we are winding down the school year. Plans are being made for graduations, annual field trips, year end parties. Report cards are being written and there is a buzz in the air all about summer vacation. Returning teachers are looking forward to a brief break before beginning planning for the next school year.

Talk about mixed emotions...after a year of living and working in India, my husband and I are preparing to return to Canada. My heart is heavy, knowing that soon we will be saying farewell to students, parents, colleagues and friends. And yet, we will be saying hello the comforts of home, family, friends and new and changing opportunities.

I know that wherever we are, whatever the circumstances we will have good days. And the present is what life is all about.

Until next time,

Bee Rich