April Fools – Spring has not arrived in Canada. April 1^st and we woke to a little flurry of snow. The snow didn’t settle as the ground is warming up. The Easter week-end was very nice, cool but sunny. We decided to have a walk around Kempenfelt Bay and stop for coffee and cake at a coffee shop downtown.

The City of Barrie has almost completed their Waterfront Master Plan and they have done a really nice job. They have created a “Military Park” to commemorate the close ties to Base Borden. The cycling path and walking paths are separate, and I hope that in the summer the walkers stay on their side and the cyclists respect the pedestrians.

The Spirit Catcher’s “wings” were moving in the wind and there was a chilly wind blowing of the bay.

Farewell Barrie, we will miss you.

April 6, 2018

The condo is empty and packed into the UHaul moving truck. This is the first time in our 32 years of married life that we are actually moving ourselves. We have packed our boxes ourselves but not actually loaded stuff into a truck and unloaded at the other end. It was an experience. The loading was not too bad as Ralf managed to get the loading ramp close to our “tiny condo” door and we man-handled everything into the truck. Only one minor injury – Ralf moved a little faster than expected and I took the brunt of the TV stand on my shin bone. It was a very pretty colour the next day – if you like green and purple!.

We drove down to Brockville in a mix of weather, rain, sleet and snow. The drive was not too bad really, considering this is the longest distance I have ever driven on my own and on a major highway. The distance was 425 kms, Ralf lead the way in the Uhaul and I followed in Maizie Mazda. We stopped regularly for breaks and I was very proud of myself driving on Highway 401.

We had a couple of days in a hotel before moving into the house on Monday April 9, 2018. We have always lived in bungalows (one storey). This is a two-storey with a basement. Because we are having the floors refurbished in the main living area most of the stuff was either going upstairs to the bedrooms or downstairs to the basement.

Do you remember the first time you used a stairmaster or step-climber at a gym. You started off at an easy level and went up and down. It was easy no stress on the knees, easy exercise, then you stepped it up a notch and it still felt easy. By the end of a 30 minute to 45 minute work-out you felt good and decided that this is the best piece of gym equipment ever invented. Until the next day when your thighs are so tight they are in knots and you can barely walk.

That is what happened to me, moving into our new house. Just for good measure I threw in some weight bearing exercises in the form of moving boxes – books, stationery, a filing cabinet or two, a bed, mattress etc. I either went up a flight of stairs to the bedrooms or down a flight of stairs to the basement, just like the stairmaster – easy peasey. Tuesday, Wednesday and part of Thursday I could barely walk, my thighs hurt so much. On Wednesday my calve muscles decided that they would join the thigh muscles and decide not to work. I had to go downstairs one step at a time owwww. Fortunately, by Friday everything was back to normal and I could walk and climb the stairs normally. At one point I asked Ralf whose idea it was to buy a two-storey house? We both agreed it was a joint decision.

We have unpacked what we can, and we are both really happy with our new home. We have met some of our neighbours and we have discovered that we are the “babies” in the crescent! Everyone seems really friendly.

The  hardwood and ceramic flooring was ordered, as was new furniture, gas stove and refrigerator. The flooring should arrive by the end of the month and then everything else will be delivered and we can finish moving the rest of the bits and bobs into our home.

I have prepared the walls for painting as they are a very neutral colour and we would like a little colour in the living room. While I was washing the walls on Tuesday April 24, 2018 my neighbour (Diane) came around and asked if I would like to join them for a wine tasting. Without hesitation the gloves were off and I headed next door. You have to be sociable when you move into a new neighbourhood! Two hours later I was back, needless to say I didn’t finish the walls until the next day.

We are enjoying living in Brockville, we have been to the theatre again and investigated the cycling in the area. Life is good.