Part 3 - Things I'd rather not go home to in Canada

Well, it should be no surprise that at the top of this list would be the weather! My last two years have been spent in a place where people go TO the snow for a vacation. I’ll soon be back in a place where people go FROM the snow for a vacation.

Having sales tax added to the price of items in stores rather than having it included in the price and actually knowing the final price without doing the calculation first. But then again, doing this mental (pun intended) math regularly could be a good thing

Needing a block heater in my car

A government that takes 3 months to issue a passport renewal. But then again, I’ve had to deal with that government the whole time, just not as much.

Frost and fog on my windows for much of the year.

Winter parka – actually, just the need for one. Considering the need, I’m glad I have one.

French labels on pretty much everything - and those annoying people who intentionally turn the French side out to face me!

Wind-chill

Having to choose between English and French every time I call a government agency

The feeling of my nose hairs solidifying as I breath the -40 degree air - wonderful picture I know :-)

Icy roads

Well, as I look at this list, much of it is centered around the weather. No wonder the first thing people from around the world think of when they hear I’m from Canada is the weather.

Aussie things I'll miss at home

After careful consideration and many items vying for pre-eminence in my mind, it’s time to bring up the next list and mention the down(under)sides of moving on; so here is part two of the instalments on things to miss…


The weather – um, lets see… the same temperatures here in winter as in Canada in summer… need I say more?

Hillsong Church. There is a phenomenal culture in this church, great teaching, incredible worship music, massive events, and the movement of God using willing people to do amazing things throughout the world. That description sounds pretty much like my church back home in Canada. Hillsong just has a few more people. A great church at home certainly helps makes the transition a lot easier.

Friends. One downside to my life is that no matter where in the world I live, I have people somewhere else whom I miss. On the other hand, I have lots of people to visit if I ever decide to do some travel. I’m highly blessed to have great friends across the globe!

Tim Tams – but apparently I can get them at home now too…

The Weather. Oops, did I already say that? Oh well, it’s worth a second mention…

Every tree being an evergreen. The leaves could fall off, many of them just don’t cause it doesn’t get cold enough

Did I mention the weather yet?




Ok fine, there aren’t that many things on my list, just a lot of friends vying for top spot on the list, a great church, and the weather. But hey, those are pretty important things!!! I’m sure there are more things to mention, but I have chosen to look forward and to not dwell on the past or on what I’m leaving behind.

Walk in the park

I spent a day in the Royal National Park with a friend. What we thought would be a nice walk in the park in fact was - with some interesting twists!!!

On the way to the park, there was suddenly a special car behind us with lights on top and a siren. We stopped to face the questions "Is this your car?" "Have you been drinking any alcohol today?" "How long have you been in Australia?" "...and there are no problems with your visa?" ......... it was a random stop looking for people drinking and driving on the long weekend.

After clearance from the nice officer, we were on our way and started the walk - along the beach, off the beach along the coast, up a hill, down a hill, up a hill, down a hill, up a hill - well, you get the picture... and speaking of pictures, here's one from the top of one hill. At the bottom is a nice beach and a camping area. Our initial plan was to camp here; but a few things didn't work out for that to happen, so one day will do for now.






And the view from on another hill...





The result of finding the leech AFTER it found it's way up my pant leg and had it's fill!!!





We walked a number of km's; up and down a few hills, through some bush, along some beaches, and down a road. We had cloud cover, sunshine, more cloud, rain, thunder, and a little more sun. With the exception of snow, hail, and frostbite, the weather was pretty much a typical summer day in Saskatchewan! I even got some colour on my skin! Just to add to the adventure, we managed to find a few different blood sucking varieties of creatures. I killed a mosquito (I think this was the 7th one I've seen in Australia (so much for the Aussie claims of having lots of them!!!!!!!!!!), pulled a wood tick out of Juergen's skin, and found one more variety - leeches.

On one stretch of trail we tackled through a heavy downpour, we each managed to clear at least a dozen leeches off our clothing. We were soaked through from the rain, tired from an early morning and a lot of walking, and hungry. Having thoroughly checked our clothing and bags for any more suckers, we got on in car and headed home. We hadn't even made it out of the park when I found another leech crawling up my hand. I quickly pulled over and sent it out the window. Back on the road, I looked down and found yet more - two climbing up my pants - not a good thing when behind the wheel. Managed to safely get them out of the car and kept going. Well, just to finish it all off, shortly before arriving home, I felt something different inside my pant leg and thought I'd kill it before it got me. Too late. 4 hours later, I was still bleeding. Oh well, on the brighter side, the most pain was from changing the bandaging, and the pants are clean and stain free.

Upon arrival home, I checked everything again before entering the house, took a shower, bandaged the hole, and went out for a BBQ. All in all, it was a good day. Now it's time to recover:)