Sooooo close....and yet soooooo far....

Well we've just completed the allotted time for our househunting trip...but luckily we are able to stay on a few more days to finish up what needs to be done....like deciding on a house!  Hard to believe that in the past we have been able to complete everything in 5 days of looking and 2 travel days.  Not much when you think of going to a new town/city you aren't familiar with and narrowing down both the area you want and a house within that area within that short a time...but we've always been able to do it.  This is the first time we've gone beyond our week, but fortunately, it's not a big problem.  Just means we've been kicked off the gravy train and have to pay for our own expenses from this point on. 

The good news is we are narrowed down to 2 options.  One is a house on a lake which is not exactly what we want and requires some renos to make it LESS not exactly what we want.  The other option is building our own house.  Building is definitely Plan A with the lake house a somewhat distant Plan B...but still on the horizon if we need it.  We have a builder lined up and have been meeting with him regularly during the decision making process.  We are absolutely certain to have a decision made by tomorrow at this time....absolutely.....certain.....100%....either A or B....tomorrow....for sure....

Oh, and thanks to all of you who have responded to my poll thus far...we've had 100% of responders suggesting we say "budget...we don't need no stinkin' budget....we're gonna buy what we like"...  Thanks to BOTH OF YOU for responding to my survey!!!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  I never figured myself for an indecisive person, but I'm wondering if this indecision over building or buying is related to my new retirement frame of mind.  (I will officially be retired in 2 days!!!)  Or is it just the magnitude of the decision??  I don't know....should I try to figure that out tonight....or will I wait till tomorrow to see??  I can't decide ;)

Is Perfection Too Much to Ask For????

Well, here we are on Day #1 of our House Hunting trip to SJ.  It's been a long and tiring day which included the walk through/walk by (or drive by and immediately rule out) of 20 properties/lots.  Why can't we find the one that you just walk in, look around, and say "wow, this feels like home"?  Not happened yet....so far we've found some 'absolutely not's, a few 'no freakin' way's, a couple of 'can we make do's, a few 'can we raise our price limit's, and 2 real strong 'maybe's.  Is it too much to ask for a house that is in your price range and has everything you want in it....all within 5 days??  And where do you bend?  Do you raise your price?...or lower your expectations?  Is the house that costs more but has almost everything you want worth more than the house that is entirely in your price range, but needs a bit of work?  Or not so much needs work, but requires you to adjust your list of desirables?  And what's more important....price or resale value?  Aaaagggghhhh!  Thank god I didn't cut my hair when I was in London a few weeks back (thx Joanne and Carole for forbidding it) cause it makes it all that easier to PULL OUT now!!  Tomorrow is another day....several more houses to look at....we're broadening our horizons...and lowering our expectations....stay tuned...the saga continues...

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  It's either early onset dementia, or selective amnesia...but this is our 6th move in 10 years, and I don't remember the last ones being this depressing....  Even as I type this, I know that I'm wrong in saying that.  In fact, I was so upset after buying a house in Ottawa that I returned to London after the house hunting trip and sat in my foyer and cried....and it was a big ugly cry, as Oprah used to say (can you believe it, she's all done today....bye Oprah....although I'm still pissed at you for not getting me tickets to your final season....but that's another blog entirely).  And then, after a bit of cosmetic surgery (to the house...not to me), I loved the spot in Ottawa and was sorry to be leaving it.  And I'm already feeling pangs of sadness at leaving the Antigonish house....now re-read that sentence....I said THE HOUSE....NOT ANTIGONISH!!!  And I'm sure that by the time we leave this next house (yes, you've read that right...this house may not be our final one), I'll have become so comfortable in it, wherever and whatever it is, that I'll hate to say goodbye.  So what is it....am I mellowing in my old age....becoming warm and fuzzy....NAH!!!  Just getting old, lazy and sick of people who 'move my cheese'....(for those that don't get that....google it!!)

It's a new game called 'Freezer Surprise'

What do you do in Antigonish on a long weekend....you invent a new game.  How do you play this new game you ask?  Well, to start, you have to have taken advantage of every sale/bargain/2for1 for the past year or so.  When your freezer is full to the brim, then it's time to put your house on the market...but the game doesn't start right then...no, no...you've got lots of time to start your game, cause you aren't expecting your house to sell for several weeks or even months.  And then, when you least expect it...wow, your house sells.  Now it's time to start playing 'Freezer Surprise'.  From this point on, every meal you prepare must include something out of the freezer.  Aah, but where does the 'surprise' come in, you ask?  Well, for that part you have to shut your eyes, or to prevent cheating, put on a blindfold, just prior to opening your freezer.  Reach in, grab the first thing you put your hand on...voila...freezer surprise!!  This is going to be our favourite (read only) game from this point on.  We've got tons of stuff in the freezer and only a few weeks left before we've got to empty and defrost it prior to the arrival of the movers.  Where's the fun in this game you ask?  Well that comes in when you put together some of the oddest combinations...and even better when you get to share them with your friends.  Hey everyone, come on over for a visit, stay a few days, and enjoy a round our two of the newest game in town.  The closer it gets to the end of June and you may be able to experience it as we 'take it up a notch' to 'Frenzied Freezer Surprise'!! 

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  The big cruise is all paid for, the flights are booked, and now I'm finalizing rooms for Sydney both before and after the cruise.  I've never used the website http://www.hotwire.com/, but I always hear success stories of people that use these types of sites.  I've never heard any horror stories, but I'm sure they're out there, and no doubt in equal numbers.  I had a room held for two nights before the cruise at the 3 star 'Ibis King Street Wharf' which would have been very close to the dock where we board our cruise ship, although sort of pricey at $159 AUD/night.  Past experience, however, told me that the room would be veerrry small.  Hotwire offered a 4 star at $128 Canadian/night in the same area (the Rocks/Circular Quay).  I'm usually quite hesitant to book on these sites because of the 'blindness' of the booking....you don't know what you're getting until you've paid for it, and then there's no changes, no cancellations, no refunds.  Well, in the name of saving $$, I made the booking.  I'm sure it'll be fine, although doesn't really seem to be the in precise area as advertised.  Being that I'm getting more vocal (read fussy) in my old age/ retirement, I've written them an e-mail bringing that to their attention....you know, kind of like Yosemite Sam used to say "I've-a paid to see the high-divin' act, anna I'm-a gonna see the high'divin' act"...  Let's hope the folks at Hotwire also want me to see the high divin' act!!

Finally...

I'm finding out what retirement is supposed to be like!  Kier and I got out to play our first round of golf.  It is quite amazing that when I was younger I could only stay focused for 9 holes...I don't know if it was due to my short attention span, or because I played so poorly that I couldn't count high enough to keep score beyond 9 holes.  Anyway, today was a great day on the links, helped along I'm sure by the fact that we had a cart, and the weather was amazing.  I've put a new technique into play this year and it's really improved my drives.  I hit consistently well off the tee the entire round...my short game still sucks, but that just gives me something to work on through the remainder of the summer.  I'm not certain whether it's the technique that improved my drives, or the extra few pounds of "winter weight" I'm carrying.  (I knew it would come in handy for something!!  Sue M, you should try putting on a pound or two...it could help your game ;)  And don't ask me what the new technique is...just remember what Bullwinkle used to say to Rocky..."watch me pull a rabbit outta my hat"...I might just be playing a round against you this summer, and I'll want to have the upper hand.  All in all, it was a great day ...I got my first par on the 2nd hole, I never broke a tee, I never lost a ball plus I found 2 and I only had to spit out 1 bug (I was feeling so good that I didn't think I needed the added protein!)  It was a great start to the season, and a good warmup for our upcoming week on the links in Sunday River/North Conway area.  Look out Lorie Kane...

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  It is much more fun to be retired on sunny days then on rainy days!! 

And the forecast for tomorrow....liquid sunshine... (HAPPY 50th JANET!!)

What is it with this weather.  It feels like it's been raining ever since I retired.  That means little to no outside activities...no golf, no tennis, no biking.  Fortunately there have been a few dry spells that have afforded Kier the opportunity to mow the lawn, and other fun stuff like that.  Unfortunately for me, we only have one lawn mower, so Kier is the only one that gets to enjoy these 'outdoor pursuits'.  Oh well, that just reinforces what you were thinking about me...that I'm generous to a fault...right??  All I have to say is thank heaven for DVR's.  But with all this rain, I've totally exhausted all my stored up programs.  Right down to three hours of a little known pilot program called CHAOS.  And it's not a good time of year for poor weather when you have to rely on tv for entertainment....The Amazing Race finished a few weeks ago (poor Gary and Mallory finished third).  Then Sunday night was the end of Survivor.  (As much as they say Boston Rob played a brilliant game,  it certainly led to a predictable and even boring series.)  And now Dancing with the Stars is in wind down mode.  (Go Chelsea and Mark!!)  Thank goodness for Coronation Street (that John Stape is going to get his verrrrryyyy soon and when will Audrey catch on to that shifty Lewis??) and the Young and the Restless (okay Ashley, wake up and smell the coffee!).   Oh well, it won't be too long and the fall will be here with all the new series premieres....and Two and a Half Men will be back on with a Charlie Sheen replacement....now there's a name that I hope I never have to hear again....if only I could find a way to make a living by watching television ???

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  We've been trying to get things organized for our move at the end of June.  I wasn't all that surprised to learn that that is THE busiest time of year to book a moving company.  Makes sense, what with school being out and people arranging to relocate before the summer.  But here's a little known tidbit...June 24th is a holiday...for movers.  Yup, you read that right.  Movers get their own holiday.  Well, knock me down and call me Susan...(thanks Boston Pizza, I love that line in your commercials).  It's officially St. Jean Baptiste Day and a holiday in Quebec...but how that translates to all movers in the country having a day off is... well....beyond translation....

How do they do it?

As part of our preparation to relocate, and with a view to reducing our living expenses, we've discussed the option of replacing our home phone with 2 cell phones.  When your home phone rings as little as ours does, you don't really need to have one.  And it seems when it does ring, more often than not, it's a telemarketer (so much for getting on that no-call list, eh?).  Just by the sheer numbers of cell phones out there, you would think it would be inexpensive enough....every kid I see in the street/mall/school is carrying one.  Well, not really carrying....they are either holding them up to their ears and talking, or they are texting incessantly while they walk.  BTW, who says young people aren't multi-taskers??  They can to walk and talk at the same time!  Anyway, I've just assumed that because so many young people are using them, they must be an economical option...the companies must be giving them away!!!  Yeah, yeah, I know, they do give the phones away, but then there are the plans, contracts, etc. etc.  NOT CHEAP!  Maybe one of you readers can enlighten me...cause every one I've researched is incredibly expensive.   I mean really, I thought those "disposable phones" would be reasonable enough...god knows every criminal in town uses them...but then, they generally don't have to watch their pennies like I would....we all know that crime DOES pay....and well!   So anyway, if anybody out there knows of a good cell phone plan for 2 old pensioners on a fixed income, let me know.

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  This current gas pricing situation is killing me.  Now that we've got our cruise finalized (and at a time when the Canadian $$ was doing quite well against the US), it's now time to get our flights in order.  I had some flights picked out and was getting ready to book them, when I said I'd wait until Wednesday as that's the day Air Canada announces it's weekly seat sales.  You never know, right... well worth the days wait if the price happens to drop.  Not only did the flights not go down on Wednesday....they went up.  And then on the weekend, the particular flights that I had picked out went up again.  And there's no reason for it, considering one of the legs had not one seat sold on the plane.  And the fare itself didn't go up, but the taxes and surcharges went up.  That's got to be directly related to the recent increase in fuel prices.  That, or else they are raising the prices to drop them again in a week or two and make it seem like it's a big sale, when in fact, it's just being lowered down to where it was previously.   And yes, I do think Air Canada would do such a thing!!  Don't you??

You can't suck in a double chin

First off, I want to say that my bad luck on Friday, the 13th was that my Wednesday blog entry was lost (due to a technical glitch on the blog site)....so I've had to try to re-create it as best I can....nothing is ever as good the second time around....but sometimes it's actually better, right Kier!!

I had to go the other day and have a photo taken for my retirement ID.  Now, this ID card will remain with me until the end of time, so I wanted it to be just perfect...okay, I'd be happy with just right... or maybe alright...yeah, yeah, okay, I'd settle for not hideous.  I'm not a big fan of having my picture taken, especially with a stark white background and up close enough to see every blemish and all my ever so slight imperfections.  Oh well, it's gotta be done.  Well, you can suck in a belly, you can tuck in a muffin top, you can stand up ramrod straight so you look thinner, but you can't suck in a double chin!  Try as you might....it can't be done.  There are lots of tricks you can use when it's a full length, standing up photo.  You know, turning slightly so you're hips don't look wide, standing in the back row so all the other skinny people block you out, yada, yada, yada.  But when you're alone, in a sit down pose, up close...there's no hiding.  You can tilt your chin up, but that just looks like the photographer caught you in mid laugh and was too lazy to redo the shot.  Or you can stretch your neck, but then you look like an ostrich.  You can sit up reaaaaalllly straight, but then it just looks like you've got a stick up your butt.  Or, like me, you can just ask the photographer "Can you 'photoshop' out the double chin?"  to which he replies "I can get rid of all kinds of things".  Let's hope he's a man of his word.  So when you see me next you'll know whether I'm pleased with my ID photo when you ask me to see it and I reply "Oh, I forgot it at home...."

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:   Some days you can just feel that luck is on your side, and others, well,  the winds of fate are blowing against you.  This week, we were walking straight into a stiff breeze!  In preparation for our house hunting trip, we reviewed the MLS website and created a list of properties we'd be interested in seeing.  Of course that list consisted of properties we were mildly interested in, some we were particularly interested in, and one property that was absolutely the TOP of our list.  On Tuesday we communicated the list to our real estate agent and he got back to us with tidbits of info that served to eliminate some properties entirely.  But the property at the top of our list, well, good news all around....it had been on the market for over a year....the price had dropped significantly since it was listed....the seller is MOTIVATED!!  Always good to hear, right??  Well, by Wednesday morning we heard back from our agent advising us that someone had been through our favourite house on Tuesday evening, submitted an offer on Wednesday and it was accepted.  However....(isn't there always one of those??)...the potential buyers offer is conditional, but they are going back to their bank to try to get the financing to remove that condition.  What odds?  Nothing for a year, and then just as we're getting ready to pounce....an offer is put in.  Oh well, it wasn't meant to be; que sera sera; what will be will be; shit happens; whatever cliche you use in a situation like this....apply it now!!

***THIS JUST IN....word is that the potential buyers didn't get the financing condition removed....we have hope...who says Friday the 13th is an unlucky day???***

Homeless and Happy

The best way to sell a house, if you are Kier and Katrina, is to go on holidays.  That was how it has happened in the past 3 out of 4 homes we've owned....well, make that 4 out of 5 now.  Last week while I was up in London and Kier was over in PEI, we negotiated a deal and sold our house.   Yeahhhhh!  We had great concerns that this house would take ages to sell, because Antigonish has such a small market.  To have it gone in 2 months is a great relief. 

I'm certain that each sale gets a little more difficult...well check that...I get more difficult with each sale.  At least we didn't have the "appliance fiasco" with this house sale.  When we sold our house in London, Ontario I got really frustrated with losing our appliances for the third consecutive time.  It sure adds up when you're selling houses ever couple of years!  Everyone (the real estate agent, the real estate agent's wife and Kier) was afraid that we'd lose the house sale because I refused to let ALL the appliances go, and insisted on holding on to our washer and dryer.  After selling our house in Ottawa, I started to catch on and we now purchase appliances that we were willing to leave behind.  It has served to make the negotiations go a little more smoothly.   And I do stress "little"...

So anyway, the closing date is set for June 28th and financing and the home inspection will be confirmed/ completed by the end of the month.  So here we go again...fasten your seat belts....it's gonna be a bumpy ride!!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  Along with everything else that's going on, I'm trying to finalize details for our cruise in September.  Of course, the big debate is always when to book the flights to ensure the best deal possible.  With all the searching I've been doing, I've stumbled upon a website, http://www.bing.com/ which has a service called "flight predictor".  Apparently it can tell you, with 75% accuracy, when is the best time to purchase your flights.  The downside of this website is that it won't "predict" all flights, but only some of the more popular routes... and those to Sydney just don't qualify.  

Parlez-vous anglais?

Having grown up in "english speaking New Brunswick", I always assumed that I had grown up without the influence of our french speaking "neighbours" to the north of the province.  And having moved around as much as I had, living east, west and all around this country, I also assumed that I had no accent to speak of.  Yeah sure, when I visited my friends the McLaughlin's in Northern Ireland I wasn't surprised when people commented on my "accent"...but aside from that, I felt "twang free".  Apparently that's not the case.   One of my first stops on this little "trip back in time" to London, Ontario, was to the house of my friends, Rebecca and Dave.  During the evening, Dave introduced me to his sons by asking how they liked my "down east accent".  "I don't have an accent" I said!!  "Uh huh", they replied.    And having grown up in a bilingual province, I always pick up on someone who is "french first" speaking english, because they often times get the words backwards in the sentence, or the name of something "back to front"...but hey, being a born and raised english person, I didn't have that problem....did I??  Call it what you will, there have been 2 situations where I have learned that I say things backwards.  The first was when my friend Joanne and I returned from seeing the comedian, Tommy Tiernan (who, incidentally is from Ireland).  We hadn't had time after our little 

Me, Joanne and Carole
at Carole's for dinner



shopping trip to Port Huron to grab supper before the show, so upon getting home she said she'd make us a sandwich.  When discussing the different options, I said I really liked "cheese grilled"...apparently the proper terminology is "grilled cheese"...who knew!  Then last night having dinner with Joanne and our friend Carole,  she was bringing the potato dish to the table and I commented "wow, I love potato scallop"....all these years I've called it that...again, who knew... it's normally called "scalloped potatoes"??  Hmmmm... am I a reincarnated french person??

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  I was always the first person to claim that "you can't go back"  Having returned to the same postings on 2 occasions (worked in Toronto from 1987 - 1990 and again from 2001 -2003/worked in London from 1990-1995 and again from 2003-2004) I knew you could never re-create the things/work/lifestyle from years gone by.   Everything was always different.  Well, I may have to revisit that position.  After 7 1/2 years away from London, this "retirement tour" (as I like to refer to it) has been a 

Barb, Rebecca, Lynne,
Paula and Me
with matching GTG shirts


resounding success.  I've had such a great time this week with friends Joanne, Carole, Rebecca, Lynne, Paula, Barb and Carol that perhaps, just for a brief time, you can turn the clock back.  It was truly as if I had never been away.  In all instances, we just picked up where we left off so many years ago.  Thanks to you all for a great week... especially you Joanne.  Your home and hospitality were greatly appreciated, and I look forward to you and Carole coming east so I can return the favour!!!

"I'm goin' alone"

Those are the best words you can say...when you're playing Euchre...well, they are if you actually win the hand!   That's something I didn't get the chance to do tonight when I got to sit in with my old Euchre group... when I had the cards, I didn't get the opportunity...thanks to you, Carole!

It's been great being back in London for a visit, and I've been keeping very busy.  I've got to see several old friends (does a shopping mall count as an old friend?) and many old acquaintances.  I wasn't here long before my entire week quickly booked up.   Joanne's been looking after me...okay, spoiling me more like.  I've warned her that if she continues with this behaviour she may just end up with a permanent roomie!  Another great thing about this trip...  any doubts I had about retirement, or any thoughts I'd had about things being better in Ontario than Nova Scotia, were quickly eliminated today after my luncheon with a couple of old work buddies.   Seems the saying "same shit, different pile" truly applies.

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  For those of you who are close to Halifax and are looking for an inexpensive getaway to somewhere out of the ordinary, check out Icelandair's website for a special offer.  They are currently offering flight and hotel for 3 nights plus 3 breakfasts for $599 per person.   There are multiple dates available in June and you can add an additional night on for $79.  Other than the fact that it's a "red eye" flight on both ends, and the hotel, although newly renovated, is located close to the airport, which is 2.5 km from the center of Reykjavik, but there is a shuttle to the city.  It seems like a pretty good deal.  Definitely something I'm going to look into...after all, like I keep telling Kier...we'd better travel while we can...we've really only got about 5 good years left before we're too old!! Okay, maybe we've got 10 good years....but if I tell Kier that he'll want to wait another few years before we go!!  ;)

Here's the link to the sale:

http://www.travelzoo.com/ca/newsflash/84919845-1025025/

BTW - sale ends Friday, May 6th...

On the road again...

I'm sitting in Charlottetown airport awaiting my flight to London, Ontario via Ottawa.  Thank heavens for wi-fi so I can get caught up on a few things that I've not had time to do since arriving here in PEI yesterday.  We came over early to do a bit of visiting.  Plus, Kier and "the guys" had to have some time to get ready to head off into the wild outdoors of the Magel River for their annual fishing trip.  They're enroute to the ole fishin' hole as I type.  I've lost track of how many years they've been doing this...26, 27, 28...something like that anyway.  It's a few days of 'manly' stuff... tenting, fishing, crapping in a hole, scratching, and no doubt, burping and farting.  Jim, you'd best be careful on that last thing, what with the "bug" you picked up in the DR...perhaps it'd be best if you wore chest waders this year!!  You don't want any 'surprises'...

Not only does this trip provide Kier, Dean and Jim an opportunity to play 'MacGyver' out in the woods and create a functioning 'camp' out of 2 paperclips, a tarp and a piece of gum, but it also provides me an opportunity to take a trip.  This year I've chosen to fly to London, Ontario and spend some time doing "girl things" with old friends....sleeping in, eating out, shopping, shopping, and more shopping.  One thing for sure....unlike Kier's trip, my trip will not involve burying anything....least of all anything that came out of my own body....eeeewwww, yech!!!  More to come from London!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  It's so very important to check on your flight status before you leave for the airport.  I arrived here around noon for a 1:30 pm flight, only to find out that it has been delayed until 14:45.  I know what you're thinking...calling the airport is easier said than done.  The days of picking up the phone and calling to speak with a human are long gone.  Now you've got to go through voice prompt callestetics to learn anything about a flight, whether inbound or outbound.  Unless, of course, you have access to the airline website to double check there.  They've also got these neat notification systems set up so that you can be advised on your cell phone of any flight delays.  That is so handy....well, it is when you HAVE A CELL PHONE!!  I've got to get me one of them...now that Kier and I are 'retired', we no longer have our work phones, and haven't gotten around to buying ourselves new phones.  We're definitely looking at getting them when we relocate to NB.  Actually, we'll likley go solely with cells, and forego having a 'hardline' phone in our house.  I know, I know...very 21st century, eh!!  So, with no cell phone, and no energy for telephone callestetics, I had to rely on wi-fi...which meant going where I knew I could get free access....which is...to the airport!!  Oh well, I'm here now, and there's nothing like people watching in an airport to provide a few hours of enjoyment...hopefully it doesn't stretch into several hours....