Just wanted to add a few pictures to my blog. I'm attaching pictures of the house I'm leaving in. It's a little different than the homes back in Canada and I love it. I went for a walk throughout the neighborhood today and everything is really nice: people drive really nice cars here, and they are all clean; there is no garbage anywhere, the people are so friendly and helpful, I'm really starting to feel comfortable here. And, I have to mention this, people keep looking at me when I talk with that 'I wonder where she's from' look on their facees, and when I answer the phone people get a little confused and then ask if this is the Canadian? I love it. My roommates/flatmates are really nice and extremely helpful. Gill (Jill in Canada) took me to get my phone today so now you can call me if you like...just don't forget about the time difference. Just add seven hours onto your time and that's the time in England! Here's the number for my mobile: 07931785085. Don't forget the international call number, I think it's 044, but you might want to double check that.


Now, on with the pictures.




This is the sign that tells me I have to go down this way to get home:)

This is the back yard. Look at all the apples. I haven't had one yet, but they look delicious.









This is the front of my new house. The door is open because there are no doorknobs!! you just use your keys to open the latch, and I left my keys inside when I went to take this, so best I don't lock myself out. That would be embarassing.








So, it takes too long to download pictures to this, but if you'd like to see more you can check them out at facebook.

Later,

Heather

Online Poll

With regards to my second blog - the one about me forgetting my passport - I need to clarify a few things. First, I have nothing but the highest regard for my brother-in-law, Pete. Afterall, he is willing to look after my sister for a full year for me:) Secondly, I take full responsibility for leaving my passport behind, eventhough it was safely packed in my 'passport wallet' prior to Pete's suggestion/demand. So, for those of you who are interested in adding your two cents, Pete has asked my to do an online poll:

If you were leaving on a one year holiday/work, knowing that England is a civilized country with stores, what is the one thing that you would double check for when you left the house for the airport? (Note that this is word for word the question Pete wanted me to ask!)

Please feel free to add your comments - remember I am very far away and miss you all a lot - and I will be sure to let Pete know how this turns out.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this.

Heather

ps. I did remeber lots of Brittish pounds for all those stores Pete mentioned!!

Well I'm here -- Now what?

Well, I'm going to keep this one short. Just wanted to let you all know that I made it here safe and sound, though a little bit tired. Who am I kidding - I am exhausted. I've basically been awake since 8:30am Wednesday morning and, correct me if I'm wrong, it is now 10:30am Friday (it's 5:30pm in England.) So, in the last 50 hours I've run an emotional marathon, gotten a total of 5 hours sleep, and moved to a foreign country. Now what? I can't sleep (I did have a nap though, which took up 3 of those 5 hours), and I don't really know the area, nor do I feel much like venturing out just yet. Lots of time for that. I may go into London on Sunday, definitely on Monday. And, I promise to get my act together and start taking some pictures and posting them up here. Everything is just so beautiful, I can't even begin to explain it.

Oh, just to keep up with the plane fiasco, forgetting my passport (with the help of Pete) wasn't my only hiccup. When I arrived for the 9:25am flight, an hour early with passport in hand, the plane happened to have a maintanence problem (something about they weren't able to connect the tow rope??) so they had to manually push the plane back far enough so that is could turn around and depart. So, at around 10:00am we all walk out onto the tarmack and load the plane and head for Calgary. The flight to London was much less eventful.

I'll write again when I'm a little more exciting. I'm just to tireeeeeeeeeeeddddddddddddzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz;)

heather

Sincere Apologies

Well, it is the day of my departure. However, I had anticipated being in Calgary right now trying to figure out what to do with 7 hours to kill. Problem solved!! I decided to pass the time in Saskatoon!!! That's right, I'm still in Saskatoon. So, before I tell you all my story I would like to send out the sincerest of apologies to my good friends Robyn and Kevin who woke up early this morning to say farewell at the airport. You could have slept in;)

So, here's my story:

I have been organizing my packing for several days now - those of you who know me will not be the least bit suprised by that - and last night I finally zippered up all my bags despite the fact that they were obesely overweight (I know, that's a little redundant). Well, Robyn, Chanty, and Candice came over for some good-bye drinks and chatting, later joined by Lisa and Pete. We were at there home after all. Then, as was bound to happen, the night drew to a close and I said goodbye to the dearest, most special friends a person could ask for, so understandably I was a little distracted, not to mention the looming good-byes I had to make to my family in the morning. So in this distracted state Pete asked me if I had made photocopies of my passport and visa. "I left the numbers with my address and a copy of my health insurance on the kitchen table."
Pete, being the good, protective, brotherly type, convinced me that it was better to scan them and email them to him so that I had a hard copy of some sort back in Canada. So, to appease his worrisome side I obliged. In fact, I did him one better and left my passport in the scanner as I made my way out the door at 5:00am this morning.
Now you may be asking yourself, "Heather, when did you realize this horrific mistake?!" Well friends, fate has it's ways. Being the paranoid that I am, when they asked to see photo id along with my boarding pass I grabbed my wallet with my driver's license and was ready to go. But, everyone else had there passports, so I figured I might as well use that too. That was when my fondness for my brother-in-law was put to its biggest test. However, he rushed to the airport, passport in hand, only moments too late. The funny thing is that if I had used my driver's license I would not have realized the mistake until Calgary. Can you say "SOL."
So I went and had breakfast with dad, and will finally board the plan in about 30min.
Hopefully this will be the only glitch, and, if anything, I will always remember to double check for my passport in all future travels.

I'll write when I get to London,

Lots of love and I miss you already,

Heather

First Blog Ever - bear with me

Okay, so it's actually kind of my second blog since I inadvertantly erased the first one. Ooops. Maybe this is just "too hard for me" (Lisa, you're the only one that's going to get that).

Well, do to popular demand (and a supreme distaste for mass, impersonal emails), I have decided to become a blogger as I set off to do a little globetrotting over the next year. Hopefully I will be a little more faithful with this than I was with facebook so that those of you who are interested can check out what I'll be up to.

For those of you who don't know the details, I'll be moving to England on Thursday, August 28th to spend a year teaching and travelling. I'll be living and teaching in an area of Greater London - teaching in Hornchurch, living in Upminster. I'll put my address below so that those of you who are more inclined to doing things old school can send me a letter or some Kraft Dinner (apparantly they don't have it over there!!!!!) However, I understand if you prefer to email, facebook, etc. I don't have a phone number yet, but as soon as I do I'll let you know...just don't forget that I'll be living seven hours into the future so if you call me at 6:30pm I'll probably be sleeping. So, as promised here's my address:
41 Limerick Gardens
Cranham, Upminster, Essex
RM14 1HZ England

Well, I'm rather overwhelmed right now both with the speed with which everything happened, to the great emotion I feel both in terms of sadness for leaving family and friends whom I love dearly, and exitement towards this new endeavor. As my departure date draws nearer and nearer, I find that this all becomes more and more real and though I am sure I'm doing the right thing for me, I sure am sad about all I'll miss here in Canada. So, for those of you who are taking the time to read this and future posts please let me know what's going on here at home.

Well, that's getting too emotional for me right now...So, stay tuned for future posts. Hopefully I'll be exciting enough not to get cancelled within the first few months:)

Blog to you soon,
Lots of Love,
Heather