This week I receive two emails of Canadiana (sp?) from some lovely ladies who read this blog – seems that the “Canadian Living” post inspired a little bit of Canada reminiscing. From ‘land of the silver birch, home of the beaver’ to reddening maples, sugar shacks, beavertails, loons across the water, cottage days, and even to the sharp dip in September weather; it was pleasing to see that our stories (Zsolt and I combined) touched a chord.  

On my desk in my new office is a painting by a fantastic local artist (who also happens to be the mother of a very good friend). I love her work – her paintings can bring me the chill of a winter morning, the damp of a rocky shore, the electric humidity before a storm, or the ripples of water as you dip your paddle for another push . . . talk about your touch of Canada, if I can write it – she can paint it.

And even better (if you want to get away from the arts) have been the walks. Everyday Zsolt and I go for a walk. He’s trying to learn Kanata so that he doesn’t repeat his ‘one hour walk’ that occurred the year we were married. Zsolt, Anna and Laszlo (his folks) set out for a walk on lovely May morning and didn’t come home for ages. Why? Because they were lost in Kanata. . .wandering street to street, trying to decipher one bungalow from another.

So he’s learning. And I’m enjoying all the green. For all the cookie cutter formulas and expectation in terms of lifestyle – the suburbs most certainly have greenery covered. From the gardens, the trees, the sports fields, and the micro forests . . . I love green.

The painting on my desk depicts an autumn day. It reminds me of walking through Gatineau park – you know the walk circling that deep, narrow lake? (If you even live in Ottawa or Canada, that is . . . and if you don’t, you are probably gagging right now on all this talk of Canada this and Canada that. My apologies.) It reminds me that soon the leaves will turn and another season will arrive. Already the temperature is dropping, and already I’ve stepped on a few crunchy leaves.

All this to say, I love our Canadian landscape. Europe’s got class. The world is an oyster. But oh, Canada, you are beautiful.

(Just don’t ask me to exude so much love come next January – cause by then I think I’ll have had enough of the darkness and ice . . . but for the moment, we’re in a very good place.)

🙂

Quick aside: My energy has been rather low lately; even these leisurely walks are tiring. Maybe it’s the settling in, the jetlag, or my little ‘vacation’ from taking vitamins . . . whatever it is, I’m knackered – and that isn’t cool. This is a problem to be solved asap. Though it could just be the travelling . . .it always gets me.

Another quick aside: Today I was stung by a wasp. What the frack! There I was, hanging out by Young’s Pond – and BAM – pain! Thankfully I’m not allergic, only offended. Stupid wasp.