All the 3s.....Day 33.
3 Girls and 4 Suitcases.
So, this is a first. Writing before Ali has headed off to school and whilst my first coffee is still in it's cup. Reason......I didn't write this yesterday, which was day 33. Several times I planned to sit down and write it but then I forgot and did something else......I think that the fact that Bill and I had bought a day pass for the transit is the excuse because we just kept going out again to make sure we got value for our $11. Not that we did anything of great excitement but we were together and I don't care where we do that.
Our first trip was up to the airport to discover that Bills glasses had NOT been handed in, which didn't get our day of to the most positive start. He loved those sunglasses and they will not be easy to replace 'cause he's had them for a l..o..n...g time.
The good news is that the sun was blazing down from a cloudless sky....again. This morning, as I type, it's a wee bit damp out there. It's not raining but there has been a huge amount of moisture in the air overnight. The bin was very wet on top and it feels misty without the fog.
We headed up to a new grocery store-20 mins North on the bus. Bill had spotted his favourite ice cream on sale and so we and our bus passes took a jaunt up to buy some. Apart from 6 tubs of Hagaan Daz Dulche de Leche, we purchased a half dozen rolls and a bug spray (so that Ali can spray rather than squash her centipedes) I'll not be shopping regularly in Metro because it's prices were not the cheapest. Bill's found me a site where I can check all the flyers to see who's got what at what price. He's a fantastic saver and shopper and this year I anticipate that I will be receiving a gold star for my incresed ability to frugelly-shop. Unfortunately, they don't have a comparison website like at Scotland, which you all need to be using 'cause it'll save you a bundle. It's called something like 'compare the supermarkets' and you just plug in what you want and see who has it cheapest. Bill and Jen used to love zipping round all the supermarkets, picking up their bargains. I suppose we were lucky to have all the big ones 5-10mins from our house. Not quite the case here....plus I don't have a car. But, I think I may buy a pass like we had yesterday, once in a while and head up and down and back and forth all day, shopping for bargains on my basics.
Isn't it funny how exciting a trip to the shops can be.......and why not. For those of you who think of it as a chore, try thinking about it like a bargain-hunt, where you see how much money you can save. Bill saved $2 on each of his ice-cream tubs = $12......and that's just one item.
Ali has just departed for school and as I look around the room, I see that teenage life is just the same here.....oh, there's her apple juice cup on the table.....oh, and there's her toast plate on the arm of the sofa.......oh, and there's the nailpolish bag sitting on the sofa with the cotton wool and nailpolish remover..........
I don't have to go on for you to get the picture, do I? As I sat down again, I experienced an awareness of how my emotions could go one of two ways, in regards to the 'bombsite' and I decided, with mindfulness, to chose humour and I had a wee giggle. They don't do it deliberately so nagging really is ineffective.......so what's the point. I always tell clients to deal with how they are feeling and obviously the Willow (for resentment and 'poor me') and Holly (for anger and taking things personally) in the mix I'm taking are doing their magic.
So, yesterday? Well, there was a trip to the bank when I discovered that transferring money for rent was not as easy as it is in Scotland-ugh. I have decided that I will simply walk to my bank (5 mins) withdraw the dosh and walk back 2 minutes and deposit it in Veras bank. (Bill will act as my securicor guy) I am hoping that this transaction will cost me nothing whilst burning off some calories because the bank seems to charge for everything here. I have a chequing account but you have to buy the cheques. Approx $40 for 50 or $43 for 100. Now I feel bad for asking Vera to write me a cheque for Ali to hand into school as she would have been out of pocket for the cheque cost. Also costs for e transfers and if I go over my monthly allownace of 25 transactions, they'll charge me. There are different types of accounts but I'm also paying a fee monthly for the one I have (because there's money-back attached to the signing up for it) I suspect that the Canadian banking system is stronger than the UK one.
Dear oh dear, this blog is a little bit heavy on the financial side of things....oh well.
We still haven't purchased phones but I am hopeful that we will do so either today or tomorrow. If it wasn't for the fact that I've already ranted about the banks costs, I'd go on about the phone costs........
Really nice young guy gave us his advice yesterday and the good news may be that I will be able to use the Blackberry that I brought with me because I think that it's unlocked. I discovered, through him, that I didn't need my Blackberry charger because I had a funny wee connection and a lead from two separate things that worked as a charger so yippee for that. We'll nip in to see him again this morning and see that the phone is indeed unlocked.
Another couple of trips up and down in the bus, to the favourite grocery store and we have enough coke supplies to last us beyond Bill's departure. When you have a car, you don't really think too much about buying several 2 litre bottles but when you have to carry it to the bus stop, it is something to ponder. My soda comes in 2 litres (for 87 cents plus tax, which makes it around the $1) and I will have to get into the habit of picking up a bottle when I don't have a big shop otherwise my arms will grow VERY long transporting groceries.
Another quiet night in....eventually, after a final bus-tripto the shops, in the dark (it was only 8pm) and I had my earliest night since Bill's been here, I think.
I've been finding it harder and harder to get going in the mornings and will have to look at that when I make up my next remedies. I'm not sleeping great, so that's probably half the problem, so I will look at that as well....watch this space.
Right, time for my meditation. Bill's up and I think he'll want to make up for a late start yesterday. That man is like a puppy with all his energy and enthusiasm. I hope some of it rubs off on me.
Sending lots of love out to all.
Lxxxx
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