hello friends

Are you well today? This week? This month? I do so hope so, it's been so long.

Well, the move happened and here I am, sitting suddenly eight hours behind where I used to be and to be honest, wondering what in the heck just happened. Into the final throws of jet lag, suitcases unpacked and a bearing of where we are, there is, I think, a little more content than six or seven days ago when we were fresh off a plane and suffering with exhaustion. The children started their new school yesterday and I don't mind saying my fingers have been tightly crossed and my stomach in knots ever since.

Yes, lovely dear readers, we have now crossed the Pond to 'beautiful British Columbia' as so many of you clever things predicted. London is half a world away and this new world of ours is a big, big place where pinafores are called jumpers, jumpers have become sweaters, trousers are now pants, and pants are underwear. We are going to have such a lot of fun with this, I know it! There is now no colour in our world, but color, which is the green of rain fuelled grass, the white of snow capped mountains and bronze from countless fallen leaves.

Are you wondering about the fate of our two moggies? We couldn't possibly have left them behind so those two little lovelies flew with British Airways in a big wooden crate covered in 'live animal' stickers and dosed up on Bach's Rescue Remedy. They arrived a day later than us, surprisingly relaxed after their long, foodless, journey and have been nibbling furiously ever since.

Ooh guess what? We have literally just seen our first racoons, two of them right outside the house, hanging over the branches of a tree by the porch. What a sight they were, staring at us, staring at them. Funny badgery-type things. I wish I had got a photo, only the sky was as black as could be and raining to boot. Next time. I'll show you next time!