Marie's Web Log

It rained heavily yesterday and the day before - the first serious rain we have seen since we came. The River Exe is swollen and muddy. England is prone to flooding at this time of year, which is the opposite of Canada, where floods tend to occur in the spring.

Ian's sister and her family came for a brief visit this weekend. They didn't stay with us (not enough room) but at a delightful bed and breakfast just outside the city that Ian and I had stayed in during our trip down in September. It's a converted 16th century farmhouse and one of the owners has lived there since he was a boy. It's one of those building beloved by children - full of twisty, turny hallways, bulging walls and sudden small flights of stairs.

Last night we all went out for an early dinner at a pub near the bed and breakfast called The Twisted Oak. (I had a look, but couldn't see any oak trees nearby.) The pub was once in the same village as the B&B, but is now cut off from it by a motorway. It proved the ideal setting, as there was a nice large area for Amelia to run around in, and the food was very good. One of the challenges in taking Amelia out to eat is that she will not sit in a chair for more than a few minutes. Luckily, many of the restaurants (and stores) here have baskets of toys for young visitors - an idea I had not come across before, but I think it's a good one.

It was lovely to see Ian's sister and family, and also just to spend time with other adults with whom we have a close relationship. We are missing our friends in Canada. I would say we miss my family, but as they live (mostly) in New Brunswick, we only saw them a couple of times a year anyway. But the lack of friends is leaving a gap. Sometimes I look back with amazement at the manner in which Ian and I blithely skipped off to Canada in 1992, leaving behind both his family and our friends here. I did the same when I went to England after I graduated from McGill. I can think of a couple of reasons why it's different this time - we were younger then, and we stayed longer in the Toronto area than anywhere before, so we had the time to build strong friendships.

Is it true that the things worth doing in life are not the easy things?