Marie's Web Log

Here we are, in Canada once again. Been here more than a week actually. We met Mum, Dad, Mark and Sachiko at the airport in Halifax. Met up with my first cousin and her husband and kids for dinner, then the next day left to drive to NB. Suffered from jet lag a bit the first few days. Was very hot - about 34C, which is hotter than it usually gets in NB - and humid. That Saturday was the big surprise 70th birthday/45th anniversary party for Mum and Dad at Suzie and Jamie's house - and we managed to keep it a secret until the walked into her back garden and saw all their friends and relatives. They thought they were going to a small family barbeque. It was a great success, even though poor Rob and Jamie had great trouble putting up the marquee tent thing we hired.

Since then it seems like we've been on the go all the time, though we probably haven't. Meelie has got in the habit of staying up late and sleeping late, and has had a couple of disturbed nights, which has left me pretty tired.

Fredericton is a strange place. (It's where I grew up from the age of nine to twenty, for those of you wh don't know.) Population about 40-50,000, which hasn't changed in 35 years. I think of it as a quiet, safe place, but then Dad warned Mark to move his car off the street because of joy riders, and they were talking about people being 'swarmed' by groups of young men on the walking paths at night.

Then on Saturday, when we went to the market, I saw a downtrodden looking women sitting on a folding chair near the street, holding a paper cup, with a stuffed toy dog on the ground beside her. I had to ask what she was doing, which was, as Dad explained, begging. It's been so long since I've seen it I didn't even recognize what it was! In Exeter the homeless people sell the Outreach newspaper, but I haven't seen anyone begging. I didn't really expect it in Fredericton.

A couple of photos for you:

Yes, I know - she's in a buggy. It was a special treat because it was hot, she was tired, and it was the only way we could get her to go to the Scottish Festival, which was an essential part (although they didn't know it) of keeping Mum and Dad away from Suzie's before the party...