Hello, my friends. I’m back home in Ottawa. I flew home yesterday afternoon, after a wonderful visit with family and friends down east. I guess I could say I’m back home from home.
While I was enjoying myself, poor Hubby was stuck at home in Ottawa with a seemingly insoluble water situation (we’ve been having trouble with our well) and bad weather (15 cm of snow one day) and a deteriorating mood. And who can blame him? After all, he was twelve days without my sunny personality to cheer him up. Ha.
That’s me with my two sisters below. Carolyn kept trying to hide behind me to avoid getting in the photo. So I outsmarted her.
A couple of days after I arrived in Fredericton, Carolyn and I drove down to Nova Scotia to spend the weekend with our sister Connie and her husband, Pat. Poor Pat. He had a hard time getting a word in edgewise. But he didn’t seem to mind because he made us delicious breakfasts both mornings.
I had such a lovely weekend. It’s been years since I spent the night at my sister’s place. When Pat and Connie’s kids were small I was a regular visitor. But then I moved to Ontario, and they moved to Alberta, and well, you know, life happened.
Aside from long sisterly chats and great meals, we saw their daughter, Elizabeth, and her daughter both days. I’m so fond of my niece. I love all my nieces and nephews, actually. Elizabeth’s daughter, Lucy, is a keeper. My oh my, both Carolyn and I just love her. At three and a half she has an amazing vocabulary and a great sense of fun. We jumped, played hide and seek, blew bubbles, and laughed like there was no tomorrow.
Carolyn visits Connie and Pat quite often and is a great favourite of Lucy’s. Lucy calls her “great-aunt-Carolyn.” Every single time she addresses her, each word is pronounced carefully, all the “ts” perfectly precise. It’s hilarious. And I have become Great-aunt-Susie. As in, “Great-aunt-Carolyn, Great-aunt-Susie come down to the basement; we’re blowing bubbles.” Of course we always obliged.
Back home in Fredericton, Carolyn and I yakked, and took turns cooking, and watched British mysteries and old movies on television. My sister had never seen Casablanca. I was aghast, and we soon remedied that. I think I’ve watched that movie at least fifty times. Okay, make that fifty-one.
One day we shopped. For Carolyn, not for me. We visited our favourite store in Fredericton, “Eloise,” and had a great time. The owner whose name is Eloise, and Sherry, a sales assistant, were very attentive. Carolyn tried on a million pairs of jeans, or so it seemed, and found three pairs. Her jean wardrobe, as my friend Liz used to say, is now complete. I love shopping for someone else. We laughed and shared stories, and went away with a distinct feeling that Eloise might very well be a relative. This fits in with Hubby’s bias. For years he used to say that I was related to almost everyone in New Brunswick.
These are the new sunglasses we bought that day. Good, eh? I am not counting sunglasses in my “Rule of Five” purchases. That may be cheating, though. I’m not sure.
On another day my old friend Debbie and I met the gang with whom we attended elementary school. After the reunion we organized in 2016, one friend has taken it upon herself to organize monthly coffee dates. I attend whenever I am back home. It’s lovely to keep in touch with such old friends.
On a different day, Debbie and I did our usual tour of the shops in downtown Fredericton followed by lunch. This year we included a vintage shop that Debbie’s niece loves. Oddly enough it has the same name as the one I love here in Ottawa.
My friend Debbie and her husband recently moved back to Fredericton after many, many years in the Toronto area. Deb says it was an adjustment, but she loves being back now. Fredericton may be a small city, but it’s pretty sophisticated for its size. It has lots of small independent businesses, a vibrant arts and culture scene, and several really great restaurants. I think this is due in part because it’s the seat of the provincial government, and partly a result of having two universities in town. Funnily enough I am only just beginning to explore these aspects of my hometown now that Mum is no longer living. That’s because I have more time when I’m there. For years my visits were necessarily all about Mum.
One night Debbie and I went out for dinner to the Palate, my favourite restaurant.
My goodness, I love this place. If you are ever in Fredericton you must go. The food is always delicious, and their menu is creative and interesting. I had Duck Confit the night Deb and I ate there. And of course my favourite dessert, sticky toffee cake.
The Palate has become Carolyn’s favourite restaurant too. We’ve eaten there together a few times. The day Carolyn and I were shopping we decided to put off stopping for lunch, instead choosing to eat an early supper so we didn’t have to cook when we got home. Carolyn wanted to go to The Palate. “I’m game,” I said. “But I am eating there with Debbie tomorrow night.” We decided that instead of proving a problem, eating there twice in a row would simply allow me to try two different meals instead of having to choose only one. Ha.
The next night, I laughingly told the waitress I’d eaten there just the night before. “I told you this was my favourite restaurant,” I said. As Debbie and I were leaving, the waitress waved and called out, “See you tomorrow.”
So I am home now. I went home and then I came back home again. It’s hard to keep the homes straight, I know. Poor Hubby was lonely when I was away. And bored. Except for the worries about our water, and shovelling snow. But as cures for boredom go, both activities leave much to be desired. Today is beautiful and the first warm day in a while. Hubby and I went for a long walk, and opened all the windows in the house. It feels as if spring is finally here. For today, anyway.
Now, I must close this post, my friends. I have laundry to finish. And I’m cooking dinner tonight. Usually I don’t cook on blogging day, but I promised Hubby spaghetti carbonara tonight. It’s the least I can do after abandoning him for twelve days.
You know, I just want to say before I go how lucky I feel today. How lucky to have two wonderful sisters, and a wonderful husband, and good friends. Not to mention lots of virtual friends who patiently read my wittering on about life and philosophizing about clothes each week.
As Bogie didn’t quite say in Casablanca: what more could a girl want “in this crazy world?”
P.S. I apologize for not getting this post out yesterday. Hope you don’t mind. I’ll be right on schedule next week. I promise.
34 thoughts on “Back Home from Home”
Welcome back . It sounds like your trip ‘ home ‘ has done you the world of good . Stuart will be sending you away more often 😁 Fredericton looks a lovely old place with lots of character , my kind of town . So many places have been modernised to death – such a shame . I hope winter proper has gone for you now & you can enjoy spring . Last year’s spring was chilly & damp here but this year we have had a lovely gentle spring so far . The garden is very happy & the birds can’t believe their luck . Sounds like rain is moving in tomorrow but we need it now to stay green . Like you , I’m busy washing so I can get it out before the weather turns . I do love a full washing line flapping in the breeze .
C’est un vrai bonheur de vous lire .Votre joie de vivre est contagieuse, un vrai remède contre la grisaille ambiante. Vous avez de la chance d’avoir des soeurs adorables et une famille aimante ….et un mari a qui vous manquez !
En France , nous disons que ”nous marchons sur la tête ” actuellement, tant notre vie nous paraît surréaliste ! Même les panneaux a l’entrée des villes ont été retournés !!!
A pert ça,en Provence nous avons un printemps particulièrement humide.Il pleut presque tous les jours .On se croirait en Normandie,il ne manque que les vaches dans les prés !
Mais les températures sont très douces et le jardin en profite.Certains rosiers sont en boutons et ne vont pas tarder a fleurir !C’est tout de meme étrange en Avril .
Encore plus étrange de penser que vous puissiez être sous la neige en ce début de printemps !
Je vous souhaite de la douceur en toutes choses !
Merci, Celia. Hopefully our flowers will be blooming soon too.
Me too, Wendy. I can’t wait until it’s warm enough to hang the washing on the clothesline.
I concur, a trip back to old stamping grounds can be a wonderful thing, literally walking down memory lane at times. I hope your well problem sorts itself out and, like us here in the UK, the spring weather continues to bring joy.
Remedy number three or is it four for our well seems to be working. We are holding our breath. 🙂
Glad you are back and had a wonderful time. Amazing how time flies by and you realize you haven’t seen your people (extended family and friends) for some time. Life seems to get in the way. your great niece sounds adorable. Children certainly keep you on your toes. You realize how you miss playing. Just having fun… drawing, playing school, riding your bike. That’s my goal for this year to just play more.
I love little kids at that age. I have such great memories of playing with my nieces and nephews when they were little I’m happy to do it all over again with the next generation.
Welcome home! I’m in the opposite situation of having been home alone while my husband was away for almost two weeks. I enjoyed the solitude to a point, but am happy to have him back again.
Lovely to read of your time with your sisters. I have two brothers and have a good relationship with both of them, but have always wondered what life with sisters would have been like.
Of course life with sisters is not always rosy. Ha. I think that my two sisters who are only two years apart remember a few rocky relationship years. Ha.
Welcome home! Glad you had such a wonderful time.
It’s been a bit since I was in Fredericton – did some family history research there at the provincial archives (some of my ancestors came from Ireland to the Miramichi in the early 1800s). Such a beautiful city.
Oh that is interesting, Carol. My paternal grandmother was a Henderson from the Miramichi region. There are lots of people in New Brunswick with Irish heritage.
Sunglasses are surely safety gear so aren’t subject to the rule of five. Not that I am the arbitrator or anything.
Cheers, Ceci
That is good, Ceci. I’m going to use that excuse. Ha.
What a wonderful trip ‘home’ you have had. Shopping, eating and chatting sounds just the best kind of holiday. Your family sounds close and I love the way all the generations mix and mingle.
We have been having an extended summer with warm sunny days and cool nights which makes sleep much easier. However, I think that might all change later this week with the first blast of winter coming in from Antarctica. Woolly jumpers might need to come out of storage!
I hope the full flush of spring reaches you soon. There is something energizing about all the new life.
We found it so unusual when we were down your way to think of the cool weather coming from the south.
Sounds like such a wonderful trip! Being an only child, I’ve always wondered how it would be to have sisters – or brothers for that matter. Luckily I do have cousins I often call or text, but, alas, none are close by; most are in another state since we left California for Arizona. You’re so fortunate to have such a great closeness with your sisters. Always enjoy your posts.
We are very lucky that we can visit together after all these years of living so far apart. For decades it was only on big family occasions that we all ended up in New Brunswick at the same time.
Lovely to read your post. I have five sisters & we love visiting each other when we can. There’ll be so much chatter, laughter, food & some intense gossip!
Definitely all of those things for us too… chatting, laughing, eating.
Sometimes going “home” isn’t so great. Last time I went to my hometown, the place was nothing like it used to be and some shops had been demolished… 😔
I only got a glimpse of Fredericton when we visited Canada last year, but thought it was charming. We had a drink at Picaroons with my nephew’s in-laws. (My nephew, sisters boy, married a Canadian girl and they live in Riverview, Moncton.)
Hopefully when we return, we can spend longer and visit The Palate. 😋
Even though downtown Fredericton has changed, somehow the old downtown buildings have mostly remained intact. And they are filled again with small independent businesses, which is lovely.
Sounds like a great trip Sue. Geography lesson for me too as I was thinking when you said you drove down to Nova Scotia that in my mind you would be driving ‘up’ to Nova Scotia from Fredricton not ‘down’. Quick check of Google maps to confirm I was wrong!
We travelled up the coast of Maine last year from Boston but didn’t cross the border into Canada.I have always wanted to visit Nova Scotia – maybe one day.
Glad you had a wonderful trip and that spring has finally sprung for you there. It has here in Scotland too.
Prepositions are peculiar aren’t they? We call heading east… going down. But when we go west, it’s out west. And the north shore of New Brunswick was always called “over north.” It’s as much about dialect as geography. 🙂
I so much enjoyed reading what was shared in this post about the recent travels. I am doing so before heading to work; a pleasant read to start off my day.
My visualization made me to think how far away I am from your beautiful country, but in reality, I am not so far at all (Pennsylvania, USA).
Thanks to the author for sharing. Lovely photos, lovely family, and how nice to learn of adventures and lifestyles of those living in the neighboring country. 🤗
Thank-you for the kind words. I hope you stop by again, Lynne.
Sisters are the best! Three of the four of “us girls” live within a couple hours of one another and we meet monthly for lunch somewhere midway. Fredericton looks idyllic and it’s good you get to experience it while remembering the way it was. I love the way you talk about “home” and “back home.” They both hold a special place in our hearts, don’t they?
Also, I agree with Ceci above, sunglasses are safety gear. Sunscreen for your eyes! xoxo
I’m a bit too far away to mange monthly visits. But Connie and Carolyn are closer now and they get together often. “Sunscreen for the eyes”… I’ll remember that. 🙂
Being an only child, I am always interested in the sister relationships. Glad you had such a good time. Nice photos and btw, love the sunglasses.
Thanks, Linda. Hubby says I don’t need a new pair… but it’s not about need…exactly. Ha.
Your time with your sisters sounds absolutely wonderful <3
It must have been “Sister” weekend!! I went to Toronto and met two sisters, one cousin and three nieces, our son and his girlfriend over 3 days. We went to a gallery and a museum, ate at great restaurants, laughed and shared.
We saw Martha Stewart at breakfast one day! Only shopped in one store and walked all over.
We attended the Icelandic Canadian Club Thorrablot (spring dinner) and auction.
It was just the best time. Highly recommended fun. Other people should try this, too.
Welcome back,Sue! Hope that everything is still working with the well
It is wonderful to have sisters! And friends….
We are having sunny summer weather,it is Wednesday noon and 23°C.
Dottoressa
It sounds like you had a great time at home (the one of your youth). It is incredible that you stayed in touch with so many of your childhood friends. I’d say that it is lucky for you, but I think that your personality is what made it happen, not luck. And good for you!
Water problems are awful and snow in springtime puts our moods to the test. Enough already! No wonder your husband wasn’t having a good time in your absence. Hopefully he is feeling better after the sun came out, you came home and you made him a delicious dinner.
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