Reminiscing of snow

Too much writing, not enough pictures! I hear your silent cries and I'm here to sort it out. Also, because after three days of up to 20ºC pretty much all the snow is gone and we're left with the various browns of mud and grass that hasn't seen sunlight in four months. I miss the snow, let's reminisce...

Pointe-au-Père, January

  

Lucky the dog, in snow and looking bashful (for good reason) in front of the snowy balcony window

Walking on the frozen St-Lawrence river, checking out the ice fishing and admiring the town from a perspective I never expected.

And finally, my favourite thing to do on sunny days when I was fed up with unemployment: walking along the riverside and taking photos of the frozen waters.

The cunning use of video games

My housemate has stolen my boyfriend. With the cunning use of retro video games. It might look like a playstation remote plugged into a Wii-mote but really it is the highly pixelated Punch-Out! 

I'm leaving them to it for several reasons: 

1) Housemate only has two remotes

2) I'm rubbish at video games (except dancing ones, Plants v Zombies and Peggle)

3) I think they need a little bonding time. I don't know if it was since I arrived but I have rarely seen them behave like friends (which I'm led to believe they were before they moved in together)

Also, since I got a job, I've fallen behind on my fashion blog reading - shameful, I know. Although, given the choice (which I essentially do have) I would choose my new job over fashion blogs. It makes the waiting for the next post go so much quicker!

Things I need to do: find a flat (with Denis, don't worry, things are still good), buy a car (I'm hoping they'll accept cake in payment) and sort out the legality of me staying here past October. Otherwise, I'm sticking Denis with a seven-month contract on a flat, and that would be unfair. Also, if my new job continues as I hope, and believe, it will, I won't want to be going anywhere.

In other news, I went to dinner with my new boss last night. We had sushi and wine and talked about swing dancing and looked at pretty dresses. Could I ask for more? While it is friendly at work, there was definitely a different feeling - a feeling of two anglophones, who have both been through the British school system and who wound up in some dark corner of a desolate land. I joke because I love - I walked 30 minutes to work today in temperatures that with windchill were getting on for -20 and involved large amounts of snow blowing in my face. I didn't mind but I could really do with a car... if only to be able to get where I need to be going for job-stuff.

I'm looking forward to this weekend (my first event with the new company) - a Winter Wonderland with face-painting, ice sculptures, free hot chocolate, a live band and dancefloor. Will let you know how it goes.

I'll stop now. The elaborate québécois swearing directed at Super Mario is far too distracting.

And the young man watched the snow through the window.

Lison took Eibhlin and I cross country skiing today. We managed six kilometres in the time it took her to do 14... This was mostly because of all the time I spent sitting/lying in the snow and not actually skiing. Eibhlin probably could've managed ten in that time but thankfully she stopped periodically and waited for me to catch up.

Going very slowly or "shuffling" isn't too hard until you get to a downhill but every time I got up a bit of speed - even on flat bits - I lost my balance. Although from the start where I had fear and dreaded the downhills by the end I loved them even if I knew I was more likely to end up on my bum than my feet.  Oddly, I fell quite a bit at the start then got into it a bit, then got more into it and fell over even more.

This winter I have learnt that I don't need to be good at something to enjoy it.

My knees are still bruised from my ice skating fall (I was trying to go backwards and I can only just about go forwards) last Sunday and they ache after exertion however, despite ski du fond this morning and skating this afternoon it is infinitely more comfortable to stand than sit on my poor bruised behind. I really enjoy skating and I very much want to do ski du fond again - it was so beautiful, moving amongst snow dusted fir trees with flakes falling gently from the sky. At least I was good at skidooing, small mercies. 

Hopefully I will remain upright somewhat better when I try snow-shoeing tomorrow. I'm also trying ski alpin for the FIRST TIME on THURSDAY. (Get me and my getting out there). I'm supposed to go to Quebec City on Friday. I might be dead. And then I won't get to go skidooing again. Better not die. 

Also. ALSO! Swing is back on Tuesday. Hurrah! And in two weeks I will be at a Swing weekender in the big QC. Awe. Som. U. Lar. Marie-Josée came skating today and we were talking and I'm really hoping she's gonna come to the swing thing. It would be so much more awesome if she did. And Marco. People! I know people!

Best laid plans etc

Yes yes yes. I did mean to keep a nice blog here of all my adventures on the North American continent. Unfortunately as soon as something becomes an obligation it loses its fun, hence the dearth of entries.

On the plus side (for me) I have kept something of a record of my doings in a notebook.

Since Christmas (in Chicago with Added Abby And Eric Awesomeness) and 2010-welcoming at Stoneham (the ski resort near Quebec City not the small village in East Sussex) followed by the incredible Cirque du Soleil and particularly fabulous outfit on my part, even if I do say so myself, I've not really done a whole lot.

I bought ice skates! Hockey ones. And I'm getting there, slowly. I've been skating six times since I bought them just over two weeks ago - only need to go three more times until the cost-per-wear is less than skate hire. Hurrah! Maybe by April I will have a new skill. Or maybe I will have so thoroughly destroyed my knees that I will never dance again. Who knows?

Today one of the teachers who works with Eibhlin took us skidooing with another teacher and a head teacher. They really are too generous round here. It was AH-MAY-ZING. They found my need for speed amusing. But I kept it upright and got some good speed up, also got a bit of air at one point... I love the snow.

Talking of snow, we have really great snow right now. On Friday it was a snow day so Eibhlin and I celebrated by playing in the back garden like children.

Rather unfortunately this is not snowman building snow. We attempted snowballs but they didn't work either. However, I believe there is some sort of ice-sculpture competition in town tomorrow. Eibhlin and I spotted some industrious types hard at work on Friday.

A frustrating aspect of Canadian (or is it just Quebec?) life is that they're really behind with the whole mobile/internet thing. Basically phones and internets are on complicated and expensive plans that wring all the money they can out of you then change the rules and bully you for more. Bastards. This means I must spend less time on YouTube watching swing videos and more time reading/knitting/drawing/skating/learning German but no. In reality I have replaced video footage with fashion blogs. And shopping websites. I'm planning my amazing teachering outfits so that I will become my students' favourite. Well, I realise some sort of teaching ability will probably be the main thing here but stunning dresses and fabulous shoes can't hurt...? I feel this dress would go down well - good job it isn't on sale just yet.

Can I come back to England for the shopping please? I know where I can get the stuff I like and I don't have to worry about how much it'll cost to ship across the Atlantic. Don't get me wrong, I'm having a great time and totally not ready to leave but my superficial streak is clawing at me. Probably because the more I buy here the more it'll cost to post home and I'm yet to discover a shop I love here. This has inspired a lot of "if..." shopping - I decided on a look I want, I find the components for it on the internet, I do not buy it. But I would. If I was in England, employed, with cash and a fabulous little Karmann Ghia to set it all off with. This article didn't help although I do wish I could be even bolder with my outfits. Like Katie.

More reading French, less reading fashion blogs/style sections.

Unless they're in French.