Tuesday 10 January 2017

New Years in Montreal and Ottawa

Two wonderful weeks with our Montreal and Ottawa families - from Boxing Day night (and Lily's birthday) in Montreal to Teagan's birthday and New Years in Ottawa, to Twelfth Night and a few more snowy days in Montreal

OTTAWA
three cousins at 'Rat-a-Tat-Cat" and many other games ... 
… on the speed-skating oval at Brewer Park, just open and a bit bumpy ...
… but skate-able ...
… and good for visiting
"Geocache" found, just 'up the hill', but frozen solid in the crotch of the tree.
Maybe, come spring ...

MONTREAL
Alice joining her mum on guitar
Rachel and girls made a backyard ice-house - see the 2-foot sticks to judge when to stop digging on the inside (1-foot thick walls).  One evening, with rugs on the floor and lit by ice-lanterns, six of us packed in (Rachel, Alice, Lily, Gabriela, Doco, Meo) for campfire songs - "sur la route de Berthier", "my logger lover"…  Seen below, on a trial run, Doco reminds me of Pooh Bear in Rabbit's hole - but he did make it out with no 'shrinking pause' required! 
Doco on the inward journey ...
… and the outward ...
… phew!

What with snow and freezing rain, much of our visit was snuggled up with books or games, with an occasional outing to Rue Laurier ...
Doco and Alice and 'Asterix'
chocolate chaude at "le lapin presse", for Alice and Meo
January 10th and, alas, first day back at school for Lily and Alice,
and back to Vancouver for Doco and Meo