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
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three cousins at 'Rat-a-Tat-Cat" and many other games ... |
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… on the speed-skating oval at Brewer Park, just open and a bit bumpy ... |
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… but skate-able ... |
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… and good for visiting |
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"Geocache" found, just 'up the hill', but frozen solid in the crotch of the tree. Maybe, come spring ... |
MONTREAL
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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!
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Doco on the inward journey ... |
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… and the outward ... |
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… 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 ...
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Doco and Alice and 'Asterix' |
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chocolate chaude at "le lapin presse", for Alice and Meo |
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January 10th and, alas, first day back at school for Lily and Alice, and back to Vancouver for Doco and Meo |