December 2015
Sunday December 27
Merry Christmas!
Our Christmas tree
Our Christmas has unfolded pretty much according to Hally-Dent traditions. Ann and I both took last week and next week off to get a decent break from the demands of work. For most of us, Christmas Eve began, as usual, with the children's service at the church featuring The Grumpy Innkeeper. Other than two years when they tried something different, James has been in the play since being baby Jesus at the age of six months. This year he was the narrator and Emily handled the effects (shining a flashlight from the balcony to simulate the star of Bethlehem). Katy and Ben were off celebrating with the Hartlings so they missed the service but arrived in time for the food and games at home when we returned. Following tradition, we played Town River Mountain and the Dent grab parcel game. This year we were joined by Dave and Chris, Alison and Ted, Krista and Tristan and their three month old son James, Ingrid, Mike and Alex (unfortunately Ingrid's mum Maiga was not able to make it) and Jocelyn. Jim and Valerie came a bit later after the games were over.
Christmas morning was scheduled to begin with Eggs Benedict for breakfast at 9 AM but Ann and I didn't wake up until 9:30, something that would not have been allowed to happen a few years ago. It was well after noon by the time all the presents had been opened. Then it was time for some relaxation with new books and games before a roast beef Christmas dinner.
On Boxing Day, we cleaned up most of the mess left from Christmas Day, then spent the afternoon at the annual open house of our friends Susan and Dave. Today a winter storm passed through, though it was not as bad as predicted: only about 5 cms of snow instead of the 15 to 20 we were expecting. When Ann saw that it would not clog up the roads too much, she ventured off to church and, later in the day, Katy went to visit friends in Halifax, but Emily, James and I stayed at home and continued playing with our new toys.
We hope you have all had as joyous and as restful a Christmas as ours.
Sunday December 20
Christmas lights on a house in Halifax
Tuesday was a red letter day for me: I had an appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon who said that my femur was healed and I could dispense with the crutches. That has made our lives quite a lot simpler as I can now drive and carry light things around without difficulty. I still have a way to go on the road to a full recovery as the muscles in my leg need to be exercised before they will work properly. I will be going to the physiotherapist for another month at least.
On Thursday, Ann and I went to a pot-luck party for her colleagues at the Diabetes Program. It was held at her boss Peggy's house on the other side of Halifax. On the way back home we took a detour to see the Christmas lights in one of the more affluent Halifax neighbourhoods: this is one of them.
We now have most of the family home for the holidays. Yesterday, Ann and I drove to the valley to pick up James and his room-mate Duncan. James will be home until the new year but I drove Duncan to the airport this morning for a flight back to his family in Ontario. Katy, Emily and Ben arrived at about 1:30 AM this morning after driving straight through from Ottawa. David will be staying on the west coast this year.
This afternoon we were at another Christmas party, this one at Anna and Mark's, friends of ours from DRDC whose Christmas tradition always includes a big bash. Many of our friends from DRDC were there as well as several who have retired in recent years and that we don't see very often.
Monday December 14
Ann, Janelle and Vanessa
Christmas is rapidly approaching and today we had our first touch if snow before it turned back to rain. There is still a little left, enhancing the Christmassy effect in the neighbourhood, but it won't last long as significant amounts of rain are forecast for tomorrow. So far it has been a very warm fall with the temperature seldom dipping below zero.
Yesterday Ann and I went to a gathering at Kevin and Linda's, the excuse for which was to collect cookies for distribution to the needy through their church. Other than that our Christmas activities have been confined to home and a few stores. We are preparing for the onslaught of children next weekend but there is still quite a lot to be done.
Yesterday evening we were surprised by a visit from Janelle and Vanessa. Janelle, whom we had never met, is the daughter of Ann's flat-mate from university days, Laurie. She was visiting her friend Vanessa who, for the past few months, has been on a placement here to finish up her degree. They are now both on their way back to Manitoulin Island.
Sunday December 6
The view over the Rhine from my hotel room
Last week I went on my annual trip to Wageningen, The Netherlands for meetings of the research groups that I belong to. I left on Saturday evening with my colleagues Holly and Layton who helped me get my suitcase onto airplanes and trains. We flew overnight to Heathrow, then to Schiphol where we caught a train for the last leg to Wageningen arriving at about 7 PM on Sunday. I managed to negotiate the airports alright, getting quite proficient at jumping on and off the moving staircases. The meetings were held at a new hotel this year, about a half hour walk out of town in the middle of a forest. The weather was miserable and it was dark by the time the meetings ended, so I didn't set foot or crutch outside of the hotel for the four days we were there; luckily their restaurant was pretty good. The meetings went well and our return journey on Thursday was uneventful but long: we had to go via Frankfurt and Montreal.
While I was away Ann kept herself busy. She went to the Advent Dinner at the church on Sunday, book club on Monday (Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson), the movie Room with Roxanne on Tuesday and choir rehearsal on Wednesday.
Today Ann and I went to cut down a Christmas tree at the farm in Mount Uniacke where we have gone for the last few years. It was a bit different this year with only two of us and me on crutches. As usual, we found a nice tree without walking far at all but, for once, we did not traipse around the rest of the farm to ensure that it really was the best one. It is now installed, but not yet decorated, in the corner of our living room.