My Snuggle Bunnies

I arrived in Montreal on the 11th December, it was mild, rainy and not one speck of snow. The newest member of the Robbie family is a golden retriever puppy, who they named "Nellie". Both girls were excited about having a puppy, but Calli didn't want a "biting dog" and decided she would prefer a fish?! Marin on the other hand was right at home with her, as you can see quite content to share Nellies cage.



Calli had pre school from 1-4 daily, so we would drop her off and then go shopping, gave us a little more space in the car when Adam came with us. He had to work a lot of the time unfortunately including over Christmas, but it worked out not too badly as he had "overnights", so gone in the evening, but back in the early morning.

Adam left for work on Christmas Eve around 6pm, and after the girls were bathed, we sat on the couch to read the traditional "Night before Christmas" together. Jennilyn is holding the felt book up in the following picture, so the Catlings can see that it is the one they made for us over 30 years ago for my kids. Once the girls were in bed we organised the gifts, Colin, who had arrived on the 23rd put the dolls house together and voila by midnight we were done!



Christmas morning Calli slept a little later thank goodness and Jenni scooped her up into her bed for a morning snuggle, trying to keep her occupied til Adam made it home. He broke all records and arrived at 8am. Calli was then allowed to make her entrance down the stairs, she stopped on the last step, looked into the living room and saw the dolls house, she just looked at us all and then back and said "a dolls house? oh my gosh, what was Santa thinking?"!!

She then proceeded into the room looking at all the presents, then saw the table and said "he ate the tart, and finished the egg nog Mum, even some of the carrot has gone,"...all this in such an enquiring way, instead of jumping up and down and rushing to the presents as we expected, it was really quite funny. Marin on the other hand, who is the second chocoholic in the family spied her stocking with chocolate sticking out of it, and she was fine.....just bring on the chocolate, who needs presents!




At one point, Marin and Calli opened gifts of hand knitted toque, scarf and mitts, from Jean Catling, the scarf was quite wide and Marin decided it was more of a blanket, she put it around her shoulders and laid down on it for quite a while, in the middle of gift opening, I think she needed the break from the chocolate eating! It was very funny.




It tookmost of the morning to open gifts, but we all managed to be ready for Kevin and Chelsea's arrival, we then enjoyed a super turkey dinner, Colin was designated the turkey/stuffing cook, and Adam and Jennilyn did the smashed potatoes, beets, gravy and brussels, a combined effort as Granny had been "retired" to the couch, it was tough but I managed to stay sitting with my mouth closed....amazing what kids can do, I mean they are only all over 30??!!!

We had a good visit and then Kevin and Chelsea left for Montreal at the same time Adam left for work, winging his way to St John, NB. A super Christmas with my snuggle bunnies, Adam and both my "kids", the best gift of all. I called Calli snuggle-bunny when she was very small, she never forgot that and asks often, "Granny am I still your snuggle bunny"?

Happy New Year to everyone, hope you get a dark, handsome "first footer" to enjoy a drop of whisky with!

Bills Birthday Bash

On Saturday, my best friend Marie and I organised a surprise birthday/retirement party for her husband Bill. Seen here with his third "child" Polar Bear.

Bill will be 60 on the 7th of December and has spent 35 years working for West Fraser Timber Mills. This is how we met Bill and Marie, 32 years ago at one of the Christmas parties at the mill!



The party was a great success and brought together 10 of our old WF buddies, now aging, it was maybe a sobering thought to realise that the rest of the party goers were now looking over at our table to the "old farts"! All retired from WF. We had some amazing photographs of some of our camping trips, curling bonspiels, hunting, fishing trips and of course parties. We had halloween, welcome home and pig parties. If there was an excuse to have a party, we found it!

Back to Bill, he started off piling lumber, then loaded the lumber trains, box cars, was purchasing agent and had many more hats. With time off for good behaviour, his last day of work is December 29th, although his official retirement day is March 31st.

Marie and Bill have been wonderful friends over the years, and, after Romy died, have hung in with me on the darkest of days and didn't give up on me. Friends like these are few and far between, as any of you, who have such a friend (s) know.

For the party we had a great Swiss Chef cater and he didn't let us down, but mostly we remnisced and the collage of photographs were the hit of the night. When all is said and done, us "old farts" were in agreement that it is the memories we have, which are the most precious commodity in life, and !!!! as our memories fade or get a little confused, it is the photographs that get passed around and laughed at, that prompt those memories back. Although believe me there are some arguments as to exactly where and when some of those photographs were taken!

Great fun.....Bill is a methodical, quiet person, he normally doesn't stand out in a crowd, but after a couple of drinks he finds his voice, and after having a drink from each of the 6 - 7 bottles of liquor among the many presents he received, the decibels were over the limit!! Bill liked to hunt, but he bagged an Elk a couple of years ago in Grande Prairie and decided it was time to hang up the gun. AFter a serious car accident 10 years ago, he has trouble with his legs and isn't getting any better. He still likes to get to Bella Coola to fish, but instead of a camper he takes his 26ft travel trailer. His two newest hobbies are genealogy and cooking!

He has made a remarkable book already on the Grisdale connection, finding birth certificates etc, and funnily enough some of his ancestors are buried in the town where Calli goes to pre-school! But it is his other new hobby of cooking which I personally LOVE......!! I am a willing guinea pig and he certainly excels in that department. Among the presents was a Jamie Oliver cookbook, as he had already opened a few of those bottles before he opened this book, he was all for being "the naked Chef." I, well all of us, are hoping he doesn't go to those extremes for the next culinary delight he invites us to dinner for!!

Bill is my son Colins' godfather, is the father of Kristi (29) and Tyler (27) and the "stepdad" to little Polar Bear who is 6 1/2. But Polars' cute, wet, black nose is now out of joint, because Bills' best buddy is Cole, his first grandchild, who will be two pretty quick. Bill excels as Grandpa and Cole of course is just the cutest little grandson anyone could ever have.

So a sucessful life, a successful party, more memories and lots of photographs to look back on. Good luck in retirement Bill, thank you for being my friend, and Happy Birthday....as that t-shirt said "I have waited a long time to become a dirty old man"!!!