Well, we certainly made the most of the end of the school holidays! I think it will be easiest to launch right into it, picking up from where I left off last time. Ah yes, the cricket....
You may remember that I was heading off to the Governor General's grounds (Rideau Hall) to see the 'Canadian Ashes', which is played between the British and Australian High Commissions. We were fortunate with the weather - after rain earlier in the day, the sun stayed out and it was a really lovely afternoon to be outside. The big news is that the Aussies won (yay for us!) and retained the trophy. The kids and I didn't actually stay for the whole game as it didn't wrap up until around 7:30, but I was quite chuffed that I managed to keep the twins from running onto the field for a whole hour. After that I managed to corral them in the cricket nets for a while as they ran around, before I thought it best to head home. Miss 4 had a lovely time too, as there were a number of other kids there for her to run around on the sidelines with. The game itself was good fun - got to see hubby open the bowling and a few catches taken (although we missed him in action with the bat). It was also pretty funny, when the Governor General himself thought he'd pop down for a look with his grandkids - the game stopped momentarily so he and the kids could go out into the middle and have a quick hit!
The next day (Saturday) was a busy one - in the morning we headed into the city to check out the South Asia Festival. It probably didn't have as much there to do as we'd hoped; and also started later then we thought - luckily it was a nice morning to be out in the city! There were a few things for the kids to do though such as bouncy castles and painting, and entertainment on a stage. In the evening, our local park hosted the annual Lumiere Festival (a lantern festival) which was pretty amazing. They also had entertainment (stilt walkers, Chinese dancers, random pirates - arrrghhh) as well as some absolutely gorgeous lanterns, many of which were works of art. We had dinner at the park, but had to leave just as they were lighting up as the kids were all getting pretty tired. I did sneak back later though to soak it up - an incredible atmosphere with all the lanterns lit, fire twirlers, music and everyone wearing glow sticks/bracelets etc. I managed to catch a glimpse of the fireworks festival across the river in Quebec on the walk home too. We finished our busy weekend with a BBQ dinner at a friend's on Sunday night.
The next week was the annual family BBQ hosted by hubby's work. Like last year, it was at the Aviation Museum and for a small price included food for all, as well as a bouncy castle and games for the kids. Unfortunately, it was the worst weather of the week on that day so everyone was huddled underneath the small shelter as they ate their hot dogs and hamburgers. The kids all still managed to have fun though - the rain mostly held off for the twins to play in the playground, and apart from a meltdown when she had to get off the bouncy castle as her friend was allowed on, Miss 4 had fun too.
On the following weekend, we celebrated the twins second birthdays a week early. (Wow - 2 years -where does the time go?) It was lots of fun. We invited a few families who we've seen the most of (so, who know the twins best) and had an evening BBQ. That way, it was acceptable to serve wine and beer :) I fed the kids full of lollies and chips, sent them home with lolly bags, and made rainbow cupcakes, which looked great thanks to the neon food colouring. Of course, the twins chose not to have a sleep that afternoon, so we were pretty worried that they would turn into tired monsters, but they seemed to really enjoy having so many familiar faces around and tucked into the party food with glee. They did seem to find the coloured cakes disturbing though, as they only licked off the frosting and didn't eat the cake at all! When I brought the bubbles out at the end of the night they were in heaven chasing them around and powered on for a late night, even without their sleep. A great day.
The last week of August we managed to squeeze in a few days in Quebec City. We absolutely loved it - I could rave about it for ages, but I'll stick to the highlights. In general, it almost feels like being in Europe - obviously it is French speaking and combine that with the cobbled streets, historic squares and city walls around the old town, it has such charm. Hubby found us awesome accommodation - a converted loft above a shop right in the heart of the old town. Our car was left in a parking building the whole time and we explored on foot. We really did do an awful lot of just walking around, looking at the sights and taking lots of photos. A couple of attractions we checked out were the Citadelle for the changing of the guard (complete with goat mascot who relieved himself on the parade ground much to the amusement of Miss 4!) and the Observation Tower for great views over the town and lots of historical displays. In a happy accident of timing, friends of ours were there at the same time of us, so we took turns babysitting so we could get a night out without kids. That gave us a chance to get a steak and frites dinner (traditional fare) and see the free Cirque du Soleil show at the port. Although some items had to be shortened due to rain (some pretty clear safety issues) what we saw was fantastic, and because we got there a bit late, we actually got to stand right up the front so had an excellent view. On our way out, we detoured past the Montmorency Falls and took the cable car up to the top - very windy that day but great views.
We were finally home again on Monday evening, and on Tuesday school started! We'd had a school orientation the previous week where the girls all got to meet their teachers - Miss 4 was up in Kindergarten and the twins are doing 2 half days of nursery school (really like daycare in a school environment). I'd also been busy making sure Miss 4 had all the uniform she needed (she looks super grown up in a uniform!) as well as making sure everyone had the right shoes that fit. They all had foot growth of a whole size over spring/summer! So the first week of school seems to have gone well. The twins both had a few 'moments' (so the teachers tell me) but are very happy when they get to play outside and seem in no hurry to come home at the end of the day. Miss 4 was very excited to see all her friends from last year and has already been invited to 2 birthday parties for next weekend. She has done her first homework and can already recite a list of colours in French. I was tired getting everyone in and out the door all week, but it will be great once everyone is used to the routine.
Another reason I was tired was that we had visitors with us for a couple of nights during the week. They were the friends we'd seen in Quebec City; after a quick stop in Montreal they came through Ottawa and stayed with us. Although we didn't get out with them very much due to school (although we did have a lovely afternoon in the sunshine at Rideau Hall) it was fun having friends from back home stay with us, and we sat around in the evenings with a glass of wine and chocolate catching up on the last few years.
So, that is the end of summer. Although the seasons don't officially change for another 2 weeks, it is starting to feel like fall. The mornings are pretty crisp and cool and the leaves are starting to turn and drop (bring on the rake). We're looking forward to another visitor in a week and a bit, but things will be slowing down now school is back. Until next time :)
No comments:
Post a Comment