I�m baaaaaaack!

It is so nice to be home again. After ten days away, the house was still here, just as we left it, albeit a little hotter and staler, having had the windows all closed, and the attic, when I came up here to turn off the light timer and turn on the computer, was like an oven. I now have windows open at both ends and a fan blowing the cool evening air in from one of them, so it is becoming bearable.

We left Guelph this morning, arriving at my mom�s around noon, where I made us all tea and Little Princess and I demolished a can of tuna fish. Hubby had tied the two hard-shell suitcases to the roof-top carrier under the watchful eye of his dad before we left my in-laws, so we just had to retrieve the musical instruments we had left in Toronto and the guys� wedding attire, kiss and hug my mom goodbye, and we were on the road heading east by 1 p.m. We stopped at The Big AppIe (there�s a picture here if you just scroll down a bit) at 2 o�clock to pee, change drivers and buy some pies (apple-strawberry and blueberry). The place has gone from a simple restaurant to a full theme park, complete with zoo (llamas are the main attraction), mini-golf, some wee rides, and of course the huge apple that houses an information centre as well as a working beehive. What impressed me more were the stands of purple loosestrife among the bullrushes in the ditches, lovely to see, but the knowledge of what they are disturbing despite their beauty.

It was raining when we left Guelph and Toronto, but travelling east we outran the weather and crossed the Ontario-Quebec border to beautiful conditions, and were treated to a gorgeous sunset behind us. As we passed St-Jean-sur-RicheIieu, we saw several hot-air balloons, part of the festival they hold every summer. Several years ago, driving back from Montreal, we passed the same spot and saw crowds of gaily-coloured montgolfi�res leaving the ground and coming towards us. We keep saying that one of these years we will actually go out there and watch, but so far we have only seen them from afar.

I have lots and lots of stories to tell, but they will have to wait until tomorrow. I have missed the internet so much, even though I was able to read diaries a couple of times and check my mail, at my brother-in-law�s last weekend and at my sister-in-law�s mid-week, but I haven�t been able to update or chat with anyone, other than leave brief notes. So, it is with great pleasure that I can reconnect with all my friends again through this fantastic medium.

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