Canada 2012

[westcoastnortherner]

So I noticed that there is a thread for America 2012, and I thought it would be nice to have a Canadian one too. So we can chat or if anyone has any questions I'm sure someone will be able to help...

I moved to Victoria, BC three years ago I have two DC'S and I am a SAHM.

[ClassFree]

Hello from the East Coast! I am from Ontario, recently moved to Nova Scotia. Still getting used to the area, and haven't met many new people yet. I have a feeling I might be the only mumsnetter east of Quebec...

[nooka]

I ring my parents on Saturday or Sunday afternoons to hit around about 8.30pm UK time. The really tricky person to ring is my sister in Australia as she is in tomorrow!

Welcome ClassFree, tell us about the Maritimes! I'd really like to visit the East Coast some time. We had a fabulous holiday in New England long ago, and it was one of the reasons we moved to North America, although we've not actually managed to get back to Maine (we loved Acadia)

[Jacksmania]

Lost this thread for a while, marking place again.
Am on West Coast. It's 21:53 here. Going to bed but will be back, utterly exhausted after sleepless night with vomiting child last night.
Night all.

[crazyforbaby]

Snap Jacks! Mine hasn't started vomiting (yet), but has a fever which I treat with Calpol brought over by visitors from UK (none of mine will take Tylenol - if it's not pink and strawberry flavoured then they wont take it!) Hopefully we will both get a better night's sleep tonight. All my older children have always caught chickenpox around Eastertime, so I keep checking my youngest for spots...so far nowt there, phew!

[Jacksmania]

Good morning!

(Always wanted to ask, what does "snap!" mean?)

[toutpuissant]

Snap was/is a card game, I used to play it with my Granny. You would divide the deck by all the players and you would all turn over a card at once, and if your card matched someone else's you would yell Snap! and whoever said snap first would get all the matching cards, The object of the game was to get as many cards as you could. In everyday use it just means 'I'm the same' (there seems to be a saying here in Ontario along the lines of "Jinx, buy me a coke" which means the same thing but I have no idea where it came from!

[ClassFree]

Hello! The east coast is awesome, but very different. I have lived in BC, Alberta and Ontario before this, and each region has its own vibe. DH was posted in Esquimalt before, so he got to experience a bit of the west, but the kids had never lived outside of northern Ontario.
We live quite near the ocean, so it is a lot more windy, but warmer than I'm used to. I haven't seen any deer or large game out here, but definitely a lot more birds. It is pricier for groceries and gas, but cheaper for rent. The shopping is better, but that is because we are on the edge of Halifax, where as before we were quite isolated. I am slowly, slowly making friends, and feeling quite homesick, but it has only been a few months, and I'm sure it will get better. I actually put out a "friends wanted" thing on Kijiji, and tonight I am meeting up with 4 women to go walking down at the boardwalk. I hope they are nice and friendly

'Jinx, buy me a coke' has been around for at least as long as my Mum !
And we played 'snap' too, you can get decks for little ones with crocodiles on the back, and numbers on the front.

[Starwisher]

Hi there

The op suggested I post on this thread so I have copied and pasted. Thanks op!
-----
Please help!
dh has lost his job and due to his line of work there is no jobs in the uk but abroad there is plenty more vacancies and a few companies have already shown interest, in Austrialia and new zealand.

We are all very excited at the prospect and overseas work. I lived abroad as a child and loved it.

However, as usual their is a fly in the ointment. My ex who is dd1 father.

For background he lives 5 hours away, sees her once a year for 3 hours (his choice)and pays no Maintence. However I believe as she was born 2006 and he is on the birth certificate I need his permission to go.

I doubt he really cares where she is as evidenced by lack if commitment to her, but to be spiteful he would say no.

Has anyone been in a similar situation and what happened? Thanks in advance

[madwomanintheattic]

I know for Canada you need permission, and I think it has to be legally verified. I suggest you post on britishexpats, as there are loads of people who have had to get legal permission to remove a child from the UK from ex partners. There's a board for each country you are looking to go to.

And to everyone. Well, I'm back from our wee jaunt to the UK. It was v lovely to see everyone, but can honestly say that the most I feel about not living there any more is ambivalent. it was exactly the same in every way. No sweeping wave of homesickness or desire to stay. mil had a lovely birthday party, and I did the rounds of rellies. The kids were a bit weepy and wanted to stay for another week, but none of them expressed any remote interest in staying there forever.

Class, I would love to visit NS. I'm hoping for next year (have been saying that for.e.ver). V jealous. The kijiji ad is inspired! Hope it all went well and you've met some lovely potential friends. It does get harder when you move to a new place!

[MinkyMoodles]

Hi all,

Finally we are starting the process to emigrate to Canada! I've not made it all the way through the thread but thought I best say hello!

We are applying via Community Identified for Nova Scotia.

MM :)

[madwomanintheattic]

that's exciting, minky. where are you headed? i know a few people who have used the community stream and it can be a good route if you have a lot of contacts.

we went sw just before they started the sap. it took nearly 4 years.

[MinkyMoodles]

Can't wait. We're hoping to end up somewhere near Lunenburg, fingers crossed.

My mum & her long term partner (Canadian) live in Mahone Bay 6 months of the year so it helps.

We could be there this time next year, ekkkk!

Where abouts are you Mad?

[madwomanintheattic]

Albertan Rockies.

Beautiful, but in a different way. I miss the sea.

[MinkyMoodles]

Wow, lucky you.

Nearer to where we first wanted to be, Kelowna or Kamloops ish!!

[madwomanintheattic]

No one really wants to live in Kamloops, do they? kelowna, I get. Kamloops?

We are v lucky. Some days I wander around town going 'wtaf? How did this happen?'

[MinkyMoodles]

Ha ha what's wrong with Kamloops?

I'm hoping one day we may end up in BC, sigh!

Are you Canadian or British?

[MinkyMoodles]

Doh, just read the thread back, ditzy moment!

Ignore last question!

[nooka]

Oy! I live in Kamloops! It's a great place to be. Way better than Kelowna...

[lazydog]

Another one sticking up for Kamloops here. It wouldn't win any awards for the scenery, but everyone I know who lives there, likes living there, and I know ex-pats who live in lots of different places in Canada and can't think of anywhere else that I can say that about. Everywhere else, I know of at least someone who hates where they are living (cities - not smaller locations, I mean.) I choose Kamloops for any major shopping, rather than my nearest city, which is Prince George now that's a dump!

I think the quality of life in Kamloops is generally pretty good as long as you ignore the occasional pulp-mill smell and the views .

[madwomanintheattic]

I knew someone was in Kamloops, but couldn't remember who! I haven't been there for ten years, and there are loads of folk on expats who swear by it. I have no idea what it was, but it had the same effect on me as Alice Springs did lol. I got there and couldn't wait to leave...

I do have a friend who went house hunting in Kelowna and had the same experience - spent two weeks there looking to settle and in the end went back to the UK having decided not to emigrate at all. horses for courses and all that.

I have to say that Medicine Hat grew on me. I loathed it to start with.

Mebbe on my next road trip you can show me the highlights and change my mind

[nooka]

Funny, I wouldn't in any way recommend Kamloops for shopping, and the town is quite ugly but I really like the scenery. The light over the hills is very striking and we have the most amazing sunsets (I think it is the dust). It's not much like the rest of BC though!

We were very surprised that we liked the interior so much when we came over for our recce, we really expected to want to live on the Island, but there is something about the space here that's very appealing. In the summer dh still says at least once every day how beautiful it is here.

I am quite happy to acknowledge that the Mumsnetter who lives by Mount Robinson probably wins the prize for most spectacular location :)

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Marking my place. Nooka suggested this thread and I will read it tomorrow. Hello all. I am British in Victoria BC.

[lazydog]

Hello MrsTerryPratchett - Welcome to the thread. Have you been in Canada long?

nooka It's me that lives in the Robson Valley and I agree - pretty spectacular :) I recently put a couple of pics of our place on my profile.

I agree that Kamloops is nothing special for shopping, especially if you're used to shopping in the UK's cities, but when the alternative is Prince George, I'll take the extra half hours' drive to Kamloops any day!!

[madwomanintheattic]

i still love your pics, lazy.
mine are pretty good, but you win on going that step further!

[westcoastnortherner]

Welcome back Madwomanintheattic and a big hello to MrsTerryPratchett I too am in Victoria!

Mad what did you bring back from the UK?

It's a beautiful day here, we had a BBQ last night... Second of the season!