The Return Home

I had to go on a business trip last week. It was quite a whirlwind tour; just one night in Calgary and back the next day. Calgary is about a 4 and a half hour flight from Ottawa, if one flies directly, or longer if one goes via Toronto (which, unfortunately I did). Not exactly a trip down the street!

Travel, for me, is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it adds spice to my job as it gives me a chance to see parts of Canada I would never otherwise see. Given how huge this country is, and how expensive intra-Canada travel is, that's quite a perk!

On the other hand, travel disrupts my day-to-day routine. Work piles up in my absence. Someone else has to shovel the driveway or drop Margot off at school. The responsibilities of life  continue unabated!

Fortunately, I travel somewhere between 6-8 times a year, which I think is just enough to make it interesting but not enough to wear me down too much.

One aspect of travel that I really enjoy, however, is the reception I get when I come home.  When I pile through the door all ruffled and disheveled, I am greeted by a little mini celebration from Margot and Glosette Girl. Margot is still young enough to be in the "I love you Dada" stage and she isn't shy about telling me.

This time she took it upon herself to write me a card create a "bricolage"(meaning craft in French) of my favourite animal, the Arctic Fox. Margot doesn't do half measures so she attached said fox to a clock and some snacks and hid it under a blanket to present to me at the right time.

Why a clock? Because it's an Arctic Fox of course!

Anyways, the pride and happiness her little face when she showed me her creations was uplifting. That alone made the trip to Calgary worth it.

The Pop In!

People on TV always seem to be popping into places. Friends had the Central Perk coffee shop.  Star Trek: TNG had Ten Forward. Coronation Street has the Rovers Return Inn.

I always wanted to be able to pop into local business to get stuff. Even if it was just for a donut, some milk or a light bulb. It didn't matter that the prices would probably be higher than a big box store in the 'burbs. It just seemed so civilized!

With my new home in Hintonburg, my wish has been granted. The neighbourhood  has local businesses in spades. I've already mentioned Giant Tiger, which is kindof my default get-anything place. But there are other stores too. On our walk to a play last night, Glosette Girl and I popped into a pharmacy to grab some handsoap of all things. We ran out of soap so we went and bought some and nothing else. It was pretty sweet.

In my old house, even the smallest purchase required going for a drive. With traffic lights slowing you down, the absolute minimum amount of time to go there and back was probably 20 minutes but usually longer.  I really hated that drive so I tried to get a lot of stuff whenever I did it. Here it was just an in and out.

The serious business of handsoap selection

(Heh what about the play you ask - sorry, can't use up all my material on one post! Would you ask Charlotte Brontë to tell you in the first chapter if Jane ends up with Mr. Rochester? No! p.s. I'm reading Jane Eyre right now.)

Anyways, it's another reason why I like the Hintonburg area. You can just buy what you need.

The "Your-blogging-about-odd-places-has-a-limit" look

Ahhh $7 handsoap. Worth every penny!

Hintonburg Park

We (sadly) don't have market/restaurant squares in Ottawa, like they do in other parts of the world. So that means parks take on a greater significance as places to gather, relax and play.

The closest park to my house in Hintonburg is (take a guess)...

...Hintonburg Park!

It actually does double duty as the schoolyard for Margot's school and also as a general recreation area.

The park has some quirky features, which is keeping with the character of Hintonburg. Most significantly there is an old stone wall surrounding the yard, which dates back to 1902 when it enclosed a local monastery and church. The monastery is long gone but the church is still here (and is associated with Margot's school).

The park is also conveniently located next to the Hintonburg Community Centre, which has all sorts of local activities and programs.

There are always a few neighbourhood scamps (including my own) running around the play structures, a few watchful parents keeping an eye on the scamps from the sidelines, a hipster passing through, and perhaps a couple sitting on one of the benches soaking up the sunshine.*

Don't fall Margot! The ground is ice solid!

The park is alive.

*Except in the rarest of circumstances the parents and the couple on the bench are NOT the same people. Oh well. Parents, don't worry, it's only a few more years!