This was the first funeral I've ever attended. What a sad time. With Alice's memorial on Tuesday, it was to say goodbye and to reflect and remember. She had a long and fulfilling life, and while she will be forever missed, she was ready to go--93 is a lot of years. With Carmen, though, it's different. 57 is practically middle-aged now, and she still had a lot of things to do. I know that a lot of people ascribe to the idea that when people die it's on predetermined terms, but it still sucks a heck of a lot. Nor do I particularly find solace in the idea, but that's my own stuff. There were hundreds of people who came to the funeral, which itself was a testament to Carmen, and Shane got up and spoke about his Mom and it was incredibly touching. I commend that, and his and Wendy and Neil's bravery in the face of all of this. To be left behind is so difficult.
Being in Edmonton was surreal. When we got the phone call from Dolores to come home, we had actually been discussing our need for a visit. The city itself is a bit of a mess right now. Many people had stories about rents being raised $800-1,000 in a single month and that was shockingly evident when we spent time downtown. I can't believe how fast the homeless population has grown and how much devastation has been wrought by pure, unadulterated greed. Landlords who do this kind of thing should be ashamed of themselves.
Mom is mid-reno at our place. The bathroom has been done, with lino as the last step for that room. Our porch looks absolutely gorgeous, as she hasn't had us destroying her hard work and order, although Mike and I collectively knocked over like 8 plants in a single week. *sigh* Next up are the fireplace (she's 
taking off the slate) and the floors (hello, non-ripped Berber) and of course painting. She's already repainted the kitchen once since our departure. She's a paint maniac, of the excellent kind. It was really nice to spend time with the cats, who we've missed terribly since we've been gone. Phyllis was busy being indifferent, Gunther got the tail-shakes when we walked in and Cricket left us a dead mouse by the front door as a parting gift. She's so sweet...
Back on the farm, we've acquired both a spare bedroom and a Pink VW Polo. We're become 'those people' with 3 vehicles to 2 people. This will be handy, though, for visitors, so I am trying not to feel too ashamed by this.
As you can see, our new bedroom is well lit, but missing a chunk of the ceiling. Hopefully that will be rectified within the coming weeks. There was a leak from our shower into the room, so Alan had to tear down that part to allow the wood beams to dry out. However, since it's been raining and flooding nonstop here for like a month now, it's taking considerably longer than initially predicted.
Erika and Lester came the week prior to our arrival in Edmonton, and we spent some time a local Beer and Cider Festival, which was a lot of fun. They're back again for a couple days at the end of the month, at which time they're off to Edmonton for 2 weeks and from there to Japan to start their new jobs as Assistant Language Teachers with Interac. While I'm excited for them, I'm also selfishly sad that they're going to be gone. Having them within plane and train distance again has been wonderful, and they've made settling in here that much easier. However, Claire is still around--she's found herself an apartment in Berlin for July, and from there, who knows...? I'm determined to track her down for the long weekend in August, which will be a lot of fun. I think the next few months promise to be super busy still, with Shannon and her family and as well Dad and Dorothy slated for visits in October. Daniel will also be here in just over 6 weeks, so that's very exciting. Booking our European airfare is a priority this week.
I'm including a picture of one of the Nuclear reactors in Bristol, simply because it's cool to see. There are 3 in a row (I wasn't quick enough to get my camera out) and the installation is enormous. It actually looks really cool in person.Our journey back to the H was eventful--our train / bus ride from Heathrow airport took the same amount of time as our flight. There has been massive flooding in Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, and Friday Hereford alone received over 100mm of rain in just a few hours. Consequently, train lines and roads throughout the areas have been shut, and en route from Swindon to Bath we actually saw a tornado out the window. We didn't see it touch down, and of course my camera didn't have enough resolution to pick it up, but it was really weird.
Reading station was a complete and utter nightmare--people had been stranded there since Friday morning and the train companies were not offering emergency transportation alternatives until Saturday afternoon. We were then delayed on the line for 45 minutes or so because on the train bridge between Hereford and Abergavenny someone was threatening to jump off of it. Cops had to be called and such, but he was brought down safely.
So, we arrived back in Hereford around 7pm yesterday, and we've been hard at work reading Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows and eating lots of Quorn since we missed it a lot in Edmonton. Being home was a bleak reminder of how difficult things have been over here, and we're both set on the idea that we'll be back to Edmonton for Mike to resume his job in June 2008. When I left I wasn't certain which direction this trip would lead me, but the longer I'm gone, the more I'm coming to realize that Edmonton is indeed where I want to be.
I hope that everyone is happy and healthy, and I am committed to being a more diligent poster in the future.
XOXOXOXOXOX
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