You always need a moccasin outlet 

My new Office

I havent quite gotten in set up yet but at least I have a nice photo of Canada in Autumn on the wall. I have an office now unlike at head office.

It feels weird. I'm alone at work but with company at home, but in Montreal I was with friends at work and alone at home. I guess you cant have your cake and eat it too, especially seeing as my personal trainer would advise against it.

I dont feel comfortable at work, but the people are nice. It's just different. Fortunately I'm too busy to really notice at the moment anyway.
I get to work and after working on a couple of things its the end of the day. I've started going to the gym at lunch which is good. Its only a 45 minute workout, quick shower & back to work. I feel great after so I'll keep doing that at least 3 times a week then I might do a longer workout a couple of evenings.

Settling In

The first weekend here we had a BBQ with friends and as usual I was playing football with the "kids." It's a good excuse to run around and be a kid anyway. Erin was impressed with my handstands. It was a gogeous day - even the sunset was spectacular.

Joe is a friend of Warren's who also works at Nordia. He's a lot of fun, even if he did nearly kill Ben (the other kid in the photo) with the football. He didnt realise he was only 4 yrs old!

Everyone likes the "new look" at Warren's house, especially the fact that it has colour now.

1st week at "home"

This is the before & after photos of the apartment. It's not fully operational yet but it feels good & it wont be long before everything's set up so I can find things again. And if anyone can tell me where I put my HDV video tapes, let me know!

I joined the gym which is right at the front door at work so I have no excuse now.

Home

Here's the deck that Warren built at the back of "our place." It's really nice and we're having a BBQ here on Sunday to test it out. It was 8pm before we got home to Ontario but it was a good drive. Here's the sunset on the 14 lane highway, yes 14 lanes - 7 each way and still full of traffic. It's apparently one of the largest highways in the world and its just outside of Toronto.

The Sydney sign was at the Big Apple truck stop. It's only 15 567 kms to my other home! hahaha

Coming home to Ontario

We had a couple of signs from the universe to show we were on the right path. We had a Winebago go past with a Kangaroo on it, a truck with ROE written on & a song playing called "Going Home." The scenery was beautiful.

The first photo is a huge Canadian flag made of red & white flowers. Second photo was hilarious. It says collision prevention & student driver but has a big dent in the back of it. And the third photo is another little sign from the universe "Montreal st."

Big things along the way

There's a Big Apple (not New York unfortunately - that's in the other direction) and a big plane. You cant really tell but this is a big Air Force plane at the museum. The thin pole behind it is a big spotlight the size of a telegraph pole, just to give you an understanding of how big this thing is.

We took it easy on the drive and stopped a few times. It took a bit longer but made the trip nice.

Leaving Montreal

Here we are leaving Quebec and coming into Ontario with a full car of my stuff. It was a good clear drive apart from my 2 lapses of concentration when I almost killed us both. . . .but apart from that it was a good run.

Ontario roads are slightly different and I got confused at a stop sign. I thought it was an all way stop like in Quebec. . .but it wasnt. Fortunately I eventually stopped again. And then the second time was on the 14 lane highway. The car infront had come to a slow pace & I didnt notice. But Ellie (my car) pulled up very quickly. . .the brakes work really wel! :-)

First photo is the Welcome to Ontario sign where they filmed the movie Bon Cop Bad Cop - a very funny movie about a Quebec & Ontario cop where a dead body is lying over this sign half in Quebec & half in Ontario. The second photo is me driving leaving Montreal & a full car. The third photo is off my balcony at sunset the night before leaving.

More cars

This is for my nephew Damian, this is a Chrysler Crossfire. They're nice cars and there's always some in the parking lot seeing as the Chrysler head office is in our building.

Canadian roads have two seasons: Winter & Construction. When it isn't winter they are fixing the roads from the outcome of winter. -30 degrees tends to wreak havoc on the road surface and pot holes & big cracks appear. They then spend summer fixing them ready for the next winter that will crack the roads up again. Ontario dont seem to have this problem. Their roads are good winter & summer, but then the temperatures are not quite as extreme either.

It makes driving fun anyway - you bump & bounce along regardless of how good your suspension is.

FAME!

No, unfortunately not mine. . .yet, just my all time favourite tv show next to MASH. I used to watch this over & over again and no-one could interrupt me during fame . . .could they Mum? Well its on cable EVERY night & I'm in heaven. I still love it even though some of the stories are dated, the music & the dancing are just awesome. Debbie Allen is a brilliant choreographer and I think that it played a major part of the success of the show. Anyway - its great to watch it again.

Another Project group

These groovy looking dudes are part of the project I'm involved in this month. For the rest of August I am working with these people and having just as much fun as that last group & infact Lyne, standing next to me in the first photo was involved in the last project also and is from Bell. Pepe is a gentle giant and is his birthday next week. And Sheina and Pepe behave like an old married couple. They all really know their stuff, making it a fun way to work.

The second photos is infront of "Ellie" my car. I like Ellie except her colour doesnt really reflect who I am. It's a bit dull. But the inside is cool. I have black seat covers with pink hearts on them, consequently Warren refuses to drive Ellie incase someone sees him sitting next to the pink hearts. She also has a picture of a puppy on the back & the mats inside have paw prints on them.

The BBQ

This is the Chief Financial Officer on the guitar. Aren't accountants meant to be straight laced & boring? Obviously not all of them are, or maybe it's a myth, maybe they're all like Martin and outrageous outside of work. Martin was also the host of the BBQ.

The rest of the group is all the senior managers of Nordia. It was a great night and was a nice farewell to Don as President / CEO. Bernard in the front of the picture is the new one, and I'm sure he'll do a great job.

The BBQ was the first time I'd really been able to relate to my co-workers on a more relaxed & real setting. I had a great night.

The Don!

This is Don. He's the Chairman of the Board of Nordia and used to be the CEO. He's the reason why I got the job in Canada in the first place. He's a business genius that can leap tall companies in a single bound. I am forever greatful for his friendship because without it I would still be sitting in a Queensland Call Centre answering calls for Telstra billing & connections. This was at his farewell from being CEO.

There's some people in your life that are mentors for short or long periods of time. Don is one for me. I've known him for 8 years now and I know that wherever he or I go - we will cross paths again and I will learn a huge amount. The main thing I learned from Don is that you must be true to yourself both in business & life. Him being true to himself meant that he had to step down as CEO. I have a great respect for the man and look forward to when our paths cross again in years to come.

Fort

My first Elk experience 

Northern Ontario

The drive to Northern Ontario. Moose country

This weekend we went to Northern Ontario to attend Warren's cousin's wedding. Warren's brother Grant & sister-in-law Michelle also live up in Northern Ontario. It is an awesome spot and somewhere I'd like to visit more often. Its about 2 and a half hours drive from Warren's house in Kitchener. We will be coming up this way again in September when we go to the "cottage." This is a family tradition of going every Fall (Autumn.) All these trees will have turned beautiful colours by then. It's of course by a lake and is very Canadian. All the traffic we met on the way home was mostly people coming home from the weekend cottage. You can tell by the Canoes strapped to the roofs of their cars. We had a great time although we're both a little weary as there was lots of driving.

Feel like a bit of a goose?  

British Fort

This cute little place is Fort something or other whose name escapes me. It is an old British Fort, Now these colonial type buildings are shops & a theatre. Standing behind me in the first photo is Warren's mum & dad & brother Grant.

More Midland Harbour

When ships come in to the harbour they have to leave by a certain date or they'll get iced in. This is a popular spot for ice fisherman. They'll sit in a little hut and put a hole in the ice and fish all day. It's a dangerous sport but then that must be part of the experience of it.

Midland Northern Ontario

This is where Warren's brother & sister-in-law Grant & Michelle live. Its also in Northern Ontario and is very pretty. It's like going to the Blue Mountains. . .and just as cold. The 3rd photo is Warren, his mum & dad, Grant & Michelle. The last photo is a famous mural. Midland is full of murals on walls but this is a biggie. It's the story of how the Jesuits met the Huron First Nations people.