Chapter 22

Winter Has Finally Given Way To Spring. 🌸

Winter is over! It is the beginning of May. I have emerged from my hibernation. Spring has arrived in all of its glory. The cherry blossoms in Toronto and elsewhere have bloomed, and greenery has taken over. 

I last finished off on my update with the final pet-sits in England. Five months have elapsed since England. Let's start with the present and work backward. I am writing from Stratford, Ontario, Shakespeare's town. This town was inspired by Stratford-upon-Avon in the U.K., the birthplace of William Shakespeare, and was named after it.  There is even an Avon River running through it. Stratford is filled with theatres, has a vibrant culture, delicious culinary options, scenic hiking and riverside trails, and eclectic shopping. This week, I went to the theatre to see The Winter's Tale, a Shakespeare story that wove together tragedy, comedy, and mystery. It was a story of a jealous heart that explored the darkness of human nature and ended with forgiveness and second chances. It's the idyllic story of two friends from boyhood to manhood until the appearance of the green-eyed monster, jealousy, showed up at the doorstep. I loved going to the theatre and snapped a photo under the blue sky at intermission. During my short ten-day stay here, I have looked after Dusty the cat, gone swimming, run along the famed river, devoured a kimchi rice bowl, enjoyed a visit with my sister, and hung laundry out on a clothesline to dry naturally. I will move on to Niagara-on-the-Lake next week, another theatre town with a vibrant downtown along the Niagara River. The season is perfect for such locations.

Before this, I was in Ottawa, Canada's national capital. We were caring for a Shiba dog named Sadie. She was a beauty with a wonderful temperament. I have never looked after this Japanese breed, but quickly learned how loyal, friendly and obedient it is. She was only six years old but had glaucoma in one of her eyes. We gave her drops and medicine three times a day. I should clarify on the we part. Michael was with me as Rachel went to a wedding in New York for her last remaining high school friend to be married. Then, she went to New Orleans for a trip with her friends. Michael joined me, and he attended to all the pet duties, doing a great job. Sadie went out on three walks per day. Luckily, she enjoyed romping in the snow because we had much of it in Ottawa. While in Ottawa, we walked all around the Parliament buildings, toured the Bank of Canada Museum, visited Irish pubs, found a small, niche movie theatre, and scoped out the University of Ottawa area. Michael and I showed up for a trivia night twice and held our own. We weren't completely at the bottom of the pack. We found ourselves somewhere in the middle, knowing some trivia and blanking out on other trivia. That's not bad, as we were only two; the other teams had seven or eight brains working on the answers. We chose "The Murphys" (my maiden name) as our team name, so we blended in perfectly in the Irish setting. We walked through the University of Ottawa grounds, and I ran along the famous Rideau Canal. Someday, I'd like to experience skating on the largest skating rink, 7.8 km in total. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a treasure of our national capital. It's free to skate on and is open 24/7 in the winter. On this visit, I ran alongside it as the river was in varying stages of melting.

The bulk of our hibernation was in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, over the winter months after Christmas. Nothing but mounds of snow and snowy trails. Our grocery walks became known as The Trudge.  Through the forest, we trudged 2.5 km each way. We were never as happy to reach home with the groceries as we were there. We have looked after the two cats, Chico and Cazuela, and before that, Cassiopee, a few times now, but this marked our last winter stay. The pet owners are great and treat us kindly every time, but after five consecutive winters, we have called it quits. We want to be in other locations next winter and beyond. It is bittersweet to say goodbye. While hibernating, we watched most of the Academy Award nominees for Best Picture. And every night, I made a Caesar salad to accompany our movie night. No popcorn for us, instead a labour of love making the Caesar salad without a salad spinner. Rachel was in and out of this pet-sit as she now has a boyfriend in Toronto, one of her basketball mates. Michael has become my movie partner. 

I am back to Christmas and the New Year now. I took my family to see The Lion King in Toronto as a Christmas present. After the fantastic performance, we left the theatre humming the songs en route to one of our favourite Japanese yakiniku restaurants. The food was mouth-watering, the umeshu, tasty, and a wonderful visit was had by all. I thought to myself, let's make that event an annual outing. The family went home, and I went back to my hotel with an indoor/outdoor pool in downtown Toronto. You can bet I was swimming after dinner under the lights of the city. 

We weren't home for Christmas last year; instead, we accepted a pet-sitting job for my friend's son and family in Vancouver. It rained every single day, but the temperatures were warmer than in Toronto. We had two loveable dogs, Shanti and Bodhi, one a senior, peaceful dog, and the other a youngster, full of energy. We walked daily on a trail right outside our home, holding our umbrellas. While there, we had authentic Japanese food, hiked a small mountain to welcome in the new year, drove around in an electric vehicle, never having to buy gasoline, and took in a Christmas market along the waterfront. But we missed being home for Christmas. We had just returned from England in December, so we had been away for some time already. 

I have come full circle. Ended my last update in England. I hadn't finished our travel story. We went to Dartmouth in the south of England by train and stayed with two dogs,  the black beauties, Barney and Bertie. Every day, we walked to Dartmouth Castle, an impressive fortress with a long history of protecting Dartmouth for generations up to and including the Second World War, at sunset. Except for the day that Bert the Storm came through with loads of rain and wind. Dogs were welcome everywhere: in the pubs, the cafes, and the stores. We had high tea at the Singing Kettle, sat by the fireside, eating grilled scallops with the dogs at our feet at the Seven Stars Pub. We took a private kayaking tour from the harbour to the open sea and toasted marshmallows on an isolated bayside beach. The two of us, each in our kayak, listened and learned the history from the guide in his kayak. Not to mention, listening intently to any tips he gave us on kayaking so we could stay afloat. The beloved Agatha Christie lived just up the river when she was writing her books. The Britannia Royal Naval College stood high on a hill overlooking us in the Dartmouth Harbour. This very college was where Queen Elizabeth first met Prince Philip in 1939 when she visited with her parents. The seeds of love were sown on that visit. They were married for 73 years, the longest-married royal couple in history. Lastly, a Christmas Train pulled out of town on a few nights, but we missed the opportunity to ride on it. My father would have been disappointed as he took me on many steam train excursions during his lifetime. 

That was Dartmouth, now on to our last stay in England near Stonehenge and Salisbury. We stayed in a refurbished stable, a modern, expansive home inside. We had two cats to look after, Polly and Pixel, who were fluffy and friendly. We would walk into a village along an extremely dark road to get to a pub on the nights when cooking was off the table. In the middle of nowhere, a village comes alive inside the pub. We were welcomed as if we were someone's neighbours. The British have something to be admired for: the coziness and camaraderie of a village pub. I ran along the country roads, staring at sheep and cows in every field. Historic stone houses and barns dotted the landscape. We took a local bus to Stonehenge and absorbed the wonders of the rock formations while wondering what these stones have witnessed through time. I love the English countryside as it captures a sensation not felt here in Canada.

Finally, it was time to fly home via Portugal. We had twenty-four hours in Lisbon, my first time on European soil. If that one day was any indication of European vibes, I wish to see Europe in its entirety. We stayed in an old monastery, a convent, remodelled to hotel standards. Rachel commented that if the nuns lived in these rooms, she would contemplate being a nun. That, of course, was before acquiring a boyfriend. Nonetheless, the convent was historic. We drank a special tea that the nuns would sip on in the late afternoon in the lobby and then took a hike through the city on the stone mosaic streets, capturing the sunset, overlooking the harbour. Later, we walked through the Christmas atmosphere, stopping in at shops to find bedtime wear. Unbeknownst to us, our luggage went directly to Toronto from England, not making the stop in Portugal. We had nothing but the clothes on our backs. Afterward, we ate at a small izakaya-type Portuguese bar and tried their selection of seafood appetizers.  It was a magical night in Lisbon with the Christmas atmosphere of lights, music, and frivolity. I will forever remember the wonderful 24-hour stopover in Portugal.

That's it, I am all caught up. I continue to have my online classes and always look forward to speaking with my students. I share my adventures with them and we laugh together. Today is moving day for me, and we will start our next adventure in Niagara-on-the-Lake next week. 

Take care,

Love Rosemary 🌹