Right now I should be cleaning something. I’m so thankful to have started a new job in August, but it does mean all the jobs and general home organization fill my time when I’m not working. All in all it’s added up to a creative blank for a couple of months, so apologies once again for the absence of posts.

I work in a local library. A part-time clerk. Just to surprise you, it has been an ambition of mine to work in a library. When I took the children to storytime at Lancing Library many moons ago, I used to think what a nice place it would be to work. Now I do. Not in Lancing of course, but here in Canada. One thing crossed off my bucket list, I guess! Maybe seeing all those books almost every day will spur me on to be a more disciplined writer myself. It amazes me that some authors can write book after book after book. I need to get all the storylines out of my head and onto paper far quicker than I do at the moment.

Summer is starting to be a fading memory as the year carries on apace. We spent a couple of glorious weekends visiting our friends on Prince Edward Island and got to visit some of the beaches. There are many beautiful places there and when the weather is hot you could be anywhere in the world. Really.

Basin Head

North Rustico

Dinner at the Dreise’s

Jumping off the quayside at Basin head

Now we’re into autumn, or fall, which is one of my favourite times of the year. I love the vibrant colours before we get into the monochrome of winter. Life has rhythm here, the seasons are defined. With the change comes new jobs to be done – apples to be picked and pies to be made, wood to be collected for the stove, digging up the vegetable garden again and endless sweeping up of falling leaves and pine needles. Of course Tim has added more jobs on top of the regular ones, like finishing the makeover of our kitchen, changing over our back doors and building a shed in the back yard. He likes to be busy.

Before

Almost done

I’m not the only one to have a new job. Our eldest has a job after school and weekends. Not only that, but also he can drive now. He passed his road test at the end of August so now our car engine rarely cools down. It’s taking me a while to get used to that and the fact that he is in his graduation year and applying to college.

A few weeks ago we said goodbye to some dear friends of ours who moved back to England. Darryl and Sarah moved from Lancing to Fredericton before we did. They were a catalyst in the process of us moving here. Now they’ve gone back so Sarah can do some training to become a midwife and then they hope to return to somewhere in Canada in a few years time. It was hard to say goodbye to them and all their children. It did made us homesick for a little while as we know so well all that they are going back to – proper baked beans, bacon, chocolate, Sainsbury’s, Next, White Stuff, Cath Kidston…! We do know we’re meant to be here right now, so despite the odd bout of homesickness we’re all right.

So there are some changes in life, just as there are changes in the seasons, but we grow and adapt, and make the most of all that’s been given to us for now.