Christmas 2011

What a wonderful Christmas we have had.

We picked up Kyle from the bus station on December 21st and then Camille from the train station, both in Chatham, on December 23rd.

Kyle went up to London later on the 23rd to be with a friend and then came back on Christmas Eve with Oma and our friend Katherine.

We always have a traditional supper of cheese and crackers, sausage rolls, vegetables and dip before we head out to to go caroling armed with backed goods to our neighbours - as many as we can find home!

Then we come back to get ready for more of our traditions with all the home made baking that has been going on around our place.

Oma with Camille

Some of us getting ready to watch our tradtional Christmas Eve movie...

Intermission - with Oma wrestling with Kyle

How we set up the living room so Oma doesn't have to go downstairs for the TV

This is our tradition to watch this Christmas classic

I even think we even managed to get to sleep before midnight this year...which meant we couldn't open stockings early. AND Irene reminded me we had company and the plan was to open the stockings together this year like we did last year. Drats!

For some reason it has become tradition for me to capture this perennial picture of early Christmas Day risers before stockings or gifts are opened.

Not quite fully awake yet - Camille, Kyle and Katherine

   But wait! We're missing someone...

OMA!!

Katherine and Camille opening their stockings

Kyle sleepily enjoying what Santa had brought him

Oma thrilled with something in her stocking

Katherine and Camille enjoying their goodies

Kyle discovering a new use for his stocking..a giraffe puppet!

Yes, this is Kyle...being innovative with his Tupperware onion holder

So we quickly opened stockings, had bacon sandwhiches on toasted bread, and then showered and prepared ourselves for church where Kyle did a reading of a poem he wrote and Dad (I) spoke as well as others and we sang the carols of the season together.

We came back home for homemade cinnamon rolls for lunch and opened up the gifts to each other. Then we made time for a Sunday afternoon nap while the turkey was cooking.

One special gift Irene had made for her Mom is a Crazy Quilt (style of quilting) square with memories of Holland. It has taken Irene a year to do after taking a class and finding the right materials, Dutch trinkets and flags, etc. to make this all up. Irene framed it in a shadow box.

Special gift opened up by Oma

Irene explaining the quilt

Closer view of the quilt

Later on the doorbell rang. Irene went to the door but no one was there. Not even a note or package on the doorstep.

The doorbell rang again. Both Irene and I went to the door. There was  Andrew and Marci! They had driven down and had planned this all along to surprise us and be with us on Christmas Day.

They had been outside trying to get connected to our wi-fi connection to Skype us and suprise us that way. But I have a new wireless router and the password was changed.

What a lovely surprise!

Then we opened up gifts to and from and Andrew and Marci.

Andrew and Oma singing together

Marci accompanying on our newly tuned piano...it sound so much better!

Andrew and Oma sharing in a gift received

Katherine demonstrating the set Christmas dinner table

The finishing up of Christmas dinner with our family





Back to England

After my trip to Scotland the next day I was required for a business meeting in London, UK.
Ther meeting was truly in the heart of London and afterwards my two colleagues and I walked across the way from our meeting location to have a late lunch. I could not believe where we were located and managed to capture a few classic London shots.

Tower Bridge

Tower of London where the Crown Jewels are on display

I have been once to the Tower of London as an elementary school student on one of the rare field trips we made. I remember seeing the Beefeater Guards, the crown jewels, and also exchanging a British penny for an Indian coin with an Indian boy who could not speak English and yet we somehow managed to communicate sufficiently to make that exchange.

Memories!

Bonnie Scotland

Never would believe that I would go to Scotland.

My CEO called meup and asked what I was doing on the 29th of November. Other than meetings on the 30th and December 1st - I could be available. He was then asked me if I could cancel those meetings and fly to Scotland for a major client meeting - which, of course, I complied with.

Besides business I was able to connect with my cousin on his step-Mom's side of the family and ask if they could meet while in Edinburgh. I had not seen them her in over 30 years.

Maggie McDonald and me in the lobby of the Balmoral Hotel

Maggie and her husband Colin

It was a rainy time when we toured the lights of downtown and a small concession area and fair and then we made it up to the castle where it was bitter cold, wet and windy.

So the next day I ventured out during a small dry spell to capture some pictures.

This is the Balmoral Hotel where I stayed

I stayed at the classic Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh and learned that this is where the author J.K. Rowling finished off writing the last book in the Harry Potter series. The grandchildren would love this piece of trivia.

Edinburgh Castle

When my youngest granddaughter heard I had visited a castle she immediately asked her mom if I had seen a princess. This was posted on Facebook and my wife responded...he better not have!!

The castle is still operational and the Scottish Army maintains a presence there. They have an annual Scottish Tattoo with marching bands and playing of bagpipes here each August and tickets sell out early in January or February for it.

I also saw where original Scottish kilts were made very close to the castle.

Weaving tartan material for kilts on a loom

As I walked the cold and overcast streets of Edinburgh I came across this sign that showed Robbie Burns the classic Scottish poet had lived and written near this location.

My wife would have loved this. Right across the street from the hotel was a bagpiper playing and I caught the photo before it started really raining hard.

Classic Bagpiper

Jolly Old England

After an hour delay my Delta flight from Detroit finally left for Heathrow Airport overnight. We arrived around 8:30am in the morning and then awaited the long "queue" for British Customs and Immigration.

My goal was to go and visit my parents in Bexhill-on-Sea.

So first I caught the Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station (famous for Paddington Bear). Then I had to catch the "tube" underground train to Victoria Station.

Simple enough except that many of the rail "lines" were under repairs. This meant going along a different line than normal and then backtracking on to another one to get to Victoria Station. Then it was a matter of lining up to purchase an "overground" rail ticket to Bexhill...but the train had just left which meant waiting another hour. Then it was the two hour train ride to Bexhill and a short taxi ride to my parent's apartment.

Waiting for the train

One train leaving the other arriving

Nice modern trains from the Southern Railway Co.

Finally arrived at Bexhill-on-Sea

It is always hard to see your parents as they get older when you only see them so infrequently. Mom is much more hunched over when she stands. Her eyesight is extremely poor and she used a torch light large magnifier to even look at her man-sized watch to read the time. Dad's eyesight is also getting poorer and maybe related to the diabetes they both have. Mom's memory is failing and she is told she has Alzheimer's which was brought about from the concusssion she had from a fall last year. Her knees and legs are getting bad and she doesn't go out much now...I am sure there is some fear with doing so too. Dad still manages to walk the 10 minute walk for me much slower to the small mall with major supermarket store and pharmacy and other "shops". He does that every morning after they wake up at 9:00am.

Mom and Dad watching the Saturday horse racing on the TV

While I was later arriving than I would like to they made sure I had a late lunch of crispy roll with sliced ham for a sandwich, with tomatoes and they even bought some donuts - which they shouldn't be eating! There lifestyle has not changed in all the years I have known them and even more so as they get older. They sit in their favourite chairs and watch the TV. From watching a movie - the last version of "Babe" the pig - to the Saturday afternoon horse races, and then some latest British quiz show "Question Sports." That is their routine everyday experience from morning to night.

I caught up on their health issues directly and they asked about everyone in our family. It is hard that they do not initiate contact with all of their family throughout the year but it is the same with my Dad's siblings and my Mom's family too. No one hears from them.

But as my Dad handed me fruit or asked me if I wanted anything more to eat I realized as I have always known that he was showing me that he loved me. So as I left them I kissed my mom on the cheek and told her I loved her and hugged my Dad I told him I loved him. He said he might not be here next year.

I think I am more at peace now knowing I will never hear him say "I love you" back.

Dad and Mom just before I headed back to London





Indian Summer

In July I had the opportunity to go to Bangalore, India on business and then early this October I went back this time to Mumbai, India.

I am grateful to be able to see another part of the world and to help those companies who have requested my consulting services.

But I am also incredibly humbled by the abject poverty that is interspersed throughout all neighbourhoods.

Taken while moving in taxi - these were poor conditions

Better conditions in another area

There are LOTS of stray dogs everywhere which are like pigeons are for us in busy city streets. They move out thr way when you come near them. The scavenge everywhere in the garbage and markets for any morsel or just eating paper.

Amidst the businesses and super rich homes are the corrugated steel sheet homes with blue tarpelin to help protect form the rains. I saw homes that were simply bamboo poles with tarp or plastic sheets overtop with the street being the bathing and washroom.

This a 17+ story home of a very wealth millionaire or billionaire

Enlarge picture. To the left of tall buiding being built (hotel or appratments) see the
blue tarp covering the homes of those who are living in corrugated steel slums

I learned I don't like Indian food...which is not very helpful when going to India!! Western like cuisine can sometimes be humorous like the grated cheese on top of the fettucini alfredo. It was a grated 1 inch square of mozarella cheese.

I managed to find the Church while I was there in Mumbai and fortunately I had the American ex-pat Branch President's cell phone number who guided us up the street to the unmarked rented house that was church. There was even a security guard as there are at most public sites whether stores or office buildings.

The LDS Church in Mumbai, India

You will also find cows which are sacred to Hindus wandering around or accompanied by owners.

Enlarge Photo and look by the lamp-post and you'll see a cow

More obvious: One cow with owner downtown...and in the background is another one!!

In front of the Gateway of India in Mumbai (old Bombay)

In front of the Taj Hotel - where bombings occurred in 2008

There are three degrees of taxi cabs in India. You have the autorickshaw which is an open sided three wheeled vehicle. Then you have a regular cab which has no air conditioning. And then there is the "cool cab" - one with air condititioning. They all have meters but none of them are working. Instead the before you get in the driver gives you a price and you negotiate the amount you're willing to pay until there is agreement. Fortunately I had an Indian associate who did all this for us.

Note the autorickshaws - the cheapest of the 3 types of taxis

India is such a cultural contrast socially, economically and in so many other ways. One thought that was hard to grasp is the concept I heard from several: "There are so many people in India that the worth of life is low."

Humbling place to visit!

Summer Memories

Each Summer my cousin Wendy loves to host at her home in Brampton as much of a "Saunderson" family reunion as are available.

This year we just had: Wendy and Timo and their children: Tomi, Jaana and Mikka; Pat and Laird; Aunt Rene; Andrew and Marci; and Ian and Melissa with Parker and Angelina.

Always good to catch up with one another, laugh at the Saunderson humour especially from Uncle Pat, and enjoy the good food that we all chip into.

And where would we be without Marci cuing up the camera to capture the memory (Although the picture below is the one I took)

Slowly gathering for the group picture

Tah! Dah!

The "Official" 2011 Summer Saunderson Reunion Picture