Since we left St. Vincent, things have been moving along quickly. More details in a not so future blog, but we are currently in Canada for a bit, and wow...

Our odyssey to Canada started with our flight from Grenada to Trinidad being about 80 minutes late. This wouldn't be so bad except our planned Trinidad transfer time was 70 minutes. The airline staff in Grenada assured us we would be fine, as did the cabin crew on our flight from St. Georges to Port of Spain. Well, they were only partly right. Our ongoing flight was not held for us, but fortunately there was another direct flight with Caribbean Airlines from Port of Spain to Toronto at about 2:30 that afternoon (we were dealing with Caribbean through it all). Well, we now definitely had time to get some authentic Trini doubles. The only "consolation" that the airline gave us for our missed plane was about $6 USD each in meal vouchers for one of the food places in the airport - a choice of fried chicken, fried chicken, or Subway. We ended up giving the vouchers away to some women lined up for a sub. I will be chatting with Customer Service here in Toronto about that, since as yet we don't have our return flights booked... let's see what they can offer to keep us as customers. After all, Air Canada flies to Grenada, too... and American.

Ken's brother picked us up at the airport (something about having to put up with us anyway, so he might as well collect us up, too). We just hoped that the temperature would be above 20 C, since we really aren't used to "cooler" temperatures anymore. As it is, whatever long-sleeved clothing we have has been pressed into service, and my morning runs are rather brisk! Today was a nice 25 C or so, a much more civilized temp for us, but this morning was about 10 C, one step removed from our winter coats. Of course, everyone thinks we are wimps - and they would be right! On the other hand, our tans look amazing compared to the pale locals.

We had a good laugh at ourselves as we acted like tourists in "our" city. New subway cars, the changes in the city... we are doing our fair share of rubber necking. On the other hand, the scent of the lilacs and bridal wreath spirea, and the flowering chestnut trees are beautiful; it is easy to forget how wonderful this time of year really is in Southern Ontario. We are also fortunate that our Toronto family live in good neighbourhoods, so the full effect of this time of year can be fully appreciated. Both Ken's brother, and mine, live very close to the extensive park and path system in the city, which gives us tons of off-road variety for walks or runs, although the street life has much to be said for it too. As I sit here typing by an open patio door, I can smell the lilacs - a lovely mix with homemade latte and a blueberry bagel!

Today we walked my brother's dog down to the local "strip", and indulged in our first good Canadian beer on a patio. Bliss. It may have been a good thing we had the dog getting a touch restless, or we may have lost the evening there (or until it got too cold for us to sit comfortably). The Caribbean may have great rum, but the beer isn't really inspired; just serve it cold on a hot day and all is good.

Even technology, or kitchen gadgets, keep moving along without us. Sadly, pathetically, funnily (all of those descriptions can work) we find ourselves challenged just to watch TV (how many different remotes do you have for that thing? Just as well, as there doesn't seem to be much on, and we are not going to get engrossed in a series), make coffee (some kind of plastic cup goes in here, wait for the water to heat, press this button... or the espresso machine!), turn on the dish washer (my brother's is pretty fancy, but I finally figured it out this morning). At least the dog is somewhat uncomplicated, and generally speaking, we can still operate the water faucets.

As we walk, we find ourselves not entirely sure which way to look for traffic, so we double check in all directions. Squirrels have replaced "lizardos" again, and we have seen a few chipmunks. There are no stray dogs around here, just "posh-hounds" who tend to be of pedigree and have more money spent on them than a lot Caribbean kids. Big public transit buses and subways have replaced the sardine-can minibuses of the islands. Yoga pants have replaced basic tights as the "workout" clothes of the morning walkers, and there are many more runners on the roads here (most with matching outfits). Nobody carries a stick to dissuade a "pothound" from harassing them. Pilates and boot camp are words thrown around with complete understanding (thankfully, we didn't need an explanation!) "Take the car" are words we often hear as we prepare to walk out the door to catch a bus or do a small errand - we prefer the walk or the bus most of the time. We just have to check ourselves from saying "morning, morning", "alright" or "hi, hi" when we greet other walkers here.

We have also arrived at the right time for the Ontario strawberry season. Oh my, they are good this year! It's been about 5 years since we last had good strawberries, and the first taste was sheer heaven (the 10th, 25th and 100th tastes have been good, too!) It appears that the harsh winter hasn't hurt the berry crop, anyway. And we have had our first taste of sweet corn, too, they just aren't from Ontario yet. We see mangoes and bananas in the stores, but are not tempted by them - we know they just won't be the same.

Getting from one town to another is not a matter of getting to the bus terminus and catching the right bus. It is check the Greyhound schedule, book ahead to get discounts, then show up on time to catch the coach to ride for over 2 hours. I suppose we could check into renting a car, but it would sit most of the time once we reached, er, arrived.

Each island in the Eastern Caribbean has its' own vibes and to a certain degree, culture. We are used to getting to know the lay of the land when we arrive somewhere new. Ken and I are just a little surprised at how much we are finding ourselves relearning the ropes here.