January has almost been and gone. It was a month that felt a lot like being back in the RV. We’ve had no internet, no television, and we live in a space only marginally bigger (maybe a double wide for our trailer park friends). But we’re happy. Being back at work is exhausting.

It’s not so much the work, but walking to and from. I cover at least 5km a day, and whilst it may not seem like the greatest distance, the heavy winter boots, and 4 layers of clothing, take some getting used to. I think the main issue is the blisters. In a slightly re-seasoned version of the Violet Femmes, ‘Blister in the sun’ it’s more like, ‘Let me go on, like a blister in the snow’. The temperature in the first week averaged -15 degrees, with the worst day being -29 degrees. A bloke from work says to me, “So you walk to work? You do look a little colder than most coming in”.

The family has adjusted amazingly to this phase of our life. The kids just love living in a high-rise building. To be as high as the birds, gives them yet another perspective on life. There are lots of advantages of living on the 30th floor. Spotting school buses in the morning is just one of their favourite things to do! However, our windows go from floor to ceiling, which makes me very nervous when the kids run full ball at the window. I’ve relaxed a lot! But we still avoid unnecessary leaning or banging against the window for my own health. They also play, without exception, a competitive game of ‘who will pick the right elevator’. It involves selecting one of the 4 elevators, and the excitement can hardly be contained as we wait to see which door opens. The winner usually jumps around in celebration, regardless of who, or how many people are in elevator. These kids bring joy to the building, and a bit of screaming too!

The condo has a ton of facilities and things to do, and we’ve had visitors for the first 3 weekends in our new place. It’s been a really busy, yet fun adjustment into condo living. The kids are swimming as much as they possibly can. Both Dora and Boots are gaining a lot of confidence in the water. Boots a little too much so. Under close supervision, with no arm-bands, he dived off the steps. He was adamant that he could swim. I’d like to say he just magically started swimming, but that’s not the case. He sank. As I pulled him up, he did not for a second appear perturbed. He just asked for his arm-bands back and off he went again. Dora is mastering floating, treading water, and a slightly wild version of, well, swimming. It looks a little like someone trying to fight off a shark attack 🙂 Seriously, she is progressing wonderfully. Most importantly she is becoming relaxed in the water, and she could make it to safety if it were required. We’re very proud of them both.

So life in the Saga is treating us well so far. The outdoor skating rink is a stone-throw away, and we visited the rink with our good friends from Stratford a couple of weeks ago. This was the first time that we didn’t have one of those plastic pushy things for the kids. Previously, a metre was the furthest distance Dora had travelled unassisted. Suddenly, she was to skate around the ice. She would say to us, “I only fell down 4 times that time!” I really love her commitment to things, and her willingness to give things a go. It was Boot’s first time on real ice skates. Last year he had those skates that strapped to his shoes, and they were honestly useless. He was better walking around on the ice trying to get a feel for it. With real skates, he could walk around exceptionally well off the ice, and not at all on the ice. However, undeterred, and with the biggest grin on his face, he yelled “zoom, zoom, zoom” as we hunched over and skated him around. Mummy and Daddy were thinking, ‘pyhsio, pyhsio, pyhsio!!!’

We can’t wait to explore and start roaming around Mississauga. We’re not too far from the water, there a few big libraries and parks, play centres and kids activities. Of course, there’s the Living Arts Centre, which hosts many productions for both the young and old. I think we will have a really great time here.

I’m excited that February is around the corner. It means that we have 1 or 3 months of winter left. Either way, Mississauga is not the snow haven that Grey County was. Unlike the Queensland (Australia) slogan, “Beautiful one day, perfect the next’, Grey County’s slogan was ‘Snow one day, buried the next.’ Mississauga on the other hand has had very little snow (maybe 2 or 3 days in January). The biggest plus is that there’s zero snow accumulation. It’s always gone within 24 hours. Whilst I miss the beautiful scenery of the snow in the country, the practicality of getting to work is much easier.

I’m truly thankful for the wonderful experiences the last year or so has presented us. I may have taken a step back into corporate life, but somehow I still like I feel like I’m on a holiday. Trust me, it’s not a lack of work. It’s the mindset. Happy living everyone!