HELLO!

It's been a while, which only suggests how busy we have been over the last month or so!

Both Oliver and Daniel celebrated birthdays. Daniel is now 1 year old, and is enjoying exploring the house now that is able to walk. Oliver's birthday was celebrated a little early, as we had CJ's parents visit, and CJ was working that day. We celebrated our 4th Wedding Anniversary by taking the boys to the fair. Oliver is as much of a thrill seeker as George ever was. CJ got a henna 'tattoo', and we all enjoyed the evening. 4 years! 4 years ago we were in Canada (maybe even Brandon!?!), only dreaming of what type of life we could possibly be leading... Now we're here, reality has certainly exceeded anything our dreams may have promised.

Our business 'idea', is now officially a business. ALEXANDER SPEEDWAY is a registered concern, and all plans are in full swing. Basically, we shall have a racing track, 6 'dirt track' buggies, and invite people to book a time slot to come racing. So far, the feedback we have received has been extremely positive. So fingers crossed for May 2009!!

The alpacas have finally settled into their new home, and (so far) all escape attempts have ceased. We decided to let them use a field adjacent to their paddock, and I think this may have proven that the grass was definetly greener...

George has been doing phenomenally well at school. His maths and reading are quite impressive for a boy of his age, and all the stuff he's been through this passed year. He 'graduated' from Grade 1 today, and was awarded an Eager Reader Award for his acheivements.

A couple of weeks ago I took Oliver and Daniel to WInnipeg. I had arranged to meet George's class at the 'Kids Fest 08', held at The Forks. The weather was appalling, and many of the activities were unfortunately cancelled, so most of the day was spent in the main tent. Nevertheless, the kids enjoyed the variety of entertainment, and were impeccably behaved. Kudos to the teachers. Permission was given for George to travel back home with us, after the school supper.
Forty minutes, or so, out of Winnipeg we encountered very heavy rain. So after finishing an overtaking manouveur, I decided to change lanes. At this point the car began to aquaplane, and we started to head down the embankment of the central reservation. Turning off the cruise control, I swung the car in the opposite direction, only to stare into the depths of the opposite trench, again I began pulling the steering wheel into opposite full-lock, my right arm holding George back in his seat. We started spinning, furiously, uncontrollably, but were beginning to slow down. I decided to start braking. Gently at first, then using all the force I could muster, I pushed as hard as I could on the brake pedal. Eventually we came to a rest. Facing the wrong way. Half way down the trench, inches from a metal posted road sign. Close. Very, very close.
Ensuring that the boys were safe and unharmed (Oliver and Daniel were laughing in the back, obviously they enjoyed the 'ride', George was slightly more pale than usual, but was fine), I climbed out of the car. From nowhere, a woman hugged me and screamed 'thank God you're alive'. A man from the same car (her husband?) advised her to put me down, and that I seemed ok. She went to the car and checked on the boys. People stopped to see if any help was warranted, fortunately the answer was no, and they went on their way after being thanked. One guy checked the car over for me. Before he left, he was shaking his head. He told me the last time he saw anything like our 'experience', it took the fire service 3 hours to cut the car's occupants from their vehicle. That really made me realise what we went through.
Were we lucky? Maybe. Was someone 'watching over us'? Perhaps. But one thing I do know is the integrity of the car didn't fail me, the words of my Dad ("...if you get a 'blow-out' at high speed, DON'T PANIC AND BRAKE. This can roll your vehicle. Slow down naturally and concentrate on the road...") kept ringing through my head, (well it felt like a blow-out when control was initially lost), and finally my patience, driving skill and lack of 'a panic button' most certainly saved the lives of my boys. Oh yes, thanks to God too...
How many times did we spin? I can only recall two, one of the witnesses thought it may have been three, another four or even five. My speed never rose above 105km/h. The speed limit is 100km/h. It's good to have a kick up the backside and feel alive from time-to-time. But next time I need to feel this, I'll make sure the boys are safely away from me!!! My heroes.

Euro 2008 is half way through, and even though England are not there, I am quite enjoying the football. Holland have surprised even the 'experts', and Germany are looking remarkably strong. But I'm rooting for the Italians. A very poor group performance, rewarded them with a quarter final against Spain, which should help them through to the semis. Just can't believe Croatia had one foot in the next round, then threw it away! Just hope the 'dirty turks' get hammered into oblivion. (no, not bitter at all!) Germany .v. Italy in the final, with Italy winning in extra-time (don't mind the Germans winning tho', as 'The Hammer' deserves a trophy!!).

CJ has recently gone back into her shift pattern, having taken the last week off. We have 'caught up' on plenty of nasty, little jobs, and it had given us some scope to visualise where we can take our business. We have secured some financing to get us through the initial phase of putting the track down, tidying the 'technical area', and renovating what shall become the reception.

Recently, the weather has turned rather warm (18C - 24C), and we're welcoming the summer. The only (?) downside to this is the sudden, unexpected appearance of thunder storms. At the drop of a hat the skies can darken, and belch out thunder like you've only dreamed of. Forked lightning rips across the sky, each time taking a totally random path, but with a frequency that can be quite frightening. Rainfall drenches the land in a matter of minutes, forming streams of sandy water down our drives. The most accurate way to predict this, is by checking on the animals from time to time. They know when the storms are coming, and are seldom wrong.
The storms are ripping the shingles from the garage roof. I have packs of shingles, and a new compressor and nail gun at the ready, just need 2 or 3 clear days to start replacing them!

A few weeks ago we ran our well dry. Hot weather, inflatable garden toys, water fights, and the need to water the animals and plants, caused muddy water being drawn into our water system. Not nice. A phone call or two confirmed our mistake, and the casual replies we got ('leave the taps closed for 24 hours, and the well should fill back up...' 'you got good soil there, the water'll be back soon, just drain your tanks first.') didn't give us cause for panic. Now we know.



Well, that was almost a month's worth, slightly dliuted, not too much to distract from your 'enjoyment', I hope.


Thanks for the cards and phone calls. Apologies if we haven't called everyone back.


Next few days, I shall begin to post a few pictures for your perusal... 'til then TTFN.

God Save The Queen

God Bless Canada