London, Woodstock, Tavistock,
Stratford, Ontario
On Sunday, Apr. 14th there
was no time to dilly dally. I was up between 7 and 7:30, it is kind of a blur.
We had our tea listening to the light rain hit the slide-outs and roof. There
would be no walk for me today and it was very cold at 35F/2C. After finishing
another late post from the previous day, we had poached eggs and got washed up
and ready for a busy day.
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| The day started out very wet |
At 10:15 or so, all 3 of us loaded
into the truck. We had house warming and Arizona/Mexico gifts for Bridgette and
Chris, baby shower gifts for Easton, Arizona/Mexico gifts for Yvonne’s family,
Krystal and Marilynne and then a blanket, food and water for Clemson. First
stop, Woodstock to see my daughter and her partner’s ‘new to them’ house. We
were so looking forward to this after ‘stalking’ it on Google Earth through the
winter. 😊
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| Turning onto EZT (East Zorra Township) Line known as Bridgette and Chris's road here on in Black Beauty was no longer black when we arrived |
It didn’t disappoint. It is a century
old home so there is work but the real aged hard wood floors, the ceilings with
swirls and stars, the hideaway cupboards in each room, the upgrades from the
previous owners, the large windows and old-fashioned stair railings, wallpaper
border and the old wood stove in the cozy living room area. If you are in love
with modern, you won’t like it but I grew up in houses like this and love it!
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| View from the road |
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| And view from the laneway Wowsa! There were more turns, nooks and rooms in this house than I've seen since my childhood |
We had a great visit after the tour
of the many, many, many rooms and heard of their plans for their home. You need
slippers and a sweater right now, so we had taken both while they figure out
their oil/wood furnace (an upgrade to-be). I gave them their h.w. gift of home
crocheted slippers and they were met with delight. Chris has just been
discussing getting some slippers with no hard sole so they wouldn’t be mistaken
for shoes and end up on his feet at work. Cute story.
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| I think 2 someones liked their housewarming slippers |
Time flew by as we drank coffee and
shared cinnamon rolls and before we knew it we had to scoot to make it to
Yvonne’s in Tavistock for 1:30. Bridgette followed a couple of minutes later as
she was invited to the baby shower as well.
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| A rose between two thorns (I think Bridgette said) It's a great kitchen although the lights and dark red ceiling have to go |
Bill dropped me at the door and I
was welcomed by Bill’s daughters. Yvonne has a beautiful home, total opposite
of Bridgette’s but just as lovely. This is the modern version and they have
just recently renovated their basement ‘young boys’ room to an inviting adult
space.
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| The shower went off without a hitch in Yvonne's home |
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| Jess opened gifts and Charlotte recorded for her |
More guests arrived with a total of
12 guests and Jess began opening gifts soon after. She received a lot of
beautiful things for Easton and I started the cuddle time. First Grandma
Pat(sy) held the little guy and then let others have a turn.
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| We loved the look when his Great Aunt Carol held him |
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| Great Grandma Marilynne |
He went around the
room like a sweet little virus that we all wanted a part of. The ‘snacks’ as
Krystal and Yvonne called them were more like a spread and we all enjoyed
nibbling and sharing in the delicious treats. Around 3:30 guests began leaving.
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| Mama and Baby |
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| This was the dessert table |
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| Olivia gets to hold her cousins |
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| We needed Bill in this picture for a 4 generation pose Babe, Great Grandma, Mom |
Bill had returned after visiting new
friends, Jo-Anne and Bob, who lived down the street. They have just purchased a
new Redwood fifth wheel and had many questions for Bill in this new to them
adventure. The rest of the time he spent downstairs with Dennis, Matt and his 4
grandsons. We passed out more Arizona/Mexico gifts and hopefully the smiles and
‘thank yous’ were genuine as the boys and daughters tried on their hats and
bracelets.
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| I don't have to tell you the names of Yvonne's boys Aren't they handsome? For some reason, they had red eye from the camera so the blue adjustment is a bit much |
We visited until 5:30 and said
goodbyes to the girls before driving to Bentley’s in Stratford. There, we met
with Bill’s 2 sisters, Carol and Liz, Brian and Bruce and Marilynne. I saw them
at the shower but Bill didn’t. Clemson was
very good but he wasn’t the happiest throughout this day. Circumstances meant
that we couldn’t leave him home for such an extended time. At Bob and Jo-Anne’s
he sat on Bill’s lap so their little dog could relax. It isn’t fair to the
‘master’ of the house otherwise.
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| And I didn't have a picture of these 3 yet Dennis, Yvonne (Bill's oldest) and Krystal (2nd youngest) |
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| And then young Cleo, the latest member of their family |
At Yvonne’s, they have a large young
dog so Clemson, with his anti-social behavior, couldn’t be let down to wander.
While at the restaurant, he was confined to Black Beauty. He had his sweater on
and a blanket so he was content and warm. We had a great dinner and visit
together before we said more goodbyes at 7:30.
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| This was a delicious entree Coconut Lime Shrimp and Thai Noodles I'm glad I have leftovers |
The drive home from Stratford to
London is only an hour so we were home by 8:30. We turned our heater up a notch
and sat with our books and my blanket for an hour.
This was a wonderful day and a great
way to end our week in London and surrounding area. We managed to see all of
our children, grandchildren, a couple of siblings and even a parent! Time to
move on in the morning! The weather was cold and wet but really a NON-ISSUE for
us.
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| Bill's siblings and step Mom |
Thank you for visiting us in London.