Thursday 5 January 2006

what year is it again?


Happy new year! Gosh, what a year it's been. I like to start off each new year congratulating various celebrities for still being with us, so way to stay alive Bea Arthur and Dom DeLuise! That's showing 'em.

We had a truly fantastic time in Canada, and I'd like to thank the fine people who control the weather for making sure it wasn't horrifically cold. Note to the British: a temperature of -5C does not warrant a description of "bitterly cold" and 8 cm of snow shouldn't get front page headlines. Silly English. Speaking of which, I am about to become a silly English person as I embark on my journey towards citizenship. Let's see if I get my passport back before October.

Three cheers for: seeing the new Harry Potter film on an IMAX screen (it's like regular Harry Potter, only friggin' huge), seeing the wonderfully enchanting film "Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" (I ran out and bought the Narnia boxed set because I'm a sad nerdy girl), experiencing Montreal blanketed in soft fluffy snow, the millions of amazing meals we had (and only a 2lb gain to show for it), our very well behaved baby boy on both flights, and feeling all warm and fuzzy after seeing our friends and family.

Three jeers for: the grumpy lady at Canada customs who growled at me "Do you know anyone in Canada??" after looking at my Canadian passport (and for not finding it amusing when I said "Erm...my mother?"), the nasty American lady who had a go at me when she thought I was cutting into the queue at Heathrow passport control (I was trying to get to the "UK residents" queue, silly cow), the people at Avis car rental at Pearson, the lack of peanut butter M&Ms and Max Factor makeup in Canada, and the fact that everyone talks on their mobiles (without using hands free) while driving and this is still legal.

Although Canada is my homeland, it's really nice to be back in the UK. I feel very foreign when I visit North America now, which is a bit weird. I really can't imagine living there again, but of course I'll always love visiting.

After all, where else am I going to get dill pickle chips and Kraft Dinner?

No comments: