I realize it’s been a while since I’ve posted and while I’m sure you haven’t been pining for me, rest assured I have been thinking of you, dear Internet.  We have had a steady stream of visitors and have been doing many fun and slightly less fun activities. 

Fun times included a trip to the African Lion Safari in which we saw all kinds of exotic animals.  Kieran would have been just as thrilled if we had been looking at squirrels and seagulls but Avery and I had a blast.  There is a safari section where you can ride a tour bus for a small fee or  you can subject your own vehicle to all kinds of abuse by wild animals drive your own car through for free (well after you pay approximately 19 thousand dollars admission).  We were glad that we chose the tour bus option as we watched baboons riding on top of other tourist’s cars and yanking on their windshield wipers and an ostrich attempting to smash his head through a car window (apparently having been rudely provoked by his own reflection).  The only thing that put a small damper on the tour bus experience for me was a family of tourists who sat in front of us and appeared to have never seen an animal of any kind.  As our tour guide drove us around the park the grandparents, parents, and two children (but more the adults than the children) would stand up and shout “A GIRAFFE! A GIRAFFE! LOOK AT HIM!  WOOOOOOOOWWWW!…….HE’S WALKING! LOOK HE’S WALKING!  HE’S EATING! OHMYGOD HE’S RUNNING!  LOOK AT THAT! LOOK AT THAT!!!!!!” Did I mention that these people sounded as though they were from New York?  At first it was mildly amusing to listen to them talk about how they were “staaahving” (starving). But seriously, someone needed to turn down their volume. 

The highlights of the day would have to be the Elephant show and the ride that Avery and I took on an elephant. I felt like a 3 year old my self, it was that exciting!  The elephant show was really fun and the trainers were both professional and entertaining.  Especially when the one trainer who was narrating the show attempted to demonstrate techniques for mounting an elephant without the aid of a platform and misjudged her angle and was falling off the elephant and then got a boost from her associate who basically threw her over the other side and she almost fell off head first but her colleagues caught her.  That was awesome.  Anyway, I highly recommend the safari to anyone who comes to this part of Ontario. It’s worth the trip.  Soooo…what else have we been up to?  Well, Avery had her fourth birthday.  And you know that means a party. Which we had. In our house. Because it rained and we couldn’t have it in the park as planned. It basically went over well.  Avery was so wired that I was afraid she’s pass out from sheer excitement.  While the party was fun, what was not fun was the work involved.  Even if you’ve planned ahead and gotten everything organized there’s nothing that can prepare you for the pure chaos that is a house full of children under four years old.  But it’s over for another year, thank God.

We had a very dear friend visiting from Saskatoon last week (who totally saved my butt by cleaning my house on the morning of the birthday party before we even knew that everyone would be coming to our house for the party – I know, nice host, hey? “Come on over! I’ll let you use the good toilet brush!  It’ll be great!”).  I’m sure that was the highlight of her vacation.  

We also made another trip to the beach at Grand Bend which I am sure you are all tired of hearing about.  But I just had to share one little insight. On this particular trip the beach was absolutely packed. It was a very hot day and there are a lot of tourists around that area right now.  The kids were running around and I was watching the seagulls circling the beach and watching for scraps of food dropped sun-worshipers.  Kieran happens to love birds and so I threw a bit of my sandwich on the ground for the seagull who swooped down right on cue and ate it right up. My son was delighted so I did this a couple more times. Until I noticed that many of my fellow beach patrons were giving me dirty looks.  I stopped throwing crumbs because I felt we’d already sufficiently annoyed those around us by running back and forth between our “camp” and the shoreline, kicking sand on them and so on.  But I was amazed to discover that the average person on the beach seems to be repulsed by birds.  I watched people swat at them, yell and wave their arms, make faces and run right at them to chase them away.  They seemed completely outraged that these birds were even in the airspace above the beach.  My friend pointed out that perhaps they were just afraid of being pooped on.  But it seemed to me that these people were genuinely upset, even about the birds lighting to pick up leftover lunch scraps.  I think this is so bizarre because I totally love to feed birds.  Maybe I’m a 90 year old bag lady at heart but I really enjoy bringing a loaf of bread to the park to feed the Canada geese or squirrels or any other type of bird that might be around.  It’s such a neat opportunity to look at animals up close.  I don’t understand why people would be so agitated by them. They don’t try to take food directly from you which is more than I can say for my children.  Is it an Ontario thing? Is it just that I grew up with a father who was obsessed with bird life so I am naturally comfortable around birds?  I mean, it seems to me that the wildlife of the area has a fairly substantial claim to the beach.  Am I wrong?  Moving on…

Right now the inlaws are visiting and on Tuesday I leave for Manitoba with the kids for a week at my parents.  I think it will be nice to get out of Ontario for a little bit.  I can use a break.  Except for one thing.  I know I have complained to you, loyal readers, MANY a time about Ontario and many of their strange customs and the crazy hot climate (which we have experienced this past few weeks) but one little custom that I am absolutely thrilled about is that there have been next to ZERO mosquitoes.  Anyone who knows me knows that my blood is the french fries of the blood-sucking world.  It is so tasty and delicious they just can’t say no. And I spend the whole summer trying to peel my skin off my body because I’m so damn itchy and don’t have an ounce of self-restraint.  But apparently a benefit of living in a climate which includes temperatures that regularly bring your blood to its boiling point is that it’s too hot for the mosquitoes.  I can’t believe I’m saying this and I can’t help but worry that something is going to go terribly wrong by me speaking this aloud (sort of), but I have only had ONE mosquito bite this whole summer!  Me!  Cue celestial chorus!!!  It is a summer that will go down in history.  Unfortunately, that all comes to an end once I get off the plane in Winnipeg. Sigh…It  was nice while it lasted.

Last night we got to go on a date while the inlaws were mauled to death babysat the kids.  There is a park only minutes from where we live that hosts a different festival nearly every weekend in the summers which is nice because we can walk there. We have enjoyed a variety of different kinds of food and music and vendors selling all manner of different food/art/crafts/kitschy type stuff.  So this weekend we attended RibFest.  Yes, London hosts an annual competition by restaurants from Canada and the USA where people come to taste and vote for their favorite ribs.  It was by far the most Redneck type event I’ve ever attended.  The different restaurants had tables set up with their trophies from previous years. Trophies that had little gold pigs on top of them.  They had huge banners announcing that they had won first place for the best sauce or overall best ribs in a variety of locations. Apparently RibFest travels around Ontario and various parts of the United States.  Seriously, I had no idea this kind of thing existed in real life. It sounds like something out of Jeff Foxworthy sketch.  “If you order a meal called “Vegetarian Nightmare” (which includes a half chicken, a half rack of ribs and pulled pork on a bun) you might be a Redneck!”  That’s what we ate. It was reasonably good. But the sweaty, beer bellied, belching Redneck crowd sort of put a damper on the atmosphere. Actually it was not that bad.  Not your four star restaurant. But I loves me some vittles that includes more than one dead animal!

There have been many blog posts on my mind these days but I haven’t had the time to sit down and write them.  Perhaps I will find time as I lounge in Manitoba next week, eating bonbons while my parents and sisters take my kids off my hands (snicker).  But really, I will try. Also, I know I have mentioned on several occasions that I am planning to switch over this blog to a new address but this time it is actually in the works. I’ve decided that since I’ve actually managed to keep this thing going for two years now (I know, you’re wondering how it is that you managed to waste two whole years of your life reading this stuff!) I deserve a pretty new blog.  I’m trying to get it all set up and make it all spanky looking for y’all and I’ll let you know as soon as she’s up and running.  Until then, things will continue on right here.