Countdown to Christmas

As with everyone I’m sure we can’t believe Christmas is on the horizon. We have been in Tianjin for two solid months and we are solidly getting things accomplished and adapting to life here in a new city. While we must admit to be being a bit lazier in our travelling we have made up for this in getting to know the neighborhood and the staff. To be honest we didn’t have this sense of community during our time in Beijing so this will help us get through the Christmas season. There has been a few Covid hiccups here but nothing that a week or two of living low hasn’t solved. We can attend dinners with the foodie club if we want, we can go on bike ride adventures with others as well. There is a badminton club but we prefer to bike although I think today at plus 3 might have been my last ride. Getting into the single digits and biking do not go hand in hand with me. So the gatherings we do attend are usually large dinners and we did have another one this month with a great meal once again at Cassa Cafe with turkey and all the trimmings celebrating the American Thanksgiving. I want to make a note here that the stuffing was made into little balls like the size of meatballs and it was a unique and tasty way to do the stuffing so I want to make sure I have it written down somewhere to do this so here it is in the blog.
Of course John is working and my weeks I have to get creative. I have started to decorate with painting some recycled materials as I don’t want to buy anything that I will want to take home. I found some decorations in the stores but again there’s no point in buying items that reflect a temporary season during a temporary stay. Which leads me to the next news…!

We plan to return to Ontario, Canada for good by July 2021! The decision has been made based on the fact that John will not necessarily step into the job at Maple Leaf School in Brockville as they have stalled the renovations due to the Covid issue and the fact that it will be very hard to have any kind of enrolment from China. Some of the more established schools have closed down as well so that is our news of the month. Now in our excitement of coming home we have been looking at houses and have taken up the hunt for the next Healey household as a part time job for me. It has had its frustrations but we will find something suitable in the Eastern Ontario region. We may even venture into living with my mom in a new dwelling for the three of us but that remains to be decided as of yet.
People ask what I have been up to and I am now working on books 3, 4 and 5 so I am not bored as this has been a great opportunity for me to delve into something that I hadn’t had time for before. Two of the books are based on the continuing life of Felicity Mouse and the third is based on the life of two stray dogs here in Tianjin whom I named Pickles and Parker. So I am currently finishing the artwork for the Felicity Mouse stories and have finished most of the writing for the Pickles and Parker book but have not started the artwork for that one yet.
Of course like many Canadians we have been fortunate to have Netflix so have knocked off a few series and some great movies. Looking forward to possibly seeing the Mel Gibson one that was filmed in Carleton Place and Almonte as a treat for the Christmas season movies.
Time is going by quickly and no doubt the next 6 months will as well. We hope to travel during our month break in February but haven’t solidified any plans yet. Stay tuned!!!