it's been a while

I couldn't get in to this blog for a while back whenever I last posted so gave it up for a bit. Hoping it all works today!
Here's part of an email I just sent to one of my aunts, with all the updates of recent weeks:

"With Peter’s time short (and therefore peak travel which meant an x'y airfare) it was hard to justify what would amount to a 10 day trip back this December. Xmas may be a tricky time of year for him to fly (he only has a two week break) but in future years I’ll plan my work trips better and be able to come out and combine the two (work and xmas that is) on alternate years - this year I was a little restricted with travel due to teaching commitments – which meant that after having been out for four weeks sept/oct it seemed a little soon to come back given that Peter couldn’t join me.

I will (and am already) miss everyone at Christmas –I didn’t have xmas day in Sydney last year but I did spend most of Dec in Sydney so I still felt part of it – and obviously we had faux xmas with the family too. So I do feel I’ll miss out on the Surtees Xmas experience which is sad. But I am excited to plan and host Peter’s family at Christmas here (I have never hosted xmas dinner before!).

I will definitely by in Oz in the first 6 months of 2010 for sure – I’ve realised that trips back every 6 months or so are both affordable/workable and about the time I start craving an Australia fix. And I will make a few side trips to catch up with Melb and Bris peeps too.

I am making my way here – work has been pretty steady with online and phone stuff, and of course my regular writing, but just the past few weeks things are staring to develop with building a local client base. I haven’t earned as much as I’m capable of this year, but I have covered my costs with re-establishing myself so I’m proud of that. And there are a few projects in the works so stay tuned (most of it will happen work wise at www.kellysurtees.com)

We moved the week after I got back from my last Sydney trip (it was probably the most intense 10days ever – international flight, jet lag, packing and moving!) but the new place is lovely. It has loads more sun which is a must in the dreary Canadian winter. It’s a newer/sharper place too so we are a little more house proud as well. When Spring rolls around we have a lovely balcony which gets the afternoon sun (though Peter is determined to bbq year around – and was out in minus five last weekend!)

Our kitty cats are now 6 months old and they had their spay ops (kitty hysterectomies) early in November so there was a couple of weeks taking care of them too. It was horrible to see them drugged out right after the ops and then they had to wear these cones around their necks to stop them licking their wounds and they kept banging into walls and things. We had to hand feed them the first day or so till they got the hang of it. After a few minor bumps (one reacted badly to the stitches and the other got kitty litter in her eye) they are fully recovered and back to digging up my pot plants and rumbling with each other.

If you think kids sound like elephants running through a house - these two cuties sound like a herd when they race around!

We had our first big snow fall this past week – temps down to minus 20 with windchill and 20cms of powder in one night! So it’s cold and wet but the snow came a month later this year than last winter so that is a blessing.