Day 35: Fugitive

The yoyoing temperatures here have us in various states of distress. Either it's too hot and we're peeling layers like onions, or as on Monday, I leave the house totally unprepared, and have to buy an extra hoodie just to survive the 2 minute walk home. It was a nice hoodie, and had 30% off. Charlie is always warm. The cheap onesie we bought her seems to be super heated, so she's happy to stay on the swings shouting, "higher" whilst we shivver at the bottom. Pushing.

We have also entered the community of Canadian car owners; which, quite frankly is a minefield. First you agree to buy a car. Then you have to go to your bank to get a banker's cheque because your card limit is far too small and the credit card rates abroad are crippling. Then you need to get insurance; again bankruptingly expensive as you don't have an Alberta driving licence, so any history is void and you are effectively a new driver. Goodbye any more nice clothes. Then you go and sit in the licensing office to buy plates (they don't come with the car here - they are registered to the driver. Weird). I say sit in the office as there is always a queue: despite 3 people working there, only one will be serving. And, get this, they do the theory test, obligitory eye test to go with the theory, and every other licence under the sun. There are 7 chairs and a permanent queue.

So we bought a car. Finally. It's better than our standard Focus back home; seats 7, dvd player, winter tyres, camera to reverse. And it was £1000 cheaper. As is road tax (paid for via the plates, annually, although I'll never get that hour back). Thankfully they've guaranteed to buy it back at the end of the holiday, at a loss, but the temptation to fill it with cheap clothes and skis, and ship it back is growing...

This morning I had one of those moments in motherhood which are so seldom appreciated, when Charlie turned to me and said, "love you mummy". I don't often feel a loving bond with her; more a necessity to keep her alive as she is relatively amusing. But today was one of those time-stans-still feelings. She's never used the word love before, and it was a bit of a moment between us.

I dutifully took her swimming, allowing her to nearly drown a few times to remind her why she wears arm bands in the pool (she took them off to go down the slide faster), but mainly standing around shivvering while she played on the slide. We took the car to have the weird tire low flashing light checked; they adjusted them, but said not to worry, as tyres fluctuate with the temperature and the sensors are sensitive. Really? Isn't that their job? Did check what to put in it; diesel or petrol? Gas, silly. Eh?

I took Charlie to daycare in the car, with a slight detour on the highway after a wrong turn, and her repeating, "mummy play with toys," to my distraction in the rear. I then went on to commit my first crime of the holiday. I saw the parked school bus with stop sign, and stopped. And as at other stop signs, assessed the danger, and carried on around it; it was parked of the other side of the road. Nobody followed me. Apparently, this is a road crime, and if someone is to have taken my number, I am to expect a phonecall or ticket in the next few days. Feeling sheepish and hiding in the house seems appropriate. At least it doesn't meet my fellony of driving down a tram line twice in Calgary (they look like roads and there are no signs to say not to) and getting pulled over by the police in 2010.

So, we mainly walked today. Thankfully I had a playdate (v. Canadian) with my fellow expat and walked to the park to panic over 3 toddlers skidding off the climbing frame and giggling with glee. God know how you parents of 2 or more cope at such destinations. Ratio 2:3 = total bedlam. However this caused my second crime in as many days, as I dropped off my rubbish in the bin, only to close the lid and see 'PARK TRASH ONLY, NO PRIVATE WASTE'. Did not extract it, and now am worried about CCTV, although they don't seem to get the dog walkers who ignore the no pets rule.

Exited park with some decorum; Charlie didn't lie face down in the snow to object to hand holding whilst crossing the road. So, to be nice, and praise positive behaviour, I let her empty the post box. As usual, we had fliers for the elections and Domino's. Charlie was thrilled. "I love it!" she exclaimed.

Not only am I Canmore's number 1 fellon, but on a par with a pizza flier. Maybe I should flee the country. After tomorrow's skiing, obviously.