Summer thus far

I was told when I was here last time that the summer was hotter than usual and not to expect that as normal. Well this summer has been breaking records and it hotter even than 2012.

The heat has helped my garden grow well. I continue to enjoy looking after that, particularly as we are now eating produce from the garden.

Last weekend the community we live in hosted a annual competition called Sand Sensations. The sculptors came from Canada, USA, Russia and the Netherlands. Davis' work was a sponsor so we went to a dinner and got to take part in the judging. The roping cowboy got first place in both the sponsor and peoples choice.

Due to the hot weather, harvest has begun already and I went out to help for a day. I look forward to going out more and spending more time driving a combine.






A new experience for me in the weekend was to learn how to chop up chickens. They had already been butchered, so we were just cutting them so we can use different parts, such as a meal of drumsticks. These chickens were huge. One weighed 10.4 pounds (4.7kg).

Davis and I found a patch of wild saskatoons which we plan to pick one evening when it is a little cooler. It involves walking up the Taylor hill, which is like going straight up the last part of Te Mata peak, not using the road. Saskatoons are similar to blueberries and I will freeze them for making various things.

Cleardale Gospel Music Festival

In years gone past, Davis and his family have played as a group at various things. This year after many years of not doing anything the family was invited to play at the Cleardale Gospel Music Festival. We all agreed that it would be a great thing to do so each Friday evening we had music practice.

On a Friday morning I look after my niece and nephew and each week they would let me know it was Friday and that meant they would be going to music practice. They seemed to really enjoy the time singing, playing with their cousins and spending time with Grandpa and Grandma.

This past weekend was the weekend of the festival. We only went out for the Sunday, the day we were playing. It was a two hour drive away and with a one hour time difference. Meaning an early start to get out to see groups in the morning. 

Our set went well with feedback letting us know that people were encouraged by the truths that were sung and also by seeing the family playing and singing together.

  

The older four children sung "Who can do anything"

All the adults (bar me, I was child minding)
sung "When we all get to heaven"

I played clarinet for an instrumental of "Be still, my soul"

The men sung several songs together.
They switched instruments and who was singing which part.

The sky was more blue than this most of the time and it was quite warm.

I look forward to spending more time with the Goertzen family in this way.

My Garden

The past months I have been enjoying the warmer weather and being able to work out in the garden. When we first moved in the ground was covered in snow and the garden box was full of dead grass. As soon as the ground was no longer frozen I got to work with pulling out the grass and roots. This was no small job but I got there.

A pile with some of the grass and roots pulled form the garden box

 With the warmer weather came a surprise. In the middle of the garden box sprung a rhubarb plant. This was not a small one and I decided that I would transplant it to leave more room for vegetables. My sister-in-law and her twins helped with this and we got it into its new home. It is growing well and I have already made a rhubarb pie from its produce.

The rhubarb plant as it started to appear from the ground.

Timothy and Lauren helping weed and transplant the rhubarb

The rhubarb doing  well in its new home beside the compost,
which is currently also an anthill.

Once the weeds were pulled, some new good soil mixed in it was time to plant some veggies. After 3 weeks, lots of watering and warm sunshine I have things growing. I am excited to watch them all grow and greatly look forward to when I can pick things to eat. 

The garden with three weeks growth.
Free accommodation when you visit FSJ if you can work out what is planted :-)

The garden out the front of the house. Has beans, along one side,
a flower bush (came out once warmed up) and two tomatoes.

I enjoy spending time weeding so that peas, carrots, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers and beetroot have room to grow and we have lots of fresh yummy things to eat for a time. The cucumber plants did not like the cold snap we had but some may yet survive. I did plant some flower seeds but they are either not coming or taking their time.

Spring is here

Spring officially began on March 20th, but it can come to these parts a bit later. Even as I write, "spring is here" I know that we can still have snow and a blizzard yet. Almost hard to believe as I watch the sunset in another clear sky at 8:30, which is still light at 9:30.

The days have certainly gotten warmer with my winter coat hardly coming out of the closet and some days not even a sweater to wear while working in the garden. I may be becoming more "Canadian" as apparently although it was 18 the first time I was out without a sweater, it was only 10 degrees the second.

Here are some pictures of Spring around the Fort St John area.

A new chicken at the Thiessen's

A wiener roast, followed by marshmallows for lunch

A wild flower growing on the Taylor Hill.

Our garden box getting closer to being ready for growing some vegetables. Amongst the grass that was growing abundantly out came a rhubarb plant :-)

The view from our drive looking North. The grass is getting greener!

I am enjoying the longer days of sunlight and being able to be outside for more of the day.

A New Home

After 5 months of looking, and two months of living with Davis' parents, we now have a place to call our own home. As we look back we can see God's faithfulness and goodness to us, in both the timing of all the details and also incredible blessing of what our house is.

The view of our house from standing on the footpath

This room is the window you can see from road,
our office. There is a second room right
behind it which is currently more storage.
We might use it for a spare room or a craft room.
(If you come and visit us this would be the
room for you to stay in, NZ visitors are welcome)

The lounge and Kitchen are in the centre of the house.

The master bedroom, before furniture.
There is a laundry room between the
end of the kitchen and this room.

This week also brought Davis starting a new job. Another provision of the Lord that shows His love and care in taking care of all the little things. We have much to be thankful for as be settling into new routines and enjoy married life together.

A week of winter

I have now been in Canada a week and there is something I know for sure, that is that it is winter. Today the sun is shinning and it looks like a beautiful day out, so we went for a walk.

The sun shinning is a little deceiving, it is the coldest it has been since I got here, -28 with wind chill of -39. But the colours in the snow are beautiful, blue reflections, rainbows in the sparkles. All these things I cannot capture with a camera.

The following is me bundled up out side ready for a walk. In the background is our current home.

Another things that I know for sure is that no matter where in the world we are God is the same, I have continued to see more and more of His loving-kindness and faithfulness to us since being in Canada. We have much to be thankful for and give praise to God.

A New Stage in Life

On the 7^th of December 2013, I had the joy and privilege of marrying Davis.  Looking back on the past year I cannot but think of the song which we sung at our wedding “Great is Thy Faithful”. God has blessed me beyond what I could ever deserve and greater than what I could have ever imagined.

The wedding day was lovely, one in which we were able to stand before God and man and make a commitment to one another, a day in which we can say we are thankful that God’s name was lifted up in both the ceremony and the reception, a day in which many people who have been a special part of my life were about have a part in an incredibly special day.

The food, conversation and speeches at our reception were all great!

On Friday the 27^th of December, Davis and I will be flying to Canada. Although I do not know the details of what it will be like I am certain of one thing, that God has a plan and it can only but be wonderful as He is an amazingly wonderful God.