The Grandpa Chronicles
I was in the middle of writing an entry when my dumb cat, Stanley, decided to crawl underneath the desk and nudge something to make the computer restart. Stupid cat.
Anyway, so I thought it would be interesting (for at least me) to post some of me and my grandpa's emails to each other. Enjoy!
Hey Grandpa,
Well, I'm back and it feels really nice to be back in Toronto. Last wknd Jamie and I moved back to Toronto and now I'm living with the in-laws! That's a whole different adventure. :) It's actually alright. We have the master bedroom and have a decent amount of privacy. I am definitely introducing the whole aspect of cleaning up after yourself and a bit of responsibility but other than that it's fine for the time being. Now you may be asking yourself, "Why on earth are they living with Jamie's mom & sister?" Well, the whole reason behind that is that since I've left my job at TD Canada Trust and have joined Campus Crusade for Christ, I will be needing to raise my own salary (by sending out letters and meeting with people who are willing to support me and Jamie financially and with their prayers) so we are only on one income right now. It's alright, though. It's only for the summer (most likely) and that's just one of the small sacrifices you make to do the job you love!
Anyway, how's summer in big-city Perth? How's Granny's garden? Are you making the most of it? I realize I am actually growing up as sometimes I think about owning my own home and having a garden and what I would plant and kids and decorating...it's a bit crazy to think that this is what I'm thinking about! :)
Anyway, we've got a busy summer ahead of us but we hope to take some weekends and get away and perhaps take a few days of holidays here and there. Maybe we can come out and visit you and Granny...bring our pictures (I might even have a scrapbook put together by then!) and have some wine!
It's a wee bit late now so I'll end this but it's definitely nice to be back as much as I loved Tanzania and the culture and people there...home is where the heart is! :)
love
Vanessa
WELCOME BACK VANESSA
Thanks for the sitrep (ask Shereen if you don't know what it is)
"it feels really nice to be back in Toronto....."
Probably the first time anyone's ever said that !!
".....now I'm living with the in-laws! That's a whole different adventure. It's actually alright......."
Uhu !! (= tell me about it !!)
"...I will be needing to raise my own salary (by sending out letters and meeting with people who are willing to support me and Jamie financially and with their prayers)......."
What a nutty arrangement. Afraid we can't help your (unspoken) thought - we're stuck with subsidizing Geoff at the moment - though he's now got a girl-friend (nice, well-suited, gets along well with his two kids)and they may be moving into a small house in Ottawa together - so that may, hopefully, change.
"...How's Granny's garden?...."
It looks good but she can't manage it by herself. But we have found a good person who comes in occasionally. She had a bad fall a couple of weeks ago and still has a huge lump on her forehead. Andrew and Lily can give you the details but she's luckily out of it without serious injury.
"...Maybe we can come out and visit you and Granny..."
Anytime, though you may have to rough it with sleeping bags etc. We are away for a few days in mid-July,
then someone's visiting end-September into October. Otherwise ?
P.S. Derek and Shelagh are in London and Scotland at the moment - back sometime next week.
".....home is where the heart is......"
Lucky you. I didn't really have a home as a child (boarding school) and then I was by myself until I got married and established a home - even though it was a movable feast. Still....
Love, Brian (and Jane who shares it even though she's not a distance-communicator, just as I'm not all that much of a face-to-face communicator.....but it works out well as a partnership).
Hi Grandpa,
What's with all these abbreviations? Army lingo?
Anyway, I didn't tell you what I'd be doing (raising support) in the hopes you catch my (supposed) hint. I figured that since you didn't support me for Tanzania you wouldn't support me in my f/t job. I just told you to update you on how my life is now! :) I'm pretty straight up about stuff like that. I appreciate honesty and when people don't beat around the bush.
I just heard about Shelagh and Derek almost getting on the tube in London this morning - scary stuff. Thank God they didn't! Wow.
And hopefully Uncle Geoff's new relationship works out. Good for him.
It's been so nice out it's hard to be disciplined and keep working instead of doddling outside or laying about...
Anyway, I better get some required reading done!
love
vanessa
Hi Vanessa
"Sitrep" (told you to ask Shereen). It's what all the world has been getting all day - Situation Reports.
UH OH - I have offended you with my sneaky, subtle, underhanded, beating around the bush remarks.
OKAY - I can take a hint - from now on its straight-from-the-shoulder, Gregory Peck in "High Noon" stuff:
We are interested in what you are doing.
But we're never, never, never giving you any money for anything to do with god.
(in any case, he's all-powerful and doesn't need it).
But apart from all that, no further news from Derek though I managed to get his message through to the Portuguese family who were supposed to meet him and Shelagh at Pearson Airport. There's no public transport in London at the moment so they're going to have a dickens of a time to get out there.
Jane's sister Molly's daughter Jennie (phew !) got to work early this morning (she commutes daily from the Midlands by train to King's Cross, one of the bombed stations). She's going to be a very very busy babe today as she's the coordinator for the new London Transport which encompasses the London buses, the underground and all railways within London.
Not much else going on here otherwise. We are going to a remote area of Quebec next week for a family celebration of 30 years together by our friends Linda and Jean-Guy. We've decided to take the train to Quebec City, then rent a car and drive south, nearly to the Maine border - returning a day later. It's being put on by their son and daughter as they normally live in Geneva (we visited them there a few years ago). he works for the World Trade Organization and she works for Red Cross International. But I'll have to brush up on my French as I suppose that will be the working language.
Keep up the good work, and keep us informed,
Love Brian (and Jane).
Hi Grandpa,
Glad to know what sitrep means. I will try and use it sometime this week.
And nope, I wasn't offended. Just wanted to let you know that if I want money, I'll ask for it straight out. That's all. :) I think I'm brutally honest sometimes and it's gotten me into trouble a few times but I'm learning to "speak the truth in love". It's very introspective, though. Gregory Peck in "High Noon", eh? I had to look that baby up. So from what I gathered from my google search, Mr. Peck turned down a role in the 1950 western flick, High Noon, perhaps because Will Kane's character was atypical of the cliche cowboy (generally "weak"). Now what I'm not too clear on is why you were being straight up like Gregory Peck in High Noon.
Have you heard anything else from Derek or Shelagh? Wow...that's pretty crazy and amazing that they weren't a part of any of the explosions or anything. That's a story to tell, for sure!
So Quebec, eh? I'd love to go back to Quebec City. Jamie and I went there Aug. '02 and it was so quaint and beautiful. It was like mini-Europe. In terms of the architecture. And the food...oh the food! Fondues, and chocolate covered-ice cream, crepes...now I'm drooling!
Well, we're off to Colorado on Saturday so that should be fun. Another place that I've been to that can be checked off the list.
Well, I'm in the process of scrapbooking all my Africa pictures and it's quite extensive (and expensive) so I'm going to get back to that now...
love
vanessa
Hi Vanessa
Gregory Peck epitomized the straight-shooter, the "honest" hero, the dependable one in his many roles,
(and therefore not like me at all). So I was lying ? So sue me.
Derek and Shelagh showed up at our house for supper yesterday en route from Toronto to Ottawa. The traffic was reasonable the day after the explosions and they made it to the airport alright. They seemed to have had a good time, wandering around London and camping in Scotland. They bought a puppy to replace the dead M'Doo and picked him up in Toronto (he promptly shat on our carpet - you can't keep a good dog down. SEE "STELLA" ATTACHMENT FOR A LOOK.
Have a good time in Colorado (we liked it)
"I'm in the process of scrapbooking all my Africa pictures and it's quite extensive (and expensive) so I'm going to get back to that now"....AND I'M NOT GOING TO COMMENT.
Want a time-waster - SEE THE OTHER ATTACHMENT - THE SEVEN TEST (you will have to scroll down for both questions and answers as I'm preparing it for my Christmas Book - npo questions please).
Love, B&J
What's wrong with scrapbooking? It's a fun hobby...and my pictures will last for (practically) forever. At least that's what they say to get me to buy their ridiculously over-priced products.
And Shelagh and Derek's dog is SOOOO cute! I'm glad they had a great time.
As for a time-waster...I always like to do quizzes. I was so tempted to cheat, but I didn't. Honest.
So I've attatched my answers.
That's all for me.
over and out
vaness
Hi again,
Jamie and I were driving down a street near us that has a cemetary on one side of it. We both noticed a sign that said: "New plots available". We started talking about this...how do plots become available? I don't think it's legal to dig up old graves, so where are the new ones coming from? And how are cemetaries run? I mean, the people working there are getting paid so are people paying monthly/yearly for plots? What if they want to stop paying for it? It's not like they can just dig up the person who's in that plot?
Anyway, pretty morbid, but something we had no clue about. I thought to myself, "Self, you should email your grandpa. He's pretty knowledgeable about most things. You may just get your answers!". So that's what I've done.
Your thoughts?
Vanessa
Hi Vanessa:
9/25 is pretty good - almost a pass, but better than the average of 7/25.
I got 25/25 of course but I lie a lot.
Who said anything about scrapbooks - or if I did I've forgotten. But while buying stuff for scrapbook supplies I gave to India (Mark's daughter) amd Rowan (Geoff's son) last Christmas I was stupified by the prices.
Re. cemeteries. Most that can are continually expanding for all the reasons you state - they buy land in advance and gradually fill it. But cemeteries are sometimes emptied or removed to other places if the need is great. In New Orleans (built on a swamp) there are no below-ground plots - just built-up niches. Some places in Florida are the same (very few basements in Florida).
But why don't you go in and ask ?
Ciao, B.
Anyway, so I thought it would be interesting (for at least me) to post some of me and my grandpa's emails to each other. Enjoy!
Hey Grandpa,
Well, I'm back and it feels really nice to be back in Toronto. Last wknd Jamie and I moved back to Toronto and now I'm living with the in-laws! That's a whole different adventure. :) It's actually alright. We have the master bedroom and have a decent amount of privacy. I am definitely introducing the whole aspect of cleaning up after yourself and a bit of responsibility but other than that it's fine for the time being. Now you may be asking yourself, "Why on earth are they living with Jamie's mom & sister?" Well, the whole reason behind that is that since I've left my job at TD Canada Trust and have joined Campus Crusade for Christ, I will be needing to raise my own salary (by sending out letters and meeting with people who are willing to support me and Jamie financially and with their prayers) so we are only on one income right now. It's alright, though. It's only for the summer (most likely) and that's just one of the small sacrifices you make to do the job you love!
Anyway, how's summer in big-city Perth? How's Granny's garden? Are you making the most of it? I realize I am actually growing up as sometimes I think about owning my own home and having a garden and what I would plant and kids and decorating...it's a bit crazy to think that this is what I'm thinking about! :)
Anyway, we've got a busy summer ahead of us but we hope to take some weekends and get away and perhaps take a few days of holidays here and there. Maybe we can come out and visit you and Granny...bring our pictures (I might even have a scrapbook put together by then!) and have some wine!
It's a wee bit late now so I'll end this but it's definitely nice to be back as much as I loved Tanzania and the culture and people there...home is where the heart is! :)
love
Vanessa
WELCOME BACK VANESSA
Thanks for the sitrep (ask Shereen if you don't know what it is)
"it feels really nice to be back in Toronto....."
Probably the first time anyone's ever said that !!
".....now I'm living with the in-laws! That's a whole different adventure. It's actually alright......."
Uhu !! (= tell me about it !!)
"...I will be needing to raise my own salary (by sending out letters and meeting with people who are willing to support me and Jamie financially and with their prayers)......."
What a nutty arrangement. Afraid we can't help your (unspoken) thought - we're stuck with subsidizing Geoff at the moment - though he's now got a girl-friend (nice, well-suited, gets along well with his two kids)and they may be moving into a small house in Ottawa together - so that may, hopefully, change.
"...How's Granny's garden?...."
It looks good but she can't manage it by herself. But we have found a good person who comes in occasionally. She had a bad fall a couple of weeks ago and still has a huge lump on her forehead. Andrew and Lily can give you the details but she's luckily out of it without serious injury.
"...Maybe we can come out and visit you and Granny..."
Anytime, though you may have to rough it with sleeping bags etc. We are away for a few days in mid-July,
then someone's visiting end-September into October. Otherwise ?
P.S. Derek and Shelagh are in London and Scotland at the moment - back sometime next week.
".....home is where the heart is......"
Lucky you. I didn't really have a home as a child (boarding school) and then I was by myself until I got married and established a home - even though it was a movable feast. Still....
Love, Brian (and Jane who shares it even though she's not a distance-communicator, just as I'm not all that much of a face-to-face communicator.....but it works out well as a partnership).
Hi Grandpa,
What's with all these abbreviations? Army lingo?
Anyway, I didn't tell you what I'd be doing (raising support) in the hopes you catch my (supposed) hint. I figured that since you didn't support me for Tanzania you wouldn't support me in my f/t job. I just told you to update you on how my life is now! :) I'm pretty straight up about stuff like that. I appreciate honesty and when people don't beat around the bush.
I just heard about Shelagh and Derek almost getting on the tube in London this morning - scary stuff. Thank God they didn't! Wow.
And hopefully Uncle Geoff's new relationship works out. Good for him.
It's been so nice out it's hard to be disciplined and keep working instead of doddling outside or laying about...
Anyway, I better get some required reading done!
love
vanessa
Hi Vanessa
"Sitrep" (told you to ask Shereen). It's what all the world has been getting all day - Situation Reports.
UH OH - I have offended you with my sneaky, subtle, underhanded, beating around the bush remarks.
OKAY - I can take a hint - from now on its straight-from-the-shoulder, Gregory Peck in "High Noon" stuff:
We are interested in what you are doing.
But we're never, never, never giving you any money for anything to do with god.
(in any case, he's all-powerful and doesn't need it).
But apart from all that, no further news from Derek though I managed to get his message through to the Portuguese family who were supposed to meet him and Shelagh at Pearson Airport. There's no public transport in London at the moment so they're going to have a dickens of a time to get out there.
Jane's sister Molly's daughter Jennie (phew !) got to work early this morning (she commutes daily from the Midlands by train to King's Cross, one of the bombed stations). She's going to be a very very busy babe today as she's the coordinator for the new London Transport which encompasses the London buses, the underground and all railways within London.
Not much else going on here otherwise. We are going to a remote area of Quebec next week for a family celebration of 30 years together by our friends Linda and Jean-Guy. We've decided to take the train to Quebec City, then rent a car and drive south, nearly to the Maine border - returning a day later. It's being put on by their son and daughter as they normally live in Geneva (we visited them there a few years ago). he works for the World Trade Organization and she works for Red Cross International. But I'll have to brush up on my French as I suppose that will be the working language.
Keep up the good work, and keep us informed,
Love Brian (and Jane).
Hi Grandpa,
Glad to know what sitrep means. I will try and use it sometime this week.
And nope, I wasn't offended. Just wanted to let you know that if I want money, I'll ask for it straight out. That's all. :) I think I'm brutally honest sometimes and it's gotten me into trouble a few times but I'm learning to "speak the truth in love". It's very introspective, though. Gregory Peck in "High Noon", eh? I had to look that baby up. So from what I gathered from my google search, Mr. Peck turned down a role in the 1950 western flick, High Noon, perhaps because Will Kane's character was atypical of the cliche cowboy (generally "weak"). Now what I'm not too clear on is why you were being straight up like Gregory Peck in High Noon.
Have you heard anything else from Derek or Shelagh? Wow...that's pretty crazy and amazing that they weren't a part of any of the explosions or anything. That's a story to tell, for sure!
So Quebec, eh? I'd love to go back to Quebec City. Jamie and I went there Aug. '02 and it was so quaint and beautiful. It was like mini-Europe. In terms of the architecture. And the food...oh the food! Fondues, and chocolate covered-ice cream, crepes...now I'm drooling!
Well, we're off to Colorado on Saturday so that should be fun. Another place that I've been to that can be checked off the list.
Well, I'm in the process of scrapbooking all my Africa pictures and it's quite extensive (and expensive) so I'm going to get back to that now...
love
vanessa
Hi Vanessa
Gregory Peck epitomized the straight-shooter, the "honest" hero, the dependable one in his many roles,
(and therefore not like me at all). So I was lying ? So sue me.
Derek and Shelagh showed up at our house for supper yesterday en route from Toronto to Ottawa. The traffic was reasonable the day after the explosions and they made it to the airport alright. They seemed to have had a good time, wandering around London and camping in Scotland. They bought a puppy to replace the dead M'Doo and picked him up in Toronto (he promptly shat on our carpet - you can't keep a good dog down. SEE "STELLA" ATTACHMENT FOR A LOOK.
Have a good time in Colorado (we liked it)
"I'm in the process of scrapbooking all my Africa pictures and it's quite extensive (and expensive) so I'm going to get back to that now"....AND I'M NOT GOING TO COMMENT.
Want a time-waster - SEE THE OTHER ATTACHMENT - THE SEVEN TEST (you will have to scroll down for both questions and answers as I'm preparing it for my Christmas Book - npo questions please).
Love, B&J
What's wrong with scrapbooking? It's a fun hobby...and my pictures will last for (practically) forever. At least that's what they say to get me to buy their ridiculously over-priced products.
And Shelagh and Derek's dog is SOOOO cute! I'm glad they had a great time.
As for a time-waster...I always like to do quizzes. I was so tempted to cheat, but I didn't. Honest.
So I've attatched my answers.
That's all for me.
over and out
vaness
Hi again,
Jamie and I were driving down a street near us that has a cemetary on one side of it. We both noticed a sign that said: "New plots available". We started talking about this...how do plots become available? I don't think it's legal to dig up old graves, so where are the new ones coming from? And how are cemetaries run? I mean, the people working there are getting paid so are people paying monthly/yearly for plots? What if they want to stop paying for it? It's not like they can just dig up the person who's in that plot?
Anyway, pretty morbid, but something we had no clue about. I thought to myself, "Self, you should email your grandpa. He's pretty knowledgeable about most things. You may just get your answers!". So that's what I've done.
Your thoughts?
Vanessa
Hi Vanessa:
9/25 is pretty good - almost a pass, but better than the average of 7/25.
I got 25/25 of course but I lie a lot.
Who said anything about scrapbooks - or if I did I've forgotten. But while buying stuff for scrapbook supplies I gave to India (Mark's daughter) amd Rowan (Geoff's son) last Christmas I was stupified by the prices.
Re. cemeteries. Most that can are continually expanding for all the reasons you state - they buy land in advance and gradually fill it. But cemeteries are sometimes emptied or removed to other places if the need is great. In New Orleans (built on a swamp) there are no below-ground plots - just built-up niches. Some places in Florida are the same (very few basements in Florida).
But why don't you go in and ask ?
Ciao, B.