Ottawa

Our dear friends the PR's moved from Karatha in December to Ottawa Canada. Before they had left home I had already worked out how to get to their new house in Ottawa, calculated the travel time and decided when to visit. Unfortunately due to conflicting and insanely busy schedules on both ends we have only just managed to make it happen. We drove up to Ottawa on Thursday (about 8 hours with two stops) and spent 4 nights with them. All of our livers are now being detoxed and it will have to be a few months before we are healthy enough to make the journey again.

We had such a wonderful time and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them and their delightful little children. Our chn seem so big now! It was lovely to give cuddles to a little girl again, it has been a while since our girl was so little.

Some of you will recognise these folks, but for others some quick info. D and I met JPR at Keswick Barracks Officers Mess in 1992 - he was living there too. His lovely wife was still living in the UK, and we did not meet her until December of that year in Townsville at another friends wedding. Eventually they decided to live in the same country and they have been dear friends to us every since. We have been so lucky with the friends we have seen and spent time with on this side of the world and this was another great weekend.

Here we are on the boarder of the USA and Canada - just popped into the Duty Free to see if they had a DVD given ours chose this very day and this very long journey to take itself off to DVD heaven. Of course there were no electricals at all but there was BEER, so all was not lost.



Quite soon after our arrival we hooked into the booze! Of course that is always what we used to do when the four of us were together, added degree of dificulty are the 5 children for whom we care and who's care benefits from sober parents.







Visit to Parliament Hill and the Peace Tower.

Driving through Ottawa you can't miss this amazing sculpture, it is called 'Mother' because it has its babies underneath.


J and I and our girls.


The chn with the little guy.


Parliament buildings.



The peace tower - at the centre of the main parliament building - is built as a replica of London's Big Ben. It gave us a great view of Ottawa and the Ottawa river.





RCMP

About 3 min drive (20 min walk) up the road is the RCMP stables. It is where they keep and train the horses and riders for their famous 'Musical Ride'. It was quite interesting and fun to see some of the horses and learn about whay they do. The RCMP stopped requiring their recruite to be horse riders in 1966 - sadly I should add, because it was such a tradition but it was no longer appropriate "given the fact that the horse is no longer the main form of transport" (or something like that).

We managed to arrive minutes before the last tour of the day 3.30. The gift shop and visitors centre closes at 4pm right, so whilst we are still on the tour, the shop is shut, all the lights are turned off and we have to leave via a side door. Being a customer service kind of gal I was super suprised that they would lose an opportunity to sell to those still on the tour...amazing, also I was a little peeved I could not buy myself a little RCMP souvenier.

Nest year we want to visit Ottawa againg but try to time our visit with the performance of the Musica Ride sometime in June.

Aviation Museum

D took the boys the the very bearby Aviation Museum. They spent a couple of hours checking out bombers, fighters, antique aircraft, helecopters and simulators and models...a fun time was had by all. J and I went with J and A back to the RCMP shop, so I got my souviniers after all...ha!










Fortisimo - massed military bands concert at Parliament Hill

Some of the bands/dancers and the big Screen with the Canadian Flag.





The RCMP Drill Team.




The last song was the 1812 Oveture complete with guns and the bells of the Carillion (in the clock tower of the Parliament building) - fabulous. Some Cannon Smoke!


M's view of the concert...probably the best seat in the house.


These soldiers are wearing the uniform of WW2. They are holding torches. Whilst they stood waiting a group of Soldiers wearing the modern uniform made their way through the bands. There was a commentary about Canadian Military History, since WW2 through to the current conflict in Afghanistan.


The WW2 soldiers passed the torches to the Afghanistan War Soldiers, it was very moving.


I was interested to see the good old Union Jack on display and then, hear God Save teh Queen sang before the Canadian National Anthem (of which I have no clue).


After the concert we were able to grab a close up glimps of the RCMP as they marched away down the road.


My boys with the little guy, W was fabulous with him, patient and gentle. Mr M however was his usual intolerent-of-anyone-younger-than-him self


What is it about small boys and water?


Baby B and J. Baby B loves being in her baby carrier and J, was fabulous about taking care of her, so put the two together and sucess, (a.k.a happy baby). Of course later when JPR put the carrier on he had to make a slight adjustment to the size :-).