Old Stone House Stars Sounds and (from the photos) looks beautiful. Have you been out to look at the stars at night, because you will be in deep night sky country - brilliant. At 22.00hrs, the Plough will be almost overhead with its pointers at the end of the bowl pointing to the Pole Star (Polaris) further north. Follow them in the other direction and high in the southern sky is the great spring constellation of Leo which looks a bit like a stretched parallelogram. Setting in the west is Venus - unmistakeable because of its size and brilliance. Jupiter is high in the south, not far from Leo. The beautiful yellowish spring star Arcturus is rising quite high now in the east and close to the southern horizon is a strange little constellation called Corvus which is like a small box tapering slightly towards the top. All well worth a cold sub-zero 10 minutes to admire.
Pontneuf Yes, very interesting. A number of points occur. Firstly, are you getting enough to eat? You mention breakfast, lunch AND dinner in your first couple of sentences! Other than that, it sounds like you are having a good time, although the history of the area is rather unexpectedly tinged with tragedy. Does knowing that make it feel different?
Was struck by the 'hostile takeover' which has driven English-speaking people out. Nationalism is a curse as far as I am concerned and the Scottish nationalism rampant here at present and the English nationalism espoused by the likes of UKIP have huge dangers for the UK, England for the English and the problems in this country are down to foreigners! Feels dangerously like the road to Treblinka to me.
The snow looks fantastic - make the most of it while it lasts - you will be soaking up the sun in a few weeks.
Sugar Pie 'Sugar Pie from a local factory' doesn't sound particularly healthy! Don't worry about the descriptive pieces - gives those of us who are thousands of miles away a window into your world. Remember that such 'thick description' is a great phenomenological technique to convey the essentials of an experience, and reading your blog I can almost hear the snow crunching, the axe biting into wood and the four of you fading out before 11pm dog-tired. Great stuff. D
Sugar Pie 'Sugar Pie from a local factory' doesn't sound particularly healthy! Don't worry about the descriptive pieces - gives those of us who are thousands of miles away a window into your world. Remember that such 'thick description' is a great phenomenological technique to convey the essentials of an experience, and reading your blog I can almost hear the snow crunching, the axe biting into wood and the four of you fading out before 11pm dog-tired. Great stuff. D
Gradual Progress Fascinating to take a little time to read and digest your progress north and east across the USA from New York to Boston via Hertford, Connecticut. You are deep in Yankee/New England Country which is a world away from the tensions and charm of the Deep South or from the wide open spaces of the Prairie states (which I guess Saskatchewan and other similar Canadian states will resemble). Quebec will be different again with all the French influence. I guess the coast from NYC up to Boston is probably pretty unremarkable and quite built up, although your first bus driver sounded truly ferocious!
Boston only has a total population of 645,000 which makes it smaller than Birmingham or Glasgow - more like a Manchester or Leeds. New York is of course 8.5 million (about the same as London) so over 10 times the size of Boston. Your notes on Boston make it sound really interesting - liked your walk around the sites and the trail. You are still in the tail end of the bitter North American winter, although Quebec gradually warms up (if that is the right expression) to about zero degrees this week from a perishing -15 at present!
Love the description and pictures of your nocturnal safari around the harbour area watching the boats and the planes - of such moments great memories are made.
Time to move on... Welcome to big city life in accommodation probably rather reminiscent of substandard student accommodation in most cities. Blocked toilets are a pain and a nuisance and cause far more problems than one would anticipate in theory. Centipedes aren't very nice either - most have a rather hostile gingery red colour which usually spells trouble of one sort or another. Nonetheless, it sounds like you have had a good week, although understand why you also feel it is time to move on. Cold here, a biting wind and grey skies - not a bit like early spring (or perhaps it is!)
Well done guys, delighted the first step has gone relatively smoothly! I'm sure you'll have to stay in worse places than that before you are done!! But better too I'm sure. (Nag coming) Just watch your kit, money phones et al. HAVE FUN (and use sun screen). Love John
Safely Arrived Hi Rob and the gang,
Glad you have arrived safe and sound. Judith recognises some of the sights from her visit in 2007.
We have your itinerary and will be following the blog closely, so keep up the good work, oh to be young again!
Much love, take care and enjoy but most of all have fun!
M & J x
A good start... Great first blog about your dingy little gaffe in NYC - sounds like it looked a bit different in the morning light. Pleased to hear - finally - that you made it and had no probs with immigration of with finding the place. It's strange to think of you all out in the big wild world over 3000 miles away.
Dr John HW
John Hyder-Wilson
Old Stone House Stars
Sounds and (from the photos) looks beautiful. Have you been out to look at the stars at night, because you will be in deep night sky country - brilliant. At 22.00hrs, the Plough will be almost overhead with its pointers at the end of the bowl pointing to the Pole Star (Polaris) further north. Follow them in the other direction and high in the southern sky is the great spring constellation of Leo which looks a bit like a stretched parallelogram. Setting in the west is Venus - unmistakeable because of its size and brilliance. Jupiter is high in the south, not far from Leo. The beautiful yellowish spring star Arcturus is rising quite high now in the east and close to the southern horizon is a strange little constellation called Corvus which is like a small box tapering slightly towards the top. All well worth a cold sub-zero 10 minutes to admire.