Latest Update

Since the car accident in Dec 2013, Nick started work. He began in March 2014 and i started work at the Ramada Hotel in Sherwood Park, just before Easter of the same year. I have to say that although it isn't the type of work i am used to doing, the people are lovely, so are the owners and managers, and i love it !!!

Everything was going fine, we were finally getting on our feet and things on the up for a change. Nick.s mum came over in May 2014 for an extended holiday and to look after Jess in the summer holidays as they get ten weeks. I met a new friend Gina who works at the hotel and who lives a few doors away from me, and Jess got friendly with a little girl a few doors away, and also a family from Essex moved in in June.We all became friends and things were good. Our neighbours next door, Tracy and Tina also became friends and we had some good times.

We decided to go camping in the rockies for our summer holiday as it was a new experience for us, and was also a good way of showing Jan, Nick's mum some of Canada.

  

 

 

We visited Jasper, Banff, and a few places in BC including the hot springs. Was a really good experience and lovely weather.

Things couldn't carry on the way they were, it was too good to be true, and it was!!!!
The government in June 2013 changed the rules for Temporary Foreign workers. It was going to be a lot more difficult and expensive for employers to bring people into Canada, and also to re-apply for work permits.
This means that thousands of families will have to go back to their home countries and we could be one of them!!!!
Had we not had the accident and lost the three months with Nick off work, we could have had more of a chance, but due to the changes, the applications for Nominations in Alberta rocketed and there were more than double the applicants than allowed. This means now that our application is in the 2015 pile, but weather we get it, and more so if we have enough time to wait and see if we get it is another story.
We love it here and want to stay, but we don't want to wait until the last minute to be told either a no, or we do not have the time. Also Jess would start High School in September 2015 and if we have to go back would like her to start at the same time as everyone else. We have uprooted her twice already, and bless her she has never complained, but we want to make things as easier for her as possible. She is our priority. We will give it another month or two and then seriously sit down and look at what we are going to do.

I will update as and when we know anything more

Big Descisions !!

Since my last post a lot has happened and not all good!!
The money situation in NB, was not good with only Nick able to work, and he was not getting the mileage needed for a decent living. After a few weeks thinking, talking, debating, we decided to go to Alberta, and Nick started ro look for a position. We included  Jess in the decision as although she is only a child, it was a big move and change for her again.
After much research Nick decided that Westcan was the best opportunity for him, and us as a family so put in an application. He passed all of the requirements needed by them, including taking the GED test, and got his work permit on 30 November, for us to drive over, and him to start work on 9 December.  Due to him being on a permit in Alberta as a truck driver, this meant i could also have an open work permit.
Our friend Dave also got a position in Alberta, as he was not eligible for residency in NB due to his age, so he was making the journey with us. Just under 3000 miles in all.

We set off on 1 December with our Chevy Blazer and Uhaul truck. The decision was made to cross the border at Houlton in Maine and drive most of the way through the USA, reasons being more services, better roads, and of course cheaper fuel and hotels.

We were only an hour and a half  into the journey when things went badly wrong!! it was snowing and the road was quite slushy with blowing snow. Our car, being an automatic was going up a slight incline so dropped a gear. This caused the back wheels to step out, forcing the trailer to fishtail and start to push us over towards the left side of the road. Due to the trailer and weight it was difficult to straighten, and by the time Nick did, we had ran out of road basically. The trailer forced us off into the ditch and the front drivers side corner hit a rock. This caused us to flip and roll, tearing the trailer from the car. The trailer then hit the back of us, stopping the roll and spun us round.
It was horrific and terrifying. Within seconds, people where everywhere, helping us out of the car, taking us to the safety of theirs, and if we could see these people again, could not thank them enough!!.  I had a lot of pain in my chest, Jess was crying, asking if it was a dream, and was saying her neck hurt, Dave hurt his leg, and Nick was saying his shoulder hurt. Jess and i was taken to hospital in an ambulance together as she would  not leave my side, and Nick was taken in another. Dave did not need hospital treatment so was brought to us by the Deputy Sheriff.
I had a CT scan as they were worried about internal bleeding. I had heavy bruising across my abdomen and just under my chest from the seat belt. Jess had a burn on her neck from the seat belt but was released after further checks, and Nick after an x-ray was found to have a broken scapula. he was released after being put into a sling, i was kept overnight for observation. Dave had a sore chest and a seat bet burn on his neck.

The next day i was discharged and was taken to the motel where Nick, Jess and Dave were staying in Maine.  Here we had to get in touch with the insurance and begin to sort out the mess.

The insurance was very helpful, but could not provide a hire car for the rest of the journey as the hire companies would not allow their cars to cross from the USA into Canada.  We had to then try and sort out what we could salvage, and how we was going to get it and us to Edmonton.

I contacted Uhaul and have to say the were AMAZING!!!!  Lisa in the Bangor office and Tim from the same location, come highly recommended. I also recommend that if you do hire you take out the optional insurance cover, it is well worth it.  When i spoke to Lisa i told her we did not want another trailer, as to be honest it terrified myself and Jess the thoughts of us being attached to one again. I cant speak for the boys but i'm sure they felt the same.

Lisa arranged that we could have a truck instead for the same price we had paid, which was great, but posed two problems. Firstly it only had two seats, and secondly how was we going to get our belonging from the trailer and car to the truck as Nick had a broken shoulder blade, and Dave was quite bruised and couldn't lift things himself.  This is where Tim came into the picture. Lisa spoke to him and he took his own Uhaul truck to our trailer, loaded all our stuff in it from the trailer and our car, then took it to the truck we were going to be using, and re-boxed and loaded it all again, single handed!!!  He then came to collect Dave so we didn't have the expense of more cab fares, and Dave took him back.  We could not have hoped or prayed for a more helpful kind of guy.

We made the decision that Nick would fly to Edmonton with Jess as he had the worst injury, plus i really didn't fancy being in a strange city trying to find my way round. At least Nick had been there before.
Dave and i continued the journey to Edmonton in the Uhaul truck. We left Thursday morning of December 5th and arrived lunch time Sunday of December 8th. Not bad going as poor Dave did all the driving as i was too scared too, and have to admit not the best passenger. He put up with a lot from me getting scared.

The house was lovely, small but comfortable, and the people at the letting agency were also very understanding and helpful. The struggle then was unloading the truck, but we needn't have worried!! The next door neighbours, two ladies, saw us, and in conversation we told them about the accident. From then on that was it, truck unloaded within half an hour. They did near enough all of it. I must admit we felt pretty useless though!!!

We spent the next couple of weeks settling in, Dave getting into his new job, and getting ready for Christmas. We picked up a few things we needed, but had to be careful what we spent as didn't know when we would get any more money coming in.
Nick got in touch with Westcan who were also very understanding, and said his job was safe, just get in touch when fit for work and they would take it from there.

Our Insurance dealt with everything more or less, hospital and ambulance bills etc.  We had full cover which was a blessing, so the car loss as well as some things in it were covered, all medical expenses, and injuries and the Uhaul insurance covered broken goods in the trailer.
Dave purchased a car when we got to Edmonton and the insurance company agreed to transfer the policy over from New Brunswick to Alberta, which was also helpful as we didn't have to go through proving NCB and paying deposits etc.

Christmas came and went, quiet but OK, and was helped along with some home comforts which Nick's dad and my son Scott had shipped over for us. They arrived Christmas Eve. Dave was away for Christmas but made it back for New Year which was again quiet but nice.

Jess went to visit her new school, Overlanders, on 6 Jan, and started on the 7th.  She really likes it and comes home each day with a big smile and full of energy talking about her day and what she has done. Lets just hope it stays that way, and lets hope we don't have to uproot the poor thing again to go home.

Just after the New Year Nick saw a doctor who said he was clear to work, but the company had to send him for a physical.  This was too demanding on Nick's shoulder as the physio pulled his arm behind his back (like when arrested), which put him in agony. She stopped the rest of the physical saying he needed an x-ray before she would go further.  He was under the impression is was a weight test for lifting which he could have done, but was advised he needed to get through this first, and could not commence work until he did.  We are now in a catch 22 situation. He can go for the xray, if its clear he will then have to have the same physio treatment again which he knows he can't handle, which would then put him back to square one.  We talked at lengths about what we were going to do, as funds are getting low now, and to be honest Nick was so downhearted about the whole thing, and thought it may be best to cut our losses and go home.  However we didn't want to leave Dave. Again after discussions with each other, Nick's dad and Dave, we decided to take it day by day and week by week.  I have applied for numerous jobs so hopefully something will come of one of them.  In the meantime Nick will rest his shoulder for a couple of weeks and then go for the x-ray and take it from there, funds permitting.
This is where we are up to at the moment, and i will update as and when things happen. Hopefully will get everything sorted and continue in Edmonton.

A LITTLE UPDATE - SUMMER 2013

hi
since my last post, we have had another friend come over from the UK, living in the apartment upstairs which is good, Nick has swapped jobs hopefully to a company that will give him more miles and money, we had to buy a new car (old but new to us) as our steering went, eek !!!, and im sure there's many other things, too many to mention.

Spring and Summer have been a bit more rainy than normal overall but still had some really good weather. In June my son and his girlfriend came over for a month and we all had a trip to New York for 4th July. We all really enjoyed that it was great to finally get to see Times Square, The Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State, not forgetting Ground Zero which was a lovely and peaceful memorial but sad at the same time.  The 20 June was also mine and Jess' 1st year Canniversary !!!

 

  We managed to stay in New Hampshire on the way back from New York for a couple of chill days.  The time flew by when they were over and it was sad they had to go back.

Since then another family with two young boys has arrived over and i hope this is the start of a good friendship,we seem to get along quite well.

We have been on a couple of trips during the summer with the MACC centre, one of them being Kings Landing, which is how they used to live in the 1800s New Brunswick.

  

Nick and our friend Dave both work for the same company and got the same run to Miami, so we decided that Jess and I would go with them.  I loved it!!!! I think Florida looks like one big holiday resort. We got to pass through North and South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia which were all lovely places.

The icing on the cake though was a few spare hours allowing us to park up and get a cab to Niagra Falls. I have always wanted to visit there. Its not as big as i expected, but it was lovely and well worth a visit. There is loads to do around the area, including fairground, bars, restaurants, shops etc.

  

 

 

  

In this last couple of weeks i have had a few down times, missing people, and feelings we are never going to get there, but it doesn't last.  I would much rather be in Canada and the life we have now, than in the UK.

Jess is back to school in a couple of weeks so i will try to update more often.

SOME GOOD POINTS AND BAD POINTS OF MOVING HERE

UPS

1.  more relaxed way of life, people not in a mad rush.
2.  Pretty Town, Old Fashioned in a nice way
3. Locals very friendly and helpful
4. Supermarkets pack for you
5. Fuel cheaper than UK,at the moment $1.20 ltr (81p) even cheaper in USA
6. Food and produce seem much fresher and lasts longer
7 You break down or in trouble, people stop to help, not pass you by
8  Very close to USA border for shopping, visiting. Groceries cheap there
9 Vehicle Inspection cheaper than UK
10 Electronics & Electrical Items cheaper
11 Banl account much simpler & quicker to open


SIMILAR

Food prices very similar over all, what you save on fresh you pay more for on convenience,chicken is expensive though for some reason.

DOWNS

1. Postal service is terrible and not cheap
2  Cell phone tarrifs much higher than UK for what you get
3   Not a lot of variety in the shops as only a small town (BUT border very close)
4   Colder climate in winter (but give me snow and cold above rainy England anyday)
5 Bedding, Curtains etc more expensive
6 Tv Ads every 10 mins or less
11 Heath Insurance expensive
12 Have to go to liquor store for alcohol, none in supermarkets

They are just what i can think of from the top of my head. You do miss certains things from home, favourites being, bisto granules, certain chocolate, certain branded goods, but you get used to being without them after a while, and find replacements.

THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS

The next couple of months were just spent settling in, getting used to the area,etc. We went out for drives, Fredericton, across the border to different Places in Maine. The border is only 10-15 minutes away. Went to St John, Plaster Rock, and surrounding local areas.

 

 

We had a gorgeous summer with not many rainy days at all, some days, dare i say it, were too hot!!! Took Jess up to the local park which had water fountains for kids to cool down, sat out most nights having barbecue meals. Nick was back at work after 4 days of us arriving so soon got into a routine of him being away, and it being me and Jess at home.
Dont know if i have mentioned it before but we rent an apartment until we are sure of where we want to be and settled, then we will buy. We could not ask for a better landlord. Local Policeman and so laid back, helpful and friendly.

Spoke to members of the family most days, if not on skype then on facebook. This makes things a lot easier to leave, as so much easier to keep in touch, you dont feel so far away and isolated.  Met a lady in a supermarket who has now become a real good friend, she is from London but been here 3 years.  Lets just say we have both talked each other through some rough patches!!! Lovely neighbours too make things so much easier just for general chit chat. I now look after her children after school while she works.
September soon came and Jess started school, we took her the first day, but she came home on the school bus.  She loved it !!! I was worried, what if she gets on the wrong bus, off at the wrong stop etc, but its more straight forward than i thought. Teacher puts them on the correct bus, driver sorts them getting off in the right place until they get used to it.
She settled into school real well, made a few friends, started to pick up a bit of an accent when around other kids, but not with us.  Had parents meeting with teacher, no problems, works well, mixes well etc. The school is lovely and her teacher is just amazing !!! if they were all like her, so caring and patient, treats each child like her own, we would have no problems in school.  Jess has had days when she has not wanted to go, one was due to the fact she thought she couldnt do math, but the teacher dismissed it and said she is above average. The other was she kept losing her freinds at recess. This was sorted by arranging meeting point for them.

In October Nick's mum came over for a few weeks. It was good to have a bit of familiarity and company. I got to go in the truck for a week with him, whilst she stayed with Jess. I loved it, but i have to admit, i don't know how the drivers keep up with the irregular hours and sleep patterns. One week killed me!!!
We had Thanksgiving that first week his mum was here, which she cooked and again that was great, as im not the best cook. We also had my birthday at the end of October. She went home early November. Whilst she was here we bumped into a couple of truck drivers from Yorkshire again in the supermarket. One was just on a visit, the other to stay and he has now become a very good friend of mine and Nick's and Jess loves him, or is that loves to wind him up ??? He introduced Nick and myself to a few of the other drivers, and we had a night out together, me and the fellas. So now, as our surname is Brown, they are Mrs Browns Boys !!!
In November Nick had the bad new of his grandfather passing away and flew back to England for the funeral. There is no way we could have all afforded to go. It was American Thanksgiving week, and flights were crazy prices. I really wanted him to go, and i thought he should, and it was right, but a little part of me was jealous,though i hate to admit it, as he was getting to see the kids, and grandkids, and family. I feel so selfish for thinking that way, but i am being honest.

The weather obviously changed and got colder, sometimes real cold, and the snow came, but to be honest, its nowhere near as big a deal as in England.  You do get snow days or storm days off school, and it is wise to check daily to see if the schools are closed or buses delayed, but these days are usually because it is a real bad storm, there has been heavy snow overnight and they have not had chance to clear all the roads, or there is a heavy snow storm or freezing rain storm forecast which will make it unsafe for school travel.

A freind of ours was planning for a few months to come out and work as a driver, and the time was drawing closer for him to arrive as he was coming the end of January. He kept me company on skype lots of times. We chatted about anything and everything, resolved world issues, and talked utter crap sometimes, but it was nice to have someone there to chat to.


Christmas was a bit different as only the three of us, we are used to there being at least 10 +. I missed not seeing my two sons, grandkids and family, but it was not as hard as i had anticipated. Maybe this was again because we all spoke face to face on skype, and also the fact it was relaxed, and we didnt have to get ready and go out anywhere.
New Year was strange as Nick worked, so just Jess and me, but it was ok, we chilled watched TV, and spoke to Nick on the phone.
Jess was soon back at school after Christmas break, we had my friend's children some of the days between whilst she worked, so it was nice company for Jess.
The end of January came, our friend Dave arrived, we had Nick's birthday, and Mrs Browns Boys team has now extended by another two,as a friend of a friend arrived also. Life is not as quiet now as even though they are all truck drivers, there is usually at least one of them home during the week.

I also joined MACC (Multicultural Association of Carelton County), they help newcomers settle in, meet new people, arrange trips and activities for both children and adults, and can help you solve and issues or disputes yoy may have. All of the girls there are lovely that i have met, but i have most dealings with Frances, and i have to say she is fab!!!! down to earth, says it like it is, funny, helpful, caring, all you need when your looking for help or advise, or even feeling a little down. I recommend anyone who comes here to join them. They can help with anything from employer problems, finding work, where to go for what, in fact anything!!! If they don't know themselves they will find out for you. The good thing about Frances is she has been through this herself as she is from Ireland, and her hubby is a truck driver too.

Nick's work is a bit slow at the moment and he isnt getting as many miles as we hoped so things are a little tight, to the point of us even thinking, 'is it worth it?' 'why are we doing this?' Then we get our positive heads back on and think, we will get there, its a better way of life and upbringing for Jess, things will improve.

Watch this space !!!!

A NEW WAY OF LIFE BEGINS

Nick had already fitted a carpet in the living room, bought sofas and two beds, and three of each of the essentials, cups, plates, etc, a kettle, and things to make a cuppa.  The apartment already had cooker and fridge/freezer & dishwasher. He had put curtain rails up and was waiting for me to provide the curtains & bedding i had brought. Our first night was all three in one bed and no curtains, but who cares at 2am. We had already arranged for the phone, tv, and internet to be connected the week before so that was already in there.

The next day was shopping day.  We didn't have much money so decided to get cheap everything then replace as we went along. We bought essentials ie pans, dinner set, more curtains, microwave, and some bits of cheap furniture like a tv stand, coffee table, cheap wardrobes and drawers etc. I shipped over 7 big boxes  of our personal stuff and in these i also included all the bedding  and quilts and Nick's PC. I'm glad i brought bedding as it is expensive over here!! So are curtains.  Curtain heading tape doesn't exist either so you either have to buy curtains with tab tops or grommets, or put the pole through the hole at the top. You can buy rings with crocodile clips on but they are $12 for 7.  A good idea to bring them with you. Curtains come in mainly packets of one panel, and not a lot of choice. Don't know if that is just here as a small town or all over.

The next couple of days were spent putting all the stuff  together and making the place look a bit like home. We then got a bit of something each week when paid and picked up some decent furniture from a second hand shop.  Its surprising how things seem to come along and build up, and now 13 weeks in, we have most stuff we need.  We also bought a very cheap old car as the hire car had to go back, and was costing a fortune anyway. Speaking of cars, there is no tax but registration yearly, ours is a 3.2L and is $90 per year.  The inspection is around the $25 mark and is also yearly and similar to the MOT in UK. Our insurance is pretty similar cost to UK but you have to jump through hoops to get your NCB. You have to prove it from the UK, not only that you have it,but that you had no claims during it, as this is possible, and also that is has been continuous.

We also went to the bank to open a joint account whilst Nick was still off work. I chose CIBC as it was the only one i could find that had a visa card instead of just Interac. We went in, saw someone, opened the account, and was given our debit cards, setup for internet banking the lot!!!! all in that 20min-half hour visit.  Nick does have an account with RBC from when he was in Alberta so we decided that he would keep that as his running account for work.

We only have the one utility bill for electricity as there is no gas, and the water is covered by the landlord in the rent.  In summer we used about $50 a month including hot water. I will update with winter prices as we find out as I'm dreading the cost. We have the baseboard heaters in the apartment.
UPDATE: November fuel bill $299 for heating & rest of electricity, including water heating.

The hardest thing we came across was getting a mobile phone on contract for Nick.  The pay and go's are so expensive if your moving around out of the local area, and it made things worse as Nick spends as much time in the USA as he does in Canada.  He needed something with a package for calls from North America and most covered just to North America.  Verizon was the cheapest and better deal but being an American company and us not having a USA address made that impossible.  He ended up with Telus, $40 a month with free local calls 200  free mins, free calls/texts to 10 favourite numbers when in Canada and an extra $20 a month for when in the USA, so it will only cost 25c per minute to make and receive calls, instead of $1.50 a minute. Its expensive but much cheaper than pay and go. The UK is far better for mobile deals and tariffs than North America, hands down !!!

The TV is so annoying. You have to search as it is not categorised into FILMS, KIDS, DOCUMENTARY ETC, like UK, but just channel numbers. Then when you do find a programme or film to watch give yourself double the length of it to watch it, as so many ads its unreal, every 10 mins, if not sooner. Nick watched a film the other night, 1hr 30 mins long, and took 3 hrs.  I record them now and then fast forward the adverts.

I have to admit though i love the place, the people are so friendly, they say excuse me if they have to pass you in a supermarket aisle, its more chilled, no one seems to rush !!!

I have been told that work life is stricter though.  Sickness is not liked and you tend to get 10 days paid holiday per year.  I don't yet quite get the medical insurance, and am still getting my head around it.  I know after 3 months of being here we are all covered by New Brunswick Health Care for emergency treatment, but i am not sure if that covers the doctor visits and prescriptions and in the process of finding that out.  Nick can also get the private family cover through his employer as most can, but it is expensive, $80 per week, but when you search online most are more than that, and if not then less cover.

In the shops everything you buy has tax added on it at the checkout of  13% (i think) each province is different.  Your bills and utilities are all subject to the tax also.

The supermarkets do not sell alcohol and you have to go to  liquor store for this. It is not cheap either, 12bottles Canadian larger $23. They defo need the Tesco deals over here !!
Convenience foods are expensive ie ready meals, lasagne, chicken nuggets, frozen stuff like that. Beef and pork are quite cheap and more for your money here than the UK, but chicken is expensive. When you work out the swings and roundabouts of cheaper and more expensive, i would say the shopping bill remains similar.
Petrol at the moment where we are is $1.34 a litre so about the 80p mark.

  

BEFORE WE LEFT THE UK

We got back from our trip and i was given some family news which came as a shock, a worry, upset and panic. I don't want to go into detail as it was a family thing, but it caused stress, and this with the stress of trying to sort out a Canadian Life, find somewhere to live, money worries, and other emotions and goings on, caused me to go into a downward spiral of depression. I could not face work or any of my colleagues and was off sick fully supported by my GP.
This carried on for a number of weeks, and i eventually finished work.  Canada was going ahead, as it was pointed out that no matter what, i could not change anything if i stayed.  Flights were booked and Jessica and myself flew out to Nick on 20 June.  I always said though that if i was needed at home, i would be there. Luckily things turned out fine in the end, and the worry was over.

Jessica had a bowling party for her to say goodbye to all her school friends which was nice as we have the pictures for memories.  she also took her camera into school and had class photos to keep.
We had a family/friends get together in Wigan at my niece's house to say goodbye to my sisters & family there, and a meal for us to say goodbye to family/friends in Burnley, and the night before we flew had tea out with close family in Burnley..

JESS LEAVING PARTY & LAST DAYS AT SCHOOL 

                                             

 

  

 

We had a long journey ahead, and was accompanied to the airport by Nick's dad,his sister,our brother in law, my two sons & future daughter-in-law, my granddaughter, and our niece.
It was quite emotional saying goodbye, as even though we had phones & skype, we all knew that we wouldn't see each other in person for time.  A few tears were shed.

Our flight was from Manchester, to Iceland, change there to Toronto, and then change there for Fredericton, New Brunswick. The first flight left on time at 1:15pm, and we eventually got to Fredericton at 1:am Atlantic time, which is 5am UK GMT. A very long journey but the cheapest!!!. The final flight although the shortest felt the longest. We had four big bags with us, the rest had got there before us via courier in big boxes.
All flights went smoothly.
 When we got to Toronto, which is huge and very daunting, we had to go through passport control and immigration. I had everything this time, a letter from Nick, his LMO, work Permit, copy of his passport, copy f his visas, work contract, new address the lot.  The officer who saw us was lovely. She didn't question Jessica at all, in fact she didn't ask for or look at anything but Nick's visa which showed he was legally allowed to live here. She noted the number on it, and then issued mine and Jessica's with the same date of expiry. That was it all done!!!  We had time to spare for something to eat and drink, and get on the net to advise Nick, and family in England that we were ok and almost there.

When the plane landed at Fredericton,(it was only a dinky 2 seats either side) we could see the waiting area from our seats, and spotted Nick  standing at the window in his Burnley shirt.  It was a very hot night and you felt the heat as you stepped off the plane. Jessica ran over to meet her daddy, it was lovely to see. The hugs were so powerful they could have crushed each other !!
The airport is only small and the waiting area is also where we collected the luggage, so at least we now had Nick to help with that. There was no immigration or passport control as that was done at Toronto and this flight was internal.

We got to the car that Nick had hired and he drove us back to Woodstock and our apartment where we were going to make our home.

BURNLEY/ WIGAN LEAVING PARTY