"High-flyer" (18th floor) Garden

Today, I have planted the seeds of what will become my own home grown food (it doesn't get more organic than this)! Since I don't have any access to a yard to plant my garden in, I will use my balcony that gets enough of sun. Of course, it also means that I will be on a war with local (Mississauga) pigeons...

As it is my first "adventure" in gardening, I am starting small. What I have at the moment are onions, tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, rosemary, basil, dill and mélisse.

I know there are some holes in my gardening knowledge, so feel free to comment with advice.

Bruce Peninsula and Five National Parks

Who could have know that after a hellishly hot week there will be a freezing weekend? We were planning to spend a lazy weekend on a Sauble beach and maybe... maybe doing a short trail. I assume that due to our luck of prayer (yeah, we have been skipping it lately), it was not meant to happen...

When we left Mississauga on Friday it was raining and by the time we reached Tobermory (300 km north west) it was snowing, quite heavily. After checking in into our luxurious cabin (Peacock Villa) which was upgraded due to late cancellation (normal people, who stayed home), we went to explore the wonders of the town. Located on a shores of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron, it is a standard summer town. It had one (decent) pub, one (decent) restaurant, one (decent) diner, one (decent) supermarket and a bunch of tourist-ware. Basically, everything you need on a vacation... After having the freshest white fish fillet and a pint of locally brewed ale at the Crowsnest Pub & Restaurant, we ploughed our way back to the cabin in the snow (whole 300 meters) dreading the next morning (the weather forecast was not favourable at all)...

The next morning, we went to have breakfast in the only (decent) diner in the town. Since the temperature was below zero and we were wearing everything we had (layers and layers of summer clothes), the only thing I remember about breakfast is the fact that it was hot!

After breakfast, we did some quick shopping (food), we drove to Tobermory lighthouse located right on the shore of Lake Huron. Although the rain has almost stopped, it was really windy and the waves were spectacular! Since the weather was still quite bad, we have decided to make Saturday's hike short and spend the rest of the day in the cabin... cooking.

As I have mentioned before, Tobermory is located on the shore of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, home of a Fathom Five Marine National Park. The park itself is spread along the lake shore. The nearby islands can be reached by ferry. After paying the admission fee of $5.60 per person for two days we made a short trail (~5km) and headed back to our cabin for the rest of the day.

On the next morning, we were greeted by a cloudless sunny day! After having “home cooked” breakfast, we headed to Bruce Peninsula National Park (~14km from the Tobermory and $11.30 entrance fee per vechicle). This time, we wanted to explore as much as possible. We started on a “Horse Lake” trail, switched to “Bruce” trail (leading to the Grotto) and returned on the “Cyprus Lake” trail, about 6km in total.

It is extremely hard to describe the beauty of the region in words, therefore I will let the images do it for me...

Enjoy,
John.

Heron Nest on a Horse Lake

Georgian Bay Stone Beach

Georgian Bay

Overhanging Point over Georgian Bay

Cliffs over Georgian Bay

The "Grotto"

Georgian Bay

Marr Lake

Moving to the (far) north...

After three month in Canada, I think it is about time I write about our experience moving here. As surprising as it may sound, it was quite easy. I got a job which did not require Labor Market Opinion (Human Resources and Skills Development Canada http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/foreign_workers/itexemp.shtml) and within a month and a half we were parking our heavily loaded KIA at an underground parking in Mississauga. Three months later, we have Ontario Health Insurance, Ontario Driving License and Social Insurance cards...
There are two ways to apply for Work Permit (Citizenship and Immigration Canada http://www.cic.gc.ca/ENGLISH/work/index.asp): before and after arrival. In my case, I have decided to take a chance and apply upon arrival at the airport, and although it sounds as a huge gamble it is not as long as you have all your papers in order (passport, job offer letter and evidences of qualification). I also had a pre-filled Work Permit application and, B4 and B4A (Goods to Follow) forms for the Canadian Custom (Canada Border Services Agency http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/forms-formulaires/menu-eng.html) to go through the process quicker; so after 15 minutes with immigration officer and a $150 fee, I had my Work Permit and was ready to go.

Although it is possible to agree with a private landlord, I have opted for a property management company. There are many of them, offering apartments for rent throughout GTA (http://www.rental.ca/ and http://www.myhood.ca/) but the main disadvantage is that you are tied to it for a year. On the other hand, staying in hotel for a month or more could be quite expensive, and the fact that you are “forced” to eat in the restaurants does not help. In addition, most of apartments are rented unfurnished so you will need to consider that as well. In the first couple of weeks, we have literally sponsored IKEA but it is possible to get second hand furnishes from friends/relatives (if you have those), Kijiji or Craigslist.
But the biggest change for me was the banking system.

While in UK, basic bank accounts were (usually) free, in Canada a large majority of banks do not offer fee-free accounts. Although the fee is not exceptionally high (I have lived in Israel and the fees charged there are twice higher than in Canada), I still think it is not fair. After doing a short research, I have found a financial institution (PC Financial http://www.pcfinancial.ca/) which offers fee-free banking account with unlimited transactions per month but everything is done via Internet or ATMs. To move money between UK and Canada, you can either user your bank (expensive) or company specializing in currency trade (HiFX http://www.hifx.co.uk/ or XE http://www.xe.com). The later option is (usually) free and (again, usually) provides better exchange rate.

After sorting out accommodation and bank account, the next step would be a driving license and Social Insurance Number. In Canada, each province has its own driving license authority and even if you move from British Columbia to Ontario you will be required to exchange your license within 3 month. In Ontario, you can exchange your driving license if you are from Canada (other province), US or number of countries with reciprocal exchange agreement. Th rest have to take a written and practical driving test (Ontario Ministry of Transportation http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/driver/drvlicen.shtml). The Social Insurance Number is much easier; all you have to do is to fill a half page form (Service Canada http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/sin/index.shtml).
The last thing is to apply for OHIP (Ontrio Heath Insurance Program). Most Ontario residents are eligible for provincially funded health coverage but it becomes effective only three months after the date you establish residency in Ontario (Ontario Ministry of Heath http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/ohip/default.aspx).

I hope my little post was informative and helpful.
John

Recipe: Chushki Burek

Don't ask my why my first Canadian post is about food, but...

There are endless versions of Chushki Burek which is a Bulgarian "Stuffed Peppers". To prepare them (my version) we will need: 4 green bell peppers 1 red bell pepper 1 small onion 1 large ripe tomato 2 bunches of flat leaf parsley 300gr feta cheese 2 tbsp olive oil sweet paprika, freshly grounded black pepper and salt

First, we need to boil the green peppers in a large souse pan for approximately 5 minutes, until they are soft. Then, split them in half, deseed (remove the seeds), clean and leave to dry.

While the green peppers are in water, finely chop everything else (including red peppers) and mix it with spices and olive oil.

Finally, fill in the halfs with the mixture and bake it at 180C for approximately 30 minutes.

Enjoy, John.

Happy New Year - Year of the Tiger

A quick update on what is going on: at the moment, we are in Latvia, getting ready for the New Year's Eve celebrations (cooking, cleaning and... chopping wood for the "heating system" and Banya). Two of our friends gave birth, so yesterday we went to see two newly born babies - a boy and a girl. The girl is three and the boy is five weeks old - so tiny and so soft (I am still so fascinated by how a woman has a living creature in a belly for nine month).

Alright, it is time to go to the Dacha, so Happy New Year - Year of the Tiger - everyone! Wish you all what you wish for yourself - may everything come true!

Goodbye England, Hello Canada

For the last couple of days,  London was covered in white - kind of saying "goodbye" before we finally move to Canada.  Considering the last two cold winters and really rainy summers, "Global Warming" theory does not work...

This time around, the transport was working quite well (I guess local councils learned a lesson from previous year fiasco) and couple of our friends (Rob and Ira) came  over for the weekend to say goodbyes. In addition to the traditional visit to a local Nandos restaurant and (failed) attempt to deplete my Whiskey supply (Rob, take care of those lovely bottles of rare single malts that are now in your caring possession), we went to explore the "Abbey Wood".

Having lived in the Royal Arsenal for almost 4 years, we always wanted to explore the area but never had a chance - it was always raining and there is always tomorrow. There are really nice trails for weekend walks and thanks to the freak weather this weekend it was "extra" beautiful...!

Germany... Here I Come!

For the next two weeks, I will be spending some "quality" time in Gütersloh, Germany. Lufthansa will take me there, but who will take care of me there? At the moment, I'm struggling to find an hotel there since all the website are in German and majority (if not all) are actually B&B. When that will be sorted, I need to find a way to get there from the Paderborn/Lippstadt airport...