Haliburton County

I feel truly blessed! I've met the Taylors, probably the most welcoming and affectionate family in Canada. They own 5 ha of woodland which they cultivate and sell as firewood. This place is just great: I have my own room and bathroom. Everything is really clean and tidy. Susan, the mother, is British and a very good cook. Her kitchen is exceptionally well organized, which I rejoice at ;-) She also makes me try a lot of delicious foods and is generally very hospitable. Erika, their daughter, is a couple of years younger than me and also very friendly and considerate. She has travelled a lot and is quite sporty so we share some common interests, which makes for good conversations now and again. Dave, the father, is rather calm and introverted, but at the same time very knowledgable and sometimes even unexpectedly funny. Last night we played a card game that is quite similiar to the German card game Skat, and I won him over because I quickly grasped the game and even ended up being the winner of the evening.

So far, my only job has been to do the dishes after breakfast/dinner. However, today Dave has plugged in the dish washer, which they actually have (but usually don't use) so now my job has even been reduced to loading and unloading it!

This upcoming weekend, Thanksgiving is celebrated in Canada, and Erika has planned a two-day canoeing trip for us. Depending on the weather we'll sleep in a tent or go home for the night. The trees have just started changing, and I really hope for decent temperatures and a clear sky on the weekend so that I'll have a chance to enjoy the Indian summer out on the lake.

Other than that, there's not much happening here, but I will certainly add more pictures throughout the weeks.