Go fly a kite

Alex's kite.

It’s been over a week since the first update and Alex and I are beginning to really settle in. We’re still not accustomed to the layout of the house yet so things are pretty cluttered. The kitchen table has become an extended office and we usually end up eating in the living room. But I imagine we will have things better set up over the next few weeks.

Since our hike last week we haven’t been outside much. We’ve had some colder weather, rain and hail, and earlier this week I got hit pretty hard with the flu/sore throat. I missed a day of school but was able to return the next day. All this time indoors has given us a whole bunch of time to plan.  

Alex spent his week building models for his flight unit. He made flying lanterns and a few kites. The best one by far is a bit too difficult for the kids to build themselves, but it will still make a pretty impressive demonstration.

Drawing for a Science/Art lesson.

I read through Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH which my class will begin reading next week. Planning English, Art and Science hasn’t been too difficult. Though, trying to wrap my head around teaching mental math skills has been a challenge because I got away with never learning a number of them in school!

All those hours of playing during  lectures in Scotland are finally paying off!

Last night we went the Elementary School Bazaar Fundraiser.  We got to see some of our students outside of the classroom (Alex’s were more eager to see him then mine were to see me... but that might have to do with the fact that my students are teenagers), play some games and win prizes. Alex wasn’t very good at darts but he stands a chance to win something if no one beat his score in Bejewelled.  

I ran home to get my camera and when I returned I found Alex in jail!

Now that our second full week of classes is over, along with September, I’m looking forward to what warm fall weather we have left in these remaining fall days. I image Ontario is still roasting, but up here things are pretty chilly already. I’ve already started to wear my gloves.

Berry Picking in Garden Hill

Cranberries

Two weeks ago, shortly after being married, Alex and I packed up as much of our lives as we could into as few boxes as possible (5 boxes, 4 bags, 2 backpacks, one computer bag and an unwrapped ukulele to be exact) and drove over 2,000km to Winnipeg. We spread the 27 hours of driving out over 3 days and enjoyed good weather and infrequent Radio 1 signals connections most of the way.

Checking the map.

Once we reached Winnipeg we bought as many groceries as we thought we should bring (3 more boxes and still not enough) and shipped everything by cargo up Garden Hill, another 610km away. That night we had one final drink (GH is a dry town) with my friend Amanda from art school who is now living in Winnipeg with her boyfriend. The next day we boarded the plane to our new home for the next 10 months where Alex and I will be working as teachers. He is teaching grade 6 Science in the elementary school and I am one of four grade 7 classroom teachers in the high school. I'll be teaching Math, English Language Arts, Social Studies, Science and Art.

Alex hiking.

Right now it's Traditional Week here, or 'Hunting' Week as everyone affectionately calls it. For one week in the fall all of the First Nations schools take a week to focus on traditional cultural practices. Technically it's still school but the learning takes place outside of the classroom. Regardless the schools are empty and Alex and I have a chance to reflect on the past week and try to plan for the first term. Considering that I'm a qualified Art and English secondary teacher I'll definitely need the week to work out lessons and strategies for the subjects I am less comfortable with.

Our guide Felix.

This car has seen better days.

Yesterday Alex and I were invited out by some friends to go berry picking along one of the many trails in the area. We were hunting for cranberries and blueberries, and although it was late in the season for both we were hopeful.

Alex all bundled up.

Beavers!

Like many reserves Garden Hill is a bit of a mess. Irresponsible leadership and an isolated location mean that city services like water management and waste disposal that we take for granted don’t always work the way they should. The dump is poorly managed here and expands and moves depending on convince. So there was a lot of trash along the beginning of our hike and in some ways the rusted car skeletons were really beautiful.

Autumn is here. 

Puffball mushroom.

Berry Picking

Moss runner.

Further out the air is clean and crisp and because of the moisture there is moss everywhere. Wild cranberries need a lot of moisture to grow and they lay down their runners where the moss stays wet. Usually the moss turns red in these areas so finding patches was easy, however most of the vines are picked clean this time of year. Still, Alex and I managed to find enough berries for at least a small batch of something.

Cindy mixing bannock dough.

Felix cooking.

Further on we made a small fire and Felix and his partner Cindy made us all bannock and tea over the fire. There were blueberry bushes in the area but little to no berries. Alex blames the squirrels.

Bannock.

We also saw a number of mushrooms along the way. A number of them are likely edible as well but seeing as I don’t know how to identify them I’d rather not risk it.