It was a hot week!

Happy Sunday everyone!  Another very hot day with lots of sunshine.  The past few days have been incredibly hot and humid......but we're not complaining.  It's all good.

This past week was good.  I got more packing done.  We are quite ahead of the game so much so that there is not much left to pack until just a few days before the move.  I feel good about that. Our house is definitely starting to look like a war zone.  The boxes are lined up around the perimeter of the great room.  Cooper still has space to roam around and he doesn't seem to be too bothered by what's happening.  No doubt that our routine has changed a bit in the past few weeks but we still make time for walks with the Coop and some fun play sessions.

My dad has been going to our house in Beaconsfield to keep an eye on things.  He sends us a report on a regular basis.  We contracted a grass cutting service and our grass was cut for the first time on Friday.  It's looking nice and neat, almost as if someone was living there.  Soon.

Our hummingbirds are now daily visitors.  Russell was able to capture one the other day.  Beautiful little creatures.

Last night, we had dinner at John & Terri's.  It was a lovely evening and we had some good laughs, as always, but it was also bittersweet.  We will miss them a whole lot.  J&T were our first neighbours on Forest Hill Lane, and for quite some time, we were the only two families on the road.  They have been, and remain, great friends.  Cooper and Saba also had a good time.  Coop was quite tired when we got home...so were his humans.

That's it for my blog this week.  We are taking it easy today, too hot for walking.  I leave you with a few photos taken last night, a couple were taken with our phone and selfie stick so not the best quality but nice memories to have of a great evening.

I wish you all a great week and I hope you are enjoying this beautiful hot weather!

Great friends!

Smile for the camera...or rather hold still!

Cooper keeping an eye on Saba as she supervises
the kitchen.

Hey Terri...is it treat time!?

Humming bird taking a rest after a sip....
image taken right outside the kitchen window.

The keys to Avondale

Happy 24 weekend everyone!  Couldn't ask for better weather for the first warm holiday weekend of the year.  Summer like temperatures and bright sunshine.  This weather is long overdue and no doubt is being enjoyed by all.  As for us, we are enjoying it also.  We've been spending lots of time on the deck, went for a couple of walks with the Coop, but we're mostly taking it all in.

This past week was a great one and we took possession of our new home, on Avondale, in Beaconsfield.  What a great feeling it was to finally get the keys.  When we walked into our house, there was a huge gift basket addressed to us, from the vendor.  The basket is full of doggie stuff for our Coop. This was very thoughtful and made us feel right at home. So, next step is to wait for the closing of our home in Huntsville on June 28. Until then, my dad will be keeping an eye on our house in QC while we get ready for our move.  Dad actually sent me a picture of the crabapple tree that started blooming yesterday in our backyard.  Too bad we're missing the blooms but it's nice to see the photo.

We accomplished a lot last week.  We signed the contract for our fence.  Coop will be a happy camper in his new backyard with a nice wrought iron fence. We measured all the rooms and taped the floors so that the movers will know where to put the furniture.  What can I say, we're picky that way! We got a whole bunch of other things done like contracted 1-800-Got-Junk to remove the shed in the backyard. After our trip to Montreal, we made our way to Toronto and got our hair cuts.  We stayed at the Park Hyatt and, unbeknownst to us, this was our 25th stay at the hotel.  When we got to our room that night after dinner, there was a card, a fruit tray and a bottle of wine. That was very nice!

Meanwhile, back home in Huntsville, I continue with the packing.  You know what I love most about packing?  It gives me a chance to purge.  We've made many trips to the Salvation Army and to Habitat for Humanity Restore and donated lots of things.  My motto with this move is:  if there are some things that we haven't used since we've been here, it's not moving to Quebec. Fair enough I think.

Other than packing, it's pretty well life as usual. I suspect as we get closer to moving day, it will get a little crazy around here.  In just a little over 4 weeks we move.  We are now getting very excited, although we know we will be emotional when we leave this beautiful work of art that our home is. 

That's it for my blog.  I leave you with a couple of photos that we took today of the Coop on the deck, also enjoying this beautiful weather.  I wish you all a great week and enjoy this nice long weekend. Be safe on the roads if you're out and about!

Welcome gift basket from our vendor...
Cooper will enjoy!

Crabapple in full blossom on Avondale...
photo by Anne's dad.

Thank you Park Hyatt!

Coop reflecting on the deck...little does he know!

Cooper in full retrieve mode....bring it back!

We've only just begun......

Hello everyone!  I'm changing things up a bit.....doing my blog on a Saturday instead of a Sunday. Tomorrow we have a busy day.  Boot Camp class at 9:30 then we're off to Toronto late morning to drop off the Coop at Talemaker Camp then a flight to Montreal late afternoon.

The next few days will be packed. Monday, we will be meeting with two fence companies and get quotes.  Fencing our new property for the Coop is priority and we hope to get it done towards end of June.  We also have a few things to buy:  dining table and chairs, a mailbox for the house (weird, it doesn't have a mailbox) and some other stuff.  We also want to check out the vet that was recommended to us (thanks Noreen) and a couple of pet stores.  Coop's food brand is Fromm and nothing else will do. Not every pet store carries that brand but we found a few that do in the West Island.   Then on Tuesday, we drive up to Mascouche with our realtor for the closing meeting.  Why Mascouche?  The vendor wanted us to use his notary and we agreed.  Whatever.  It's been a painful process so far but it will all work out.  After the closing meeting, we will go back to our new home and meet with the security and sound people for more quotes.  Then, we do measurements so we can figure out where our furniture will go. After all of this, we will have dinner with my parents. Wednesday morning, we fly back to Toronto for a much needed hair cut....it's been 9 weeks since the last one.  Russell's head looks like a Chia Pet.  As for my hair, it's a mess.  We will stay overnight in Toronto and enjoy a little bit of R&R, then pick up the Coop on Thursday morning.

Other than that, all is good.  We've had much needed rain for the past two days so I decided to start packing.  I was only going to do a few boxes but I ended up packing 9.  We've only just begun but we are well on our way.

Oh, I almost forgot. Our hummingbirds have arrived much to Russell's delight, and mine.  They are so amazing to watch.  Russell has been busy packing up his telescope and drone so no photos of the hummers yet but they will come.

That's it for my blog today.  As you can tell, this coming week will be busy for us but it will also mark our Cooper's 5th birthday, truly the best dog ever!  We are sad that we will miss his birthday on Tuesday but we took his birthday pic in advance.  Hope you like it.  Have a great week everyone and enjoy the upcoming Victoria Day long weekend!

Anne and Cooper in full pack mode...which end up!?

Hutch done.....how many more? Want to guess...we will
start a pool...closest guess wins a night for two
Chez le Duncan's in Beaconsfield.

Happy Birthday to the Best Dog Ever...Mr Cooper!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Sunday and Happy Mother's Day to all women!  A loving wish to my mom and to Russell's mom who is no longer with us but always in our hearts.  We love you both dearly.  I also wish a Happy Mother's Day to all the pet moms out there.  You are all very special. A canine Mother's Day wish goes to Spice, Roxie and Jeannie, from the Talemaker Family.  All three had beautiful litters just a few weeks ago. We follow their daily lives through Darlah's blog and I have to tell you, those pups are beauties!

On this day, I am also thinking of my uncle JC and his two children.  My aunt Gisele, mother and grandmother, passed away, in her sleep, last Wednesday, at the age of 82. She was my mom's younger sister.  Our thoughts go out to the whole family.  She will be dearly missed.

This past week was a busy one and for the life of me I can't remember what we did.  Each day seems like a blur.  Lots on the go and our heads are spinning.  The only thing that I can remember is that our moving boxes were delivered on Thursday.  They are piled up in the foyer.  I keep staring at them wondering when I will start packing.

This coming week will also be hectic.  There are a few things that we need to do to prepare for the closing of our Beaconsfield home next week. Lots of little details to take care of.  We will be flying to Montreal next Sunday and closing will be on May 17.

Not much else is going on.  The weather this past week was quite nice and warm.  Today though is very cool and we saw a few snow flakes this morning.  Our hummingbirds haven't arrived yet. Russell keeps hoping and has his camera ready just in case.  I'm betting that they will arrive this week.

I end this blog by sending our thoughts and prayers to all those affected by the terrible tragedy in Fort McMurray.  Hoping that this week brings some relief to the forest fires.

 Mothers Day love and snuggles with the Coop

Cooper guarding the moving boxes
in the foyer.

Managing our "To Do List"

Hello everyone!  It is a rainy Sunday in Huntsville and a little on the cool side.  I'm actually hoping for a lot of rain as we need it.  Our trees have a few buds on them but it's a slow process.  Our perennials are also starting to come alive and the grass is turning a little greener.  I can't believe today is May1.  Where does the time go!

This past week was good and busy.  We started the week with a fresh coat of snow on the ground. We couldn't believe it when we woke up Tuesday morning and saw the snow.  We didn't bother shovelling as we knew the snow would be gone the next day.  Hopefully that was the last of the white stuff for this season.  The snow tires come off this week!

Russell and I made some good progress with our "To Do" list.  It is getting shorter and more manageable.  We booked the movers, so that's a good job done.  June 23 will be loading day.  Russell and I will make our way to Quebec on ....St-Jean-Baptiste Day.  How appropriate to return to La Belle Province on June 24!  Our belongings will be unloaded on June 25.  While we get our new home organized, Cooper will be at Talemaker Camp having a good time, not realizing that he will be moving to a new home.

We also lined up the fence contractor for May 16 in order to get a quote.  The plan is to have the fence installed the last week of June, so that when we bring the Coop home, he will have a nice and secured yard to play in.

Although we had a lot to do this past week, we took the time to go to the gym and had a few walks with Cooper.  Oh, and I had a speeding ticket on Friday.  My first one in over 30 years.   The nice policeman was kind to me and I got off easy, thanks to my impeccable driving record. I admit, I have a lead foot....or had a lead foot.  Lesson learned, no more speeding.

That's about it for this week's blog.  I leave you with a couple of pictures that Russell took this week, and a few that I took of Russell while he was doing his nightly grooming with Cooper.  I wish you all a great week.  The three of us will spend the rest of the day in front of the fireplace.  Russell has a really nice fire going.

If looks could kill....Cooper says snow again, are you kidding!

This little porcupine was having breakfast early AM
when we caught him climbing down.

The nightly grooming session with Mr. Cooper.
Which end is the head?

Ahhh...love the tummy comb, stop tickling me.

Armpits...fun spots to groom...Coop is always cooperative.

Cooper says nothing like a good salty licking of daddy's
head as a reward.