Point 2 had its kids christmas today. We all loved it, especially the kids as Father Christmas gave them a stocking each with their names on them. I was surprised how many of the families had young kids. My eldest was nervous for a while when he realised he was one of the oldest. He still stands up for Father Christmas and so it cannot be an age limit on the party. It was good to see that Point 2 is a really family friendly place. Both kids got presents that really suited them, and we will be able to use the stockings again for Santa on Christmas day.

Prince Philip's school had their Maths and Muffins morning today. The kids were expected to appear with a parent and siblings to the library at 8.15 am where we all collected a game from the correct box and sat playing it. We had one called the two tooney race. Basically it was a spinner with penny, nickel, dime and quarter written on it. (For those like me that needed help - a penny is 1 cent, a nickel is 5 cents, a dime is 10 cents, a quarter is 25 cents, a looney is 1 dollar and a tooney is 2 dollars.) My son had great fun correcting my efforts with a nickel and a dime. He then reminded me that Nickelback got it's name from the nickel in change that band member Mike Kroeger gave customers at his Starbucks job—he would frequently say, "Here's your nickel back".

We are still trying to work out what we miss from England and what we/friends can bring across. I miss pork and lamb stock cubes and especially Bisto gravy, which I discovered today - I can get Bisto in Saskatoon. In England it is 2 for £2 in Saskatoon's English shop it costs $7 (only three and a half times the price!)

When it comes to food the canadian borders have a policy. "Declaring is the Law - Be sure . . . declare everything."
"Canada has complex requirements, restrictions and limits for the importation of meat, eggs, dairy products, honey, fresh fruits and vegetables and other food from around the world. You can avoid problems by not bringing these kinds of goods into Canada."

Canadian law requires that you declare all food, plants and animals and related products that you bring into Canada. Many travellers fail to declare things like meat, animal hides, live birds, plants and fruit.
See http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/impe.shtml

So as far as I can work out No meat, dairy, honey or fruit, so how about meat gravy? I am hoping I understand the website correctly and as it is processed it is fine. Therefore normal priced gravy.

We keep being told by locals that loads of thin layers are better than thick ones, as it is wiser to remove one thin layer when hot than all the winter clothes in one go. So I should not be surprised to see a shop selling leg warmers, Jessica thinks they are wonderful as they cover all of her legs. As with everything over here for winter they are not a fashion statement.

Winter is a fact of life in Saskatoon, and after a heavy snowfall, getting around can be a problem. .... To help improve public safety and mobility, a bylaw requires that residential sidewalks must be clear of snow and ice within 48 hours of a snowfall, and ...."

So I have now realised when it snows one of us goes out to clear the pavement. In my case in two pairs of socks, two pairs of gloves, minimum of two jumpers under my coat, the nearest hat and scarf wrapped round my face (so I look like a Muslim) and expect to be out between half and hour to an hour clearing the pavement (depending how clear it is). If you are wondering why so long, this house is on a corner and has a service road next to it. So about three times the length of pavement compared with our place from January. It is alright clearing the pavement but very demoralising when you just finish as it starts snowing again.