For years, Mrs Dim has been the one to carry the calendar in her head. I mean, sure we have one on the fridge too, but the vital one was in her head. Every few months she would remind me of an event coming up, someone’s birthday or anniversary, something I should have done or arranged. Anyway, these days she’s trying to use her head less so she has more space for work, so I’m supposed to keep track of the passage of time unaided.
Earlier this week, I had the weirdest feeling that something important was coming up. I had sent cards to two people already, and arranged my nephew’s birthday present (Happy Birthday Lochlan!), but what was special about the 9th?
It wasn’t until the morning of the 10th March that I remembered – it was our Canadaversary, Must be fourteen years now. If you’ve read this blog at all, you’ve heard the story a million times, so I won’t go over it again. Suffice to say, it’s now far enough in the past that I’ve stopped spotting the differences between the UK and Canada on a personal level, and when someone says “home”, it’s Coquitlam I think of.*
The thing is, though, someone asked me how I felt coming to Canada had worked out for us this week, and I could honestly say it was the best idea. I speak to Mum and Dad every week, and there are rising fuel prices, rising petrol prices, rationed vegetables and fruit in supermarkets, the madness of Brexit STILL causing trouble, the inhumanity of the attitude to desperate refugees and STILL a Conservative party that can’t govern, can’t care for the people because they’re too busy trying to line their own pockets.
My social media feed (Mastodon these days, because no one should be on Twitter supporting That Guy) is full of the horrors of the American slide into medievalism, and I can see the UK following down that road if the whole country doesn’t go bankrupt or burst into flames first. I’m well aware that not everyone has the chance to make their escape the way we did. It makes me all the more grateful for the opportunities we’ve had here.
Fourteen years. We have a home here, wherever we choose to think of it, and it’s still open to friends and family from the UK if they need a break from that brand of bonkers – I’m not saying our personal brand of bonkers is going to be a lot better, but you know what?” You can buy tomatoes in the local supermarket without having to mortgage your house.
*In general terms. We live right on the Burnaby/Coquitlam border, so there’s a lot of overlap, plus it’s the City of Burnaby who employ me, so YAY BURNABY also!
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