Good morning! We went for an interview with Canadian Border Services yesterday and they confirmed that our PRRA (Pre-Removal Risk Assessment) was rejected so we now officially have to leave the country and will be unable to return to Canada for another year (without special permission).
Surprisingly, although upset inside, I was able to hold it together and immediately focused on yet another “new beginning” on the horizon. It’s the only way one can mentally cope with traumatic times. As soon as I got home I booked our plane tickets to go back to the UK on June 26 and now my head is spinning with everything that has to be achieved. Luckily I had the foresight to secure a rental house in blighty so once I have paid my 6 months rent in advance we are good to go.. It’s a beautiful town house dating back to 1780 with plenty of space for us as a family, to ease ourselves back into a new way of life and a new country. You see I haven’t been back to the UK for 9 years and lots of things have changed. I’ve also not seen my Mum and Dad for 9 years either so you can imagine the huge hugs they will get…
It’s time to try and think positively about our next life adventure… sometimes when one door closes another opens wide and despite the sadness at departing I know the future will hold good things and the earth will provide..
Todays menu
Breakfast
Marmite on toast
Lunch
Mixed salad
Dinner
Leftovers stew
Having a friend over for lunch. Not strictly 1940s because there is a pepper in there somewhere!
I’m sure it was difficult, but I wish you all the best. Everything happens for a reason, and you seem to have the right attitude about everything!
Your new home looks very spacious and cozy, I hope you enjoy it very much. Although being from the states I’ll prob have no idea many of the words you’ll use. I’ll try to google them though and figure it out.
If you’re not thinking positively about this move, I am. I am jealous, jealous, jealous. I’d much rather be living in Britain, where there is still a bit of intact social fabric, than here in the States, which is turning out to be too big to succeed.
that is quite cute! it’s always sad to leave something behind even when a new beginning is staring right at you.
Dear Carolyn, Canada’s loss is England’s gain – and I am sure that you will find more gain than loss in your return. Sometimes it takes a spring tide to lift us and carry us, and I think this painful experience you are undergoing is your spring tide. England has its points, including a very well-established network of special interest groups in which I am sure you will find a natural place.
Your house is stunning, just like you.
I wish you and your hobbits the very best.
You have such wonderfully positive attitude, I wish you the best of luck with your new adventure. The house looks perfect 🙂
I’m sorry you are having to leave Canada but YAY for being back in Britain 🙂
Breakfast – stewed rhubarb
lunch – carrot soup and a roll, jacket potato and cheese + cider (yay pub lunch!)
dinner – veggie curry and brown rice
drinks – water, herbal tea, black tea and milk
What an adventure your life is…I love & appreciate your site & what you have accomplished…You inspire me…I love your new home…My mom was 12 when the war started…she’s fr Ilford Essex…we have enjoyed your site and the recipes…”Carry On & Don’t Forget The Good You Are Doing”…Helping Others…Best wishes..
Thanks so much.. xxxx Yes we love the look of the house and a friend did a video tour for us. After 6 months we’ll probably have to downsize but at least we will enjoy living there for a while! xxx
You’ve got the right way of looking at this move. It’s an exciting new start. And as someone else has already said Canada ‘s loss is England’s gain! I shall appreciate reading your blog with an English slant 🙂 Just want to wish you and the family the very best at the start of this new chapter. And I bet your parents can hardly wait !!! 🙂
Please remove me from your email list.
Thanks,
Theresa
Hi there- I don’t keep an e-mail list. It must be the way your notifications are set up to read the blog. If you want to e-mail me one of your notifications I could probably tell you what is generating the notifications and you can disconnect from it…
Cheers
C xx
You have a splendid trip and safe travels. 🙂 We shall miss you! Keep blogging though 🙂
Hope all goes well with move, you are a brave strong lady, love your website. X
Wow, that’s quite enough to be going on with in the last 24 hrs. You’re doing an amazing job of looking forward and staying positive. I know someone has already said it, but Canada’s loss is England’s gain.
I’ve been bought a box of chocolates today. I’m going to put them in a cupboard so that I don’t face plant into them! So today’s menu has been:
Breakfast: toast and jam
Lunch: in local cafe – houmous, roast veg and olives
Dinner: Baked salmon loaf (Marguerite Pattern Victory Cookbook), green beans & broccoli
The salmon loaf does use up an entire 175g tin which is 16 points, but is rather scrummy. Guess I wont be having that until June then!
Hahaha yes I bet having tinned salmon was a real treat!!
Carolyn, the new place in UK looks amazing, so perfect and I spied a little garden there. Hopefully enough room for a few pots for herbs and bits.
As was mentioned the explosion of interest groups in the UK is growing quite rapidly and you may just have the skills and ability to create an essential one!
Due to current economic climates many are doing it tough these days, and strangely enough once again people are struggling to feed their families well and it’s not even war time.
I know that Marguerite Pattens books are selling at their best levels since their release, and I read a fantastic article I will try to find and post here all about war time austerity being a skill that we need to grab hold of today, and fortunately in Britain you have a rich source of information in the people who lived it and the maintenance of excellent social history records.
Could be a business line for you perhaps? All the same it must be tough but best wishes as always to you and yours for the move ahead.
Day 5 for me was poridge for brekkie, soup and toast for lunch and dinner was fish cakes, less fish mostly potato with veggies. Due to a dietary need for mum I have to use more fish for her so I just made it in two batches. I used less flour in the recipe, just using it to bind the potato and I found the flavour slightly better and not as dough like in consistancy.
I’m about to have brekkie on day 6, and I’m still loving this. Walking to the shops today for supplies (veggies) and preparing to cook whole family a 40’s roast dinner tomorrow night…..
Good luck on the move back to Blighty – I know that you will make a huge success of it and the newest stage in your life. Keep us all up-to-date! Carol x
Cool house suitable for hobbit family! Good luck, you are obviously a very strong woman and a great Mother. How lovely for your parents to have you home, I bet they can’t wait xx
Last night I needed to bake some bread and I remembered my Great Aunt telling me that she used to put a tbs or so of the dried milk powder into her homemade bread as it was rather disgusting made up to drink but it enriched the loaf. I did it and what a huge difference to the texture, lovely bread and lighter texture.
Today…
Breakfast-tea & toast
Lunch-salad with kidney beans
Dinner-my bacon ration with lots of spring cabbage, some dripping and a little macaroni
Stewed rhubarb with a little crumble on top
I have to say my relationship with food is so much better, no guilty feelings or surreptitious searching through the fridge…and a lot less coffee!
Keep calm & carry on xx
I think that’s it! Not feeling guilty! That rations are there to use as you like and there is no purchasing of extra convenience or junk food inbetween meals so no hidden fats and sugars.
Not sure what I’m going to cook today as I’m out doing a volunteer day at Mahone Bay Marina so I think I’ll make a salad and bring along some bread too and eat that later.
Have a great day!
C xxx
Thank you for taking the time to leave comments and be so encouraging- I think we ALL are really benefiting from sharing our menu’s and thoughts with each other and there is some fantastic memories and information coming forward!!!
C xxx
House looks lovely and inviting :). Sure you will enjoying staying there.
Wow a 1780’s house! When i peeked at the picture of your kitchen I could almost hear the strains of Begin the Bigeen(sp?) and The White Cliffs of Dover. Oh the stories that house could tell.
Sue, I’ve lived in old houses for much of my life. My last house in the UK, before we left, was an old welsh farmhouse dating back to 1680 so although for the first time in 28 years, I’ll be living in a city (Ok city suburb) I feel lucky I am going to be able to enjoy such a wonderful house for at least 6 months. When I saw it I couldn’t resist and knew I HAD to live there- for whatever reason… I can’t wait to get my hands on that KITCHEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! xxxxxx
Carolyn, it must be absolutely terrible for you to have your dreams dashed in this way. Still, I can’t help thinking how desperately needed you are in Britain. From what I’ve heard, the situation has become terrible, and the economy extremely fragile. Someone like you who knows how to live well on rations, who is flexible and knows how to spin a good life out of what is at hand, is a real asset in today’s world, especially today’s Britain. I hope that you are able to throw yourself into some really useful work soon after you arrive back (after first having a rest, of course.) I believe that you are going to find a completely new calling. I wish you all the very best.
Bonnie
As a Canadian, I am truly sorry that you had to leave my country. I’ve been following your blog the last few months and I enjoy it greatly.
sorry this is so behind the times .. but still dont get why you were investigatedin the first place… anywhoo.. hopefully being where it all started will give us all some wonderful new recipes..
I wasn’t investigated. Two years after my husband left Canadian immigration said I needed to get an independent status to stay working and living in Canada. My employer applied for a work permit for me but this did not meet all the requirements and we were told we had to leave. We fought against there decision because my ex husband had stage 4 lung, liver and colon cancer and if they removed us the children would have been unable to return to see their dad. We found a legal loophole which essentially delayed our removal (although we then had to survive for 10 months without being able to work, no assistance and no healthcare) to ensure the kids were not far from their father. Eventually their father died and shortly after we were excluded from Canada for a year……. I’d do this again in a heart beat….sometimes you have to stand up for what is right and what is moral xxxxxxxxxxx