People & Places
Hobdens Canadian blog February 2008
The Hobdens have been as busy as ever, but Darren's been slowed down by some mystery headaches...
We have had a full range of weather – wind, rain, a couple of dustings of snow, a bit of sunshine and temperatures down to minus 8. All in all a typical Vancouver Island winter! My parents went home from their holiday and are now planning their next visit. They are both retired now so it makes it easier for them to come over and spend a longer length of time with us here and my sister in Vancouver.
Anja's swimming club has started again and she swims once a week for a couple of hours. We do have our own pool but it would probably be a bit chilly at the moment! Saying that, I don't know what it is with Canadian teenagers but whenever Daniel has friends around they decide to jump in the pool, even fully clothed, and sometimes in below freezing temperatures. They don't stay in for long though! Unfortunately, two of his friends decided to jump in a couple of weeks ago and they had a race who could dive in first so they jumped in fully clothed and they all had a good laugh until one of them realized he had left his $300 cell phone in his pocket. An expensive mistake!
Daniel's basketball is going well and the team have been doing well in tournaments. They are busy getting ready for the Mid-Island Championship, Vancouver Island Championship and Provincial Championship - so a busy and tough schedule ahead.
Mette is still busy selling houses. Vancouver Island Real Estate prices are still rising and the market seems as hot this year as it was last year so she is rushing around showing houses.
Hockey is a big sport here in Canada and we were lucky enough to have the Sweden under-17 team come here and play our local team the Cowichan Capitals (pictured). It was a good and exciting game and the players showed a lot of skill.
I had an unwanted trip in the ambulance. I had a headache attack last February and was rushed to hospital by ambulance. After having a few tests I was diagnosed with cluster headaches. I have had a few minor attacks since then but nothing too much until now. So after another blue light trip to the hospital I have now been referred to a neurologist and have been to see him. He has confirmed that it is migraines and has provided some good tips and techniques to try and live with them. On a positive note I can definitely say that the treatment I received from the paramedics and emergency room staff was outstanding and I was taken good care of. Just don't fancy making this a regular trip!
Tip Of The Week: When you emigrate it can be difficult having contact with relatives and friends in England through not yet having a computer or phone. What you can do is join a Library and use their public computers for e-mail contact until you have your own computer. Here in BC once you have joined a library you can use any other library in BC. For phoning you can buy pay as you go cell phones and use them until you have a landline. At least this way there will be some form of contact available until you have the permanent solutions.
Please keep your e-mails and questions coming, it is always good to hear from you. Contact us here.
Check out our website Emigreat for Canada information and links.