(A letter to the India Russells that the world can share)

Dear all you India folks,

I’m writing you in the middle of a blizzard. We are housebound today, supposed to be out at a kids’ play at UCFV with Mum (Dad was to hang out with Daryl and Miles) but it’s all cancelled.

Emma was all excited about going out in the snow first thing, and it wasn’t blowing hard or snowing then, had just snowed overnight, so all of us minus Molly went for a little walk, toboggan pull, around the farm we’re on. The cows looked cold and bewildered, as did Moby, our grey cat.

Then later I had to go out and get the eggs from the henhouse (our neighbours are away) and when I came back in my gloveless hands were so cold that I realized I don’t ever want to be trapped outside in a blizzard!

This has been a big weekend of movies for us. Friday night the kids and I went to Happy Feet, the latest animated feature about a penguin who dances instead of sings his mating song. Quite well done, with some dark undertones and ecological messaging thrown in with penguins singing Prince and Queen songs.

Last night Daryl and I went to see Brad Pitt in Babel, about him and his wife trapped in Morocco as she is hit by a sniper on a bus, their children back in San Diego going on an adventure with their nanny to her son’s wedding in Mexico, and a deaf mute Japanese girl who you don’t know how she is all connected until the very end, and two Moroccan boy brothers. One of those films where you really have to pay attention. The theatre heater wasn't working so we were warm on top in our big fleecies, but had cold legs by the end and when we went to Bravo, our local bistro, we had a really nice mushroom/cream/wine soup as our first course to warm up before tapas of bison ribs, scallops and bacon, crab cakes, and avocado/shrimp/crab salad for dinner, along with exotic martinis. Nice night out!

We also watched You, Me, and Dupree (with Owen Wilson) on Fri night at home, and I have Ice Age 2 and Nacho Libre lined up as well. One way to beat the rainy (and now snowy) November blues. My other favourite cure is to declare November Red Wine Month, and sample a different bottle or two every weekend.

It has been raining and raining and raining and raining all month, after a dry and gorgeous Sept and Oct. Yes, we need the rain, but talk about extremes!

Only one worrisome episode with our house – we didn’t have the stairs to the basement made yet, and no door installed, and the rain swept the mud into the basement and throughout the whole place, clogging some drains. Our contractor THINKS he has fixed it with a new trench to the slough to draw water away. Sure hope so!

Other than that the house is great and beautiful. Being drywalled right now. Those photos aren’t so exciting so may not post them. Just a bunch of beige walls.

We have chosen lots of nice colours for our walls. A yellow and green palette for main rooms. Molly’s room will be turquoise, Emma’s bright green, and Miles’ blue (their choices). Our bedroom will be lavender, like the last one.

Have bought a new gas fireplace (is installed) and a new gas stove (electric oven/gas top), and a giant clawfoot bathtub – our indulgences. Going for hardwood most of the top floor, laminate in the bedrooms, and carpet downstairs. Able to afford this because Daryl’s trading some design work with the carpet guy.

Hopefully we won’t be too overbudget, and will be in sometime in early January. It’s fun but kind of nerve-wracking to be doing this, as you know.

Molly’s doing tres bon in French Immersion and enjoying meeting new kids and having a new environment. Has to take three buses to get to school but doesn’t mind. Is also busy with school soccer (that’s over now), ordinary soccer, and school volleyball, and soon Destination Imagination again. The bus ride will be down to one when we move back home. Emma is thriving at her school too, and getting better at soccer, although they’ve been rained out for weeks now. She really likes living next door to our friends, who have girls one year older and one year younger, and will miss her freedom to roam when we move back to our little block.

We’re all looking forward to skiing. Have three days booked at Sun Peaks in early Jan with several families from around here.


Don’t have concrete Christmas plans yet, except that we’re not going to push to be in our house. Will take our time moving in and doing stuff after Christmas.

Miles is doing very well. Can be a real pest to Emma when he’s bored, but is sweet most of the time. No asthma troubles at the moment. He’s talking about all sorts of things, really into both snuggling and wrestling, riding a little two-wheeler with training wheels, doing intricate Playmobil set-ups of his ark animals, being read to, and dancing. He talked about Ava’s upcoming birthday party for weeks and was the smash of the party with his dance moves when it finally arrived! Going to music-garten and gymnastics classes and loving them both.

He’s had a big year. Finally totally weaned in April (at 2.75!), toilet trained in August, sleeping in his own bed (sort of) in the fall, sitting in a big person chair at dinner, wanting to use a knife to cut his food.

He had a friend over last week and they totally tore apart his and Emma’s room, dumping toys everywhere (partly because we didn’t supervise while we were eating dinner). Took days to clean properly. But on his own he’s pretty calm.

Daryl has been the chief interior designer of our new house. It’s really hard for us to get out together without kids, so he scouts the suppliers and either makes a decision or brings home samples for us to discuss. This along with his work has kept him quite busy so they gym has slipped a bit but he plays indoor soccer one night a week and I’m encouraging him to hit the weights again and get buff.

I’m trying really hard to squeeze my fitness in too. Badminton on Tuesdays, a half hour on the bike during their gymnastics on Wednesdays, a fitness swissball class on Thursdays, and runs or rides as I can squeeze them in. Have been diagnosed with early stage arthritis in my knee though, which is quite alarming to me.

We went down to Mum and Dad’s to see the Williams Lake Russells last Fri, as you know. That was a quickie but good visit. Nice to catch up a bit with all them. Miles was shy at first but tearing around with cousins soon enough!

Well, that’s most of the news from here.


Love,
Anne