70th birthday and the start of the goodbyes!!

My dad celebrated his 70th birthday yesterday with a get together of his oldest pals. Many of these I've know since I was born. It was really great but I have to admit to a slight feeling of dread prior to the party. This was because I realised that it would be the last time I would ever see many of those attending. We all usually only get together every few years as well as sending xmas cards. But they've all had significant roles in my childhood and so I have a connection with them all.
Well in contrast to the horrendous reaction we got from family when we told them we were emigrating everyone at the party was brilliant. They fully supported our decision, never once questioned why we were going, they wished us well and promised to pop in for coffee if they were ever in Ontario! I left the party having been kissed and hugged to death but also knowing that there are no doubts whatsoever about moving to Ontario!!!!!!

Thanks to my fab pal Sophie I now have a realtor!!! Having chosen 2 schools that look promising for the youngest so we're focusing on houses around these 2 areas. Have also arranged for my 2 pals Sophie and Amanda to meet up as they live near each other. So they're having coffee in Owen Sound in the next few weeks but it does feel strange that I'm 3000 miles away and can't join them!!!

On the fridge front.. it finally arrived last Friday and is working a treat!!!

Fridges and houses........

Today the new fridge is arriving.....yeah!! So this means a bit of normality will finally be restored! Who'd have thought anyone could feel excited about buying perishable goods!!
Have decided to enlist the help of a realtor. We've been researching Barrie and the houses there and have an idea about where we want to be (Kingswood area I think!) but it's probably time to get a professional's opinion and help. We don't want to buy till next year and we may still rent at first but we need to decide on a school for the youngest child. We've looked at Algonquin Ridge Schools's website and it looked promising. So our next big plan/goal is to fly out to Barrie Easter 2010 so we can look at the schools and middle child can have an interview for Uni and also to check out Barrie again. If the visa's have arrived by then we'll also officially land at that time!!!!
In the meantime we are sending off letters to get a printout of all National Insurance contributions since me and hubby were 18. This will give us exact dates for CHC. My University are also awarding me a Postgraduate Diploma when I finish this present course as I won't have completed the Masters in time to submit that as evidence for CHC. At least it will show that I've done something post grad!

2009 and we finally get to say......

Since deciding to move to Canada in 2007 and then being given a 42-48 month wait has always been hard to tell people that we are emigrating and they then ask us when......when we've said 'oh 3-4 years time' they've looked at us as if we're mad and usually replied with 'oh a lot can happen in 3-4 years!!'. Well finally we can now say that 'we are emigrating next year!!!'
2009 looks like its going to be a really busy year for us....

• I'm finishing an MA course at the end of January and start the final one in February. I'm hopefully going to tutor a new course starting in October
• Eldest is doing workplacement with the British Council and possibly Love (advertising company). He's also starting University in October....possibly Northumbria
• Middle daughter completes AS levels this year and starts driving lessons
• Youngest daughter moves into final year at prep school
• My dad turns 70 and hubby turns 50!!!
• CHC should send the 90 day letter out in the summer.
• Should spend one last xmas with all the family

I spent last week finding documentation for CHC....just so we're ready. I reckon I must be a secret hoarder as I have kept past pay slips, P45's, P60's and job descriptions for the last 10-15 years!!!!

Caught hubby today looking at houses on MLS....looked promising!!!

Xmas 2008!!!

Well we have now celebrated what will hopefully be our second from last xmas in old blighty! It's been one hell of a memorable one though. This was the first xmas we have ever spent on our own in our own home so I had planned to create a few traditions of our own to take with us to Canada. The plan was for the girls to make mince pies, spiced apple pies and pecan pie on xmas eve; xmas day would see sweet potato and marshmallows, as well as apricot stuffing to go alongside the turkey; breakfast on xmas morning would be french toast....homemade of course...and bacon. Now in order to achieve all this it's imperative that there is a fully functioning fridge or in my case American fridge freezer which has resided in my kitchen these past 7 years. Well on Xmas Eve it only bloody well DIED!!!!!!! The day was spent in panic fleeing to Argos to purchase a very expensive mini fridge and pulling out all the cool bags I possess......and bizarrely I possess 4!!! Said fridge's contents were emptied into all of the aforementioned....thank gawd the freezer part still worked!!!
After ridiculously high stress levels the pies etc were made and tasted fab. The day was spent eating popcorn and choccies whilst watching Mama Mia (twice!!!!) and reading Julie Walters biography (I swear she's writing about my childhood......minus the bed-wetting and wanting to be an actress!).......so I'm now sat amongst the Boxing Day fallout of dead crackers, warm cheesecake and cool bags whilst hubby puts the turkey/ham back in the garage where its way colder!!

On the immigration front there is fantastic news for those who applied post Feb 2008 and are now beginning to receive 90 day letters. However as someone who has sat in a queue for a year and a half and still has another 6-8 month wait for said letter it does rankle a tad.......it has smatterings of queue jumping which is unfair to say the least......not the applicants fault but the Canadian government obviously didn't think this one through very well!!!!! Too late for us to apply using this route even though we are on the list as it will be no quicker....luckily we can't land till 2010 but not so lucky for others who would give anything to but must just wait and watch others jump in front!!

On the Masters front I have now passed yet another course....yeah!!!!! I was convinced I'd fail the research paper but I didn't. I'm now half way through the disability course....got a 6000 word research paper due in at the end of January and then I start the final course in February. I won't complete the Masters till October and the results won't be through till December so I probably won't be able to count it in on my 90 day letter. However after this present course I can claim a post grad certificate or diploma which might be accepted by CHC.

The List!!!

Well the 'list' is finally out! Although our application isn't directly affected by it I was desperate to know if my job was on it as this would mean a better chance of finding work once landed! Well it's on...hurray!!!! In fact I fall into two job categories....College and Vocational Instructor and University Professor......so that's even better. Obviously hubbies job (GP) is on too though that was never even in question!! So I'm a bit more relaxed but of course they could regularly update the list and the jobs may disappear!

Now throwing myself into work in order to have some time off over xmas! The shopping is done, online shop for groceries is booked and the decorations are up!!

Can't believe that once we enter 2009 we'll be telling people that 'we're actually emigrating next year'!!!! Friends are already planning a welcome party for when we land lol!! Once the documents are asked for we'll need to contact a realtor and start checking out Barrie, the housing there and the schools...also need to sort out Toronto University for the eldest daughter to start 2010!

Wow it's all go!!

Collecting the documents!

Well I've now started collecting the documentation even hough we don't expect to hear from CHC until May 2009 at the earliest!
I've downloaded the appropriate forms from the cic website just so I can look through them as they can be filled out online nearer the time.
Someone on the British Expats website every kindly posted the following info:

• Certified copies of birth certificates and marriage certificate.
• Employment references from previous employers that included start and finish dates, job title,duties and responsibilities
• If possible copies of job descriptions, person specifications and contacts of employment.
• P60s and P45s
• Certified copies of qualifications
• Certified copy of the front page of passports

It all seems fairly straight forward. Also need to list everything I've done since 18 years which will include 6 months travelling in 1977 and 5 months travelling in California in 1987. Luckily everything is on my CV so I don't have to try and remember all the dates. Pretty sure I have all the P60's and P45's so can tick them off. Have job descriptions and copies of contrcts fro the past 10 years. Also have copies of all qualifications since age 10 years (speech exam result in year 5!!)....sad I know!!

Hubby's will take a bit longer to track down all his qualifications and jobs but not impossible!

Then just got to get items certified!

Another decision made....well sort of!

Well its all change in the Northernlass1 household. Our eldest is 18 and is doing an Art diploma in UK at the moment......he finishes summer 2009. He had planned to take a gap year before starting OCAD in Toronto in 2010. Well it turns out he has now changed his mind. He's now considering starting Uni in the UK in 2009. He'll either complete the degree there or may transfer to OCAD later. He'll still land with us in 2010 to activate his PR and then he just needs to be in the country for 2/3 years.......that's if he wants to make Canada his home! I think that flying in and out for hols over the next few years will let him see if Canada is actually for him that way he's not being pushed into going just because the rest of us are. Hubby remaining in UK will help too. So as of now it may just be me and the girls moving permanently with the boys flying in and out for a while. It's not ideal but its a compromise that enables us to move and stay financially stable as well as meeting everyone's needs. Thanks to my pal Amanda, as well as hubby having worked in China in the past, I know long distance is feasible!! Mind you as he's 18 he could still change his mind lol!!!