Will be on VIA @ 9-30 am in the morning.

all aboard, will listen to a few woody guthrie tunes on my xm portable.

reckon I am all set for fri morning interview , not feeling anxious at all.

really relishing my last weekend in a lovely city that I feel a bit attached to.

my grandad was sweeping snow there in 1908, it was too cold for him,
so he returned to manchester england and ended up in WW 1.

his sister my great aunt stayed and was tragically and possibly the first
canadian death of WW2 , great aunt Martha heard that ww2 had been declared,
she was visiting relatives in manchester.
she got a ticket on the FIRST SHIP out of liverpool
it was torpdoed off north ireland on day one of ww2.
there was a lot of bad feeling between canada and germany because the casualties were
mainly women and kids. MY DADS cousins never forgave the german people.
war eh now its lebanon our canadian people are running from.

so will enjoy saying adieu to a city long associated with my family.

will give a review when I get back to toronto mon eve,
off to see the brides family in s dakota on wednesday next

then I get a birthday weekend in deadwood black hills.next friday.

deadwood is the finest series I have ever seen on tv thxs HBO.

LATERS RED


ps will be alone , jules is with her dad who is not too well in s dakota.

I have loads of photos ,emails and phone records reckon thats enuff.

Good luck Red. I am sure everything will go smoothly.

And thanks for your interesting history info. You have a lot of unique family history!

Stephanie

good luck, red - i'm sure it'll be a breeze...

your family history is so interesting; thanks for sharing it with us.

hope your father-in-law gets well soon.

we'll be looking forward to your update on monday.

Good Luck !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep us posted.

CHEERS GUYS

just starting out , thxs for your support.

yeah bit of a wandering star above mine and family.


was rambling a little yesterday ,getting prepared and thinking
it was six years ago to the day that my brother was killed in a
traffic catastrophe while travelling on his beloved greek island of Crete.

spoke to his Cretan friends yesterday, jules and myself were there
at this time last year.

his spirit is always filling the wind in my sails,
and I know that he and my parents would approve of jules and this move ..

hard to believe its just 6 and half years since the new millenium began.

I was in-----------------montreal that night.

lots of events have shaped ours and of course my life since then.

yammas roger

Good Luck Red, You 'll be just fine..I enjoyed your bit of family history there..


Michelle

red

just pulled into bellville station
not
a good journey got a misery guts next to moi.
no room for laptop and a cup of cafe noir

tried for a seat change but full here in via 1

out on town 2 nite in ilde montreal
mates a via casey jones engineer
will give him some grief arf

wanker never even sent me the pass

aghhhh well hope the hotel is still ok

and tomorrow morning of course

right now listening to bbc radio on www

hope lunch ok paid 3 bills for this journey.

all the besties

red

Good luck, red! You'll do fine

Good luck, red! Keep us posted. Hope you'll enjoy your stay in Montreal.

Good Luck!

Well well
piece of cake apart from miserable female who opened the door.

was 2 nd in line had a small fabric portfolio which the e mail frm consulate said was fine to bring.
not for this individual.

lucky it was a freebie from work and not my nike Manchester United lap top bag
which I opted to leave at hotel

which btw is top class, the rooms are fabulous and club 701 in the hotel place de armes
is montreals chic place to be and be seen
soorry red is a old fart now. arf

so digressing last night walked from hotel to rue alex----
took 10 mins at fast pace.

so this adorable security 'LADY' not IMHO

made me loose my advantage of behind # 2 in first line
had to dump my bag in garbage bin on the bld rene levesque.
cos she said if it was left on street it was security risk

###### it just a small fabric bag.

anyhow after getting back in .Red pulled a flanking move ,
sat on the bloody front row and was # 2 in elevator so got c2

great advise from all you veterans vjrs thxs guys

hat a good swift interview.
discussed montreal and the hotel where I am billeted.
bet he thinks I am flush staying for 4 nights

lucky me having the manager has a mate.

anyhow I desperately want to get to s dakota asap

its really sad that jules could not be here cos she too enjoys
olde montreal etc etc.
but its good that she is with her dad while he is not feeling so great.
asked the interviewer if it was possible to expedite my visa today on family compassion .
because I do want to get to sioux falls asap to see 'PEETE" AND HIS LOVELY DAUGHTER

jULES is amazed that there was little questioning, also told her that i wore usa soccer shirt

gotta run mates here for lunch

red d

CONGRATS

Congratulations, red!

Congrats; told ya it was easy

congrats, red! are they going to expedite the visa issuance?

Good for you.... how much did the train ticket cost? Where did you leave from again?

Sure, sure, we all know it was a man-purse.

Glad it went well!!

cheers one aad all
been a magnafique day here in montreal.

got the passport back at 2-30
miserable gal; even replied cheers when i left building.

spent all afternoon with great mates from montreal and uk
on the rooftop terrace at place d,armes

they are all gone now, all pissed thats uk pissed , not usa arf.

so will head back on sun morn to toronto
and s dakota on monday.

deadwood next weekend , really looking fwd to seeing where it all happened.

my fave tv series ever deadwood thxs hbo.

so will give you update on poe sometime
but internet is not allowed when im in the blackhills

all the best

red

red, I love reading your story. You got it right: the visa is not the ultimate goal, but a piece of the puzzle in a life changing time. While others here are biting their nails, you've become introspective, about family past and family present. There have been many immigrants in your bloodlines, who may be able to look down and see your continuing adventures. Better than a series on HBO.

As you cross on Monday, newly minted visa in hand, you'll be joining the ranks of duals. We're the ones with a foot in each country, who can sing both anthems and have the hair on our arms stand up.

As you cross on Monday, newly minted visa in hand, you'll be joining the ranks of duals. We're the ones with a foot in each country, who can sing both anthems and have the hair on our arms stand up.



actually JG make mine a triple

europa
canuckia

america

had a great weekend here
gotta say if you do not like montreal then I am confused has to why.

bad things and wankers can happen anywhere.

the great english writer
Samuel Pepys once stated and I quote.

" A MAN WHO TIRES OF LONDON TIRES OF LIFE"

Montreal , Manhattan, ny ny, paris , rome these are special cities IMHO

also many otherS i LIKE TOO

BUT HOGTOWN TORONTO is missing some kind of vibe these places have for red


and I live in middle of hogtown

will not miss it.

cest la vie

red d

red, Toronto has no soul. I left last year. Lived near Queen West for decades. It's okay for people who want to work or party, but it's hard to know what it means to be a Torontonian. The multicultural thing is good if you get hungry. But if you rarely see people like yourself, it can be a lonely place. And an empty place, without the architecture, gardens, monuments, fountains, piazzas, etc. that make Montreal and Europe inviting. They feed the soul.

Now you're going to South Dakota, another planet entirely. Who knows what family events you'll step into. Not like Deadwood, I'd venture to guess, even though I've never seen the series. You may have to be the strong silent stranger.

Congrats !!!!!!!!!!!!

JG

good points and must agree.
have walked miles here since thursday arrival
and its just a more humane city than the concrete jungle of hogtown.

guess it helps staying in a beautiful old building with view of notre dame.

btw only visiting s dakota, jules dad lives there.

Julie is a nurse in naples s florida.

so will be moving aug 30th

have a week in dakotas
2 days back in hogtown , one way flight to atlanta
jules driving up in suv from florida,join her for 12 hrs drive to Toronto.

finish packing for one day aug 15th then fly to venice italy
for 2 weeks,we will join 20 friends on a one week cruise to athens and greek isles.

most are mates from singlecruise.com,they are coming from all points usa,canada,uk and south africa,

and the ship we are on is rccl splendour of the seas and thats where jules and i met in 2004.

right now life is going just marvellous.
but of all people I realise that you have to live for the day and that is TODAY
RED
ALL THE BESTIES

ALL ABOARD ATVIARAIL

Red, if you're going to live in Fla, it's mighty hot and humid. All your Canadian summer clothes will be too heavy. You'll be falling asleep everywhere, like a lazy drone in summer. You'll sweat in places you never knew had glands. Like the top of your head.

When I moved to Canada from New Jersey back in the days of King Arthur and his Knights, it was hard to get used to the cold. The first winter, I cried to keep warm. Now, after almost 40 years of Hogtown winters, I've returned to the toxic swamps of New Jersey, and can't get used to the heat.

I keep a bathtub full of water and take a few dips every day to wash off the sweat. I've bought loads of extra underwear because I might go through two pairs a day. Are you ready for the steam bath?