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You might also wish to read my Travel Journal
Should you wish to read
this in sequence then you'll need to read from the bottom up as at the top
will be the latest entry. This done at the request of various folk that
have emailed me so blame them not me! :-) Also you should note that what I
write in here are my personal impressions of things that I have observed
personally. Should I think something is bad then I say that... if
something is good I also say that. It is after all a personal journey I
am documenting so am not being particularly sensitive to what other
people might think. It's like doing a personal diary only in my case I'm
making it public.
This project was
suggested to me by Canadian Immigration in Ontario when I first decided
to look at settling in Canada from Scotland. They felt it could be a
worth while resource for anyone thinking about settling in Canada and I
agreed to do this. I will say that being an historian I find
accounts of ordinary every day life are extremely rare so in many
respects I hope this account will become a good resource for historians
of future generations. I do add many links to web sites and videos but
of course over the years some of those will no longer work but you might
still find the links by doing a search for them or using sites such as
the Wayback machine.
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Report for December 2023 to January 2024
Medical issues and state of the world.
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Report for August to November 2023
New doctor, Health issues, Israel v Gaze war.
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Report for May to July 2023
New blood sugar meter and Canadian pensions and the Canadian Jordon
Paterson.
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Report for January to April 2023
Doing work on the house
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Report for October to December 2022
Largest fall of snow in at least 64 years.
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Report for July to September 2022
Death of Queen Elizabeth II. Massive storm in Atlantic Canada.
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Report for March to
June 2022
Bit of an update on inflation, interest rate increases and fuel and
food increases.
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Report for October 2021 to February 2022
Covid update, inflation and Russia/Ukraine war.
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Report for September
2021
Truth and Reconciliation First National Remembrance Day
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Report for July 2021
Update on Pandemic, findings of massed
burials on residential lands, and other matters and new Governor General
of Canada.
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Report for January 2021
A wee summary of play after the first month of 2021 and the early
roll out of the vaccines. I've also made it to 70!!!
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The Covid-19 pandemic
in Canada
Thought I'd bring you a wee summary of how Canada is doing.
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Losing my sight
And I detail how I coped with help from the Canadian support health
system.
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More additional information
Adding further information
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Additional Information
Adding some more information in 2018 onwards
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Occasional extra information
This is where I may add some wee bits of extra information. Last
entry was in October 2017.
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End of my Journal
I've decided to end my journal at this point (April 2012) as I feel
I've now given you a good look at my life settling in Canada. I've
enjoyed doing it but as I am now really settled I feel I've done my job
of showing you why I decided to move to Canada and what I had to go
through to settle and then on to some of my life after the settling in
process.
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January, February, March 2012
Eye operations, Harolds funeral, food and drink.
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October, November, December 2011
Eye operation, some new furniture, Chimney removed, Knight Templar
investitures, Savannah's web site.
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July, August, September 2011
Got promoted to GOTJ, start new ElectricCanadian.com web site, visit
to Quebec city.
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April, May, June 2011
Complete my updates on my home, getting my Canadian Passport, etc.
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January, February, March 2011
Trip to Vancouver and upgrades to my home.
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September, October, November, December 2010
New furnace, International Templar convention, getting a credit
card, having to get used to insulin for my diabetes, etc.
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May, June, July,
August 2010
Health problems and making progress on Electric Scotland
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February, March,
April 2010
Trees cut down, bookshelves added, tax
returns and eye problems.
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November, December 2009 and January 2010
Plumbing, Fallbrook, Trees and Haiti
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August/September/October 2009
Got my Canadian
Citizenship
- May/June/July
2009
More
progress on my citizenship application
- Feb/Mar/Apr
2009
Baptism, Car runs into my house
- Nov/Dec/Jan
2009
Re-roofed my house
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July/Aug/Sep/Oct 2008
Not very busy on matters other than working on the site.
- March/April/May/June 2008
Doing a bit of gardening and a survey comparing the USA and Canada.
- November 2007
- February 2008
Not really much to report but thought I'd add a few notes before I
forget them :-)
- October 31st,
2007
Got promoted to Knight Commander of the Knights Templar :-)
- August 31st,
2007
Review of what I got up to during July and August
- June 30th,
2007
House and eye problems with a summary of activities through to end
June.
- April 30th,
2007
Summary of activities to April 30th.
- March 1st,
2007
Summary of activities to March 1st
- Christmas
2006
Spending Christmas in Toronto
- December
Just a wee update on goings on.
- September
Another expensive car month and a Knight Templars event.
- August is an
expensive month in Chatham
Car repair, getting furnace and duct work cleaned, etc.
- Fergus
Highland Games 2006
I made another visit to Fergus but this time I just focused on the
Highland Dancing.
- Police Visit
I got a local constable to visit my house to give me an appraisal of
security issues.
- Got my
Permanent Landed Card
And also look into a security system which brings me up to end of
July 2006.
- Permanent
Landed Status application complete
And also did my first Canadian Tax Return.
- Month of May
Discussing my efforts to add content and other things.
- Doing a web
site makeover
This is an account through to 17th May where I've mostly been doing
a lot of commercial work on my web site.
- Tartan Day
Dinner
Accounts of my time in Toronto for the Tartan Day Dinner.
- New Ontario Immigration Web Site
Covering tax and videos and other stuff
- Bits and
Pieces
Nothing of importance happening but a few bits and pieces.
- Emigration
Event in Scotland
Also Chatham Highland Games have been saved and I attend the AGM of
the Scottish Studies Foundation.
- Chatham Fish
n Chip Shop does Haggis Suppers!
What a good discovery and I also did a storyboard on my home in
Chatham.
Also Storyboard on my home in Chatham
- Canadian
Elections and Media interest
Enjoyed the Canadian elections and got featured in the local paper and
TV.
- Into 2006
And my efforts to find out about posting options for my clan map.
- House is now
a Home
Well it feels like it anyway... my last report for 2005.
- Early Winter
Got my library finished and snow gets serious.
- December in
Chatham
Nothing special just some odds and ends like getting beer in for
Christmas, getting a write up in the Scots Independent Newspaper, etc.
- Christmas
advertising has started
First snow arrives in Chatham
- Getting
colder in November
But still lots of sunshine although my trip to Crieff, Ontario was a
real dreich day.
- Scotland's
First Minister
Got involved with events surrounding Scotland's First Minister.
- Phone Call
from the Sun Newspaper
Helping the sun with information on Scots in Canada
- Knights
Templar
Joined the Knights Templar of Toronto and got my new work permit.
- New Canadian
Governor General
You don't normally see this type of event when in the UK so this was
most interesting to watch.
- Immigration
process moves on
I have now been asked to get a medical.
- My book
shelves arrived
Variety of things happened but now my book shelves have arrived I'm near
getting the inside of my house organised and the china stored away.
- Lamb BBQ
A visit from Larry of Business Immigration, Toronto, Ogilvy Mill
demolished and the Lamb BBQ.
- Fergus Games
Summary of my visit to the Fergus games and my work practices in Canada
as at 18th August
- Feeling
settled
Report up to 11th August
- Highland
Games in Glengarry
Report up to 31st July
- Highland
Games in Chatham
Report on happenings through to 14th July.
- Seeing more
of the Chatham area
Got my office sorted out and did a day tour of the Chatham Kent area.
- More Progress
Report of doings up to 23rd June.
- Canadian
Customs
Today I got my goods from Scotland cleared by Customs :-)
- Doctors
Got myself signed up with a local Doctor - Dr. McIntyre :-) My stuff
arrives in Canada and I order up some Scottish food.
- 1st of June
Bit of an update now I seem to have caught up on all the paperwork
- Victoria Day
It's a national holiday in Canada on 23rd May so thought I'd do a wee
update which is really all the work needed to pull together my
immigration application.
- Uncle Tom's
Cabin
On my way to pay my car insurance I passed a sign for Uncle Tom's Cabin
so thought I'd have a visit on my way home.
- Getting
Settled
Making progress through to 18th May
- Moving into
my new home
Moved in on 9th May and report through to 11th May.
- Electric
Scotland USA LLC
How is business developing in Canada?
- Progress
towards moving in to my new house
All the things you need to do to move in
- Purchase of
House
Bought my house and some appliances
- Chatham
Getting organised to settle in Chatham
- House
Inspection
Getting my new house inspected to see if it's ok
- The Tale of
the Wee Mouse
Nature in Toronto
- Got my car
Am now mobile and think I might have found a house.
- Auto
Insurance and house purchase
My trials and tribulations
- Baby Shower
Never thought I'd be at a Baby Shower Party
- In Detroit
Visited the Canadian Consulate in Detroit
- Buying a Car
(2)
All is not simple
- Buying a Car
An update to 8th Feb 2005
- Update
Bit of an update to 27th Jan 2005.
- If you live
in Ontario
Got an email in about this and thought I'd include it here
- Scotsman now
a realtor in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
Learn a bit about John Cunningham
- Buying the
House
Having got your offer accepted what comes next
- House Hunting
(2)
Found another house in Wallaceburg
- House Hunting
Looking at a house in Wallaceburg
- New Year
An update now that New Year is over.
- Christmas
A wee update on Christmas Day.
- Trains
A look at VIA for getting around and I find a house.
- House
Purchase
Still looking for a house
- Clan Sinclair
Spent a couple of hours with the Sinclairs
- Update
Another update through to 23rd November
- Update
Just bringing myself up to date at the end of this week to 13th
November.
- Homes for Sale
More about how things are going and efforts to find a home.
- Banks, Cars
and Homes
Today I checked out whether I can get a car and trying a new place for a
home.
- Halloween and
99th Birthday
It's Halloween in Canada and it was also Nola's Mother had her 99th
birthday so thought I would record the event.
- Finding a Home
Always difficult to find yourself an area to settle in and a home be it
rental or purchase.
- Opening a Bank
Account
This was the day for getting a personal bank account and credit card and
also looking at the phone companies for a mobile phone.
- Business
Immigration Meeting
On Thursday 28th October I attended a special business meeting laid on
by Business Immigration in Toronto.
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Introduction
Here I explain why I am trying to settle in Canada and the background to
the attempt
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