08.03.09 Before leaving the house for the open road the next morning, I was to try a root beer float that Anna had made for me. It was vanilla ice cream, Häagen-Dazs, naturally, with root beer poured on top, the bubbles making the two mix slowly. Root beer is an odd non-alcoholic drink that tasted like a cross between dandelion and burdock and some topical cream for a skin complaint - not that I'm in the habit of sampling topical creams. Anyway, the smooth, cre...

Behind the whitewashed house was a small tree covered hill pristine with snow. We unloaded the car and went inside the one hundred year old wooden house, with a steep staircase, high ceilings and tall skirting boards I felt almost at home. I got my own room looking out on the frosty LaHave River where I could see the ferry endlessly churning up the ice as it ploughed its route. I put my electrical goods on to charge then made my way downstairs where Anna was prep...

Sitting in the car as we left the airport, the snow floating gently to the, already white, ground, I knew I was going to like Nova Scotia. The randomly forested hills of deciduas trees would have looked forlorn and austere if it weren’t for the intermingled coniferous trees adding shades of green to what was a white canvas of a day. Being late winter, the snow had piled up and not had chance to melt, even the forest floors were covered as well as the trees them...

Breaking what wasn't quite yet deep sleep, the objectionable noise pouring from my alarm, filling my room and waking me was not welcome at 05:00, after less than four hours sleep, but was necessary. I arose not feeling like I had any sleep at all but instead like I had stayed up all night and acquired a dull pain behind my eyes, my body telling me, in its own way, that I might need some more sleep at some point - I didn't care, I was going to Canada! I was in pl...