First stop, Omemee, Ontario, Canada

What better way to start this trip than with Family?  Since arriving on Thursday 19th August, I have been at the home of my Mum''s cousin Grace and her husband Brian in Omemee (Oh-Mee-Me), a small village 2 hours north of Toronto. 

Grace & Brian

Although I haven't met them before (at least since I was a baby) it has been very easy to feel at home and part of the family.  They have been in Canada for 45 years, and while there is a little Canadian mixed into it, their way of life is very familiar, there is definely a link to the family with mannerisms and habits that remind me of my grandmother, my mum and other aunts and cousins.

But while we spent a good while catching up and quite a lot of time discussing the family and drawing up a family tree, we also took some time to go out and have a look at some of the local sight.  Omemee, being in lake lands, is surrounded by water, and the Trent-Severn waterway provides plenty of points of interest.  We took a day trip to Fenelon Falls to have a look at the lock and the waterfall, then on to a small town with a lock and a swing bridge called Bobcaygeon where we had a spot of lunch at a little cafe near the lock.  We were supposed to go to Brian's favourite place, a fish restaurant called 'For the Halibut' (boom boom) but it was closed due to fire damage so he was a little disappointed but I was pleased with my homemade sundried tomato quiche and salad.

Fenelon Falls

Sunday was a wet wet day and although it stated off quiet, it was made memorable as that was the day that I met some cousins for the first time.  Grace's grandson Marc stopped by with his girlfriend Melissa on their way back from Ottawa so we had a chat and talked about the family, and how we are connected.  That was followed by dinner with Grace's daughter Julie, her husband Ron and Julie's son Donald.  Julie saw me when I was a baby but I haven't met her since then, so it was nice to get to know her a little bit.  Sadly I failed to take photos, silly me.

My last day in Omemee was a brilliant day, we went to Peterborough to the historic lift lock which is 65ft high, it was a little overcast and we thought it was going to rain but as we were about to walk back to the car, we heard some clanks from above and realised that there was a boat about to make the descent.  We hung around and were lucky to see it all in action, and very impressive it was and we even got a wave from the skipper of the boat as it motored off down the canal to the next lake!

Peterborough Lift Lock 

That was followed by a lovely lunch and some shopping before heading home to start packing in preparation for the trip to Toronto with Grace.

While it was only a few  days, it was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family and get to know a branch of the family which has been pretty isolated here in Canada.  I have been invited back and plan to take up the invitation, but perhaps I should get this trip over before I start planning more!

Tuesday its Toronto for sightseeing and dinner at the CN Tower revolving restaurant, then Wednesday Niagra Falls.