Back to the Routine

 We arrived back in Canada on February 1st. As usual, the flight was long (24 hours) and we flew Bangkok to Narita (Tokyo), Toronto, then Ottawa. My sister Elaine picked us up and we were in bed about 11pm. Jetlag shut us down for the next 2 days which meant Jaidan missed 2 days of school which was fine by him :-)

The next week I made a list of things that needed doing which included applying for a new PR (Permanent Resident) card for Thavorn and buying out our car from the end of its lease. Jaidan's CDN passport also needs to be renewed. I also renewed our apartment lease for another 2 years which will see Jaidan finish grade 6 which brings new decisions.

This will probably be Thavorn's last year of work as it is affecting my pension sharing and causes clawbacks on my OAS and Child benefits. It will also be nice to stop driving 2 hours a day and it will be nice to have someone home with me during the day as I get quite bored home alone.

We were expecting to see my Russian friends in Bangkok while we were there in January but they did not show. Maybe they went to Phuket or Pattaya where most Russians tend to visit. There are so many Russian in Pattaya and Phuket that they are starting to wear out their welcome. They are starting up businesses that cater to Russians and that is not permitted for non Thais. I tend to believe they are there fleeing the war with Ukraine back home.

We have been talking about what we will do when Jaidan finishes grade 6. At that time he switches schools so it would be a good time to move back to Thailand full time. We have enough savings to buy or build a house and Jaidan would go to an international school which are expensive at $24K CDN a year, but I can afford it. Living in Thailand costs half of what it does living in Canada. We would probably live in Phuket which is close to Phang Nga which is where her sister lives.

Thavorn is tired of the flight so we will probably not visit Thailand this coming January but will wait until the summer months and go for 2 months. We would probably stay in Pattaya, at least Jaidan and I, but Thavorn will visit her kids in Phuket and Phang Nga.

I met with  my surgeon on February the 26th to discuss my surgery. He said it went very well and he did not expect the cancer to reoccur. He will follow me for the next 2 years to make sure. Other than that, I remain healthy though I did gain about 3 kilos eating fast food with Jaidan in Bangkok in January.

Spring arrives on March 21st and the weather will be quite nice for the next week, sunny and highs in the teens. This week is March Break for Jaidan so I will have to find something to occupy his time, besides his Meta Quest 3 VR and his Roboblox addiction on his mini PC.

My business is doing well and seems to expand a little each year. It keeps me busy at times but I miss my walks on the wild side in Thailand, as does Thavorn :-)

TTYL

Same Same but Different

What a let down. We noticed a Tim Hortons close by so we stopped off this morning for a double double. First off no double double as there was no cream or sugar to be seen. There were no pots on brew, regular or dark roast. They did have menu choices of americano, latte, capuccino, etc. just like Starbucks.

I thought the americano would be close but it was much stronger and was placed into a familiar Timmy's cup, black. I asked where the cream and sugar were and she picked up a syrup bottle and went into a fridge for a milk carton that was unopened.  I said 2 of each and the coffee was still too strong, but I was able to drink it.

They did have timbits and donuts which seemed to be what people were ordering.

They also had some food items, but nothing I recognized from the Great White North.

This is what out abode looks like.