In 1982 the English band the Clash released the song "Should I Stay or Should I Go". Forty years later John and I repeatedly sing part of it, as we are trying to decide what to do with our plans. ♪Should I stay or should I go now? If I go, there will be trouble; And if I stay, it will be double ♫. It sure feels as a clash: our dream vs the pandemic.
We ended the year in a great way. John and a friend worked on the campervan and enhanced the suspension by installing SumoSprings. They also installed a spare tire mount which means we can now carry our spare tire in style.
The last weeks of school went quickly and the Christmas break for the children and me started on December 23. John had, because of the way Christmas fell this year, a lot of days off too. We celebrated a quiet Christmas at home with some nice meals and presents under our little tree.
On Boxing Day we started our trip to London Ontario. A three day drive of about 2300km. To put it in perspective for our European friends, that's from the Dutch border with Germany to Moscow, Russia.
We took our campervan, which we obviously had winterized long before the deep freeze settled over Winnipeg. Winterizing means all plumbing is flushed and antifreeze is added to all the waterlines. Below zero temperatures and occasional snow on this trip meant it was not ideal to use the campervan overnight. But making the drive meant one more test drive before the real deal!
We had hotels booked in Thunder Bay (700 km), Sault Ste Marie (another 700km), and Barrie (600 km). The last 250 km we drove on day four, bringing us to... grandma!
My mom is visiting her sister and brother-in-law for a few weeks and after more than two years, we finally are in the same country and so close!
It was absolutely wonderful to spend a few days with Oma and my aunt and uncle; to be able to hug each other and feel each other's presence, was just magical. We talked lots, played games, laughed, shared meals, and rang in the new year together.
When we heard that the children's break had been extended by two days we added an extra day to our stay. On January 2nd, we started our drive back home, but not before we had brought the Niagara Falls a visit!
The last time we were in Niagara, was in the summer of 2019 on a scorching hot day. This time around, it was a mild winter's day and it snowed the entire time. The falls were not frozen but still breathtakingly beautiful.
We spent just two hours there but it was enough to feel like we were on a big trip far away from home. After another night in Barrie, we drove the three full days home again. We were super pleased with the way the campervan drove and handled itself in these extreme temperatures and conditions. A thick layer of snow and -25°C waited for us at home.
As for the clash? We will give Omicron a few weeks to rethink its course while we tinker on the campervan. We have many more ideas to make it truly our own. And then, hopefully by the end of the month, we have a better view on what this spring may look like. We stay positive!
A new year awaits us... 2022... what do you have in store for us?!
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