Other weird and wonderful things about this place ...

* Toudassouc (3 photos above) probably one of the prettiest little villages we have come across!
* Poutine - a favourite Quebec dish which is hot chips with cheese curd and gravy and is quite delicious!
* When you book a bus or a ferry here you get a ticket but it doesn't actually guarantee you a place so 1st to get their 1st on!
* The Quebec people are pushing for Quebec to become an independent country from Canada and in the most recent referendum here it was 49% for and 51% against ... they are are close to making it happen!
* Black bears ... if you look at the picture of the kids in the tipi they are reading a book on black bear observation!  We were unlucky to have seen only one bear the night we went!
* Weeds are the same worldwide and grow prolifically ... in Rimouski they have a ban on using chemicals for killing weeds, so people either use blow torches to burn them or acedic acid (vinegar)
* Dawn comes early here at 3.45am, sunrises at 4.30am and the sunsets around 9.30pm so its a short night!
* The houses here are so warm ... very well insulated - we like it!
* You very seldom see adults or children using cellphones here (Baz loves this aspect of life here!)
* Baz reckons the young adults he works with talk a sort of  Hot'nTot French which he has trouble understanding, the Quebec people speak what they call Quebecoi, which is their own flavour of the French language!
* Mosquitoes here are extreme on bush walks you get ambushed ... they have a little black fly here called a no-see-em - called that because you don't know you've been bitten till you feel the sting.  They also have a biting horse fly which are very persistent
* Everyone has cable TV with 100 channels of shite (Baz's words)
* The French bread and croissants are amazing .... might have written that before (sign of old age ;- ))
*  There is a Tim Hortons on every corner and most people order a double double - which is double cream double sugar ... Baz reckons we have to go and order one just for the experience!
*  We live not far from the most beautiful botanical garden called Jardin Mitis
*  Any national park mountain walk you want to do are controlled so you meet at the bottom and a shuttle takes you to the start point at 8am (the walk generally takes about 4-5 hrs) but the shuttle doesn't come back and get you till 4pm ...
* Quite a few people have religious icons in their back yards ... quite a big Catholic community where we are.  All of the villages have beautiful churches!

Tadoussac and Les Escoumins

Tipi's

Water Sake

Drew on a Dinosaur

Condos in Essipit

Black Bear (in the distance)

Bryn and Drew in a Tipi

More Tipi's

We recently had a trip across the to the North shore.... which involved taking the car across the on ferry. We arrived in Forestville and then drove up to a place called Toudassac where we ended up staying for the night!! The next day we decided to do a walk and then go Black Bear watching.... unfortunately we were out of luck as we came at the worse time of season to see bears.... you pay to go and sit in a little elevated room overlooking the forest with all the other people who have paid to come.... I think we waited there for around 2 hours. The guide said that they usually take half an hour to come (they put food out) and just as we gave up one came walking out of the forest.... he ate something then ran off. The place we stayed the second night was in Les Escoumins... on a little Indian reservation called Essipit.... you could actually pay to stay the night in a Tipi.  The next day it was pouring with rain and we drove all the way back to Forestville then ended up missing the ferry to Rimouski because we didn't have a phone to make a reservation.... so we made a reservation for 5:30 and then wasted 3 hours driving to basically no-where..... there was meant to be a town but it was just a bunch of houses.... when we got back to the ferry place we were an hour early (you had to be there then) and there were people lining up their cars and then getting out camping chairs and sitting in the middle of the road with picnics and stuff.... they had the right idea... we had to wait a while!!

Supper at the Mckindseys...

Susan and Charlotte

Bryn and Charlotte

Food!!

Drew and Mum

     
An Italian man who cooked yummy pasta for us and Giselle a great artist

We were lucky were lucky enough to be invited to a nice supper at the Mckindseys the other night! We were cooked yummy pasta and another person who came bought her double bass (the thing that's like a large violin) and played for us!! A really fun evening.....!

Walking in Bic.... again

Bic

Deer

Dad on the rocks

                                                  A Fox stalking a Hare

We had another trip to Bic national park!! But this time we saw a Fox, Deer, Hare (bouncing a metre in the air) and a Grouse (a thing that looks like a turky and makes a really weird thumping noise). So other than getting attacked by mosquitoes and sanflies for the whole walk and coming up in red welts today.... it was great!!!

Iles de la Madeleines.....

Moose on the road

Madeleine (Magdolon) Islands

Dad has just been to the Magdolons for a week to do some work..... once our stay is finished here that's where we will go!! This is just a taste of what it's like!!

Hanging round at home...

Humming Bird!!!

The ladies who teach us french

Mum with her mermaid cupcake

Bryn with her cupcakes

                                                                  Dad with seal meat

Some pictures of what we've been doing round the house and in Rimouski.... our time here is nearly up but we've really enjoyed staying here!!!

We went to the Bic national park last night (I know it sounds like the only thing we're doing is going to national parks) and Drew found a dead snake in the middle of the road.... not something you find everday!! Before we left the lookout mum draped the snake over some branches next to the info sign to try and give the next people who were up there a fright..... we would have loved to stay and wait for someone to come!! :: -))
But on the way back we ended up bush bashing because we could hear a wood-pecker!! Eventually we found it high up in the trees!! We couldn't really get a good photo!!! You'll have to come to Canada and see what one looks like for yourself!!

Dad got himself a new cycling suit :-))) He's managed to order a dozen of these special cycling suits and is planning on giving them to his brothers, his sister-in-laws if they're very lucky... also to some of his workmates at home and two special extra lucky cyclists, Reid and Janet!! We're here another month if anyone would like to put in a special request for one!! If you click on the photo you'll get a better idea of how good you could look!!! Dad thinks he never cycled so fast since he got this suit!!

Gaspesie National Park.....

Maple Forest

                                                    Rocher Perce

                              Fourillon National Park

                          Not something we see at home

We were lucky enough to be able to go to Gaspesie and Fourillon National Parks in the weekend! It involved a lot of driving and most of the national park ended up being closed but it was a great little trip anyway!! We managed to go on a couple of nice walks through the Maple forest... something we don't have at home! We were hoping to see a moose or even some carabou.... we were told we had as much chance seeing them on the road in the national park as anywhere..... but we came at the wrong time!! So it looks like we might be going back there to try our luck again....! We had a few little stops in some small towns on the way..... we also passed a massive wind turbine farm.... if you look really closely at the bottom you can see us standing there (maybe try clicking on the picture...?!!) The rock with the hole in it is one of the most famous land marks in Quebec!! I would like to put more pictures up but that might be getting a weee bit much (and they take a while to download)!!!Post more very soon!!!