Visiting Family

Last night was a night of firsts - first time Ian and Angus met my aunt and uncle (Anne & Will Vandenberg), the first time Angus ate duck (Duck a la l’orange), and the first time we used Uber to get back to the hotel (as my aunt didn’t have the taxi number).

We had a lovely evening at Anne and Will's. My aunt, who is 87 years old, cooked a delicious 3 course meal - vol au vent for entree, duck a l’orange for main, and a croquenbouche for dessert. She wanted to prepare a French inspired meal to reflect her heritage (and dishes my grandmother had taught her). We spent about five hours there - it was great to catch up on what my aunt and her family had been up to. My uncle has been diagnosed with PSP (progressive supra nuclear palsy), which is similar to Parkinson’s in some way, and affects your vision and balance and causes tremors, and there is no cure. Currently my aunt cares for him with minimal assistance, but as the disease progresses she will need to bring in a nurse to assist as she plans to keep him at home as long as possible. Will is in good spirits and coping very well with his condition, and it was nice for Anne to have company.

The roads in Montreal are in pretty bad condition, and there is so much road works underway that the traffic is a nightmare. The trip out to my aunts that should normally take about 30 minutes took over an hour. Luckily, the Uber ride back took only 30 minutes. Always nice to catch up with family, as they are so generous and welcoming.Read more