In the supermarket

I'm back from what I think is my fourth visit to various supermarkets. It seems that my strategy of wandering round randomly and buying things I see there that I fancy is perhaps not the most optimized.

I think I've probably been spoiled by Tesco - you don't realise just how convenient it is to have one of their aircraft hangar-sized supermarkets a couple of minutes drive away. There are a couple fairly close to the apartment, ranging from a Shoppers Drug Mart (think Boots) to a Loblaws (which reminds me of a small Morrisons in their range of products).

Looking round is weird. There are a number of brands I'm familiar with from the UK, though I may never get used to seeing "HP Sauce - L'Originale" on a bottle. There's a few that look strangely familiar, too - I'm pretty sure that Lays Potato Chips are related to Walkers. If they're not, someone's going to get sued....

The oddest part so far, I think, has been trying to find what I assumed were fairly generic products; though to be fair, there's a good chance that this is because I'm not looking in the right place. I'm also surprised that the staff members I've spoken to when wandering around looking lost haven't been much help - again, I guess I'm spoiled from Tesco staff members actually having a good working knowledge of the whole store. I've either got a blank look, or been directed off to Customer Services (who to their credit have been very helpful.)

So I've eventually managed to find some bacon and some sausages. The bacon is what would be back bacon in the UK - I think what I wanted is actually called Canadian bacon here, but there was no sign of it on the shelves. And the sausages are - and I swear I'm not making this up - pork sausages flavoured with maple. I couldn't see any that were unflavoured, and I ended up going for the one that seemed the least adventurous. They're also described as breakfast sausages, though I intend to eat them for lunch; please don't tell anyone, as it may be a deportation offense.

Finally - don't expect to see a couple of aisles of assorted beers and wines. Loblaws has a separate little room with wines in (apparently there are a number of Canadian wines - who knew?), but if you want alcohol, you're quite limited as to where you can get it. There's a store called The Beer Store (which sells exactly what you'd think); and LCBO, which seems to sell a variety of beers and wines. And also, luckily for me, a small range of girly alcopops. Yay!

My first piece of mail

Unlike the first call to my mobile and to the landline - both telemarketing calls for the previous owner of the number - my first piece of mail was actually welcome.

CIBC have recklessly approved me for a credit card (PIN to be delivered in a couple of days). Now, all I need to do is start building up a credit history, by buying things with it and then paying it off on time.

Time log on to amazon.ca and start buying....

Paperwork time

I need to get a Social Insurance Number before I can work - this is the equivalent of the UK's National Insurance Number. I also need to register for the provincial health coverage programme. The immigration consultants have kindly provided me with the paperwork I need to make the applications, and a couple of minutes searching on google tells me that I can apply for both at City Hall.

The one downside is that I need my immigration paperwork. You know, the paperwork that I put in my safe deposit box yesterday because I didn't need it any more? So my first visit was to the bank, where I asked the same teller if I could access my safe deposit box again, please. This time, I waited for her to leave the room, though it was amusing yesterday to see the indecent haste with which she vacated the vault when she realised I was opening the box.

I'd come prepared for City Hall - well, I'd brought a book and the rest of the paperwork that I needed. What I wasn't prepared for was the haste with which everything worked out. I think I was in there for less than a half hour, all told, and that involved waiting in no less than three queues. I had all the paperwork ready to go, and I was most impressed that they managed to find the details of my previous Ontario health insurance - which I applied for just about twenty years ago.

So I've got a health insurance card and a Social Insurance card on their way in the next couple of weeks; I've also got a printout giving me my actual Social Insurance number, which I apparently need to memorize and then never tell anyone.

Buses in Ottawa

After having taken the bus a good half dozen times, I'm clearly a veteran.

It's very different from the way it works in the UK. Here, your ticket covers your whole journey - if you need to get off one bus and onto another, you can ask for a transfer, which you can then show to the driver on the second bus. You'll also see that buses on some routes have a rack at the front, so you can put your bike on it while you ride the bus - that's a nice piece of joined up thinking.

Slightly less impressively, you can buy passes that are valid for a month. Not like in the UK - these are valid for a calendar month, so if you want to buy one on, say, the 26th of the month, you should probably have planned a little better. I assume that it'd be charged pro-rata, but I'm not sure I'd like to ask. It seems that the surliness of public transport employees is international.

Finally - it's exact change only, please. I don't know if they don't have access to the change box, or just don't like it, but if you've not got the right money, I shouldn't expect any change. That's proved slightly frustrating, but I've planned ahead where I can.

You can buy bus tickets in advance - it's a booklet of tickets, really, and you need to stamp them when you get on the bus to validate them. This is where I get a little confused - I think most buses need you to validate two tickets, but some (express services) need three, and others (rural routes) four. I assume there's some way of working out what's what, but I've yet to figure it out.

So I think in October, I'll be using a bus pass; it will pay for itself in a couple of weeks, and it'll mean I no longer need to worry if I've got $3.25 in change hanging round.

Move update

The good news is that all the furniture has been assembled. The bad news is that Ikea didn't deliver everything, so I'm missing the chest of drawers from the bedroom.

I have also put out all the packaging, so it's no longer filling half the apartment. I've got space again!

I spent the morning downtown. As well as using my safe deposit box for the first time (highlight: watching the teller scurry out of the vault, because she's not actually allowed to see what I've put in there), I've bought some curtains (for the first time ever), and some pans. It did involve me getting a taxi back, too, as there was no way I was getting everything back on the bus. And to think I'd made sure I had the $3.25 for the bus, too!

So the apartment is looking a little more habitable, and I can cook things - I'm toying with the idea of soup for dinner tonight. Life on the edge!

The plan for tomorrow is to do the admin stuff I've been putting off until I had an address. So tomorrow will involve a trip to City Hall to register for a health card and a social insurance number. Which will involve retrieving some of the paperwork I've only just put in the safe deposit box. And then putting it back again later that afternoon.

Chez Andrew

We're pleased to announce the opening of Chez Andrew, Ottawa's newest and most exclusive boutique hotel. Book early; we're sure there's going to be plenty of demand.

(For what it's worth, today's been in the low 20s all day, and it looks like the snow won't arrive for another couple of months, if you fancy a quick trip before the end of the autumn)

Please note that early guests may have to make their own beds.

And it's done

The move went pleasantly well.

I arrived about 10 this morning - the landlord was still here, putting a few more last minute bits in place, such as getting a new fridge and oven installed.

I got a phonecall from Ikea, asking whether I'd like the furniture delivering early, which was a very pleasant surprise. It was scheduled to arrive between 5 and 9pm, and actually turned up just about noon. I've had a very pleasant afternoon putting bits together, and figuring out what I still need.

And the cable installation was done quickly and efficiently, too. I now have a TV and internet connection; and a phoneline, though there's no actual phone to plug into it yet.

So the plan for tomorrow is to head to the nearest mall and get a few more of the outstanding bits.

Moving day

I'll be moving into my new apartment later this morning.

It's all terribly exciting.

I've arranged for the furniture to be delivered this evening; and have prepared myself with a few tools (a set of allen keys, and some screwdrivers). I've also arranged for the cable box to be hooked up this afternoon, too - that should be done between 2 and 5pm. I've just realised that at the point the cable installation is done, there'll be no furniture in the house; and while they'll be supplying TV, internet, and a phone line, I'll not have a working TV (as the one my landlady has loaned me is lacking a remote) nor a phone. I think that that says something about me, but I'm not quite sure what.

I'm also figuring out slowly what else I need to buy. I know that I need a few bits for the kitchen - how am I going to be able to cook without a microwave, for example? And a kettle is also very high on the list of things to do. I could probably do with a few more items of furniture, too but I'll wait til the furniture I've already bought arrives and is set up before I decide what else to get.

Hopefully, the internet should be working by this evening; otherwise, this might be the last update for a little while. In which case, I shall start blaming Rogers for providing lousy service - see? I'm sounding like a proper Canadian already!

Mmmmmmm, Ikea

That was a surprisingly painless morning; $1500 or so, and I think I've gotten all the furniture I'll need for the short term, all arranged to be delivered on Friday evening. I bought one, six foot bookcase - shall we start a sweepstake on how long it'll take me to fill it?

I'd also forgotten that Ikea do a wide range of household goods, so I've also picked up almost everything I need for the kitchen, too. I'll still need to pick up a couple of bits, like a microwave, and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to survive for long without a kettle.

So I'm getting there; come Friday, the apartment should be pretty much furnished, though I'll also still need to pick up curtains, I think - I'd've bought them already, but I don't know what sizes to buy (and it doesn't help that I've never bought curtains before, so this will be yet another learning experience for me.)

Finally, I'd like to apologize to the two women who got on the bus at the same stop as me; got off the bus at the same stop; walked over to Ikea from the bus stop; bumped into me about a half dozen times walking around the showroom part; arrived at the Home Delivery desk about a minute before I did; and then got on the same bus back downtown as I did. I really, really wasn't stalking you.

A hectic day

Phew. That was a busy day!

I popped by the British High Commission; I apparently don't need to let them know I'm in the country. I guess I'm assuming that the government is more joined up than I was expecting, really. And I am wondering what happens if there is a crisis that's going to require British citizens to be evacuated from the country - perhaps they'll shine some sort of signal into the sky that will attract Brits. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for the Crumpet Signal.

After that, I popped into the main library and registered there, and then had a quick browse of the shelves. If nothing else, I thought it was an excellent idea that the books on the bottom shelf were all on their sides with the spines pointing upwards, so I could read what they were without having to bend down.

And then I spent a good ninety minutes in the bank. I wonder if they're regretting letting me open an account yet? In no particular order, I now have a savings account (it seems that my checking account doesn't pay any interest); I've applied for a credit card; I've upped the daily spending limit on my debit card to $5,000 in anticipation of my upcoming trip to Ikea; and most excitingly, I've rented a safe deposit box. All that paperwork that I've been told I need to keep securely for the rest of my life? Well, I now have somewhere to put it.

A full week in Ottawa

I arrived at the train station just about a week ago. I guess it's time to have a little look back over the last seven days.

Most importantly, I've found somewhere to live, which is a huge relief. I'll be moving in next Friday, and will be buying furniture in the meantime to be delivered then. I'll be the first tenant since the house was turned into apartments, so the kitchen is furnished (well, there's a stove and fridge / freezer), but nothing else is there. That seems to be the way that things work over here for unfurnished properties. But because I'm the first tenant, I'm also going to have to provide things like curtains, too - I've never bought curtains before, so that will be exciting.

I'm settling in quite well to the new routine now. I can't believe quite how much I've slept over the last couple of days - I napped a little yesterday afternoon, and then fell asleep at around 10:30, sleeping in til almost 8am this morning. I hope that that was me catching up on the sleep I've been missing for the last few days - I guess I'll find out tonight and tomorrow, really.

I've owned a bike for almost a week, too, and am still really quite sore from all the pedalling. Luckily, Ottawa is quite a flat city - though quite flat doesn't mean that there aren't hills. I think, for example, that I've almost got the hang of the gears. I've only been yelled at once by a passing motorist, which I put down to a general anti-cyclist attitude. I've not seen anything in the papers about a cyclist causing chaos on the roads, so I'm pretty sure I've not caused any crashes. I do know that there have been a couple of incidents, mainly due to me not knowing that I have priority at junctions, but I think I've got the hang of those now.

Otherwise.... I still think Ottawa's beautiful. The weather has been mostly fine - I've been fine in my tshirt for most of the week, aside from the one day where the wind made it feel like the arctic; and there was one evening where there was a thunderstorm I mostly slept through.

A couple of things that have surprised me - there are a lot more homeless people on the streets here than I remember, and it's not unusual to be stopped a couple of times every block to be asked for change. I guess at least in part it's because these are the tourist-y areas, so they'll tend to accumulate there.

Also, remember what I said about how as part of the preparations for winter, Canadian cities have tunnels and bridges between buildings so you don't need to step outside for months at a time? Guess which city that doesn't apply to? There's no tunnel system that I've managed to find - well, aside from the one at Carleton University, and that's not exactly a shopping area - and the only bridges are between the downtown Rideau Mall, and the Bay store on the other side of the street. Other than that, it's time to put on your thermals and wander through the snow.

Apartment update

Thanks to the bank being very efficient, I managed to get a banker's draft there and then (hear that, Halifax? No need for me to come back the next business day); so I've paid the deposit for the apartment, and signed the contract.

I'm going to be moving in on Friday 23rd - I'll hopefully be picking the keys up the day before, and am intending too visit Ikea Ottawa in the next couple of days to start buying furniture, and getting it delivered on the Friday.

I can also make a start on the administrative paperwork I need to get sorted for the Ontario bureaucracy, too - I need to apply for a Social Security Number as well as the health insurance. All much easier with an actual address.

I'll also pop to the British Embassy next week, too - I suspect that I'm supposed to let them know that I'm over here.

Things I wish I'd Known Before I Came Here

Number one in what I'm sure will be a rather long series of posts.

Rental leases over here generally start on the first of the month; it's possible to find leases that start at other times - as I've done - but they seem to be very much the majority. So, for example, if you want to come over on, say, the 10th of September, you might want to plan ahead and book three weeks in a hotel. Or possibly not come over til later in the month.

Brrrrrrr

The wind's swung round so that it's coming round from the north, and it's started to cloud over a little. While it's lovely and warm in the sunlight, once you step into the shade, it's bitterly cold; cold enough that I've actually had to wear my jacket for the first time since I arrived.

I'm sure it's only a foretaste of what winter's going to be like, but I hope we've got another few weeks of warm weather before the snow starts.

My new apartment

Well, I've still to sign the lease. And pay for it. But I've agreed with the landlord that I'll take it, and she's happy to have me.

I was a little disappointed that I was a little too slow for the first one I saw - the landlord there had shown another group round the day before, and they decided to take it. But the second apartment is just as nice - really, the only real difference is that the first one was in a part of Ottawa I know.

I've asked to move in next Friday (which is, I think, two days before I need to move out of the hotel - I wonder if I'll get a refund?); and now I need to think about furniture. Luckily, Ikea Ottawa is a bus ride away (or a cycle ride, if I'm feeling especially energetic), and they do deliver, so I suspect that once again, I may be furnishing a house pretty much entirely using Ikea furniture. But hey, it's good enough and cheap enough.

Now to pop to the bank to get a banker's draft for my deposit and first month's rate. That's because my checking account apparently doesn't come with an actual chequebook unless I ask for one.

Three more apartments viewed!

And all in the space of two and a half hours!

I did a little exploration of the city this morning using the bus, with the help of a day pass. I made it out to Westboro, which someone suggested was worth a look. And he was definitely right - it's a lovely suburb, marred only by the lack of properties to rent.

The afternoon was filled with three more apartment viewings, taking me to a total of five in the last two days (there's another one set for lunchtime tomorrow, too). Yesterday's apartments were a little disappointing - the first was a lot further away that I was expecting, and since I was cycling there, I got there quite sore. The apartment was quite nice, but I talked to a couple of the neighbours, and got mixed results (also, one of the other apartments had a pile of tyres on their balcony. Seriously?); and the landlord didn't inspire any confidence.

That was the problem with the second one yesterday, too - he seemed a little too sleazy, really; plus the apartment wouldn't be available until the start of November; that would mean finding alternate accommodation for five weeks, and while I could pay for that long in the hotel, I really don't want to.

So I was feeling a little disheartened when I set out today. Plus my subconscious is busy telling me that I've been here for three whole days now, and really, aren't I cutting it fine to find an apartment?

I shouldn't have been so worried.

I saw three; I told the chap at the first one there and then that I'd take it. It's just round the corner from Carleton University, which means it's in one of the very few parts of Ottawa I know well; the apartment was great, and the landlord really friendly. However, he'd been showing someone else round yesterday, and has given them first refusal.

If that doesn't work out, then I'd be more than happy with the third one I saw. It's a house that the owner has split into two apartments - I think it's called a duplex, but didn't want to ask - with someone else living in the basement. It's a nice street a little further out than I've been looking, and plenty of space for all the stuff I no longer have.

So fingers crossed, this time tomorrow I'll have an apartment sorted!

I've also got another viewing in the morning, but at this point, it'd probably have to be free to change my mind.

Jet lag - bah!

By my calcuations, I've been in the country for four days now. I am, however, still waking up at 5am, though last night I did manage to stay awake til 10:30pm. I know it'll change, but it's still incredibly frustrating until it does.

My first incoming call

I am now the proud owner of a bike (though no helmet yet; it's been added to my list) and a mobile phone. The manual is lying next to the laptop, daring me to read it.

And I've just had my first incoming call. I thought it might have been from one of the people I've been contacting with regards to renting, but no - it was just silent, and then hung up on me.

That's not the most useful of things, considering that this is a mobile phone I've literally just bought and hence have little idea how to use. A little googling shows that the number is for a bank who use it to make telesales calls.

I feel almost like a proper Canadian resident now I've had my first teleselling call!

My first full day in Ottawa

I used the bank card (sorry, the "Convenience Card") for my Canadian bank account for the first time this morning, to pay for breakfast - pancakes, in case you're wondering, but I don't think you really needed to ask, did you? I only had a $50 note, and the waitress didn't yet have change, what with me arriving there five minutes after they opened.

So that was exciting. And also reassuring to know that it does actually work.

The plan for the morning involves buying a bike and a mobile phone, and then seeing how many apartment viewings I can manage in the next few days. I've had a couple of really useful sites suggested to me, and now that I've found where I packed the plug adapter, I can actually use the netbook for more than a couple of minutes at a time without worrying about the battery dying.

If it's Sunday, this must be Ottawa

I'm not quite sure what timezone my body thinks it's in. The one thing I can say with certainty is that it's not this one.

The flight yesterday was competant; the in-flight entertainment was lacking (I guess having my own touchscreen has spoiled me a little), but aside from that, it was as good as it's going to get. We arrived on time, and I had few problems getting through Customs. I wish I knew what to put on the forms, though - I explained that I'm a permanent resident, though currently without the card to back that up; and I ticked the 'I have goods following' box because, well, I have goods following. Apparently, that's only if you're going to be handing over your form B4, though.

My one night in Toronto was alright, considering the jetlag. I got a free transfer to downtown from the airport, once I'd found where the coach went from; though it dropped me off a good mile from the hotel. The downtown part of "Comfort Inn Downtown" is a little misleading, I should say. So I cheated this morning and got a taxi to the station.

I managed to stay awake til 7:30 last night, and woke up at 5:30 - I consider that a pretty good night, actually, considering what I'm normally like with jetlag when heading west.

And now, after a train journey that took about two thirds the time of my flight, I'm in Ottawa. I'm on the nineteenth floor of the hotel, with a view that takes in the historic Byward Market (I don't believe I've ever seen it referred to without the adjective historic, so I assume it's a part of the name) and beyond that to Quebec.

I'm booked in here for two weeks. I'm intending tonight to find myself something to eat - oh, if only there was some sort of historic market area just a stone's throw from the hotel! - and then relax for a couple of hours. If I can stay up past 8pm, that would be lovely, too.

I think that that might have to be it for the time being. This netbook is running on battery power, as I'm not sure where the adapter is; and I don't want to open the large suitcase, as I'm quite sure I'll never be able to close it again.

Travel day

I guess it's not the best sign when I woke up at 5:30 and considered it as a bit of a lie in....

I've been waking up at silly times in the morning for most of the last week - it's almost as though I've got a very important change happening in my life imminently, and that I deal poorly with stress.

On the other hand, it does mean that I've practically finished with the packing, and it's not yet 6am. Practically finished here means that I've still got a couple of things left to add - most notably the netbook I'm typing this on - and that I've yet to try to actually close my cases.

I'm also quite curious to see if I've exceeded the weight allowance, too. I've got an allowance of 20kg, and in my recent jaunts, I've not yet managed to pack more than about 8kg of stuff. Though this time, I'm taking considerably more - enough to fill two suitcases - so I suspect I'll be over.

And now, I think I'm going to try and relax a little. I've got a few hours before the taxi arrives, so I shall put the kettle on and put my feet up for a little while.

Bah!

The chap's just been to take away my cable set-top box.

I was ten minutes from the end of Torchwood. I blame Virgin for not getting it onto their iPlayer sooner.

32 minutes

That's how long the removal men were here for.

I'm impressed; though slightly disturbed that they managed to take quite a large chunk of my life, pack it up and cart it off in just over a half hour.

They didn't even stop for a cuppa.

I was scheduled for 39 boxes. They used 7. I wonder what that will do to my invoice?

Moving day

It's now 10am. So far today, I've
* sorted everything that I want moving (well, everything that I've not packed already - basically some clothing and my favourite mugs)
* dropped the last stuff off at the charity shops (five cases and a extras)
* stocked up for the moves (milk, semi-skilled; bacon; and barm cakes)

And now I'm settling down to watch the final episode of the fourth season of Ice Road Truckers.

About the only thing that would make the day better would be if my long-awaited parcel arrived in the next couple of hours. Yes, ParcelForce, I'm looking at you.

Picking up the tickets

There was much muttering behind the counter in the travel agents

"We can't give him these; they've forgotten the return ticket. How could they have forgotten the return ticket?"

I suspect I thought it funnier than they did.

One week to go

It's quite an odd feeling; I'm flying out to Canada in just about a week (and my stuff will be heading off a few days earlier). So there's a good chance that all the routine things I've been doing over the last couple of days will in fact have been done for the last time - while the electrician was in on Thursday, for example, I trimmed the hedge for the last time.

(And while the hedge can grow at a pretty impressive rate, I'm sure it won't get to the point where it needs properly trimming again inside a week. This is, I should say, not a challenge for it)

The house is looking increasingly bare, too. At the moment, the single biggest issue I have is with my books, but I've gotten to the point now where there are six crates left in the cellar - down from a dozen - and all the crates that had been dotted around the house have been emptied onto the shelves. So there are considerably fewer than there were, and I shall be getting rid of what's left as a priority over the next couple of days (charity shop, or Freecycle, I wonder?)

Otherwise - packing seems under control, and I'm now estimating I'll be sending off about six cartons, as opposed to the initial estimate of twenty-some; and my to-do list is almost finished. Even if I've recklessly not done anything on it for some days now.

A couple of minor niggles - a couple of things I've bought online in the last couple of weeks may or may not arrive in time for the cases to go off on Wednesday, and that would annoy me; I wonder if there's room in my suitcases for them?