2003 January 1st - December 31st Toronto and environs - Home: 👍

  Dateline: 2003 December 31st Toronto, Ontario

This trips travelling map 

Just another year, Family, friends etc

January - December 2003

Jimmy giving the "All Clear" to proceed to Africa

Deany and Jonquil at some debate hand over

April 6th. Kayla's Party

And her cohorts

Having a girls event

And including, the boys

I didn't ask

Doen time before the main event

Which was a birthday cake 

For all

Have no recollection on why it was in April 

But no one seemed to concerned

And the activities continued

Based around a birthday

Into the evening, I guess

And Hilda has the last word

And Ling, next day
Sweeping up, on Desolation Row

Both Aiden and Kayla are big into gymnastics

Aiden is actually very good
But as he later put it "I will never be the best, so why bother?"

Jimmy, happy that we won't break down and be murdered
(We didn't and weren't_

Prior to my trip to Montreal for shipping

Final, last minute adjustments

And that's the last we will see of this until Durban

How on earth did I have the balls to do this?

Obviously, it all came very easily back then

Say goodbye

And that's all she wrote, until Durban (see Africa blogs)

Schoolwork, pretty much over in May/ June

This is the Boyne

Quite the wonder of childhood school

Lots of outside activities

And pretty wild experiences

Plus a full orienteering circuit around the grounds

Can't quite reconcile these kids activities with mine, but making your kids lives so much more then I had is what parents are for I guess

Yep, MORE! music

Kayla in some kind of ensemble

The Humberside Band giving it's end of year finale

And Aiden looking cool on Sax
Did you spot him?

From here, another trip to Africa: July to September. See separate entries

And we're back, just in time for school,
or thereabouts

And a long weekend at the Lawrences, maybe 
a Lord of the Rings marathon

A weekend at the cottage with the in-laws

And the usual Mates/ suspects at the cottage in Udora

Looks like we are totally pixed out. That's it folks.....

BUT! Here's our seasons greetings circular.....

Hi folks,

Seasons greetings and such like to you and any other hangers on 

Just keeping in touch so here's hoping this does not fill up your in box!

We are truly back into Canada now (even though its raining and the temperature is +6 instead of -15) we are settled, but still looking forward to our next trip, whenever that may be.........

so enough of this fourplay, over to the missus' ditty to end out your year:


Hi!
After such a wonderful, exciting trip this summer I don't seem to be inspired to write.  For those of you who have not seen the photos or read about our adventures check out the web site - www.koplimae.org.  
Since being back here things have gotten back to a predictable routine; the kids at school, Jim is still working with a client who has been around for a few years though he is actively looking for new clients, and I have promised the hospital that I would return in the new year.  It even looks like Aiden has his first real paying job this winter (aside from a paper route which I seem to have been involved in quite a lot) as a member of the ski patrol.
Both kids are still involved in music both at school and privately.  Aiden continues to go to gymnastics though at a drastically reduced number of hours and has found ultimate Frisbee to keep him amused.  Kayla maintains her love affair with riding and has been asked by an acquaintance to show one of her ponies in the summer.
Kayla and Jim are this minute returning from Quebec after a week of skiing/snow boarding. Long continuing story of why Aiden and I did not join them which I do not want to go into on this seasonal greeting.  I managed to do quite a lot of decorating and preparing for Christmas so it all worked out well.
So, we are relatively happy, healthy and prosperous and starting to work on the spiritual which is where all our friends come in... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  Let's have a large party one of these years where we can all celebrate together?  	
Sorry for the tardiness of this greeting.

Monday, December 29, 2003
Surrounded by the detritus of the season (yes, that includes me), I’m finally back at the keyboard, older, yet wiser. At least the “Happy New Year” part is still (just) valid.

Stuff goes on. One of my Christmas goodies to the missus, was to copy over all my personal email addresses to her login. Hence, you can all receive this collected wisdom without any further intervention from myself.

Everything much the same, we have confirmed that we actually belong in Zim, so it was at least a successful and useful year (www.koplimae.org)

We are always eager to hear of anyone who wants to come over here for vacations or in some instances, building renovations ­ we currently have such an opening for such a person(s) after Ilge’s boring cottage got shot of the tenant. Otherwise, following on from earlier passers through, cooking and/ or at least pot washing abilities are mandatory for stays more than 3 days.

So, assuming automatic reciprocity, we are also as likely as ever to dump ourselves complete with (some, dwindling) family members at email recipients locations during the coming year.

In case anyone missed our African posts, here are a few mementoes of this years trip.
Bat Family Koplimae

Enjoy folks, and see anyone one way or the other, at our mutual peril.

Also, as we lost our address book in Kariba, we have very few phone numbers, we need to restock our contacts list. So, any replies, please update us on phone#, and addresses.

From your Correspondent