The bane of every writer

Writer's block is a bitch. I was considering just posting that and being done with it but with over 2 weeks without an update or a post I don't feel like that would be sufficient for my friends and family that consistently read this blog.

I am really struggling with actually coming up with topics to write about these days. I thought being in Canada, experiencing a whole new culture and working with wild animals I would never run out of topics to write about. It seems I was gravely mistaken. I have a few writer friends who I spoke to about this and of course I consulted everyone's best friend - Google.

Writers block is something that will affect every writer at one time or another. It is frustrating and has at times, made me want to rip my hair out, however there are apparently several things you can do to help. One suggestion was try to write something completely different to what you usually write. I just write about my life and my thoughts so, I thought, what is the exact opposite of this. Well that's easy, writing about somebody else. So I turned to fiction with varying degrees of success (read - to zero degrees of success). Turns out I'm even worse at writing fiction than I am at writing this blog, wonderful.

Another suggestion was try using a different writing tool. I usually just type everything, so I grabbed some paper and a pen and tried handwriting whatever was on my mind. All I ended up with was ripped up paper and a couple of dozen pens thrown across my room. Safe to say that didn't work either.

I think I'll just have to deal with not having much to write about for a while. I'm sure that within a couple of weeks I would have done something else stupid and hilarious that I can write about so until then i'll just have to get used to it. I know that in a few months we can start riding horses again, and i'm awkward and clumsy enough when my feet are stuck firmly on the ground, so i'm sure there will be some stories to tell once I start riding.

Oh yeah, update about the shelter, that's what this blog is meant to be about isn't it? Not much has changed. It's still winter so the bears are still sleeping, not many animals are coming in and they probably won't until spring, whenever that is. I swear winter lasts forever here, we've already had snow for four months now and quite honestly i'm sick of white. I just want to see some actual grass again! Going up to feed the moose and deer is still fun though, there is one deer that is very friendly and loves cuddles, so that's a nice highlight to every evening.

Help! I'm turning into a Canadian!

This coming Tuesday (the 11th) will mark six months since I came to Canada and the halfway point of my stay here. It's hard to believe that I have lived here for so long. It honestly feels like just a few weeks ago I was waving goodbye to my friends and family at the airport.

I was struggling to think of what to write to mark this occasion. In fact I was struggling to think of what to write at all lately( I appear to have been hit with a pretty bad case of writers block). Then yesterday, I went to clean some windows without really thinking about how cold it was, and as soon as I sprayed the Windex it instantly froze to the glass and I realised that cleaning windows in -25C was more than a bit futile. After being laughed at for a good few minutes by my host (It seems I provide a lot of entertainment around here by doing stupid things), I explained it's probably because I never have to factor in temperature when doing simple things such as cleaning back at home as it is so mild. But then it was pointed out that perhaps I have become so used to the extreme cold that maybe that's why I didn't think about it. It got me thinking about how I have changed here and how maybe I have adopted the Canadian way of life much better than I thought I would, so I have decided to compose a list of all they ways i'm becoming more Canadian vs all the things that have helped me stay true to my British roots.

Signs i've become a Canadian.

• When I check the thermometer and it is -10C and I just think 'huh it's warm out today'.
• When I'm walking around in a t-shirt and hoodie and it's -15C outside.
• It's been pointed out that my usage of the word 'eh?' at the end of sentences has increased tenfold since I arrived here 6 months ago.
• I called a hat a toque yesterday.
• I don't find it weird anymore that I occasionally, when walking back to my room, spot a moose casually staring at me from the field.
• Pancakes, doused in maple syrup have become a staple part of my diet.
• I now know that Tim Hortons is the best, and anyone who says otherwise is just wrong and this is fact.

Signs i'm still a true Brit at heart

• The undeniable squeal that I involuntarily let out when my host family bought me Marmite and scones (Not to be eaten together of course).
• My usage of the words 'bloody hell' and 'twit'.
• The unsubtle groan that escapes my lips every time a member of the royal family appears on TV or on the news. I hear enough about them at home thank you very much.
• I still can't seem to function without a cup of tea.
• I miss dunking biscuits in said tea.

So it seems that I am adapting to life up here pretty well, thankfully though I haven't appeared to have picked up the accent at all, as I think it was subtly implied before I left home that if I came back with an accent I might be disowned. Now, off to eat some poutine, with Timbits and Nanaimo bars for dessert, ride my dog sled up to feed the moose, catch a hockey game, call some people hosers, and go shopping in Canadian Tire to use up all my loonies eh? (some of this may or may not be true, i'll leave it up to you to decide which is which though).