Arrived

In the last post I wrote that I had arrived back in the UK. This post is about truly arriving.

My purpose in coming to the UK was to speak at the Second International Conference on Weight Stigma in Canterbury.

This is not the first time I’ve presented research at an International Conference, in fact I’ve previously spoken at conferences in Canada, the US, Australia, Japan, Finland, and Italy. What is different this time is that I am presenting research where I am the principal investigator, not someone else.

For me this is the real reward for the journey I undertook, beginning in 2011, to get my doctorate. Doctoral research requires the researcher investigate a unique area of study, one that no one else in the world has undertaken. As I narrowed my study area to weight stigma in health care it was my supervisor, Darlene McNaughton, who having published in this area, challenged me to go further. She suggested I look specifically at whether weight is seen to be a risk factor for diabetes and if so to investigate the implications. 

Her brilliance was confirmed at the conference (and earlier)! Although people from all over Europe, the US, Australia and New Zealand spoke about finding weight stigma in their research no one else was looking into the implications of weight bias in health care, specifically in the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes.
So I am an ‘expert’ in this area, so to speak, I have a niche. But now I need to get writing to publish my findings so no one beats me to it! 

So much for sightseeing!

Returning (to a former) home

I'm in the UK!  I arrived yesterday or was it earlier today? I’m a little jet lagged.

Some of you know I lived in London 34 years ago! It’s hard to believe it, where has the time gone? Yet, I have a few ‘things’ to show for it that I never fathomed back then... namely wonderful adult children who too have taken this trek!

In the intervening years, spurred on by the Olympics in 2012, some parts of London have changed. Heathrow, for example, was unrecognizable, now a modern, efficient airport that whisked me out the door in minutes. I hopped on the new, purple luxury express train to Paddington station and in no time was near my old haunts of Bayswater and Queensway. 

Sitting at an outdoor café I enjoyed tea like I haven’t tasted in years and breakfast, since Air Canada now only provides a muffin and margarine!  I sat and people watched and harkened back to the days of my youth, remembering friends who had lived nearby and all the adventures, good and not so good we experienced together.  Some had experienced enormous sadness and challenges at their young age and I wondered if they were even still alive.  I realize those relationships grounded my memories of Britain. Sadly, I have lost touch with them all.

The neighbourhood is more upscale now, having transitioned from poor student hostels to high end hotels, not surprising given the quick access to Kensington Park and Oxford Street.

When I went to pay my bill my money was declined! Apparently the (unrecognizable to me) pound notes I bought in Canada were replaced last month!  I would have to go to a bank and change them, but none were open on a Sunday.   

With luggage in tow and little energy left I took the tube to Kings Cross then a train to Canterbury, my destination for the next few days. It was a relief to get out of the city and into the serene, verdant, pastures of rural England with their tidy hedge bordered fields. Some were dotted with cows, horses, sheep and lambs.

Arriving with throngs of other tourists in Canterbury I found my hotel behind the with adjoining pub and carvery and checked in to my teeny room, yet with all amenities. 

Time to catch some zzzs. I’m sure there is more adventure to come!

    

On the move again...permanently!

Since I arrived in Victoria last July I've been living in temporary digs in three different locations.
Since September I've been renting an 815 sq. ft apartment condo. I've actually enjoyed the small space! I rarely lose anything and it takes only an hour to scrub the whole place from top to bottom. I have a lovely sunny patio to sit on and the neighbour's dog often comes over and joins me. I can walk to work in 15 minutes.
But the time came for Keith and I to seek the help of a real estate agent to find us something permanent. The Victoria market is about 25% higher than Edmonton to our chagrin.  Like Edmonton, we were interested in older homes in central areas.  Only three days after we started working with a Realtor he sent me a listing. I walked by the house and knew instantly this would be our home, without even stepping inside. When we finally gained entry the decor reminded me of my grandmother's place. We could see the potential beyond the furnishings.  We made an offer which was accepted a couple of days later. We got possession on Friday the 13th of June.

This weekend we took down curtains and rods, tore up rug to find beautiful hardwood underneath, and painted.  It is looking like our home, in fact Keith's and my first home together!
Besides the decor there were other things in common.  It was built in 1967, the same year as my previous house and has the very same chandelier in the dining room!

The house is located on a quiet crescent as few blocks from my work and it has reasonably sized yard full of beautiful perennials and trees. The neighbours are very friendly, many young families, who told us that the previous owner, an older woman had recently moved out.
Throughout the house are handles such as this to support someone with mobility issues.  We took them all off but, given this will be out retirement home, maybe we should have kept some?!