Back home again - very nice to be in comfortable surroundings, but I'm also sorry that our vacation is over!

The girls are off to Saskatchewan and should be landing in about three hours - it's their first time flying, so they were a bit nervous, but the airline was pretty good about explaining everything to them, and having someone walk them through the entire trip was well worth the money. 'Specially for their first time.

Nova Scotia was nice - the weather was a pleasant mixture of rain and warmth and the countryside was beautiful! It was nice to see at least part of the Maritimes in a season other than winter. It was also nice to be in Canada for a while. It's not that I dislike being here, it's just nice to be somewhere where I know the rules, the expectations; I don't have to calculate temperature, distance or speed - it's what I've grown up with and I know exactly what's what. There really isn't much of a difference between the countries except for those little unconscious things - and I was surprised at how easily I got used to getting coins as change instead of just bills - though the first purchase I made caused me a bit of a jolt when I got the change back. Nice to have some color in my purchases!

We had another hassle coming over the border. It's beginning to get frustrating travelling between the countries on a visa - far easier to be a tourist, that's for sure. They've changed the visa tracking system, so we had the privilege of paying for our departure records all over again. I was a little disturbed today when they tried to take them away as the girls were leaving the country, since that we mean they would have to pay yet again when the come back home. It feels a bit punative - I have to pay every time I go home for a visit. Is that to discourage me from leaving? I thought the problem was that too many people are staying!

I'm not quite used to the idea of not having the kids around again - I suppose by the time I do get used to it, they'll be back!