CANADA....Roy

[LovelyLadyLux]

In Nfld stopping daily at the liquor store for a "two-fer" (case of 24 beer) is common and Newfies are totally famous for "Moonshine."

Doubt there is any other sport anywhere in Canada other than hockey and all men seem to born with a genetic predisposition to it....

Hopefully Roy will not avail himself of the traditional Newfie hockey uniform: t-shirt under "Stanfields" (heavy grey scratchy long sleeve wool underwear) tucked into a Scottish kilt. Heavy cork boots (work boots with crampons built in) with grey wool red topped socks. The head gear is a hard hat adapted to hold 2 tins of beer with long flexible straws. Some of the more inventive wearers fly small flags from their hard hats too. They're quite a sight but if a guy here can't get dressed up to go out to a hockey game of a night with Buddy what is the point of life?!?!?!

Newfies don't have "Mates" they have "Buddy" (not Buddies - only singular Buddy).

Hopefully Roy's stint in Newfoundland won't be too long. All the effects should be reversible (maybe, hopefully).

[Grandad]

LLL you paint a very clear picture of Newfies, I particularly like the hard hat with space for two tinnies ........Just hope Roy doesn't get drawn in too deep and become irreversible.

[Horus]

From your description I assume that Newfies don't rate too highly on your scale LLL

[Kiya]

Oh LLL I'm laughing so much my ribs hurt with just the thought Roy dressed up in local Newfie hockey gear

But to be honest Roy is the kinda guy he would try anything once & just join in with the fun, if he does I do hope he sends a photo

[LovelyLadyLux]

Au contraire - I hold no disrespect for or angst for Newfies at all. Mostly am trying to describe them exactly as they are which is a super unique type people. For a long time they lived in hard impoverished isolated conditions which allowed them to develop their own distinct languages (every area of Nfld has their own individual expressions, habits, sayings, dances and stories), history on the water as fishermen, customs (wait 'til Roy meets the "Mummers" and if he starts eyeing tree branches so he can make and UGLY STICK - then it might be time to start worrying

They have a saying - "You can take the Newfie out of Newfoundland but you can't Newfoundland out of the Newfie" and that saying is very true.

Once you meet a Newfie even if you know them for 40 - 50 years they'll always be the same. They don't change and do tend to retain their uniqueness, genuineness and open and natural friendliness. Never lose the accent either or the ability to tell a story.

I won't keep Kiya in suspense re: Mummers - BUT if she has any pillow cases or brown paper bags and if Roy starts looking at them and secreting them away - well - if it was me I'd start to worry

Mummers of Newfoundland: http://zero1magazine.com/2010/12/newfoundland-mummers/

And remember Kiya - IF Roy turns into a Mummer the 'secret' is you correctly guessing it IS Roy. Soon as you guess it is him he is obliged to show himself to you. *The song at the end of the photos is cute.

[Grandad]

Love the song and can detect strong Scottish and Irish influences.

They do sound an interesting hardworking people LLL.

We had a local coalfield with 4 pits until it closed down some years ago. Most of the miners came from Scotland, the NorthEast (Geordies) and Ireland. As you say LLL, when you get a mixed community they develop their own customs sayings and almost another language. I DO find a common element being 'the drink'

[LovelyLadyLux]

In NFLD you're "on the bier" when drinking and, if one was using national averages re: daily consumption the Newfies WIN hands down.

[Kiya]

Great stuff LLL...............I'm writing all these tit bits down as you give them......

Love the song with the Mummers, really a lot like here without the pillow cases....instead we would start at the strike of midnight on the New Year, once wishing well on your nearest & dearest we would then start going round houses, not just family, neighbours & friends, your group sometimes got bigger as you went............the more the merrier & not forgetting the lump of coals for good luck to each house we arrived at, it could go on for days sometimes.

Speaking with Roy today everything is going fine at work, even though he is in charge of the work house he seems to be getting on with everyone ( one piece of advice I gave him before he left , was " treat everyone with respect & you'll receive the same in return "

Today he had to dig himself / truck clear of snow, 20 " deep this is him jumping from truck


And this is one from inside the kitchen area with ping pong table in the foreground


More will be coming..

I myself have been looking up what you can do in & around St.Johns (just in case I get a holiday there )

LLL maybe you can help here ...as far as I understand I don't need a visa for flying into Canada but, only the eTA which is only 7 $ Canadian ...

Thanks again for all your input LLL

[Grandad]

I must say this has developed into an interesting and enlightening thread.

Keep it going folks

[LovelyLadyLux]

Seriously - It can snow in a heartbeat in Nfld and it can get super cold. Twenty inches of snow can happen in a heart beat there and if you're not prepared for it and for the level of cold that comes with it can leave an unhappy ending.

To that end there are a few things that seriously Roy should know about and definitely have.

When you're living in an area where the temperature can get minus 20 to minus 40 in a few hours that level of cold is life threatening and you need to be prepared 24/7 for this. Something that many people do not realize is that when you get to that extreme cold your hands literally stop working. You might have had the forethought and foresight to carry matches but if your hands are completely useless and if you can't hold matches you can't strike them (let alone light paper & wood for heat). At Minus 40 your hand cease working in 10 seconds or less. Muscles just do not respond hence IMO it is absolutely imperative Roy carry these:





These are my own "hand warmers" that I keep in the car. They're liquid in plastic, about palm size. You have to be able to snap the round circle coin looking thing but that starts them heating up. You can do it with your teeth if you can't move your fingers to immediately snap it and start the heat. These keep your hands warm for a couple of hours I don't have a clue what they're made of but once you snap the coin or I should maybe say press it between two fingers they do slowly warm up and harden off to look like a lump of soap. To re-liquefy them you dunk 'em into a pan of boiling water. Everybody living in cold climates here has them as items just as necessary as mittens to surviving the cold.

IMO should Roy be in a car accident or whatever he MUST have these on him (I'd say carry at least 4) so that he can keep his hand MOVING. You can't dial a phone for help if your fingers refuse to move.

Next I also carry a flint and striker. In the snow matches get wet and often lighters run out so having something that is going to strike and make a fire (and can be dried off given the amount of wet we get).

This is mine. They're really cheap to buy and I have 3 or 4 of them kicking about. I also have a strike-able version that looks more like a match with a fibre head. Didn't get a photo as it is outside and I'd have to move the car out of the garage to get at it)



Lastly Roy should carry with him several of these. They're just simple candles but they burn 'on average' for 4 hours, don't tip or lose the wax easily. I have 6 of them in my car in case of emergency cause once you get them lit they last so you have time to get a bigger fire going.



Might seem silly things to have to get and so long as Roy stays IN the city it'll be ok BUT if he is going OUT of the City limits of St John's Nfld gets rural really quick and it has remote areas that are dangerous. The hand warmers are imperative. He might have these through his work but seriously if he doesn't he needs them.

I also carry 2 small led bright light flashlights (NO street lamps), an umbrella, 2 survival blankets and dry bars of food. Here is you go off the road you are not walking to help and there are many many areas with no cell phone coverage so you need to be able to stay alive 'til help comes.

Don't intend to scare but BEST to be prepared.

My understanding is you do NOT need a VISA to arrive in Canada as a tourist for a visit.

As for the ETA - Electronic Travel Authorization - this is the URL https://www.canada-eta.com/ for the application form.
It also gives a write up of the whys and how comes and what it is etc. I doubt you'd have any difficulties with it at all.

IF you get the chance to go to Newfoundland try and fly directly INTO St Johns. There is an International Airport there and that would be the most efficient way. Do NOT fly into Labrador unless you're prepared for an adventure Do not take any of the smaller airlines either unless you want an adventure!!

This URL http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/Pla ... ettingHere explains different travel options for getting to Nfld. Ferry is viable BUT the waters CAN BE ROUGH

[LovelyLadyLux]

Another pastime in Newfoundland is the design and creation of your own distinct "UGLY STICK" which every Newfie owns. They are extremely proud of these unique creations.

Could be that Roy is already studying up to make one of these. They need to be both walking stick and indoor stick. The design of your stick will give you status as a Newfie so lots of time is spent creating just the right look.

Not too sure what Roy might decide is his "look" for his Ugly Stick in Newfoundland but if he starts collecting odd bits of things, outerwear, items normally tossed in the trash could be he is preparing to make this cherished item.

This Ugly Stick belongs to one of the girlfriends. She is 72 now, had a career as a professional teacher and used her stick to maintain order in her classroom - the sticks MUST have an ability to make noise too. Shouldn't be too difficult for Roy to do this as he might adapt his car horn to his stick.......

I present - a picture of a bona fide Newfie Ugly Stick (remember Kiya - Roy could be extremely proud of what he makes and if he takes to carrying it with him everywhere when home just tell everybody he made it in Newfoundland )

[Mad Dilys]

Had me spellbound there LLL - brilliant!

Even in UK if you are peasant* farming those hand-warmers are a small daily luxury. Great invention.

* Also known as Self Sufficiency.

In the UK through the 1970s there was a drive to live the simple life - organic growing, recycling basically back to the pre industrial revolution. I was reluctantly drawn into this, through circumstances beyond my control - so, though I saw that the children had a good education etc. Few windows had curtains, and heating was by the small living room fire and eventually a kitchen stove. The rambling bungalow was in a lonely exposed area with no mains gas or sewage. A covenant on the property meant that it had to be used for agriculture.

We loved our hand warmers.

[Kiya]

LLL...Wow your write up's are so interesting

I'm sure as time goes Roy will be getting into the swing of things there in St.Johns.

He did mention last night of going to buy more thermals as you will see in his photo he sent last night of 20" snow & - 10/11 temps.

he doesn't find the cold too bad just now but if it gets any colder I think he would

I asked if he had an electric blanket but he said no & there is thermostats in every room, it's warm & cosy inside.

That is his truck in the foreground, thank goodness it has the right tyres to cope with snow.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Tell Roy to invest in a really good down Feather blanket - electricity goes OFF here making an electric blanket useless. Nobody has them here as electric is unreliable. Power has been off here probably close to 5 times so far this winter and sometimes for a few days each time.

Roy needs an "ultra" or "ultimate" goose down blanket for where he is with a "FILL" rating of at least 700. These are the warmest blankets going and the only thing to have when the electric goes off which again can be deadly where he is at.

Ask him if the house he is in has a back up heat source to electric.

If the house has natural gas whilst that is ok if the fan is electric the house can get pretty darn cold when the heat can't be blown about it. Ideally he is in a house with a woodstove as they double as a cooking source AND there is stocked firewood out back with kindling

Most homes here do have 2 sources of heat. Electric and wood stoves used to be the most common however environmentalists has put the stop to wood stoves so natural gas has become the second most popular now. There are also pellet stoves and propane furnaces and many places have their own generators. If Roy is looking to stay there long term he needs to be in a place that has, at least, 2 heating sources (and he needs to get that feather blanket too )

AND soon as he is all prepared for the cold it'll be spring and he'll experience swarms or hatches of Mayflies as big as small helicopters! Wait 'til he becomes prey to the first horse fly too!!! Those bug**rs are vicious!!

[Kiya]

Ok LLL taken note of that & will say to Roy next chance I have speaking with him

I don't like the sound of the "horse flies"

[Grandad]

Good job you are not Head of Tourism for the area LLL

[LovelyLadyLux]

I'm actually being pretty nice towards Newfie land And, in fairness to the eastern-most province of Canada they have honestly come a long way over the years and are now pretty much as modern as the rest of us.

Roy will encounter true "personalities" there as each and every Newfie IS truly charmingly unique. He'll remember his time in Newfoundland for the rest of his life.

@Kiya - if you get a chance to go there "GO"!! You'll love it

[Kiya]

LLL...I would go given the chance but, have to admit the size of them flying creepy crawlies would put me off

Last night he was saying ..the last couple of days he has being doing a course on safety , part of it was " real water safety experience " by jumping in the bay & swimming.............I say " jumping in the bay & swimming " geeezzzz are they mad!!!! in that freezing weather temps just now.

But I suppose it has to be done

[LovelyLadyLux]

"Ow he cuttin' der byE?" (how are you?)

Jumping into the by in freezing water - "Lard tunderin'! whadda ya at b'y"

Roy must be 'havin a time' if he is doing that although actually we're all crazy enough to do that here. What can I say we're all crazy! Jumping in is actually a yearly holiday festival here too. Annual Polar Bear Swim is a rite of passage here.

Seriously though you definitely need to know what it is like to fall into frigid water. Interestingly it isn't as cold cold as you might expect (sometimes the air is colder than the water) but it can kill you quickly so you really do need to know what to do. Same same if you break the ice and fall into the water. You need to know how to get out and back up through the hole you made in the ice. you also need to take a sec and get control of your breathing as the ice water will knock the wind out. Lots of people drown too because they do not turn around and see the hole in the ice and then another percentage try and remove their clothes but in reality it is much better to keep your clothes on - soooooo IF the Newfies are telling Roy to strip off once he falls into the Bay Roy need to know they're having a laugh on him!! Beware the "Jinker"

"Where's he to?" Is Roy on Hibernia? If he is he'll get lots of safety drills and will probably/SHOULD be issued a survival suit. All the fishermen wear them as does anybody working in and or around water. I believe they're mandatory.

[Kiya]

LLL all that sounds a bit freezing scary, but, I guess one needs to know for survival !

The course was taken through his work, even though he is in charge of the workplace he must still take the courses.

He's not complained of the part course into the bay & swimming but quietly pleased he managed it.

Hibernia I dunno ? all I know he is at St.Johns............I will ask the next time speaking with him.