Tuesday 10 November 2009 - Pretty River Valley Country Inn, nr Colingwood, Ontario

... And what an impact we had! Heading into the last round, we were firmly in last position which was hardly surprising as this was a Canadian 1980s themed quiz. We didn't have a Canadian in our team, and we were all young children in the '80s (which made the sports round which was all about ice hockey and baseball particularly tough). Fortunately the final round of the quiz allowed teams to gamble some of their points on a final question with the team that got closest to a perfect answer doubling their gambled points. Since we were in last place we had nothing to lose and gambled everything. Then came the final question 'What are the full names of the four Ghostbusters? (character names not actor names)'. My face lit up, I scribbled down the names Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, Ray Stanz and Winston Zeddemore and since no-one else in the room knew the answer, it came to pass that a team made up of three Brits and a Frenchman won the pub quiz at the Admiral's Rest in Collingwood, Ontario (and took home the $70 prize). I'm certain the story will pass into local folklore.

Since that euphoria, life at the Inn has continued as usual but as always there is lots of interesting variation in the work that we have been doing. Since the last entry we have worked on making outdoor Christmas decorations, cooking up some apple and lavender jelly, helping cleaning the rooms at the Inn (which are very swanky indeed) and cutting back the garden ready for winter. This morning we helped with the particularly tricky task of convincing the farm's three pigs to get into the horse trailer for their trip to the abattoir (or the piggy holiday camp as it's euphemistically known around here). It was a job that required eight people and at times resembled a game of American football played played between pigs and humans in knee deep mud. In the end, inevitably, the humans were victorious.

Yesterday I went for a short hike on Ontario's equivalent of the Appalachian Trail, the 500 mile Bruce Trail. It was nice to be back hiking again (and following white blazes) and we walked through quiet forests stripped of leaves (much like those at the start of my AT hike) and then down into some impressive caves. Tomorrow we are in for a special treat - a trip to the local Scandinavian spa - lots of outdoor hot pools and log cabins await!