Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

Well. Here I am. My last night in Canada. All of a sudden it seems very real, and very immediate that I am going back to England. It almost feels like I'm going for a holiday. So, what to write at the end of such a trip? What I've learnt? What I feel? Regrets, if any? Plans for the UK? Highlights, and lowlights? I shall try and put a bit of everything in here.

Firstly. Highlights. So many to choose from! The range from the minute and intangible - like the feeling of really belonging after my first shift at coffee chain Tim Horton's back in January, to the obvious ones: camping wild in Tofino, seeing whales not 50m from our boat, Hawaii, the Rockies and the black bear, Whistler. And then some more random ones in between: spending a day driving maniacally round Vancouver trying to furnish a house on a shoestring. Heading to the park with all my housemates and playing basketball, soccer and climbing on the playground before going home to dinner, drinks and cards. Hockey games. Coldplay gig. Being promoted at work. Running the Run for the Cure race with colleagues. Hosting a "waifs and strays" Thanksgiving dinner. And I'm sure I could think of many more if I put my mind to it.

Lowlights. We all have them, let's be honest! The hostel in Vancouver before we moved into the house. Feeling like it was taking a while to make friends of my own other than my housemates. Our landlady (although that's more craziness than bad point). House tensions, which are inevitable when so many of you are living under one roof.

Do I regret that I'm coming home before my technical "year" is up? I did. For sure. And it was a struggle to let go of that idea. But sometimes, life just has a way of slotting things into place that makes total sense, despite your own initial feelings. Now I know that, realistically, after my time in Chicago, NY, and Canada with Han and Alana, Vancouver would never be the same to return to. And to be there for the sake of it, with no real home, or job would never be as much fun as it was before. And I've had complete peace about it for a good few weeks now :-)

Do I regret not extending my visa. Yes and No. Yes because, well, I love Canada! Any time spent here is awesome. No because, no matter how much I love it, leaving would always be hard, whether I do it now, or in three years' time. Maybe I would have stayed longer, but I also made a decision, even before arriving here that would influence my time in Canada, a decision also based very much on a solid gut instinct and the then current situation (which is always a good way of making choices). I'm talking, of course, about Quentin. Some might have said it was madness to agree to him following me over after having known him the grand total of a month. I'd have agreed! But, gut instinct is a powerful, and usually correct tool. Sure enough, it has worked out, better I think than either of us had hoped, or expected even. And when it comes to matters of this nature, as much as the willful, independent girl in me would protest this, eventually it ceases to be about your geographical location but that other person, and considering what they want as well.

What have I learnt? Many things. None of them springing to mind, typically! For one, free bank accounts are a marvelous thing, and we would do well to appreciate them more! Being generous with your helpfulness and kindness is a wonderful thing. Doing extra to give the best directions possible, opening doors, giving a stranded traveller with no change the $2 for the bus where notes aren't taken, or letting an old, homeless man pat your dog for a few minutes, and chat to him are small things but they're the things that leave the best impressions. Canada is home to the most consistently happy to help, approachable people I've ever known.

Sales assistants aren't evil. Or even purposefully annoying. In most cases, they're in the job because they are of a helpful, outgoing nature - well suited to retail. A good one knows that the best way to do the job is not all about the sale. It's the help and advice that matter. If you take the time to ask for it, it can be invaluable. But if not, and if there's only one thing that you take from this, it's that bowing your head and avoiding them is unneccessary and makes them (me!) feel rubbish. All it takes is a genuine smile, and something along the lines of "just looking for now but I'll shout if I need anything" and everyone's happy.

Over the year I've felt a specific plight pressing on my mind and heart - that of isolated, lonely (usually more elderly) people. People that don't have too much of a support network around them. Probably because worrying that I have no friends and feeling lonely is something that I can succumb to quite easily.

People aren't as intimidating as I think. Still working on keeping this one in mind, as it's another thing I'm apt to think - that everyone's too cool for me. But if you push past it, more often there is a fabulous person in their own right underneath. They might not be who you would usually choose to befriend, but they're worthy of friendship and love nonetheless. Having spent this year living with a group of people that I'd previously have been massively intimidated by and thought would never want to be friends with me, I know this is the case. And I wouldn't have swapped any of my housemates for the world, and I miss them a lot!

Being on my own is fine :-) People aren't staring at me, secretly wondering why this girl doesn't have any friends. Lots of people are alone, for many different reasons, and alone does not equal loneliness.

Life usually works out, if you let it. And put a bit of effort in. There's always a solution. It might involve some extra cash, or a bit of waiting around, or a detour (especially traveling!) but you are rarely optionless. And even if you are, it's not the end of the world, it's just annoying. So chill. It'll work out. Adaptability and a good dose of "go with the flow" are inevitable in all situations.

What I haven't figured out is what I want to do when I get back to London. Ooops! I do know that as much as I think it's a very cool city, I don't want to be there forever. I'm don't think I'm in love with it. Harsh maybe, but true. Not that I don't want to live there again, I do, but it's not the be all and end all. I think I'd like to return to Canada one day, properly.

What am I looking forward to? Ribena, cheese, accessibility to most places, better phone and banking, Spooks, BBC dramas.

What will I miss? Mountains, so much! The Pacific, which by now I think is the ocean I've spent most time with, out of all the waters of the world. It feels more local to me than the Channel, or the Atlantic. Pancakes and maple syrup. Hockey. I can't tell you how much I'm dreading coming back to the endless phenomenon of football matches, reports and fights. Big lakes. Local skiing. Cheap transport. Cheap gas. Tim Horton's. Ton's more. Good sushi. Raccoons in my garden. Summer evenings on the beach. My big verandah. House games of fives and Settlers. Talking skiing/hiking/camping for a job. Tons, tons, tons more. That feeling of striking out on my own independently.

I could write more. I'm sure I've not done this year justice in this post. But I have to check out of my hotel in a quarter of an hour, so I bring this to an end. It's been amazing, fun, hard, cold, hot, bizarre, easy, lonely, busy, hilarious, random, loving, full of laughter. Not sure I'd have done anything differently to be honest. I have no regrets. Every good bit and bad bit contributed to the overall lasting experience, which, when I look back on it, feels undeniably me. And that's about all you can ask for :-)

And then there was one.

Well, the poutine with the girls didn't happen. Pancakes did, though, in a proper back country town diner en route (very scenically) from Ottawa to Toronto on Saturday morning.

So, back in the big T, we settled into our hotel room, had some dinner and then set off on Sunday morning for Niagara. A short drive later, we were looking over the pretty spectacular falls, and getting very wet from the spray in the process. I discovered that instead of my camera I'd got deodorant in my bag(??!!) but it didn't matter as Hannah was taking about three photos each from every conceivable angle, so there should be some to spare. They are very impressive. I felt slightly worried that I was losing my sense of wonder at the world: I'd seen them before, and have since seen Victoria Falls, which are a) WAY better (sorry, Canada) and b) devoid of all the touristy crap that surrounds these ones. But it was good to be around the girls and their enthusiasm definitely rubbed off on me, in a very welcome way.

We weren't long there. In the off season, most of the affiliated attractions aren't running so once you've seen them, there's not much else to do. Even Starbucks only had minimal staff. And we had a hockey match to get to: Toronto Marlies vs Lake Erie Monsters. So back we drove to the Ricoh Coliseum to buy tickets, hot dogs and, most importantly, a big foam finger for Han. Explaining the rules of game was a little like the blind leading the blind, but a good time was had by all, judging by the exclamations and finger waves coming from next to me! Although I was proudly wearing my Canucks top, our team won, in a shootout so we got to see maximum hockey for our dosh. After a "quick" trip to the airport to return our faithful vehicle we returned to the hotel, quite pooped, but satisfied that we'd made the most of our day.

Time for another quick NY-style roundup...:

CN Tower: went up at night. Great for view with all the city lights on. Our mission was to have cocktails up there. The bar was shut, so we were directed to the 360 restaurant where they very kindly they let us just order drinks. Unfortunately, it was the one drink each. Because the CN tower boasts the tallest observation deck in the world, it also needs the most expensive prices to go up it, of course, which rather limited the drinking budget. Ho hum. Good cocktails though - quality not quantity, n'est ce pas?

Toronto Islands: This was especially fun. We took a water taxi over and wandered round the tiny islands just into the harbour. We found a beautiful deserted beach, adorable, quaint houses and idyllic, sleepy village life (no cafes or shops open), and a very quirky but sweet old woman who talked with us on the beach for much longer than I think any of us anticipated, or possibly, felt like, given the wind conditions...

We also touched on Kensington Markets, shops and the cinema, which is a great solution for a rainy afternoon when you're not feeling up to much or spending a small fortune on art galleries. Am ever more appreciative of London's free museums.

The girls left today, but not after we had a manicure in the hotel spa. Very relaxing and nice to have lovely nails once more, but I have managed to smudge my varnish not two hours after it was applied. Expected, and somewhat surprised it wasn't sooner, to be honest. Sigh.

So now I am back in Canadiana for two nights before checking into the Fairmont for one indulgent evening. Because I'm moving my flight forward about a week I thought I'd treat myself to that - allowed because I won't be staying for as long and spending money that way! Very much looking forward to my own space. Although, I'm totally comfortable being here on my own and not feeling the need to rush out and make friends - it's a great confidence boost, to be cool with your own company amidst others. It's also great fun listening in to people's conversations about where they've been, or how they're settling in to this new country they are in!

Time will pass quickly, I'm sure. Loose ends need tieing/tying/tyeing - which one is it?!?!?! A bit of contemplation is in order, reflection on the year, reflection on what to do next...all suggestions welcome!

Back on the Road

This is a quick hello from Ottawa! The last couple of days in Montreal were spent shopping, eating fabulous steak in the old town area and an evening with my friends JB and Jeremy in Chez Serge, a brilliant bar that gave us free popcorn with our bucket-of-cocktail, had a huge moose head covered with bras on the wall and a bucking bronco bull that of course, we all had several turns on. Jeremy was by far the best, managing a grand total of 98 seconds! Time has never passed as slowly as when you're trying not to slide off a rotating, bucking plastic bull.

So today we picked up our hire car and drove to Ottawa. We managed to see some of the city, mainly a walk by the river and some of the funky bar/restaurant area, and the many government buildings (it being the country's capital and all, and I have to say, they were very aesthetically pleasing). We retreated fairly early back to the hotel given because we were cold and it is VERY wet here - although apparently not as wet as Cumbria :-s

Tomorrow we're getting back into the car and heading on down to Toronto. If we have time, we'll try and get to a hockey match in the afternoon, but if not, we'll try and catch a game on Sunday instead after going down to Niagara Falls. So still lots to do before the girls fly home on the 25th. My return date isn't quite sorted yet. Could be a week on Monday, could be a few days after. We'll see. But, in any case, the impending return is quickly coming up to meet me - but not quite as unwelcome as it was a few weeks ago. Constant travelling and "being on holiday" can be quite tiring, and sad to say, sometimes I just want to stay in the hotel - my equivalent of home right now - and read/internet/chill, do whatever really! But that option wouldn't go down to well with les filles so it's onwards we go.

The still-to-do list is now largely food-based: poutine, Tim Hortons, and pancakes. As well as the falls, possibly the CN tower and maybe Hockey Hall of Fame.

Not long now...

Three little girls went to Montreal...

...but didn't go running all the way home, no no no. It is indeed good to be back in the Great White North, and it feels very much like coming home again. After one last wet day, and a final night out in West Village, Alana and I said goodbye to New York. We said hello to my old friend the Greyhound, and drove up through New York state enjoying views of the Adirondacks for seven beautiful hours.

Monday passed fairly quietly and before we knew it we were heading off to meet Hannah at the airport. Now, I couldn't remember how exactly I'd gotten to Trudeau last time, but figured STM Montreal website would have the answer. It had AN answer, but, it became quickly apparent, not the correct one. One detour later, taking in an industrial estate, Air Canada's headquarters, the side of a freeway and a dilapidated gas station, we called a cab and surrendered. We were there within five minutes (through all of this we'd been able to see the planes landing - so near yet so far).

Lovely to have Han with us. Today was the Old Town, the fantastic Museum of History and Archeology, explaining the history and founding of Montreal. The best multimedia and interactive displays and presentations I've seen for a long time. Then another bit of a wander before out for cocktails this evening. Lots of catching up, gossip and general laughter being had by all :-) as well as snatching as much of an NHL game as Fi could via the bar TVs (Montreal vs Carolina, M win in shoot-out!)

Tomorrow we're making the most of the promised weather and heading to the park before meeting Montreal friends of mine, JB and Jeremy for cocktails and "mechanical bull riding"!! Awesome :-)

Two English Girls in New York

On Sunday I left Chicago and the boyfriend behind and settled in to a 20-hour train journey to New York city to hang out with Alana, a good friend from home. It was long, but I had good company with an Alaskan hippy and we chatted and played cards until we drew into Penn station, where, with a crunching headache, I summoned a cab and headed over to the hotel for dinner and a long-over due catch up with my friend.

So far this week, we’ve walked a very, very long way, managed to not get run over by crazy traffic and successfully navigated the grimy, grungy, ever-so-slightly confusing subway network. Here’s some of the other things we’ve done and seen…

The Met: Fantastic art museum, with a never-ending warren of galleries and rooms. The full-sized stone Egyptian sarcophagus was particularly cool.

Veteran’s Day Parade: We lined up on 5th to watch this parade go past. Took a shameful amount of time to connect the parade title with the day’s date (Nov 11th – it made a bit more sense once we’d added all that up). The parade was much more entertaining than the stuffy Westminster ceremony in London. First we had a procession of Harley Davidsons, then regiments from different areas of the military past and present, marching bands, floats and finally a stream of classic cars. Fun and engaging, but still managing to keep the deeper meaning of what it was all about.

Cool corners to eat: So far we’ve been to Serendipity, a beautiful, kitsch fairyland of a café, where we indulged in extreme ice-cream based food. Alana selected the chocolate cake sundae, and I chose a strawberry cheesecake one. Final result: sundaes 2 girls 0. Today, we went to the Clinton Street Bakery for brunch. It’s a delightful café in a lower east side neighbourhood that doesn’t look much, but this gem of a place was worth the trek and the wait. The best pancakes I’ve ever had. Period. Tomorrow we’re heading to the Alice in Wonderland café for some more fantastical food.

Empire State Building: High. Windy. Cold. Better done at dusk.

WTC site: A big building site. Come back in about five years.

Broadway: We saw Mary Poppins last night and it was awesome! We’re still singing the songs and the dance routines and sets were a visual/audio feast. We left feeling as sparkly as the lights around us.

Shopping: But of course! We’ve covered Macy’s, Century 21 and Saks, lots of 5th and much more. I indulged in another pair of jeans. Having found my “perfect fit” brand in Vancouver, it was only sensible that I should get another pair as I’ve never seen them in England. It’s exhausting though, and there is no chaos greater than women rifling through handbag sale boxes. Time to head back to the hotel…

I’m really enjoying girl time and re-visiting New York. Under the surface, though, I’m churning over my impending return to the UK. Bed time seems to be the time when Fi’s brain goes into obsession mode on the subject. Cocktails, I was reminded last night, are an excellent way of over-riding brain to fall straight asleep. Plans to repeat process tonight are afoot.

Au Revoir Vancouver, welcome to Chicago, y'all!

It finally happened - we left Vancouver. After much time anticipating the departure, yet not feeling like it was actually real, the final week at 938 W14th passed in a flurry of packing, sorting, a LOT of cleaning and farewell shenanigans - a delicious meal with Jeff and Happy at a seafood restaurant, watching a final hockey match with Canadians, drinks with Annie, Sarah and Meika, and a last night of Magic playing for Q. Suddenly it was our final night. Packed and ready for our 4.30am start, we had a last meal at Earls with the housemates & Jeff but minus Loic, and headed over to a friend's place to carve some pumpkins. Then back to ours for a last game of Settlers before goodbyes and two hours sleep.

Our trip to Chicago was a long one with lots of waiting and long journeys (which included some necessary baggage reshuffling and emergency jettisoning of spare books to get suitcases to an acceptable weight!). We were pretty beat by the time we were met by a hilariously disguised Kurt and Jen at O'Hare. A hot shower, good dinner, a few drinks and great company kept us going til we sunk very gratefully into bed.

The rest of our time in Chicago has been excellent. A mix of chilled-out reading time (The Wheel of Time and the latest Dan Brown) with exploring down-town Chicago and walking the dogs. Kurt, Q and I also took part in a very US and Chicago-biased pub quiz night! I think we were the only team to answer any non-US question correctly. Or even attempt one. However, since 95% of questions involved either Chicago streets/taverns/bakeries/baseball, we didn't fare so well overall...although Q and I managed to get 5/7 of the most populous US cities ending in an "s". That's right. I'd challenge any of our competitors to do the same for the UK!

And of course, there was Halloween: US-style! This was a first for me, and I very much enjoyed seeing how they do it: max-fun, max-dressing up (none of the 3 options of ghost/witch/vampire you get in the UK) and max-pumpkinage. As well as carving said veggies, we fed hideous amounts of candy to small children and scoured the thrift stores in order to find something to complete our costumes. I had a pair of fabulous/hideous knee-high patent stiletto purple boots, two green net curtains, some purple satin long gloves and a lot of green make up. Q had a velvet smoking jacket, cigar and purple satin trousers. Introducing....Poison Ivy and Hugh Hefner! Photos forthcoming. Accompanied by Vampire Jen and Brokeback Kurt, we hit possibly the poshest bar I've been to in a long time: Roof - unsurprisingly on a rooftop of a high-rise downtown. After a few drinks, scoping out the other costumes (Tetris and Earl from My Name Is Earl being my favourites, whilst Q checked on as many of his bunnies as he could find) and scooping a free plate of fries, we headed off to a decidedly cheaper bar and met up with a girl in a bathtub - Jen's friend Kelly. A few drinks and conversations with the Tenenbaums, Snow White and Ghostbusters later, we headed home, sated.

More Chicago fun to follow - and a trip to Wisconsin this weekend! I'm muchly excited about this as I've really only been to major spots in the US and Wisconsin sounds distincly off-radar. Maybe there will be bears...!

Gossip, brunch and sleeplessness in Seattle

Last Friday, myself, Q, my colleague and fab friend Annie, and her best friend Sarah, hired a car and drove the short three-hour trip from one sodden city to another, to see Gossip play in Seattle. It rained the whole way there - the forecasters' prediction of 100% rain looked likely.

Getting across into the Land Of The Free was, as ever, exasperating. As first-timers to the States, Annie and Sarah didn't have I-94 forms so we all had to line up and get them. Clearly two Brits and two Aussies travelling in a Canadian car was suspicious so we were subjected to extensive questioning as to how we all knew each other, what we were doing in a) Canada and b) the US of A and c) how again, exactly, did we know each other? It was all very serious and prolongued but we eventually were let through after Annie assured the customs official that it was okay that she still looked like her passport photo.

All this only for Quentin, literally ten minutes into the country, to realise that he'd left our tickets at home. Convinced that I'd seen him put them in the bag, I made him hunt through about five times, until he remembered that they were in his wallet the whole time. Turns out, when we finally arrived in Seattle, they weren't even the correct tickets (being only the receipt stubs) and we had to do a lot of schmoozing to let us in with our proof of purchase, ID and Q's talent for talking himself into, or out of, any given situation.**

The gig itself was fantastic. The support acts were a hip-hop group called Champagne Champagne and a very bizarre outfit called Men..? It took a good few songs to establish the gender of the lead singer, but we eventually located an Adam's apple, so unanimously voted male, and carried on enjoying the set - which was a bit of a surprise given the middling review it got from A and S (who had seen Gossip play the night before in Vancouver). When Gossip finally came one, it was an awesome start, a simple, driving beat from the drummer building up parts of the band to Beth Ditto's entrance. Fab voice, great stage presence, sparky, charming, smaller in real life, and, contrary to what London Lite would have you believe, didn't strip to her underwear at any given moment (although she did the night before, the Annie/Sarah info source informed us). The vibe in the venue was awesome- a small place meant people were right up close to the stage - we were about 3 lines of people from the front and the beat you could feel from the floor was electric, catchy, hypnotic almost. We tried to continue to do the evening justice, but trying to get into bars armed with only a driver's license in the state of Washington proved tricky. It was passports only, and seeing as we were all tired and had an early start the next day, we called in quits and headed back to Annie's friend's place to hang out and crash.

Saturday 8am saw us all up and about to drop Q off at the Space Needle to play a Magic tournament. Us girls then headed in search of brunch in a funky place. And did we find it. Bedlam is one of the funkiest, coolest cafes I've been to in a long while. Great service, drinks and the best doorstop toast all in a vintagey, chilled, eclectic setting, complete with comfy sofas and newspapers. It's a wonder we even saw any of Seattle. But we tore ourselves away and headed for the public markets and the Mecca spot for all modern-day, professional North Americans. I'm talking of course, of Pike Place Starbucks, the original Starbucks, the seemingly innocent location that spawned the branding and coffee behemoth it currently is today. Too lazy to queue for the same drink I could get a block from work, I stole a paper napkin and we left. Next stop, trying to find the underground original city that stood before natural disasters destroyed it and new Seattle was built on top. What exactly caused the original city to disappear, we didn't find out as we were ever so politely (and promptly!) chucked off the tour we sneakily tagged on to. So we settled for exploration on our own, shopping and generally admiring the cool architecture around. Seattle had lots of brickworks, hence why many of their buildings are brick, as opposed to here were they have lots of wood - so everything is clapboard and wood.

Meanwhile, Quentin was having fun destroying all his opponents in the tournament. Great for him, but it meant that we had to stay a lot later than planned before driving home. We left, at last, with Annie and Sarah under sleeping bags on the back seat, trying to fall asleep and myself tanking up with several cups of coffee. The drive back was easy - no rain, no traffic, no Americans at the border: where have you been/where do you live/how are you doing today is the customary line of questioning to get back into Canada.... ah Canada :-)

**Currently packing up our lives ready to go to Chicago on Friday, what did Q find on the floor by the bin? The actual Gossip tickets. Of course.

Places full of thanks

The clock is ticking down on my time in beautiful British Colombia, but there has still been time for some proper Canadian fun. That's right people, I'm talking NHL hockey and Thanksgiving! A good friend and avid Canucks (that's Vancouver's NHL team) fan, Jeff, kindly organised tickets to a home game versus the Dallas Stars this weekend, which was also Thanksgiving weekend.

First off, a bit of hockey background for y'all. The NHL has 30 teams, six of which are Canadian. These are: Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. Out of these, the Canucks were generally rated the best, or at least they were up until the season proper started on Oct 1 - Calgary are admittedly looking pretty strong...but seeing as there are 82 games in the season, there's plenty of time for them to get their act back together. Anywho!

Some key Canucks players. First and foremost, Roberto Luongo. The captain and goalie is widely regarded as one of the best keepers in the league and enjoys almost god-like status in this country. Then we have Ryan Kesler, the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, the latter is currently injured for around 4-6 weeks with a broken foot, Alexandre Burrows, Willie Mitchell, Steve Bernier and Darcy Hordichuk amongst others.

So back to the action. We got into the hockey mood with tickets to an open practice session on Saturday morning. Rink-side seats meant that we could see all the action up close. And subsequently got smothered by excited, autograph-hunting children when all the players left through the nearby tunnel. Penless, and feeling that it would be churlish to sweep aside eight-year-olds, we battled the opposite way through the throng and chants of "Roberto, Roberto!"

Sunday was the real deal. Bedecked in newly purchased (discounted! cos that makes it better...) shirts, we headed not quite up to the rafters to find our seats. The good thing about a hockey stadium, and GM place in particular, is that there are no bad seats, so we had a clear, birds-eye view of all the action.

After the slow, scrappy start from Vancouver it turned into a more exciting game. Goals were alternated for both teams, but the Canucks managed to keep the lead. Until the third period when the Stars equalised. Twice. Extra time. A tense Jeff reminded us that although this was not the way it was meant to comfortably go, we were seeing more hockey than usual. A goalless five minutes took us to a shoot-out. I was confident, given our aforementioned weapon in the shape of Luongo but Jeff was pessimistic about our goal-scoring capabilities. He needn't have worried. Both Kesler and...hmm...someone else sent the puck home whilst at the other end, Luongo did his duty and kept the goal empty. Result! A tense one, but the desired winners in the end and we got to see all elements of a match.

From one Canadian celebration to another. The next day, Monday, was Thanksgiving Day, which, unlike our southerly neighbours, is celebrated here on the second Monday of October (unless you're in PEI, Newfoundland & Labrador or Nova Scotai where it's not marked as a stat holiday).

Whilst many north American tribes held feasts and celebrations to mark the end of harvest, Canadian Thanksgiving stems from the explorer James Frobischer, who held a service of thanksgiving to mark his safe return from a search for the Northwest Passage. The French settlers also held a feast of thanks in 1604 to celebrate their safe landing in Canada. Over the years, the occasion has served to give thanks for many things, harvests and special occasions but there was no regular fixed day. In 1879, an official Thanksgiving Day was observed although it continues to change from year to year.

A few weeks ago, Annie, Sarah and I decided to do dinner but nothing much was done to organise it further until a few days before when we got to inviting other stray people who didn't have families to go to. What started as dinner for five or six turned into a potluck feast for nine. We didn't manage a turkey, but chicken, roast potatoes, veggies, vegetarian chilli stew, meatloaf, bread, onion soup, corn chowder, caramel tart and pumpkin pie and plenty of wine was more than enough to satisfy. Throughout preparations in our bustling, smoke-filled kitchen (dilapidated oven, people, not burnt food) and then eating and talking it was clear that we all had much to be thankful for and celebrate.

And so I am inspired to enjoy every last minute of life in Vancouver, whether it's out with friends, cycling, playing Settlers with housemates, hiking, or squeezing in one last trip to the ocean. Clearly I will miss a country where I can write for several paragraphs on the national sport (sorry, Premier League, you just don't stand a chance). But, as a friend from work said on Sunday, it's not about missing the country you've come from, but seeing the opportunities in the place you've arrived. So, a belated thanksgiving toast: to experiences, wherever they lead, and to looking for them in all places, even those where you might not necessarily want to be just yet :-)

Loopy Landlord, in the kitchen, with the dagger.

Nope not a new version of the famous board game, but a (not so) normal Thursday morning at home. Let me set the scene:

Our water system blocked so for a few days we, and the couple who share our duplex upstairs, could not use any water. No washing up, no flushing the loo, no washing machine. We were resorting to Tim Hortons and other restaurants and cafes just to use their facilities. The landlords came round after a couple of days of this. Well, the landlord and his loopy girlfriend Charlotte with whom we deal, and whose schizophrenic tendencies have probably been detailed somewhere earlier on this blog. Whilst showing them the problem areas and flooding, she sent evil stares and threats of our footing the bill my way, until he started telling her to stop talking. That's when the shouting started, and they proceeded to argue and shout and swear at each other. Upstairs in the kitchen, the domestic continued. Then, after one insult too many, the landlord grabbed a kitchen knife and made for Charlotte, who scampered into my room. Q and I calmed them down, although this was only a momentary relief as five minutes later, the knife was in his hands again and heading for her.

After that we decided that they were better off sorting whatever trivial matter it was outside and we ushered them out, to sit down and stare bemusedly at each other. Until I remembered that I had laundry to do, at which point I left for the local laundromat. And, of course, the obligatory cafe....

So, a happy conclusion to the story. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you see it) no one was really hurt, our water system is now working and we no longer have to use the cold community centre showers. Life can go on as normal until the end of October when our house is sadly parting ways...and I head to Chicago with Q, and then over to NYC and back up to Canada with some friends from home.

Which brings us into the last few weeks of Vancouver life. I have notified work that I'll be leaving and now am weighing up whether to use my discounts to stock up on gear now instead of crying over prices in Snow & Rock when I get back to London, or keep the money for travel. Travel money would be good, but my ski jacket is tearing and the downside of working at an outdoor store means I'm less inclined than ever to check out M&S's ski section...

Things return to normal....for now...

Just under a week ago I waved farewell to the last member of my family and headed back on the new skytrain route to reality. As of Saturday I have been back at work, something that I've enjoyed greatly, catching up with friends there, having more structure to my days and earning back the money shelled out in August. Straight back into the deep end as Meika is off next week so I'll be doing tons of overtime (and a good thing too says my bank account). Although, I have just discovered the joys of delayed pay schedules and vacation pay meaning that I had two cheques waiting for me on my return so wasn't quite as broke as I thought I was.

It's good to be back to normal. The room is tidy, a routine is gradually coming back. The inches lost all that time ago shivering on a beach in Tofino are hinting of a return, although budgeting on food might send them dropping off again. I'm running with workmates in a charity 5km race in a few weeks so am training for that - and will head out in a few minutes for a rainy jog.

Times, they are a changing. The sun is appearing less and less and the rain has taken it's place. The housemates are going their separate ways in November. Off to travel, move to different parts of Canada, return home to Germany, or find new housemates. Chris has already moved in with his girlfriend, Christine. Q and I are planning a trip to Chicago to see his friends Kurt and Jenny and then I'm heading to Toronto, Montreal and New York with some friends from home. The future's up in the air a bit, but no more so than it has been for the rest of the year at different points. So watch this space for news - with a bit more happenening, hopefully I will be more active in relaying it here!

A bientot, mes amis!

Taking the Rocky Road

Nathen, sitting on our veranda, waved hello to someone walking up our steps. I turned round in time to see a familiar hat rising up followed by my Dad's head and the rest of him. My dad who should have been on a bus at Cambie Street. Hello!! And so began the parents' visit. Dad, Q and I headed back to the cafe where Mum was guarding the bags for a very cheerful and chatty brunch. There followed a day of exploring Vancouver and dinner at ours - although by the time this came around, jet lag had set in so we entertained a couple of very dazed parents in our somewhat madcap house. The word you're looking for is: interesting. I think the model breasts someone found on a night out were not the living room ornaments/art work they had anticipated.

The next few days were better. Tofino, at a lovely BnB for whale watching (saw humpbacks very close up), hiking - although the steep Indiana Jones trail we took them down didn't prove quite so much fun when wet and slippy (Q saw all his built up brownie points rapidly sliding away down the hill), exploring remote beaches and sea kayaking. Then it was back to Vancouver to meet Dave at the airport and head up to Jasper.

First stop: Hope. Set in stunning surroundings, this is pretty much all Hope has going for it. Trying to find any food for the evening was hopeless (pun intended as example of the many Q and Dave had fun inventing). The drive to Jasper was, as you would expect, stunning. And Jasper itself was beautiful. Busy and lively, but not unbearably touristy, with plenty to do, and constant views of skyscraping peaks. First on the agenda was white water rafting, early in the morning before the sun had had time to vaguely warm the glacial river we'd be rafting down. I remembered what it was like in Toronto to not be able to feel my fingers. But constant beauty, fresh clean air, incredible light more than made up for the cold. The rest of the day was spent at a nearby lake, walking and swimming, where I saw a near bear (cough..dog - in my defense it was shaggy and a long way off).

The next day, we went to Maligne Lake, another incredibly beautiful drive away. It's not really possible to do justice to the rockies' beauty, except to say that everywhere you looked, the mountains were immense - tall, wide, just immense. With forests at the bottom, filtered sun, flowers, clear water, bright blue mineral lakes, the lot. Wildlife tally started with Q seeing a moose at the side of the road, and from that point, our eyes were peeled. From Maligne Lake, we did a few hikes, the best one being a steep climb up to a mountain-top meadow, possibly one of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever found myself in. Wide, open, green, rolling with many different scents of pine mingling around, snow peaks to the top, mountain ranges across and the lake below. Stunning! But possibly the most exciting bit of the day happened on the drive home. Up ahead were several cars parked and people out looking at something down the side of the road. We pulled up and went over, and sure enough: BEAR!! A black bear was quite contentedly eating and snuffling around in the grasses not 10 meters from us! We stood and watched until it went away. Q, ever the adventurous, jumped over the fence (after checking there was no mummy bear around) to get a better photo. He came away with cuts and scrapes - not bear inflicted, but as the result of a quite spectacular trip over the road barrier that flipped him neatly upside down landing at Dave's feet.

After that, Jasper was complete. And so we moved on. We travelled down the Icefields Parkway towards the Columbia Icefield. Again, too much indescribable beauty on all sides of us. But then came the glaciers, and our mouths dropped open just a few milimetres more. Stopping at the icefield centre, we had spectacular views of the Athabasca glacier and walked up to the edge of it. It was huge. And cold. And windy. But amazing. However, we decided to press on southwards and not do another hike. So we drank it in, and headed back to the car.

And so to Lake Louise. Now, forgive me, but I'm going to go out on a limb and commit Rockies heresy here and say that I was a little underwhelmed. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I anticipated, and wanted, that big expanse of shocking opaque blue stretching out ahead of me (photoshop I'm sure has a lot of let-downs to answer for) but the reality was quite different. The lake that day was a pale jade, which of course, in the sun shows all the reflections and shadows. Surrounded by cliffs and forests, it was smaller than expected and full to the brim with tourists. I think that was it. I don't want to detract from the beauty of the place. Walking round the lake (we declined the most expensive canoe in history at $40 for 30mins), it's clear that actually, it really is quite stunning. The green really hits you at different places, especially if the sun goes behind a cloud, and the reflections and colours of the rocks and trees combine to make it really lovely, and worthy of the name, Emerald Lake that it was given on discovery.

We carried on to our hostel in Yoho National Park. This was awesome. A small wooden building in the middle of the forest, across the road from the Takakkaw Falls - one of the most impressive waterfall's I've ever seen. The hostel had no electricity, ran completely off gas and was closed during the day so you had no choice to get out and explore. Which we did - a 17km hike up the mountain we were at the foot of, walking along the glacier line - more spectacular views of other glaciers and icefields before descending, once again into the pine trees. After the rocky, brown/beige wilderness of the iceline, it was beautiful to be down in the trees. Butterflies and scents combined on the warm air - several different types of pine, all contributing something different; citrus, honey, floral. We followed the glacier stream down the mountain to the valley bottom and walked back to the falls and our hostel for a very welcome dinner and card games and scrabble.

And all of a sudden we were homeward bound. First, a couple of days in Kelowna, one of Canada's top wine-producing regions. Kelowna itself I didn't think much of. Maybe because we didn't get to all of the good stuff, but after Jasper and Yoho, well, anything was going to have a hard time living up to it. Except our BnB. Set in the orchard grounds of a house, our apartment was beautifully furnished, complete with outdoor hot tub. Not to mention fresh apples and cherries straight off the tree. Our last stop was the desert region of Osoyoos before driving back through Hope and in to Vancouver. The parents deposited myself, Q and Dave at home before scuttling off to their posh waterfront hotel. The next day, we had lunch and then Mum and Dad set off for the airport before the three of us collapsed in front of the US Open on TV where we stayed put for approximately 48 hrs, moving only to go see Inglourious Basterds and get food.

The rest of the week was spend doing chill things around Vancouver - pitch n putt, the aquarium, eating proper pancakes with syrup and bacon, doing the Grouse Grind - and discovering the Grizzlies up there - massive bears, you do not want to meet one of those in the wild! All in all had a very relaxed week, hanging out with Dave and coming back down to earth from the adventures of the previous month.

Heaven is a place called Hawaii

The Hawaii decision proved to be a good one. After an interminable journey through the more remote areas of BC, a long wait in Seattle and an even longer flight (thank goodness for Shogun, last minute purchase in terminal book store) we landed in a warm, pleasingly humid Honolulu evening. Our hostel was in the middle of Waikiki, minutes from the beach, and contained some friendly travelers with which we had a few drinks and went out to explore the local night life.

Despite being weary travelers subjecting ourselves to an unneeded late night, we woke up early - well before 8am. Downed breakfast and headed to Waikiki beach. As did the rest of America. The sea was a beautiful, beautiful sight - all clear turquoise water that was a welcome respite from the heat. We found our square foot of sand space and got down to the very important job of swimming, boarding and then reading. Unfortunately sun cream SPF30 application only made its way onto the list a couple of hours later - too late! SPF 15 may as well be SPF -15. Later that day, we climbed up Diamond Head, the volcanic crater just east of Honolulu for spectacular views over the east and south sides of the island.

Our second day in Honolulu, we escaped Waikiki and headed over to Hanauma Bay, a protected wildlife beach with a huge coral reef, which makes for excellent snorkelling. I saw so many fish, although it was mighty hard to not touch the reef, as we'd been instructed as at some points it came up to only a foot underneath the surface. I had a few cuts and scrapes trying dutifully to avoid it. Q also did a little snorkelling, confronting what appears to be his only fear - that of unknown deeps and spaces and creatures underwater. I managed to get him so far out, only just about keeping the circulation in my hand (never has it been held so tight!) before a swirl of sand clouded the way in front of us and that was it, a splash of limbs and I was left to my own devices to explore. Which I did so for quite some time, before the mask's tightness became too unbearable and I remembered that my back could do with more suncream or being covered up, and preferably both.

As lively as Waikiki was, I was keen to get away from the hordes of Americans on holiday, so we headed up to the north shore. Hurray for Oahu buses that let you travel the island on one $2 ticket! Our hostel on the other side was truly idyllic. A series of small cabins in lush greenery - mango/papaya trees, flowering bushes - set across a small road from the most beautiful beaches. We swam, read, hired bikes and cycled up and down the coast. I was eager to see some more of the green side of the island, as well as the beach, so we snuck into Waimea Falls park to see some lovely botanical gardens - huges trees everywhere, more Lei flower bushes and the waterfalls at the end. The slightly dodgy route in was more than made up for by the gorgeous swim pool of the falls and the falls themselves which were much more impressive than their reports. After more beach time and chilling out in the cabin with other travelers, books and the sound of crickets chirping away we dragged ourselves back to Waikiki, and more importantly the waves.

Because if you don't surf when you're there, what else are you going to do? Now, I've surfed once before down in South Africa but not since then. Q attempted giving me a lesson but that was so categorically unsuccessful that we gave in for the afternoon and I sought out an actual lesson the next day. Which was the polar opposite. If you were stranded at sea, you could survive for days floating on the monster of a board I was given. It was truly Titanic. And, bien sur, my first wave, I was up and riding it all the way to the beach. And again. And again! Suddenly I was liking this, rather than getting bored of all the waiting for failed waves. I got adventurous. I tried turning(I can snowboard, how different can it be). BIG mistake. These boards are not designed for manouvering. In fact, it was about as effective as the Titanic at changing course. Instantly I was off the board. But straight back up again for the next one :-)

Waikiki grew on me, the more time I stayed there. It's aesthetically pleasing, and lively at night, with torches and lights all over the place. We splashed out on our last night and had dinner at the revolving restaurant at the top of one of the taller buildings, and then walked on the beach. My one cocktail had its predicted effect and I found a very comfortable boat to snooze in before a beach guard moved me on. At this point, Q decided it was bed time for me, with an early start the next day to fly back to Seattle, so home to my dorm it was. And a good thing too, because it would be a very long time before we were back home in Vancouver. A long flight, a long wait for a Greyhound and a long journey back meant we finally collapsed on the sofa at about 2am, a mere 9 hours to get all sprightly ready to meet my parents....

Waves and whales

Last blog entry came from Montreal, and this one comes from Prince Rupert, northern BC. Quentin and I are 10 days into a trip that has taken in Tofino and Port Hardy on Vancouver Island, a 15-hr ferry ride to Prince Rupert, where we are now, to a mammoth coach journey that leads to Seattle, then Hawaii for eight days.

Hawaii might seem an unusual direction on such a journey, and indeed we were planning on Alaska but time and cost factored in (as they so often do) and Hawaii was the better option. Turns out getting around in the remote areas up here is fairly difficult if you don't have transportation (take the coach that runs every 3 days, to intercept with the coach that departs the day before you arrive at the junction). Altogether glad we're heading to the sun though - the weather up here is remarkably British-like. Temperate is the exotic word - damp, misty and fairly cold is what it translates to!

Wildlife spotting keeps us busy though...from a small pod of orca whales near hot springs cove on an island near Tofino, to bald eagles, puffins, a sea otter splashing around merrily and several humpback whales leaping and flipping only 50-100m or so from our ferry! Oh, and stepping on a bed of snakes whilst rock climbing round the coast of the Pacific Rim park.

On Vancouver Island we hitch-hiked around (our record for waiting was 7 mins) and met a variety of folks, from Ryan, who picked us up before we'd even finished writing our sign, to Dave who promptly turned the radio up moments after we got in, to Steve who agreed to take us half way to our destination, but ended up taking us to the hostel door instead! Camping on the beach in Tofino was wild, beautiful and cheap!

The small town of Port Hardy was an unexpected gem of a find. From the smallest main street I have ever seen (three buildings) to the friendliest, most helpful people I have ever encountered, this was one scenic random middle-of-nowhere outpost we were very happy to find ourselves in. We headed over to Alert Bay, a tiny (tiny!!) island rich in First Nations heritage and discovered a plethora of totem poles, First Nations dancing and intriguing swamps.

And now, after a 15hr ferry ride up the coast, during which we saw several humpback whales flipping and breaching, in Prince Rupert. A few numerical stats:
Hours here 72; hours of rain 66; movies watched 5; puzzles completed 1; puzzle pieces put together 550; tourist sites visited 1; tourist sites available to go see 1; cups of tea drank infinite (me) none (Q). And despite all that, we have thoroughly enjoyed it. It's been a long time since we had a few days to potter about and do not a lot - even at home in Vancouver, there is always hustle in the house. So we've done laundry, had lovely chats with fellow travellers (mainly older couples heading to Alaska) and wandered around the town, avoiding rain and catching the odd whiff of fish mixed with diesel oil (not pleasant) of the large cannery industry around these parts.

So now to Seattle. And then back from Hawaii to welcome la familia to Canada for a couple of weeks of more exploring - Victoria, Jasper, Lake Louise, the Kootenays.

Random fact I learnt today: there are five types of salmon. The largest of these, the king salmon, when heading to spawn in fresh water from the sea, turns from silver-steel-blue to bright scarlet and develops a hook snout. Talk about getting your flirt on.

Waiting, Wimbledon and Weather

Such a British title! But nonetheless quite apt right now. I'm back at the HI hostel in Montreal, and sitting on the couches in the common room waiting for Quentin to wake up so we can check in to our dorms. But I'm in no rush as Wimbledon is on, so I'm watching seeds being knocked out left, right and centre (bye bye Kuznetsova, Jankovic, Davydenko). Incidentally, Wimbledon coverage over here is just not the same with advert breaks every end change - tis most frustrating and just not BBC. And to give a nod to the third W in the title, the weather looks to be chucking it down outside, with some thunder storms in the distance. So not quite the 30 degree sunshine I'd anticipated, but I've missed humid summer days and evening storms and would quite like some good forked lightning if that's the case.

I definitely have that "home-coming" feeling right now, on return to a familiar place. And the mix of French and English is far more prominent over here, and both Quentin and I are enjoying being back in it. We're here to meet up with Becks and Laura who are currently in Toronto and will be making their way over to Montreal this evening! Excitement mounts.

It's especially good not being at work right now. I've been in charge of the store a lot recently, which is good because I tend to work better when left to my own devices. Also, and I recognise this might not be considered "working better", but not having a boss makes following live BBC tennis updates a whole lot easier (when we have no customers for hours what do you expect?!). However, I did discover nine pairs of shoes missing the other day, presumed stolen. Meika has called a staff meeting, which I'm not disappointed I'm missing (it was 9am today).

Our house seems to grow exponentially. On Thursday night we had 18 people sleeping there. A mix of people staying over after a night out, temporary lodger friends and a group of people on a delayed trip to the Island all camped out on our basement floor. We're going to be one more for a month or so with one girl in the friendship circle staying whilst she finds somewhere to live. We're currently at nine. Really, it would be worth our while starting up an official hostel of some sorts and earning money from this. We all really enjoy having a different mix of people around, and the saying "the more the merrier" really does ring true.

A definite highlight of the past few weeks was the Coldplay concert we as a house, plus Q's friend Jeff went to. We had, by some miracle, managed to get hold of tickets for the floor, eight rows from the stage. View was fantastic. The energy and vibe of the whole evening was infectious and the music was, of course, top. Definitely one of the best gigs I've been to :-)

But now, back to waiting. I haven't been sitting around a hostel internetting away the time for a good few months now, and it's quite nice to indulge for a bit. Good grief, have just looked at the Murray match score and Andy has run away with it and is all of a sudden 6-2 and 3-0 up in the second. Last time I looked he was 2-2 in the first. And Roddick is looking rather pensive and glum in a press interview - has he lost?! I can't find an update. Nope, he's through. Goodness knows what he'd be like had he crashed...

Probably best to stop this structureless diatribe, but hope you enjoyed a small insight into a section of my day. Might try and wake the slumbering boy and find our rooms. I feel some fresh air and a shower would be un bon plan right now....will write again soon!

xx

Summer sun, Vancouver fun

Hello again!

Life was mainly just ticking by for the last couple of months, and with not much new going on, a new entry didn't really seem necessary, or pressing enough. But now a few things have happened and I am making the most of a balmy June evening and sitting down to write, something I have been meaning to do for some time (no, not two months!)

Just to set the scene: it's 11.30pm, and I am surrounded by a silent house (boys are either asleep or down at the beach). It's warm and still, with the lazy atmosphere of a very hot day turning into a calm, warm night that won't get much colder.

So, a brief sum up of life during the last couple of months and a few forays into more interesting events. Housemates have settled into routines of work, and we now see eachother more haphazardly. Evening meals together have died somewhat as many of us work til quite late. Times together are all the more enjoyable. We've had a few more houseparties, with a totally different crowd to the first one, as people have made friends from work places. The neighbours didn't take too kindly to the noise of the very first one, back in March, and had been being very noisy upstairs in retaliation. At the second party, I spent the best part of an hour and a half talking to the wife on our veranda, her trying to calm down her drunken husband, and me trying to fend off equally drunk and equally unhelpful "peacemakers" who were trying to add their thoughts to the situation! It all resolved itself though, and we seem to have developed a cordial, if fairly non-communicative relationship!

Work is going well. I have recently been made Key Holder for the store, a fairly self-explanatory title! I have a key and responsibilities to open/close the store some days, count the cash and run the place on my boss's days off. It's not much more work, but better pay and full time hours, which makes a significant difference to the pay cheque! I get on very well with my colleagues; we've hired a couple of newbies, so I'm no longer the newest, rather someone that people now come to for advice, and the added responsibility has given me a new enthusiasm for the job. I definitely enjoy the small "managing" tasks and times when I'm making the decisions more than actually trying to sell yet another rain jacket. I'm also socialising more with people from work. David, who recently left, and I went climbing last week, I went to a bbq at his and his girlfriend's place, with another guy I work with and his girlfriend on Sunday. I love having my own circle of friends who are completely separate from my house, as quite a lot of the people we hang out with are a shared group and it can all get a little entwined sometimes. Which is why spending time with my friend Caro and the girls she lives with is always so good. Last week, I was round there and we had dinner, made chocolate cake, watched a movie and ate cake! It was much needed!

On the leisure front: Quentin and I took my new tent out for it's first camping trip this week. We went up to Alice Lake park, just north of Squamish, about an hour from Vancouver. We Greyhounded it to Squamish, then walked the 6-ishkm to the park, set up camp and spent the rest of the day hiking, swimming in the lake, soaking up the sun, playing cards and enjoying the BC outdoors with no electronic distractions or housemates. We discovered that the tent is racoon-proof (good) but that for future trips, an animal box for food might be a good idea, because they are persistent little creatures, and much less cute looking once you know that a lot of them carry rabies. We left the knife we suspected one had licked at the campsite... The next day was spent on a hike, more lake swimming and then heading back down to Vancouver in time for a bbq in the garden with home-made burgers by Loic (yum!).

I had a feeling I had more to write but everything else has evaded me. Life is pretty much dominated by trying to spend as much time outside right now, to make the most of the incredible, and highly unusual hot weather. This mainly involves parks and the beach, which is a 15-min bike ride from home. *Big Smile :-)*

The next big things on the horizon are a Coldplay concert in a couple of weeks, and then, more excitingly, a trip over to Montreal to see Becks and Laura who are coming over! I am massively excited about this for several reasons, namely that Montreal is an awesome place and I can't wait to see the lovely girls, whom I miss hugely, and spend a ton of time with them!

Well, that really is about it for now. Detroit Redwings are battling it out against Pittsburgh Penguins for the Stanley Cup (the Canucks were, alas, knocked out in round two). I read today that Jaqui Smith resigned over reports of dodgy expenses - I have to say, renting out an adult video and claiming it was a new one! UK politics seem as murky and eventful as ever. We're all backing Fedster for the French. I think if he beats the on-form del Potro then that will be a great win and will boost him going into the final. It would also amuse me greatly to see Soderling through too, after the wins against Nadal and Davydenko. Not so fussed about the women's - have they handed over the trophy to giantess Safina?? Go Kusnetsova!

Ok, I've had a paragraph of rambling, so it really is time for bed. Hope you enjoyed reading a bit about Vancouver life. There shouldn't be so much of a wait til the next post, I hope!

xxx

Easter greetings

Happy Easter, everyone!

Today I've been thinking quite a lot about public holidays and festivals, and what people do with what time off is given to them. The motley crew of us in the house have all been scattered today. Kev, Loic and Nathen have all been (or are about to be) at work. Chris, Tess and Kev's friend Kai (staying with us for a bit) have been recovering from last night's venture to a downtown club; I went to a church service this morning and spent this afternoon vegging and talking to my family on Skype; Quentin is off at a card tournament. Not hugely different from a normal weekend day and quite a different scene from large family gatherings I associate with public holidays and long weekends. Which makes small touches, like the mini egg hunt organised by my boss at work yesterday afternoon, so valuable. She sent us all out of the store for 10 minutes and we spent the rest of the afternoon happily searching for chocolate and occasionally remembering to serve any customers who had the thoughtlessness to wander in and disrupt us.

There has been a distinct lack of chocolate in the house. Up until today when I went and cleaned out the remainder of Safeway's mini egg sachets, and found a couple of chocolate bunnies as well, all we'd managed was an over-sized bag of mini eggs on Friday evening. (I'll put one of my many "life questions" out here: why does chocolate almost always taste better in egg format? Especially mini eggs.) I've also only had about two hot cross buns so far whereas I think that in the first three months of last year, they made up about 70% of my diet. Oh, Sainsbury's 2 packs for 99p offer - how I missed you. Although they're probably at around £2.50 this year.

Another thing that's lacked significantly in our household is any feeling of long weekend holiday. Being on the lower echelons of the employment sector, we're all experiencing working over the bank holiday duties. Something I've had the luxury of not really ever having to do. It's really driven home the fact that really, there isn't much time anymore that's ever completely off. Something is always open. Of course you appreciate this when you can conveniently go get milk on Christmas morning for the bread sauce, but you never really realise what it feels like until you're on the other side of the counter. At my work today, for example, I don't think working hours were any different than normal. And I think it's a bit of a shame. I'm not saying this from any religious standpoint, merely that there doesn't seem to be any opportunity for a dedicated, guaranteed time that everyone has off, which can be spent with loved ones, on holiday, or with a random collection of people that for now is your precious little nucleus of a family. And what was normally a major event (yesss two free days off work, a break from the city, home cooking for four days!) can quite as easily pass by in a drift of card games, afternoon movies and wondering what to cook. Not that I'm unhappy to be here, though. It still feels like a special day in some happy, mysterious way.

Aside from my little musing about time off and being a public holiday orphan, life continues here as normal. Was a bit of a shock to the system to get back from Whistler this week. The rest of the holiday continued to be just as fantastic as the beginning. More adventurous runs including double black bowls full of lovely deep powder and moguls late in the afternoon when we had pretty much the entire mountain to ourselves. It was great to spend time in a family environment, something which I haven't really done much of lately. To add to this, we were joined by Martin family friends from Devon which made for larger groups skiing, and enjoyable dinners every other evening. We also did a day of boarding which was fun. For me it pretty much consisted of going up and down the slopes to make a fairly easy day. What was fun though, was watching Patrick, Q's dad, learn to board and enjoy it so much so that he declared in the evening that (at the age of 60-something) he was from now on converting to snowboarding for good! Georgia and Dave (sister and boyfriend) are also fab and really good company.

Spring is almost here...cherry blossoms are appearing all over the place and we've had some lovely sunny days where we went and played tennis in the park (house outings to parks and sports grounds are becoming fairly common). I've got some spring clothes to start buying (holes have rendered jeans useless and trainers a bad idea when it's wet, which is a good proportion of the time).

Apart from working, not much else planned on the horizon. Maybe a trip to Vancouver Island at some point. These are definitely the settle and work months, during which I can look forward to upcoming visits from family and very dear friends: Becks and Laura at the beginning of July, my brother Dave in August, parents end Aug - start September and Alana in October/November. For now though, I will leave you once again with happy thoughts for the Easter weekend, and hope that you have some chocolate left for tomorrow, and that you all enjoy the bank holiday!

xxx

Snow babe

Seymour is dead. Long live Whistler mountain.

That's right, folks, Mt Seymours, Grouse and Cypress have nothing on this place. On our 3rd day in, we've been particularly lucky with the snow. Sunday was gloriously sunny, yesterday had bad visibility, but the snowfall all day held promises of better skiing today. And so it was. Fresh, deep powder all the way :-) A particularly good run was Cockarlorum (not sure of spelling on that, and no piste map to hand to check, so we'll go with phonetics for now), in the West Bowl, which you access by a drop in, right down onto deep snow and then deep, soft snow all the way.... Q and I have also been doing a lot of moguls, off piste runs and tree runs, and skiing pretty much top speed down the blues and greens. He's been great at teaching me how to better tackle the moguls and tree runs, and (bless him) putting up with my mini temper flares that I'm prone to when I feel I'm not doing something the best way I could. But by the end of the day something had definitely clicked and I'm doing them way better than I was on Sunday. At least my legs seem to be holding up better - I need fewer breaks mid run ;-)

Had a few wipe outs today as well! A particularly good one was in the West Bowl before I'd quite got my balance for quite such deep snow, and didn't come out of a turn well enough. However, the best one was on a fairly easy, long blue (wait, it does get better..). Q was ahead of me just at where the piste went over a lip to a steeper section and suggested I go for the jump. So I did. What he'd neglected to notice was that where I would land was a patch of ice followed immediately by a big mogul. I went onto the ice, got control but failed to spot the mogul. My skis stopped there and I carried on, tumbling down the slope a few metres. No broken bones or bruises though, and once I'd scraped as much snow out of my ear, jacket and hat as possible, we carried on down to the bottom.

We're staying in a lovely hotel right in the centre of Whistler village, about a 10min walk from the main lifts. The lifts all shut at 4pm (Whistler 0 Mt Seymour, Grouse and Cypress 1) here so there's quite a lot of time in the afternoon for other activities. So far this has involved pool and hot tub and I'm eager to investigate the end of season sales due to only having one glove left. I impressively left one glove on the first gondola we went up on Sunday. That's right, even before I'd put my skis on...I'm managing so far with an under-glove lent to me by Georgia (Q's sister) but tumbles into deep snow are better with water proof gloves.

Time to put this baby away now, but we've got another six days here so there may well be another blog entry from here before we leave.

Fun and games in the park

Once again, greetings from the window sill. I know it's been a while since I wrote last, and that's not (entirely) due to neglect, but rather nothing much happened of new to make an entry seem worthwhile. However, over the last week or ten days, new elements have woven themselves into daily life, so I thought it was time for an update.

First off: it's been a week since Q arrived in Vancouver and so far, I am coping with the addition of yet another boy in the mad house! It's great to have him in the same time zone. He's jumped straight in to the job hunt. He's looking for sensible jobs at the moment - still full of the "newly- arrived" snobbery that prevents you from filling out the Starbucks application form. We all give him another week of this luxury! In general, walking in to places, such as restaurants, bars and shops to present yourself seems to be a more effective course of action than sending off resumes and cover letters to the invisible waiting room that is craigslist.com - a rich source of job postings, but disappointingly thin on the responses. He's staying with us for now, and will probably look for his own place once he has some income from a job.

Last Saturday we had our house-warming party. It was also a celebration of Loic and Sophie's birthdays. And it was mad! Our basement was transformed into a bar/club with the aid of a home-made bar, some painted shamrocks, music and some green light bulbs. Not sure how many people came but it was a lot! Mainly Australians. The clean up job was a project the next day! But a good night had by all.

I've been doing about 23 hours per week at Eco Outdoor Sports and so far it's going really well. My job title is sales associate, and my day gets filled with tasks such as merchandising, stock taking, sorting out the back office but mainly we're meant to engage with customers. The prospect of sales targets to hit every day is daunting, and I find it hard to push if it's obvious they'd rather be left alone, but generally, I've hit or exceeded my targets. Which is a surprise to me! And the days that I don't, it's no big deal. I enjoy remerchandising the store, and using my creative side to think out the best layout for the store and stock. Once you have a rapport with a customer going, shopping with them becomes less of a sales task and more a personal shopping experience.

Next Saturday, I'm off to Whistler with Q and his family for a skiing holiday which I'm really looking forward to. Apparently the snow hasn't been great this season but has been improving in recent weeks, so I hope it carries on. Typical, the one year I leave Europe, it has a better snow season than Canada.

This afternoon was one of the most fun I've had for a long time. We all went to a nearby park armed with a frisbee, football, basketball and cameras. The six of us spent the next few hours playing football, 3 on 3 basketball and clambering all over the playground, including a hilarious game called Blind Tag. One person is IT. The others all take up positions on the climbing frame/play area. IT then has to search around with their eyes shut to try and tag someone whilst everyone else climbs around trying to avoid them. Only one rule: your feet must not touch the ground! A few bruises, a broken, bloody nail and six muddy people later, Kev, Nath and I are awaiting dinner to be cooked by Chris, Q and Loic, 11-9 losers in the basketball, the winning hoop shot by yours truly... :-)

Life with Domestic Gods and Goddess

Six days in and the house has really become home for us all. It's great to have a place of our own, our own rooms, a kitchen we don't share with 100 others and our own space. We have lovely neighbours who have been really helpful, and have given us all the numbers we need to get water/gas/cable set up so we don't lose power in about a week. Generally, we all feel massively lucky with this place - loads of space, the veranda is great and we can leave the front door open to let the outside in and make it feel even more roomy, and a lovely quiet, safe location that's minutes from shops, buses and easy access to downtown.

Buying food seems to be an almost daily occurence though! I have new found sympathy for my parents when they have a full house of five adults to feed on the rare occasions we're all home. But we've got a loosely everyone buys and everyone eats system, and we all pitch in with cooking. Loic is especially good in the kitchen, having whipped up iles flottantes with home-made caramel and creme anglaise this afternoon!

We also seem to be a very handy household - fixing things, moving furniture to more useful places, painting, making the most of space, it's all good.

Life is settling. We're starting work, last night we saw some friends from the hostel, and I've already met up with Caro, a friend who was in Toronto and has arrived here til the summer. We're also planning our first party, a joint celebration for Loic and Sophie's birthdays (Sophie is a friend from the hostel), St Patrick's day (for the Irish contingent!) and our housewarming! Also it's the day Q arrives, so we can throw a welcome to Canada element in there too.

On the job front, I had a day's training at ECO Outdoor sports yesterday. It was very thorough, a little tiring, but I was impressed overall. It feels like a really friendly, cool company to work for. Am slightly daunted by the pressure of sales targets but I'm sure it will be OK and easier than I think it is.

Well, I'm going to head indoors as my fingers are starting to freeze up and off to the cinema in a bit with Sophie to see Slumdog Millionaire. Check out Facebook for those of you who are on it for photos and video tour of the house! And we've got tons of room, so visitors welcome any time!

Bye for now xxx

Settling in

Well here we are. This is coming to you not, as I feared, from a Starbucks or equivalent, but balanced precariously on the window sill of our living room, as it's the only place that picks up wireless networks in our home. So saving on overpriced coffee, but slightly awkward to write and it does cut out from time to time. We also have it on the veranda, which makes for a very modern twist on the notion of sitting outside enjoying the balmy afternoons and evenings.

However! We almost didn't make it! In the kitchen on Sunday ready to hand over the first month's rent, Chris made an innocent comment about the fridge not being clean as promised, which unfortunately awoke the schizophrenic beast within our mousy-looking landlady. She turned round, said "you know what, I'm not going to rent to you anymore" and proceeded, despite many attempts to calm her down, to lay into us for a good ten minutes. It was utterly bizarre, and not a little frightening! Not least because of the prospect of being back to square one. But the torrent ran its course, we paid the money and we got sweet Charlotte back, who then chatted on about how busy she was, her boyfriend, how women are great, and wished us a happy stay in the area. It does mean, though, that all problems to do with the house will have to be fixed by our own initiative because we never. want. to. see. her. again.

We've done a good job furnishing it for very little cost. On Sunday, Nathen and I drove around in a van we hired, whilst Chris stayed on internet duty ringing people who were advertising free/cheap things and then directing us to pick them up. A fun, tiring, long day, finished off by a late trip to Ikea which saw us get very lost (the map was in three bits by then, with middle section mysteriously vanished) only to find it, take the wrong exit and sail down the freeway headed to Seattle. By the time we made it back it was, of course, shut. We returned home to find Kevin back from work, locked out, sitting on the veranda using free internet. First evening was weird Chinese frozen take-out, followed by all camping down on the sofa and two mattresses in the living room under coats, thermals, towels because our bedding was still at Ikea....

But now, it's massively different. House is clean, furniture is set, beds arrived, rooms set up and unpacked and it really looks like a home! It's really, really lovely. We've got a ton of space so visitors welcome! Plus I have the best room in the house (advantage one of being the one girl in five!).

I've also got myself a job! Had an interview at an Eco store on Broadway - the main shopping street near us - and I have a training day on Thursday and then three shifts next week, with the possibility of more. Hurray!! I was sorely tempted to go and spend all the money I have yet to make on a new ski jacket - saw some beauties this morning but I resisted temptation. For now.

Also enjoying the pot of Marmite that Q brought out for me (thanks!). Kev said a few days ago that he didn't mind it (which I seriously doubted) so gave him some to try this morning. He clearly hadn't had it before, as his verdict? The devil's toothpaste.

Progress...money out, and possibly in...

The last few days haven't really had much in them to warrant new entries - there aren't many ways of spinning distribution of resumes, endless trawls through craigslist for furniture/back up houses/jobs etc. However, today (and yesterday afternoon) saw some breakthroughs.

We signed the lease on the house Thursday (a day after agreed with the landlady, and with no good reason, worryingly) but we've managed to convince her that we have the means with which to pay rent, and that we won't hold orgies on the front porch. And I watched her watch me watch her take the "for lease" signs out of the window as we walked off down the street. She's a funny old lady - one moment seems lovely and sweet and concerned for us, and the next threatening all sorts of unmentionables should we fail to pay rent. Maybe that's what the basement is hiding - the dry bones of previous unruly tenants? Anyway, it's ours now, or else we'll be threatening all sorts until we get our deposit back!

Friday I had an interview at a store called Eco, which sells outdoor clothing/shoes/bags etc. Really cool store. It was less of an interview and more of a "go out on the shop floor and let's see how you do for an hour". A few nerves, but a fairly quiet beginning and really friendly co-workers helped. And after a while, I got into the whole chatting to customers who walk in, asking if they're OK, etc etc. Thankfully for me, one guy walked in, immediately started talking to me, asking all sorts of questions about everything, and looking for a whole load of gear. We covered trousers, shoes, sales, bags, jackets, and by the time the supervisor took me off for a debrief chat, we were still discussing jackets, he was trying things on. I spent most of the time winging it and improvising but if you do it with conviction...!

I realised this job is basically shopping, but spending other people's money instead of mine. I'd hate doing that in England, as no one likes sales assistants coming up to you, but it's expected over here. And everyone is just open to it, and plain friendly. So after some very positive feedback, I was told to call back on Tuesday when they've spoken to the manager, and hopefully I'll either be in that one, or another across town. But the girl said she wanted to keep me here! Which was very encouraging :-) I got really good vibes from all the people who worked there, and I thought it would just be a really cool environment to work in. I really want this job!

Another satisfying, and equally important point is that I have organised something to sleep on Sunday night! Found a futon bed on good old craigslist for $150 (which is on the more expensive end of what I wanted to pay) but it looks in very good condition, and more to the point, I don't have to go get it! He offered free delivery for today, but I emailed and said I wanted it, and would pay a bit extra for delivery on Sunday, but he's delivering it for free anyway!

Kev and I went skiing Thursday night, up Grouse Mountain, one of the ski areas in Vancouver. We stayed up til 10pm as it's all floodlit and open late. It was great! Mainly blue runs, but found some more challenging areas - we left the blacks as Kevin hadn't been skiing since he was 12. But it was great just for the evening, and to warm up the ski legs and get back into it. Amazing views over the whole of Vancouver and the coast line from up the top as well. As of Monday, there's a rest-of-season pass for Mt Seymour (the biggest of the three hills here) available for $99 which we're going to go get, as job or not, it's a massive bargain, given that last night cost $40 and then rentals on top of that.

I'm looking forward to real life starting. Having a job, building relationships with colleagues, making our house a home, settling in. Having Quentin here. It's now on the global announcement service that is facebook, so it may as well be here, and end the very sporadic, subtle references! Yep, Q and I are an item and he's arriving in Vancouver in just over two weeks' time on a working visa as well :-). Am looking forward to being able to spend time with him that doesn't involve battling sketchy skype connections and negotiating time zones!

Home sweet home

Chris and I no longer have the dorm to ourselves. We're now sharing with two Australian guys and, what can I say, at 1am, it's a treat for the eyes, ears and nose: the room now has a lingering smell somewhere between wet clothes and unwashed feet, I'm being treated to surround sound snoring of orchestral volumes and there seems to be an unidentified extra ski bum sprawled unconscious on the floor.

Good thing we've found a house! After three days of trekking round the outer reaches of surburban Vancouver looking at houses, Chris, Kevin and I have found one! It's imperfectly perfect. The decor scheme is sixties khaki (think olive greens, murky browns, yellows, wooden floors and floral work surfaces in the kitchen), seems to be built entirely of rickety wood, has the tiniest bath you've ever seen and has a downstairs basement area that could be hiding anything. Skeletons, a bloody axe, a small altar of south-facing pebbles, I wouldn't be surprised. However, it has a great front terrace, perfect for sitting out on warm evenings, it's spacious, and has an irresistible quirky, cosy charm to it. We all loved it the moment we saw it, and whilst we sat on the random sofa on the terrace for a good half hour waiting for the woman to show us round, it felt like we were already at our home. Plus it's the closest one we've seen to downtown, in a lovely street, close to the bus, cheap rent and available on a month by month basis which is handy for us working travellers.

We're handing over the deposit tomorrow and waiting for credit checks to be done and then hopefully we can move in later on this week. Job hunting continues, at various places including a chocolate cafe, an outdoor sports clothing store, various other cafes, some writing positions, and of course, there's always Timmy's to fall back on.

Should probably wrap this up...Chris has just got back in and he doesn't need the sound of typing keys as well as snores I don't suppose....bon nuit tout le monde.

Views of Vancouver

A very long time ago, sometime in the mists of early morning, Chris and I took a plane and crossed three time zones and two seasons to land in Vancouver, Pacific Standard time in the middle of summer. Ok, so not actual summer but Vancouver's bright sunshine, relatively warm temperatures, absence of snow, abundance of evergreens and general outdoorsy feel certainly makes it feel like we're heading into May, not sitting out the tail end of February.

It really is a lovely city. Far prettier, more relaxed and fresher than Toronto. I like it. Kevin, Chris and I ventured out to Stanley Park this afternoon, which is less city park and more wild forest, full of huge trees, hidden trails, and a couple of lakes. The seawalk round the peninsula has beautiful views back over the various parts of the city and the mountains beyond. After so much urban rush, the tranquility felt like it was ironing out the frenetic creases in my head from the inside. It was a fair old trek, involving tree-climbing and wildlife spotting. Will sleep well tonight methinks, especially after no sleep last night and a rather restless plane journey sitting in front of a yapping dog that some Paris Hilton wannabe had decided to bring on board with her.

So, back to Vancouver! I like the mix of a funky, busy city centre with some cool-looking places to eat, drink, visit and shop with the endless list of things to do - roller-blading, cycling, running, sailing, and of course, ski the slopes surrounding the city. In fact, we saw plenty of people walking down the main shopping strip clad in snow gear carrying boards on their way back from a session on the snow.

We're staying at Samesun hostel, which seems to be a lively and fun place, with lots going on. However, we're keen to get stuck into house/flat hunting asap. And finding jobs to fund said rent. Kevin has an interview at a bike shop tomorrow. As our resident expert on Vancouver - having been here the grand total of 6 days or so - assures us that jobs are many and easy to come by.

Chris has finally collapsed on his bed (am impressed he held out this long to be honest!) and I don't know where Kevin has got to. Think we'll find some food soonish and then a few drinks somewhere - probably the hostel bar. Am very aware that I'm now spilling stream of consciousness at you all, on the subject of not a lot, which is a good indicator that I should stop, but somehow I've started and can't seem to finish. Good night, or good morning, which ever it is for you - I'm still a bit sketchy on what the time is right now....xx

Looking back and forward, east and west

Welcome back to my blog, more to myself than to anyone else! I have sorely neglected this page over the last ten days or so, but it has been a fun-filled time, which, as time inevitably does, passed much too quickly.

I'm not sure what I wrote in my last entry about Montreal. Probably about first impressions. Second impressions didn't disappoint. Marnie, Jade and I had another good day on our own, visiting the shops and the Quartier Latin, before I went off to the airport to meet Q which, I won't lie, was a great moment! For Jade's last evening the four of us, plus Jeremy and JB, two French guys we met in the hostel went out for some drinks. JB and Jeremy are very good fun, kinda quirky, very amiable and were good friends to make. And good to have some contacts in Montreal now. Q, Marnie and I had fun with them throughout the week - dinner, drinks, card games, bowling, pool and an evening at Montreal Casino. The boys indulged in their shared love of poker whilst Marnie and I wandered round learning how to play various games (with our big, flashing neon signs screaming CLUELESS above our heads), watching the boys play poker for a bit and getting hit on by one very drunk man twice in two different bars. We did however, each win $1.25 - evidence of which is proudly displayed on Facebook :-)

Q and I carried on the quest to bring Ceroc dancing to all parts of the world, including the hostel kitchen, the ice rink and, particularly randomly, the supermarket aisle. We conquered Mont Royal in the park, tried in vain to find a bar showing six nations so played arcade games instead, and got creative in the kitchen trying to make a passable last meal out of kitchen freebie leftovers. Technically it was edible....

I've been back in Toronto for a few days staying with Andy and Shan and it's been good to have some space and quiet before what could be quite a hectic few weeks. Tomorrow, Chris and I are flying to Vancouver, to meet up with Kevin and Ray and get down to finding somewhere to live and work. Can't begin to say how much I'm looking forward to it!

I've got that tense, edgy feeling in my stomach which a long meandering exploration of Markham hasn't shifted. I get this before a big transition or when I'm feeling nervous, although about what, I'm not sure. I'm going with friends and even if I wasn't, despite what I'd instinctively say, I'm actually fairly good at the whole independent travel, meeting new people scene. It's the waiting around that gets me, feeling restless and on my own. I want to be there now, or at least down in the hostel, not here alone. I've realised that despite my prominent independent streak, I much prefer doing things with others, and that doing so isn't a failure on my part to be able to cope solo, but just the way I'm wired. It's a valuable lesson worth learning sooner rather than later I think! And I'm still learning it, and will probably be still learning for a long while yet...

BC and GMT-8 here we come!

An awkward dorm moment...

Jade and I booked into a 4-bed dorm room last night which we had to ourselves. Until 2am when two German girls arrived as we were just getting off to sleep. We get up, chat to them for a bit - the usual hostel chat. We cover the usual names/nationalities where they've come from (Vancouver) and intended plans (working on a husky farm, leaving in the morning) whilst they get ready for bed. In the morning I speak to them as well for a bit as they get ready to leave.

Fast forward to this evening. I'm sitting on my bed, Facebooking and the door opens and in walk the two German girls, clearly not on aforementioned husky farm. I'm not entirely sure, but smile anyway and assume it's them, and get a recognising smile back, and then one of them starts explaining what they're doing back. Unfortunately their car was broken into, so they're being delayed a day whilst they get it fixed.

In walks Jade from reception. Says hi, and asks "where are you from". Catherina responds..."uhhhmmm...." and I jump in explaining story of the broken car, and how they've been delayed in their trip to the husky farm (complete with raised eyebrows and all manner of other efforts to subtly let Jade know that she has met these girls before). Jade looks at me, none the wiser. I repeat the story. Jade giggles, "oh that's funny". German girls are inclined to disagree. Jade then asks, "so, where are you from". At this point I resign. Fortunately for Jade, she manages a plausible story about it being dark at 2am, a lack of contact lenses and being asleep for most of the morning, which seems to do the trick, but possibly not because they leave the room pretty soon after.

We're giving our hostel a mixed review at the moment. On the plus side, it's big, has a big kitchen, bar and common room area, is centrally located, has lots of information and a friendly reception desk. On the down side, it's quite empty (technically not its fault), it's fairly expensive (rooms, food, drinks), doesn't do free breakfasts and you can't bring your own alcohol in and the kitchen has no oven, which we discovered one trip to the supermarket too late, returning with beers and pizza. Jade's beers were confiscated at reception and we had an interesting dinner of microwaved and pan-fried pizza. Would you like your crusts soggy or burnt, ladies? For the alcohol problem, we've arranged an overnight smuggling trip which involves J and M taking them out as M went home, and M bringing them back hidden in her bag tomorrow. I'm sorted as I have a bottle of Malibu in my bag that I'd completely forgotten was there!

Montreal, however, is beautiful! We walked for ages today, down and along the river St Laurent to Vieux Montreal and the Vieux Port, all quite French and European, visited Notre Dame (beautiful), up through Chinatown, to Parc Mont Royal, and up the mountain to look down on the lights of the city stretching out into the distance.

Montreal isn't completely French, but definitely not as American as Toronto. Maybe Canadian would be a good term! It's far more beautiful, sophisticated and chic than Toronto, and it feels like it knows it too. But the friendliness and helpfull attitudes I experienced in TO is still very much in evidence. I'm not sure why I was surprised by this. I suppose a few people had led me to believe that it was less so. Or perhaps I was unconsciously following traditional English stereotypes about the French (which I actually disagree with!!). Still have difficulty understanding them though! What is weird, though, is speaking French but having to put dollars on the end of sentences whenever discussing prices. I automatically want to say Euros.

Tomorrow...hmm, I've forgotten our plans for the morning. Oh yeah, exploring the indoor/underground city in the "morning" (ie, early afternoon) before I head off to Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau arrivals to meet a certain last-minute visitor. Tres exciting :-) Then we're all hitting the Montreal night scene good 'n' proper to mourn Jade's last evening in Canada and give her a good send-off! We might even invite les Allemandes in an attempt to offer an olive branch if they're still here...now, it was Catherina, and...

At the amber light

Hello everyone. After a few days off from writing, I'm back off the piste. This week has been pretty quiet, days settling into something resembling normal life. But that's all stopping as of tomorrow, when Jade and I will haul ourselves up at some unearthly hour to catch a bus to Montreal. Incidentally, in the time it will take us to travel by coach, anyone of you could fly from London to the same place, or Toronto, and beat us to it. I'm really looking forward to seeing another city, but sad to be leaving Canadiana hostel. It's really felt like a home for the last few weeks. But I always like to stick to my rule of leaving whilst you're still having a good time, as everyone knows there's nothing worse than ending up as the permanent fixture. There are a few of those here, and mostly, they're a little on the odd side of crazy.

I had another day of feeling incredibly lucky to be doing what I'm doing yesterday. At work I had a really humbling conversation with a new lady whose first day it was. She had moved to Toronto with her husband and children from the Philippines last year, and we were talking visas and arriving in new lands. She was glad she was here for her kids, but I had the impression she was unsure of being here herself. They had to wait 4 years to have their visa approved. I almost didn't want to say how easy it had been to get mine sorted. And I know that had I gone straight through the normal embassy methods I might still be on a 2-year list, but I didn't. I was offered a last minute one that I took on a snap decision for relativly little cost, financial or otherwise. And whilst she and her husband have both got quite low-paying jobs out of necessity, I'm picking and choosing where I work, and when and really, doing what I want. The ease and independence of it all was something so surprising to her, and good for me to see it from another set of eyes. It reinforced it for me that this is not something to be wasted or taken for granted.

Last night was awesome :-) Nothing out of the ordinary, just the regular Thursday night at Republik, the crappy little club round the corner, but one for which the saying "people not the place" might have been invented.

A bit of a non-entry

Uhhhhhhh. I can't remember the last time I was in bed before 1am, possibly even 2. I think my average bedtime of 3 is starting to take its toll. I'm definitely feeling like my stay in Toronto needs to be drawing to a close - which it is. Various people have now gone their separate ways and Jade and I are going to Montreal for a few days on the 7th and after that I'm going to Vancouver, and hopefully, Whistler. Just need to sort out work, and by that I mean find an opportune moment to quit, because I'm down for a shift on the 7th as well.

People have asked me several times during the last 3 weeks whether I'm missing England and each time I've given a resounding 'no' (sorry!) but I think I'm going through a phase of, if not feeling homesick, very much noticing that I don't have my usual, stable network of family and friends around me. Probably very much exacerbated by the fact that I'm actually exhausted - I was planning on an early night last night, but, once again, the club called and we danced away til 2, drank tea til 3 etc etc. Ironically, I'm sort of glad I've got a nightmare shift at work this afternoon (3-11) as hopefully I really won't feel like heading out afterwards (and more to the point, everyone will have already left, who might take me with them!).

Speaking of dear old Tim H's, there was a brand new person working there yesterday; in comparison I felt like quite the expert! Twas a nice feeling :-) But any amount of loyalty that might have been growing inside me for the place was swiftly dashed yesterday when I saw that I was working 9-5 next Saturday when I plan to be on a coach to Montreal.

Random quote!

Another quote from Kevin, reacting to Jade checking that the Northern lights are not, in fact, in summer, but actually, in Winter over here: "NOOO, you see the Northern lights in Winter because you need the dark and in summer, there is no dark!!! Be a bit more organised!!"

La vie en blanc

My first hit from the food thieves last night. Almost an entire carton of milk gone. Grrrr. Not a happy bunny, I was last night when my cornflakes were dry and had to empty several of those tiny milk portions at the tea station onto them.

A few random thoughts and facts for this post, it'll be a bit bitty and unconnected but, hey.

Firstly: Toronto, in 1600, was a trading post used by different tribes of Indians, namely the Huron and the Iroquois, and it was originally called Teiaiagon. Because of it's location, it was the hub for 3 portages from Georgian Bay and the lakes to the Mississippi and so became a permanent settlement, called Toronto, The Carrying Place. (Toronto because it was at the southern end of le passage de Toronto.) It strikes me as really apt that it's now one of the most multi-cultural cities as it seems that it was a busy, mixing place all those years ago.

Secondly: I learnt a cool word for my tennis German vocab: abwechslungsreich. Meaning rich in variety, to be used when describing Federer's game at it's peak. Ironically, we actually used it when watching the Roddick/Djokovic match, to describe Novak's game technique and opine on what Roddick's seemed to be lacking...who then went on to win.

Thirdly: the power of the photoshop airbrush. I was in a bookstore yesterday and some busty female wrestler (famous in Canada I think) was doing a book/magazine signing. The difference between her on the front cover of the magazine and her in real life was astounding. On the cover she could have been, 25-29, real life I'd say definitely 35. So girls, it really is true what they say.

Fourthly: Amish people in the US don't pay taxes. So there's a potential little loophole to investigate if things ever get desperate in the credit crunch.

It is properly, properly snowing right now! Very exciting although makes our day trip plans seem a little more of an adventure but I think we're still going to find this damn Cherry Beach place because none of us want to be stuck indoors. Cherry Beach has proved illusive on several attempts by several people. And no, Q, we are not getting a taxi, it must be done under our own steam!

Ok, so next part of the plan for those of you interested. Montreal on the 7th Feb with Jade to meet up with Marnie who sadly left us yesterday for the bright lights of NYC. And then I'm heading West to Vancouver and any skiing that I might find. Kevin is probably heading there around the 7th and there's another girl from the hostel too who is making her way over so there should be a couple of people around when I get there, plus a few contacts that my new Canadian friend Sarah has promised to put me in touch with. And then an envoi from the UK arrives mid March... :-)