Firsts

This week was a week of firsts; Alex had his first day of kindergarten and Olivia had her first day of pre-school.

While we had anticipated tears and excessive fears, the week went surprisingly smooth.

Alex was very excited about school and has had his outfit (Lightning McQueen t-shirt and sandals) and backpack ready for weeks.

Tuesday was the unofficial first day; half an hour practice session that allowed parents the opportunity to meet the teacher and observe. Alex was very shy and a bit miffed that the teacher kept calling him Alexander ("I like my whole name, but I don't want the teacher calling me that", he said). I informed the teacher - Mrs McGill - that he preferred to be called Alex...she complied.

The second day went for a whole hour. It was the first official day of kindergarten, and it was expected that the kids attend the session solo. Alex was a bit hesitant about it at first, but beamed when the teacher noticed and proceeded to make a big fuss out of the McQueen t-shirt. We saw that as our cue to make a hasty retreat for the door and skedaddle out of there pronto. When pick up time came, Alex emerged looking calm and confident, like he had really achieved something - and he had. He told us he had spent most of the time playing cars with a boy called James, and apparently he isn't the only kid who likes McQueen (eye roll). Alex seemed well on his way and at ease with the whole "big school" thing, so we were relieved.

Olivia was also very excited about having her turn at school. She had been less enthusiastic about it earlier in the year, but was very ready this week.

We imagined she would have been a little clingy about being left at the school, but she was rearing to go. Alex had been attending the same school for two years, so it was a familiar place to her, even the teachers were the same ones Alex had last year.

Once in the class room, Olivia was eager to get stuck into the toys, but Miss Arnold guided her over to the drawing table and she happily started colouring away. When we picked her up an hour later, she emerged relax and happy, none the worse for wear - she is a bit of a trooper when it comes to most things - and on the walk home, announced that she wanted "to go there again!".... Tuesday is a long time to wait for the enthusiastic.

Alex had another day of pre-school today and said that he spoke to James again, and the twin sisters that are in his class - that is really something for him - to speak at all AND to GIRLS! He already has homework to do - practice writing his name and to hold his pencil correctly.

I am really proud of them both for playing it so cool; for being "big kids" and I am very glad and relieved that they seem to be enjoying it.

oh yeah....

I guess I forgot to mention that we sold the house. Oops, it has been a crazy couple of weeks.

It sold in four days. Does that mean we priced it too cheap?

No, we are happy with the price we got.

We are yet another step closer to coming home.

on the market

You may (or not, depending on who reads this blog) be happy to know that the house went on the market yesterday. We got a stager in on Monday to work with the giant void that is the lounge room. Here are the photos after the stager finished her handiwork.....

Most of house was a mish mash of bits and pieces that were struggling to fill the space provided; the lounge room literally only had a couple of sofas in it, but look at it now.

I was quite happy to have a stager come in and do something with the area, since we aren't into the buying more stuff mode, and the lounge room is the first room one arrives to upon entering the house, so I think it is important to make a good first impression.

Anyway, the whole point of staging is to draw attention to the house, rather than the things in it, or the ugly wall paper; hideous overly mirrored walls and dog piss stained carpet...as was the case when we bought this house. Yes, the aim is to give it enough that a potential buyer can see themselves living in the space, rather than picking up the owners vibe i.e staring at their wedding photos; checking out the diplomas on the wall and the books in their book case etc. "It all has to be inviting, pleasant and reasonably impersonal...blah blah blah".

The stager was at our place for a good four hours, which surprised me. The other surprise was that she not only did the one room, like she said she would, but she added a couple of bits and pieces to most of the room to tie it all in (I guess so people weren't immediately struck by how one room looked suspiciously lovely while the others looked so so).

The stager used many of our own things, but arranged them in different ways. She mostly added lamps and pictures to our vacant walls, and added a few other decorative pieces.
In the end the changes she made were quite subtle, but made a dramatic impact. She brought in the ottoman for the living room, which gave the room a great grown up look - that room was formally dominated by the kids and their stuff.
She also gave us this kitchen table and moved our own table into a space in the lounge room to make it into a formal dining room. The kitchen table she gave us gives our kitchen much more space. She did a really good job.

I think the biggest surprise came from Ashley's reaction. He wasn't sold on the stager idea. In true blokey fashion, he couldn't really see the point and did not appreciate the potential power of soft furnishings and a few well chosen pieces of furniture, but he was suitably impressed.... I am glad, because I just kind of said "we are doing this" and that was it.

The kids have been pretty good about the new furniture and stuff, although Alex did put bite marks in one of the fake fruits in the fruit basket. The stager didn't touch their rooms, which was good. It is all a bit of a novelty still, so they are presently respecting the rules about the new things. I do know, the longer the place takes to sell, the harder it will be to maintain the pristine look, so I am praying that it sells quickly so we can give this stuff back and get back to being the uncultured slobs we normally are, ha!

Whistler

I just got back from Whistler...Brrr, was it cold! Just joking. I went up with my friend, Laura. She and I dared a trip away with the kids, leaving the guys at home to mind the house. Vancouver/Whistler is the future home of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, but the weather was all summer while we were there - it was grand.

There is so much to do in Whistler. In Winter it is "the place" to go for skiing and the like, so it never really occurred to me to go there in the summer.

Whistler is a village surrounded by mountains. There are two ski mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, apparently Cougar Mountain is being groomed as a third.

There are numerous trails one can walk during the summer, along with some upper level glacier skiing. At the feet of these mountains are a number of lakes, some glacial fed lakes filled with stunning, turquoise coloured water, while others are regular snow melt lakes; these tend to be dark in colour, mimicking the deep green colour of surrounding pines and fir trees.

We took the kids for a swim in Alta Lake one afternoon. They had a ball, but immediately afterward started complaining of "swimmers itch". It is fine to swim in these lakes, as long as you thoroughly wash yourself off afterward, which we attempted to do, but not well enough, so it seems. The kids were practically climbing the walls on the trip home, panicking about their itchy legs....it was straight into the bath once we got back to the accommodation.

Whistler Village is a happening place; vibrant and humming, with a multitude of little shops and cafes to duck into and explore. the kids had a ball in Upper Village, where there are a lot of kid friendly activities to do; such as horse riding; mini golf; bouncy castle; a trapeze; rides; rock wall; and the kids zone ski school operates out of there too, in the wintertime.

Mountain biking is a huge deal during the summer months. While we were there they were having some kind of competition, that involved an elaborately designed course and some scarily high jumps, positioned at the far end of Village Walk - the shops. Some kid had a bad tumble on one of those jumps while we were there. Not sure what happened exactly, but he was stretchered off the course and the ambulance collected him a short time later - hope he is alright.

There were other biking trails that people could take, further up the mountain as well, but the young people, all walking around with their massive bikes and mud splattered up their backs, brought a great vibe to the village.

Where there are mountains and snow, there must be rivers and the odd waterfall, so not wanting to miss the opportunity to view one, we took a hike to Nairn Falls; trundling single file along a narrow path that dropped straight into the raging Green River below. The rocks surrounding the falls were smooth and slippery, even while dry, the result of an ancient volcano that had once spewed lava over that very spot. It was incredible to think that we were standing upon ancient lava.

Salamanders, green tree frogs and the rubber boa constrictor live in the park surrounding Nairn Falls - not that we saw any of these creatures, much to Olivia's disappointment, she was hoping to see the damn snake. Although we did not see any salamanders, we did see four black bears over the course of our stay: a young male (I am guessing) who had crept out of the forest along the highway. We imagined that he was hoping to cross over to the stream on the other side. The other chance sighting was while coming down Whistler Mountain on the gondola. We saw a mother bear with her two cubs, hiding in the shadows of the nearby brush; oblivious mountain bikers riding mere metres away....bit of a worry.

Speaking of the gondola...I think the 25 minute, 6000ft up gondola ride was the trip highlight for all the kids. We adults enjoyed it too, but also the mountain itself. Up there we were really able to take in the vast and breath taking scenery. There are a number of hikes one can take up there, some guided. We chose the 30 minute paleface loop trail, it was perfect for a family with small children. The kids also got a kick out of touching some of the small patches of snow that lay, left over from the winter.

A trip up the mountain is not cheap, $30 for one adult, or $50 for a day trip, but kids under 7 years are free, but when you think about it, you are paying to ride the gondola AND use the park and mountain, so really, it is actually pretty good value, and the scene atop is priceless anyway; well worth the money, even if we weren't up there to ski.

We had phenomenal weather the entire time we were there. We hiked and saw wildlife, and on top of all that, the four kids together were pretty well behaved. It was a great little get away - I would love to experience Whistler in the winter, but that will have to happen another time. I doubt we will have the chance to get back there before we go, but I reckon I will remember our trip to Whistler forever.

"Little Man" turns 5

Sunday was Alex's 5th birthday - 5! Can you believe that?

We had a good day with him. He wanted a ferry boat, but since the only one I could find was a flimsy over-priced replica of one of the BC Ferries around here, I managed to win him over to getting a cargo ship instead - it was a hit.

We pretty much spent the morning playing with him and his new stuff, before heading out for a special lunch, which has been the tradition while we have been here, pretty much.

We went to The Riverhouse, which is near our home, it is on the river, as the name suggests. Alex also got a little camera for his birthday, which he had been bugging us for, for about two years. So after lunch we went down to the river and he went nuts taking pictures. Unfortunately most of the pictures were used up before we even got to the river (alot of photos of carpet). It is a kids digital, but he wouldn't hear of deleting any of them...so it could get interesting.

And if you thought that shirt looked familiar, his Great Gran gave it too him for his third birthday. It has been declared (by him) as "the birthday shirt" and has been worn to ever birthday, Christmas, celebration and wedding since he got it on his third birthday (pictured here)....I wonder if it will still fit when he is six...or this Christmas even.

As far as cakes go, we did the Dairy Queen ice-cream thing again (for Ashley!). Alex loves anything to do with the "Cars" movie, so a Cars cake he had. Overall, it was a pretty relaxed day. He had fun, so that is all that really matters.

Thank you to those who sent gifts, they were really appreciated. We hope to get some thankyou's out soon, hopefully with the odd photo inside.

Decisions, decisions....

Over the weekend, our mate Bruce introduced us to a Vancouver icon - La Casa!
La Casa is a gelato parlour that boasts 218 flavours. 218 flavours! Can you believe that?

We turned up late on Saturday afternoon, and the place was packed. La Casa Gelato is positioned at 1033Venables Street in East Vancouver, not a noted touristy destination, but people know about it.

La Casa Gelato is made on the premises, with the establishment supplying many of the local restaurants around town. La Casa is perhaps not the place to go if you have trouble making up your mind, although the free samples of varieties inspiring the curiosity certainly help in that regard; there are also a number of "cone" options as well.

So what did we opt for? I had raspberry cheesecake, Alex had Mint Choc Chip, Ashley had the the old tried and true- double chocolate chip, Olivia had electric blue Cotton Candy, much of which was worn down her chin and the front of her brand new dress; Bruce went for something more exotic, "Death by Mango" and white, something weird (sorry I forget what the other flavour was).

I wish I had the chance to take my Grandpa to this place; his eyes would have glazed over at the thought.

Verdict: damn good gelato! Will try to remember to visit there a dozen times before we leave town. And for those who may be venturing over our way - remind me and I will take you there ;)

Good times...

The kids and I have just come back from Calgary, which is a lovely city located in southern Alberta, the next province over from British Columbia. We were visiting our good friends, Tony and Belinda Horvat, and their kids Sam and Amelia. It was great.


Poor ole Ashley had to work so he stayed home with the dogs, but that was ok, because Tony was busy with work too. Belinda had many activities planned for us and we got to see a good deal of the city. We also had ample time to chat, which seems to be something that we can do awfully well together.

Calgary enjoys a dry summer heat. It was pretty warm when we were there; at one stage reaching 32 degrees. For us, who enjoy a milder, more humid summer, it was hot - although my attire (something that is frequently letting me down at the moment) was not helping matters; I roasted. I SERIOUSLY need to invest in some decent summer wear ahead of our arrival to Oz in late November - they are starting to get their Fall stock in over here already - Noooooooo!

On the outer rim of Calgary they have an amusement park called Calaway Park. It was pretty awesome, and fantastic for the kids. All you have to do is pay your entry fee and then you can go on all the rides you want. Olivia loved the carousel the most. They also had an easy guide at the gate, that let your child know which rides he/she qualified to go on, according to their height. It was really easy to see at a glance whether they were tall enough to ride any particular ride by themselves, thus saving rejected-at-the-front-of-the-line tantrums!


This week and last were Stampede week in Calgary. The Stampede brings a great cowboy atmosphere to the city, and many people are seen walking around in cowboy hat and boots. Belinda took us to a Stampede breakfast one morning, which was held in the closed off car park of a local shopping centre. There was a petting zoo and pony rides, show horses, cow milking competitions, country music bands and other displays, not to mention a sumptuous pancake and sausage breakfast to be had, all on the city of Calgary's tab - Thank you very much. It was great to be a part of that busy festival vibe.

Since it was hot, we headed to a water park in the afternoon, which was in downtown Calgary, through a beautiful park and over the Bow River bridge. All the rivers I have ever seen are murky brown and reasonably calm: the Murray, Murrumbidgee and BC's Fraser River included. The Bow River had a strong current - a really strong current. People raft on the river, but it is too dangerous to swim, apparently many people have drowned in it, and even rafting is pretty dangerous due to the current, but it was the river's colour that blew me away the most; bluey green. I couldn't get over it. I have never seen such a fresh clean looking major river before.

Belinda also took us to the mountains - Banff and Lake Louise. Any who are even remotely familiar of these areas, will know that they define the word "beautiful"; snow capped mountains; fir trees as far as the eye can see; the bluest tranquil lakes one can possible imagine, filled with an abundance of frigid glacial waters, and clean crisp mountain air. These are the scenes that inspire artists of all mediums, mountaineers, environmentalists and John Denver! We even saw a bear - yep its true, a wild black bear foraging for food on a hillside close to the road. Some fool apparently rowed his canoe off Bow Falls at Banff when we were there, but we didn't see it, Thankfully. The reports said that an English tourist was taken to hospital with a great deal of bruising - hopefully mainly to his ego - idiot.

While the trip to the mountains was fab, the drive with the kids was nightmarish. Alex kept complaining about sore legs (?) Olivia had to stop every 10 metres to go to the toilet and we had a 20 month old who was very tired - Alex and Olivia's antics were not helping in that regard, but we survived.
Before we headed back home on Friday, Belinda took us to Calgary Zoo, which is great. The Great Vancouver Zoo is not good, and I am saying that as politely as possibly, but this zoo is wonderful, with large modern enclosures, environmental programs and kids summer education camps. It also has a prehistoric Park, with life-size models of dinosaurs in amongst terrain similar to the environment it once lived. Prehistoric Park opened in the early 80's, and the models did look a little cheesy, but the kids went nuts over it. Alex was so excited to see all there fake dinosaurs, even though he said he would prefer to see the real animals before we got there.

I really enjoyed catching up with Belinda. It is difficult to talk on the phone while our respective children go ape in wanting our attention (yes Mum...I know!), so it was wonderful to have that chat time once everyone was tucked up in bed. It was also great to see Sam and Alex playing so well together again; they were best little buddies when we all lived in Australia, and when they got together it was like they met up only yesterday, rather than this being the second time in two years. All in all we had a tremendous time, and I am happy that I have at least seen SOME of the country beside our local vicinity since we have been here - would have like to have seen more though; another time maybe, but it'll have to be as a foreign tourist, as opposed to a ummm... errr Aussie checking out the local Canadian scene (?).

Anyway, would you believe a friend asked the kids and I if we would like to venture up to Whistler for a couple of nights with them next week - "sure, why not". Sight-seeing: when it rains it pours (pardon the pun).

ready...set...WALK

I did the HBC Run for Canada 3km Walk yesterday. I don't know, there is something about lining up to a start line, stomach filled with butterflies, excitement; anticipation building, readying oneself for the GO signal, only to set out for a.... walk. It seems almost as daft as competing in a staring contest or a thumb war - really. A walking race just doesn't seem serious enough.

I positioned myself at the front of the start line, and steamed away when given the go ahead. Soon I found myself way out in front, and I felt really self conscious - Is that not the most insane thing you have heard today?

I haven't ever been comfortable in the lime light or exposed in anyway, give me a dark corner to hide in any day. If I were to come back as an animal, I would probably end up being a chameleon - blending perfectly into the scenery.

By the way, I came third, don't know exactly how many people took part, but it was fun anyway. I finished in 24 minutes, which is slow, so I have something to aim for now. I am going to try for a 5km run next time, and leave the walk races until I am in Australia...unless there is another race walking to do before then.

Ashley and the kids enjoyed the 1km race, and they gave every participant a t-shirt and a finishers medal. There were free cupcakes, water and balloons for the kids, it was a great way to spend Canada Day, and raise money for Canadian Olympic Athletes too, which was the whole point of the run.

I hope you are all satisfied that I have put my ugly mug on here. Yesterday I received an email complaining about my absence ; I am not mentioning any names....