June already

Is it really June already? Wasn't I only in Australia last week? Alex asked me today "how mwny more months until Halloween?" FIVE!!!!!! I feel like summer is almost over, and it hasn't even begun! (I think I am still a little traumatised by my first Canadian winter).
Quick, someone hand me a fishing line so I can reel in what remains of this year before it fizzles into a smokey oblivion like one of last years fire crackers.

where do you live?

"That must be pretty unbearable", piped one of the mothers at Alex's pre-school. She was talking to me and motioning to the assortment of vehicles and heavy machinery making the determined racket on the tennis court across from the sports field.
"What are they doing? Is that clammer going on alongside you?, she pressed with a double question, in an obviouis attempt to establish exactly where I resided. They knew I was from over that way somewhere and within walking distance, since I drove only during heavy downpours.
"No, I live next to the parking lot", I said to put an end to the charaded interest in the goings on beyond the sports field. "They are just filling in the cracks on the tennis court", I relaid in an attempt to put the matter to rest.
"Literally.. next to the parking lot", another predictably asked. "Which side?"
Everyone wants to know where the familiar faces live. Knowing where one lives; the neighbourhood, the style of home - it all offers suggestions about the kind of person they are; especially when we tend to form vague impressions and imaginings about remote acquaintances. When we know where another lives, the information colours our earlier
illustrations; house or unit, shabby or well maintained, old or new, even the colour scheme and the garden; they all appear to say much about the person who lives there. Now whether our assumptions are correct are an entirely different matter.
And since I struggle to offer verbal gratifications that would actually allow others to get to know me, I guess knowing where I live can bury some of the intrigue for the minority who are genuinely curious.

may days parade

On Sudnay we trudged down to the fairgrounds to take in the May Days celebrations http://www.ladnermaydays.org. Alex really wanted to ride the Dodge'em Cars, but I was unable to go with him on Friday night, so I promised that Ashley would take him on Sunday when we came down for the parade. Alex liked the ride until he got bumped the first time - oh well, that box has been ticked now.
North Americans appear to be pretty enthusiastic about their parades and never seem to miss an opportunity to bung one on. There was a Holloween parade, Thanksgiving parade, Chistmas parade, Easter Parade and they are just the ones I heard about after the fact.
Well we made sure we remembered to attend this one and it was actaully alot of fun. The whole thing was about local people and businesses. It was a great show of community spirit and pride, something that was really missing in Flagstaff Hill, not that we were unware of that when living there.
So many lollies were handed out that we had to start hiding them so Alex and Olivia wouldn't eat them. It was not as elaborate as the David Jones Christmas Pagent by any means, but it was accessible at the local level; familiar faces and enough roadside space for the kids to actaully see the goings on, and almost anyone with an association to Ladner could take part. Alex said his favourite bit was seeing "the playgroup lady" in the parade - he even waved to her, which is very unlike him.

When the carnival comes to town

Why is it that the most miserable looking, grumpiest and most apothetic people at any carnival seem to be the carnival ride operators?
They are surrounded by all this energy, the lights the movement, the colour, laughing children and happy parent overjoyed to see the excitement on their childs face, but when stung by the sourness of some of those operators it is enough to make you purse your lips and do the squinty eye thing.
Alex wanted to go on this ride that had helicopters and planes that went around, he would have had to go by himself and was all keen on it from the minute he saw it. So after doing the rounds to see what the choices were before blowing our very limited dough, we went back to it. "Alex would like to take a ride", I said offering my ride ticket to the ride operator. "ride's closed", he barked abruptly and unapologetically. "A friggin sign might be useful, you B......", I thought but did not say. Later the ride was operating and so we went back to it. This time the operator snatched the ticket from my hand, but Alex changed his mind. He didn't want to go on it, probably because the guy was so gruff. So I said to the guy, "I paid for a ticket, but Alex has changed his mind about going on this ride now". "Whatever", he said and walked off! Surprised I looked at this lady who gave me the "is he serious" look. So she bails up this guy and restates my case, but he just said "not my problem" and turned his back. If this is this guy attitude in the carnivals first couple of hours, imagine what he is going to be like by the end of day three - lighten up sour puss. 

Taken for a ride

Both Alex and Olivia loved the rides at carnival night for the 110th Annual Ladner Pioneer May Days celebrations. It was a bit difficult taking the two of them by myself. There were height restrictions for all of the rides and some rides only took two at a time, so we missed some of the appropriate ones, but that was ok, the kids went on enough rides to satisfy them. The first night of the May Days celebrations kicks off with carnival operators offering $1 and $2 rides where they are normally $4: so Friday night is the best time to go.
The only other thing that Alex really wanted was fairy floss, or "cotton candy" as they call it here. There is something about the way fairy floss dissolves on your tongue that is capable of recapturing a snap-shot of our own childhood in a single tingly moment, enabling us to momentarily ignore the screaming "cavity alert" siren going psycho in our head. 

Tim Tams

Ashley got a packet of Tim Tams sent over for his birthday, well not just that, but it could have been, given his excitement over it. Well the old Canadian biscuits don't really stack up. There is just something about the Tim Tam, and on further analysis - for scientific purposes only - it can be concluded that the Tim Tam offers the consumer the perfectly balanced combination of chocolate and crunch: that is unless you dip it into your coffee, which is just gross!

Happy birthday to our big boy

When you think of ice cream and ice cream cakes who do you think of. Thats right ASHLEY!
It was Ashley's birthdy yesterday and we went all out. We got him a cake made from his favorite food - ice cream. It was hand selected by Alex and Olivia featuring a red car on it - although Olivia was considering the one with Elmo from Seseame Street.
We got a packet of balloons and some streamers and decorated the house.. I bought some wine and made baked salmon for dinner. It was great. Ashley and I were planning to polish off the bottle of wine once the kids were asleep, but the wild and crazy celebrations kind of ended abruptly (and rather early) when we all fell asleep putting the kids to bed: me on the floor of Olivia's room and Ashely on the bean bag in Alex's room. Yeah....I think we are officially getting old.

Shhhh...don't tell anyone

I am whispering because I have been a little wary about telling everyone this, and I have deliberately been holding back in telling you all that ...here is the secret bit....
We have been in Canada for over a year now.
SHHHHH! Not so loud....
Yes, time does fly doesn't it.
Yeah, but I have been reluctant to say anything because well... we don't yet have our new visa and well..... I guess we are kinda illegal immigrants.
SHHHHH!
Yeah, I know. Who would of thought - Me! An illegal immigrant - huh! Kind of ironic isn't it.
Well we have been half assured that we will be ok while our new visaa is being processed, as long as we don't make any "noise" (commit any OTHER illegal acts) or attempt to leave then re-enter the country on the old visa. Now do you understand why I am whispering?
That said - we are still very anxious to get our hands on the almighty visa, even though my old one DOES document me as being 10 years younger - surprised I haven't been picked up for holding a fake on that completely obvious point alone really.

Bowen Island

This is NOT Bowen Island.
Bowen Island is a short 15 mintue ferry ride from West Vancouvers Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal. It consists of a relatively sheltered local community of wealthy commuters to the main land and artists. When telling of our plans to check out Bowen Island, we were met with many a blank look and questioning grin, "I've never been there; why would you want to go there; there is nothing there so don't waste your time", since these were largely the same people who had previously advised us to travel over the US border to check out Point Roberts - or Snoresville, as we seldomly recall it, we decided to take our chances and head "overseas" - at least the ferry ride would have been an experience. Well it was raining for much of the time we were there and it was the long weekend, but other than the frustrating aspect of minimal signage and maximum potential to get lost when trying to find the eateries, there was plenty to do on Bowen Island. The scenery was stunning for one, as this little tidbit will attest.

Private Beachfront real estate anyone?

Yes this is the kind of back yard or front yard not uncommon to the Bowen Island resident - a private beach no less. Bowen Island was full of pretty scenery, quiet bays and roads that mindlessly meandered along, only to taper off into the rainforest or unfortunately too often - someones backyard. No one seemed to care though, it was imagined that you were local in fact. Example....
We were driving along, just minding our own business when Olivia spotted a "horsey" hanging its head over a wooden fence under a canopy of tree branches in an effort to escape the rain. We had stopped so she could have a look when a car pulls up; a woman asks us if we have a phone, and whether we could call "The Culvilles", and ask them when they might be picking up their Grandson. She explained that she had picked her own son up from the beach where he had met his friend. The boy's Grandparents were meant to pick him up over an hour ago. She would have taken him home, but his bike would not fit in her car. As it was, she was having to take a painfully slow journey behind them, as the boy in question and her son made the long trip home (presumeably they had been dropped off with their bikes). So with that information in hand we said "sure, what is the number?"
"I don't know", said the woman, "Don't you know it?"
"Err, nuh! We don't know them", we assured her.
The woman looked so disappointed, but thanked us all the same and drove off. I thought after, why don't you just ask the Grandson for the number???? It was a bit wierd.
Maybe due to the lack of adequate signage on the island "The Culvilles" had become disorientated and had been circling Bowen Island's own McKillerney Lake for the past hour unable to determine where and how they might exit - it is possible!

Choccies

Well We DID manage to locate a map at the closed information booth and we DID manage to find Artisen Square and a nice restaurant with great views to go to for a preliminary birthday lunch for Ashley, but found it was only open for dinner. Oh well, after much searching, we DID manage to find the chocolatier and managed to escape the shop spending only $10 on the glorious delights (although the chocolates didn't manage to escape the island before we had eaten them all). A pokey little chocolate cafe, selling a interesting and varied number of hot chocolate drinks and fine, handmade belgian and french style chocolates. MMMMM! The raspberry ones were my favourites. The dark diamond one central in this picture was a dark bitter sweet chocoate with tiny pieces of dried raspberry strap throughout, it was delicious! I also selected a dark heart shaped raspberry truffle, nice but the other was better. Ashley selected a caramel swirl and a mint one, while Alex and Olivia had a solid white and milk chocolate each, in the shape of monkeys and bears - highly recommended chocolate, but I question the inside space for a cafe - you could barely swing a cat in there, which kinda kills the almosphere.
Artisen Square was also home to a number of galleries, art studios and knick knack shops.

silver waters grey skies

Well we finally managed to find a cafe for the preliminary birthday lunch. Unfortunately it was not the menu nor the atmosphere I had imagined. We ended up having sangers and coffee in a cramped cafe, and the previously purchased choccies while sitting in the car afterward.
The kids had been chanting for "something to eat" for an hour, and since it was a long weekend many of the other appropriate restaurants were chockers. This was very apparent in one, which shall remain namelss, when a grumpy waitress pleaded loudly to her co-worker to "make those people GO AWAY", obviously referring to us - I was not all that impressed. So when we were offered the opportuntity to wait 20 mintues for a table, we tactfully managed to suggest she stick her restaurant where the sun don't shine, to which I am sure she was delighted, as it was one less table she would have to clear and we wouldn't have given her a very big trip anyway - not on principle, but because we are Australian and it goes against the grain.
This is a picture of some of the many boats floating lazily and un-manned around the place. In the distance there is a rather large barge being pulled out to sea by a tug. Overall Bowen Island has a relaxed feel - a bit of a hide away for the creatively inclined. Unlike the very close at hand Point Roberts, the day trip to Bowen Island was well worth the effort. And to those Canadians who swore there was nothing to see on Bowen Island, I can only think that we Australians are still in awe of the BC landscape; something that must be lost in the everyday for the locals.

surviving the train disaster

Well you might have heard about it on the news, maybe not...probably not, but a train derailed along a remote Burnaby line, just east of Vancouver, and we were on it. All was relatively calm until witnesses noticed a second trian on the line, careering towards us. Unaware of our plight, and the potential looming disaster that lay just around the bend; the whistle of our train blew sending a warning to the speeding train but......
Ok ENOUGH!!!!!! No, we weren't hurt, it was a...ummm.... model ride on train. It jumped the tracks and we barely noticed. The train driver lifted the train back on the tracks and we all just sat there - the train behind could have cared less. (Sigh!)
Actually the Burnaby Central Railway http://bcsme.lgisp.net/bcr/ was cool. You get a 10-15 minute ride on a train for $2.50 under 2 years ride free. They usually have only 2-3 trains running on a weekend, but there was a meet that weekend between the Canadians and Americans so there were maybe 20-30 trains present, mostly they were to be worked on and ogled at, but maybe 7-8 were taking rides. I was amazed to learn that you couldn't buy a kit for making them. They were all individually designed and hand crafted, and mostly replicated from a real train. I think it is a hobby that costs a small fortune. Alex and Olivia thought it was sooooo good and we didn't mind it either.

sweet olivia

What the...?

You know those catalogues that are mysteriously left on your door step and are filled with 90% rubbish, and the other 10% is in the "that could be useful, but given the rest of the crap in this catalogue I'm not willing to take my chances" category. Lets just say, we don't escape those catalogues by moving to Canada, and this was one of the delightfully useless, if not scary items that may be purchased by the unconscious customer. In referring to the items description, I would like to know: exactly what part of a large plastic face on a tree is "realistic". I do however, buy the line about your tree becoming "the talk of the neighbourhood", as people will come from miles around to stand in amazement and ask...Why? 

scrap booking again

This is the latest page I am willing to share. It captures Alex's first birthday. I know I am really behind the tmies, but better late than never I guess. I bought the stripey paper in Australia. The black letters are made of foam, the stars were cut out from the stripey paper. I reckon it looks alright.

Maplewood Farm

On Sunday we decided to take the kids to Maplewood Farm in North Vancouver. Maplewood Farm is a petting zoo, with mostly farm animals, but also rabbits, peacocks, Macaws, and even budgies and a cockatoo.
Both Alex and Olivia love animals and Alex was beside himself with what he wanted to see first.
His main mission was to see a REAL cow. He got to see two real cows and a newborn calf. The calf was yet unamed. There was a competition to "name the baby girl calf", we entered "Matilda".
There were a ton of baby goats running aroudn butting heads with each other, a baby donkey and some miniture ponies and some beautiful white lambs. It was so much fun for the kids, well planned out and relatively cheap to get in.
Alex was still talking about all the animals he saw today and was talking about being a vet so the animals wouldn't get sick - I guess the fireman idea has been dropped! 

Animals, Animals, Animals

There seemed to be something going on in each of the animal enclosures, whether that be patting them, riding the horses or watching them be groomed; feeding the ducks;the sheep get shorn at the end of the month. The peacock had its plummage fanned out to impress the ladies in his vacinity, but I don't think he was having a whole lot of luck. There wasn't a whole lot of room for his rather intimidating tail and he kind of looked a bit silly really - like a big old show off. I was imagining what the other birds were thinking in their effort to ignore him - "Look at him, who does he think he is, eh? What a tosser!"
Next door were the bunnies -lots of bunnies. Alex and Olivia rammed a carrot into the mouth of this one, and it must of been hungry because it ate it. There were so many rabbit kittens, dozens of white little ball s of fluff.
I think Ashley and I enjoyed seeing the kids faces light up, as much as they liked being there - it was fun!

You sound Aussie

As you may or may not know, we live right next to a baseball park. Right now we are right in the thick of baseball season and every night of the week and each weekend the street is packed with cars and supporters of the game. I must say, I haven't really taken a whole lot of interest in the game, but yesterday, for something to do, I walked over to a game with Olivia and we stood and watched for a while. I stood there explaining my observations to her like she cared, when a voice came from behind me "you sound like you're Aussies". Surprised, I turned to see this middle aged woman looking straight past me and talking to these two girls (huh?).
Then the woman gets up and walks straight past and over to the two girls telling them "you sounded Aussie then, they don't say 'Good Day', they say Gid-dee, yeah thats how an Aussie sounds". Then she walks past me laughing at herself. I just stood there with this stupid look on my face. I really wanted to say something clever, like "eh, ya want an authentic mate?" But no, thats not my style and the moment passed. A little later the same lady began smiling at Olivia and approached "would she like an onion ring", she asked thrusting a box of fried things under our noses. "Na thanks, she'll be right", I replied, quite without thinking. The woman then made a wide eyed and embarrassed looking retreat - whoops.

The card shark

On Friday night I was invited to an all women "beginners" poker game - "Yeah why not", I thought. It will be a good chance to meet people and I will have the chance to learn a new game.
The cost was $5 to play. We had a real poker table with chips and all, although the chips were points based rather than dollar valued. There were 9 players, all but two were actual beginners. The remaining 3 players in the game then split the $45 pot. Just for the record - "card shark" I am not!
I must say, I quite enjoyed learning how to play poker and even won a few hands, although I wasn't one of the three remaining players. I got to see inside this exceptional condo on Tsawwassen Beach, which even had a symphony of frogs playing in the pond below the third floor balcony. But you know, Poker is not a very social game. Most of teh time people are mulling silently over their cards and eyeing the facial expressionals of tehir opponents trying to suss out their hand. So I am not sure about poker. I think I would give it another go, if I am ever invited back, and maybe it will just take time to get to know everyone in that conversationally limited environment. Yep, I can see why blokes are attracted to it and why they prefer to have no women present at their sacred card nights.

Kids say the darnest things

Yesterday I spent the entire morning with Alex's pre-school class (don't ask!).
Becasue it was the first pre-school day of the new month, the teacher was introducnig a new set of themes - bugs and mothers day.
Teacher introducing class to caterpillars....
"I bought these caterpillars yesterday and they were half the size they are today. Caterpillars eat and eat and get bigger and bigger, can anyone tell me what happens to caterpillars when they get really big?"
Alex's classmate......
"They turn into raccoons then they become butterflies".

Teacher introducing Mothers Day to the class.......
"In the month of May we have a day to celebrate a very special person. Do you know who that person is?"
Guess number one...
"You?"
Teacher....
"No, not me. Someone in your family. Who is special in your family?"
Guess number two......
"William!"
Teacher....
"Everyone has one of these. Does everyone have a William? No. I will give you a hint. Its a girl - a lady".
Silence and vacant stares......
Teacher...
"A lady in your family who loves you very much...."
Lots of "Uuuummmmmm", squinting eyes and furrowed brows.....
Teacher...
"Its the person who brings you to school!"
Guess number three.......
"The bus driver!"

O.W.L Society

On Sunday we went to the OWL Society. They were were having their annual open day so we thought we would take the opportunity to check it out, especially since it is just down the road.
The OWL Society is a refuge for orphaned and rehabilitating wild birds; particularly birds of prey. Most of the birds on display had been injured and were not longer able to fly, so they would live out there days at the OWL Society. There were some wonderful birds to see; many variety of owl, falcon and eagle. The Bald Eagle, Greer Falcon and all the owls were my favourite.
To the side they also had sheep, alpacca and chickens, not sure if they were connected to the Society or something nearby, but Alex and Olivia loved it all. Such a great place to visit.

Harry Potter Owl

This is Kermit. He is a snowy owl - yes I fanally got to see one, but not in the wild unfortunately. Kermit is with the OWL Society because he was hit by a train and can no longer fly. They had two snowy owls here. It was great to see them and they were even more beautiful than I had imagined. 

chickies

Olivia loved the chickens at the O.W.L Society. 

growing up

Alex 3.8 years old. 

Father and son

 

Delta in Spring