Freejan

Clive, a smart drake arrived today and Evelyn was amused! Walter seems to have won the day and Clive has now left. Made a lemon meringue pie today and had my nails done. Going to try to start uploading some photos – here goes! – had to get help but now think I can do it!

Yes! Very exciting! Jane and Simon have a roof garden just below their balcony with a pond and last year Mr and Mrs Duck had baby ducks, who all delighted the residents in this apartment block. Evelyn, I’d like to call Mrs duck, is playing hard to get at the moment but Walter, he’s not bothered – been diving and ducking and making a general splash! I expect she is waiting for him to settle down a bit and mature but he could be playing it cool, saying,”just because it happened last year it is not certain it will happen this year”. But, the romantic in me thinks that as they have come together to the pond it’s looking good. I will keep you posted but I don’t think anything will happen before I have to go home.
Been to get more money – going fast here! Bus fares gone up and postage stamps are $1.80 for international stamps – about 1 pound 20p. Ok be back soon!

Was really silly yesterday and ran, yes ran for a bus, to take me to Granville island and the market. Paying in pain today! The bus, a no. 50 took me a bit of a tour around Vancouver, through the steam clock area and over a bridge (can’t remember the name of it). I didn’t have enough change for the bus – just gone up from $2.50 to $2.75 even if he let me on as a senior, so he said just put in what you have. Very relaxed here on the buses – he’d just left bus with hazard lights on while he went for a Starbucks. This had happened the other day when a bus driver stopped at a stop and went for a piece of pizza. Very friendly too! He dropped me off at the end of a little, well relatively little, bridge and as I walked over I looked over and 2 seals kept bobbing their heads up and looking at who was on the dock below me. I walked into the area – Granville Island has a group of craft/ clothes/shoes kitchen and food places- which is where I came to a holt. The market is closed on Mondays! the small ‘mall’ with expensive designer clothes and jewellery was open and luckily a place to get a tea. Now that is another subject! They have no idea how to make tea here. The only black tea you can get is English Breakfast tea or Earl Grey. They give you a cup of hot water and separate tea bag and usually in a very small cup or pot (wendy house size!). How is it supposed to mash (brew for non-northerners)? Any way, I bought a to go cup for Toby in a lovely first nations shop (Indians here are known as first nations) and a couple of cards and set off to go back on the ferry. This was a very small, in the bath play with boat which zig zags across the water to the other bank. I climbed aboard and went across – again paying less as hadn’t right change ($3.25). When I got to the other side I was way out of my way so he took me back and then set off again further up the coast (about 15 mins longer than last trip!). Went to get a sim card and monthly top up($25) for an old phone of Jane’s to use here on way home and then collapsed with tea and pain killers. Will have to do this all over again if I want to go to the market! Pouring with rain today, all day.

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Jane and Simon went back to work on Wednesday (2nd) and I started my routine of sleeping late and doing small jobs in the afternoon.Josh had to go on 3rd so we all went to the airport to see him off. He was sad to go – not because he would miss his family but because Lady GaGa arrived the following day! She is appearing at the Stadium across the road from the apartment. Rowan and I went to the bullion and currency exchange on Thursday – best rate of exchange – 1.574$ to each 1 pound (no pound sterling sign on Canadian computer). All seems good when you get it but also disappears quickly as things are so expensive. Alchohol (a subject close to my heart) is very expensive and would cut down my drinking if it cost so much at home – small glass white wine about 5 pounds! We posted a pair of trousers back to Landsend in Canada and it cost me $13 – about 8 pounds! Postage stamps are $1.80 for international ones. We then went for pizza slices at a place called Scuie’ – an Italian place where you chose your slices from long ones on a counter, they were weighed and then heated for you – we had 3 smallish slices each of different thin crust pizza and a fruit juice each = $24. We came home to wait for delivery of the parts for Rowan’s new computer – missed them by 10 mins! Stayed in Friday and did cleaning and washing and reading the book I have borrowed from Zoe’s house in Tofino – The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney. We went out for tea to a fish and chip restaurant over the Lion’s Gate Bridge (beautifully lit with white lights) called C-lovers. Wonderful food! Had a cleaning day today in case anyone wants to come and buy Jane and Simon’s apartment at short notice. Josh has now gone back to London so his room is now back to ‘the solarium’. Tonight we are going for drinks with Susan, her partner and parents who have come over from Germany – I met them in 2004 so been a while! We are going to a place called Cloud 9, a revolving restaurant with spectacular views over Vancouver. See you soon! X

We went to the Wickinninish hotel for brunch – magnificent views from there of the Pacific. A few photos and we set off in rubber duck convoy up over the snowy passes following Sam and Karin. All ok but quite snowy on the tops. We called in at the Goats on the roof market in Coombs and said goodbye to Sam and Karin – they made their way to Victoria and home. We had some food and set off for the ferry. WE got home about 9.30pm – all tired! Not done a lot really since then – Jane and I went to see Guilt Trip with Barbara Striesand – feelgood movie! On Sunday(3oth) Jane josh and I went to the States to shop at the Bellingham shopping mall – supposed to be cheaper than Canada. There was a 1 hour ‘line up’ as they say here, to get over the border. I had to pay $6 for an i94 which is a temporary visa that lasts 3 months. We went through the park with The Peace Arch in it a sort of Marble Arch type thing in the middle of the borders. I din’t get anything but Jane got a couple of tops and josh a couple of shirts. We went to the Red Robin diner place when we got there and I had my statutory chicken burger. All very nice but I am sure I will be adding many pounds before I get home! Everything is big! Monday new years eve we went to the Sunshine Diner – great 1950s type diner with Elvis, Marilyn and James Dean life size figures outside. Someone had given Marilyn a red scarf as she only had that white dress on in this weather! We then dashed to Costco for josh to have his eyes tested and me to get some clothes. Then we went to a new year’s eve party at the parents house of one of josh’s friends. They are so friendly these Canadians. So that is the new year in – what will 2013 bring? Jane and Simon are back to work tomorrow so I will be left to my own devices to explore Vancouver. <img src="http://blogs.bootsnall.com/freejan/files/2013/01/DSC00808-150×150.jpg" alt="" title="snow driving!" width="150" height="150" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-181" />

Yesterday we went to the beautiful Chesterman beach which is just across the road from our house. The light is spectacular late in the afternoon. Sam and Karin and Josh and I went in to Tofino earlier and had a look at some of the shops. The best bit was when we went down to the dock area and we could see the amazing panorama – mountains, trees, the sea – absolutely spectacular. I took a panoramic shot – awesome. On the way back we stopped to look at a restaurant called Shelters. Who should be there but Jane, Simon and Rowan. We had some lunch and I had a Stanley Park beer – yummy! We set off home but we went on a bit of an adventure – drove down to a resort hotel down the road which was very posh – looked at the amazing (yes the views definately boringly, fantastic every time!)view before we drove out and then into another resort called Ocean View, where there were some little log cabins that reminded us of Hobbits houses. Lovely! We had another Christmas dinner and played Phase 10 until 12.30 am – we thought it would never end! Today I went to the beach after I got up and the waves were quite something. There were lots of surfers, walkers and dogs. I took a lot of photographs! I came back and then we had a run to Long Beach, dropped Jane off to go for a coffee with Sam, and Simon took me to Tofino for some postcards. Now sitting by the fire with Rowan on line on his phone at the side of me and Josh in his usual position laid on couch on his ipad. Think we are going out for meal to Shelters later – the last supper! Been so relaxing here. We must pack to be out for 11am which is ok because we will go for one last look at the beach, have a coffee and cake in the nearby posh Wikinish Inn (not sure I’ve spelt that right) and then set off towards Nananimo and the ferry. Probably call at the Goats on the roof market at Coombs on the way back. Been lovely to see Sam and Karin – hoping to go to see them in Victoria one weekend in January. </a> <img src="http://blogs.bootsnall.com/freejan/files/2012/12/DSC00768-150×150.jpg" alt="" title="dogs on chesterman beach" width="150" height="150" class="alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-164" />

I am so happy! Sorted my blog and Amy is singing as I drink my wine and write this blog. The day to get here was long and hard – we left Vancouver at 11.00am and it took an hour to get to the ferry at Tsawassan and then it was 2 hours on there. We had lunch – no such thing as a cheese sandwich – had to have ham, cheese and dressing one. We then arrived at Nananimo and proceeded to Coombs and the ‘Goats on a roof’ market to meet up with Sam and Karin, his partner (lovely swedish girl – well woman really as she is 31). We were worried about the road ahead as Simon had looked on his web cam and the road was covered in snow and chains for the tyres were advised. We looked in the morning and it looked like it was clearing so we took a chance and went in rubber duck convoy with Sam over the passes to Tofino. There was a lot of snow up there and it was slippy but ok. It took about 3 hours from there. The ‘cottage’ is a beautiful house with a large wood burning stove, 3 bedrooms (mine is downstairs – wonderful!). We lit the fire and settled in for a cosy evening, thinking about Linda and her visit to hospital. Christmas eve was a bright crisp sunny day and later a bit drizzly. The others went to town for drugs and coffee etc. but Simon and I went a short walk to the nearby beach – spectacular! Will try to download some piccys soon now I have got going on here. I’ve just made a nut roast, the pork is cooked and Jane is deliberating when to put the ducks(2) in. Josh has been in the hot tub with Si joining him for a while. What luxury here! Having a lovely rest!

Well I have been having problems with this blog and don’t understand what is happening. So, here I go with an update to see what happens. Well, seem to have sorted it so I can say we arrived about 6.30 to a wonderful house called Zoe’s Place very near the Chesterman beach. Pictures will say it all! Amazing!

This was a day I stayed in! The snow came down fast.

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