The Flying Chooks

Advent day 5 - decorate your bike with Christmas decorations

2010-12-04T22:43:00.002-08:00

Advent day 4 - wear a Santa hat all day

2010-12-04T22:38:00.000-08:00

...ummmmm

Advent day 3 - have a picnic inside

2010-12-04T22:28:00.003-08:00

Advent day 2 - wear mixed up shoes

2010-12-04T22:25:00.002-08:00

Advent day 1 - put a Santa hat on your helmet

2010-12-04T22:22:00.003-08:00

Activity Advent 2010

2010-12-04T21:31:00.005-08:00

We all enjoyed last year's advent, so with a flurry of activity on the last weekend of November, we got the 2010 edition ready in time.

Feed

2010-09-09T04:36:00.004-07:00

Well, we've been back in Melbourne for a few months now and I thought it was time we should have some sort of update. So.... here's a few photos of dinners I've served Nash.

Here's a sun fish.

and a face
dinner
and another face
Exciting!

AK - it's a wrap

2010-04-12T18:53:00.008-07:00

Well AK seems so far away now, after stepping off the heli a week ago.

100,000 vertical feet seemed like a lot, but with the cooperating weather in Juneau, we flew every day and racked up the vert quickly. On the last day some decisions had to be made. On one hand, bluebird skies, bottomless powder and the chopper waiting to go. On the other hand, I had a ferry to catch and I was paying extra for every drop. Hmm.

So later that day, checking in to the ferry terminal in my skiing gear I finally had a chance to reflect on the week that was. Have a look at the pics below.

The next day, on my way to Chicago, I got my first feelings of claustrophobia in the plane. Never felt it before, but with a few big guys asleep and boxing me into my window seat I needed out! A while later I realised I'd spent over a week acclimatising to the scale of AK - 5,000ft mountains are normal. 50 degree steeps are regular runs, no wonder I felt cramped in a plane after....

Anyway, here's a little pictorial recap.

Ready for launching

First tracks warm up run for the day

Scoping lines

Our tracks are there though the glacier somewhere

Cocktail ice

That was a nice chute

AK heli queues

Got milk?

Goggle tan

I've just got some new pics too, so there may be some more coming...

Happy 4th birthday Nas

2010-04-12T16:57:00.008-07:00

Warning: This post contains excessive parental ramblings.

Celebrations to mark the boy's fourth year have been dragged out over six weeks. It all began in early March, when we celebrated with a few close friends and four of Nash's buddies from daycare. It was an 'Aussie Party', complete with chocolate crackles, fairy bread and beers for the grown ups.

Fast forward to 12 April 2010 and we find ourselves in NYC. Spoilt for choice, we decided on a visit to the Central Park Zoo and a ride across Brooklyn Bridge to mark the occasion. Check the upcoming New York blogs for pics.

It's been quite a year for the not-so-little-anymore-man. A week after his 3rd birthday he mastered riding a bicycle. Over the last year he's managed a 10km ride around the Stanley Park Seawall, easily gets up out of the saddle to get some power into his pedalling and now does tricks (much to the amusement/terror of be-/amused adults nearby), including a one-hand, one-leg stunt. It brings tears to his father's eyes.

And skiing. A week at ski-school seemed like a good way of Mum and Dad getting some time on the hill. And quickly turned into something that will leave us broke for years to come. Turns out due to the strength in his legs (thanks to riding his bike to and from daycare each day), along with his fearless nature and addiction to speed (settle....), he quickly progressed through the ranks and ended up in a class with 6 year olds. If all this sounds ludicruous, it is. How a 3 year old manages to ski blue, green and blacks and take on tree runs without blinking is beyond me.

He's taken the Canadian departure in his stride and is curious about Australia, our life there and what it will all mean for him. And as long as there's kids to play with, dirt to roll in and someone to answer his relentless and probing questions, he'll be happy. Watch out 3031, the blonde is coming back!

x

Goodbye Vancouver xx

2010-04-11T19:22:00.004-07:00

It's funny how endings can sometimes be the same as beginnings. Our last weeks in Melbourne, back in September 2008 were a flurry of boxes, packing, planning, documents, family and friends. Eighteen months later the picture was much the same when we left Vancouver.

We bid our farewell to Vancouver at the end of February and moved up the road to Whistler for our last month in Canada. Turned out to be a masterstroke, and all three of us enjoyed the spring powder.

In late March, we bid Adam farewell for a couple of weeks, and I wrapped up things at work, then Nash and I explored Vancouver for a couple of days, with one final trip via water taxi to Nash's favourite place - Science Word.

April 2nd saw us head south on the train, not before a 90-minute grilling by US Immigration who wanted to know:

1 - Where was my letter of consent from the child's father permitting me to travel alone with him?
2 - Where was my paper ticket confirming my flight out of the US?
3 - Where was my husband?

...and numerous other officious questions. As always, the absolute low point of travelling to this fascinating country are the preposterous hoops these unfriendly robots expect you to jump through to enter and spend money. They make choosing an alternative very easy.

We made it aboard the train with seconds to spare, and eight hours and six spews later, Nash and I arrived in Portland, Oregon.

We didn't have too much planned - a visit with an old friend, slurping on good coffee, cycling the sites. And then Nash spied this in an ice cream shop.....

His star struck grin says it all.

Next stop Chicago to meet Adam and continue the cross continental journey.....

Viva Heli!

2010-03-30T23:01:00.005-07:00

In no particular order or perference. Stills taken with the video camera, so not great quality.

Waiting to load the board:

AK is big (skiier on the left):

Our last run tracks on full zoom from the airport (so kinda blurry)

Looking back up a shoot called Editor's Choice (scale - the dot in the middle is a skiier)

Our "warm-up run" tracks are in here somewhere

The gloat face:

Looking at seals:

Pensive Heli faces on the way up:

...more to come in a few days

Welcome to Haines

2010-03-30T11:19:00.005-07:00

A four hour ferry ride out of Juneau, with glaciers peaking out from under a heavy blanket of clouds, deposited me at the little town of Juneau. The weather on this trip, like the plane trip, was still hiding the fabled mountain ranges of Alaska.

I was picked up at the dock and transported to the lodge that would be my home for the next week. Within half an hour I was steered away from crevasse rescue training and onto a fishing boat, the Sundowner. The intent? Check some crab pots, check out a seal colony and shoot guns. Welcome to Alaska.

The next day introduced me to the biggest component of heli skiing in Alaska. Waiting. We milled around the lodge for a few hours, then went out to the airport to wait some more. With two film crews staying at the same time there was a bit of action on the tarmac with people entertaining themselves one way or another. An extra large entertainment system was rolled out of an equally large Airstream caravan to blast some tunes. The Airstream was kitted out in the most decadent ski-bum fantasy. A man-garage at the back with ski racks, work bench, said disco-sized music system and room for a snowmobile and more. Kitchen galley area and bunks up front, coupled to the quintessential North American oversized pick-up.

The waiting paid off though. We took off around 1pm, and flew until 7pm, racking up some good vert in 7 runs. The first run was reasonably mellow but fun, building up to a shoot off a run called Editor's Choice, pushing 50 degrees and reasonably tight. This is what I came to AK for! We ended the day with bluebird skies and massive grins. A few beers at the bar, dinner and early to bed.

Today we played the waiting game once again. Only longer. We finally flew for some window shopping runs (wait for the AK dictionary) and did three quick runs down the same face, called Telemarker's. Not steep, but some fun shoots and bumps on the way. We were dropped off for our fourth run before the weather completely closed in and we were picked up at the top again instead of risking being on the glacier in a complete white-out.

Word in the lodge is that tomorrow is going to be epic. Don't want to get my hopes up but it's nudging 10pm and most people have already gone to bed, so I'm going to take their lead...

Photos will come soon.

AK

2010-03-26T18:01:00.004-07:00

It's been a long journey, but I'm finally here.

Ever since I saw videos in the early '90's of crazy people riding crazy mountains, I've wanted in. The stars finally aligned this year and now I'm sitting in Juneau, AK, with the rain tapping against the window in a little hotel, waiting for a ferry to take me north to Haines, and to a week of heli-boarding.

Leaving BC seemed quite sudden. I guess we'd been spending the good part of a month getting ready for it, shipping goods back to Australia, trying to sell stuff, applying for jobs, saying many goodbyes. But the actual departure came up quickly.

We had moved to Whistler for the month of March, to get some skiing done and for Teesha to complete her Paralympic duties. Nash spent some great days up the mountain and as a 3 year old is now a terror on skis. An expensive gift that may well keep his (and his parents) pockets empty for years to come. Teesha and I felt ourselves uncoiling slowly, all the Olympic stress finally being expelled. This was possibly one of the Canada moments we'd miss the most - skiing, hot tub, beers and the relaxed atmosphere of Whistler during the Paralympics.

After some epic days riding Whistler, and a 2 1/2 day back country avalanche course, we went down to Vancouver for the final staff wrap up party. Only I wasn't coming back. The next day I said bye to Nash and Teesha and headed south to Seattle. The bus trip gave me a good opportunity to reflect on our time here. It still seemed surreal that I wouldn't be coming back to Canada, and more so that I was leaving solo. After so much time with my little family it seemed weird heading off by myself. Vancouver had said goodbye with a typical wet and grey day which mostly followed me all the way to Washington State. By the time I'd got off the bus, dragged my board and gear through Seattle, caught a tram to the airport and a shuttle to my hotel, plans to eat in town were shelved. A burger and beer at the hotel sufficed and an early night to bed. Tomorrow I'd be in AK.

The flight up was uneventful. Somehow I escaped excess baggage charges with my 60 pound snowboard bag (we are in the US here) and watched out my window as we flew back the way I'd come the day before, thinking about all the times I'd looked out a plane window at snow covered mountains and thought "I wish I could ride that...". Soon I would be able to do just that. Unfortunately the further north we flew, the clouds got higher along with the mountains. Sneak peaks though gaps were infrequent and I finally lost myself in a book instead of the view.

The approach to Juneau was beautiful, across sounds and spines dotted with snow. Checking in at the hotel I quickly dropped my gear and got a lift into Haines proper.

They say Alaska is the final frontier, and the impressions I got were of an independent community supporting each other. Lots of little bare-bones, indelendent shops, art stores and cafes that possibly said more about the owners personality than it did their customers. The creative streak was high. I liked it.

A typical (or atypical?)conversation went along the lines of
"What are you doing out here?"
"I'm off to Haines."
"Haines? Why would you want to go there, unless you're heliskiing."
"Yup, that's it"
"You must be flying with SeanDog. He's crazy! Tell him Agent X said hello."
"What?"
"Agent X. That's me. Pleased to meet you."

Everywhere I went I ran into a friendly bunch of random personalities. And I did feel like I was in one of the last frontiers. So tomorrow, I explore. The day after that, the show begins!

Finally....

2010-02-14T19:24:00.005-08:00

...the 2010 Olympic Winter Games have begun. It's been an challenging journey, professionally gruelling and personally confronting. But my eyes are wider, heart stronger and love for my boys profound.

The last week has been incredible. We watched the Opening Ceremony final dress rehearsal, which was amazing. We were honoured to watch a dear friend carry the Torch on the final day...THE day of it's 106 day cross-continent passage. We've watched the city residents transform from nay-sayers to vocal merchandise-brandishing, card-carrying advocates of all things Olympic. And today, the country received 50% of the Canadian dream - a gold medal on home soil. It's up to the mens hockey team to complete the moment and make them all pee their pants. Worth sticking around for.

Christmas in Whistler, December 2009

2010-01-12T21:26:00.007-08:00

1 Brazillian, 1 Kiwi, 10 Australians, 8 Americans and 1 South African. In Canada.

All I want for Christmas....is time

2009-12-11T20:58:00.012-08:00

December 11 2009. Unbelievable. I'm yet to come to terms with August being over, let alone Christmas being just around the corner.

Days and weeks are melting and our lives have taken on surreal proportions as work gets stressful and busier and weekends become a time. To. Just. Stand. Still. The cavalry arrives on a big white bird in just over six weeks, with all three household members eagerly anticipating friendly faces.

Despite all the craziness, Nash continues to amuse us. I put together an advent calendar and instead of candy or small gifts, he gets to do a 'silly' activity each day. Being a great disciple of routine and order, some of these have been more of a miss than hit....

Day 1 - 4
...conviently overlooked due to falling on weekdays and the advent designer being unavailable due to paid employment.

Day 5
"Build a snowman" coincided with the first trip to Whistler for the season. Technically a fail as we all got a bit caught up with Nash on skis (see upcoming post)

Day 6
"Make jelly"

Day 7
"Wear mixed up socks" became "Have a mixed up sandwich for lunch" due to diva-like refusal to tamper with his colour coordinated statement du jour.

Day 8
"Have cereal for dinner" = everyone happy. Likely to become a weekly event.

Day 9
"Wear a crazy hairstyle".
Despite the scowl, he loved this. The scowl was later redirected at daycare to his little friends who laughed at him. Think diva. Again

Day 10
" Walk to daycare backwards" - if you're noticing a low involvement, little planning theme, you'd be right. This wasn't completed as he insisted on riding his bike.

Day 11
"Watch a kids TV show at night" - lukewarm reception. Not much into TV at the moment. Damn it.

Days 12 - 24....we've got some rippers coming up. Stay tuned.

Nash has a girlfriend.....

2009-11-21T23:29:00.002-08:00

He plays hard to get, but what boy doesn't......

joyeux anniversaire

2009-10-28T20:19:00.004-07:00

It's now been a year here in Vancouver. How time flies!! To celebrate the anniversary I've compiled a few Vancouver top 5's to share with you.

Experiences:

Driving the Sea To Sky highway for the first time.
Picking local blackberries then making jam later the same day.
Riding world renowned mountainbike trails from my doorstep.
Being a stay at home dad with Nash for six months.
Working all day and then doing a spot of snowboarding in the evening.

The City:

The mountains.
The harbour & the seawall.
Local wildlife (skunks, raccoons, bears, cougars... exciting stuff!).
The Skytrain & Seabus.
The forest at the city's doorstep.

Good things:

Bike lanes & bike-aware drivers and employees - drying room, bike lock-up and heated change rooms at work.
The mountains. Beautiful, and you always know which way is North.
4 distinct seasons, each with their own beauty & character.
The multitude of outdoor activities available, and the amount of people that do them.
Boutique beer sample 12 packs.

Bad things

What is it with using cheques for everything? What century is this?
Internet services (banking, paying bills etc) that lag behind the rest of the first world.
Organised crime & targeted murders.
Everything is "awesome", whether you're 5 or 85.
Did I mention the thing they have with cheques?
OK, the real #5 is all the coffee chains, instead of proper local coffee shops.

Around and about

Whistler - Summer and Winter.
Popping across the border to Portland, Seattle, Bellingham.
Travelling between Banff & Jasper, possibly the most gobsmacking piece of road in the world.
Salt Spring Island.
Deep Cove (OK, that's still in Vancouver).

Honourable mentions

The friends we've made and become closer to.
Living in "the world's most liveable city".
Still thinking your hometown (Melbourne) is still more liveable.
Lynn Valley.
The stream of summer visitors that shared and helped us explore Vancouver and it's surrounds.

It's been an interesting twelve months - we've been on great highs and endured some lows. We've become closer as a family and richer though our friends and experiences. While we most likely won't be seeing a second anniversary in BC, Vancouver will always have a special place in our lives for how much it shaped us in such a small space of time.

New York was built in an evening

2009-10-18T19:30:00.006-07:00

Today I feel brave....

2009-09-08T17:05:00.011-07:00

Day 4 and I was up for a challenge. Why not do something crazy like take on New York on two wheels (that'd be pedal power, not horse power).

Frank's Bike Shop threw up some good reviews online but I think they may have been from a parallel universe. It scratched the bottom of the customer-service barrel so hard it crashed through in a crumbled heap. It was mess, the staff so rude and the bicycles in such bad condition it actually made me laugh. To top it off, as I was leaving there was a queue of eager customers snaking out the door and along the road. Americans = weird.

First stop was Brooklyn, over the stunning suspension bridge

Unfortunately the reason for my Brooklyn visit - the New York Transit Museum was closed,, so instead I fuelled up with delicious passionfruit tarts and coffee from Sweet Melissa before heading back to mad Manhatten.

Chaos greeted me...seemingly today was the day to visit Battery Park and the FDR boardwalk. There were queues for everything - ferries, taxis, hot dogs, washrooms, buses, cross walks, queues for queues. Me and my wobbly steed weaved around them all and took in the sights.

I couldn't help but don my anorak and head back to Central Station for another look...this time I came across a wedding party - bride, groom, bridesmaids, groomsmen, page boys and flower girls having their picture taken on the steps. All 22 of them...how about that for a stunning setting.

NYC, Day 3

2009-09-08T13:36:00.005-07:00

Today I shopped. A lot. Without a small blonde and his trail of destruction. And I ate - food in the SoHo, Nolita and NoHo area gets a thumbs-up from this Melbournian. I tried to eat here, but queueing alone didn't blow my skirt. Fortunately service was a little snappier here and I followed it up with a Gimme coffee . And another 12-oz-skim-latte-with-an-extra-shot here in the pm. I finally made it to Purl and indulged my crafty passion by purchasing more sewing books and fabric I'm unlikely to get to until post-Olympics. Oh well, they're nice to look at.

I headed back to my hotel in Koreatown and grabbed dinner at a little place next door. Since arriving I've been captivated by the ladies who stand in the window and prepare dumplings - quite the fresh food advertisement.

Then one final jaunt around the corner to Macy's..

NYC, Day 2

2009-09-05T20:00:00.006-07:00

Ten hours of uninterrupted sleep. That's what you get without a snoring husband or a chatty pre-schooler. I wallowed in this indulgent pleasure for about 60 seconds before realising how much I missed them both.
Sadness was shortlived when I pulled open the curtains to this - ahhhhhhhhhhh - good morning New York.
I tiki-toured around lower Manhattan on a hop-on-hop-off and found myself in Greenwich where a desperate looking walking tour guide was touting for business. Given I hadn't spoken to a single person in 24 hours, I figured the outlay would be worth the conversation. Turns out Merlin was worth more than his $5 - his coffee and lunch recommendations were spot on. The wine list was dazzling but without the vino expert and the prospect of solo midday drinking, I settled on the sparkling water. Definitely worth a return visit.

It was while walking around Washington Square I had a fleeting insight of the reality NYC family life...not a single child I saw in the park resembled the adult them. Oh, and no grass in the playground or dirt to eat.

With the evening fast approaching, it was time to get the subway to Queen's and take my seat at the US Open for the evening session of men's 2nd round and women's 3rd round.

Venus Williams came onto Arthur Ashe at 7pm on decidedly shaky legs to play Magdalena Rybarikova. The Slovakian appeared to have a better game, with a wider range of attacking shots, however fell victim to the occasion rather than the opponent.

Venus was pleased.

Nadal was up next against Nicolas Keifer. The first set 6-0 pasting served up by the (now) world #3 suggested it would be a yawn-fest but the anti-Spanish sentiment by the NY crowed inspired Keifer to take the second set.

I had to leave early in the third set to get home and I hoped my long history of leaving sport events early and them turning into gripping underdog resurrections wouldn't continue. It didn't, Rafa won. Yah.

It's like coming home....

2009-09-03T19:19:00.003-07:00

Noisy, smelly, constant honking. Crazies at every corner, shouting from their soap box. Pushing and shoving on the subway, everyone walking with purpose - hurry hurry hurry. And big, so very very big - people everywhere, some meandering and soaking up the sights, others secretly proud that this is THEIR city and they are what makes it great.

New York New York. I love it after less than a day and don't want to leave. It's brought back a flood of memories from my years in London and I remembered with great fondness that grimy grumpy city, that to me is just so magnificent. This place, however, gives it a red hot run for it's money. Let's see what day two holds.

Top of the Rock at twilight, view of Empire State Building

Time to get reacquainted with an old friend - I wonder if the North American BLT and lemon tart is as good as Mud Island's?

Pre-school logic #3

2009-08-15T18:51:00.005-07:00

The best gift my parents gave me was a love of word games. So when I spied Junior Boggle in our local mall, I actually squealed with excitement. Nash was underwhelmed by my discovery, preferring some obnoxious, flashing, plastic thing, but showed a flicker of interest when I told him I played this game when I was little.

We raced home, opened it up and started playing.

The photo says it all ..... he was sure it was correct and I figured it wasn't the time for being pedantic about spelling. I'll save that for when he's older and about to beat me by using the X on the triple word score.

Seattle by Shutter (part 3)

2009-08-15T00:36:00.007-07:00

Seattle is a photogenic city, there's no getting around it. From the post card

to the more abstract.

It was a great place to wander. The markets offered great subjects

Even in the middle of the markets, the view was fantastic.

The space needle lived up to it's name at night.

And I kept on going back to the Experience Music Project, it changed so much at different times of the day.

And even gave the opportunity for a self-portrait.

The surrounds there also offered some great opportunities.

And art permeated the city.

I can't wait to go back.

Seattle Scenes, part 2

2009-08-14T23:38:00.009-07:00

Teesha has kicked off a great overview of our little jaunt state-side.
There were a few things that were special for me though, spending time with Nash was at the top of the list, and I'll cover some places here that we visited without Mum. The architecture and personality shone as well. I love my photography, and I've got some favourite pics that will form another post soon (I promise).

I'd heard a lot about Seattle Zoo and it seemed like a great place to take a three year old, along with Dad and Poppa Joe. The heat took some of the enjoyment out of it, but by far the highlight was Nashua feeding the giraffes. It was an up-close-and-personal kind of experience.

Nash wasn't sure about the Inspector Gadget tongue, but he talked about it a lot after so I assume he had a good time.

Apart from the Giraffe experience, there was a Jimi Hendrix experience too. Well, we are in Seattle. By the way, the blur in the centre was caused by wear by the way, not by bad photography skills...

Nash also made friends with some likely looking characters.

And escaped the heat for a bit with some ice cream. He even got some in his mouth.

I can't believe Teesha didn't introduce the Fremont Troll as well. One of the more amusing pieces of public art we've come across, all the more so for being stuck under a bridge (as trolls are, I guess) and out of the general way. You had to know he was there to find him.

He's grasping an actual VW in his left hand there, just out of picture. But Nash, in typical toddler fashion, had to appease the Troll with some leaves, so he didn't eat our car as well.

One of the big surprises was the Locks near the suburb of Belmont. Firstly though, as an Australian Male I'm not supposed to gush about cupcakes, but we stumbled across Cupcake Royale in Belmont as well, possibly the best cupcakes in the known universe. They also had excellent coffee, and wireless...

But back to more manly things, and what could be more manly than massive engineering feats. The Chittenden Locks were certainly that, and very busy.

But the best bit was the salmon ladder. Out of season, there were still hundreds of salmon working their way up the ladder and past the purpose built viewing area, on the way past the locks and weir. I want to see it when the salmon are running.

It was amazing to see so many huge fish, swimming wild. It made me hungry.

Seattle - the sights

2009-08-14T21:22:00.011-07:00

For the BC long weekend (Fri 31 Jul - Mon 3 Aug), we headed south to Seattle with our special NZ visitors. The border was a tedious exercise, particulary when you present as an extended family of five, with two different surnames and three different passport nationalities. Groan.

The mercury was heading towards 40 degrees on Saturday morning, so we were all pretty glad to get out after just over two hours in the car. Seattle delivered it's first gold star at our accommodation at Hampton Inn and Suites in the Queen Anne district. Upon arrival, there was a small issue with the room rate I had originally been quoted but it was quickly fixed, and we were upgraded to a two bedroom suite without charge. The suite was bigger than our place in Lynn Valley, so we spread out and made the most of the air-con, two flat screen TVs, free wireless, wide hallways and king size beds.

We headed outside and stumbled across Tilkum Cafe . Great food, modest serves, spectacular service, modern and clean decor, kid-friendly and reasonable prices. Five very happy people walked out.

On the way home we had a look around Seattle Centre at the EMP, Space Needle and amusement park, with plans to come back later. Took a few pics

We grabbed some supplies at the supermarket next door and for anyone visiting Washington QFC supermarket is worth a visit if you're in the state.

Seattle continued to deliver knock-outs - although rated by critics at one of Seattle's best restaurants, the main reason we choose Zoe for dinner was it's name...

Highly recommended for an early dinner with small people, or long evening dinner for two.

We kicked off day 2 in Seattle at Pike Place Market. I'm always a bit cynical about city markets (too shiny, rubbish produce, overpriced, conjested and dirty) but Pike Place Market was another knock-out ... the family wordsmith and creative director is going to dedicate a post to this place, so watch out for his update.

Boys and girls split up for the afternoon and Mum and I wandered downtown Seattle, while the boys checked out the Woodland Zoo. Dinner was decidedly average and doesn't rate mentioning, however the hallway to the washrooms deserves a picture

That afternoon, we headed up the Space Needle - there's a great interpretive program at the top and of course great views - if you're visiting make sure you book online prior and beat the crowds. Check out A's post for pictures.

Thanks to this post, day 3 found us in Ballard, the Fitzroy of Seattle. I'm so glad we made it to this groovy little area - a must-see, and even better the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks are just up the road.

Seattle - what a place. We'll be back

Rock on

2009-08-01T22:01:00.006-07:00

Wow.

I think that's a pretty good word to sum up The Canadian Rockies - specifically the Icefields Parkway, mainly because that's what we'd say around most bends travelling the never ending promenade of peaks, valleys, vistas and glaciers that crescendoed with the Columbia Icefields. The brutal ruggedness of the mountains, complemented by nana-type shawls of white snow and ice never failed to gobsmack the most jaded viewer. If it wasn't so dangerous we'd have been amused at the many wayward drivers staring at the scenery rather than the road.
Yeah, OK, guilty.

The lack of wildlife wasn't that disappointing, although there was a bit of one-upmanship between groups as my luxury-RV-dwelling sister and her family ticked off a wolf and a bear on one day to our naive rabbit-hole-dwelling, I mean, Westfalia-dwelling family's road-kill racoon. RV envy? Not at all! But for a proper RV versus a Westfalia comparison, have a good look at that second picture from my wife's last blog. We had a chip on our shoulder from the first night, but on the plus side, we didn't have an Austin Power's moment if we wanted to do a u-turn.
Small compensation.

But I digress. The Icefields Parkway.

All that previous excitement on day one, as eloquently explored by Teesha, and we haven't even made it onto the parkway proper. Although we were a little disappointed we didn't see the Grizzly that put us behind the electric fence - especially seeing as even dinner came with a warning

we motored off down one of the most amazing pieces of road in the world.

Fortunately for family unity we saw a bear later in the trip

And we also experienced bear-gridlock that confirmed we weren't the only wildlife -starved touring group on the Parkway.

The Columbia Ice Fields themselves were amazing, but failed to impress a hard audience

The mountains were so impressive that even dramatic clouds had trouble dominating the landscape.

Amazing? Unstoppable? Throw a sunset in.

Sensational!

Rockies road trip day 1 - Calgary to Banff

2009-07-18T21:49:00.006-07:00

(from Monday 6 July 2009....a little late but better than never

We survived the first test - getting one car, two adults, three children and luggage (including two bikes, one pram and eight bags/suitcases) to the airport on time. A spew-free flight for once and an hour later we touched down in a wet Calgary. The rain swayed us away from checking out the Stampede, so we hit the road to Banff.

On arrival, we got our first taste of Parks Canada campgrounds. First up was Tunnel Mountain

The BMX bandits marked out their territory, sending men, women and children fleeing.....

SSI Part 2

2009-07-04T22:33:00.006-07:00

Well home from a lovely unwinding week on Salt Spring Island. Feeling very relaxed now, so thought I'd update one the weeks activities.

We left Vancouver in style, at least two of us did. The girls were on the ferry with the children.

But we paid our dues and returned with the kids today, while the girls flew in after a day poking around Ganges.

Approaching Salt Spring Island over Ganges harbour. Yesterday we kayaked around the islands below; admiring seals, bald eagles and blue herons.

We found some old school carrots at the local farmers market, they made a great roast

along with some first of the season fresh Portuguese garlic.

It looked OK in the pot too:

And was enjoyed with some more local produce, of course.

Unfortunately the Vancouver Island Brewing 'Pod Pack' was the only sighting the guys got of orcas. While we were winging it over the islands, the girls were entertained by them breaching next to the ferry. Damn!

Summer in North America is yummy.

Snack time!

A little break during a walk

We shared our front patio view with some extremely little guests, who entertained with their aerobatic shenanigans.

Although I think the view was somewhat lost on the kids

and in case you didn't get that, yes: that's the view

Oh, and Happy birthday Canada...

Time to catch up

2009-07-01T12:49:00.005-07:00

Day 3 on Salt Spring Island, part of the Southern Gulf Islands off the coast of British Columbia. Life has slowed to a crawl, in keeping with the island pace. Nana-naps are becoming the norm, as are long stretches of silence as we watch the sun adorn the ocean each evening. It's giving us a chance to look back on the last six months and fill in some gaps on The Flying Chooks.

[ picture - view from the dining table, Seaside Lodge, Fulford Harbour, Salt Spring Island]

Happy birthday Poppa Joe

2009-05-31T13:16:00.002-07:00

We woke up this morning and what did we see....

2009-05-31T11:26:00.007-07:00

...a party happening right on our street.

Turns out Saturday 30 May is Lynn Valley Day and the village really celebrates. It had all the elements from parades I remember from my youth, plus a few North American specialties.....

Fire trucks...

...tow trucks

...police trucks

...oversized stuffed animals

...music

...lots of balloons

...cheerleaders

and one VERY happy kid

Once the parade was over, we headed across to the fairground set up at the local elementary school. Snags, onion rings and tomato sauce for lunch, followed up with a 45 minute wait for a turn on the bouncey castle.

Another reason to love Lynn Valley. Not that we needed anymore.

speed post!

2009-05-27T22:36:00.003-07:00

Day two....
consisted of golf, wine, long lunches and a spin around the park.

More to come...

Road trip day 1, May 2009

2009-05-16T21:19:00.005-07:00

Thursday 14 May - Vancouver - Hope - Penticton - Kelowna

We finally made it east of Coquitlam (our deepest exploration prior was to the mighty IKEA). So much of our travel to date had been west to Whistler, or south to the States. And it seemed strange to head east and have somewhere to actually go, given we spent three years living on the eastern seaboard in Australia.

So five of us piled into the BRT (Big Red Truck) and set off. And what a worthy journey - simply spectacular.

First stop was Hope and I was impressed I could snap a shot from the local servo, on an overcast day, and still be overwhelmed by the stunning scenery.

We soon discovered "Rambo, First Blood" was filmed in Hope back in the 80s. Many cheesy pics were snapped .....

We grabbed a great lunch at the Blue Moose, and dined out in the local park before jumping
in the BRT towards the next stop.

I'd like to describe in great detail the journey between Hope and Penticton, but I can't.....I slept - and so did Nash.

Penticton was a bit of a yawn....no pictures to share. We caffein-ated and moved onto the next stop - Kelowna. I'll defer to my-much-more-interesting-husband to share the details of our next pitstop.

Ciao

Vancouver visitors....the first Antipodean wave

2009-05-16T21:12:00.004-07:00

Tuesday 12 May - Nan and Pop arrive....

Preschool logic

2009-05-01T12:41:00.003-07:00

We were at the garden centre last weekend and a convertible Mercedes pulled up beside us.

"Look Mummy" Nash exclaimed, "It's a windy car". I smiled and agreed, stifling a giggle at the cute description.

He then went on to explain, in his usual stream of consciousness "I wouldn't want Mummy and Daddy to drive a windy car because when it rains there would be no roof and we would all get wet and we wouldn't have rain jackets on and our hair would get wet, and I don't think I'd like that. Okay Mummy?".

Fair point little man.....we've crossed the convertible Mercedes off the "to buy" list

Happy birthday

2009-04-12T19:48:00.003-07:00

Three years.....where did it go?

Three weeks before Nash was born (six weeks before he was due, mind you....) I was in full throttle working at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. In fact, being pregnant was far from my mind at that time....it was only every now and then when I tried to do something the 'bump' would get in the way....

Then he arrived, early. And not breathing. Grey, as Adam remembers. And kudos to the midwives and team at Royal Women's - nothing will ever describe how professionally they handled the whole situation. Next thing you know, he's on my chest, pink-ed up, feeding....and we sit and stare...and stare....and stare some more.....

He comes home and sleeps. Which he did for about 12 months. Kinda boring baby in a lot of ways - wasn't really into crying. Just feeding and sleeping.

He woke up about 14 months and put us through our paces. Down at 7pm, up at 9pm...11pm, 2am, 4am, 6am. Day after day, week after week. Months even. Went from a cot to a bed. Then back again. Then back into a bed.

Then there was the biting.... I was telling a friend here in Vancouver about it a few weeks back and they simply didn't believe me....and rightly so, it's hard to believe the child that stands in front of us now could ever bite. But he did and it was a dark time, that fortunately ended as suddenly as it began.

At two and a half, we dragged him halfway around the world - away from his beloved friend D, away from everything familiar. He responded by toilet-training himself within a week. He was done, no more nappies day or night.

Pre-school beckoned and he started a couple of afternoons a week. Adam described it like his brain exploding with stimulation.

He learnt to ride a bike (....well, a walk-a-bike). Then he learnt how to go fast, up hills, down hills, with hands, without hands, through snow.....and then how to crash and how to land. He's now asking for pedals. I'm terrified, and currently trying to find full body armour in toddler size.

He loves men - plumbers, electricians, cable-guys who come into our apartment receive a huge hug and are dragged into his den to play with lego. He stops everyone (and I mean e v e r y o n e ) in the street and says hello. If they respond, he'll ask their name. The conversaton begins and within seconds he'll reach for their hand and ask if they want to come home with him. Social extrovert doesn't even start to describe him....

He misses his friends and family and talks about them constantly. Today was made so special by special Skype calls from Down Under - he's still buzzing.

Happy 3rd birthday little fella.

x

Bathtime with Mum

2009-03-28T19:50:00.004-07:00

Today, it's just Mum and Nash. Dad is slurping wine somewhere downtown. Realisations made

1) I'm crap at lego
2) One day with a (almost) three year old is friggin' exhausting
3) Apparently Dad is his favourite

In light of 3), I took revenge....

What to do on a rainy Vancouver day

2009-03-15T22:19:00.006-07:00

In between snow and rain showers today we wanted to get out of the house so we did the good Vancouver thing and exercised.

Our first family mountain bike ride, on the trails around our house. Nash went a little nuts, he loved the combination of his bike, mud and puddles.

he wasn't so fast on the uphills

But loved going downhill.

and loved the cold ducks

After I went for a bit of a ride by myself. With light misty rain falling the light in the valley close to home was amazing. Not quite picked up on our point and shoot unfortunately, but still very pretty.

The trails were great. Quiet and empty.

Enough to put a smile on anyone's face.

Weird Science

2009-03-13T20:13:00.002-07:00

Yesterday Nash and I had a bit of an adventure. And what better way for a nearly-three year old to travel than by:

bus, then boat

then train

Then off to the Science Museum

While Nash was probably a little young to appreciate the finer points at Vancouver's Science Museum, he could have easily spent another day, perhaps two, exploring what was on offer. This
will definitely be a repeat activity!

Nash's favorites was the lego room, where amongst the lego-world type displays you could build your own lego car and then race it on a special ramp racetrack against other kids. Pandemonium!

I was impressed by the Orcas (above), Mr T and Boba Fett on the BC Ferry (Above, if you double click on the pic, they're on the top deck) and the ski resort next to the city (below).

The other highlight would have been the giant ball launcher and water course in the sky. Hard to explain, so here are some more pics.

He also tried out the amazing teleportation device there:

...we're still waiting for him to come back....

Unsurprisingly I guess given his parents, but we can now confirm that Nashua is definitely anti-fur:

My personal highlight was catching all the fathers getting involved with all the activities and puzzles, almost forgetting their kids. I must admit I may have been guilty of that once or twice myself!

The poor little boy was exhausted by the time we got home and fell asleep on my lap . While according to the special weighing machine he is only a little heavier than a beaver:

Regardless, carrying that dead-weight home from the bus was back breaking work! But worth every bit - a great day out was had by both.

I love the North Shore

2009-02-19T20:23:00.006-08:00

The snow is melting. Slowly but surely a few trails are being unveiled from their winter white jacket. I've been up twice this week - desperate to put my new bike through it's paces.

Yes, this is a mountain biking post. All those not interested may want to skip this and wait for the next post..

Anyway, where there's no snow the trails are dry and grippy. Lower down some trails are revealing themselves, but gain a little altitude and the snow takes over quickly. So I'm only getting a taste, but what a taste it is! First things first though, the bike.

The Slayer rocks.

It's an amazing bike, nimble uphill and sure footed down. It's taken a little to get used to the air shocks after coil - it seemed a bit too solid initially, but on the trail - the 150mm of rear travel thanks to the Fox DHX 4.0 shock and 160mm up front with the Fox Talas fork - the bike is dynamic and fluid, letting you concentrate on the line.

Dropping the fork travel down to 100mm (you can also select 130mm) and switching pro-pedal on the shock to max (only two settings, max & min) puts you in a good road or firetrail climbing position. Just as well as I live at the bottom of the mountain and it's a long ride up before hitting the trails.

Back to my first real taste of riding here. While there are quite a few technical North Shore style constructions, there is always a 'B' line, sometimes a 'C' and 'D' line, or even another 'A' line, which makes riding a little confusing at first - I'm sure it will all be natural after a few runs - but for my first few outings, throw a little snow in the mix and there was a lot of inspecting the trail before riding. So as far as names, I rode Natural High, which is going to be a lot of fun with a bit more confidence (I haven't ridden for 4 or5 months) and a lot less snow. After that, a bit of up, down, XC, hike-a-bike activities along the Baden Powell trail led me to the second section of Crippler. No snow here and I could feel the confidence flowing back with every turn. So much fun.

Here's some pics from the two rides. Sorry about the quality, it was on our dodgy little camera and then adjusted in Picasa.

An A & B line in the snow on Natural High. No idea if there were any others...

Natural High starts off with a few jumps & roll offs, then a log ride and a sea-saw that swivels 30 degrees sideways (!) into a drop-off. Can't wait to give that a burl.

Lower Crippler, as I mentioned, was snow free. A lot steeper and rockier and a lot of fun. As soon as I started I was met with a ramp ending in a steep roll off, followed by a rock jump/roll off (the A/B thing again). From the top:

A little further I came across possibly the coolest MTB riding terrain I've ever encountered; a roller coaster:

The pitch off the first hump caught me by surprise, very steep and then the G forces back up.

I can't wait to do it again.

The trail had lots of little jumps and switch backs, it was a lot of fun, the NSMBA do a great job maintaining all these trails. I think I'll soon become a member and put some trail building time in.

Further down I came across an extended bit of raised trail that was fun.

Looking back

Just after this I came across a fun log ride with a smaller ramp leading up to it. here's the start

and looking back you can see the 'B' line crossing over

It's been a while that I've caught myself smiling or even giggling going down a trail, but lower crippler bought it out quite a few times today. I can't wait to get up there and ride again, although I think I might need flats to bail more efficiently, a bash guard instead of the big ring and definitely some more armour up top.

Bring on Summer!

The art of eating spaghetti

2009-02-10T22:16:00.004-08:00

But snow didn't stop everyone

2009-02-10T13:00:00.003-08:00

Teesha didn't ride to work today

2009-02-10T08:43:00.002-08:00

Vancouver Island Day 3

2009-02-06T23:40:00.000-08:00

Breakfast once again. Floyd's Diner was the venue this time. It was a little out of town so we packed up and checked out before breakfast. A groovy, somewhat grungy (but not in an unclean sense) joint with massively oversized goldfish in the lobby aquarium.

This was the first time we hadn't been supplied with colouring in paraphernalia, so Nash made do with the condiments.

A farewell loop around James Bay and "Mile Zero" of the Trans Canadian Highway before heading north to Nanaimo.

A grey outlook on the way to Nanaimo.

Our planned destination was further North, but on arriving at Nanaimo bad weather tempted us to try our luck getting an earlier ferry home, which worked fine and was probably welcome for one grumpy traveller.

Thus our mini-break came to an end and while it was nice getting home, it was a great little holiday away. We're looking forward to seeing Victoria and teh rest of Vancouver island in different seasons over the next year.

Vancouver Island, Day 2

2009-02-06T22:54:00.001-08:00

What a holiday bonus. Cable. Nash wakes up at sparrow-o-clock and we roll over, switch on kids TV then roll over and get another handful of minutes snoozing before breakfast. I like it.

Today's breakfast venue is the Blue Fox. We get there in time for a short wait before being seated. 15 minutes later the line is substantial as people mill outside in the brisk morning air. Timing, something that would be a bit of a theme throughout the day.

Another healthy breakfast. French toast with Calvados apples. Yum.

What a delicious breakfast. Great coffee, great service and great food. Winner. On leaving the cafe we were greeted with a parking policeman just about to write us out a ticket. I'd forgotten to feed the meter. Fortunately we were able to apologise and escape a fine. Timing

Then we headed off to Thetis Lake with the intention of going for a walk around the lake. The rain hanging around, being driven across the landscape wasn't feeding our enthusiasm though. Pulling up at the car park though, the sun came out and the weather held for the entire walk. Timing.

The lake was beautiful but we only walked lower Thetis, there's only so many sticks and stones you can pick up and throw in one walk and little legs tire easily. The partially frozen lake was a great novelty and proved incentive for said thrown sticks and stones. The different trees and lush mossy undergrowth was beautiful. This was dog-walking Mecca as well, Nash was in heaven patting and getting kisses every 30 or so meters.

It's all about sticks.

and a frozen lake

We returned to the hotel where we had lunch before walking through downtown.

The old buildings and character of the city was wonderful and we agreed that Victoria was extremely similar to New Zealand: Old interesting buildings with wide streets, a laid back, un-rushed vibe with interesting shops and good places to eat. I believe Teesha has decided to take the ferry over when she's pining for home. Big call for a terminally sea sick traveller.

Nash makes friends everywhere.

It got a bit chilly at sundown, so Nash borrowed dad's beanie, with mixed results.

After window shopping and wandering we went to an earlyish dinner at Re-Bar. Apart from a salmon dish, it was a vegetarian menu and I was in the mood for a steak. But we stayed and I'm glad, the food was delicious. Once again, a big line out the door not long after we arrived. Timing. We went with a tapas style dinner, picking from quite a few entrees on the table. It left room for the delicious selection of deserts presented behind glass near the entrance.

Wandering home, Teesha and Nashua walked on and left me to my devices to play around with the camera and the impressive legislative buildings on the harbour.

Vancouver Island, day 1

2009-02-06T21:23:00.007-08:00

A little mini-break on Vancouver Island was enjoyed by the three of us last weekend. Here's what went down...

We caught the ferry from Vancouver on Thursday evening and got into Victoria in reasonable time. It would have been nice to go during the day but we'll be back a few times I imagine, so plenty of times to enjoy the island views.

We arrived at the Ocean View Backpackers (who had assured us several times was a kid-friendly environment) to a rather divey looking downtown backpackers, complete with a steel security mesh with code to get upstairs. Pokey rooms with a trundle bed taking up the little remaining floor-space next to the double bed. Not where we want with our young-un. We've had some great experiences with backpackers in NZ and the like but I don't think we'll be making that mistake in North America again. Seems the string of online gushing reviews stem from a $15 room credit if you write a review. Nice.

Given it was so late we decided to stay in the cramped, travel-weary room for the night and search for a better place in the morning.

Friday dawned brighter than expected, which was nice. Nash even slept in a little after getting to bed at 11pm or something ridiculous. Not much we could do in the tight confines of Ocean View's shoebox though. But I digress. We beat a hasty exit and went down the road to the first of our culinary adventures. John's Place felt like a proper old school US diner, complete with guest photos crammed over every available wall space and banquet seating. Very groovy.

John's grub, healthy.

We were pleasantly surprised by the unprompted presentation of crayons and colouring-in paper. That's more in line with the concept of kid-friendly that we are familiar with. We'll come to find the crayons and paper trick was quite prevalent in Victoria, along with booster seats and high chairs. Seems the rest of Victoria is quite kid friendly. Enough, I'll build a bridge, lets get on with the rest of the story.

So after breakfast we had a look at a few hotels and managed to get a very nice room for a handful of extra coin at the QV Hotel, with two double beds and enough room to spread out and get Nash to sleep at a reasonable time. That sorted, onwards to discover Victoria.

The first call was for coffee, after discovering the latte ordered at the breakfast house was drip filter, not espresso. So we wandered down Cook Street Village and picked up a coffee on the way to Beacon Hill Park and the beach. On the coast line we were greeted with dramatic cloudy views of the straight looking towards the mainland. The pebbly beach was a paradise for busy little bodies.

The plan was to wander back over Beacon Hill to a recommended spot, the Bent Mast. We arrived a bit before midday on a Friday and it looked like the owners had just got up. Deserted, we left with a mind to returning on a summers day when the quaint front yard beer garden could be utilised to it's fullest.

Wandering down to the main harbour we ended up wandering to another spot for what eneded up being a rather late lunch - especially with a toddler in tow, but well worth the wait. Ferris' Oyster Bar was also recommended (as all our culinary visits were), and with good reason. Good cosy atmosphere, great service and fantastic food.

We rolled back to our hotel room after lunch and hung out, enjoyed the indoor pool and hot tub and had a picnic dinner in the room. What a fantastic day.

Big softy

2009-01-29T10:06:00.000-08:00

After the ski jump comp on Sunday, we visited some friends who were staying in Whistler. They have a little girl who Nash was very keen to hold. He waited patiently to receive.

But things didn't go according to plan and he was quite confused when the little one cried - poor little man.

He's a little man with a big heart already. Whenever another child falls and hurts themselves he'll be the first to run over and give them a big hug.

It doesn't always have the desired effect - usually the already stressed kid gets a bit of a fright by being smothered by another kid, so it sends them off crying again. It hasn't stopped Nash though fortunately.

Last night Nash was being his mischievous self while I was trying to cook dinner. he loves watching me cook and helping where he can, but I'd already warned him a few times about putting his fingers in dangerous places. Finally though I had to banished him from the kitchen. He trotted off and returned minutes later with Mutts, his favourite toy, a stuffed monkey. Holding out Mutts' hands he wrapped them around my leg and said
"Mutts will make you feel better daddy."

It's a bit hard to stay cross with him sometimes.

Flying chooks watch flying people

2009-01-28T10:23:00.010-08:00

On Sunday we went to see the world cup ski jumping comp at Whistler.

It was an amazing event, with competitors jumping nearly 150 meters off the 'big jump'. Nash didn't enjoy the trip up, but after some food-based bribes and a little acclimatisation (it was minus 10 degrees!!!) he really got into it, and talked about it for days after.
Probably the funniest moment was when the rather excitable commentator got a little over zealous with a particularly long jump and yelled into the microphone in his best bingo drawl "OOOONE FOOOOORTY NINEEEEE meters folks, that's an amazing jump!!!!"
Nash clapped enthusiastically then threw his hands in the air and yelled out in excitement "One Forty Nine!!!".

The big hill, next to the small hill:

Flying high:

Touchdown:

The backdrop for the event, the amazing mountainranges surrounding Whistler:

"One Forty Nine" Nash oohs and aaahs at the flying skiers:

Frozen flames, Olympic snow carving:

There were lots of people out there, as we could attest to by the slow train of cars for the final km or so. Despite the cold temperatures the sun was out and it was a beautiful day. A great BC experience.

Vancouver inversion

2009-01-22T15:24:00.004-08:00

def: under certain conditions, the normal vertical temperature gradient is inverted such that the air is colder near the surface of the Earth. This can occur when, for example, a warmer, less dense air mass moves over a cooler, denser air mass. This type of inversion occurs in the vicinity of warm fronts...with sufficient humidity in the cooler layer, fog is typically present below the inversion cap. (courtesty of wiki)

Some random pics from my phone

2009-01-16T22:25:00.006-08:00

In lieu of inspiring words, here's some pics from my phone, snapped around the place.

Nash's first powder experience, Grouse Mountain.

More shots of snow on our balcony (yes, it's still a novelty, like squirrels).

Our neighbourhood

Our neighbourhood from a different angle

Safety Nash

Nash cooking up a storm at our local kid-friendly cafe, Babyeats.

Hope you enjoyed them!

Vancouver Aquarium

2009-01-15T22:08:00.003-08:00

Last week Nash and I went to the Vancouver Aquarium. Nash likes fishes so it was always going to be a successful outing.

He's becoming a real little man, Nash. He takes so much in and surprises you hours, or days, later by bringing something related up if you're talking later. It was a great afternoon for both of us.

While he was more excited about the signs and interactive displays (he loved pushing buttons to hear whale sounds, I could have left him in that area for hours I think) he took a fair bit of the fish action in as well. He loved the sea otters.

The one big highlight though was the dolphins.

In retrospect it was bound to be a hit; lots of splashing, jumping, chasing and tricks. All the things Nash likes doing himself.

So this is Christmas

2008-12-27T00:02:00.002-08:00

Wow, has it really been that long since my last post? On my wine blog too, nothing.
I have many excuses, of course. Snow, Christmas and all that entails: shopping for food, shopping for presents, shopping for wine, shopping for more presents. But the excuse I'm sticking to is this:
Nash doesn't sleep in the afternoons anymore. It's thrown me into disarray. Those two golden hours after lunch where all manner of things would get done, including a quick blog, gone.

But time to build a bridge, pour another wine and type away. I've been gone too long.

I must add here that while Nash has dropped his sleep, in the same two weeks he's shed his dependence on nappies! In typical style he's obviously made the decision that he's over them and decided enough is enough, time for 'big boy undies'. The matchbox-car incentive played a big part I believe (thanks K!) but we've had no incidents day or night for over a week now. This was an event I was dreading: Nappies are one thing, I was expecting a completely different level of familiarity during toilet training though, front line and elbows deep in some up close and personal poo action. I will have to remember to thank Nash in my speech on his 21st birthday that he didn't make it too bad for me.

On to the main story though, Christmas. Been and gone (as I look over my shoulder, scratching my head). And what a Northern Hemisphere experience it was; snow, more snow and then more again. "Snowmageddon" even, if the media is to be believed. A white Christmas (Teesha has already discussed the semantics there so lets go with that), a very rare thing in Vancouver apparently. And we loved it. I even got to keep the bikes in the bedroom instead of on the balcony.

So how did a Northern Winter Christmas pan out? Well things didn't go all to plan. Christmas eve we were to go to a friends house for dinner and a Christmas Eve church visit, to hear one of them sing in the choir. Very festive, and we were looking forward to it. They even had a little playmate for Nash too. However the snow was also being festive, so much so that it was advised that anyone who doesn't need to be out and about should be firmly ensconced in their home. I'm sure the news said something about a nice bottle of red too, but I can't recall. We made the call in the early afternoon and while there was relief that we didn't have to battle the elements the evening was a little sad that we were not spending it with some new friends.

In the strange world of Southern/Northern hemisphere timing we talked to both our families who were sitting down for Christmas lunch well before we were deciding what we were going to have for Christmas eve dinner. Both a happy and sad conversation, we miss you all.

For the record, downtown Vancouver had 24cm of snow Christmas Eve, so probably a good thing we didn't venture out.

Christmas day dawned later than usual, with a splendidly timed Nashua sleep-in. What better present could you have for a mum and dad who took the night before news' advice and survived the snow via liberal administrations of vino. As such, it was nearly light when we rose to a very white Christmas:

Whilst Nash was sleeping we moved the Christmas tree from his bedroom, where it had been residing and put all the presents under the tree. (Anyone who wonders why the presents were not under the tree beforehand has not shared the house with a two year old). After a little cuddle in bed we all got up and made our way to the lounge for presents. Last year Nash was not exactly an active participant in this process, however this year he was proudly handing out gifts and unwrapping anything in sight.

A tidy house to start:

But not for too long:

Many wonderful gifts later I spent my first stint in the kitchen, whipping up a Chrissy breakfast fit for the most discerning Canadian.

Unfortunately the succulent Canadian bacon was reduced to a dried out shell of it's former self by keeping it warm in the oven while I worked on the leaning tower of pancake. Never mind, there's another frypan coming in our shipping boxes - if they ever get here. You definitely need two pans to cook a successful Canadian breakfast.

Well it didn't seem like long until I was back in the kitchen (It sounds like I'm complaining, but I love getting my hands dirty and creating in the kitchen, so no problem there). Lunch-come-dinner was on the way with a few variations and mixed results...

We went for a chicken instead of a turkey -pass- due to our two-and-a-half-person-family status this year. I thought a range of squashes (pumpkins for the antipodes residents) would be a good experience for the roast veg -fail-. I chose a Malaysian version of roast turkey (or chicken in this case) with a lemongrass and citrus stuffing -pass- but followed the recipe for a 4kg turkey when we had a 2kg chicken -fail-. However for some reason the fail there was that the chicken wasn't cooked. It should have been crisped! So we'll chalk that one down to experience. All in all not one of my finer moments in the kitchen, but we have lots of leftovers (the 4 turkey drumsticks and platters of roast veg in the oven probably had something to do with the variable cooking times as well).

A so-so Christmas lunch(sorry Teesha, sorry Nashua) gave way to play time. Something I'd wanted to do on Christmas day was roast marshmallows with Nash on our open fire. Unfortunately the wood was a little green I think as it needed a lot of persuasion to stay alight (we've been using 'fire logs' - processed sawdust and wax bricks that you light with the paper wrapping and off they go for 3 1/2 hours, but I wasn't keen to use one for food prep). Fortunately the audience was forgiving and easily won with sugary goodness.

An early turn in and that was another blink-and-you-miss-it Christmas.

Today is boxing day, and we braved the snow - yes, it started snowing again - to compete in the spend-your-cash-dash of the boxing day sales. We'd already spent most of our money though, so I was lucky to get a very sexy DeWalt 18v cordless drill/driver. Teesha is in heaven with a plethora of storage combinations to play with from her purchases.

Well a marathon post to make up for the previous drought, but I've learned a good lesson (Teesha would dispute that could be possible) - less is more and more often is better.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Dreaming of a White Christmas, Part II

2008-12-24T18:24:00.006-08:00

Sick of taking photos of the snow....so we took some videos

Dreaming of a White Christmas

2008-12-24T07:31:00.003-08:00

We're now obsessed with the weather. We check the forecast about ten times a day, check the weather when we wake in the morning, discuss it with neighbours and workmates and nod in agreement when we hear the newsreader say 'Snowmaggedon'.

Vancouver is known for having the most temperate climes in Canada, which is also the same reason why there's a large homeless population here (...less chance' of freezing outside...). From what we'd been told you get snow on the ground a couple of times a year, with it melting away after a couple of days. You know, Vancouver doesn't really 'do' snow...

Well today, Christmas Eve, we've woken up to snow on the ground...again. We've got so much snow now I'm over taking photos of it....but here's some from a few days ago. If you want to know what it looks like now, add another 15cm of snow

So with Christmas Day 16 hours away...the White Christmas is here. Apparently here it's defined by 'snow on the ground'. Me, I'm a nitpicker and prefer 'snow falling from the sky' but hey, when in Rome...

It's been a while....

2008-12-17T21:04:00.007-08:00

Christmas sucks up time. Life is a bit of a blur at the moment...a bit like this shot of Nash's room. So here's a pictorial update of the last 10 days here in winter wonderland...

First snow in Vancouver, last Friday

Second snow...Sat morning

And my trip to work today - it snowed from 9am until 4pm

From outside the office

Fingers crossed for a white Christmas!

No time like Snow time

2008-12-08T23:26:00.006-08:00

We spent the weekend in Whistler, first time on snow since Nash was born, and it certainly won't be the last! Nash in childcare and us free to head up to the mountain and do what we want - until 3.30 at least, when we have to return to reality and pick Nash up again.
For those of you that know us well, it may be a surprise to know that Teesha spent more time on the snow than I did. A combination of not the best conditions on the mountain and too-small boots catching up with me saw me kick back in the village on Sunday while Teesha headed up the mountain.
For the biggest ski resort in North America (apparently), Saturday was a lot like skiing in Australia. Wet, slow and heavy with the choice of about three runs. Teesha on the other hand was having a ball rediscovering skiing after a few years on a board. Perhaps I can entice her out to blog again; about the virtues of two planks over one.
I also caught up with a fellow Vancouverite (if that's the correct term) on the mountain who I went to school with in Switzerland some mumble-teen years ago - and haven't seen since. It was fun to catch up on the lift after each run, as well as have some company riding down as well. I certainly don't think it will be the last time we team up on the Whistler slopes. Aaah, the wonders of Facebook, how did we keep in contact before it? There are some photo's taken from Saturday that I'll have to get to post here.

I lost Nash

2008-12-08T23:15:00.008-08:00

Not for long. And it was in our own home.
He's starting to drop his daytime sleeps, but he just spent two days of childcare in Whistler and managed to rack up a few Z's for them, why not me? So I shut him in his room today for a while. I could hear him playing around but I thought if he's in his room then I can still get on with a few things that need doing. Sure enough he fell silent after a while and 10 minutes or so later I went in to check on him. He wasn't on his bed. He wasn't on the floor. He wasn't anywhere to be seen, but the door was closed so he must be here somewhere. I found him, but I tell you what, that's not the kind of fright you want to be giving yourself everyday.

Not sure why he decided to read a book under the bed, but it seemed to work for him I guess.

Bedtime

2008-12-03T21:37:00.010-08:00

First it was Mutts, then along came Lemur, closely followed by Woolley and Footy Bear. Then I brought home three new friends, Quatchi, Sumi and Miga....and together they all form Nash's posse. All seven must now be present, sitting in an orderly fashion, before story time can begin.

Story time these days.....let's just say there's little variation from the following themes - trains, trucks, boats and tools.....see below for the latest library offering*

*the Lynn Valley library is a reason in itself to move to this area - the building is a beauty, two storey wood and glass on a corner site, with the kids section holding prime position with floor to ceiling windows filling the space with natural light. Add to that helpful and friendly staff, every resource you can think of, an efficient check out system AND open on Sunday.

Wet weather fun

2008-11-28T15:06:00.003-08:00

One of the big differences between Canada and Australia is that it actually rains here.
Nash has been amazed at all the fountains in the city - that are actually turned on - so much so that he wants to jump in them. Rain is a particular fascination as well, so today we went out and did a bit of Nash's favourite activity.

As always this finishes off with the question "Why are my pants wet daddy?" Not quite the master of cause and effect yet.
Today he proudly stating "I'm soaking wet!" to anyone and everyone walking past at the time.
Well, you have to get your fun where you find it.

Something about nothing

2008-11-26T14:13:00.006-08:00

A quiet jobs kind of day today - but I've been playing with my new phone, so here are two pics that I love from the past weeks.

Nash will talk to anyone, quite often at length. So it shouldn't be a surprise that he'll chat to some of the computerised toys around these days. Apart from setting off all 20 odd Elmo Live toys at the same time he had a bit of a one-on-one as well.

And this one; out of focus, blurry and ill-lit but I think it's beautiful, perhaps because of these things.

Hope you're having a great day wherever you are in the world.

New us

2008-11-25T19:59:00.006-08:00

I've been a bit slack on the 'blogging' front. Partly because I can't seem to find the time. Partly because my efforts pale in comparison to my husband's. But mostly because I haven't really been able to find the words to describe this new world ....but then I thought "what the hell", I'll just start ranting and see where it goes.....

So these days it's me who gets up in the morning, has 'bokfest' with Nash, heads out the door onto my chosen method of transportation for the day and waves goodbye to the boys. It's been quite an adjustment to getting up and out of the house five days a week...in a row...in a timely fashion. So much so I now wear a watch for the first time in ten years.

Days at work fly by, turn into weeks and soon it will be months. And I love it - as a friend described the other day "a small cog in a wonderful big wheel". The passion I have for my work does temper the sadness I feel when I get home and realise the boys have had a great day without me, packed with explorations, stories and new discoveries. But now I do get to slot into the picture as the parent who has the energy to deal with a pre-schooler and can launch into dinner, bath and bedtime with enthusiasm, giving Adam the breather I used to love so much.

And weekend 'Mum and Nash' excursions are soon to become a regular feature. Here's a shot from our most recent outing to "Thomas and Friends". Nash loved it, me - well....it wasn't about me.....

Life around Lynn Valley part II - on two wheels

2008-11-24T10:44:00.012-08:00

So on Saturday afternoon after our walk to the bridge, I took my bike out to try and suss out some of the local trails. I took the same approach as the morning, threading small tracks together to stay off the road as much as possible, but this time I headed in the opposite direction. I got similar results, as well. Not a lot of road, mostly small trails, dirt paths and singletrack.

I was working my way up to where I knew a major trail head was and had a few false starts and back tracks, but not bad for a first go. In fact there was some nice trails to enjoy along the way, including this uphill section of tree-roots, now where do you pick a line to get up this?

At the top of the impossible tree root ascent I was rewarded with a giant green veiny dinosaur egg partially buried in the forest floor.

It might not have been though.

All this time I'd been working my way uphill consistently and was quite tired by the time I got to the trail head, but what greeted me there perked my energy levels:

A booth with trail maps of the local area

and the wider local area,

including information and graded rides. I was excited to see quite a few black diamond and double black diamond runs,

put perhaps not today on the ex-rental Hardrock! You can see the "You are here" arrow almost at the bottom.

Setting off from the booth, the trail was a bit steep to ride up without the occasional off-and-push, but not so much that you couldn't enjoy yourself most of the time. I was already mentally mapping rides from higher up that would lead all the way to my back door, as long as I could convince Teesha to drop me at the top of our street (see previous post on how steep that one is!).

Conscious of the late evening and the early sunset I selected one of the many trails branching off and heading downhill. Tight technical singletrack was the reward. I was too busy riding to stop and take photos, so this was all I ended up stopping for. It was a bit cool and I think the lens misted up a little.

Due to the time I resisted the urge to head off one of the trails I passed following the contours of the land and continued downhill. I was confident of not getting lost due to the large power lines dissecting the mountain, creating a good reference point as you came down. I'd followed the lines a fair way on the way up, so they were familiar, and I could already see how useful they were going to be when I started exploring my local mountain properly.

Once I hit the power lines again I headed back down.

A lot faster this time, as (apart from it being downhill) I knew where to go. A bit of fine tuning and some more exploration and around two hours after starting I finally re-emerged behind my house, desperate to get a bigger, better rig. It was all I had hoped for and more, and I'd just got a little taste of it.

Life around Lynn Valley

2008-11-23T20:59:00.008-08:00

This weekend was a bit of an 'explore the neighbourhood' weekend. Well Saturday was. Sunday was a bit of a recovery from Saturday. So lets concentrate on Saturday. After a fairly decadent breakfast at Tommy's we walked to one of the local attractions - the Lynn Valley suspension bridge.
From pretty much straight out of our house we didn't have to walk on roads too often, threading meandering paths connecting side streets until we hit parkland. We had only got a few hundred meters when we saw our first exciting thing - a badger. Sorry about the picture quality.
I've just done a bit or research and it seems this is a raccoon without a tail, rather than a badger, which are quite rare.

Not sure how common these critters are but it was quite exciting for us. Then again I still get excited seeing squirrels, and there's hundreds of those around the place.
On we went through the little paths linking streets together, we could have been in the park already.

However when we got to the park proper it was quite special, walking amongst huge pines and fallen logs, it was lovely.

There were a few areas where we had to put the mountain buggy through it's paces though.

The suspension bridge itself was something else again though. We couldn't quite believe that we lived so close to it, and yet Teesha could still commute to work by bike! Teesha was quite nervous crossing the bridge, but she managed to conquer her fears and even stopped long enough for me to shoot a picture of her and Nash.

It was the dramatic plunge to the river below as much as the disconcerting swing of the bridge as you walked across that was making her nervous. At times Nash didn't look as relaxed as his normal self either.

I was pretty keen to take some photos though.

You could see logs being tossed around like driftwood in the eddies and whirlpools of the falls, it was definitely worth taking the time to take in the experience.
On the way back I wanted to get a few photos of Teesha and Nashua on the suspension bridge from a few angles. Unfortunately there were a few more people on the bridge than the trip over, causing it to sway a bit more. Teesha wasn't sticking around this time. I managed to get one of her dragging Nash off the bridge - you can see the red jacket in the distance.

It was a sensational area, with lots of people out enjoying the beautiful weather. It's still hard to believe how close this all is to a city the size of Vancouver.
Nash was a trooper and walked most of the way there, but we tired him out pretty well so he opted for the chauffeur-pram for the return journey. All up it was only a 2 1/2 hour walk or so including a little lunch break, and the first half of that was at Nash pace. We will have to visit again without the pram for a few family walks in the future.

After our return, I set out on my hardtail MTB to see what trails were at our doorstep. However it's getting a little late this evening so that story will have to wait until tomorrow to be told.

Nash loves coffee

2008-11-21T13:44:00.006-08:00

I'm taking advantage of one of Nash's fewer and fewer daytime sleeps...
Here's a quick collection of photos from the past few months of Nash demonstrating his current 'coffee' obsession. He pretends to make it, he pretends to serve it and he loves to drink it (OK, so it's just warm milk, but don't tell him that!).

Enjoying a babychino at our favorite Melbourne cafe, Kitchen, in Kensington:

Serving up some pretend coffee to his sidekick Mutts:
Coffee Vancouver style:
Barrista in training at Kitchen:
Sharing a last coffee in Australia with best mate Dylan:

and lastly building himself a complete cafe to serve coffee to Nan and Pop. That's the coffee machine on the right if you didn't know...

PT in BC

2008-11-19T21:45:00.006-08:00

So we're pondering at the moment....
Do we get a car?
Now we're a fair way out of 'town', nestled in the foot of the mountains, but the public transport is just so damn good. Rode your bike across town and had a major mechanical? A flat? Just a bit tired?
Catch a bus home.
What about the bike? Well, here are our new steeds ready to roll on Vancouver PT. At no extra cost.

Kind of handy when you live half way up a mountain too. Teesha now rides to work more days than not, but catches the bus up the last pinch. A fair cop too, seeing as it's 200m vertical in a handful of k's.

Not only that, but the bus drivers are actually helpful. If you ask, they'll actually tell you where you need to go. What you need to know. They have an automated system that announces each stop in time for you to get off if you need, great if you're not sure where you're going. And there's even PT up to your local mountain. Step out of the office, and in no time at all you can be strapping on your board (or skis), without having to put the key in the ignition. Sensational.

Other things to note are the websites with car-share contacts, the work-supported benefits to encourage people to car pool and the continual investment in transport infrastructure (OK, that's mainly to do with the Winter Olympics on the horizon, but I'm on an evangelical roll here guys...)

So a car? Well, we're undecided. We have a bike trailer for Nashua, so is there really a need? If we do get one it will never be our primary transport choice, unless we're travelling a bit further. One thing I know though, is that there are a lot of cities need to start looking at Vancouver to get some PT ideas to shift the reliance on cars with one person in them. I know there are 'better' cities out there. looking forward to seeing San Fran, but so many places - ALL of Australia - is so far behind, and seems so much more susceptible to global warming.

As for the car, we'll let you know what happens.

Realisation

2008-11-13T22:35:00.008-08:00

I've considered myself a "snowboarder" since I first started riding in 1991. I also started mountain biking then, both activities in the imposing Swiss Alps. What a place to learn! Anyway, after I discovered boarding a lot of decisions were made to facilitate snowtime. Not least working in a night club for my final year of Hotel Management, enabling me to ride some 150 days back-to-back over the 1993-1994 season in Verbier, Switzerland.

It's been a long love affair. Heli-boarding in NZ in 2001, the 1997 (I think) winter in Chamonix, hitting a wombat off-piste in Thredbo. All great memories. We even confirmed our pregnancy with Nashua in a ski resort. But I haven't been on a board since then. It's too hard with a little one.

Two and a half years later I'm at the base of some of the best boarding the world has to offer. BC. British Columbia. Whistler. I'm here. It's time, the snows are starting to fall.
Today, I walked up to the top of the road we're now living on. Up, and up, and up. It was steep, especially pushing a 2 1/2 year old in a pram, lanky as he is.

...up:
...and up:Thursday afternoon late in fall/autumn. The weather was exceptionally agreeable (OK, so it had been raining for the past few days, non stop) and as I left the asphalt and the pines grew bigger around me I got increasingly excited.
A few bikers past me, then a few more. A couple popped out of the forest, turned and started peddling back up. I felt like I had come home. Mountain biking. The North Shore. My doorstep. How much better can it get? So I had an epiphany of sorts. I thought; I'm no longer a snowboarder, I'm a mountain biker. I realised I was way more excited about getting dirty on these new trails than about the upcoming snow season.

Then on the way down things started to settle. Not the excitement, that was still palpable. I even considered walking down some of the singletrack near the access trail, but even though we have a 'Mountain Buggy' for a stroller, I wasn't sure it'd hold up to these trails. I realised the real joy was being in the mountains. Away from the structure imposed by roads and houses. Discovering what is around the next corner.

So now I need a mountain bike. Fast. Before the snow comes. I want to discover what's around the next corner with a full face helmet on and armour, drifting sideways. After that I'll pull out the snowboard, but I need a few runs on two wheels before then.
My name is Adam, and I'm a Mountainbiker.

Nash's first snow experience

2008-11-06T09:56:00.020-08:00

Well it's been a while since we posted. We spent last weekend exploring Commercial Drive, Broadway and 4th Avenue which was great. Found some great shops and art galleries.

The week has been mostly spent working out how to give hyper-Nash a bit of play time while it rains. He's currently bouncing around on the couch as I type. I've found a few playgrounds under bridges and overpasses that allow him to run off a bit of his 2YO energy.

Yesterday and today Teesha has had to work in Whistler. So instead of her coming back to Vancouver, Nash and I came up and stayed overnight.

The drive up was amazing. Sitting in traffic through Stanley Park, then suddenly you're on the impressive Lions Gate bridge with the mountains bearing down on you, snow dusting the higher trees and wisps of clouds, just to emphasise the height. Following the valley up into the range the road presented one incredible vista after another. Water, islands, mountains, distant snow. It's hard to imagine how you'd become complacent about such a view, but I guess you get used to it but the magic of seeing something for the first time is a special experience. If there weren't so many road works I would have had a bit more time to enjoy the scenery.

The hotel is great, we have a well equipped little studio in the centre of Whistler village. It is so nice we've extended the stay another night. It even has it's own sauna upstairs!

This morning we woke up at Nash-o-clock and it took us a few hours to look outside and realise that it was snowing. And it just got heavier and heavier.
Snow puzzled Nash a bit at first, he's not real keen about the whole cold concept either, even though he is kitted out in his new snow boots and ski gear. Definitely the warmer of the three of us! He was more excited about the little emergency whistle attached to his jacket.

The breakthrough came when I introduced him to snowballs. Throwing them at dad was hilarious. Dad throwing them at Nash was even funnier. In fact the only time I could get him to smile for the camera was if I threw a snowball at him.

He also got to meet a bear. Walking around after the snow excitement Nash was almost asleep in his pram. But face to face with a bear and he wanted to get out of the pram and explore again. Probably the second highlight of his day.

So it's now the second evening in Whistler, and it's a lovely little mini-break. Tomorrow we start to move into our new home in Lynn Valley, so we probably need a little rest before then.

Books, books, books, everywhere you look

2008-10-31T10:07:00.012-07:00

Before leaving Australia I was given a gift voucher to Chapters (the Vancouver version of Borders) and we’ve had a great time building up our Canadian book collection. Here's what we got....

Zakka Sewing - 25 Japanese projects for the home - I love this book so much I take it with me everywhere and read it anytime I get a chance.
Amy Butler Little Stitches for Little Ones - yet another Amy Butler book for my collection, this time with a little person focus
Old Bear - completely satisfies Nash's fascination with bears and snow - looks like it'll be on high rotation for a while
Street directory - finding ones way - enough said
Where the Wild things are – okay, not Canadian-centric but a staple for small-people libraries
Belushi - from the fabulous Chapters bargain table, made Adam a very happy man
Devil in the detail - tales from an obsessive childhood - another from the bargain table
Lynne Truss, Talk to the hand - follow up to Eats, Shoots and Leaves (hmmmm - I'm noticing a pattern here....)
The Soloist - A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music - ummm - I know nothing on this book - Adam?

I know little about it but it grabbed my attention. Not a Canadain book, but a true story of a journalist for the LA Times who befriends a homeless musician after hearing him on the street. The homeless man turned out to be a promising violinist in his youth before a mental breakdown. Will let you know what it's like. (Adam)

And it's Halloween here today - all sorts of craziness going on in the office and around the city but so far I am most impressed with these cupcake toppings, handmoulded from Starbursts

Canada Revelations

2008-10-30T09:12:00.004-07:00

Here are a few thoughts formed over the past week and a bit in Vancouver that will probably seem perfectly normal after a few months.

The SUVs here are HUGE. They make the new Hilux in Australia look like a hatchback.
The density of Starbucks outlets is astounding.
And on that, Starbucks coffee is actually drinkable... It's not something I'd search out, but it's a decent drop.
There is a great selection of locally brewed boutique beers and brew pubs here. Good quality and lots of different styles, yummy!
Although there's only 2 million people here it seems bigger because of the density of high rise buildings and apartment living. Makes getting around a lot easier. I guess everyone isn't obsessed with the great Australian dream of that 1/4 acre block in the suburbs.
Public transport is great and the bus drivers are extremely helpful. Might have something to do with the point above. Australia needs to take some notes if they're ever going to make a viable public transport system.
There's sport of some description on TV every night.
Car rental insurance is nearly as much as the car rental itself.

Well that will do it for the moment. Here's one of those aforementioned tasty BC beers:

Granville Island Revisited

2008-10-28T22:14:00.009-07:00

Nash and I took advantage of what one guy we met called "probably the last fine day of the year" and caught a little ferry around False Bay, to Granville Island and back.
Fortunately for me Nash slept for a few hours in the pram after lunch, so I managed to take the camera around the markets and explore some of the extremely tasty stalls. Here's a little sample to whet your appetite.
Yup, that's cactus in the middle there, complete with instructions on how to cook it.
After my little photo-tour, Nash was still asleep so I bought a coffee and one of the most full-on pastries I've ever eaten. A Sticky Cinnamon Scroll. It was sticky, it was cinnamon and it literally oozed sweetness all the way through it's scroll. It was so good I couldn't stop eating it and I must admit, I felt a bit ill afterwards.
Yum, I'll leave you with that image.

Why have one when you can have...eight

2008-10-28T12:25:00.003-07:00

The best coffee in Vancouver so far. Just a quick stroll across the road from the office....this one's for you SG.

Autumn here is rather pretty, part 2

2008-10-27T19:42:00.006-07:00

So in response to Adam's post, I wholeheartedly concur...Sunday was awesome - bikes, sun, fresh air, good food and coffee all...day...long...

Looking back on the last two weeks, we seem to have crammed a lot in...opened bank accounts, generated social insurance numbers, found a place to live, eaten at two great restaurants, discovered a fondness for BC beer, tolerated Starbucks on a daily basis, criss-crossed the Downtown area with small child in tow, been scammed in the street for 'spare change' and embraced our new living arrangements. Going to work each morning, the boys are either asleep, which means I sneak out of the house before 8am, or I leave this behind....

Enough said...

Teesha

Some more pics from Saturday

2008-10-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

Self explanatory really.

autumn here is rather pretty

2008-10-27T18:59:00.004-07:00

On Saturday we hired bikes and rode around the Vancouver Seawall to Granville Island, where we met some friends for coffee. What an amazing day, with the autumn colours out in force. We hired two bikes and a trailer for Nash at Bazooka Bikes for a great off-season price, and enjoyed the fresh morning air.
The Granville Markets were a great surprise with an amazing range of fresh local ingredients at good prices. The trailer was great to stash all our goodies in the back, and Nash had room for a few toys for when he grew bored of the view. We've already got one on the shopping list after we get bikes.
We completed the ride around False Bay and returned the bikes near Stanley Park in the afternoon, have a look at some of the shots from my camera. Teesha may come along and post some from hers later.

Yum

2008-10-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

Good food, good beer. Inside Cafe Barney on Main.

A Cracking good feed

2008-10-26T21:39:00.006-07:00

A week of Starbucks and we were wondering why Vancouver was often compared to Melbourne with it's great food, wine and coffee in just about every suburb.
Travelling a bit further abroad today we stopped off at Cafe Barney
( http://www.dinehere.ca/restaurant.asp?r=3351 )
on Main Street in East Vancouver. We nearly skipped it as Nash was asleep and the music was quite loud. Glad we didn't. The burger was great, Teesha's eggs were fantastic and the service was super. Seeing a large range of local brews on tap was great too, as I've been busy exploring all the tasty local beers. Nash woke up but was happy with a plate of their fries, which were also darn nice.
Thanks guys, we'll be back.

The story so far

2008-10-26T20:45:00.007-07:00

So we've sold the car, finished renovating the house, sold the house not long after, had a garage sale, gave stuff away, crammed everything else into the storage and then it was upon us.

Teesha headed over to Vancouver a week before Nash and I. We spent the week tying up loose ends. Last Saturday Nash and I left Melbourne and our friends, not returning for at least a year. I think Nash understood in some way. It's a bit hard to tell, but we'd been telling him for quite some time what was going to happen. It went a bit like this:
Where are we going Nashua?
Canada.
And what's in Canada?
Lots of snow.
Yes, what else.
Bears. Bears in Canada.
(Although we haven't seen either yet)
Yes there is. What are we doing there?
Mummy's working.
Anyway, you get the idea. He knew about as much as a 2 1/2 year old could. He was excited about the plane flight though. Little did he know how long it would be.
Anyway, back to the story. Flying out of Melbourne Saturday morning we landed in Sydney where we caught up with some old friends for a picnic lunch at Rushcutters Bay.
That evening at a friends place we were enjoying a lovely evening when I got a text message saying our Sydney to LA flight had been delayed by 12 hours.
Ouch. Facing a Sydney LA Dallas Vancouver tour with a 2 1/2 year old was going to be hard enough, now we were going in with unknown delays and stop overs.
After over an hour on the phone to the airlines we managed to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat and managed to re-route our flights and drop the Dallas leg. So we turned a 12 hour delay into leaving an hour later and arriving 6 hours earlier. Sensational.

So now we're a week into our adventure. Teesha will come along and post as well, and I'll try and keep future posts a little shorter.

Adam

Is this thing on?

2008-10-26T20:25:00.005-07:00

Welcome to our new blog, the flying chooks. A Kiwi and two Australian's living in Vancouver, Canada.
Here we'll post comments, musings and updates on our adventures for anyone interested.