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May Celebrants

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It's Party Time Me - at Squamish Canyon Trail I am late with this blog, very late, it's two months since my last ramblings.     In mitigation May has been full-on with visitors and by the time I realised I'd missed April, it was too late.   We have loved sharing our beautiful part of BC’s Sunshine Coast with all of them.   But it has been non-stop. L to R - me, Alex, Maddy, Graham, Alice & Fred at Smuggler Cove Our visitors have all been delightful guests, every single one.  They have mucked in with the household chores and all been gracious visitors, keeping the drinks cupboard stocked, and of course helped empty it.   Thinking we could manage a continuous stream of guests was ambitious....w e’re knackered.   Firstly friends from the UK with Vancouver based son and fiancée.   What a delight to share our home with an old work pal of Fred's and since long-time friends.  Hikes, walks, lunches and the odd glass ...
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Five Years

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Today Friday April 3rd, 2026 Heathrow - Easter Saturday April 3rd, 2021 - Not normally this busy! Five years ago today we arrived in Canada.   April 3rd 2021, at the height of the pandemic, on Easter Saturday.   Quarantine Dinner - allegedly! Departing a very empty Heathrow, we arrived at a very heaving Toronto Pearson, where all international flights were being routed, so arrivals could be consistently and systematically Covid-screened; sent off with test kits to the local mandated hotels for a few days of enforced quarantine and carrier-bag food deliveries to the hotel room door.  Yuk. And no bloody wine list!  Four hours from plane door to hotel room door. We could not leave the hotel room until we had a negative Covid test, which arrived after two days, enabling us to travel onto Vancouver with a second test kit to be completed during our remaining  quarantine.  A further eleven days of 'lock down' in a ground level suite, with access to the g...
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Renaissance Revival

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Coast Culture We've had some stunning sunrises recently and moonsets.  This was  the moon against a foggy backdrop. The long range forecast that suggested we were going to enjoy a cold winter could not have got it more wrong.  It has been wet and warm.   The UK has had more snow than southern and coastal BC.  Whistler has snow in the alpine but it's patchy and thin at village level.  Other resorts in western North America are enjoying similar poor conditions, unlike the Atlantic Coast. We have therefore deferred any trips up the mountain; though are scheduled to spend a week in Whistler late February.  Fingers crossed.  If snow conditions improve later in the season we may go up again in March and April, but book at the last minute.    That said, January has not been a quiet month.  The Coast Music Theatre Co are putting on a production of Guys and Dolls at the end of Feb, and Fred has been busy making costumes. While Fred’s b...
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