Skiing Abandoned

Technology Woes Continue

Tue Nov 30th

Our planned early season excursion to Whistler has been canned.  We were due to go up the same day as the latest 'Atmospheric River' was due to arrive.

Nick was skiing at the weekend as the last weather system went through and gave up skiing Saturday after getting a soaking from rain on the mountain and he didn't ski Sunday.  

The freezing level Tuesday was around 2,000m, so the snow is going to get a soaking at the alpine level. Disappointing but there will be plenty of other opportunities.   We hope to get up there for a couple of days next week before Nick and Lizzie arrive for their weekend up there.  Friday onwards its getting colder and more snow is forecast.  

The lathe continues its reluctance to turn, so I stripped down the head and removed the system board on Tuesday to check it over.  Alas, no obvious faults so the shipment of new parts from the Far East is eagerly awaited. One bit of good news late Tuesday from the repairer in Coquitlam (part of greater Vancouver) is that the manufacturer is sending a shipment in the next week, so the part should be here in January.  That assumes, of course, the ship can unload.  There is still a backlog of ships waiting to get into Vancouver harbour, largely because with some road and rail links still out, there is no more room to off-load containers.

My Nikon camera body is still with Nikon, from whom there has been radio silence.  Why don't organizations understand that communicating a delay or slow progress is better than not communicating. It really does irritate me!!!  I'm being polite. 

In other news.

We have pressed the button to ship our house contents to Canada.  We have got it down to a 40ft high-sided container, rather than a standard size.  In hindsight, we should be shipping less.  I guess we all hang on to our possessions and things we have accumulated over the years, but remote from them now our emotional attachment has wained.  Photos, family mementoes and personal items are important, the materials things less so.  If in doubt, move it on, don't keep it.

So all that needs to happen now, is for the shipping company to find an empty container, space on a vessel and a port that will be able to accept it.  We had two options.  Ship via the Panama Canal, but this requires customs clearance in the USA, before onward shipping to Vancouver.  Slower and cheaper.  Alternatively, ship to the Canadian East coast and train transport across Canada ....... and hope the rail lines are fixed in time.  More expensive, but quicker.  We have gone for the latter - watch this space.

While inclement weather limits physical exploration of our natural surroundings, YouTube provides an opportunity to explore it with a glass of wine, on a sofa in the warm. 

We have been watching a local explorer who has been paddling and filming around Howe Sound.

  


Howe Sound is the stretch of water in the large purple circle, we are located at the blue dot, often described as West Howe Sound.  At the risk of sounding pompous, we feel terribly privileged to be where we are.

If you have the time these videos are worth watching.

Howe Sound Biosphere

Gambier Island

Squamish

Bowen Island

Tide Pools

They are put together by a local chap called Bob Turner.

As I finish this blog the rain is hammering down on the roof!  The joys of a metal roof.  





 


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