Thank you for holding, your call is .......

Trash Trashed

Tue Nov 2nd
Autumn colours in the garden - glorious!

Some may recall the difficulty we had getting fares back from BA which promoted them to the 'World's least favourite airline' on the Cronk list of airlines.  Right now they rate behind Air Ariana, the national carrier I used when flying to Kabul some years back.  They only had one pre-used Air India airbus.

Wanting to use the e-vouchers which BA refused to refund when our flight to Canada was cancelled last year, I spent 68 minutes holding on a call today before the call was dropped.  Nick is heading to the UK for a few days, and better he use the vouchers before they expire in March rather than BA win the money permanently.  

An hour and thirty minutes later, I had got through, booked the ticket and Nick was scheduled to fly using the e-vouchers.  Ten minutes later an incoming call from India and the flight won't be honoured.  "As the booking is not being used by one of the two on the original booking, BA requires 4 days notice".  The next part of the conversation was quite 'difficult'. Nick flies Thursday, so BA have cancelled the booking.  An hour later online and he's booked using Avios points and $1200.  I was slightly surprised that Avios seats were available two days before the flight.  Nick has the ticket confirmation BUT BA still has our money! 

Anyone wanting a BA flight let us know....
Ferns, growing in moss on trees 


Halloween passed quietly in our rather remote hamlet and we did not have to set Jack on would-be ghouls, ghosts or other things that go bump in the night.  In truth we had a bowl of 'candies' available just in case.  While fireworks lit the night sky in Vancouver according to news reports, illegally as a result of recent legislation, it appears nobody bought licences in Gibsons, which added to the peace and quiet. 

Saturday we explored Chapman Creek; famous on the Coast for the high level lake that feeds it having insufficient water in the summer to meet household demand, leading to the extensive water restrictions.  At the weekend, the creek was flowing well. 

It's nestled within 100m from the main Highway 101, in thick forest and only saw two other walkers and a fisherman.

Very peaceful, though we headed back after a couple of kilometres as the walk got more demanding where the trail had collapsed into the creek.  We will try again in a few weeks.  



Chapman Creek



With blue skies all weekend we hoped to see the Aurora Borealis which was predicted to put on a display Saturday through to Monday night.  It was not to be and Monday night, which forecast to have the best probability for sightings, it clouded over and rain returned.  

Bears have been conspicuous by their absence in recent weeks despite it being a busy time for them, feeding before heading off to the hills to hibernate. 

Hopkins Landing

Saturday evening when Fred encouraged Jack outside for a pee, our secure storage bin was up-ended, moved several metres, locks smashed and the green food bin gone.   I struggled to move it on my own when it was empty.  Kids maybe.? 'No, definitely bears' said a neighbour.  A bloody big, strong one I decided!    

You can see where it was, in the front right of the picture.  We searched our road, the embankments, footpaths and no sign of the food bin.  New one ordered.  We now need to work out how and where we are going to store the rubbish.  For the time being, it's back in the garage.  The same neighbours, I learn today, think the bear lives on the other side of the footpath that runs alongside our two properties.  Great!

Smith Rd, Langdale - outbound walk
The sunrises over the weekend were beautiful, both from the house and Hopkins Landing.

I mentioned the erosion of a rock fall on Bonnie Brook beach in the last blog.  I discovered some drone shots on Instagram today.  You may need an Instagram account to see them.

The last bit of business on Tuesday was to call the insurers we used for our 3rd party liability and minimal possessions for the rental we are currently enjoying.

Smith Rd Langdale 40 mins later as the 0620 ferry returns
They returned my call in 5 minutes, organized the additional cover and charged the $20 - total annual extra cost.  Awesome.  Way to go BA!  Way to go .......














Comments

  1. BobNovember 3, 2021 at 12:44 AM

    Most people have mice living in the undergrowth, but big bears!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Frustrations of Canadian Immigration Services

Image
And other things  Sat June 1st The pause in blogs was due to Immigration Canada announcing at the beginning of May that a further draw would be made from the remaining pool of the 2020 Expressions of Interest (EOI) for Parent and Grandparent sponsored Permanent Residency.    Friday was the last day and again we did not get through.  The fifth year running.  I suspect that later in the year they will invite a new round of EOI's which probably means we will be a small fish back in a very large pool.  On the grand scale of all suffering and instability in the world, it is insignificant  (I keep telling myself),  but it is hugely, bloody frustrating.  Our tenure continues under the Super Visa scheme, which runs until our passports expire in 5 and 8 years time respectively. Other news ...  on Sunday 27th w e went to a wedding reception. It is the first time I have worn a jacket in over three years.  My boarding pass from our Air Can...
Read more

Cream Crackers & Stilton

Image
Blue Sky in Whistler!!!!! Fred on the Piste - not overly busy Before I get on to Whistler ........ In my early BBC career I spent a couple of years working at the BBC’s Television Centre (TVC), in west London.  This was long before the BBC flogged it and it was turned into an apartment hotel and restaurant complex, plus a few TV studios for the industry to use as a nod to its history.   Amongst other things I did a stint as a studio supervisor and worked on the Two Ronnies, Morecombe & Wise and Top of the Pops.  Anyone remember Pan's People? Phwoar! Interesting times. TV Centre was huge and had several thousand staff. The restaurant block, on three floors, included a waitress service restaurant on the '2nd floor' where stars were entertained by their producers over long lunches and the odd glass of wine.  This was the late 70’s before ‘hair shirts’ and the critical public attention the BBC gets today.   Occasionally, a couple of fellow wor...
Read more

Fall Leaves and Rainfall

Image
Jack Vs Car Sat November 9th Fall seems later this year and the deciduous leaves have been a lovely mix of golds and reds with the predominance of Maples in all of its varieties. After last week's storms, most of the leaves are now down along with quite a few trees.  Further up the Coast a tornado was reported taking out multiple trees that closed the main highway and took out power for local residents for around three days.    A local driver caught the trees coming down on video .  After two consecutive dry summers, 2024 has been wetter with no significant water restrictions on the Coast.  I assumed this was good news until reading an article in the UK press that suggested late autumns are just another sign of global warming. The storm left us without power for nearly 12 hours and a huge number of properties were similarly affected across southern and central BC.  Fortunately we had a good supply of candles and a gas lamp.  Some friends near the ...
Read more