Expedition Canada

Buy Monday Mon Feb 28th After a further stop off in Hamburg for we assume, more containers, our shipping container is now on its way to Montreal.  As of Monday 28th it's just off the tip of Cornwall.  Exciting! Even more exciting in the latest house hunting news.  We saw two properties last week.  One that was essentially a tear down, a big project, but in a prime location and one that had fab views but was in town.  We were about to make an offer on the town one when a further property popped into the inbox  on Friday ... this time in Grandview Rd, the other side of Gibsons.  It was just up behind Bonniebrook Beach where we spent out first month on the Coast. We both said to each other 'this is the one' before seeing it Sunday lunchtime and it was, very much so.  Monday lunchtime our offer was in and by the end of the working day contracts were exchanged.  A bit quicker than the UK! A high stress day.  It is five years old, modern ...

Ukraine Sat Feb 26th Of more immediate concern is the news from Ukraine and the Russian invasion (unless you live in  Russia where it is not an invasion).   I've posted a note on Linkedin, where many of my former colleagues keep the message of free and independent media alive. I have had the privilege of working closely with them and meeting many BBC World Service language journalists in their local bureaux, including Moscow. This is the post . After 35 years in the BBC, most in the BBC World Service, it is impossible not to be thinking of all the journalists working on the ground, reporting what is going on in Ukraine and Russia, and the dangers they face. For my former colleagues in the BBC, particularly the BBC World Service Ukrainian and Russian services who have family in those countries, it is even more difficult, as some of the reports have highlighted. We enjoy and sometimes forget that we have a free and independent media in most democratic co...

Ship Leaves Southampton Wed Feb 23rd The good news is that the ship with our container on-board has departed Southampton. As I write this, it is berthed in Antwerp where we assume it's loading and unloading more containers before heading west to Canada.  Estimated arrival in Vancouver is now March 10th.  We anticipate we will be reunited with our possessions around the end of March. We have to add secondhand values ('pre-used' in Canada speak) in case we are charged duty once the goods leave customs.  Our shippers have said duty is not payable given we are technically Temporary Residents based on advice from their Canadian agent.  Their Canadian Agent has since suggested it might be so we now don't know what to assume,  but if we have to pay duty, we'd prefer to do so on the basis of second hand value, not the insured replacement cost!  With that in mind we went 'flagpoling' today.  Some ancient Canadian ritual you might wonder, perhaps akin to the UK'...

Container Packed Fri Feb 18th Our ship - courtesy OOCL This week has been full of house hunting and taxes! We have been to look at a couple of houses during the week.  The first a stunningly located property on top of 'the bluff' in Gibsons.   We know the property has been empty for some months as we were tipped off by our lovely letting agent that the previous owner had died and the property was likely to be coming on to the market.  Two bedrooms, in need of extensive work and a leaking indoor plunge pool, stilts supporting half of the house needing repair, it was a 'project'.  Even if you included the classic MG in the picture it was a ridiculous price compared with others we have seen recently.  Needless to say we won't be making an offer for the house.  It will probably be bought by someone and knocked down (a 'tear down' in local parlance) and a new modern property built to replace it.  As we are likely to have other prior...

Ship Heads to Southampton Queen of Surrey out of the fog inbound to Langdale  Sat Feb 12th Canada's latest export heads to Europe and the US, but not on the ship that's heading back from Montreal to pick up our container in Southampton. The export, 'Freedom Convoys' anti-mandatory vaccination trucker blockades,  have arrived virtually in France, NZ and the US.  It has greater news coverage than Maple Syrup and Ice Hockey! It will add to the current global supply-chain challenges (at least locally) and it's difficult to see what has been achieved and what domestic agenda has inspired the movement.  Perhaps it has wider sponsorship.  In the current global disruption climate nothing would surprise me.   Love it or hate it The US has offered to help remove the US/Canada border blockades and the Canadian courts have issued injunctions to remove the truckers who have closed some border crossings.  It appears that disruptive disorder is the new...

The Sun is Out Howe Sound from the deck Sun Feb 6th So a good day to be talking about the Sunshine Coast. Not so good if you are a Vancouverite heading back from your weekend on the Coast for work next week.   Sunday afternoon is the day when those with holiday cottages return to Vancouver.  It's also the day that BC Ferries decide to cancel two successive ferries - Langdale to Horseshoe Bay, (and the reverse sailings that got the ferry over here in the first place). Overflow car park  The cancelled 10.50am and  1.05pm (I prefer 1 305hrs - the 24hr clock got ingrained in the World Service!) left a long queue of cars in the overflow carpark and the main marshalling area after the resumed  3.15pm had departed back to Horseshoe Bay.  Some drivers were expecting a 4 hr wait, perhaps not able to get on a ferry until 7.40pm.  In winter the stalls selling food and drinks are closed and few will want to venture 10 mins back to Gibsons for refreshments and...

In Canada! Happy is a Spaniel in snow! Thu Feb 3rd  I don't know what it is about Tory leaders but they seem to be, or were, in a precarious position. If you were hoping the headline referred to the UK, I am sorry to disappoint but it is the leader of the Canadian Conservative Party, Erin O'Toole, who has upset his MP's and been ousted .  Boris hangs on in there! We escaped up to Nick and Lizzie's apartment in Whistler for a few days on Tuesday, which is located in Whistler-Creekside.  We have always tended to stay up in Whistler-Blackcomb alongside the ski-run that returns to the main lift up the mountain. Pony Trail Piste down to the Creekside Gondola Nick & Lizzie chose Creekside as it's quieter and well located for Nita and Alta lakes.  Having been up here during the summer we can see the advantages of being a 5 minute walk to lakes and in winter the same to the Creekside Gondola.  Tuesday was a beautiful 'bluebird' day and we got up the hill at lunc...