Wrong Type of Exports

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 norm.  On the Coast we still have a decent stock of Marmite! So all is good with the world!  They are small jars so we are not really hoarding!

Our house search continues and we got a heads-up for a house on 'the bluff' in Gibsons, where the owner was interested in doing a deal.  We had a look round on Thursday and it was an amazing location, but needed a HUGE amount of work to turn it into something we would be comfortable in.  

As with most construction locally it was timber framed, had only 3" of insulation, needed new bathrooms, kitchens and internal layout. It was of an era that may contain asbestos. A tear-down and rebuild might have been a better option, but we are hoping to avoid major 'surgery'.  Finding builders and specialist trades is a significant challenge locally, construction material prices are a dodgier bet than the National Lottery and without access to local banks and financing the risks are just too great at the moment.  As Spring arrives we hope more property starts to come on to the market.

One of four

My first local woodworking project was delivered  to a happy recipient on Thursday and I have a few
more pieces of work to start on next week.  It's good to be productive again, though I miss my UK workshop and kit.  At the moment I have less than half the machinery and tools I had in the UK.  Here is the end result.  One of four. Any guesses?

The challenge, with most things in the workshop, was the design and working out how to do it (50%), than making it (20%) or seeing it finished with a happy customer (30%).  I am starting to work with ply that seems to have become fashionable in kitchen and furniture solutions, rather than oak, which is more difficult to come by here.  There is a predominance of all things coniferous!

I ran my first 10k of the year yesterday as I regroup after knee issues, not helped by ice related somersaults a month back, pre-crampons.  Not the fastest of times, but in my defence it did have a 164m elevation gain, so not too shabby.  

We have been enjoying a spell of high pressure that has brought cooler temperatures and clear skies.  The sunrises across the Howe Sound have been stunning.

The accompanying inversion has brought a lot of seas mist and fog (and ferry fog-horns), which has created delightful scenes of light and dark, and bright orange skies.

I even got a like from the BC Ferries Instagram admin for the picture at the top of the blog!  It was quite a mystical shot.

A good friend I worked with my broadcast days has published some stunning photographic books of the countries he has worked in, mostly black and white images. 

I am tempted to sift through my BC collection and check out if it is sufficiently worthy.

We are both very involved in local groups.  Fred with the Suncoast Racquet Club where she is now a director, and me a local Woodworking Guild.  I am on the lookout for further NED roles... time to give something back. 

Approval of our application for a year's 'visitor extension' which was confirmed by email has still not arrived as a 'Visitor Record'.  We are holding off putting our 10 year Super-Visas in place until that has arrived.  It's complicated.  We are allowed to stay (and have the paperwork) until the extensions are approved. In a little over six weeks we will have been here a year!  Wow.

We continue to keep across UK news through a multitude of outlets and watch the No 10 and Met Commissioner stories play out.  I am neither across, nor have any knowledge, nor opinion of the Commissioner.  That said I am not sure I am comfortable seeing an elected official vent their views in public.  I always thought good leaders dealt with people issues in private, not in front of a huge audience.  But then I was never dependent on an electorate for my job.  Good leaders seem in short supply at the moment!

Next week the BC Health team will update the Province on the Covid health measures that have been in place for some months and which are due for renewal.  Omicron numbers seem to be in decline here and rumours are that some relaxation of the rules is on the cards.  I guess everybody will be watching Boris' experiment in the UK.

In other news we have been keeping across the Six-Nations and get good coverage.  It feels odd though watching it at 0700 in the morning over coffee rather than a pint!  It doesn't feel the same!  Our home team, Bath remains consistent.  They lost again this weekend!

Have you been watching the Olympics. We've not.  I'm not sure whether it's the time difference or the political overtones of it being in Beijing, Russian doping or something else.  It has just not caught our attention.

Hopkins Landing sunrise

Abandoned car

Burnt out old growth tree stump on Elphinstone