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 we 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 Canada flight from Heathrow to Toronto on Sat April 3rd 2021 was still in the pocket! Normally they go straight in the bin but this one I may hang on to!

The wedding was Fred's personal trainer, a local lady called Colleen (former Canadian Olympian) and a lovely Ukrainian chap called Slava who escaped to Canada with his two daughters after the Russian invasion. They lived next door but one to us for about six months, before moving to a suite at Colleen's. The rest as they say, is history. We were all required to wear something blue and yellow and I had a shirt that fitted the bill, and my waistline. I'm glad I didn't go as far as the chap who'd dyed his hair and came in shorts and a T-shirt of the required colours.

Being of the Victor Meldrew school of philosophy, I wasn't overly enthusiastic about going (loud music, lots of people and dancing no less...arrghh) but what a fun few hours. As with many events on the Coast you meet people who you know from other activities and it was surprising how many people we knew. We felt like locals!

The highlight of this last week was on my morning walk with Jack on Friday and seeing my first pair of Humpbacks of the year... no more than 50m off the beach. The jet of spray is such a distinctive sound, I knew what I was going to see before I turned round. I had contemplated taking my camera, but had decided against it, much to my irritation, so just iPhone footage.

Best on a larger screen

It fact it was a morning walk of pairs as two Bald Eagles were chirping away on the their nest in the tall Douglas Fir along the beach road. Too far away to photograph without my camera.

On the way back a pair of playful, even amorous, Sea Lions were chasing each other around neck and neck, literally. It is their breeding season after all.

The Salish Sea, also known as the Straits of Georgia runs between our bit of mainland Canada on the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island. There is always something going on. Several tugs a day haul gravel barges or logs, either as booms where the logs are floated in the water or on large self-loading and unloading barges. The cruise ship season has started, usually heading to Alaska from Vancouver, and then of course there is the wildlife.

House Move - Canadian style

Occasionally something different goes past. The two-storey house move is probably one of the strangest so far. It brings a new perspective to 'moving house'.

The barge had left the lower Fraser River the day prior but the destination, unfortunately wasn't listed. I'd rather like to know the backstory to this, but Google has not been forthcoming.

The local black bear has started putting in an appearance and leaving their tell-tale signs (bear scats). Our neighbour's garbage locker, where they store their bins was broken into a few nights back resulting in new more secure locks being installed. The bear though is nothing if not enterprising and a few days later came back to demolish the rear sidings and cladding on the shed to get in. Thursday this last week a bear and cub were spotted in a different neighbour's house, diagonally opposite from us.

Sail racing has continued both on Sunday and, during the summer, on Wednesday evenings. We are currently lying third in the Sunshine Coast Yacht Club Sunday races, in a fleet of ten and first in the Gibsons Yacht Club Wednesday series in a fleet of thirteen. Next weekend we are due to take part in the Round Bowen [Island] Race, which usually has about 100 yachts entered. It makes for an interesting start line. I've declined the helm for the start!

In the marina a week or two back there was a lot of splashing and crashing as a Sea Lion chased a large shoal of herring fry. They were quite mesmerising to watch. An aquatic version of a Starling murmuration. We were getting the boat ready to go out so had to leave the Sea Lion to it.

Once out on the water, there was more splashing which we think was from a group of White Sided Pacific Dolphins, who've been spotted in the area but they were a bit too far away to be sure.

Sticking with the aquatic theme the Chapman Creek Hatchery held a Salmon Release Day on May 18th when some 22,000 Coho Salmon smolts were released into the Creek. The hatchery releases up to 450,000 salmon a year. As of the end of May, 107,000 Pink fry have been released and 14,000 Chinook Smolts, in addition to the Coho. Sebby (and co), who was over for the long weekend got to release his own bucket of a dozen or so Coho. They have an interesting website if you follow the blue link above.

Sebby was over for five days and helped celebrate my birthday. What a joy it is to see him grow and develop from a baby to a young, adventurous boy. On one of our hikes up in the Elphinstone mountain trails he ran, literally, for over 1.5km, stopping to explore, climb, pick up sticks and jump over logs, rocks and changes in trail level. He also knows how to blow out candles ..... mine!

Next week, the first of our summer visitors arrive. The son and family of a friend back in the UK, who we hope to tempt out at some point. Liz?

This weekend of course is a big event, with Bath in the Playoffs for the Premiership title. Come on you Bath!!!

Some other pics of life on the Coast below.