Expedition Canada

Summer's Over! There have been some stunning sunrises and sunsets It's been a month since we got back from our epic trans-Canada trip and memory fades quickly once you start getting back into a routine.  And we are definitely back into a routine.   If there is an enduring memory of the trip, it is that we now have a better, first hand, understanding of the sheer scale of Canada.   We have hardly scratched the surface of the country and there is a lifetime of adventure in BC alone.  Methinks planning for a Yukon trip next year will be underway shortly, plus bits of Alberta and BC. Renovated stairs Since returning to the West coast the focus has been helping Nick and Lizzie get the final phase of their renovation project finished, ahead of the arrival of Sebby's sibling in a few weeks time.  And no, we don't know if it is a boy or a girl.   My focus has been on adding an Oak veneer to the grotty old painted stair treads, cutting and installing ...

Happy New Year Ok, OK, I know I do a lot of sunsets (and sunrises) - but they are so beautiful Sunset over Vancouver Island (iPhone) Well, as feared in the last blog, it turns out that coming from a new joint email address our festive messages ended up in a lot of folks junk folders. W e sent e-Christmas cards as Canada Post were on strike for several months before Christmas.   So if you were thinking "we didn't get a card from the Cronks this year", check your junk email.  If it isn't there, then our email list was clearly in error (or you have changed your email address)!   It seems e-Xmas messages are starting to replace snail-mail (not surprising if you go on strike before Christmas) and probably arrive nanoseconds after they were sent. We had several.  Our first batch of the more tactile traditional cards arrived from the UK Fri Jan 10th, apart from a couple that must have been posted last summer, or maybe even Christmas 2023! Winter seems to have bypa...

A Coyote Sun April 28th Jack was distinctly unimpressed by the lunchtime visitor, the Coyote was underwhelmed by Jack's objections We were so preoccupied enjoying the first decent bit of snow this year when we went up to Whistler, that it completely slipped our minds that April 3rd was the 3rd anniversary of our arrival in Canada, and therefore didn't make the last blog.   While in Whistler, we did go out to our favourite Creekside restaurant ( The Red Door Bistro ) to celebrate Fred's pending birthday and might have had an extra bottle if we'd remembered our Canada anniversary.  The reason for the early birthday celebration was primarily because there are no fine-dining restaurants on the Coast, and we like the Red Door Bistro.   I  am not sure q uite why April 3rd passed us by.  Maybe it's because being here has become the norm.  It hasn't lost any of its beauty and we still marvel at our luck at being able to live here.  Whether its drivin...

Beans Means Heinz Thu Oct 19th But which ones?  An excursion to our local supermarket the other day left me curious about the difference between the original Heinz Baked Beans sold in Canada and the British Style sold alongside.  After a bit of research it appears it is not limited to just to basic styles and the original baked beans in Canada may be different again to those sold in the USA.   One video I stumbled across Original v British Baked  beans suggested the British Style had less sugar. It went on to say that the British Style were different to the original beans sold in the UK. Commentators in the USA indicated their 'original beans' were darker, sweeter and had a more smoky flavour through the addition of pork.  By this stage I decided I'd bean dwelling on this far too long, and gave up! Turnstone In the last blog I posted a picture of what I thought was a Least Sandpiper.  My personal birding advisor (PBA), who I worked alongside ...