Expedition Canada

Through Step One Hopkins Landing dock - Sunday morning Sun Aug 22nd Mon Aug 23rd Looking from afar you may wonder about the complexity or security of our presence in Canada.  In some ways it's both though we are taking a three step approach to a continued stay.  It also varies by age and if you are coming to study, work or just visit. Strand one - We arrived on British Passports for a stay of six months and entry to Canada as part of their programme of 'reuniting families' during the pandemic.   It meant an immigration on arrival not just a passport check and stamp. I suspect some friends thought we were mad to do this at the height of the Pandemic - and probably were, but nothing ventured.......   Nick, as a Permanent Resident, enabled us to meet the 'reuniting families criteria' was sufficient to get us in.  Since then he has become a Canadian Citizen.   We are allowed to remain for six months, as all British Passport holders can ...

Jack to Vet, Toads on the Move Fri Jul 30th Sat Jul 31st Friday Today it's a 34 C day and no sea breeze.  Tonight it will cool to 23 C.  We have another day of it tomorrow before the weather returns to seasonal norms, whatever that is these days.  Threats of rain and lightning over metro Vancouver will probably not reach us.  The rain would be welcome, though lightning brings with it a greater  risk of forest fires, a double edged sword. This  sign adorned the vet's surgery.  We think Jack might score 10.5 out of 15 on the attached.   He loves rolling in the mud, the forest floor, beach/foreshore, carpet, lawn (dry and brown) and in recent days to 'scratch' his ears.  Hence the visit to the vet.  A yeast infection in both ears, common in dogs that like swimming!!!  You try keeping him out of the water Dr Vet!   I'll leave you to judge the 4 - 5 fails!  He rather took to the vet, which is unusual.  She had hi...

Odorous Wood Thu July 29th I've remarked in the past about how clean the Coast's beaches are, though this morning Jack sniffed out some unusual flotsam. He has taken to chewing on mussel and other shells on the seashore, though this morning his attention was taken by something flapping around on the shore.  A crab, I thought.  A bat it turned out.  Rather bedraggled, probably as a result of an accidental water landing.  I started to gather it up when it showed its teeth, spread its wings, and flapped about a bit.  Mindful a bat bite may not be good for your health, I searched around for something to gather it up. Fellow Brit Alan, who has an extremely large but very gentle Rhodesian Ridgeback, ambled over.  I hauled the dog back, Jack already having lost interest and Alan was as surprised as I had been to see our beach-bat. Coaxed onto the side of Jack's retractable lead case the bat was gentle lowered into some secluded and shaded beach-side vegetatio...

No Rain Forecast Sun Jul 25th Mon Jul 26th Morning light - Hopkins Landing The last rain in Gibsons (and this end of the Coast generally) was six weeks ago and everywhere is bone dry.  The creeks that run off Mt Elphinstone behind us provide some relief and at the bottom of the garden, alongside the road, there is a gully that is still trickling with water.  Most of the Coast, apart from the Pender harbour/Garden Bay area are under water restrictions.  In Langdale, we are Level 2, so no sprinkler use, trees and shrubs two days a week for two hours, fruit and veg allowed.  The bulk of the rest of the coast is under Level 3 which is even more draconian.  Leaks and poor water supply planning and management are behind most of the problems.  The water is there.  The warm weather has been good for the blackberries.  The bushes on the roadsides and large parts of the 'yard' around the house are full.  I have never seen so many bushes and such a hug...

Reality Sun Jul 18th Bar Closed Before we arrived in BC we did quite a lot of research on property locations on the Coast.  With Covid restrictions we had a lot of time.  What was where, facilities in the different towns, access to services, property availability, prices and rental opportunities and so on. There were a number of givens;  something modern, not a log ca bin, ideally beachfront, but definitely with a view.   W e made an offer on one property and missed out on another in the Garden Bay Area, both ticking the boxes apart from the beachfront.  Once on the Sunshine Coast and with a chance to explore the area in person, we got close to buying a property on the north western side of the Sechelt Inlet.  For a couple of reasons it fell through, and maybe that fortuitous.  Washed up tree stump 3m wide at the base We rather thought we'd like Garden Bay at the northern end of the Coast, and we do, but now feel it would be too remote in winter....

iPhones and Tires Same view another scene Sun Jul 11th Another early start as you can tell from the picture with the sunrise behind the mainland mountains.  Thank goodness Wimbledon finishes today! With Fred again at one with the TV, I took off to Hopkins Landing again, to try and beat the locals to be the first on the beach.  One other set of footprints preceded me on the beach, so a fail!   It was a quiet morning apart from two families of Canada Geese who clearly did not want to be introduced to Jack, even though he was all set to swim out after them.   The geese that got away Huge enthusiasm these spaniels but not always great in the common-sense department! Half way along the beach I discovered a much loved iPhone, no longer in the company of its owner, looking freshly sea stained after an early morning (or middle of the night) dip.  It was not the waterproof variety and did not want to start up.  Returned  home ...