Expedition Canada

Gibsons Beckons Fri Jul 2nd Today is our last day in North Van and our hosts at the property, where we spent our first month, have been as welcoming as ever.  Jack, who got on well with the resident lady boxer, Josie, has renewed the acquaintance and has had the temerity to abscond to their upper deck and steal her soft toys.  I'm sure there are better ways to a girls heart but it seems to bring her down to ground level each time! Temperatures have returned to seasonal normal in Vancouver, though the interior is not faring so well.   The number of wildfires has increased by 228 this week. See map below.   There is a suggestion of rain Wednesday next week, but only at 40% chance at the moment. Not great prospects at the moment for dampening down the prevailing arid conditions. On the Sunshine Coast where we return on Saturday, the three month anniversary to the day and date of our arrival in Canada, watering gardens has already been restricted...

And Floods Tue June 29th The heat bubble is moving inland and though the morning walk was already 23c  at 0630 , temperatures were noticeably  cooler today on those occasions when we weren't in a store or air conditioned car. The Hyannis trail is a lovely mix of 'old growth' trees and not so old.  Many are covered with Spanish Moss, which gives the forest a slightly primordial feel, or at least what I imagine it to have been like. There were more early walkers out trying to avoid the "midday sun".   Today the Disco had been booked into Land Rover in Richmond, to have the auto stop-start fixed. It has not worked since we bought the vehicle, coupled with a persistent low-battery sign.  Three years old!  We were offered a Jaguar loan car, which we declined as we were off to Ikea to get some bits and pieces for the new rental.  The almost new Discovery Sport was quite fun, head-up-display on the windscreen, all glass instruments an...