Expedition Canada

Gibsons - Highest number of Breweries Per Capita Thu Mar 24th  Moody morning off Hopkins Landing We thought obtaining a Visitor Record (an IMM 1442) would be plain sailing now that we had our Super Visas in place.  The form is issued automatically if you extend a 6 month visitor stay beyond the initial period and it allows you to obtain a BC driving licence and therefore open a bank account.   When we 'flagpoled' around the Peace Arch border crossing to have the Super Visas added to our passports we asked for the Visitor Record and were told they would only stamp the passport, allowing our initial two year stay until Feb 2024.  Neither of the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers we dealt with had ever heard of a Super Visa, so they wouldn't issue the Visitor Record which we were entitled to.  Our visitor extension approval to stay from 3rd Oct 21 to 2nd Oct 22 has still not come through and we are still without a Visitor Record. No problem our im...

Beer in the Sun to Finish   Fri May 28th It was disappointing to wake to grey overcast day, as the forecast looked more promising.  No more scats in the garden and no overnight visitors. The early walk was a repeat of yesterday afternoon, primarily to try and find my Nikon lens cap that went astray between the start and end of the walk.  No luck - order placed for two more.  Not the first time I've lost one! The male Rufous Hummingbird pitched up again this morning and spent a large part of the day topping up on the homemade nectar (to BC's nectar standards!).  He was great to watch, though he moved pretty quickly to catch a decent picture.  In the end I used a feature on my camera where, set up on a tripod outside, I could control it through my iPhone inside in the warm!  This meant the camera was close and not me!   [For fellow Nikon users I was able to se t the mode, (A,S,M,P), and then speed, aperture and ISO as appropriate...

Sunny Day  Tue May 25th Today was forecast to be overcast and showery.   It was certainly moist on our morning excursion down to the shores of Mixal Lake, but by 10.00 it was brilliant sunshine and it stayed that way most of the day. Supermarket shopping this morning (new store - took Fred ages!), a quick visit to the Vet for an $80 (£50) tick/flea tablet (I thought they were expensive in the UK but this is just "1" tablet - though it lasts 12 weeks! Back home for lunch together with calls and emails to sort out a long-term rental and the next thing we knew if was the middle of the afternoon.   Ready to pounce Peace in the garden was shattered when a klaxon sounded overhead, which subsequently turned out to be a Great Blue Heron precariously landing on a rather thin tree branch right in front of us. Jack was perplexed! It then settled in to Trout Lake at the bottom of our 'yard' to go fishing.  Quickly rewarded with a small catch and the trout was soon...