June 23rd - a Big Day

I believe there is the little matter of a referendum happening tomorrow but more importantly, Leslie, my blogging friend from Canada, arrives for a visit!

We first met in Vancouver in 2008.

That's Leslie on the right as you look at the photo along with another blogger of the time, Joan.

Then we met again in Wales - and I was convinced I had photos from that visit but can't find them or remember the year.

But this is the first time Leslie will stay for a couple of days and we'll have a chance to look around and see some sights.

Incidentally here is a message from the #DogsAgainstBrexit party.

By special request

A clip from Husband's video, captioned by me.

My jumper keeps rising up over my tummy. It's really awfully attractive, you can imagine.

We haven't had any Canada photos for a long time, have we? I realise I haven't shown you the land animals yet - and there's so much more ...

Daughter and me by a lake in front of some mountains.

Lake Agnes near Lake Louise. And purple mash as served in Baker Creek Bistro in Banff (I think). Very nice it was too.

One inuksuk, two inuksuuk, three inuksuit

In 2010 the winter Olympics are to be held in Vancouver, and the logo for these, the 21st, games is an Inunnguaq, which is an example of an inuksuk.Inuksuit (pl.) are stone structures that have been made for hundreds of years throughout the Arctic areas of Alaska, Canada and Greenland. they've been used as a method of communication for generations of Inuit and some lichen-covered inuksuit well-built centuries ago can still be found.

Inuksuit may provide directions through the snow-covered landscape, point to good fishing or hunting places or even indicate where food has been stored. They're also used as memorials and are treated with great respect by the Inuit people.

We passed this one on our trolley-bus tour of Vancouver. I'm afraid I can't remember if it were in Stanley Park or further around the coast. (Sorry it's a bit blurry.)

And here's the one I made at the edge of Lake Maligne. Like the Olympics logo it's an inunnguaq (meaning 'like a human figure'.)And to get it into perspective ...I doubt if mine will last many years: it was probably knocked over by the first strong gust of wind. They're not as easy to make as they might appear!

To quote from The Inuksuk Book by Mary Wallace, 'Today as traditional ways are changing into contemporary ways Inuit, and even non-Inuit, sometimes build inuksuit simply to mark their presence ... in their travels outside of their homeland.'

xx

Canadian food

I was just eating my cockles and bacon when I realised I hadn't shown you any foodie pictures yet. All the food we ate in Canada, almost without exception, was very good. Let's look at some breakfasts today.

At Abigail's in Victoria, they offered a gourmet 3-course breakfast.

After a choice of croissant or cinnamon and raisin swirl, followed by fruit salad, we had to choose from homemade granola (the healthy option) or vegetable egg tower with tomatoes jam, provolone cheese, lamb and rosemary sausage and pesto potatoes or banana and raspberry crepe with whipped cream.

Husband chose the vegetable egg tower with everything.

I had the crepe.At Monroe's Diner in Clearwater Valley, Husband and Son-in-law had the Canadian breakfast.

Daughter had the pumpkin pie.

I had the waffles, strawberries and cream. (Can you spot a theme running through my breakfasts?)

Ssh, don't tell anyone!

This is my piece of Canadian driftwood.Driving over the border from BC we were greeted by sign after sign saying 'Don't ...' whatever. I decided Alberta was a much bossier province than BC. One of the signs said not to bring wood with bark into Alberta. (They didn't say if barking dogs were allowed or not.) But this piece of driftwood comes from Alberta and doesn't have bark; also from the time it left Alberta till we got home to Wales, it was in my suitcase. (Yes, I brought a bit of wood home in my luggage.) So I think I'm all right but I may well be in breach of international law so don't tell anyone!

Canada is the country for driftwood. A few years ago I saw a programme about a woman who lived in a remote cabin with her husband and dog and she was running a successful business exporting large pieces of driftwood to rich people all over the world to use as garden sculptures. Her main job was finding and choosing the driftwood. That is so my idea of heaven. (Tsk, I blame Friends and other American imports for the 'so' affectation.)

A sunny day on the headland just outside Victoria.

And a misty day on Long Beach, Victoria Island.

I have soooooo many photos of Canada to show you!!!

xx

Well done, Middle Beach Lodge!

Later on in our holiday and since we've been home, Husband has been bemoaning the loss of his woolly hat. He'd had it for 33 years and was sad to think that he'd never see it again.

Today a package arrived: it was Husband's hat! Middle Beach Lodge had found it and were returning it to its owner. How good is that?! I mean, it's not a precious piece of jewellery or an expensive silk shirt. It's just an old woolly hat.

Well done, Middle Beach Lodge!

xx

Watery Canadians

Off Fisherman's Wharf in Victoria, on Vancouver Island, live at least 2 seals that come to the side for feeding and are tourist attractions in themselves. They stand out of the water and watch as tourists buy platefuls of sardines from the nearby fish stall. They were the fattest seals!And these are harbour seals doing what proper seals are supposed to do i.e. live out in the harbour and fish for their own food.Take my word for it, this is a grey whale. Grey whales are bottom feeders and the water these particular ones were feeding in wasn't very deep so unfortunately there was no need for them to do that lovely tail-flip to propel themselves to the bottom. All we saw were bits of long sloping backs as they slid gently under the water. That and the puffs of steam. But that didn't make it any less wondrous.The captain of our boat and guide, Alfred, called sea otters the teddy-bears of the sea because everyone loves them and wants to cuddle one. Unlike other sea mammals they don't have a layer of fat to keep them warm. What they do have is the densest of furs. Human desire for that fur led to them being wiped out from the Vancouver Island area but they were reintroduced from Alaska about 50 years ago. They don't have fur on their faces or feet and so they keep those bits out of the water so they don't get too cold. (Although I thought it was pretty chilly out on the sea in the mist and wind anyway.)Sea lions held court out on the wave-battered reef.

Just before I took this photo a salmon leapt up the river - honest. Or rather it tried to leap. This is Bailey's Chute and is recognised as the furthest point that salmon can get to when they return. They end up giving up and retreating downstream a little to spawn.The captain's mate said he'd been going out with the boats for 6 years and he'd only seen Pacific white-sided dolphins 3 or 4 times so we were incredibly fortunate to find a pod. Husband said I easily won the prize for being the squeakiest person on board but it was amazing. It was like living in a television documentary.

In which I am disowned

View from the breakfast table

While in Tofino, on the west side of Vancouver Island, we stayed in Middle Beach Lodge, looking out over the Pacific Ocean.

Just outside Jasper National Park, in Folding Mountain Village, we stayed at Wyndswept B&B, with hosts, Glenda and Bob. From the breakfast room window we looked out on Pocahontas and the Chief. Pocahontas is the furthest mountain and, if you look carefully, you'll see her face as she lies back and looks up at the sky. The Chief is closer but isn't quite so clear - he's missing a nose - but, apparently when snows falls in the ridges it looks as if he's wearing a full head-dress. That's Bob standing behind Daughter. He cooked the most amazing 3 course breakfasts for us to enjoy while looking at the view.

My final post for tonight!

Not surprisingly this is about a subject close to my heart.

It was one of the first things I noticed after we landed in Vancouver. In public toilets the seats are low and the gaps under the door large. It was rather disconcerting, sitting down and being convinced that people must be able to see one's bottom.

On a similar subject, while walking round Lake Malign (pronounced Maleen) with Husband I suddenly tapped him on the shoulder and declared, 'I've got it! I've spotted a gap in the Canadian book market!'
'Oh yes.'
'What they need is a book on poo.'
'Oh yes.'
'I mean it's all very well being able to tell the difference between a grizzly and a black bear if you see one but wouldn't it be more useful to know if a bear of any sort is in the area and, even more importantly, if he's only just left?'
'Yes, dear.'
'I've seen lots of poo but I don't know who left it. It could be a bear's or a chipmunk's. If you could say that it was a bear's and, furthermore, that it was still warm, you'd know you should leave the area quickly. (Unless you're David McMahon who stops to take photos of charging bears.)'

I was still very excited by my idea when we got back to the cafe/gift shop and then what do you think I saw? Yes, a book of scats, which is apparently another name for poo. I was so disappointed. i had envisioned a publisher paying my expenses to stay in the Rockies for several months while investigating poo. Ah well, back to the drawing board.

And that reminds me of the story I was going to tell you about the cafe in Wells Grey Park. Remember I said the assistant there was the only miserable person we met? I asked her what was in butter tarts. (Okay, you may think it's a stupid question but it can't just be butter surely?) She looked at me, shrugged and said, 'Butter?' And when Daughter asked if she could have her felafel in a sandwich rather than a wrap the assistant just said, 'No.' Just like that.

But that wasn't the story I was going to tell you. This involved the toilets. You'd guessed that, hadn't you?

On the doors in the ladies' there were signs warning that the toilets had a low capacity and that a plunger could be found next to the seat in case needed. As Daughter said, 'No pressure there then.'

But if that was bad we were just glad we weren't boys. Their sign was far more explicit. It repeated the low capacity warning and went on to explain with a diagram showing the maximum acceptable length and width. I don't know what you were supposed to do if after you'd finished you realised you'd exceeded the size. Leave quickly maybe? (I did ask Son-in-law to go back in and take a photo of the sign for me but Daughter wouldn't let him.)

I can't write a post about toilets without mentioning the facilities in the national parks. I'll just say, 'Avoid them if at all possible.' Unless you're fond of smelly holes in the ground.
xx

That reminds me

Leslie's comment on an earlier post reminded me of something else I wanted to say.

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is one of the most expensive places to stay in the Canadian Rockies. It was built originally in 1890 and has undergone a number of changes since then. It might be wonderfully luxurious and impressive inside but I'm sorry but I think it's ugly and hideously out of place in such a beautiful mountain setting at the side of a gorgeous lake. What do you think?

What they don't tell you till you get there

With each step you take outside the door you are risking your life. Even indoors you can't be sure of your safety.

If it's not black bears spotted in the neighbourhood, it's cougars killing dogs.

Then if the tsunami doesn't get you, the avalanche will.

I was so disturbed by all these potential threats I had to lie down and consider life, the universe and chocolate.

The good thing is that should you be finished off while in Canada they do offer you a resting place with a view.

Tell me if I get boring

We should have told George before we went that dogs left in kennels are supposed to pine after their owners, not eat and lose weight; he has come back with a georgy-porgy tummy.

Not that he's the only one. Oh, yes, before I forget, I must say that I am impressed with the tea shops in Canada. It's easier to get a proper cup of tea over there than it is here. At Lake Louise we walked up the mountain to Lake Agnes and the tea shop, and it really was a tea shop with umpteen different varieties of tea.
In the photo above is Lake Louise and you can just about see a bit of the glacier at the far end. The first person who named it called it Emerald Lake. The name was later changed in honour of Queen Victoria's daughter, but you can see from the second photo, taken part of the way up the hill, why it was given the first name. (Although I think that's more turquoise than emerald.)
From further up again, here's the neighbouring mountain as the clouds started to break up.

Did I mention I've just come back from Canada?

Outside the Pan Pacific Hotel looking towards north Vancouver - recognise those hills from jmb's blog?

Our hotel was so posh it changed the rug in the lift everyday!!

You wanted more?

TOTALLY AWESOME!

Well, okay then,we have over 1,000 photos and 15 hours of video. Would you like to come round for a Canada evening? No?

Now I could be really boring but I'll just filter in photos and a few relevant posts along the way as appropriate. But just a few general comments to start us off.

The weather was wonderful. Apart from one tiny shower in Whistler that stopped before we got out of the car we didn't have any rain.

The people were friendly and polite - apart from one girl in a Wells Grey coffee house (more about that same coffee house to come!)

The food everywhere was great, apart from a mouldy blueberry in a Vancouver fast food place.

And we saw, in the wild, seals, whales, black bears, dolphins, sea otters, sea lions, elk, deer, a moose, a coyote, bald eagles, chipmunks and, in captivity, wolves and grizzlies.

We walked on a glacier and bathed in natural hot springs under a cold night sky.

And we saw one or two mountains.
xx

Our holiday in Canada

AWESOME!
xx
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I'm back!

And I need a holiday!

We left Banff at 8 am on Sunday morning and arrived home at 6 pm yesterday, Monday, evening but the journey wasn't as long as it sounds because of the hours changing. We gained 1 hour going from Banff to Vancouver and then lost about 8 coming home. But somewhere along the line we seemed to miss out on a night.

And now we're all going on diets - George included!
xx

This is really me

In Abigail's Hotel, in Victoria on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, in Canada!

I keep saying to Husband, 'We're in Canada. We're really here in Canada.'
'Yes, dear.'

I am so glad Daughter planned the itinerary and booked all the hotels. Husband is inclined to say, 'It's just somewhere to sleep.' Daughter likes a bit of luxury and style.

In Vancouver we stayed at the Pan Pacific on the waterfront. A very luxurious hotel but I'm not sure if I don't prefer the one we're in now. Abigail's Hotel is a fascinating mix of old and new with lots of lovely personal and special touches that make it stand above a chain hotel, however posh. For one thing it has free internet! Hence I'm on here reporting back. And the home-made welcome cookies were 'to die for'. It's won best B&B in BC for the last 7 years (I think).

Anyway, having a wonderful time. Had a great lunch with jmb and leslie on Monday and, of course, I'll be writing in much more details with lots (oh, lots and lots!) of photos when I get back.

Today we drive up to Tofino on the west coast of the island. We're there for a couple of days and we plan to go whale watching and maybe to swim in hot springs in the rain forest. Rain forest in Canada? I know; I haven't worked that one out yet either.

Now I'm going to enjoy a cup of weak tea in the library of the hotel. Robust black tea it's called but someone forget to tell the teabag. Incidentally I've had some very posh silken teabags while I've been here. As well as berry shortcake, chocolate fondue, crab bisque, clam chowder - I have photos, don't worry! And I've fed seals!

See you later!
xx