Going West

On Friday, I took my grandparents to Jasper – Richard wasn’t sure if he could get the afternoon off so suggested we go without him to ensure maximum time in the mountains. We got there for lunch – nice rolls from the Bear Paw Bakery – and then checked into our hotel.

In the afternoon I took them up Jasper Tramway (cable car) to admire the view. This is the third time I’ve been up there, but the first time on such a sunny day, so the view was amazing.















Supper was fish and chips, served in buckets at Evil Dave’s Grill, a great place to eat if you find yourself in Jasper.

On Saturday morning, I drove back then to Maligne Canyon and Maligne Lake. We saw some wildlife on the way in the form of an elk/caribou/stag (big thing with antlers) and a couple of does. I also got stung on the neck by a @^%$!*# wasp. Canadian wildlife really is dangerous. Luckily no anaphylactic shock, but it really hurt.



























The scenery was fantastic and Grandma and Grandad stayed awake for the whole journey – quite an achievements considering they generally keep nodding off at random times and even fell asleep in the middle of Live Free and Die Hard one of the evenings they were with us.






Maligne Lake













Maligne Canyon










I then left them there early afternoon to drive back to Edmonton. They phoned last night from Kamloops in BC to say that they had caught the Rocky Mountaineer Train fine Sunday morning and that it was fantastic. They then arrive in Vancouver tonight.

Weather is here, wish you were lovely...

We’re having a great time so far with my grandparents. Thursday I took the afternoon off and we had a stroll round St Albert (after Grandad had watched the Euro 2008 match at lunchtime). We then took them out for a genuine Alberta steak in the evening.

Friday I was also off work and it was a glorious day, so in the morning I took them for a drive around Edmonton, showing them where Richard and I work. We then went on the tourist historic street car which travels across High Level Bridge from Old Strathcona on the south side of the river to downtown on the north side of the river. It was a really nice trip with about 20 minutes of travel at a sedate pace in each direction. Here’s a few of photos.

In the afternoon, while Grandad was watching yet another football match, Grandma and I went shopping for plants for the garden, so that we could put her green fingers to use over the next few days.

Saturday was also beautiful weather. In the morning we took them for an all Canadian breakfast at Socrates Diner in St Albert and then strolled round the farmers market, sampling everything there was to sample. In the evening, Richard had to work, but the three of us went round our neighbours over the road, John and Sonja, for drinks. John comes from a Dutch family, so there was much commiserating/teasing about Holland’s earlier defeat to Russia (in Euro 2008 that is, in case those of you who don’t follow the football are trying to recall when Russia last invaded the Netherlands). Sonja, who is German, remained smug, but that may end later today or on Sunday. I left the grandparents with them and picked Richard up from work at 10pm. Then we went back for more drinks and stayed until 12.30am, sitting out in the garden.

Unfortunately the nice weather didn’t last and Sunday it poured all day, so we didn’t get out and about. However, our next door neighbours, Alf and Nel, came round for a cup of tea in the afternoon and got on well enough with my grandparents to invite them over for coffee yesterday morning.

Monday I was working all day, so Grandma and Grandad took the bus into Edmonton and strolled round downtown. They even got interviewed by a woman from the CBC (the equivalent of the BBC) about the issue of pan handlers. However, at point they hadn’t seen any, which was probably the wrong answer, so I’m not sure if they actually made it into the final cut on TV.

Yesterday evening we went out for an Italian meal to celebrate Grandma and Grandad’s 59th (wow 59 years!) wedding anniversary, and a belated celebration of our paltry two years of marriage (NB, the word paltry refers to the quantity and any implication that it refers to the quality is entirely coincidental).

Today and tomorrow I’m also working, but on Friday, I (and Richard if he can finish early) will be taking them to Jasper to see the Rockies. We’ll stay overnight there and show them round on Saturday. On Sunday, Grandma and Grandad then catch the Rocky Mountaineer Train for a spectacular two day trip through the Rockies to Vancouver. They then stay there three nights before flying back home.

G Day

Well, my grandparents arrived ok although they gave me a few moments of panic at the airport. I got to the arrivals gate in good time, and eventually everyone from their plane started coming through and so I waited...and waited...and finally I was the only person left and there was no sign of them.

I was just in the process of looking for someone to ask if
a. they were actually on that plane, or
b. had fallen asleep and carried on to Vancouver
when they came out the doors. One of their bags had been misplaced, although fortunately they found it the minute Grandma had filled in the lost baggage form.

So I got them back to the house ok and they managed to stay awake until about 10pm (5am) and then went to bed. I've left them asleep this morning while I come into work, but I'll be back at lunchtime and I've got tomorrow off too to show them around.

Work, Grandparents and Flooding

I'm feeling the burn, I've been here for a week now and apart from minor headaches due to the amount of info I'm trying to assimilate and my bosses assertions that he'll fire me if it doesn't work out, I'm starting to get into it. Ironically the stuff I used to hate most (documentation) is pretty much all I'm doing and I'm quite enjoying it. Jacqui's grandparents come over today and we have them for 10 days, it'll be nice to have visitors again. And hopefully I'll get to go across to the mountains with them next Friday, work permitting.

Oh and by the way we had big rain yesterday, flooding up to 1 metre in some bits of St Albert, an inch INSIDE Superstore which was funny and the water up to peoples door handles in the carpark. Took me two and a half hours to get home compared to the normal 40 min.... Soo many Albertans with dead cars, I think a mixture of bad maintenance ( they don't have MOTs out here if it moves they can drive it on the roads) and no experience driving in water did not help. Made me smile though :)

Blow That for a Game of Monkeys

Well if that's what that Canadian work's like I'm off to hide under my bed until it goes away.

I'll be going back tomorrow to make sure of course, it really can't be that bad :)

First day at work

Well, I dropped Richard off this morning, gave him his packed lunch, wiped his nose and told him to play nicely with the other children, so we'll see how he gets on.

Hi Ho Hi Ho

and indeed off to work I go. Bad night's sleep, feeling surly and unhelpful...wow it's like being back at NU.

We have achieved a social life and it only took a year.

Well that was a good weekend. Late last week we went and whacked some golf balls around at the local driving range with John the neighbour which was good stress relief. Had a social with John and Sonia and a couple of their friends, all very civilised. Then a meal with Ian and Lorna on Saturday which was also groovy, just sitting and chatting with English people and with English points of reference is a requirement.

Then on Sunday Jacqui had a full day of church and concerts while I went to watch some football with ze Germans, and I have to say it was good fun, watching football with other people is soo much better whatever their ancestry I guess. Now it's time to continue reading up in preparation for work, my Time Management is improving daily........this may be untrue.

Signing off with only one and a half days of freedom remaining, BF.

P.S. We saw Indiana Jones last Tuesday......shudder.

Hello England!

Hi you crazy Englanders, greetings from Canadia.

Today is our second wedding anniversary, a momentous day indeed, and what are we doing to celebrate it........we're off to see Indiana Jones. We know how to live!

I have also accepted the job I was offered, so now I'm doing all the required reading, and there's lots of it. One thing this does mean, the wages for Big TV scandal is back on the table, and negotiations now continue apace. Wish me luck, we need an 80 inch tv :)