August 2022

August 31, 2022

Pretty good sleep, though in my experience that often happens. I have a decent night and think maybe I’ve cracked it, then wham. The old rule of thumb of a day for every hour of time zone is pretty sound. Adam headed into the office today… rather him than me. Took advantage of that to get him to buy a daikon in Whitechapel, where Indian grocery stores abound.

Meditated then went for my first run in ages. I wasn’t sure I was going to make two miles, but was able to push it through at a pretty gentle pace.

British Beauty Week is looming and I have lots of work to do there. Ruth’s replacement handled the bulk of the site prep while Millie and I were both on holiday. She’s done a great job, but there’s a lot of snagging to do. There were ten events on the site when I left, and there are more than 200 now. It needs to be searchable, which meant rebuilding the interface with data filters. Not what you want to be doing so close to a high-profile event.

Nova’s friend Holly has come to stay for a couple of days. They were out tonight, but Ellie is also staying over and they ate dinner with us. Peanut chilli chicken, rice and broccoli. After dinner I made the kimchi, though its unlikely to be ready before Nova leaves now.

August 30, 2022

And lights on again by 3am… This was after a couple of false starts at getting back to sleep from about 1am. It always seems worse coming back this way. Meditated, then walked down to the pond for a swim. It was a cool, grey autumnal morning and there were only two other swimmers in the water, which was 20°C.

The birds seemed more purposeful, flying faster, and sort of re-establishing their dominance. Each of the buoys had a duck standing on it, and the heron was marching up and down the waterline like it owned the place.

Headed to Swains Lane afterwards to pick up a few things to make kimchi and granola, which I’ll send Nova off with on Sunday. I couldn’t find a daikon radish, but back home I got the cabbage shredded, salted and soaking which takes 24 hours. Cleaned freezer again (still a bit smelly), turned it on and reassembled it. What a fucking drag that was.

I tried to work but hit a major energy slump in the afternoon. Relocated to the sofa and pretty much managed to stay awake, clearing emails making the mother of all to-do lists.

Vietnamese chicken salad for dinner with what I could pull together from the fridge. Nova was  in charge of dressing, and made it crazy hot. Lyra was out meeting friends on the Heath and a pizza. Watched Night of the Hunter… such a good film.

August 29, 2022

Woke after a couple of hours of dozing and watched Dune. It’s beautifully filmed, and would look amazing on big screen. I hadn’t realised that it only covered half of the first book. I assume there’s a part two coming soon?After that I watched a Canadian film called Run Woman Run. Pretty good – the story of a Mohawk woman who lost her mum and was developing diabetes and decides to run a marathon.

I’d expected the wheels to come off the bus at Heathrow, but the experience couldn’t have been smoother. There was a slight delay berthing on account of touching down half an hour early, which meant I got to finish my film. Glided through immigration, and our bags arrived just as we reached the carousel.

We did have to wait a few minutes for our taxi driver, as we’d anticipated things taking longer, but whatever, and had a great journey home. I was dreading what we’d see re the work next door, but not much seems to have happened. John’s conservatory is gone, and it appears the renovation inside has started, but nothing has changed with the garden.

Cleo appears to have been on holiday herself – she’s definitely packed on a few pounds in our absence and looks like she’s eaten a volleyball.

Unpacked, went through the mail and put on laundry, after which we had a little doze. Headed to the garage to get something for dinner and discovered that the freezer had thawed. The fuse tripped and some point while we were away and it was a stinking, dripping mess. A pretty disgusting job to clean it up, and the last thing I felt like doing.

Nova popped out to get a few essential groceries and the girls made a tomato pasta dish. I can’t say I’m that happy to be back in the UK, but it was nice to sit around our own table and have a quiet family supper. Downstairs by 9:30 and lights out by 11pm.

August 28, 2022

Our epic trip has finally come to an end… This morning I availed myself of the delightful outdoor shower, then packed up, checked the house thoroughly for stray items, and headed into Sechelt…

We’d booked a  table for brunch a El Segundo, a local restaurant the guys like. The food was excellent – my cauliflower lettuce wraps were awesome, as were the mussels in coconut milk and lemongrass and Adam’s west coast bennie. The bloody caesars weren’t bad either, and bookended our holiday nicely. We even managed to pay the bill, which took a bit of maneuvring. They are too generous…

On the guys’ recommendation, we’d arranged to take their friend’s float plane to YVR. John slipped in ahead of us and paid for a chunk of the cost. It was interesting how the pre-flight safety routine was much the same (aside from the recommendation to kick out the side windows if necessary).

The flight was delightful and I enjoyed every minute. Small planes make sense to me. It was very calm day for it – the last time I flew in a float plane we were bouncing around like crazy.

The shuttle from the seaport to the airport was a doddle and our flight was on time. Adam had upgraded us to premium economy which mean priority boarding, comfier seats, real cutlery and a cloth napkin and two alcoholic bevvies. Started watching Everything Everywhere All at Once in tandem with the girls, but I kept dozing off and it made no sense whatsoever, so I abandoned it, put on my eye mask, reclined my seat and tried to get some sleep.

August 27, 2022

Last day of our holiday… Felt surprisingly okay after what John described as our “Tokyo night”, a reference to the crazy month he spent living with us in Japan back in the day.

The weather is much improved, and we could enjoy their lovely view up towards Skookumchuk Narrows. I hadn’t really clocked that they are on an inlet on the east side of the Sunshine Coast, which is much more sheltered.

We’d just finished breakfasting on waffles and champagne when Adam got a text from the seaplane company who are flying us to YVR tomorrow requesting “actual load factors”. Needless to say our weights are somewhat different than they were when we submitted them in London. Our luggage seems to have packed on a few poids as well. Adam entered into protracted negotiations with them while I started assembling of ditchables, should it come to that…

Headed into town for the farmers market and a bit of shopping. Nova bought a little resin box/tea light holder and Lyra had a fine time in the spirituality store. Picked up more groceries, did the recycling, and back to the house for bloody caesars; baked brie, halved and filled with pesto; dates wrapped in proscuitto with a balsamic glaze, then fresh oysters, followed by an edible (gummy).

That was for starters… Dinner was barbequed ribs with Bradley’s special sauce, grilled courgettes, tricolore salad and homemade biscuits – a different (and better) recipe to my old standby. More wine and a bit of a smoke and eventually to bed about 12:30.

August 26, 2022

There’s bit a shift in the weather overnight and woke to a cool gray day with a bit of spitty rain. It feels autumnal…

After fresh baked croissants with blackberry jam we set out for a walk on the local beach. No Monty – dogs aren’t allowed on the beaches in the summer months.

Back at the house, we packed up our stuff and loaded the car. Marni and I caught the bus to Snug Cove as there wasn’t room for everybody to drive. Mooched around the gallery and a couple of shops, then bought tacos and ice cream for lunch (the same London Fog ice cream we had in Vancouver – such a winning flavour).

It was looking tight to make our connection with the Langdale ferry. As soon as we docked, I took Adam’s luggage and he sprinted down to the ticket office while we hoofed it to the Sunshine Coast departure lounge, where people were already starting to load.

The woman managing the queue “my ferry godmother” held the boat until Adam returned. She also gave us a top tip about buying tickets in the giftshop (or cafeteria on Bowen ferry) should we find ourselves in this position again.

John arrived to collect us minutes after we disembarked – so great to see him. We piled into the car and headed up the coast. Stopped for a few supplies on the way home: groceries, wine, Whiteclaws for the girls. Bradley is looking well, and the house is gorgeous. They are so talented at decorating and are gathering an amazing art collection.

After snacks and a G&T, there were some logistics to sort (who’s sleeping where), after which we got down to some serious eating and drinking. I lost count of the bottles of red wine we got through over appies, barbequed steelhead, corn on the cob, caesar salad and fresh cookies for dessert.

Eventually migrated out onto the deck, aside from Lyra who sloped off to her little cabin in the garden (John’s studio). Nova stayed and drank with us until the wee hours. One of those friendships where it feels like no time has passed between visits…

August 25, 2022

Leaving Sproat Lake today, sigh… On a happy note, Lyra got her test results and received an 8 (A*). I’m so pleased for her, and it’s visibly a weight off her shoulders. Bagels and salmon for our last breakfast, then packing up and on the road by 10am. I made several sweeps of the house to ensure that the girls hadn’t forgot anything, but managed to overlook my little jewellry case.

Margo texted and they chased us down to Naesgards where we did the handover. That used up our buffer zone, but fortunately the drive was uneventful and we were in the line up ten minutes before our reservation expired.

Found a table and settled down for the journey. The gang was hungry again – the girls got chicken and chips and Nanaimo bars. Adam had a burger and chips and I had a bowl of clam chowder (not a patch on Wade’s).

We needed to make a connection to the Bowen Island ferry but weren’t quite sure how to do it. (In retrospect the girls and I should have foot passengered off the boat.) Instead, Adam dropped us by the passenger terminal before taking the car into Vancouver, and we missed the ticket sale cut off by one minute…:-(

Compounding matters, the ferry schedule was messed up, and our 3:20 sailing ended up being more like a 4pm. Adam’s bus back from Vancouver arrived minutes too late to catch it. Marni was waiting on the other side, and drove us up to the house.

What a place! Quite the change from their north shore townhouse. We have a massive ground floor suite to ourselves. The house is 3500 square feet and feels palatial. Some of those places we eyed up on Sproat Lake are 10,000 sq feet with two people living in them…

Actually, they now share space with an enormous Australian shepherd called Monty, which was key to leaving the townhouse. Another reason for getting Monty, was the three bereavements they’ve experience in the last year or so. We’re at that age…

In due course, Trevor headed off and returned with Adam. Much eating and drinking ensued: local cider; cheese, cold cuts and olives; rotisserie chicken with homemade barbeque sauce, potato salad and corn on the cob; and the most delicious tahini date chocolate cookies for dessert.

These ones happened to be gluten free, as Marni has been having an allergic reaction to wheat, the last episode of which required medical assistance. Tests suggest that she’s not coeliac but there’s something going on… When there was no more room for food, we repaired to the couch. It was a beautiful night for star watching, and we sat up until past midnight.

August 24, 2022

Our last full day at Sproat Lake…:-( The hike up Mount Arrowsmith isn’t going to happen. The weather was clear enough today, but Lyra’s feet are stll pretty sunburned, making shoes and socks painful. Next time…

Adam and I headed into town first thing to buy brioche from a bakery Gerri recommended, but they didn’t have any. Apparently the baker called in sick. We’ve been hearing the “short staffed/sick staff” refrain a lot this holiday and it’s certainly an issue in the UK as well.

Swung by Walmart to get Lyra a backpack to serve as carry-on luggage, and to Naesgards for cherries and peaches. Helped Margo with breakfast when we got back – fried eggs, delicious local bacon and toast.

Went for a family boat ride in the motor boat. Headed out to where Adam jumped from the cliff and explored around that end for an hour. The rest of the day was spent swimming, sunning, shading, reading… Gerri swam over for another visit late afternoon.

Things are ramping up for the wedding celebration this weekend. Their guests have been a source of interest/entertainment down on the wharf, and today we had Barry Jr. (next door) with one of his girlfriends and a couple of kids (one his, one hers) to add to the mix.

After a couple of bottles of bubbly on the wharf, we headed up to the house for dinner. Kicked things off with a  martini finished off the Old Tom gin. It’s a weird coincidence how much the cat on the bottle looks like their cat…

The meal started with brie, paté and crackers on the deck, followed by barbequed salmon with a sundried tomato topping, Margo’s aubergines, tomatoes, cukes. Got through a couple of bottles of wine and a nightcap before we wrapped things up. Helped Aaron with the dishes and to bed. Lyra is sleeping in the house tonight so she has wifi and can receive her test result.

She’s worried she’ll get a 5 (exams are scored from 1-9, with 9 being an A**, 5 a C etc). She had a timing issue that meant she didn’t complete the main essay question, which is why she’s anxious. I think she’ll have done better than that. When she realized she’d messed up, she quickly scribbled down a skeleton of the essay she would have written, making all the main points, so the marker would realize that she knew the content. Fingers and toes crossed for her…

August 23, 2022

Fruit, yogurt and granola again – works for me…:-) – followed by another very enjoyable tug tour. Up Taylor Arm this time and Lyra at the wheel for the most part.

Did our traditional cross-lake swim (for either the third, or fourth? time). The others accompanied us in the boat to ensure we weren’t hit by a jetski or mspeedboat. I think it’s about a kilometre in distance, and we took it pretty easy. I found it a great opportunity to do backstroke, Adam mostly did front crawl and Nova breastroked her way across. Climbed  into boat for the return journey…

Aaron brought down snacks and drinks, and we warmed ourselves on the dock. Yet another most pleasant afternoon of swimming and relaxing, Adam and I took the motorboat out for a spin at the end of the afternoon, which was fun.

Into town for dinner at the Brie and Barrel. Arancini and baguette toasts with olive oil to start, along with a bottle of bubbly. Then a bottle of white wine, chicken cordon brie and homemade linguine (delicious). It was a really nice restaurant, though not great for conversation. I was down the end of the table, the place was packed and a jazz duo was playing Beatles covers directly behind me.

The twenty-person group next to us provided great entertainment. Working out what they were doing together was a challenge. It was a most unlikely gathering of individuals – a few middle-aged women dressed to the nines, accompanied by complete schlubs, an Asian man in a bandage dress and killer heels, accompanied by his elderly Asian mother in windbreaker and slacks, a couple of under-dressed twenty somethings who didn’t seem to know anyone, an eight-year-old girl… Turns out it was a fiftieth birthday party, but that still didn’t explain the guest list.

Stopped at the harbour afterwards and climbed to the viewpoint, then home for a nightcap. It was all very pleasant until I managed to drop one of Margo’s lovely crystal coupes on the hearth. It shattered, spraying glass everywhere. I felt terrible… I never break things – that’s Adam’s job…;-) Clearly I been saving my dropping for something really spectacular…

Took Lyra down to the boat and stayed on to chat. She’s feeling anxious about her religious studies GCSE mark which will be published imminently, and the amount of school work she needs to plow through before term starts. The stars were amazing from the wharf – I can’t believe I’ve forgotten to check them out before now…

August 22, 2022

Fruit, yogurt and homemade granola for breakfast, which the whole family appears to love. I don’t recall this enthusiasm for my homemade granola. I’ll have to try making it again when we get home…

Lyra injured her foot yesterday helping Nova sort herself out on the far shore during their kayak outing, so now walking for her today. She had a cut on her sole, and I think there was maybe a splinter or something in it. I soaked, cleaned, disinfected and bandaged it and it felt much better. In any event, it was another misty morning, so there wouldn’t have been much of a view.

Opted for a tour on Toot Toot, Margo’s tugboat. She captained the ship and took us down to the end of Stirling Arm, checking out all the new development. There are certainly some enormous houses, and often the people have clearcut the lots as well. I think it looks terrible, and the homes ridiculous. I can’t understand why people want to live like that… Nova steered on the way back, which she enjoyed.

Spent the rest of the day on the wharf, swimming, paddling, reading, snacking… When we saw new folks on the Sing’s wharf, Nova and I hopped on the paddleboards and returned them. Started the evening with a Kamikazi cocktail – 1:1:1 vodka, triple sec, lime juice.

Dinner was pizza cooked on the barbeque, red wine and a Jamesons to round the evening out. Lyra is sleeping on the tug tonight… pretty neat!

August 21, 2022

Another great night’s sleep. I always seem to sleep like a log at Margo and Aaron’s place – it’s nice and quiet and cool in their guest room. Went for a full Canadian this morning – eggs, mushroom, tomato and chipolata sausages. It was another misty morning, but like yesterday, the weather was glorious by noon.

Borrowed paddle boards from the Sings (two wharves down), which we can use until their guests in a couple of days. They’re hosting a family wedding celebration for one of their daughter’s next weekend. Margo and Aaron have a couple arriving to stay with them for it the day after we leave.

We all had a couple of goes on the paddleboards, with varying degrees of success. The girls then opted to take the two little plastic kayaks across the lake. About three quarters of the way across, Nova fell off hers and was unable to get back on. We could sort of see something was up but they were too far away to do anything about it. Once they got to the shore, she was able to climb back up again and they made the return crossing without incident.

Went into town to have dinner at Dog Mountain Brewery. It has a great sunset view over the port and there was a promising table, but it turned out to be soaking wet. They had this mister thing going (to cool/moisten the air?) and it clearly was set a little too strong. The guy sitting next to that table was pretty soaked as well…

Nachos and a giant pretzel as starters to share, and I went for the pulled pork and slaw wrap, which was excellent. Back home, had a Jamesons nightcap and to bed.

August 20, 2022

Our first full day at Sproat Lake. The weather was overcast and even a bit foggy at first, but by time breakfast (bagels, hot smoked salmon and cream cheese, blueberries) was finished it was already starting to lift.

Headed down to the wharf around noon, and spent the next five hours swimming, sunbathing, reading and messing about on the lake. Lyra practiced her diving and we took turns in Margo’s little plastic kayak.

Bryan Whitcomb came by for a surprise visit – it was wonderful to see him. His mother-in-law is having a birthday party in Port Alberni this weekend, and he made time to come see me. We had a long chat – he’s looking as good as ever, and is semi-retired at the age of 52.

The wind got up late afternoon, and it was too choppy for a tour round the lake in Toot Toot. Instead, we had G&Ts on the wharf, then gradually drifted back to the house. Dinner was barbequed chicken (delicious) and pesto pasta.

Their new cat is very wary of us. Pretty sure she’s a rescue cat, so possibly has had some bad experiences with people. Whatever the reason, we can’t get near it. She’s a cute little thing…

August 19, 2022

Insanely hot in our room last night… We had to open the door to allow some fresh air in, as it was like a sauna. It was a shame that interrupted our sleep, as it was really comfortable bed, and nice and dark.

Got up early to consider the possibility of queueing at Horseshoe Bay instead of sticking with our afternoon Tswwassen reservation. We were already too late for the 6:30am, and it was looking tight for the 8:30am. When we saw they’d cancelled the 10am, we abandoned that plan.

Had a smoothie and coffee with Mike and Tania, and headed off about 10am. As soon as we were in the car, Lyra asked Adam, “If you and Mike own Junxion together and have exactly the same job, how come he lives in a gorgeous five-bedroom house and has two Teslas and we’re kind of poor?” Fair question and not an easy one to answer…

We were making our way across Vancouver through the morning traffic, when Lyra suddenly sprang a nosebleed. Managed to turn into a yucky East Van Mcdonalds to clean her up. That drama behind us, we carried on to Tswwassen Mills mall, sort of an outlet place.

Ate an early lunch in the food court (Vinas salad roll for me) then did some shopping: Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s Secret bras for the girls, a new pair of Vans and a nice little handbag for me. Checked out the massive sporting goods emporium before we left. Quite the place…

We were in good time for our ferry reservation, and hung around for an hour or so until it was time to load. The ferry wasn’t all that busy – I wonder if they’re not loading to full capacity because of covid, or maybe staff shortages? Sat at a table playing cards for most of the journey, then went out on deck. Lots of folks besides us wearing masks.

The drive to Port Alberni was shorter than I remembered and good road all the way. Margo and Aaron have not changed a single bit. People say that, but it’s true in this case. I guess we’ve seen them more recently than most of the folks we’re catching up with on this trip, but still. Lake living is clearly good for folk…

The girls headed straight for the lake, while we had Margo martinis and appies on the deck. Dinner was kebabs, delicious garden carrots and homemade bread, with cherries for dessert. A lovely bottle of California red  called Conundrum. Played some shithead and then to bed. So good to be here!

August 18, 2022

Up at 7am to finish the packing and on the road by 8am. First stop, Timmy’s for some breakfast and coffee for the road. Adam drove the first stretch. It was a bit foggy at first, but soon cleared, and by Quesnel it was a beautiful blue blazer of a day.

Felt pretty sad to be leaving the north. There seems to be an emotional pull to the place that I don’t remember feeling at all when I was younger. It was a good visit, though to quote mum, “I wish David was here…” It was great to spend time with Wade and Greg, and would have been pretty special to have the four of us together. It’ll probably be at least a decade between visits with David…

Stopped for a bit at McLeese Lake. I have nice memories of stopping here on journeys with mum and dad. The girls waded a bit in the lake, we finished our TimBits and carried on. Swapped drivers at the 70 Mile House general store.

Decided to give the canyon a miss and take the Pemberton highway instead. It’s a pretty challenging piece of driving – a twisty, mountainous road, super steep in places, and in pretty rough condition in others. It took a lot of concentration.

Swapped again at Squamish, and Adam drove us to Mike and Tania’s place in Deep Cove. There was just time for a margarita before we headed out to a restaurant in Lonsdale Quay for dinner at a place called Joey Shipyards. A nice table outside on the balcony, awesome food and amazing view. Another aspect of Vancouver – the Westcoast lifestyle – for the girls to see.

Went for ice cream at a place off Lonsdale called Earnest Ice Cream, not far from where Aunt Ruth had her little cabin. They do a flavour called London Fog (Earl Grey tea and vanilla), which is one of the best ice creams I’ve ever tasted. Speaking of Aunt Ruth, Mike and Tanya have two incredibly obese cats that would have fit right into her menagerie. Nigel and Kona(?) weigh a good twenty 20lbs apiece.

Back home we had a cup of tea and then to bed. There are certainly lots of rooms in their house. We were upstairs, and the girls were in two separate rooms on the ground floor and basement. Their room, their teenage daughter’s room, and I’m assuming there’s another bedroom for their son as well?

August 17, 2022

Our last day in PG… Floated the rafting idea briefly, but we’ve run out of river on that one… I did get to play ninety minutes of tennis with Adam, Wade, Liam and Greg, another thing I wanted to do.

It was really good fun, and much easier with four people. There’s less chasing balls around, more net play and the rallies can be longer. All around more satisfying. And for some reason, I was way better at serving here than in London – not sure what that’s about.

Prince George has always been well endowed with tennis courts. Not because we’re a tennis-mad municipality – I’m pretty sure it’s so they can convert them into ice rinks as soon as winter arrives. Three courts make a nice-size hockey rink. These courts had hockey nets and snow shovel already waiting in the corner.

Grabbed some lunch at home, then headed into town for my drivers license appointment. It was a confusing process. Since my BC license has been expired since 2013, I needed to show that I’d been driving since then. Not quite sure why… It sounded like I might have had to redo the test, or maybe it was about calculating my years of experience? There’s a reciprocal agreement with the UK, so my driving there counted.

They did make me do an eye test I wasn’t prepared for, which was a bit tricky in places. Tiny print, colour blindness, depth perception and peripheral vision. Just as well I passed, because at the last moment the guy announced they were keeping my British license because BC doesn’t allow you to have two licences. I was issued with a piece of yellow paper – my interim BC licence.

My new British license should be waiting when I get home, and if I’ve somehow inadvertently cancelled my British licence, I’ll say it was all a mistake and switch it back again…

Adam, Wade and Liam spent the after fixing slats into the new chainlink fence, while I finished fixing Lyra’s suitcase. Headed out for a last supper at Earls. Wade and I had wings, which were excellent, and everyone seemed happy with their meals. Adam’s chicken sandwich was so spicy his head was coated with sweat. Managed to pick up the cheque which isn’t easy with those guys…

Had another drink when we got home, but everyone was pretty tired and we need to get an early start tomorrow.

August 16, 2022

Last night felt like my first night of proper sleep – pretty much back on schedule now. The weather forecast is slipping . It was meant to be really hot by now, but it’s another temperate, cloudy day. Not quite the thing for tubing on Mud River.

Took Olive for a morning walk round the neighbourhood with Wade and Adam. Far less ambitious than yesterday morning’s route…;-) Stopped at the school for a bit, before coming back through a new development of monster houses. I fail to see  the appeal of large houses – what a waste of money and a rod for your own back…

Fruit for breakfast. I lost the habit of eating fruit what with my keto ways, and am really enjoying it. While I repaired Lyra’s suitcase, Wade and Adam packed a picnic. We headed down to L’Heidli Tenneh Park (formerly Fort George) for the afternoon.

Ate first then played badminton and volleyball. Good fun – I haven’t played volleyball in about forty-five years but it came back to me pretty well. I was hard to get used to playing in a sand pit though. I’m sure it’s safer and all that but it felt like my feet were stuck in cement.

Had a wander round the park – the new fire truck, water park and traditional graveyard, then along by the river. Gale took her kids and Lyra to the Dairy Queen, Adam and Nova headed to the mall, and Wade and I hit the bank then did another round of the old neighbourhood…

Steak, Caesar salad and rosemary potatoes for dinner. Greg and Wendy came round for a visit with everyone, which was really nice. To bed at a reasonable hour.

August 15, 2022

It’s the seventh anniversary of dad’s death… The 14th was the day we took him to the hospital and he spent all day dying, but it was just past midnight by the time he gave up the fight…

Wade and I went for a long morning walk with Greg around the Hart. Took over two hours all told and maybe did about five miles?

We started out from Greg’s place and made our way round the suburb, through some trails behind Kelly Road School, across the highway and a loop round Wade’s neighbourhood (I could tell he was thinking seriously about cutting us loose at that point), back to McDonalds, up to the top of the ski hill to drink our coffees and then back to the house.

We were pretty hungry when we got back to Wades, and finished the clam chowder from Friday. Adam was busy doing a competitive pitch for some work with Coast Capital. When he was done, we headed into town to take the kids to the Dairy Queen.

Dropped in on Glenn to see if he was available to come with us. Unsurprisingly, his mum had no idea who we were but was delighted when she realised and insisted on everyone coming inside for a visit. Glenn was in the middle of processing a batch of baby garlic from his garden. 

Glenn’s mum was on great form. She kept saying how much Lyra looks like me. It’s hard to believe she is 91 – of course she is (her son John is in his seventies) but she doesn’t look it. She told me how much Glenn does to look after the place, and that couldn’t live on her own anymore, though she seems pretty damn spry to me.

After the Dairy Queen, we dropped Glenn back then headed downtown. Enquired about getting my BC drivers licence renewed (I lost it when my wallet was stolen years ago). Made an appointment for Wednesday.

Drove round Connaught Hill then through the old neighbourhood. It was fun cruising around with Wade shouting out names of the families who used to live in those houses. Some of the tiniest little places have been replaced, but lots still are just the same. I was surprised to see 2580 looking pretty shabby. It’s a step up from how run down dad let it get, but still. 

Made a Greek dinner. Wade marinated chicken and cooked it on the barbeque. Served it with tzatziki, lemon potatoes, and I did the Greek salad. Gale and Isobel had baked cookies, so we had those for dessert with some ice cream. Everyone was pretty tired and we were all in bed by 10pm.

Adam won the Coast Capital pitch, which is excellent news! They were up against some big hitters like PWC, which makes it extra sweet…

August 14, 2022

Went for a walk with Greg in Cottonwood Park this morning. He picked me up from Wade’s and we swung by the McDonalds for coffee before driving into town. I haven’t been down there for ages – it’s lovely. I think the trail runs over to L’Heidli Tenneh Park now, which would be good to do sometime.

Greg pointed out a number of trees that have carvings worked into the bark, done by a local artist Elmer Gunderson. I thought maybe he was a rogue artist like Banksy, but I read up about him later, and he was commissioned to do them by the city.

In the afternoon we all went five-pin bowling downtown, which was good fun. Maybe because I grew up with it, I’ve always preferred it to the ten-pin version. I like the weight of the ball better, and it requires more skill. I hadn’t realised that it was invented (and is only played) in Canada. 

Swung by Gale’s store afterwards, where she insisted we each choose something. I went for a visor, which I’m confident will transform my tennis game…;-)

We’d seen ripe saskatoon berries in Cottonwood, and Wade said there were lots of bushes behind his place as well. Went out there with Lyra and picked a punnet full in no time. I made them into a compote to serve with the skunk I’d assembled yesterday.

Had a video call with David’s family to watch a screening of Devlin’s film which is not generally available yet. It seems more ambitious than the previous film he was in – a larger cast, more complex story line etc. We all thought he was really good in it. 

Barbequed chicken for dinner, with potatoes, carrots and courgette, and the aforementioned skunk a la saskatoon for dinner. I really like saskatoons but the girls weren’t that keen. Played cards until midnight and to bed.

August 13, 2022

Slept pretty well… After a cup of coffee I put on a load of laundry, then headed to the mall for supplies to fix Lyra’s suitcase (she over-stuffed a tore the inside pocket). Adam got his head shaved, picked up some wine, and knitting needles and wool for the girls who have a sudden enthusiasm for me to teach them to knit. 

Happy to spend the afternoon hanging out round Wade’s until it was time to head to the McLaughlins for dinner.  So good to see them again. I was the designated driver, so I paced myself with two glasses of wine over the evening: one with the pitta and dips, and another with the barbequed lamb and Greek salad.

After dinner, the men retired to smoke a cigar(!!) and drink whisky on the deck, Lyra sloped off to watch a film, and Nova and Jackie and I chatted in the living room over a cup of tea.

It took a while to extract Adam from the house, but we managed to leave about 10:45am. They are heading to the Okanagan tomorrow morning. When I started the car I momentarily forgot it wasn’t a standard, and had embarrassing departure – starting to drive, hitting the clutch (which was the brake of course) before I remembered what I was doing.

August 12, 2022

Happy birthday, Greg! Up early to pack, collect the rental car etc. We were about to set out when I happened to look at my UK drivers licence and discovered that it had expired. Not the licence itself, just the photo card part of it. Quickly applied online using my passport photo, and was sent a confirmation email stating I was good to drive until the replacement arrived. Phew!

The guy at the rental place was pretty cool about it. We always go with Enterprise – their prices tend to be lower, they don’t have a mileage limit and spouses are automatically added to the agreement. We got a fancy sort of Hyundai, at first glance I thought it was a Tesla.

On the road by 10:15am. Adam drove the first leg to Hope. The traffic was awful around Abbotsford. I thought there might be an accident or roadworks, but there didn’t seem to be a reason for it.

The canyon was closed following a mud slide at Spences Bridge, so we headed to Merritt then across on the connector. I did the leg to Merritt (the Coquihalla was a right mess as well) then Adam drove to Cache Creek. He was too tired to drive imho, and I felt better when got behind the wheel again.

Ended up doing the rest of the drive to Prince George. That’s a nice stretch of road now, lots of passing lanes and not much traffic. Lyra moved to the front to keep me company, choose songs and feed me Cheezies.

In PG we made a quick swing by the liquor store then to Wade and Gale’s by 9pm. Wade had clam chowder waiting. Had a few drinks afterwards and to bed about 1:30am…

August 11, 2022

Our last full day in Vancouver. Woke up crazy early as usual, but as I didn’t have any client work to do I decided to go for a walk on my own. A bit of seawall and through the park, then back through my old neighbourhood. Since my last visit, they’ve added street signs to all the alleys and given them names. Not sure how I feel about that…

Once the family was in gear we walked to Coal Harbour along the sea wall to have lunch at Meat & Bread (at Nova’s request). It’s only a couple of blocks from the tent city on Hastings so we got an eyeful of that desperately sad situation…

Chinatown is pretty much defunct. The few remaining shops and restaurants are mostly barred, requiring you to buzz to enter. Spent an hour Sun Yat Sen park, then caught the skytrain at Beatty (next to my old office) and rode a ways out and back.

Ate dinner at Big Bang sushi on Denman Street (excellent and great value). Relocated to the Sylvia, where we nabbed a table outside and called Carol and Scott to join us. When they closed, we headed across to the beach and sat talking a while longer.

Quite the scene… Stanley Park has been experimenting with allowing alcohol in certain areas, but these folks seemed hopped up on something else, and certainly not inclined to follow bylaws. To bed about 11pm.

August 10, 2022

Up too early again this morning… Both Adam and I put in some work before we breakfasted on cherries, peaches and muffins. The girls added Eggo waffles and Pop Tarts to their mix.

Walked the seawall to the Burrard Bridge and rode the little ferry across to the planetarium to catch a show on surfing the solar system. From there we walked to Granville Island for lobster rolls and a browse of the shops.

Caught another ferry to Yaletown, then a train downtown. The girls and I bought new jammies then caught a bus home. Once again, we had just time for a short rest before we needed to meet Bruce and family at the yacht club at Jericho.

Took a cab this time, adding yet another transport option to today’s mix. There were eight of us on the table, and I ended up at one end with Rebecca and Carol, both of whom are very careful about their diet and weight. They both went for the crab and prawn salad, so I followed suit. It was delicious, but rather small compared to the rest of the meals on the table I couldn’t help but notice.

Bruce celebrated his 84th birthday yesterday, and seemed on very good form. I didn’t chat to him as much as I’d have liked – just the way the seating worked out. Ubered back to the West End and to bed…

August 9, 2022

Woke up at 3:30am… Adam got up to work in the kitchen and I did some client bits and bobs as well. I’d told clients I’d work a bit this week, but would be clocking off after that. Went to Safeway with Nova to buy more groceries and something to take to Carol and Scott’s this evening. The supermarkets seem so abundant compared to the UK – all the beautiful fresh produce and the variety…

When Adam logged off for the day, we walked down to Robson and Denman and rented bikes to cycle the sea wall. A stretch of it was washed out in a heavy storm last winter. You can still see evidence of it, but they’ve managed to repair most of the damage.

It was certainly busy, and it was a relief not to have to worry about the girls colliding with someone or cycling over the edge. Plenty of numbskulls out there – people who had no idea of cycling etiquette or maybe couldn’t read the prominent signs telling them to dismount for the water park or under the Lions Gate Bridge.

I thought we might carry on from Stanley Park down to False Creek or Granville Island, but Lyra was feeling tired so we returned the bikes and went for lunch at Dinesty Dumplings. I wanted to go last time we visited, but the line up was crazy. We were in luck this time and got a table straight away. Ordered copious quantities of food, all of which was excellent, though the soup dumplings stole the show.

Shopped our way up Robson Street, hitting Roots and La Vie en Rose where we bought Lyra a bathing suit. Continued down to Granville Street where we were pleased to discover a small Daiso outlet. Nothing like the megastore in Richmond but it scratched that itch. We’re all travelling with carry-on sized suitcases, so there’s not a lot of room to acquire things.

Bussed back to English Bay, with just time for a bit of rest before we headed over to Carol and Scott’s. They are both looking well and their new flat is completely awesome. They’ve definitely landed on their feet after that horrible renoviction.

They no longer have an ocean view, but instead look over the trees of Stanley Park from the 7th floor. They also have a gorgeous roof terrace with 360° views of sea, city and mountains. Spent the evening up there, quaffing martinis, followed by pizza and salads.

Carol isn’t drinking as she’s been experiencing food sensitivities and breaks out in hives when she has alcohol. She thinks it’s connected to her booster shot as it started shortly after she received it. She’s part of a large support group of people who are experiencing the same issue…

As a result, they’ve been very cautious, and aren’t not really going anywhere or seeing people inside. Though once the roof terrace closed for the night, we did visit their flat for a cup of tea. Back to the Sylvia about 11pm and straight to bed.

August 8, 2022

Up at 5am, ticked off the final few to-dos, and in the taxi at 6am. I’m definitely a fan of having the weekend to get ready, at least for a long trip like this one. It’s been much less stressful than usual. The cabbie was a really good, smooth driver. If we were still in the car sickness era, we might have made it without incident.

Heathrow was pretty hectic, but they seemed to have rustled up a lot of people in bright pink teeshirts to manage the queues and everything moved along eventually. After clearing bag zapping, we headed for the lounge Adam had booked, which was a nice surprise for the kids.

Had some breakfast and a few coffees/drinks etc and relaxed in the comfy seats until they posted our gate. Nova couldn’t find her airbuds which used up a few minutes, but I was pretty surprised at the speed it went from announcing the gate to last call and we had to hustle to make it.

Our seats are directly over the wing and there was absolutely nothing to see. The girls and I were in a bank of three on the side, and Adam was across the aisle from us in the middle section. Watched Licorice Pizza and King Richard, about Venus and Serena Williams’ childhood, both of which I really enjoyed. Either the technology has gotten better, or we’re accustomed to watching films on small screens now or both…

The food was surprisingly good for a plane, and I even dozed a bit. So all and all, a nice flight. It even landed early…

Once we got through Immigration and collected our bags, we caught a taxi to the Sylvia Hotel. Our room wasn’t ready so we went for one of their fabulous Caesars and a bite to eat. We’re in a family room with a separate kitchen bit where Adam will be able to work in the mornings.

Lyra was randomly selected for Covid testing so we all shlepped up Davie to Burrard to collect an official test, then over to a Shoppers Drugmart to have it administered. We should know the results in 48 hours, and are free to carry on as normal until then.

We’re playing it pretty careful anyway, wearing masks anywhere indoors, hand sanitizing etc. until I’m reasonably confident no one has contracted covid during the journey.

We were all pretty exhausted by late afternoon. Bought some groceries and had snacks in the room for dinner. Everyone was asleep by 10:30…

August 7, 2022

No run again this morning… I’ll have to start from scratch when we get back from Canada. 

Our last getting ready day. For once I’m pretty much packed in advance, and what with leaving on a Monday, we’re in good shape with the to-do list. Just the last-minute stuff like emptying the bins, compost etc.

Etta came round at noon and I took her through the cat routine, watering etc. We’re probably going to get a hosepipe ban soon, but you can still water with watering cans, so I pointed out what I’m trying to achieve with the watering (resuscitating the rhubarb, raspberry canes, and small rosebush) so she’ll know where to focus her efforts. 

Even had time for an hour’s tennis with Millie. It was hot as hell, but our court was partial shade and we took regular water breaks. Not even that late to bed – just as well as we’re up at 5am…

August 6, 2022

My final pond swim before we leave for Canada. Adam and I walked down about 8am. Nova was planning to come, but opted out at the last minute. On the way home we did some shopping in the village for the barbeque tonight and for things to take to Canada. Lyra had headed off for work by the time we got back.

I had a hair appointment at noon – more of a tidy really. Nova got one as well, and was very pleased with how it came out. She had a bruising experience a few year’s back and hasn’t been to a hairdresser since.

Richard and Rachel came round for a barbeque in the evening: the rest of the Cornish gin, sausages and burgers on the barbeque, baguette, slaw and a spinach and sweet potato salad from Rachel. Very nice evening…

Olive the dog is going to make it – so glad that £25,000 vet bill isn’t for nothing…!

August 5, 2022

Got up early to finish some work on the beauty week website that I had to cut short yesterday. Took a few hours, but got it to a good place. Also scheduled a series of posts for the architect’s instagram feed for the month of August. I’ll keep an eye on it while we’re away, but I shouldn’t need to intervene.

I burned out on work by late afternoon in time for our scheduled visit from the Virgin technicians who turned up to diagnose our internet issues. They ran some new cable, changed a socket and pronounced it fixed. It’s definitely seems peppier, but the real test will be when the heat returns.

Went for a belated anniversary dinner in Crouch End at Lyons Fish Bar. Walked down there, swinging by Lawrence’s to drop off a book. Excellent food – a definite notch up from the usual Zone 4 fare.

Oysters, smoked cod roe crostini, brown crab chawanmushi, roasted sea trout with tenderstem broccoli and preserved lemon, and char siu monkfish. Comté with brown bread madelines and a yuzu posset with raspberry sorbet for dessert. All pretty delicious.

Walked home afterwards, nice warm night. To bed about 11pm.

August 4, 2022

Adam came for a swim with me this morning. It was a beautiful morning for it. The way the sun was falling on the water caused patches of light to dance up onto the  woodland that fringes the pond. It looked like something magical was about to happen.

The heron was stalking the edge of the pond, and I slowed and watched him for a bit. When he went under the little wharf, he just increased the sharpness of his knee angles like a car jack.

Grabbed pastries from Gail’s on the way home. There was horrific drilling going on next to our bedroom – ear damaging levels of noise. It was so bad it was almost funny.They stopped after a bit outside to discuss what they are doing with the party wall, which hasn’t been agreed yet. Alex was not best pleased with what he was hearing from his builders. The main contractor called him by his dad’s name twice, which I could see he didn’t like either.

Bought new suitcases for the girls – still cabin-sized but significantly bigger than their old ones.

Headed into town to collect Nova’s passport from the Canadian embassy. They told me to arrive at 3:30 for my appointment, but the time came and went and no one appeared. At 4pm the building closed. I flagged down a security guard who went back and eventually found someone to engage with me. It transpired that I wasn’t actually entitled to collect Nova’s passport now she’s an adult, and when we tried calling her she didn’t answer her phone, but eventually they handed the bloody thing over.

Walk down Whitehall, across Westminster Bridge, and along the Southbank where the tourists aremback in full force. There is so much street food and so many street bars it’s crazy.

Met Jess at the Bridge Theatre to see The Southbury Child. Such a great piece of theatre – edge of the seat stuff, funny, sad, intellectually challenging, surprising. We both loved it. Home after 11pm. According to my fitbit I walked 11 miles today. Adam was still out, having gone to play football in Brixton.

I’m practically the only person in London still wearing a mask on public transit. I didn’t bother outside, though sometimes there were enough people around that I wondered if I should. Fingers crossed I get to Canada without contracting covid…

In a turn up for the books, Richard the barrister has managed to get the Arsenal seasons’ tickets reinstated – and an apology…

August 3, 2022

Had a lazy start this morning. I’m definitely less overwhelmed with work which makes a nice change…

Lyra’s passport arrived today, which is great news – though we’re still waiting on Nova’s. Another plus is that the Internet didn’t fall over all day. The new configuration might help – we’d forgotten how the route and distributor should be set up and they were potentially competing with each other. I did also fan it all afternoon…

Lyra came home from Ellie’s then headed off almost straight away to sleep at Olive’s tonight. I wasn’t too busy, so I gave her a lift. It’s nice that she’s starting to have a social life again – it’s been a crappy few years…

Did the watering, then made myself a BLT salad for dinner with the first tomatoes from the garden. Watched Jerry McGuire, which I haven’t seen in years. I hadn’t remembered that it’s about downsizing, doing meaningful work instead of chasing the money, all the stuff Adam’s made a business of…

He rolled in about 10:30pm, having gone for a drink with someone after work. I was just finishing the film, and rewatched the first half hour with him, before we headed to bed.

August 2, 2022

Walked down to the pond first thing for a swim. The weather was overcast and the water temperature has dropped to 21°C, I really like it at that temperature. Bumped into Donna and heard all about how her elder daughter has ruptured her esophagus. Sounds dreadful…

I expected they’d be jackhammering next door by the time I got back, but there was no sign of them all day.

Rebuilt my architect client’s instagram feed this morning. They have planned the first eighty one posts out with a view to how they look as a collage, and there was a slight colour shift issue with the first three posts that they weren’t happy with.

Met Kate at the Woodman for lunch. The soil stabilisation project has gone pear-shaped, with internal wrangling and confusion. There was all that rush to publish early, then right at the last minute they froze the launch, which meant the site was sitting in limbo.

Eventually, I made the unilateral decision to un-publish all the new pages (which were live but unlinked so they could be reviewed/signed off). Spent the afternoon moving it to my development space, setting up new versions of the plugins and getting everything working again.

Adam suggested popping out for a drink late afternoon. We headed up to the Prince of Wales, and sat out back with a glass of wine. I wasn’t hungry after my chicken sandwich at the Woodman, and Lyra was sleeping at Ellie’s, so Adam zapped himself some leftover pasta from last week. Finished season 2 of The Man in the High Castle. Clever…

August 1, 2022

Rabbits! This summer is zipping by… Adam headed in to work as usual for a Monday. I had tennis legs and didn’t feel like going for my run. It weirds me out how playing tennis doesn’t feel like exercise at all, but then my legs are like logs for two days afterwards. It must be doing something…

Drove Nova to Archway with the big suitcase she’s schlepping to Bristol. She’s going down for a few days to see friends and touch base with her housemates for the coming year. We’ve been renting the place since the start of July, so it’s good she’s getting a bit of use out of it.

Our neighbour to be showed up with a couple of builders and did some gratuitous jackhammering. They cut a big chunk of concrete out of John’s patio for no apparent reason, then fucked off again… Joy…

Had a catch-up lunch with Sara at Gail’s – sounds like they had a lovely time in Greece. Half the UK seems to be vacationing in Greece this summer…