West Country Wandering

Wednesday’s Weekly Update No.12

I’m writing today’s update with a sleepy greyhound next to me, yippie! Having just re-read last weeks update I’ve just realised how much we have got sorted over the last week, which is satisfying!

1. Road tripping “Come back tomorrow and I promise I’ll have a car with a BC plate which you can hire”. Ha! Unsurprisingly, we found ourselves driving to Vancouver in the dreaded California plate SUV after this promise turned out to be as hollow as a Easter egg. Aside from the occasional frowns we had no trouble on our journey down the Cariboo Highway to Vancouver. We choose the less scenic, faster route, but it was still stunning. The small towns you pass through, with names such as 150 Mile House, bring to mind images of the gold rush which occurred in this region. On our return journey, mercilessly in a BC plate car after a swift swap at the airport, we decided to take a more scenic route through a section of the Rocky Mountains. The weather was really overcast, obscuring the most spectacular views, including Mount Robson. But we did see some snow topped peaks, a glacier (Jacob was delighted!) and I spotted a Bald Eagle perched on a fence post. Having never experienced a journey like this before even the sight of the long straight road stretching out endlessly before us, lined with evergreens was something to behold.

2. Bally arrives Nine and a half hours after leaving Prince George, we arrived in Vancouver on the Thursday evening ready to collect Bally on the Friday afternoon. During the whole process of moving to Canada: delays due to Covid, finally arriving and being approved by immigration, emerging from quarantine, the procedure of getting Bally here has been the only point at which I’ve got really emotional. Thankfully, Jacob’s cousin Briony lives in Vancouver and so we spent a lovely morning with her, sipping tea in her downtown apartment and wandering to Stanley Park to distract us from worrying about Bally. When the time came the business of collecting ‘Live Cargo’ from Vancouver airport was as arduous as you might expect. I shall explain in more detail in a blog sometime but suffice to say no one seemed to know where we needed to go and at one point we were in the same building as him but still had to wait a further bureaucracy-filled hour and a half to see his dazed face. It’s been four days since our road trip back from Vancouver and Bally has been enjoying the new bear smells on his walks, making friends with the neighbouring dogs and, of course, snoozing!

3. Settling in Following the failures of last week, we’re been a bit more successful with those joyless admin tasks that come with moving abroad. We secured ourselves some British Columbia ID’s, which mean we had adequate ID for a Canadian phone contract. I popped back into the bank and signed the forgotten form, so I now have access to my own money. Our bums road tested everything on offer in City Furniture and Appliances LTD and we have bought a sofa! We’ve even entertained at our new table! We had the couple who own our house (and live in the basement) over for dinner to thank them for their endless advice on all matters Canadian and help while we were in quarantine.

What’s Bothering Babs?

Babs’ questions: Are you able to start work now?

I just need a car, then I’m good to go! A Supply Teacher isn’t much use if they can’t get all over the city, so that’s the final thing on our to do list!

Bears in the playground eh?

We’ve all seen American films where someone gets stopped for speeding by a Policeman who then strolls over to the driver’s window and nonchalantly asks “Are you aware of what speed your were doing?”. Well I can confirm that it literally happens just like that! I won’t say who was driving at the time and which of us was giggling in the passenger seat saying “I think you have to stay in the car and they will come over, that’s what happens in the movies”. So there is today’s Canadianism: the difference between seeing the speed camera flash, swearing to yourself and then waiting four days for the dreaded letter or having a police car flash you, follow you with sirens on and stroll up to your window for the in-person reprimand and ticket giving. I know which I prefer!

The week in photos

Smokey Vancouver, Bally’s first walk in PG, reunited with his second favourite human, lunch with Briony, reunited with his favourite human, road trip, the dreaded California plate, Totem Poles in Stanley Park and a road trip rest stop.

9 things I’m excited about seeing and doing in Canada and Prince George

I began writing this blog during the period we were living with my Mum and daily life was about trying to find a way for me to get to Canada. Having given up our jobs in the UK prior to the pandemic, getting to Canada was no longer about travel or adventure. It was now vital to get to Canada, because it was the only place one of us had work.

Writing the Wednesday’s Weekly Updates (which can be found here) was a really cathartic exercise. But try as I might, I found it really hard to write blogs which shared what I was excited about doing in Canada. Partly, because I didn’t believe we’d ever get there and partly because, getting to Canada wasn’t about that fun stuff anymore, but necessity. Unsurprisingly then, this post didn’t get much further than a list of eight items.

Now, just one day away from emerging from quarantine into the Canadian sunshine, I’m revisiting this list to remind myself that it has all worked out and to allow myself to let this be about adventure again.

1. Enjoy Prince George’s Outdoor Lifestyle

This is definitely the number one draw to life in Prince George. The opportunities for outdoor adventures are endless. First on my list is to get a good hike in, but I’m also keen on some of the other summer sports (climbing, kayaking, camping, stand up paddle boarding to name a few) which the city, the surrounding lakes and nearby mountains have to offer.

2. Learn about First Nation Culture

Prince George has a strong local band, the Lheidli T’enneh. I’m excited to learn more about the history and culture of the people who have called this area home since long, long before Europeans.

3. See some Canadian wildlife

Prince George boasts a healthy population of Black bears as well as other large locals such as Moose. Journeying a little further afield, from the coast you can take a whale watching trip to see both Humpbacks and Orcas.

4. See Mr.PG

The symbol of Prince George! An eight meter high roadside attraction and tribute to the local forestry industry, who has stood proudly in Prince George since 1960!

5. See an Ice Hockey game

Is there anything more cliche Canadian than Ice Hockey?! So once the season begins, were definitely going to see the Prince George Cougars.

6. See the Northern Lights

As a reward for living through freezing winters, inhabitants of Prince George are sometimes treated to the greatest light show on earth. This one I can’t control and may never tick off, but this photograph was taken just outside Prince George, so there is reason to hope.

7. Enjoy some Winter Sports

‘Enjoying’ being out in the cold will be the real challenge here. There are so many winter sports to get involved with in Prince George: ice skating, skiing, snow shoeing, ice climbing, snow boarding…

8. Hike in the Rocky Mountains

Jasper is three and a half hours away. Banff is seven hours away. These places are the stuff of Canadian legend. These places are on many peoples ultimate bucket list. And now these places are – at least in Canadian terms – near us.

Photo by Joshua Woroniecki on Pexels.com

9. Have friends and family to stay.

I’ve saved the one that is most important to me until last. It’s the one that currently, September 2020, seems most distant. I love the idea of doing the things on this list with our friends and family when they come to visit. If nothing else we have amassed a huge amount of favors to pay back over the last few months! Plus my niece and I have been singing the ‘Great Big Moose’ song together since before we were planning to move here, so I owe here a moose sighting. Fingers crossed the border opens up and makes this possible.

Wednesday’s Weekly Update No.11

Welcome to the first update which properly comes to you from Canada, since the update last week was from quarantine! As you’ll see below we’ve now been out and about, but not everything has gone quite to plan! As I write this, I’m a bit of a nervous wreck, as I have no idea whether we will be able to get a hire car in time to collect Bally the Greyhound who arrives into Vancouver on Friday!

1. The end of quarantine By the end of a week and a half in quarantine my attitude was starting to shift from ‘thank god we made it here, who cares how long we have to quarantine for’ to ‘get me the hell outta this house’!! Having my birthday in quarantine was a strange experience, but at least it broke things up a bit. Plus my friend sent Jacob some money to buy me treats, so I got to sample some of the local Northern Lights Winery’s finest produce! (Thanks Rebecca!)

2. Coming out It felt really strange and overwhelming to finally get to see Prince George after a five month delay and two weeks waiting indoors. We strolled from our house to the downtown, stopping at the bank on the way to get me signed up. Our first (and only stop) down town was the rather fantastic City Secondhand, where we choose a whole load of beautiful used furniture. We didn’t get a chance to explore the downtown, since we had to be back up at our house to meet the furniture which was delivered the same day. Finally dinner at a table not on our laps! We didn’t get much done on our first day out and about but it was lovely to finally stretch our legs, check out a little of PG and have somewhere to sit in our house!

2. Things don’t go to plan As you know Bally, our greyhound, is arriving on the 18th (currently two days time). We are driving to Vancouver to collect him, leaving early on the 17th (Thursday). So yesterday, Tuesday, we booked a car rental online and made our way over to their office to pick it up. No sooner had we walked in then the man behind the counter was explaining that they had no cars for us to hire. When he saw our looks of horror, he mentioned that there was one car we could have if we were driving south. But it absolutely could not be driven around locally. He went as far as to say that ‘the car might be attacked, or people may even attack you’. Why? Well, this car has a Californian number plate and some Canadians feel that any American defying the border closure and entering Canada right now must be taught a lesson. Which they are have been teaching by attacking any cars with American number plates. Not ideal.

So we left there without a car, but with the promise that if we returned tomorrow evening (today!) there would be a car we could hire. Let’s hope so. Next on our list was getting a sim card sorted for our phones, as not having a Canadian number is causing us quite a lot of problems. But it was a ‘computer says no’ situation as we didn’t have the correct British Columbia ID that is needed to get a phone contract. To top it all off the bank emailed to say that my account had no been set up property, they had forgotten one of the forms they needed to get me to sign.

So currently we have no car to drive to Vancouver, no Canadian numbers and I don’t have a Canadian bank account. If Bally gets here safely and without any hiccups none of this will matter of course!

What’s Bothering Babs?

Babs’ Question: Why can’t Bally fly to Prince George?

He and his flight crate weigh to much for the little propeller plane! He is actually coming into Vancouver on the same Air Canada flight we got and we should be able to collect him 2-3 hours later. Which means that by 6:00pm on Friday 18th, 2:00am GMT, we should all be reunited.

Bear in the Playground eh?

If you missed last weeks update, you can get acquainted with our new feature here.

Everything in Canada is huge. Everything. From the cars to the tin cans, everything is bigger than its European counterpart. Here’s a photo to illustrate this point. The loo roll is the same size as in the U.K. for scale. As you can see everything else is fit for Hargrid’s hut! What have they fed that cauliflower?!