Sadhana visits

Last Monday we said goodbye to Sadhana (a schoolfriend of Steph's) who stayed with us for a week. She was a fab guest, and the week zoomed by very quickly. I think the holiday was pretty relaxing for her, and before leaving she was talking of maybe visiting again next year. It's the "Vancouver Effect" in action!

We have posted a couple of photos sets from the visit. The first set here are some general photos of time Steph and Sadhana spent together. The second set here are photos from a weekend away in Victoria. We had great weather for a change (it usually rains on us when we go to Vancouver Island.) Our opinion of Victoria has improved too since our last brief visit - it was a great place to spend some time.

It was lovely to see you Sadhana, and we hope the interview went well ;)

Rob & Kim's leaving do

Two weeks ago, we said goodbye to our friends Rob & Kim. We got to know Rob through work - in fact we met him when we first came over for our interviews in May '05. They decided to return to the UK to live, and Rob is now working at another Vivendi studio in Birmingham. We wish them all the best for the future, and hope to see them again. Here are a few photos from that afternoon.

Kayaking at Deep Cove

This was a little while ago now, but Steph organized for a whole bunch of us to rent kayaks at Deep Cove for an afternoon. We had a mixture of one and two-person kayaks which we rented for three hours. It was a little nerve-wracking for me, as I am not much of a swimmer. I'd prepared for it beforehand by spending some time in the pool in our apartment building. It wasn't as bad as I'd anticipated - the kayak seemed very stable, and the water at Deep Cove is super-calm so I felt safe most of the time (except when a wave came over the front of our kayak!)

We paddled out to a little island (it might have been called Raccoon Island - not sure.) The island was kind of interesting because it was only a single island with a beach at low tide. At high tide it was two small islands with water between. Anyway, we got out of our kayaks and stopped for cake, before paddling all the way back. It was tiring but great fun. Hopefully we will do it again soon, and perhaps next time we might do a whole day.

You can find a few photos here. They were taken by our friend Woody who was the only person with a real camera there. We took some photos on a disposable waterproof camera, but we'll have to wait until we use up the film before you can see the results.

Aqualung

Last weekend (Sunday) we went to see Aqualung at Richards on Richards. It was hard going out on a Sunday evening when we usually like to relax, but worth the effort. Gigs at Richards usually tend to be good because it is a very small venue and you can easily get really close to the stage.

The support was a girl called Sara Bareilles. She rocked! Her voice was strong and perfectly pitched, and her songs had catchy melodies and wry lyrics. The audience took a while to warm up to her, but I was really into it. This was one the best supports for me in a long time. I am looking forward now to when she releases her new album.

Aqualung came on around 10ish and played for about 75 minutes. Although their songs were of course slow paced in general, they came over more in your face and loud than I had expected, which was interesting. Lots of squealing, distorted guitar! They were workmanlike to begin with (as was the audience, which wasn't the biggest crowd we've seen), but after a few songs the lead singer started talking to the audience and things warmed up a bit. He was soft-voiced and well-spoken (quite posh actually), and with a very dry wit which made me smile a few times. Their set was a fairly even split of tracks from the new album "Memory Man", and old hits which of course went down well. A lot of the new tracks were pretty good, and probably persuaded me that I should buy the new record. All in all, it was a great evening of music - Richards came up trumps again :)

Three Micro Film Reviews

Catching up on the films we have seen recently.


Hot Fuzz

It was very funny, but not quite as good as Shaun of the Dead. I guess zombies are just better. Lots and lots of jokes, and only a few of them missed. Recommended, and with some supremely good moments (watch out for shotgun granny getting her just desserts).


The Namesake

You probably haven't heard of this film, because I hadn't. Steph had heard the book read on the radio and wanted to see it. It's mostly about an Indian family who move to the US in the 60s and settle, have kids and so on. I guess the film is a lot about contrasts in culture, and how different generations have different attitudes. It might sound a bit dull, but if like me you enjoy character-driven movies with good acting, this is a real treat. It also had some superb makeup work on some of the lead characters, who play themselves across a 30 year timespan but always managed to look convincing. Catch this on DVD if you can - it will be worth it!


28 Weeks Later

The first movie was better for sure. This sequel doesn't add much that is original, but it is certainly enjoyable in its own right. It's edge of the seat stuff from start to finish, and doesn't outstay its welcome. There are a couple of really excellent sequences too. Somewhat of a disappointment, but still a good movie. Let's hope they can do even better for 28 Months Later ;)

Tofino

It has taken me a very long time, but I am finally blogging about our weekend away (which was now two weeks ago). I'll keep it short, because I've got other stuff to do :)

Our friends Julian and Lisa came to stay for a week, and we went to Tofino on Vancouver Island for a long weekend. We rented a cabin in the forest to stay in, which was super-comfortable and cosy. This was a good thing, because for three of the four days we were away it rained literally non-stop. Sometimes it fooled you into thinking it had stopped raining, when actually it was just very light. It "dampened" our spirits a little (sorry), but we still managed to enjoy ourselves. The highlights for me were our barbecue in the rain, walking on the beach, and the soggy bear watching trip (soggy us, not soggy bears). I won't bore you with any more details - if you are interested then you can check out our photos here which will fill in the blanks.

Florida wedding

We got back from our Florida holiday on Wednesday. Vancouver greeted us with grey skies and rain - so good to be back :) Still, I mustn't grumble, as this weekend has been lovely and sunny!

We left last Wednesday after work. We caught the 6pm Amtrak train from just outside our office which took us to Seattle in four and a half hours. It was a very pleasant journey; the train is really comfortable and the scenery is interesting, especially when the train travels right along the edge of the coast. Even the customs formalities were a breeze - you can stay on the train while the immigration officers get on - awesome. We got to Seattle about 10pm and took a taxi straight to our little hotel on the airport, and promptly went to sleep - we had to get up early to fly at 8am the next morning.

Apart from a small hiccup (the airport shuttle left without us and had to come back), catching the flight went super-smooth. We stopped in Atlanta after about four and a half hours flying, and then had another two hours flight to Fort Myers in Florida. We arrived at our hotel (Casa Playa) around 9pm. It was more a block of apartments than a hotel - there were no real hotel services and no bar / restaurant etc. but the rooms were lovely and we were very happy. We popped out for food before sleep, and stumbled on a very rowdy bar full of arguing people. Quite a shock from the quiet reservation of Vancouverites!

Friday we woke to find we had an amazing view from our balcony which was pretty sweet. It was hot and sunny so we hit the beach in the morning for a while, and then went to a pre-wedding BBQ. Our Florida trip was mainly because Steph's friend Holly was getting married to a nice fellow called Pat and we'd been invited (and in fact Steph was a bridesmaid). We got to meet some of their friends and family, and there were lots of burgers and hot dogs so I was happy :)

In the afternoon, there was a rehearsal dinner for the wedding. Steph was involved but I had nothing specific to do so I propped up the hotel bar with some new friends I had made from the wedding party - Steve and Vic (you'll spot them in the photos). Later Steph and I went out for dinner to finish off the day.

On the Saturday, some cloud moved in. We spent a little while on the beach in the morning and both had a swim in the sea which was cool but pleasant (yes, I am swimming a little now - trying to improve my confidence). The wedding didn't start until 5.30pm, and by that time it was distinctly overcast and somewhat windy, and there had even been brief showers earlier. Luckily though the rain held off until after the ceremony, and everything went very smoothly. The wedding was really lovely actually - congratulations to Holly and Pat again! You can see our photos from the wedding here.

On Sunday we said our goodbyes and left Fort Myers. We had to get to the airport to pick up a hire car, but public transport isn't so great in the US and after an hour or so of getting largely nowhere we had to give up and pay for a taxi. The drive to Miami took around 3 hours, and was pleasant although not too exciting, at least until we reached Miami Beach where the traffic got really crazy. Stressful to say the least! Our hotel wasn't quite what we had hoped - it was a little bit faded in its grandeur and our "jacuzzi" turned out to be a jetted bath - we'd hoped for something more :) But it was perfectly good enough. Our favourite was "Grumpy Hour" between 7 and 8pm where a surly waitress served free drinks in the lobby, and yet expected huge tips :) We generally found that service in Florida was not as good as Vancouver - people just weren't as friendly. We'll try to appreciate service here a little more from now on!

On Monday we still had the car so we took a drive down to the Florida Keys. The Keys run for a round 120 miles and the road is not too fast, so we didn't make it all the way to Key West at the very end - we turned around at a place called Marathon. It was a great drive though, and we saw some cool places on our stops. Sadly it was on this trip that I lost my new sunglasses in a petrol station toilet :)

Tuesday was our last day in Miami. We did some walking around the beach, the art deco district and Ocean Drive in the morning and the weather was scorching. There are lots of cool looking hotels. After lunch we went on a combined city tour and boat tour to see some more of Miami. We had a completely mental coach driver who called himself "Manny Miami" and talked like a boxing announcer. He was truly a bizarre guy. The tour was good though, as otherwise we would have seen very little of the area in our short stay. We particularly enjoyed the boat ride as we got lots of fresh air. That night we had the best food of the holiday too (at least eating out) - some really simple cuban food that tasted wholesome and really good. A nice way to end!

The journey back on Wednesday was uneventful, and surprisingly long. We got up at 5am ET, and got home about 6pm PT, so that was 16 hours in total - eek. The bus trip back from Seattle wasn't so much fun as the train down either - not too comfortable and lots of waiting at the border. Train good, bus bad :/

In summary, we enjoyed the holiday for sure - especially Fort Myers and the wedding which was great. Miami was nice to visit but a bit too crazy for us. I think we'd go back to Florida because the weather is so nice, but maybe to somewhere a little more relaxing than Miami.

Our photos (not including the wedding - see link above) can be found here.

The state of Stanley Park (and other things)

Spring is here. The cherry blossom has already been and gone, and the weather has been much drier the last couple of weeks, which is great news as the end of the Winter was very wet indeed.

Last weekend (the Easter weekend) we mostly took it easy. We got our bikes out for the first time since last October. They hadn't been stolen (yay), although my helmet had disappeared (boo). They didn't take Steph's though, even though it is better than mine. Perhaps it didn't fit their big head. Anyway, after a quick wash and some tire inflation we had a quick ride in Stanley Park. We tried to follow the seawall route, but it is blocked off before you reach Prospect Point because of winter storm damage, so we had to detour through the park and out the other side at Third Beach. The whole route took about an hour but it was enough for our first cycle of the season I think.

Even on our quick ride, we saw a surprising amount of damage to the park from the winter storms. We took a few photos which I've uploaded here. This afternoon I've been for a walk through the park while Steph met up with our friend Jo. I walked up to Prospect Point and then West around the park until I could get down onto the seawall. I was quite shocked at the amount of storm damage I saw up there - it is much more extensive than I'd imagined. Along some parts of the road down from the point, there aren't many trees standing on either side. I expect it will be a long time before the park starts to look normal again.

This next week will be a short one at work for us, as on Thursday we fly to Fort Myers in Florida for Steph's friend Holly's wedding. We stay there until Sunday, and then drive to Miami before returning home on Wednesday. It's quite a lot of travelling but it should be worth it - we are both looking forward to the trip (though I'm not so looking forward to driving in Miami - yikes). We might drive down to the Florida Keys too if time permits.

So right now I have my feet up, but when Steph gets back we are going down to the basement pool as I am trying to learn to swim (or at least tolerate water) so that maybe I can do some kayaking this year. After that, it really will be feet up for the rest of the evening with home-made turkey stew and a rented movie to look forward to. Nice.

Whistler weekend

This was actually two weekends ago now (March 30th - April 1st), but I've been very slow in blogging it.

We booked a room for two nights in Whistler that slept 5 people. Accommodation prices are steep at Whistler that time of year, but I managed to find a pretty good deal. Me and Steph caught the bus there on the Friday evening with our friend Jon, whereas our other friends Lauren and Woody drove down in their car (because they were only staying one day). The room itself was surprisingly nice, and had a lovely (fake) log fire for the evenings.

We really lucked out with the weather on Saturday. The sun shone bright and it felt like summer. The other guys went off skiing and boarding, and I decided to do some snowshoeing so I walked to the nearby Lost Lake Park. The snowshoeing trails were melting fast, so the rental guy suggested I use the cross-country ski trails. After 5 minutes walking though, I realized it was going to be very dull so I went back and swapped my snowshoes for ski poles and decided to hike the snowshoe trails instead. That was a much better idea. The trails were varied and challenging, and there were lots of great views on the way. I really, really enjoyed the day. The other guys were having a lot of fun too, with excellent snow conditions. We all met up at the end of the day for food and then Lauren and Woody left.

On the Sunday, it greyed over and started snowing. Apparently the snow conditions were still good, perhaps even better thanks to the fresh snow. I did a guided snowshoe tour that day. I deliberately went with a different company to Cougar Mountain tours which I walked with last year, but as luck would have it Outdoor Adventures just merged with Cougar Mountain, and I ended up walking largely the same area as before! It was still good fun though, and the area is pretty beautiful so I wasn't too disappointed.

We met up at about 4pm that day and caught the bus back to Vancouver. It was our last ski trip for this season, and it certainly was a great way to end. I took some photos (mostly of my hike on Saturday) which you can find on our Flickr site here.

Mini Film Review: Sharkwater

At first, I thought this film was another "Jaws" clone, and I wasn't interested. Then I saw the trailer, and the film looked more like a nature documentary combined with a bit of an adventure tale which appealed to me so I went to see it with Steph and some of our friends.

About 40% of the film was nature documentary, and there was a lot of gorgeous film. The guy who made the film is an underwater cameraman and he has shot lots of footage of sharks in the wild, including schooling of hammerhead sharks which has rarely been seen before. It was stunning. The guy obviously loved sharks and tried his best to persuade the audience to like them too. One of the most interesting things I learned was that sharks can sense electromagnetic fields (which I knew) but to such an extent that they can sense whether a person is excited or anxious. Apparently, most of the sharks he filmed were so shy that they wouldn't come near him unless he kept super-calm and lowered his heart rate to 30 or 40 beats per minute. That's pretty cool.

The other 60% of the film was a documentary explaining about how we humans are rapidly wiping sharks of the face of the Earth :( We have reduced global shark populations to 10% of what they were 30 or 40 years ago, and will probably drive them to extinction in the near future. And we are doing all this for the stupidest of reasons - for their fins. Shark fins are eaten in a soup and are considered a fine delicacy, even though they are tasteless and only add texture. They are also made into medicines because people think that sharks never get sick and in particular don't get cancer. There is no medical evidence to support any benefits to consuming shark fins, and in actual fact they do get cancer and the numbers are on the rise thanks to pollution of the oceans. The sharks are caught on long lines (which also catch and kill lots of other animals such as endangered species of turtle), have their fins hacked off whilst they are still alive, and then they are thrown back into the sea to bleed to death and drown. Sickening.

Anyway this is supposed to be a mini review. Overall this film was great but I wouldn't say I enjoyed it because frankly it was pretty harrowing in places. I strongly urge you to go see it though - maybe thanks to this film and the people who made it, sharks might still have a chance.