Photos of Sarah and Hazel's visit

Here are some photos we took with Sarah and Hazel over the past couple of weeks. They are currently away travelling in the Rockies, but they will be back in a week or so for another week with us before returning to the UK. There will probably be more photos to come. And Vancouver Island photos are on their way - be patient!

Weekend in Tofino

Steph's friend Sarah and her little girl Hazel have been staying with us for a few weeks. Sarah is renting a car for a whole month to do some travelling, and we decided to take a trip to Tofino on Vancouver Island last weekend.

We took a ferry over on the Friday evening and stayed the night in Nanaimo in a very nice B&B called The Painted Turtle. Highly recommended!

On the Saturday we drove across the island to Tofino, arriving late afternoon. We drove via Port Alberni, and then tried to take the back roads around Sproat Lake but ended up going in a circle and ended up back where we started. So we stopped messing about and got on with the driving at that point.

Sunday was a day of exploring, and we took a trip to Wickanninish Beach. We were going to take a scenic walk from there, but apparently there was a female bear with a cub in the area so we shelved that idea :) Instead we went to to Ucluelet which is a lovely little town at the opposite end of the peninsula to Tofino and did some walking there. It was only when we finished that walk that we saw another sign, this time about a young bear in the area. Oops. On the way back to Tofino we had another crack at some back road driving, but the back roads turned out to be rough logging trails so we quit that, and went to Grice Bay instead where there way a beautiful lake view. Final stop of the day was Radar Hill, and a viewpoint over Clayoquot Sound which was cool.

We took the day off on Monday to have more time, and we got up early that morning to check out of our hostel in Tofino and to catch an early whale-watching trip. It was lousy weather that morning and raining, so visibility was crap when we started out. Fortunately the weather cleared up after an hour or so. We were also lucky with the whales. We ran into several gray whales at our first stop, some of which passed our boat so close that we could almost touch them. It was amazing! Later on we saw a humpback too, but only from the distance - it proved elusive. We also saw some bald eagles and sea lions on the way back. All in all, a fantastic trip and well worth it. In the afternoon we drove back to Nanaimo and caught the 7pm ferry back to Vancouver, and along the way spotted our first bear in the wild - a little cub at the roadside. Sadly I couldn't stop at that point to take some pictures - probably for the best as I am sure mummy bear would have been around somewhere!

Vancouver Island is beautiful, and we hope to go back when we can. Stay tuned for some photos :)

We got bike!

The weather has turned very nice recently, with lots of sunshine. It spurred us on to look for bikes, and we eventually bought some last weekend which we picked up on Tuesday. They are second-hand and ex-rental and have seen better days, but they work fine. We were looking for something cheap and undesirable in the hope that they won't get stolen - property crime is pretty bad here in Vancouver, and everyone seems to get their bike nicked at some point or other. Imagine the bike in the picture, but dirty and half knackered :) I might cover mine with some tape to make it look even worse.

Since then we've been cycling to work. The route along the seawall is very pleasant when the sun is shining, and saves us about 20 minutes compared to the walk to work. I still prefer walking mind you, as it gives you time to think about stuff.

Photos from our trip home

Finally, I have got off my arse and sorted out the photos we took whilst back in the UK. On reflection, we didn't take too many pictures of our families, so apologies to those concerned :) Still, there are some very nice pictures in this bunch, which you can find here.

A few photos from down the back of the sofa

These ones got forgotten for a while, as they are miscellaneous bunch and I didn't know what to do with them. Still, some nice "people" pictures for a change, instead of our usual snow shots. Check them out here.

The future of hydrogen cars

And here's another interesting article I read whilst eating my lunch, this time from the Vancouver Sun. It's all about hydrogen cars and where the hydrogen fuel might come from in the future. Thought-provoking stuff. Read it here.

Could electricity be ruining your health?

I read an interesting article recently in the The Globe And Mail about how some scientists are suggesting a link between electromagnetic fields and a variety of health problems such as insomnia, headaches and even joint pain. It makes very interesting reading. Follow this link.

Our trip to the UK

Well, we are back in Canada. We arrived on Sunday evening. The flight home was on time and went without a hitch. Steph got stuck on the plane next to a large woman who took up too much room and had a hideous cough, so from now on I think we'll go for pairs of seats on their own even if that is at the very back of the plane. Some people say that's the optimum survival zone anyway :)

It was great to see all our family and friends again. I particularly enjoyed catching up with my little niece and nephew, who are growing up fast. Every time I see them they are taller! We'd also like to thank everyone who put us up while we were home - our family of course, but also our friends Gavin and Hannah (and little baby Grace with her cute faces), and Gav and Mikkala (thanks for the huge breakfast). Hopefully we'll see some of you again at Christmas.

We came back to some lovely Spring weather at the beginning of this week, but now it is cold and wet. Ah well. There are a few photos from the trip (not many unfortunately), and I'll post them soon.

Back to Blighty

Steph and I are off back to the UK today for a two week holiday, returning April 23rd. We have a super-packed itinerary and are hoping to maximise the time with both family and friends in various places including London and Cambridge. If you want to contact me then try my old UK mobile number as it should be back in action, or email either of us of course. Hope to see some of you soon!

GDC 2006 Game Developers Rant

This is quite entertaining if you work in the industry like I do. Various leading figures get together and let rip about what's wrong with the games industry. Find it here.