Knox United Church Soul Choir Concert

Our neighbour Cathy is in a local church Soul choir, so we went along to their annual Concert.

The church is modern, welcoming and warm, and we were warned to get there early as it is always well attended. We took advice and arrived early and were amazed at the number of people already waiting to go in.

We did not have to wait long for the entertainment to commence. We were captivated by a local youth choir which sang a selection of carols, accompanied by a young pianist with outstanding talent.

After their selection came the main attraction. We were slightly taken aback, as although the clue should have been in the title, we were not expecting so much Soul in the soul choir! There was a great deal of audience participation encouraged, and we all got up to clap and sing along to some of the numbers, much to Tracy's acute embarrassment. She was well out of her comfort zone.

Nevertheless we enjoyed the programme and were pleased to support our neighbour and new friend.

Grandmothers to Grandmothers Christmas Extravaganza

Today we helped at the Christmas Extravaganza. Where every ones hard work and effort making the crafts and things to sell is paid off. The hand made items were of such high quality. There were some beautiful items on display.

The event is held over two days, Friday and Saturday, and is held in the lovely home of a local
resident. The house overlooks the Parksville bay.

Checkout Girls!

Because of our banking experience we were put on checkout duty!! Our cover was blown almost immediately when we dealt with our first customer. We were unable to identify any of the coinage without really peering at it. We learnt new terms for Canadian coins such as Twonies (2dollars) Loonies (1dollar) dimes (10cents) and quarters(25cents). We did eventually pick it up, Della stuck to the wrapping and left Tracy to work out the money!


We helped on the Saturday afternoon, it was very well supported and people spent a great deal for the good cause. There was a choir singing on the balcony above which was a great introduction to
the festive season.

Everyone involved had put a great deal of effort into the planning and running of the annual event and the event raised over $10,000.

Jan selling those priceless angels!

Della was very pleased to see the angels that she had made being bought for $7 ! By the end of the two days they had all been sold.

For more information on the charity click the link below
http://www.stephenlewisfoundation.org/grandmothers.htm

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)

Whilst out walking Angus at one of the local parks (which are delightful not least because there are trails that go on for ever through some of the most beautiful pine forests), we noticed a poster asking for volunteers at the local SPCA.



Given that we are time-rich and we are fortunate enough to be based here for another 4 months we decided to commit some of our free time to this worthy cause.

We were required to attend an Orientation session on Saturday (21/09), and at this session we met some others who were also up for volunteering along with the staff who run the shelter and some other volunteer workers.

Owing to the recent success of the centre's adoption programme there are currently only 2 dogs at the shelter. A delightful Norwegian Elk hound called Richard(!) and a sweet labrador collie cross called Dakota. There are also a number of cats who need rehoming.

Our Orientation session involved familiarisation with the centre and the various buildings, location of treats, leads, towels, poo bags etc and a general Q & A session - it was very informative and we are looking forward to our first stint which we hope will be some time next week when we will have an introductory lesson with a "buddy" or seasoned volunteer.

Our Orientation session concentrating on the cats is scheduled for tomorrow (25/09) - watch this space for more news and updates!!

www.spca.bc.ca
www.spca.bc.ca/branches/parksville-qualicum-beach/

Sunny, chilly, wet and windy!

The title gives the content of this particular post away! As is the norm for any true Brit, we cannot (physically and mentally cannot!) not talk about the weather! And there has been plenty to talk about this past week!

Last weekend we saw temperatures plummet and we enjoyed clear, crisp, sunny days - we walked until our feet were sore, taking advantage of the winter sunshine, exploring the local area - the house where we are living backs on to a golf course and we have walked around it and through it - hope to get the chance to play it some time soon too! We have walked to the local beach which is mainly pebble and driftwood and, as low tide is at some godforsaken early hour of the morning, most days the tide has been high and so we've not had a real proper walk along the water's edge....yet!

Saturday evening we were invited across to a neighbours for dinner and a grand time was had by all helped in part by some very good wines! We met some more new friends, a chef and a winemaker no less, these are the kind of friends one needs when one is far from home!!!! After much eating, drinking and chatting we made our way home (a whole 30 second walk across the "road") and then it happened..........the weather decided to take a real turn for the worst....the winds had picked up and the rains had begun........all night the gale-force winds blew and the torrential rain did not let up............this weather continued on and off............all week!!!! We had been warned - we knew that November was known for being wet, but we had not anticipated such a deluge! Neither it seems had the locals as there was a lot of flooding and rivers broke their banks causing all sorts of mayhem.

The cooler temperatures and the rainfall was not all bad news - Mount Washington will open for the ski season early this year thanks to the downpours! We hope to visit the slopes over the winter and will obviously update our blog as and when....

The highlight of our week was a lunch date with the parents of the lady we house and pet sat for this time last year in Oz! Bizarre but true - it really is a small world. Shirley and Roy live in Courtenay in the Comox Valley here on Vancouver Island - we had spoken briefly and emailed each other to arrange a get together - we met in Qualicum Bay (a lovely spot overlooking the Strait of Georgia with fantastic views (on a clear day!) of Lasqueti and Hornby islands) - we had a spot of lunch at The Sandbar which is set on the waterside, and is a super little cafe/restaurant, unpretentious with great food at good prices - also had some beautiful photographs of the island on display. We especially the liked the play on words they had used when marking up the male and female toilets - there were signs saying "buoys" and "gulls" - as the whole place resembled a boathouse this little manipulation pleased us no end!

We chatted for several hours with Shirley and Roy, getting to know each other. They had hoped to show us their holiday home which is just 20 minutes or so north of Qualicum Bay but, as the weather was deteriorating and they had a good hour journey to get back home we agreed to do this on another occasion as there are sure to be other opportunities, at least we hope so as we all got along famously.

The inclement weather did put a dampener on any outdoor exploring we had hoped to do but it did give us the chance to catch up on some paperwork, chores, "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!" and enjoy the lovely fireplace - every cloud eh??

Autumnal colour......

The trees have all but lost most of their leaves now helped along by the gusty gale force winds earlier in the week!

The island is home to the confierous "big trees" associated with British Columbia's coast western hemlock, western red cedar, Pacific Silver Fir, yellow cedar, Douglas-fir, grand-fir, Sitka spruce and western white pine. It is also characterised by big leaf maple, red alder, sword fern and red huckleberry.

"Our" new home and Angus

Just some photos of the place we are looking after, the neighbourhood and the lovely Angus!

Qualicum Bay

The friendly seaside community of Qualicum Bay is situated in Lighthouse Country, which incorporates the small communities of Horne Lake, Qualicum Bay, Bowser and Deep Bay. There is a combination of natural scenic beauty and a variety of beachfront properties, cottages, campgrounds and B & Bs.

Qualicum Bay has a nice clean and endless beach protected from traffic noise by a barrier of private land. We have yet to visit a low tide but apparently during lower tides there are lovely sandy areas which we hope to explore in the coming months. Qualicum Bay is part of the 60 miles of coastline and sandy beaches in Lighthouse Country. You are always close to the ocean, overlooking Georgia Strait.

The area is rich in seafood and provides access to some of the most pristine natural wilderness, beautiful parkland, crystal clear lakes and ancient caves. The trees are huge, the area is green all year round, and the scenery is breathtaking.

Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island, Canada Nov 2009-April 2010

View Larger Map

www.qualicumbeach.com
www.visitparksvillequalicumbeach.com

Grandmothers to Grandmothers

Before Carol & Dan left for Arizona they spent a couple of days with us, showing us around, introducing us to family, friends and neighbours and we all had a marvellous opportunity to get to know each other - usually, we only have a half day or a full day if we are lucky, to familiarise ourselves with the house, pets and local facilities. This extra time was an unexpected luxury.
During our time with Carol and Dan we discovered that they are truly special people. Kind, generous and genuine.
Carol spends a significant amount of her time devoting her energies to supporting the Stephen Lewis Foundation (http://www.stephenlewisfoundation.org/grandmothers.htm). One of the fundraising activities involves handmade dolls which are sold to raise money for the foundation - we had a fun evening with Carol helping make some dolls with a Christmas theme - I (Tracy), have never been particularly creative with my hands and it would be fair to say I struggled but I did manage one doll to Carol and Della's 3 or 4!! Good laugh had by all though and all for a very good cause.

Emergency Ward Visit!!

Wednesday 11 November, one week after our arrival in Canada and Della woke with agonising pain - 2 hours later the pain had not subsided and we had to decide on the best course of action - it was Remembrance Day and most places were closed for the holiday including the local GP surgery (which even it had been open we didn't know where it was!),

I couldn't drive the truck (a half ton, 6 litre Dodge) which I have trouble climbing into the cab and closing the door let alone driving! The Paramedics are on strike(!) and as it was still quite early we were having trouble getting hold of anyone to ask for advice.
Our hero, in the shape of a very kind neighbour, eventually came to our rescue and took us (at speed!) to the local General Hospital in Nanaimo.

A few hours later and several pounds the poorer (over £500 to be precise!), the verdict was that Della may have had a kidney stone(s) but as the CT scan (for which we still await the bill - ouch!), showed no evidence of any stones, she had either passed it/them or, an ovarian cyst had twisted causing her incredible pain.

The consultants' advice was that should the pain return so should we!

The wife and I (and our ever-reducing bank balance!) are hoping that she will not have a relapse!

Pastures new....

Two relatively short flights from Heraklion, Crete and Athens, Greece took us back to the UK where we had a brief and busy stopover before leaving Bristol for Canada. A connecting flight from Schipol in Amsterdam took us north over Iceland, Greenland and Baffin Bay where we then crossed the Hudson Bay and the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta before arriving in Vancouver, British Columbia. We had an overnight in a nearby airport hotel which gave us the opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep! The only negative of longer haul flights is the jet lag - we have yet to find an effective way to combat the fatigue.

Next morning we took the British Columbia ferry service from Tsawwassen (silent "s"), to Duke Point on Vancouver Island and where we were met by our host before making the short trip to Qualicum Beach and our home for the next few months.

We spent the next few days getting to know the homeowners and "Angus", an 8-year old Golden Retriever who will be our charge until April. The house is superb, backs on to a golf course and has a duck pond and decking from where we can enjoy the peaceful and very pleasant surroundings.

The weather since arriving has been a mixed bag of heavy showers and sunny periods so we have managed to explore the local towns (Parksville and Qualicum), and whilst taking Angus on his daily walks we have been familiarising ourselves with the neighbourhood.

Dan & Carol (our hosts), threw a party on saturday and we got to meet some family members and a few of the neighbours - it was great fun and everyone is very friendly and helpful.

We are sure we are going to have a great time here on Vancouver Island and we are looking forward to exploring further afield over the coming weeks and months.