So cute! Daddy its cold outside

Operation Christmas tree

Hi from Beautiful British Columbia!

Sorry I haven't written anything sooner it has been hectic, what with the jet lag, finding a Christmas job, My birthday (thanks for all the well wishes) and generally setting in to a new place.

I could tell you a lot more about it ... but I thought I would tell you about our expedition to find a Christmas tree instead.

We decided to have a real Christmas tree this year as it seemed a Canadian thing to do and there where signs everywhere advertising them ... most of them said 'U Cut'.

So off we drove to find Christmas tree place ... not really knowing what to expect. We arrived to a very busy looking place, with lots of people carrying or wheeling trees to there car. We spent a few minutes looking around the ready cut and the the 'Charlie Brown' (not quite straight trees) and thinking that this would be the easier options, but to be sure we thought we would take a saw and have a look around.


There where hundreds of Fir trees, 4 different species and all varying heights, widths etc, we didn't know where to begin.Eventually we found a tree, and we cut it down and put it back to the car. The Tree shop people then provided with hot chocolate to warm our hands up with.


A quick trip to the shop, to get lights (not quite enough) and decorations and we had a good afternoon decorating our tree.

Helen and Neil, brought us an early Christmas present - a fire set so we lit the fire to achieve the Christmas Card picture. Now all we need is the snow!

hand warmers

After a wonderful leaving party last night, I was wonder what to do with myself, after about 10 seconds of thought I decided to do and do the last of my Christmas shopping. So after church, I wondered into town and started looking about ... I didn't have a clue what I was looking for, so I was surprised when I found some pocket hand warmers (see example pic)

Mine look better than these bit I don't want to spoil the surprise! A friend had mentioned these to me so I knew what they did and thought they will make really good Christmas presents.

After buying a few other gifts and some travelling clothes, I headed home and have spent the afternoon wondering how they work. (Yes, I am chemistry geek and this is chemistry in action).
In fact it is wonderfully simply chemistry in action ...

The liquid is a highly concentrated solution of a salt (e.g. sodium acetate) in water, and a bit of colouring. There is so much salt in the solution that no more of the salt will dissolve. There is also a curved metal popper. A few crystals of salt form on this metal disc. When the popper is popped the crystal are dislodged into the solution, this triggers rapid crystallisation in the solution, the solution becomes a solid and heat is released. The temperature cools slowly (approx 1 hour).
So that is an hour of nice warm hands!

And to reuse you boil them (put the heat back in) the solid will become a liquid again, ready for their next use.

It is so simple it is brilliant!

The Periodic Table of Element

Martyn Poliakoff and Brady Haran have made a whole series of video about all the elements of the periodic table

They also get to do a lot of fun things this one is quiet impressive

The End is Nigh

Well the house is sold, everything is packed and redistributed (almost).
I have spent the last week trying to see i remote working was a possible, its not so I have handed in my notice.
My Flight is booked so now all that is left to organise is my leaving do ... I am thinking 'Dairylea and Lambrini night'
Watch this space....

Packing, tiding, more packing and throwing away!

As the title indicates this week I have mainly been clearing out the house, ready for the sale completing, hopefully on Wednesday next week.

Surprisingly, despite Wayne and I spending a year "decluttering" there had been so much stuff to rehome or recycle. Some stuff we have been getting rid of have been a bit strange such as taking the kitchen bins to the tip, giving the BBQ to the scrap metal man (we thought we could rehome the BBQ but it had got a bit rusty), i also gave the cutlery to the scrap metal man ... that was weird too.

Mean while in Canada, Wayne had been buying stuff that I have been throwing away. it is very strange. Wayne starts his new job tomorrow so things should start settling down over there. Meanwhile I will be mainly working and tidying!

Were all going to the Zoo tomorro...er...last weekend

So Wayne had disappeared on a stag do to Oktoberfest in Munich and I was left wondering what to do what to so with myself ...so i did the logical thing, invited my mum to stay and had a girly weekend.

On Friday we looked at all the furniture we wouldn't buy in Ikea...then on Saturday we decided to go to Tycross zoo. We didn't get to see the show leopards but we did see lots of monkeys, elephants penguins and a baby orangutan and a litter of baby meerkats.

We then went to find hobbycraft in Coventry, we failed and ended up at a garden center in the middle of the country.

On Sunday we cooked a roast and spent the afternoon playing cards ans scrabble... I lost lots

We then went and picked a very tired and hungover Wayne ... who brought some yummy looking chocolate back from Germany

The Travellers Return

Well we came back from are travels missing the earthquake on Vancouver (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14862800). We didn't feel a thing at the airport and we were looking around shops after having cheesecake for lunch.

We stopped for lunch at Wayne parents and caught up on all the local gossip. then made are way back home. After working are way through the mountain of mail (mainly junk). We found cards from DHL (US) which we think our are Canadian bank cards. These are most likely on their way back to Canada.

Then I noticed a dead wasp on the stairs and then another, and another and another and a lot more around the house. So out of the house I pottered and found a wheelie bin for recycling (it wasn't there when we left for Canada). And a lot of wasp near the roof happily making there way in and out.

Wayne checked out the loft and couldn't see anything, so we decided to call in the experts. A quick glance and he knew where the nest was. To confirm he went to the office and tapped on the ceiling. - he looked out of the window and saw the wasps leaving. the nest was in the flat roof. 15 minutes later and the problem was sorted and I have stopped stirring at the light fittings. (wasps will come into the house through low voltage light fittings)

Right now the drama is done, I might start unpacking.

More strange things from Canada

Well we have, a busy few days, over the weekend we went to Vancouver Island to visit friends and relatives. All of which are well and are wished us luck in starting a life in Canada.

Monday was a bank holiday - Labour day, where they celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. (something they should do in the U.K.) Sensibly the bank holidays are more spread out here and there is every month except February, March and June.

We went to grouse mountain, where we where entertained by bears and a lumberjack show. Lumberjacks where once so bored that they made a competition out of who can make the other person fall off a log first (it is more entertaining then it sounds).

Today it was back to job hunting and then we went to the Metropolis at Metrotown (a huge mall probably the same size as meadowhall). I went looking for shoes and Wayne just went wondering for an hour.

Anyhow I have found a few more things that in are different in Canada that may take some getting used to.

1. I am a size 3 in children's shoes (same as the UK) but a size 5 in the adult shoes

2. You can get baked beans, but they taste different to UK baked beans

3. The Junction to get onto the highway can be before the junction to get off the highway.

4. You can get Bacon on Cheesecake (bacon, dark chocolate and maple syrup)



It wasn't unpleasant, but was a bit too sweet for my liking.

Other than that, it has been quiet strange walking round the shops looking at winter clothes, when it is 28 degrees centigrade outside. However, I suppose that could happen in the UK...

A few days in.

Well we have been here 5 days and the place now looks like a home...

We have a bed and a nice new mattress.

We have a table and a sofa (Borrowed with thanks). Plates, pots, pans etc etc.

We have noticed a few things that will take some getting used to

1. the 10 cent coins are smaller than the 5 cent coins

2. the screw drivers are square ended

3. you can't get alcohol in the supermarket

4. herbs coming in big tubs/packets not small 10g tubs.

5. Malls are huge and NOT overcrowded

6. you can always get a parking space.

Canadian Observations

Hello from the middle of the countryside in Beautiful British Columbia. where after weeks and weeks I finally found some time to write a few words. The sensible thing for me to do would be to fill you in with all the fun things that I have been up to since I last blogged, such as the walk along the Monsal Trail, Thomas' Baptism, Cropready. I will get round them, in between job hunting and investigating the 40 acres of land our apartment is on.

I thought I would list out all things I have found out so far.

1. Don't try and land (activate your permanent residence visa) in August as all of he foreign Students are arriving and the Immigration officers are stressed

2. Car hire does not come with insurance, insurance is expensive!

3. The apartment is huge (compared to 1bed room apartments in the UK)

4. I have blueberries, blackberries, and apple in my garden and possibly kiwi's and grapes

5. The neighbours are really friendly

6. There is no sign of bears (phew) but there is signs of cougars!

7. Walmart (asda) sells everything but food.

8. Everyone says 'your welcome' a lot.

9. It is cheaper to buy a new printer then it is buy replacement ink

10. Store cards give you approx 15% - 20% off your shopping if look out for the deals

Here is the view from the balcony our pas, I will enter the woods later...

Social life

It has been a week of doing stuff and meeting people, and a very nice week it has been.

On Monday I meet my brother and his family in Birmingham, so watch my nephew sing in the Music for youth festival (http://www.mfy.org.uk/coreseason/national). They where very good and so where all the other contestants.

In the evening we had the 'Monday Group' round for games and wine. They were also very patient and supportive as I sort out my insurance claim

Thursday we went to London to hand in are passports. While waiting to go into the embassy a lady approach Wayne and said that she recognised him from the forum so he felt a bit famous. after we handed are passports in and picked up are raffle ticket (high tech!) we went to Islington and met Kevin and Ollie, who used to play a well known online game. Kevin has just that his own business and Ollie is trying to become a sound engineer. They both had different jobs which they didn't really like. I was very impressed with there courage and wish them both good luck.

We had a little walk round Marble Arch and Oxford street before heading home.

Friday we went to Lucy and Paul's for a bbq and met you with lot of people we haven't seen for a while. We left them drinking marshmallow vodka, which smelt sickly.

Saturday and we were in Birmingham again, meeting with Brandi and Tasha. We chilled by the canal and then went for Japanese food. The food was cooked in front of us which was very impressive and it was very yummy.

Today is lunch with the inlaws, which brings us back to Monday again!

19 Holes

Well...I am always up for trying new things and yesterday I found myself on a golf course swinging some bats (clubs) and trying to play a game I don't/didn't understand.

It is a game all about consistency and accuracy - two things I am not particularly good with sport. I blame weak arms. It was fun and required a lot of concentration. I learnt that I need more power in my drives and less in my putting.

I think I could play again ... but maybe not very often.

We then deiced to visit the 19th hole for a spot of lunch, which ended up with us staying in pub(s) most of the afternoon and at Stu and Helen's. We watched Withnail and I, Wayne fell asleep but did amuse us by talking in his sleep.

An awesome unplanned Saturday.

London Adventure

We have just have two days London, learning about how to find a job in Canada, (if you are interested then you can read about it here http://get2canada.wordpress.com/our-ciip-experience/)

While not having our brains overloaded with very useful information, we found a pub that sold 2 drinks for £10 pounds. We are went to a very nice Thai restaurant and went to see The Women in Black. An awesome and dramatic ghost story with a few dramatic and scary moments which where made worse by a group of 14 year old girls who screamed at every little thing. The story was very good however the ending a little obvious.
The elder actor was Patrick Drury - and I spent a while trying to place where I had seen him before and it turns out he was in Father Ted.

He was the shop keeper John O'Leary, who always argued with his wife, a very different role from this one.

bargain?

We did another carboot sale today and I can now spot a buyer, from a browser, from a bargain hunter from a chancer.

Buyers - attack your car before you unpacked it - looking for anything collectible. Their favourite thing is to ask have you got any instruments, Lego, mobile phones...

Browsers - these are the people that come to see what other are selling, they maybe looking for a specific item but generally just like to have a look a round. Most people fall in to this category.

Bargain hunters - these are regular at car bots an will knock some money usually 50p off whatever you say the price is. this is not to bad cos as a seller you have just added an additional 50p to the price.

Chancers - these people amaze me, the will ask for a ridiculous amount items. A lady next to us was selling a large piece material, which could have made several cushions and she had told us earlier in the day that she wanted to get rid of it so was selling it cheap - 30p. She was asked how much, said 30 p and chancer said that was too expensive!

Another lady was selling cushions at 50 p each (a reasonable price for a cushion), when asked the price she said '50p each' the chancer then said "50p for 5"!

Finally, in a personal case, we had a fan heater that we where selling a 3 pounds, we were asked how much? "£3" we said - 50p said one guy, £1 said another Chancers! "no" we said.

It surprises me every time we sell stuff, that what we think are good/bargain prices then some others think are ridiculous high and will chance their arm with a stupidly low price.

Steve and Lucy's Wedding

On the 21st may My cousin Steve married Lucy at the Esplanade hotel, Newquay with wonderful views of Fistral beach.

Steve was very nervous but is all went wonderfully well and a awesome time was had by all.

I have just been looking through the photographer's photo and have found an awesome one of my mum with Lucy's bouquet (and she didn't even have to catch it) and a very nice family pic.

The photographer, allows free downloads for facebook (and blogs!) which I thought was a great idea.

A great day was had by all and Wayne and I wish they lots of happiness in their married life.

Hello

Yo!

I am back.

It has been a busy year and a bit since I last posted.

The biggest news is that we are imigrating to Canada and have lots of fun sorting out the visas.

Will update you about that later and then keep you all updated as to how it is all going shortly.

speak to you sooner than last time.