Canada


Learning to Skiing


April 4, 2017

We have just had the girls first Spring Break holiday and while the Canadian version of spring is a little different to ours in Australia it provided us with the opportunity to learn to ski as well as take a really fun trip to Mexico.  

Today the skiing part!  The girls have never been on skis and Emilio and I had attempted the odd weekend of skiing 30 plus years ago so we were all total beginners.  

We have such amazing access to ski resorts from our home in Vancouver and after a bit of research we decided that our mountain would be Cypress Mountain.  It is a 35-40 minute drive from our house and we can even see the mountain out our windows from home!  

We booked for 4 days of morning lessons – unfortunately the Vancouver weather decided that it would return to rain during that week.  It didn’t make for the best conditions to learn in however it did mean the ski slopes were a little quieter!  

As to be expected the girls just got straight out there and after 4 days the instructor had them on the blue runs.  Emilio was doing well and could manage to get down the green runs while I was still on the beginners slope!  

We have been back again this past weekend and I am gradually getting better but just a bit too fearful of getting up too much speed and losing control!  Persistence will get me there however and I will get myself down a green run this year!!!  The weather was beautiful and sunny this past weekend so it was a lot busier but still fairly quite compared to some resorts!

With the ski resorts having had the best season in 10 years we hope to be able to get out there at least once more before the end of season!  Here are a few snaps from day one and this weekend just past.

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Whistler Weekends


March 7, 2017

We were so lucky to be able to spend another wonderful weekend up in Whistler with some new friends we have met through Sienna’s school.  They have also moved their family from Australia to Vancouver for a few years so what better place to hang out over a weekend than at the magical Fairmont Heritage Place at Nature’s Door.  

This place is like being in heaven and with the snow season that they are currently experiencing here on the west coast of Canada it was even more magical!  This amazing property is just on the side of the ski slope that was the location for the 2010 Winter Olympics downhill course.  We were even able to swim and relax in the hot tub with the snow around us!  

Over the weekend Sofia, Indi and I did some snow shoeing and the three girls did more ice skating in the village between enjoying the pool back in our home away from home! 

Lots of photos below – the light on the snow was just amazing and every time  I turned around the landscape looked different so my camera had a great workout!

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Back to School


January 6, 2017

After what was the shortest Christmas break my girls have ever seen they are back to school here in Canada!  We had a short 2 hour orientation on Tuesday and on Wednesday is was back to a full day of classes!  Sofia and Indi are attending a local elementary school and will be getting the real Canadian school experience!  They came home happy and excited and have made some new friends already!  Their teachers all seem lovely and happy to have some new girls in the class!  Sienna starts at her new school next week!  So funny to see snow covering the playground and no school uniforms!

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Morning Walk


January 3, 2017

I took my first morning walk Vancouver style today – lets say it was quite a contrast to my regular Sydney walks of the last few weeks!  All I could think was I am glad Scooter isn’t here yet as there is no way his little paws would have enjoyed the cold snow I had to crunch through!  Lets say this was probably the sortest and most clothed walk I have been on for some time! Brrr … 

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A New Year and a New Beginning


January 2, 2017

Happy New Year!  Welcome to 2017 which for us comes with big change and challenges as we have just picked up our family of 5 and moved to the other side of the world.  If I think back just a year ago I could never imagine the changes that 2016 would bring us and now here we are living in Vancouver Canada for the next 2 years.  As with any big life changing event it was not without serious thought and consideration but one we know will be a fabulous experience for our family.  Our main reason for the move is for a school for Sienna which I will talk more about once she has started.

We are now on day three having left Sydney on the 29th December – so far so good!  We are staying in an air bnb in the suburbs of Vancouver with beautiful views over the city.  We are only here for a few weeks until we move into a rental in Kitsilano for the remainder of the girls school year.  After settling in on night one (without our luggage that was delayed in San Francisco) we did wake up the next morning to clear skies allowing us to get out and pick up a car that we had purchased before we left Australia.  We took a drive around the area to see the girls schools and get our bearings!  

Day 2 and new years eve and we were in for a treat!  Snow!  The snow began at around 11am and by mid afternoon it was fairly heavy and blanketing everything.   The girls had the best time playing the backyard building a snow man and just having fun.  They have never been in falling snow before so it was quite a special way to spend our new years eve.  We cooked up a delicious roast dinner and snuggled up inside watching a movie waiting for the new year to arrive!  Certainly a different experience to what we are used to in Australia.

So here we are on the first day of 2017 and day 3 in Canada.  I am really looking forward to embracing my time here and hope to bring a bit more to the blog – I am not sure what that will entail but I am hoping to use my time to get out with my camera and discover this amazing place as well as write a little more about the school system we are embarking on with Sienna.

In the meantime here are some photos from our backyard on new years eve! Happy New Year to everyone!

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