Claire's 1st birthday

On Saturday afternoon, we went to a 1st birthday party for dear little Claire, daughter of our friends Gerard and Janelle...







An Aussie gift...


Claire found a plate lying around with some icing left on it...



It feels like ages since these days. :) Happy birthday little mate!

Australia Day BBQ

"...The group of Australians huddled, shivering despite their multiple layers of winter clothing, on the windswept shore of a country far from their homeland. Skeletal, leafless trees stood silhouetted against an overcast sky, and beyond them the grey ocean disappeared into the fog. As their breath hovered visibly in the frigid air, and the rest of the country went about its business as though it were any other day, the small yet hearty group of Australians drew closer to the barbecue and stubbornly celebrated Australia Day..."

On Saturday, we went to a belated Australia Day BBQ at 2nd Beach in Stanley Park! This was hosted by CanAussie.com, an information website for Aussie expats in Canada. We hadn't been to any of their events before, but we met some nice fellow Aussies and had a great time despite the miserable weather. The photo below was taken fairly early on, and more people showed up later - there were probably about 25 people there by the time we left.


For lunch we enjoyed barbecued snags, beef patties, lamb chops and onions on bread, and there were even some homemade lamingtons. It was actually the mention of lamingtons that had made me decide to go in the first place, and they didn't disappoint! The food was supplied in exchange for a donation to the Flood Appeal to help out back home.




It was a fun event and I reckon I've been inspired to have a go at making lamingtons!

The Great BC Shakeout

At 10am last Wednesday (Australia Day), Ben and I - at our respective workplaces - participated in the Great British Columbia Shakeout! This was the largest earthquake drill in Canadian history, with over 460 000 people participating.


Here I am, under my desk...

Gotta say, it wasn't quite the same as having snags on the barbie at the beach...

Vancouver Aquarium

Last Saturday we went to the Vancouver Aquarium. I had wanted to go for a while, as it's a popular local attraction and a great winter's day activity.

Last weekend was a particularly good time to go, as it was their annual Divers' Weekend. This involved display stands and information talks from various BC dive companies, dive resorts, and dive gear shops. I'm keen to get my PADI certification this year (Ben already has his), so it was a good way to gather some information - as well as realise just how many popular dive locations are within a few hours' drive of us!

We spent about 4 hours at the Aquarium, enjoying the incredible variety of underwater creatures and taking lots of photos and videos so that we could share the experience with you.

My favourite creatures were...

The archer fish, which look for insects resting on trees or grass above the water line, then spit a stream of water into the air to hit the insect and knock it into the water, where the archer fish then devours it! The archer fish we saw weren't doing this while we were there, but there was a slow-mo video of archer fish dinnertime next to the tank. Awesome!

The seals and sea lions - enduring favourites of mine. We didn't see any of the shows featuring them, but they are just so cute while swimming around and poking their whiskered noses out of the water. Love them!

Daisy the porpoise. She was rescued off Vancouver Island when she was only 1 month old, which means she hasn't got enough experience to ever be released back into the wild, so she lives at the Aquarium as "an ambassador for her species". This adorable creature is SUCH a poser... After we saw her posing for a photo with some other people, I got up to the tank's window for my turn. As she swam back over, she went to the panel beside me, probably because it had three people crowded against it whereas I was by myself. However, as she swam past me, I saw her eye looking at us, and she evidently saw Ben standing behind me with the camera (the people in the next panel didn't have a camera)... so she instantly turned and came over to my window, where she posed until we'd taken half a dozen photos!! Talk about gorgeous. See photos below!

The seahorses. I don't remember ever seeing one of these in person before, and I sure didn't know how they propel themselves about. These funny little critters have a small fin on their back and two where their ears would be, and they drift around with these fins fluttering so fast they are almost invisible (the fins, not the seahorses!). It reminds me more of an outboard motor than a fish! See end of video below.

I also loved the information about wolf eels, which are frequently seen by divers around here. Wolf eels mate for life and are devoted parents. When they have eggs, the mother coils her body around the pile of eggs, and the father coils his body around the mother. What a beautiful picture!

Assorted photos Ben took...










And here's a compilation of the videos I took. You might want to view this full screen (four arrows button at bottom right) with the sound turned up...

We hope you enjoyed your trip to the Vancouver Aquarium!

Giants game

Last Friday night, we scored free tickets to a Vancouver Giants game! These were courtesy of our friend Angharad's workmate, who has season tickets but couldn't make it to the game due to being on vacation.

The Giants are an ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League, which is a division down from the National Hockey League that the Vancouver Canucks play in (click here to read about the time we went to a Canucks game). This means the Giants are not quite as good as the Canucks, but they are still professional, full-time hockey players... and they have some very loyal fans!




The game was at the Pacific Coliseum, part of the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) grounds in Vancouver. We had excellent seats directly behind one of the goals. Before the game started, we stood while the national anthem, O Canada, was sung, and then we were introduced to the Giants' mascot: Jack the Giant. The team playing the Giants were the Prince George Cougars (wearing the darker-coloured jerseys).



We put together a 6-minute video compilation to show you some of the evening's highlights. Only a small portion of the video actually shows the game underway... the rest of the time you can enjoy the national anthem, breaktime activities including a kids' hockey game, ATV doughies and a trike race... and to top it all off, the requisite on-ice fight! Just listen to the crowd when the fight gets going... polite, respectable Canadians, eh? Hahaha!

The Giants won, 3-0. The last photo above actually shows the split second before the third goal was scored!

All in all, it was a fun night and another great Canadian experience. Thanks to Ken and Karen for the use of their tickets, and to Angharad for thinking of us!

Cousin Connie's visit

Last weekend we had a long-anticipated visit from Ben's second cousin Connie, who lives in Seattle!

After she managed to find her way to our place on Friday evening with the help of printed Google Maps directions and a few text messages, we set off to a make-your-own-stirfry party at our friend Juanita's apartment. It was a great idea, and the evening was filled with laughter and lively conversation.


L-R: Joel, Ben, Myla, Shonna, Hod, Juanita, Connie

The next morning, Myla and Heidi joined us for a breakfast of pancakes and bacon and eggs.

Then, Connie, Ben and I headed off to the Vancouver Winter Farmers' Market at the Nat Bailey Stadium. We had been to the summer venue of this farmers' market quite often during our first year here, but I had no idea the winter one would be so good - I think it actually had more vendors than the summer market (admittedly, that doesn't take much!).









After the markets, we headed into Gastown for a bit of a wander through the oldest part of Vancouver. There, Connie got herself a genuine Vancouver souvenir in the form of some bright green Fluevogs! (Delle also discovered this brand when she was here last year!)





Next we drove to Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver. This is the FREE alternative to the touristy $30pp Capilano Suspension Bridge that someone had recommended to Connie!






On the way home we stopped at Crystal Mall - the Asian mall near our place - and picked up Vietnamese chicken and veggie rolls with peanut sauce and steamed pork and veggie buns for dinner. We also chowed down on some delicious cheese we had bought at the farmers' market, and introduced Connie to the concept of Tim Tam Slams! It was a fun and relaxing evening at home after our big day of exploring the city.


For lunch on Sunday, we went to the home of our friends Harold and Kathy and their baby boy Novak. Stuart and Rosanne and baby Aydin were there too, so we had fun playing with the two little chaps, and enjoyed delicious waffles with assorted toppings for lunch.

L-R: Harold, Kathy, Rosanne, Aydin, Stuart, Ben, Connie

That afternoon we farewelled Connie as she headed up to Whistler for her last night in Canada. We really enjoyed her visit and hope we can do it again sometime. Thanks for coming, Connie!