Vancouver-BFN

No photos this time, sorry (I have taken several thousand and cannot be doing with fishing through them right now)… just a load of waffle – hurried waffle at that – but a post is a post and here it is!

It’s 11pm as I write; tomorrow morning we leave for the Rocky Mountains, in the rather large SUV with the rather small boot – OK not SMALL, but it’s all relative.  The rather large SUV that my Hero Wife managed to drive 3 blocks and then into an underground car park without pranging anything or losing a wing mirror, or, indeed, her sanity. Proud moments all round.

It’s been great here, jam packed with actionnnnnnnn allllll theeee timeeee which is why I haven’t posted.  On the one day that I didn’t work, I walked for hours to and from Granville Island, pushing The Boy across two different ginormous and high bridges; it was like walking next to a motorway over water. I scared myself silly, and The Boy slept the whole way there and the whole way back. I think he has C’s inner bravery. But I did it!

Celia asked what the cost of living is like here. High. In fact, local political groups have postered the place with slogans saying things like Vancouver is the most unaffordable city in the world, which I believe, judging simply by the cost of everyday food etc and the number of homeless people around. Many. I’ve never seen such hardworking homeless people anywhere else, though – lots of them seem to earn a bit of cash by collecting trolley loads of plastic bottles and cans to exchange. The mind boggles … in my sheltered semi-rural life I no longer see such things. A reminder, perhaps.

E asked if we’ve seen whales yet. Yes, Douglas Coupland’s orca, and the ones at the aquarium. Does that count?

There has also been:

• Lots of sun;
• Water park fun, in which The Boy stole a green plastic apple from another child whose mother didn’t mind, and hasn’t put it down for two days [I am ashamed, yes, but she left before I could prise it off him and give it back!];
• Playground fun in proper Canadian playgrounds with grit on the ground, which The Boy likes to eat, and those metal wire fences and soccer moms;
• Fireworks;
• Sightseeing;
• And lots and lots of walking. My blisters have blisters and I am looking forward to wearing my running shoes instead of crocs next week. I don’t ask for much these days.

So, to the Rockies, via the Vancouver suburbs and then Kamloops. I too will be driving the SUV, albeit not in underground car parks or even cities. Nah, I’ll just do the long, long roads that stretch straight ahead. I know my limits.

Feeling the fear and doing it anyway. I’ll be back but don’t hold your breath because I don’t think they’ll have wifi in remote mountain campsites.

Goodnight from Vancouver, BC.

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