... try and find us

  My sister Susan has a stunning holiday house in Port Douglas in Far North Queensland so putting it to good use, my mum and sisters popped up for a holiday.  Its tropical lushness and hot, humid weather was great change from the chilliness of Flinders.  With the Great Barrier Reef within sight off the coast and the UNESCO listed Daintree Rainforest to the north, Port Douglas is a wonderful place to spend some time. There are so many activities to keep you busy, delicious restaurants to feed you and some gorgeous shops in which to spend all your money.    Floating on a lilo in the pool - not quite a high-octane activity but a favourite nontheless! Anyone for tennis?  Also a handy place to do a pump class! Running on the beach is a favourite early morning activity, plucking mangos from the tree for breakfast on the way home But swim only in the netted swimming areas.  Being Australia, there are stingy things that can kill you at this time of year! Great...

  Haven't driven one of these in years! I headed to Flinders while Sean stayed in Canada - both of us to spend some time with mothers specifically and family in general.  So tucked up in my childhood bedroom, the fun begins! The Bunnings Sausage Sizzle The Bunnings Sausage Sizzle is iconic.  Bunnings is a hardware store similar to Home Depot and community groups run the sizzle to raise money.  Bunnings has strict guidelines so no matter who is running the show, the product and pricing is always the same.  Oddly, we always seem to 'need' something from Bunnings around lunchtime! Hmm, that's a lot of mulch that needs spreading Weedy Sea-Dragon mural on the Flinders Motel Hello Cockie! It was with great excitement we welcomed a new family member, Madison May East, the first great granddaughter for Mum and my third great-niece! Congratulations to Sam and Emily. The newest member of our family.  Welcome Madison May! One thing I have been struck with are the bird...

 I have come to Vancouver Island to visit my mom, aunts and eldest kid, but have taken a day off from the homemade family reunion to visit local attractions. The old railway trestle over French Creek.  I've always wanted to walk across this. Many times I have been on my way to and from the ferry and whizzed by places that have looked really, really interesting from the road. Many times I have said to myself, "I wish I had time to stop and explore."  On the drive from Victoria to Parksville (where my family has gathered), there is a roadside collection of rusty-but-unusual forestry machines at the BC Forestry Discovery Centre .  The wooden Banfield Lifeboat. There are historical boats and ships under weather covers in places like Port Alberni and Comox.  There are local museums and collections of both post-European settler and indigenous artifacts in many of the town along the Alberni Highway, but when I asked my Aunt Jan for advice on which ones I had to see, sh...

Canmore is still beautiful ...and back in Canada we land, and promptly both get sick!  A BIG thank you to Ruth and Terry for allowing us to hole up at your place while we recuperated.  Nothing like the joy of house guests coughing and snivelling. It's hard to stop snapping pictures ...  ... particularly when the weather is so glorious. Upon recovery, it was a whirlwind of life administration - renewing passports, drivers' licence, doctor, dentist, optometrist, accountant, bank.... everything to keep the plates spinning.  We voted in the municipal election and caught up with friends and family, slipping in a 65th birthday party and a high school reunion. Engadine Lodge, a five-star backcountry lodge, the perfect place for a school reunion We may be a few years older, but we can still winter hike! Mountain Sheep on Highwood Pass Packed lunch (Thanks Engadine Lodge staff!) at the Peter Lougheed Discovery Centre Looking through school...