Social Life in Ralston ...

It has been 2 weeks since we returned from our holiday and they have flown by with lots of socialising and great weather. Our longtime friends Andy, Sam and their daughters Francesca and Milly have arrived in Ralston so we have managed several bbqs and beer/wine sampling with them along with trying to sort out our christmas plans - looking to get a condo in Canmore together. So over the last 2 weeks we have been invited to several friends houses for bbq's, the Leonards, Teskey & Bridle families all went bowling at the alley which is within the village followed by another bbq, we have been to the splash park, Chis has managed 2 games of golf, I have been running and the kids have had their swimming lessons, bike riding and playing with friends. It is this time of year when there is always a large turnover of new people and Ralston is no different so there are lots of new playmates for Tegan and Fraser although I have to say the village seems to be full of little girls - Fraser keeps asking for boys to arrive.

Friday afternoon Sam was off on her tank ride which she won during the Ralston Rodeo so Tegan, Fraser and myself went along to watch, Fraser was in heaven with his love of tanks. It was a great afternoon with Sam's girls and Andy and us all watching her zoom across the prairie in this awesome piece of machinery. I was lucky enough to also have a go.

Friday night we attended the Beating of the Retreat up on camp with the Light Cavalry Band playing. Beating Retreat is a ceremony which belongs essentially to the Army and Royal Marines. In medieval times it was assigned to tavern keepers to close taps and serve no more drink to soldiers. Retreat is also a beat of a drum at the firing of the evening gun and setting the watch. Soldiers discharged with ignominy are 'drummed' out of the regiment. Todays beating retreat is a ceremonial parade normally preceded by a marching display. Friday night was a glorious summers evening so lovely to sit outside and watch the Light Cavalry Band, when finished we all went into the Sgt's mess for drinks and a great mess curry.

This week I am starting Skate School as I have joined the Ralston Devils ice hockey team - no laughing please. Not sure how it is going to go but I have bought all the gear which will probably take me about an hour to get on and then I wont be able to move - but as I am living in Canada I need to experience ice hockey and give it a go. More to come about this and pictures.

A few weeks ago we took delivery of a new Dutch Barn garden shed - so I thought it would be a good idea to paint in traditional colours. However the wood the shed is made from is extremely porous and it took at lot of painting. So after a little help from Fraser and Chris helping out this weekend it looks great. Jinx also managed to get involved and now has a red ear, which everyone thinks is actually bleeding.

And finally 9 weeks school summer holiday is over - Tegan and Fraser are back at school today. I have to say the weeks went quicker than I expected and we seem to have done so much. Mind you next Monday is Labour Day so they all get the day off!!!!

Summer 09 Road Trip - Part Two ...

Monday 10 August the next part of our road trip took us from Canmore through the Banff National Park up to Jasper. Although the weather was not great, more like a UK summer's day rain - the scenery was breathtaking with so many amazing mountains and glaciers to look at and even our 4th bear (black) walked across the road for us all to see. Our hotel was a 5 minute drive just outside Jasper town and situated on Lake Pyramid framed by rocky mountains. We ate in the hotel that night and had a superb meal including elk, bison and lobster - followed by cheesecake for me! Unfortunately the weather didn't improve the following day so after a soggy walk around Jasper town, which actually didn't have a lot to offer, we decided to go swimming in the local pool. The pool was great, baby pool, huge indoor flume and large pool with diving board - so the flume and diving board was a magnet for Fraser who thought he was in with all the 14yr old boys as he took his turn in the line and then proudly jump off the diving board, luckily he decided not to copy them doing their somersaults. Unknown to us it was Jasper's rodeo week so we went to a local ranch that evening who were hosting the towns barn dance. All the locals were there including the rodeo princess who Tegan thought was lovely. There was the usual bbq along with horse rides for the kids, face painting, wagon rides, throwing the horse shoe, bucking bronco and a band. Everyone with children had to leave by 9pm by this time some of the local cowboys had had a few beers and the bucking bronco was becoming very entertaining.

Wednesday morning we took a boat out onto Lake Pyramid which started off very scenic then a large grey cloud popped over a mountain top and the wind and rain got up and we couldn't get back to the shore quick enough - which wasn't made easy as it was into a strong wind. That night we went to Jasper's rodeo - our first rodeo since arriving in Canada. What a great night and all respect to cowboys who are 'hard as nails' riding bulls. The rodeo was held in an indoor arena so the atmosphere with everyone cheering was great Tegan and Fraser got into their 'yeeehaa & yahoos'. The rodeo started off with lots of pom and ceremony then out came the cowboys on bucking horses, roping calves, catching larger cows, team events, womens speed riding and finally cowboys riding the bulls with a few of the cowboys walking rather strange afterwards. It was a brilliant evening and Tegan and Fraser thought it was great - although they were a little concerned for the calves when they were pushed to the ground and roped - however were quite happy when they saw them get up and trot away, but a true cowboy rodeo experience.

As the previous night was a late one we had a slow start and then the final leg of our trip across to Edmonton. After checking into our hotel we jumped on a local bus and went to West Edmonton Mall - this is the largest mall in Canada. The mall has over 800 stores, galaxyland theme park, waterworld which is a 5 acre indoor waterpark with waterslides, wave machine and bungee jumping. As you walk along the corridors in the mall you come across sea lion shows, indoor iceskating rink, mini golf, a full size pirate ship, deep sea derby bumper boats and there was a lot more that we didn't see. That evening we just had dinner and tried to take everything in then back to the hotel ready for our full day in the mall. With 2 small children shopping is not really an option for the Leonards so we decided to get a day pass to Galaxyland and all be kids for the day - hoping that we could get Tegan and Fraser to pop into a few shops in between. Chris and I both went on the Mindbender, where gravity forces you into your seat as you go through the triple loop rollercoaster, I have to admit feeling a little strange as I walked off the ride. The day went so quickly before we knew it it was time to go back to the hotel, we had intended to go to the waterpark but we all needed our beds. But we did manage to buy our cowboy hats, shirts and Tegan and Fraser now have cowboy boots.

Saturday morning we started the 5 hour drive back to Ralston and intended to get back in time to go to Ralston's own rodeo. All our previous journeys had been interesting with the ever changing scenary suddenly we noticed that all mountains and trees started to disappear as the prairie took over along with awful weather. We didn't go to the rodeo as the weather was so bad but later that evening found our friends Andy & Sam who have just arrived in Ralston so armed with a bottle we finished off a fantastic holiday.

Summer 09 Road Trip - Part One ...

Friday 7th August Chris, Tegan and Fraser met me at Calgary airport from my trip to New York. We then jumped into the car and headed off to Canmore for the next part of our holiday. We stayed at the Windtower Hotel which has an agreement with BATUS whereby you can get rooms/suites at a discount price. We had a one bedroom suite which in UK could easily be sold as a flat, there was everything in there from dishwasher, full kitchen, washing machine & dryer and balcony. We enjoyed a typical Canadian dinner - steak, pizzas, fajitas at the Iron Goat where we ate on the deck with stunning views of the mountains including the three sisters.

Saturday we were up, rather slowly as we all lay in until 9am, and eventually set off to Banff to go up the gondola taking us to the summit of Sulphur Mountain, 7486 feet. At the top we walked along the summit ridge which was easy under foot as a boardwalk had been constructed. This took us to a small hut which Norman Sanson has walked every week for over 30 years to record weather data. The view was stunning as we were above most of the mountains in the region and had a good view of everything. Following lunch in Banff town we went to Lake Minnewanka (say that without smiling) and decided to go on the lake cruise. Lake Minnewanka is the largest lake in the Banff National Park and is home to a large population of rocky mountain wildlife we managed to see a bald eagle, mountain sheep and deer. The cruise lasted an hour and the guide on the boat was very informative showing Tegan and Fraser all sorts of pictures of the wildlife, including a cougar which had recently been in the area - Tegan was very interested in the big cat.

Sunday was a trip to Lake Louise, north of Canmore and Banff. Driving through the Banff National Park is breathtaking with amazing scenary at every turn. First stop was the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, a grand luxury hotel situated on Lake Louise. We decided that as we were on holiday and in such a palatial setting afternoon tea was in order. So we ate accompanied by a harpist which Tegan thought was wonderful, with a view overlooking the lake and glacier. So after eating our tiered tray of food, glass of prosecco (unfortunately only the one glass) and tea, apple and cinnamon, we were off for a walk to the lake and a quick dip in, too cold so only feet.

We then drove to Lake Louise Gondola which is the ski resort and took a chair lift up the mountain - this proved to be one of the highlights of our trip as we saw 3 bears. There are people who have lived in BATUS for 2 years and never saw a bear and we managed 3 in one afternoon, sorry Clare M if you read this. Again the scenery was spectacular and made Chris and I want to go skiing as we could see all the slopes. At the top there was also a wildlife interpretation centre which Tegan and Fraser found interesting as they could touch different animal skins, claws, teeth etc. After a long and very exciting day it was takeaway chinese and back to the Windtowers.

Next part of the journey takes us from Canmore up to Jasper and then over to Edmonton - more to follow....

New York, New York ...

Tuesday 4th August Chris dropped me off at Calgary airport to start my journey to see Harriet in New York - very excited. The plan was for me to catch a flight from Calgary to Toronto then a connecting flight onto Westchester NY. Unfortunately there was a storm at Toronto with a tornado warning so we managed to land and then spent 31/2 hours on the tarmac waiting for a bay to pull into. So at 9pm I disembarked from my original flight missing my connecting flight which left at 8pm for Westchester. Thereafter the story is a very long one and slightly emotional but just to say that I finally sorted out a new flight to Westchester for the following morning departing at 6.55am - this was all resolved at 1am that morning. I then went to find myself a quiet spot to try and sleep in the airport - not great.

So the sun came up, my flight left on time and before I knew it Harriet was at the airport in her giant of a car picking me up, along with Paddy in the back. We drove straight to Harriet's house - again another giant thing - something about living in NY or actually Rye, Westchester which is a lovely place to live, very green with large opulent houses. I then had a 4 hour sleep and then the fun started. Harriet, the boys and I went to their local mall - heaven, I could have spent a very large sum of money but restrained myself to a new pair of sunglasses, trousers and few bits for Tegan. On the way home Harriet did a 'drive by' tour of Rye - as I said a beautiful place to live. That evening Harriet and I went out to a local oriental restaurant for dinner whilst Guy very kindly babysat and had pasta and meatballs - I on the other hand had Red Snapper - yummy.

The following morning Harriet put me on the train and I was then off for my adventure in New York city. Before I begin I have to say I didn't get lost all day and walked all over the city - I was quite proud of myself as I usually get lost. So I came out of Central Station and caught my first yellow cab - first stop was the Statten Island Ferry and from there I walked to Ground Zero - a very humbling and sad experience. Again stood on the roadside put my arm out and got another yellow cab - so cool - off to the Iron Building on 5th Avenue. I then wandered up 5th Avenue taking in all the sights, sounds and smells. I stopped off at the Empire State Building and queued up to get to the 86th floor, the view from there was amazing, quite breathtaking. The remainder of the day was spent wandering up 5th Avenue looking at the Rockerfella Building, Trump Towers, Tiffany's, Saks and ending up in Central Park - all the time so much to take in. I then met Harriet at 6.30pm and we were off for cocktails. We walked up to Central Park and got a pedal taxi up to a museum that was supposed to have a roof top bar but it was closed - however Harriet and I laughed so much as this poor boy was having to pedal so hard with us both in the back and we had haggled him down on the normal price. We then got a cab to the Hudson Hotel which has an awesome cocktail bar - so hip and cool I couldn't believe I was there. We went for a pitcher of Mojito's and spent several hours people watching and having a great time, we were back in our 20's again all giggly. Then on our way to Time's Square we had a hot dog of a street vendor and then I had to have a New York cheesecake in Times Square. We sat on the static seating stand in Times Square and spent an hour just watching the world go by - so many neon lights amazing. Eventually we got the train home to Rye and had to collect Guy's bike from the station, so we slowly walked home and got into bed just after 12.30am - what a great day and night.

Unfortunately Friday morning came round too quickly and Harriet was taking me back to the airport, this time all my flights were on time and I then met Chris, Tegan and Fraser at Calgary airport ready for the next leg of our holiday - off to Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and Edmonton, more on this soon.

A very big thank you to Harriet and Guy for their amazing hospitality in New York - hopefully all the Leonard family will be back next time - mojito's on us!!!!

Make Up Party & Chris in UK...

Another week has flown by in the busy village of Ralston, mind you I have now completed week 5 of the 9 week school holiday so not bad. This week has been filled with swimming lessons for Tegan who is just getting better and better and a girls make up party. My friend Jeanette decided to invite some of her daughters friends round for a make up party - these are all 5 year olds. I then added wouldn't it be great if we painted their hands and feet and put lovely stickers on their nails so things began to esculate. In the end there were 6 little girls and Fraser! So Jeanette and I set to painting all their nails and then the girls went off to do their own makeup, Jeanette then very kindly fed all the children. They had a great time and Fraser decided he was going to have his nails painted but did choose the blue polish as that was for boys! The girls then got hold of Fraser and did his makeup - not a pretty look.

I must say a very happy 70th Birthday to Rick (Chris's dad). Chris flew back to the UK on Friday night to surprise his dad by turning up on Saturday afternoon in time to join them for dinner and spend the night and following day together. I think Chris has made the most of his trip as he got upgraded on his BA flight by our kind friend Simon and then his choice of hire car was a Mercedes - you can tell there were no children, dog or wife around, although the Mercedes turned out to be an estate. He is spending tonight with friends Tonia and Les and as I spoke to them all they were drinking champagne and pink port.

I am off to Calgary airport tomorrow to collect Chris and then on Tuesday morning handover children and dog responsibilities as I am off to New York to visit my friend Harriet for 3 days, should you hear on the news of blond girl lost in NY City then that is me, very excited - cocktails in New York.

I may not update my blog for a couple of weeks as along with my trip to NY on my return we all go off on an adventure to Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and Edmonton returning to Ralston in time for the annual rodeo.