The End....

Yet again I am a few weeks behind, but so much has happened. Finally I did get round to sorting out and packing our bags from our lovely house on the prairie.

However before doing so we had a day out with Noo, Lexi and Harry at the Medicine Hat Spectrum Festival which was held in the old part of town. The weather was baking so ice cream was definitely order of the day. Harry & Fraser loved seeing the monster trucks which were parked up in the closed off street and then it was off to the petting farm and a quick pony ride for Tegan and Fraser. All the children loved stroking and holding the animals and it was hard work getting them out to look at everything else going on. We had arrived slightly later in the day so just missed the performances on the stage but we were all very happy to meander around in the sunshine. After a lovely stroll around the festival we finished off with the children cycling lovely pedal tractors that a local company makes out of disused metal such as sewing machines etc.

As we would be in the UK for Fraser's birthday we took 6 of his friends out bowling for the evening after school. Everyone started off quite keen for the 5 pin bowling but soon just wanted to go and play in the softplay area, leaving Noo and I to finish off the bowling. The bowling alley provided some hot dogs and chips (crisps) for everyone and I had brought along fruit and then the all important birthday cake. Once this had all be eaten it was back to running around and getting hot and sweaty. Fraser had a lovely time and it was really important that he had a party with all his close friends.

The week leading up to our departure from Canada was extremely busy. The Friday night friends invited us round for a curry dinner which was amazing and good entertainment. Chris had to leave early as he was on the prairie at 4am the following morning. Sunday was the Spectrum Festival, Monday Fraser's bowling and Sam T very kindly had a girls lunch for me - yet again more delicious food. Wednesday Chris finally came off the prairie and had a night of drinking with the boys - apparently he really had to as it was his last Xray Template. Thursday night we moved out of our house and in with Sam & Andy so that we could finally finish the house ready for 'March Out' on Friday lunchtime. Thursday was also getting Jinx to the vets in the correct timescale for her necessary injections prior to flying. Chris spent the day getting certain documentation signed off and closing down all his accounts at work. Thursday night Sam & Andy had a bbq for us and invited our good friends from the village - we had a fantastic evening although our looming departure made it a little sad. Friday was frantic getting the final bits & pieces out of the house, Tegan and Fraser had sports day and at midday we had the 'March Out' which is always a little nervous as if things are not in correct order you may get bills for items or damage and with such a tight timescale, our transport was coming at 3pm, it had to go well. Everything was fine so again Chris rushed up to camp to pay all final bills whilst I finally made it up to school to catch the end of Fraser doing his sports day events. It was really hard saying goodbye to lots of wonderful girls I had met in the village. It was then back to Sam & Andy's house to wait for our transport. This was the really hard part of leaving as our three sets of really good friends and their children were all there to send us off. The girls gave me a fantastic present - a book containing pictures of our time in Canada and some of the lovely memories of the special scenery that can only be found in Canada and on the prairie. So with many tears and lots of hugs we finally got onto our transport off to Calgary airport.

We stayed at the Delta Hotel which is located at Calgary airport on the Friday night as we were due to fly 2pm Saturday but had to make sure we got Jinx to the cargo department during the morning. So Friday night we went to the hotel bar to have supper and watch the Stanley Cup on their big screen, much to Fraser's delight. Unfortunately we missed the final of the Stanley Cup as it went to the 7th game which was played a couple of days later when we were in the UK - Boston Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks.

Saturday morning Chris took Jinx for a walk to stretch her legs before her 12 hour journey in her crate. One of the military personnel, who live in Calgary and who's job it is to help all the incoming/outgoing troops and families move in and out of Canada, kindly helped me with transporting Jinx to the cargo department which is on the opposite side of the airport. After a fairly traumatic couple of hours trying to find the correct department/bay I eventually got Jinx checked in and had to leave her - hoping that she would make it onto our flight. Before I knew it we were all checked in and waiting for our flight, unfortunately it was delayed 2 hours, but the time passed quickly and then we were boarding. After checking that Jinx was also on board I could relax and hope that the tv's worked for Tegan and Fraser. The flight passed fairly painlessly as food was served and Tegan and Fraser watched their films. We landed at 8.30am UK time and after collecting all our bags we made our way to get the hire car. Fraser asked 'what are all those old cars doing on the road' - pointing to black cabs - he had never seen them before. We collected the hire car and made our way to the animal reception in order to collect Jinx. After a wait due to customs checking all her paperwork she was finally reunited with us and off we set to Collingbourne Ducis.
Although Chris's next job will be at Minley, Fleet we made the choice to privately rent a house in Collingbourne Ducis, Marlborough. This decision in an attempt to give Tegan and Fraser continuity of their schooling at Collingbourne Primary School which is a lovely village school set next door to the cricket pitch and surrounded with horse paddocks. We had never seen the house except some pictures that our friend Les sent to us and all of Noo's descriptions of the house and village - so our first stop back in the UK was to the house in order to drop of all the bags and have a quick look around.

So for the last 3 weeks we have been unpacking boxes as we received all our boxes that had been in storage for 2 years and all the Canadian boxes. It has been a time for a massive clear out of 15 years worth of 'stuff' that we have carted around - and there is not enough storage space in the house. Tegan and Fraser had two weeks off school before starting at Collingbourne Primary school - they have now been there for 1 1/2 weeks and have settled in amazingly well.

It is lovely running with Jinx around the gorgeous countryside that is Collingbourne Ducis and the surrounding villages although I am not used to hills. It is a natural thing to compare UK with our life in Canada - if anyone has the opportunity to live in Canada I would definitely recommend it as we have had an amazing two years and wouldn't swop it for anything. It was the first time that we left a posting where we really didn't want to leave. So is this the end of Canada for us - well for a start many of our good friends intend to make Canada their permanent home so always a good holiday destination. As for the Leonards we shall wait and see..... We have had an amazing adventure living on the Prairie in Alberta - living the Canadian Dream.

Busy Weekend Eating & Drinking...

So with two weeks left in Canada we really should be sorting out our quarter, cleaning, clearing out the rubbish, sorting out the sheds, weeding the garden and so the list goes on - however we have been out eating and drinking.

Tue morning Ralston School held a pancake breakfast for all the students and parents from 8am to 9am. A first happened in our house that morning, Tegan and Fraser were up and dressed ready to go by 7.15am needless to say we were one of the first to be at the school. We were just beaten by our friend Noo, Lexi and Harry - which was quite astonishing as Noo is not known for being on time!! Tegan and Fraser both tucked into numerous pancakes, maple syrup and sausages.

Now that the weather has finally picked up and the snow really has all gone I am able to run around the prairie again much to Jinx's delight. There has become quite a little group of us who all drop the kids off at school and then head out on the different trails around the village. For the last 3 weeks several girls have been taking part in the biggest looser - I managed to put on weight the first week so the running is definitely helping.

Fri night Chris and I were off out with all '6' group - the guys that Chris works with and their wives/girlfriends. We went to Moxi's in Medicine Hat to have some food and ended up staying there until the early hours in the morning and then decided to go dancing at Ralphs. The boys presented Chris with a very unique leaving present - whatever it is Chris is over the moon and thinks its great. The girls kindly gave me a couple of new running T shirts with Canada motifs, a new baseball cap and a fab photo book of Medicine Hat. We had a brilliant night full of laughs, lots of drink, dancing and finished off calling into Tim Hortons for takeout coffee & doughnuts!

Needless to say Chris didn't manage to spring out of bed on Saturday morning but managed to surface early afternoon. The day soon disappeared and we were then off out again - to Seafood Night at the mess. The theme was Pirates. Once again Noo (along with a team of helpers) transformed the mess into an amazing stage of pirate treasurer, boardwalks, ponds, twinkly lights, palm trees, pirate flags and lots & lots of fish hanging from the ceiling!!! Virtually everyone of the 150 guest dressed up with lots of amazing costumes - there were lots of Jack Sparrow's.


Our starters were served at the table - a very large lobster. Chris was more than happy as I cannot eat lobster so he lucked in with 2. We then went to the buffet were more fish was to be had along with salads and roast beef. During the dinner there was a sudden uproar and several pirates lunged into the centre of the dinning room for a dual with several having very long winded deaths. Chris left the evening very early as Prairie Thunder one was starting in the early hours of Sunday morning along with John who is Chris's successor. So Lucille (John's wife) and I decided to carry on the party along with friends.


It was very hard introducing Lucille to new people when they were all in such good fancy dress outfits, she will never recognise anyone. Especially the colourful parrot.


Sunday was a calm day with a dog walk and then purchasing new cowboy boots for Tegan and Fraser with 'room to grow' in them once we are back in the UK.

Three Weeks To Go...

Sun 22 May - This time in 3 weeks we will be off the plane and back in the UK - time is really going far too quickly. So we are doing all the usual things that need to be completed before another posting - cancelling tv, internet, telephone providers, closing bank accounts (not that there has ever been any money in there) and trying to sell things that we do not wish to take back to the UK. The list of 'things to do' is ever increasing including all of Jinx's documentation but I am sure we will get there.

Thursday night we had the Black Devils end of season party - slightly late but it was the first date we could all get together. Sam kindly opened her house for 18 of us to turn up have a bbq and sit round the fire pit which luckily kept all the mosquito's away. It was a great night full of girlie chat, witty poetry by Jilly (who was the Blacks Captain) great food & drink and fun playing with the fire pit the straddlers finally left just after 1am - I think we may have woken a few people up on our walk home!

Friday lunchtime saw Chris's leaving lunch held at the mess along with Tom who is leaving at the same time. Lunch was a curry which is always lovely as there are no curry houses in Medicine Hat. Richard was given the task of doing Chris's leaving speech and took the opportunity to 'highlight' some of Chris's finer points over the last 2 years - not much to do with the prairie!! Stuart (commander) presented Chris with a beautiful silver buffalo as a presentation piece and I really do like it for a change. After lunch the guys took up their places in the bar and there they remained until late evening.





The weekend has been a mixture of work on the prairie and socialising. Sam D, Noo and I went to see Grease sing-a-long at the Monarch Theatre in downtown Medicine Hat. Unfortunately they had technical difficulties and the sing-a-long bit didn't work, so they played the movie and the audience sang along anyway. Good fun - always loved the movie. Sunday night was spent at friends for a bbq - my diet, ready for our return to the UK, keeps being sabotaged.

Monday Tegan and Fraser are not at school which doesn't help my intent to start cleaning the house - oh well.

Moving/Drag Racing/Sheila & Alex/General Fraser....

Monday 2nd May - The packers arrived. I cannot believe that it is our turn to move. During our time in Ralston you watch many removal vans arrive around the village and all of a sudden that truck turns up at 4 Detrick Avenue. Luckily the sun was shinning that day so perfect for the guys to be packing boxes and moving outside, especially as there isn't much room in our house when you add an extra 4 guys and lots of boxes. Although I had packed several boxes it still took them most of the morning to pack, along with quite a few coffee breaks. So with all our belongings on their way back to the UK we are living out of suitcases and the remaining army furniture which is very useful and making the whole process much easier. Slowly we are selling off all the extra things that we have bought whilst in Canada that will not work in the UK.

So with an empty house you would think I have lots of time on my hands, as usual my days fly by. There has been lots of 'socialising' over the last couple of weeks mostly around food and drink, but the summer seems to have arrived in Ralston along with the ever increasing swarms of mosquitos.
At the end of April Kindergarten mums were invited into school for a 'mothers day tea'. All the children had drawn pictures of their mummys and had to stand on stage and say what was special about their mummys. Fraser did a great picture and actually managed to stand on stage and speak, I am still suprised how shy he is when at school. We were then invited back to the classrooms for strawberries and ice cream.





This weekend we have had a fab time - 13 May. Friday night we all went Drag Racing. We didn't quite know what to expect. As we have learnt during our time in Canada most things are very laid back and children are well looked after, hence our entrance was $5 each for Chris and I and the children were free, along with being given stickers. The races started at 7pm so we took our places on the bleachers and watched in amusement as all sorts of cars lined up to race one another. There was everything from normal road cars, trucks & motorbikes (all with fast engines) to proper drag cars and even a hearse - hilarious. We left at 8.30pm although the races went on until 10pm - by this time the wind had increased and was a little cold, but great fun.

Saturday morning Chris was in work and I frantically got our house ready, made easier by not so many things in the house, as Chris's cousin Sheila and her husband had very kindly flown in from Vancouver for the weekend. Sheila and Alex arrived mid afternoon after landing at Calgary and driving down, they did remark at the lack of scenery whilst driving through the prairie. We had a great afternoon & evening catching up. Sunday morning after a lazy breakfast we all went to Echo Dale Park for a dog walk then returned for a Sunday late lunch. Vancouver Canucks were playing San Jose Sharks (ice hockey) for which Alex is a big canucks fan so Fraser was more than happy to watch the hockey. Unfortunately Alex and Sheila had to leave for the drive back to Calgary during the 3rd period, at the point of leaving the Canucks were loosing - luckily whilst driving the Cancuks scored 2 more goals and Alex was very happy. We had a wonderful 28hours together and very much appreciated their journey and effort to come and visit us before we return to the UK.

Mon 16 May - Kindergarten children have recently all been learning about transport and were set a task to build a mode of transport from boxes and there was to be a parade in the school gym. So Chris took the project to hand and with a small help from Fraser produced General Fraser's jeep. It was a great morning watching all the children walk around the gym with their different types of transport, lots of tanks funnily enough. After playing a few games in their boxes it was time to get on with some lessons. Fraser has mentioned how are we going to get his jeep on the aeroplane - haven't told him it is going to the recycling!

R.M.S. Titanic ...

Thu 28 Apr - ,After checking out of the Falcon Crest at Canmore we drove in pretty hideous conditions, to Calgary. We still cannot believe that it is snowing so much, at this rate the ski slopes will remain open until the end of May.

We were off to visit the Telus Science Museum to see the White Star Line - Titanic exhibition. The science museum has removed all it other exhibits and only has the Titanic exhibition through to the end of summer. Both Tegan and Fraser were really keen to go as several of their friends have been and told them about it. So an educational day out - they might retain some of the information?

On our entrance each one of us was given a different 'Boarding Pass' which on the reverse had details of who we were, age, where we were from, accompanied by, the class that we travelled and our reason for travelling. At the end of the exhibition there was a large wall showing how many people in each class or crew that either lived or died. Luckily Tegan, Fraser and myself all survived - Chris was not so fortunate.

We started off by going to the theatre room to listen to a presentation about the liner and those people that were heroes or people, predominately men, who were portrayed cowards. There were many amazing stories. The captain Edward John Smith was persuaded by White Star Line to make one more voyage before his retirement - as all captains do he went down with his ship.



The exhibition included many artifacts that have been recovered from the liner sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean. Including in one of the cabinets were bottles that had once contained wine along with 3 bottles of champagne that still had their eroded corks in and half full of champagne - although a little salty maybe!

After a fascinating time at the Telus museum we jumped into the car and headed back to Ralston, luckily the weather had calmed down and the journey home was fine. This was our last time in the Rocky Mountains which we will certainly miss, the mountains are always breadth taking and we have a lot of amazing memories from our time staying there.

Monday 2 May - the packers arrive, so Sat & Sun will be spent throwing things into boxes - nothing like last minute preparation for the Leonards.

Last Day Skiing at Sunshine...

Snowwhite is missing one of her seven dwarfs - he came skiing today!!












Well for our last day skiing at Sunshine Village we had a full day of snow which started about 11am and didn't stop all day. However it made for awesome skiing as there was glorious powder on the slopes and still the mountain was fairly empty. Tegan and Fraser both skied well and we played amongst the trees finding lots of jumps to their joy and cries from me as I went over them. During the morning we skied the top part of the mountain and then as the cloud came in went down lower to ski Rollercoaster and several other runs of Wolverine chair lift. Rollercoaster is one of the kids favourites as it is a small run amongst the trees and all about 'bumps and lumps'.

What has become the norm we left the mountain and after a quick stop in Canmore headed for the hot tub which we sat in with snow falling on our heads, although it felt considerably warmer than when we skied during February when temperatures were -30degrees and below.

Farewell to Sunshine....

Today (Tue 26 April) we woke up for our penultimate day of skiing in the Rocky Mountains. To our joy the sun was trying to appear and more to our surprise it was warm as we parked up at Sunshine Village car park - a first as before now we have been putting on our ski boots in minus lots. Friends have very kindly lent us their VIP parking pass which enabled us to park very near to the lifts. So onto the gondola we jumped and headed up the mountain. The first part of the morning we had snow showers but still wonderful skiing, especially as the mountain was so empty. After lunch the sun came out with blue skies which just made the whole ski experience great, especially as Tegan and Fraser just wanted to go over jumps.

After leaving the mountain we popped into Banff and then headed back to the Falcon Crest for a bit of hot tubing with a view of the three sister mountains. Then back to our room for a bbq and to watch the Stanley Cup hockey games - we have become so Canadian.

Easter...

Whoops the weeks have yet again flown by, I will catch up for the end of March beginning of April on my return to Ralston.

The week before Ralston school broke up for Easter holiday the Kindergarten class went for a trip to Police Point Park to visit the nature centre to see the chicks and bunnies and have a walk outside to look at the first sights of Spring. As a parent helper I was asked to come along much to the joy of Fraser who I 'had' to sit next to on the bus. It was a great morning out and really good to see all the childrens faces as they got to stroke the chicks and bunnies.

Ralston school broke up for their Easter leave on Good Friday. Fortunately Chris has also been able to take leave as it was decided that Prairie Thunder One should be cancelled. This was due to the awful weather that we were still having, lots of snow, therefore making the prairie hazardous and the troops coming over to take part in the exercise would not be able to achieve the training. So much to our delight we could take leave and have another adventure.

It was all planned that we would go to Yellowstone Park and friends kindly had lent us their RV (campervan) but again the weather was not on our side with the forecast for Montana's weather as snow, ice and rain. We waited until Wed night before making a decision that it was not going to be much fun driving for so long and not being able to 'fling open the doors of the RV and run around Yellowstone'. So Plan B was put into action.

Easter Friday was spent at home and Saturday we went to watch the Medicine Hat Tigers vs Kootenay Ice game. Fraser was so excited, I cannot tell you how much he is into his ice hockey - given the choice of watching childrens tv or an ice hockey game there is only one choice. So as always it was great to watch live ice hockey but unfortunately the Med Hat Tigers lost 3-0 with lots of pushing and shoving.

Sunday morning we were up and packing ready for Plan B trip to Calgary and Canmore. Tegan and Fraser were up bright and early and ready for the easter egg hunt for all the eggs that the Easter Bunny had left in our garden. First stop was two days in Calgary staying at the Sheraton Eau Claire which is located in the city centre and on the Bow River. After the drive up to Calgary, lunch at the Chinook Mall and check in to the hotel we went for a walk down by the river and to the park - it was a glorious day and great to have a play. We had supper at Joey Tomatoes and then called it a day.

Easter Monday we decided to visit Calgary Zoo as again the weather was perfect. First stop was the gorillas enclosure and we were just in time to catch the commentary by one of the park keepers. There was a silverback male, five females along with a 3 year old - all very interesting and entertaining to watch. The day was spent meandering around the zoo and due to the lovely weather all the animals were happy to oblige their audience. The elephants were very interesting and Tegan got to hold some elephant poo - which had apparently been cooked and therefore became hard!! Late afternoon we decided that we had seen all that we wanted and hopped into the car to drive to Canmore. After checking into the Falcon Crest we had a bbq for supper and then to bed - skiing tomorrow.

More Snow - Where is Spring?...

18 March - Friday Ralston School was closed for a teacher training day much to the delight of Tegan and Fraser - no school. So Noo, Kay and I took all the children to Medicine Hat Leisure Centre swimming. We had a fab time playing in the waves, surfing on the floats, jumping off the diving board, diving through legs and going down the indoor flume. After two hours we decided that we had all had enough and we were suitably wrinkly skinned. So we all went to a garden centre situated by Medicine Hat airport, much to Fraser's delight, to have lunch - it was almost like an English coffee shop - not bad.

Saturday Fraser had his skating lesson, Tegan at this pointed decided not to attend this week so went off with Chris to a friends house to watch the England v Ireland six nations rugby match. Fraser was on the ice for 1 1/2 hours having great fun playing hockey. We then joined Chris to watch the rugby. Tegan and I left the rugby for an afternoon of pampering in Medicine Hat. We went to a salon called Plush where Tegan had a pedicure and manicure - much to her amusement and delight, she choose red for her toes and blue for her nails. After being pampered we visited Claire's Accessories and made a few purchases and finished off with an ice cream - one very happy little girl. This afternoon was Tegan's treat in-lieu of us buying Fraser his Calgary Flames hockey top recently.

Snow, snow and more snow - Saturday night there was yet more snow - we almost thought that the Spring was going to arrive as some of the snow had thawed, however since Saturday we have had snow most days. Snow arrived in Ralston on the 17 November 2010 and has not gone since - it really would be nice to see some grass now and to stop shovelling the paths. The gophers are going to be very confused as they dig their way through the snow and pop their heads up.



Monday night saw the last Icemen's game prior to the BHL tournament which takes place next week. Unfortunately they lost 3-0 - but Fraser was happy to watch as always.

BATUS Ski Meet - Tuesday Tegan and Fraser had the day off school as we all went to Hidden Valley along with many others from BATUS as the mountain was ours for the day. A down hill race took place throughout the day as part of the Commanders Cup (a departmental competition that takes place throughout the year involving many sports). Chris had signed up as part of the Icemen team and I had a go just for the fun of it - I came second in the ladies veterans with Sam winning - mind you I think it may only have been us two who fitted into the category! It was a great day with Fraser going to his favourite place - the jump park and Tegan enjoying her skiing. It did snow all day with quite a hairy drive to the mountain in the morning but we all had a fantastic day.

Weekend without Chris...

11 March - This weekend saw 20 of the Icemen leave Ralston in limos for a ice hockey fantastic weekend in Calgary. Chris organised the Icemen's end of season bash which centred around ice hockey, beer and a penguin!!! Chris has promised to make an entry onto my blog with all the details - so we shall wait out and see.

So with a weekend with no Daddy what could we get up to. I attended Tegan and Fraser's school assembly on the Friday afternoon, Tegan was in a small production on stage and was cast as a vulture! Fraser's class had been working on Flat Stanley which is a story about a boy who got squashed became flat, then had lots of adventures being posted through letterboxes. All the kindergarten children had made their own Flat Stanley's and are writing to pen pals, they paraded around the assembly showing their Flat Stanleys. After which all the children returned to their classrooms for popcorn and then it was home time.

Friday night Fraser was having his friend Harry sleepover. As all the daddy's were away Zoe and her 2 girls came round for supper, the request for supper was spaghetti bolognese and chocolate mouse - all 5 children were great and ate everything and then played. Fraser and Harry slept 'top to tail' and were asleep by 8.15pm - much to my relief.

Saturday morning was an early start - Fraser and Harry were awake at 5.50am - I don't usually wake up until the time starts with a 7!! But it wasn't a bad thing as I had to be at the ice arena for a 9am puck drop as the Devils were playing ice hockey against the Wildcats juniors - the children ranged from 5yrs old to about 9yrs old - it was the funniest game I have played in, great fun and they beat us 11 v 1!!!!! After which Tegan, Fraser and Harry had their ice skating lessons followed by being allowed to stay on the ice afterwards to play ice hockey themselves - we eventually left the arena about 12.15pm for lunch. The remainder of the afternoon was spent round a friends house taking both dogs for a walk on the prairie in the snow with 5 children Kay then kindly gave us all tea. Harry went home that night - much to Fraser's disappointment - he is now planning who can come for a sleep over next, along with Tegan.

Sunday morning was another early start as we were off skiing for the day at Hidden Valley (approx 1hr 15mins) the other side of Medicine Hat. So with everything loaded into Sam's car and Sam D behind us, off we set in convoy, with the sun shinning. We had a fabulous day skiing, it was almost too hot - but gorgeous even eating our lunch outside. The kids were great and the weather certainly help the mood of all the children, with 7 children skiing it looked liked ants all over the mountain. After a fabulous day we arrived home at 5.30pm to find Daddy lying on the sofa looking a little shabby.

I then popped over to the ice arena to watch the PSP game. Five staff from the PSP played against the 1st year Devils - it was hilarious as they were dressed up in bow tie and suits and skated around the girls, bringing out sticks that got bigger or longer, silly signs, a stick with a puck attached by string that they could whizz around and finally Sue got a custard pie in the face. Pierre and John are two of the PSP staff that played, they are also very much part of the ice hockey scene being referees throughout the season and generally funny characters to have around.

Fingers crossed Chris should make an entry soon.
















As for the Canadian weather it looks as though Spring could be arriving in Ralston, although we are still knee deep in snow. The biggest indication is that I have seen at least ten gophers appear, how they dug through the snow with their little legs - but they are out and about and the temperatures are improving during the day. The only down side is that the snow starts to melt during the day and then turns to ice at night - not great for the morning walk to school. But hopefully the warm weather will continue - but who knows in Canada!

Shrove Tuesday...

Tegan and Fraser have got into the habit of having North American pancakes at the weekend along with maple syrup. So on Shrove Tuesday we decided to do 'proper' pancakes. The competition was then on between Chris and I who could do the best pancake and flip most successfully - I won!!! We all enjoyed several pancakes with sugar and lemon.













As mentioned previously whilst at the Flames ice hockey match Chris and I bought Fraser an official Flames top - it had to be No 34 Kipprusoff - the goalie. He is extremely proud of his top and wears it as much as possible - so here are a few pictures.

Weekend of More Hockey...

Friday 4 March - Whilst dropping Tegan and Fraser off at school (8.40am) Sam D asked if I would like to go to watch the Calgary Flames play hockey that night in Calgary - so within half an hour a plan was made with regard to childcare after school. Chris & John were playing ice hockey at 2.30pm so just enough time to collect all the children from school and drop them off at Ralston arena to watch their dads play hockey whilst Sam and I jumped onto the coach bound for Calgary. The MFRC (Military Families Resource Centre - a Canadian facility) had kindly provided 28 tickets for people in the village and Sam D had come by 2 tickets, this included transport to the Saddledome, entrance and a hotdog and drink - great Friday night out. This time at the Saddledome our seats were not quite as luxurious as they had been for Chris's birthday, we were up in the gods, commonly known as the 'nose bleed seats' but I really didn't mind as I just loved being there. The game was fantastic Flames vs Blue Jackets (USA) with the score 4 - 3 to the Flames. So after the game we found our coach and set off on our return to Ralston, we arrived home just after 1am. The boys spent their afternoon playing the shinney and then all round to John's house to feed the children and watch a couple of rugby matches.

Saturday morning was Tegan and Fraser's ice skating lessons. They were on the ice for nearly 2 hours as the lesson for adults, which takes place after their slot did not happen, therefore the boys were on with their mini hockey sticks and off they went. Saturday night we had friends round for supper which concluded at 3am after several games on the PS3.

Sunday morning I was up again bright and early as the Devils were having a 3on3 ice hockey tournament and the puck drop was at 9am. About 18 girls had signed up and we all played at least 6 x 15 minute games with only 3 girls on each side and the goalies. Obviously with so few on the ice you cover the whole area and skate extremely hard - again great fun. I did manage to score 1 goal and assist in another but Sam D managed an amazing 9 goals. After the games Pierre and John (referees) kindly set up a few fun skills activities which were testing after playing all morning and legs feeling rather tired, but fun things to finish off with. By the time I got home Chris had finish tidying the house after a lazy start to the morning, so with sun shinning we all went for a family walk to finish off another busy weekend - like I say life in Ralston is never boring.

Chris's Birthday ...

Sunday 27th - Chris was woken up by two excited children wishing him a happy birthday. After opening his card from Tegan and Fraser Chris remained in bed with a cup of tea whilst we finished off decorating his birthday cake.

So guess what we had for breakfast that morning? - birthday cake. After opening his birthday cards it was then time to pack and check out of the hotel.

Sam & John, friends who were also in the Rocky Mountains very kindly did a drive through and collect Tegan and Fraser as they were all back off to Ralston for a sleepover whilst Chris and I headed to the Fairmont Palliser in Calgary. Chris's birthday present was Calgary Flames tickets on the Sunday night.

So after checking in at the Fairmont we went for a spot of late lunch at a local bar. It was surprising that the city centre was pretty much shut on a Sunday, obviously Canadians go out of the city to all the malls around Calgary. The Calgary Tower was next door to the Fairmont so we took a ride to the top observation deck, 525 feet above the ground. Obviously the view was amazing overlooking the city centre and out to all the suburbs with the Rocky Mountains in the distance, along with the Olympic Park.

There is a glass floor on which you can stand, this is 36 feet long and more than four feet wide. The glass panes that make up the floor can each hold the weight of a couple Hippos! So Chris and I decided to test it out!




We then returned to the Fairmont for a quick bottle of bubbles before walking down to the Saddledome to take our seats to watch the Calgary Flames vs St Louis Blues.

After walking around the Saddledome soaking up the atmosphere we took our seats. I thought I had managed to buy fairly decent seats but during our walk around we went to the level below ours and entered a different world. For a start there was carpet on the floor with a members bar and restaurant and then all the private boxes each with individual bars and food being delivered - maybe one day!! The atmosphere in the Saddledome suddenly erupts as the Flames skate onto the ice with flames blasting from the ENMAX screen suspended from the ceiling above the ice, the crowd is standing with loud cheering and clapping, it is like being at a rock concert. So we were glued to our seats throughout the game, finally in the last third the Flames scored a goal - the stadium was on their feet and cheering. As we walked back to the city centre there was a great buzz from everyone walking along in the very cold evening air with snow falling - I love Canada.

We did make one purchase whilst in the Saddledome - Fraser has asked for the last year if he could have a Flames hockey top and it had to be No 34 Kipprusoff - the goalie. So we went into the Attic - the official shop - and found a youths top (having decided that he could have a fairly big top in order to grown into) and marched up to the counter to pay - at this point neither Chris or I had bothered to check to see how much it was. We both looked at each other when the price came up, after very kindly being given a military discount we still both took a deep breath and said we loved him and handed over the credit card. Needless to say Fraser was absolutely delighted and has so far worn it to school, ice skating, bed and any other time possible, when not in the washing machine.

So we strolled back to the city centre and went out for a fantastic dinner at the Saltlik restaurant arriving back at the Fairmont just before midnight. Monday morning we didn't have to check out of the hotel until 12pm - so we jumped out of bed at 11.30am showered, packed and checked out just in time and then hit the road back to Ralston. The weather in Calgary had been fine however just outside the city it all changed to the point where we couldn't see much of the road with the snow swirling in the wind all over the place. We did manage to get to the school in time to collect Tegan and Fraser which was lovely after a night away.