Little Leonards on the Prairie

The End....

2011-07-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-05-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-05-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

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....

2011-05-11T11:45:00.000-07:00

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 ...

2011-04-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-04-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

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....

2011-04-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-04-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

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?...

2011-03-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-03-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-03-11T09:20:00.000-08:00

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...

2011-03-08T13:37:00.000-08:00

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 ...

2011-03-01T13:36:00.000-08:00

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.

Half Term In The Rockie Mountains...

2011-03-01T13:01:00.000-08:00

The last week of February saw half term at Ralston School so we thought we would make the most of it and off to the Rockies we went for a spot of skiing. We drove up midweek and was up on Thursday morning all ready to hit the slopes at Sunshine Village. However as we came off the highway we were stopped at the beginning of the drive up the mountain to be told that due to the extreme cold -32degrees the mountain was not opening until much later. So with a quick turn around we drove into Banff for morning coffee and a brisk walk around the town - it really was very cold. We then came to the conclusion that there would be a lot of people waiting for the lifts to open at Sunshine (especially people who had caught the bus up the mountain and had no way of leaving) so headed off to Norquay instead.

This was our first time skiing at Norquay and although much smaller than Lake Louise and Sunshine is was fine for an afternoon ski - again we could only manage 3 runs before coming in to warm up and then out again. Tegan and Fraser were not particularly enjoying the afternoon so by 4pm we called it a day and headed back to the Copperstone Hotel where we were staying and jumped into the hot tub. So the remainder of the evening was spent in the hot tub with a G&T before tea and bed.

Friday morning we drew back the curtains to be met with glorious bright blue sky with not even a whisper of a cloud - however we knew immediately that ment cold. Yet again it was so cold Sunshine was not opening until 11am - so with a lazy start we eventually made our way up the mountain. This time the afternoons skiing was awesome!!! The slopes were extremely empty, the views of the mountains surrounding us with clear blue skies were breadth taking - the only problem was that it was still so cold my camera would not work, hence no pictures. Tegan and Fraser skied really well and it was great fun us all sking together. Eventually it was time to leave the slopes so we skied off the mountain back to the car. Tegan and Fraser both had fantastic afternoons along with finding as many jumps through the trees as they could.

Back at the hotel it was hot tub time, then Fraser managed to cut his big toe open so rather than turning the hot tub red we made a quick dash back to our room for Chris to carryout first aid - I am a poor mum when it comes to blood.

Saturday morning it was decided that due to Fraser's toe he couldn't put on his ski boots, so Tegan and I went skiing for a girls morning whilst Chris and Fraser went into Banff. The boys had a great time as they went and watched some ladies curling and then for over an hour watched Timbits Ice Hockey. For those of you who are not aware Tim Hortons is a national institution in Canada - they serve good coffee and doughnuts, they also sponsor many children activities and one of them is junior hockey - hence the name Timbits. Fraser thought it was great watching children his age and a little older playing hockey, Chris thought it was hilarious watching them fall over. Whilst the boys were doing boy things Tegan and I had a great morning skiing the slopes of Sunshine.

After a quick change back at the hotel we drove to Calgary Saddledome to watch the Calgary Hitmen(3) vs Kelowna Rockets(4) ice hockey match. This was a treat for Tegan and Fraser, especially Fraser who's face was a picture when he entered the Saddledome to see how big it was and the noise levels were amazing. So with our hotdogs, fries and drinks we settled into our seats to watch the game. The standard of play is extremely fast, at points you lost sight of the puck but a great game to watch. It was 9.45pm by the time the game finished and we set of with the other hundreds of people to drive out of the city centre and back to Canmore.

Prairie Rose Club Wives Winter Exercise...

2011-02-18T11:55:00.000-08:00

Friday 4 Feb - After taking Tegan and Fraser to school, walked Jinx round the prairie I rushed home and packed my bag for a weekend away with 59 other girls up in the Rockie Mountains. I was on the Prairie Rose wives winter exercise which is kindly organised by volunteer girls who run the PRClub. So with bags packed we all met in the gym car park to board our coach, as there were so many of us we actually had a coach and 2 smaller mini buses. After a while on the coach the games began, first off was a couple of games of bingo - great fun on a coach with 45 girls getting very excited - followed by a general knowledge quiz. Before we knew it we had arrived at TEC. TEC is an Army adventure training base which provides great training for the guys who come out to Canada and kindly accommodated all of us wives. The facilities are fairly basic but all the equipment they provide are top class.

So we were all allocated our dorms with 20 girls in each. After picking a bed and unpacking it was time to get into our Superheros costumes for the party that evening. Five of us had decided to go as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the 5th one being 'mummy turtle' - Noo took on that role to perfection. After supper we all headed to another building for the games to begin. Once again the PRC girls had organised a range of games which were great fun, albeit a little chaotic at some points. The Turtles were voted the best superheros - after which we could all take off our army sleeping bags by this time were far too hot. The evening was great fun with girls trailing off to their dorms as and when they were ready, a few hardcore girls carried on until late into the night. Mind you even if you had gone to bed earlier you were never going to get to sleep with some much coming and going and the lights on.

Due to the large number of girls the following morning the first 40 were on the coach at 8am after breakfast at 7am in order to get to Spray Lakes for dog sledging. Needless to say there were girls who were worse for wear and needed several brown paper bags! Our coach could not make the journey up the mountain to Spray Lakes so we were collected by Howling Dog tours and onto 3 smaller mini buses for the ride up the mountain. Our guide was very informative and happy to answer all our questions about the dogs and the mountain area we were in. Spray Lakes were originally 15 smaller lakes until they were merged together in order to form the reservoir and hydro-electric development which now generates power for Canmore and the rest of the Bow River Valley.

On our arrival all the dogs were waiting for us to start our experience of dog sledging. We split up into 3's for each sledge along with a guide. We were allowed to assist in harnessing the dogs and then I held the line for all the dogs to be attached to. The noise of the dogs barking, due to excitement, was astonishing and you couldn't hold a conversation. I started off the ride standing on the back of the sledge with the guide whilst the other two girls sat in the sledge, covered with blankets. Although there were 7 dogs on each sledge the ride wasn't as fast as we all thought it would be - saying that it was great fun. Being on the back you had to be prepared to jump off and help push round corners or up an incline to assist with the dogs. Trust me - whilst pushing round a corner which has some car tires as a barrier, I managed to catch the edge of one and fell off - after a quick catch up with the dogs and sledge we were off again. Half way round the ride we stopped by Spray Lake and got to walk on the frozen lake and have hot chocolate. Then it was back on the sledge for the ride home. This time I took a place in the sledge with Mel and all our blankets, whilst Sam D got to ride on the back. Arriving back at the meeting place all the dogs were given snacks and water containing chicken soup for taste. After a few cuddles with the dogs we were back on the buses.

Next Tubing. We were driven to Norquay ski slope which has three lanes dedicated to tubing. We all set off up the slope grabbing an inflated ring and either dragging it all the way up the slope - a little hard work involved or for those that wanted a slightly easier ascent they could hitch their tube onto a lift and be dragged up. At the top you lined up on one of the 3 lanes and waited for your turn to be launched down the slope for a 20 second blast. Sam T and I then made it our mission to walk up the slope everytime and to get do as many runs we could - after 2 hours we managed 10 goes of being whizzed round and round down the slopes - fantastic fun.

Back on the bus and off into Banff for supper at a local pub, we also joined up with the other group who had done the same activities just in reverse order. We all spent a couple of hours at the pub enjoying the food and beer and catching up with each other and comparing activities. Then the final activity was Banff Hot Springs - just what was needed after tubing. It was snowing as we arrived at the springs, approx 7.30pm ish and the poor unsuspecting people all ready in the springs didn't know what hit their quiet Saturday night when 60 British girls 'quietly' not! jumped in. It was a great evening outside in the pool with the snow falling. The picture left is before we all made a splash, see bottom of the page.

History of Banff Upper Hot Springs:

Pre-1880’s Canada’s Native people were the first to soak in the hot springs. These were sacred waters – a place to cure illness and maintain health.

1882 Canadian Pacific Railway workers discover the Cave and Basin Hot Springs at the foot of Sulphur Mountain. The discovery captures the attention of the nation and leads to the creation of Banff Canada's first national park.

1884 Europeans visit the Upper Hot Springs for the first time.

1886 Construction of the first log shack and the Grand View Villa and bathhouse, later known as the Grand View Hotel.

1901 Grand View Villa is destroyed by fire and rebuilt.

1904 Construction of the first government facility at the Upper Hot Springs, on the site of today's Rimrock Resort. The facility offers two cement plunge basins, several bath tubs and a 7.2 m x 7.2 m swimming basin.

1915 The Upper Hot Springs road opens to motorists.

1931 The Grand View Villa burns again. The federal government acquires the lease for the property and begins work on the Upper Hot Springs bathhouse.

Banff Upper Hot Springs pool and bathers circa 1932" width="250" height="166">
Banff Upper Hot Springs pool and bathers circa 1932
© Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies / V488(52)D, circa 1932

1932 On July 1, the Upper Hot Springs bathhouse opens, complete with sulphur water swimming pool, plunge baths, steam rooms, tubs, showers and dressing rooms. It’s splendour rivals the famous spas of Europe.

1961 The pool is reconstructed and the interior of the bath house modified.

1995 Restoration of the bathhouse to its 1932 appearance occurs. The restored bathhouse opened in August 1996 with a new spa, restaurant and gift shop as added services.

2001 Pleiades Massage and Spa expands space within the bath house and offers a greater range of services to visitors.

After our time in the springs was up it was time for the drive back to TEC by which time most of us girls were all feeling very sleepy.

Sunday - Up again for breakfast - 7 - 7.30am not much of a Sunday slow start. This mornings activity was snow shoeing at Johnston Canyon. We were met in the carpark by our guides and split up into smaller groups. Eight of us and Geoff (our guide) set off up the canyon, Geoff was extremely eager to tell us everything about the canyon and was a fantastic guide.

The canyon is divided into the Lower Falls and the Upper Falls. Obviously at the time of year we took the walk all the waterfalls were frozen into amazing ice structures glistening in the winters sun. Geoff imparted his knowledge of all the transformations which had taken place over the many many years the canyon took to form and the wildlife that inhabits the area. We made it up to the Upper Falls where Geoff pulled out hot chocolate and maple cookies for a snack whilst admiring the views. I would love to go back during the summer to hear the thunderous sound of the rushing water down the canyon.

Finally it was back to TEC, clear our rooms and onto the bus for the drive back to Ralston and our families.

The PRC girls who organised the weekend worked really hard throughout the weekend and provided us all with a fantastic time away.

Wildlife in our very own Garden...

2011-02-11T16:13:00.000-08:00

With the mountains of snow that we have around the village there is an abundance of wildlife, primarily very hard rabbits and herds of deers. The deers are becoming far too tame as people have been feeding them, although notices have been placed on the BFBS broadcasting channel informing us not to feed. They have also worked out how to knock your bin lid off and pull all the rubbish out - very annoying not at all cute.

However it is a lovely sight to open your curtains and see the deers that have been sleeping for the night in your garden. Tegan and Fraser are continuously excited when the deers are there.

Burns Night & Med Hat Tigers....

2011-01-31T19:54:00.000-08:00

Friday 28 January - Chris and I attended the annual Burn's Night held in the Offr's Mess. The mess had been decorated in a Scottish theme with coates of arms adorning the walls all of which had been covered in material, tartan runners were laid down all the tables, a false fireplace had been erected with antlers each side and a picture of the Queen and Rabbie Burn's.

The team of organisers had worked extremely hard and transformed the mess. On entering the mess a 'young Rabbie Burns' was working hard on his poetry, although his poems were a little flaky! Robert Burns was born 25 January 1759 - 21 July 1796, he was also known as Rabbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son. We were all piped into dinner where we enjoyed a traditional dinner of haggis with tatties & neeps - lovely.

The dinner commenced with the address to the haggis and the immortal memory- all in Scottish obviously, some of which went totally over my head (a foreign language to most of us). Throughout the dinner several people stood up either reciting a poem or addressing the laddies & lassies. Also members of the Medicine Hat Scottish Country Dancers kindly came and danced for us all, all very entertaining. Eventually the dinner finished and it was time to take to the dance floor for some reeling. Chris, as always at Burns Night, declined from reeling so I found myself a partner and managed to do a few dances, not particularly well but great fun. We got home at 2.45am after a fantastic night. It is still very strange, but lovely, going out in DJ and posh frocks with your snow boots on and snow falling as you drive home.

Unfortunately the remainder of the weekend I was ill and stayed in bed, hence Chris was in charge and took Tegan and Fraser on Sunday to Ralston Arena to meet the Medicine Hat Tigers - much to Fraser's excitement. Although when it came to skating with guys from the team Fraser suddenly became shy.

My Heart's In the Highlands - Robert Burns

Farewell to the highlands, farewell to the North
The birth place of Valour, the country of Worth;
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,
The hills of the Highlands for ever I love.

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,
My heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer;
Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.

Sylvan Lake...

2011-01-31T18:22:00.000-08:00

Friday 21 January - International Pot Luck Supper. Laura (the Base Commander's Wife) and a group of girls organised an international pot luck supper for all the girls in the village which took place in the Jubilee Arms basement. The intention was to bring along as many different dishes from around the world - not sure where my pasta salad really comes from!! Laura and her band of helpers did an amazing job decorating the basement and providing us all with games to participate in. My favourite was the indoor curling - the girls had improvised curling to 4 frozen plastic containers with the bottoms cut out with solid ice inside and 4 floor mops thus throwing the ice containers across the floor to a brilliant marked out zone. There was also a general knowledge quiz and a random game of what you have in your handbag - great if I'd read the advice not to change handbags before coming to the evening; unlike me who got out my tiny bag that contained lipstick, perfume and not much else. By the time I left for my little walk home the snow was falling, something that has happened much more frequently compared to last year. This was slightly concerning as we were due to leave for Sylvan Lake, Red Deer north of Calgary the following morning.

Saturday morning arrived and the village was yet again covered in more snow; approx another 10 centimeters had fallen. Not to be put off (we are in Canada you know) we shovelled our way to the car, loaded everything in and set off to Sylvan Lake, just outside Red Deer which was approx 31/2 hours away. The first part of the journey from here to Brooks was very gentle journey as the highway was littered with cars that had come off the road and into snow drifts. Slightly worrying when we saw a tanker overturned on the road, which by looking at it had only recently happened. So with plodding along very carefully we made our way up to Calgary and then North to Sylvan Lake. Friends Dave & Helen had very kindly invited us up to Sylvan Lake to go and watch the Red Deer Rebels against the Moose Jaw Warriors. We met Dave and Helen at Sylvan Lake where we put on our skates and had a go at skating on a frozen lake. So many times we have told Tegan and Fraser not to go near a frozen lake as it is dangerous, however, this was a bespoke area organised for skating; there we were encouraging them to skate and play hockey - how fab was this!!! It really was great, there were two areas that had been cleared for skating, along with people out on their skidoos whizzing across the frozen lake, guys in their fishing huts who had drilled holes in the ice to fish (who in their right minds would want to sit in a tiny tiny hut on ice trying to catch a fish!!??) the whole lake had an amazing community feel about it. So after a while skating and playing hockey - according to Fraser the boys won - we headed to Dave and Helen's house to drop off our bags.

Then it was into the cars for a 15 min drive into Red Deer to the ENMAX Centrium stadium. After buying our tickets we walked into an amazing stadium with all the hustle and bustle before a game. Tegan and Fraser's faces were alight with all the noise and things going on. Our seats were up in the gods so after a Everest climb we took our seats ready for the game, before deciding we needed some food and refreshments. As always the atmosphere in the ice hockey stadiums is amazing not only with the music playing but the loyalty of all the teams supporters there to shout and cheer the loudest - absolutely brilliant. Pleased to say that the Red Deer Rebels won the game with an exciting finish - Moose Jaw Warriors pulled their goalie in order to put another player on the ice in an attempt to get a goal - however the Rebels made a long shot down the ice and into the unattended goal - huge cheers from the crowd, including all of us.

So back to Dave and Helen's and kids to bed whilst we sat up drinking and chatting until 2am - needless to say it was a slow start Sunday morning, Helen very kindly providing much needed bacon sandwiches. On the way home we called into Cross Iron Mills - a large indoor shopping mall in Calgary - Fraser wanted to look at skate boards - his new thing and is currently saving all his pocket money towards one - here comes the summer - as I write this it is -43degrees!!! A great weekend enjoyed with very good friends.

A Week Of Snow....

2011-01-16T18:18:00.000-08:00

10 January - the week has been an endless 'dumping' of snow. 7am on Monday morning it was announce on the BFBS morning radio show that school was closed due to the roads being inaccessible, at this point Fraser punched the air and shouted 'yesss'. So with a slow start to the day we eventually made it across to the gym (trudging through thigh high snow on the kids, at one point it was easier for them to crawl than walk) in order for me to do a Zumba fitness class whilst Tegan and Fraser ran round the gym with friends. Later that day we went out again to play on the massive snow pile at the edge of Porton Place, this is a cul-de-sac and the snow plough drives round the circle and leaves all the snow in one large pile at the end, perfect for sledging. Sam kindly then fed all the children tea and before I knew it the none school day had suddenly disappeared, not so bad.

Tuesday 3 of us made a quick dash out of the village in order to buy in provisions as it was reported that it would snow for the remainder of the week and there really is only so much you can buy in the Canex, it is not famous for its fresh produce or range of goods (however it can be very handy at times). So we called into Costco and not only came out with food but also 7 boxes of snorkel, masks and flippers, Spring coats, swimming costumes, sledges and an inversion table.

That night the Icemen played the Chieftans. It was also the decision making night for who had grown the best mustache in the Icemen team. Most of the team members had taken up the challenge and grown some either very hideous caterpillars or some 'barley there' ones. Some of us Icemen wives donned mustaches whilst watching the game. The winner was announce in the pub later that night - 'sexy' Dave won with not only a very large caterpillar but also handlebars up his face. Thank goodness Wednesday morning Chris was freshly shaven and looking good again.

Wednesday and the remainder of the week the snow returned each day gently covering the village deeper and deeper. Walking Jinx has become more of a work out as it can be hard work walking through the snow, then again at -27degree Jinx isn't too keen to go out for very long.

The weekend started around midday for me with lunch at Noo's followed by an afternoon in Sam's hottub with a small bar to hand in the snow. We all then continued the motion with the guys coming round and us all pulling together supper for the kids and adults. The night followed on with Wii Dance and Wii Sing - brilliant fun. Saturday Tegan went round the village with the Girl Guides collecting recycling whilst Fraser went to his ice skating lesson. Chris and I then went to do the Saturday shinney - always good exercise. That evening whilst I relaxed on the sofa watching Eclipse Chris attending a leaving dinner in Medicine Hat. Sunday was a quiet day with a family trip to the swimming pool to test out the new snorkel & mask.
So with the snow falling frequently and lots of shovelling of snow to keep our path and driveway clear January is passing by quickly. The village is also packed with deer wondering around. The deer are becoming very confident and happy to come right up to the houses to get food. It is a wonderful sight as you get up in the morning to see the deer sitting at the front of our house quite happily snuggled into the snow. Along with the deer with have the 'hard as nails' rabbits, they litter the cul-de-sac quite happy hopping along.

First Week Back in Ralston 2011....

2011-01-09T17:22:00.000-08:00

First week back in Ralston since all the Christmas and New Year excitement and still as busy as ever. Chris went back to work on Tuesday and Tegan and Fraser back to school on Wednesday - so some normality is slowly returning. The Icemen met up for training on Wednesday and in true squaddie style they did 21/2 hours of training/shinney - great for the body after not playing for several weeks, along with another shinney Friday afternoon.

Monday & Tuesday Tegan and Fraser finally got round to playing with some of their Christmas gifts. Fraser spent several hours on a crystal mining set - slowly chiselling away at a block of rock - or rather in Fraser's way beating it hard. He finally gathered 13 rocks and was delighted at cleaning them all and lining them up. Tegan began sewing her bag - her first go at sewing - it could take quite a while to complete, but is looking good.

Wednesday I had my first trip back to the physio to see how my wrist/arm is progressing. Obviously skiing has been a great form of physio and my wrist is healing really well. Back to ice hockey for me then next week.
Saturday morning we woke up to a blizzard ragging throughout the village. Tegan and Fraser were due to return to their skating classes but everything was cancelled. Slowly the village disappeared as the snow grew higher and higher. Chris ventured out to take Jinx on a very short walk by which time Jinx's face was frozen from the snow and Chris couldn't see the village or anything else. So we shut all the doors and stayed inside. We didn't appreciate how bad the weather actually was until we heard stories of cars overturned on the highway and a Greyhound coach that had been in a fatal accident about 2 hours up the highway causing the road to be closed. Several people from the village who were due to return have had to book into hotels anywhere they can find them.

Sunday the Devils ice hockey team were due to host their annual PSP match. This is where the 1st year Devils get to play against the PSP staff (Canadian gym staff) which is a comedy to watch. Again due to the weather this was cancelled but in its place was a Devils shinney - much to my delight this meant I could return to the ice and get a game - exciting after 3 1/2 months of not even stepping on the ice. We had a fantastic game - Blacks vs Reds and everyone was in good spirits. It had also been arranged for a pot luck Sunday roast to take place after the PSP match so this carried on with about 80 people going to the basement for lunch. Due to all the time changes Chris stayed home and cooked all the parsnips (my contribution towards the lunch) and swept our pathway for 11/2 hours whilst I played ice hockey. We then all went for Sunday lunch and had a great afternoon with friends in the village. The Medicine Hat Tigers were also due to come to the arena but again this was cancelled due to the weather - fingers crossed they will reschedule as Fraser was so excited.
It is a wondererous thing living in Canada and experiencing so many different things - everything from the blizzards where you step out of your door and sink knee deep to having some deers pop along for a bit of a snack. Thursday afternoon I was sweeping the path, a daily ritual almost when along walked a couple of deers, so I couldn't resist cutting up an apple and feeding them.

Rec Ski - Canmore...

2011-01-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

26 Dec - Boxing Day we were up at a reasonable time, sorting out the house and packing the car yet again with all our ski equipment, bags and Jinx. Then it was off to Canmore for a week of Rec Ski - the General Fund in BATUS kindly provides skiing at subsidised cost with tuition during the ski season for all military personnel and dependants. It is not quite so much of a holiday more a chance to get good ski tuition with few people in each group. Boxing Day was a friends daughter's 5th birthday so as soon as we arrived at the Copperstone Hotel we deposited Fraser at Eleanor's party and then unpacked whilst he was playing.

27 Dec - Monday morning we were all up at 6.15am - we were sharing a 3 bedroom condo with Sam & Andy. Chris set off to walk Jinx whilst I was sorted out breakfast and made packed lunches with Sam before we left the hotel at 7.15am - still very dark outside. The first day of Rec Ski is slightly more frantic as we have to get our passes in order to get onto the mountain and get Fraser register at Tiny Tigers. Tegan, Chris and myself were all in different groups whilst Fraser was booked into Tiny Tigers each morning including an hours ski lesson. Chris and I then took it in turns to look after Fraser in the afternoon - he very much wanted to ski with us and not stay in Tiny Tigers all day. So after a very long day we returned to the Copperstone and jumped into the hot tub - which is actually the size of a small swimming pool - great for all of us. The weather on the mountain on Monday was snow with very low visibility but warm well if you count -10degrees ok.

The rest of the week continued in the same routine, awake and up early (Tegan refusing to get up and Fraser announcing 'its toooooo early') ski all day, hot tub, supper and bed. We did however managed to play cribbage several nights (a new game to me but really good) and Sam & John came round for a few drinks a couple of nights. The weather remained to snow Mon - Wed hence giving us brilliant conditions to ski on, light powder on the pisted slopes making a slightly different experience than skiing at Whitefish. Sam was off snowboarding with Francesca, Tegan was in a group with her friends, I was having a great time with my group and Andy & Chris were off in the Advanced Group - or rather the crazy, off piste powder skiers, where you lost your skies under 4ft of snow and then had to dig them out!!!!

Thursday and Friday the sun came out with amazing crystal blue skies however the temperature plummeted going down to -27degrees (that is without windchill) - the scenery was breathtaking and skiing was totally different.

31 Dec - New Years Eve - Early evening Chris and I took the children into Canmore to visit the Pond. This is a real tradition in Canmore where all the locals meet to skate on the frozen pond, drink hot chocolate and eat hot dogs whilst a couple of bonfires burn and music is playing. It felt a very nostalgic thing to do and a great way to start New Years Eve. AJ & Kay also joined us on the pond along with their children and very kindly gave Tegan and Fraser some sparklers. Fraser & Tegan had a great time sliding along the ice until Fraser managed to fall a couple of times and bang his head. Suddenly we started to get very cold - it was approx -22degrees at this time so time to return to our condo and meet up with everyone else.

Before we knew it Sam T had conjured up a fantastic smorgasbord of delight (not bad from what was left in our fridge & cupboards) with Sam D bringing along more bits & pieces. And so we continued with New Years eve festivities, eating and drinking. We got to 10.30pm and then started to drain - so we turned the clocks to 11.58pm and duly celebrated the stricking of midnight with Auld Lang Syne and then went to bed. Chris and Andy decided to watch a film then just after midnight AJ & Kay arrived with a bottle of fizz to celebrate - finding the rest of us gone to bed - so the boys carried on.

We departed the Copperstone on New Years day and drove back to Ralston. We truly had a fantastic month of December spending time with so many good friends.

Christmas in Ralston...

2011-01-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

So after our adventure in Whitefish we returned to Ralston for 3 days to enjoy Christmas at home. Chris popped into Med Hat on the 23rd Dec to buy all the vegetables and trimmings ready for Christmas Day and a few last minute christmas purchases. Christmas Eve we allwent out for drinks & supper at Stuart and Zoe's in the village and managed to sing a few carols around a real fire, although I did sing very badly! Then it was home for some frantic christmas present wrapping before leaving the obigatory mince pie, cookie, carrot and milk for Father Christmas.

25 Dec - Tegan and Fraser kindly woke up just after 7am then it was downstairs for bucks fizz and the opening of all the presents left by Father Christmas - it is a wonderous thing listening to the excitement and gasps of young children when Father Christmas has been and left so many presents. Once all the presents were open and Tegan and Fraser were happily playing with everything, although with the odd cry of 'please build this' we rang friends and family in the UK. Even Jinx had a present kindly sent from Tonia & Les, it didn't take her long to tear the paper off to find a selection of bones - yum.

It was then time to get dressed and go round to Sam & Andy's for lunch, as they had the largest house they had kindly agreed to host us all, along with Sam & John and all our children. There were 13 of us sitting down to lunch and with all the food that we had, another 3 families could have easily eaten. We ate like kings and drank lots of fizz and soon had tummies like the rolly pollys!! During the afternoon more friends joined us for drinks and games. By 9.30pm we were all finished and it was time for home - Boxing Day we were all driving up to Canmore to start Rec Ski on the Monday.

The 3 magnificant christmas day cooks - well done, the rest of us were pot washers or drink filler-upers!!

Leaving Whitefish...

2010-12-22T19:36:00.000-08:00

Wed 22 Dec - Unfortunately our time in Whitefish was up and we had to vacate the house by 10am. So after saying goodbye to the Teskey and Dunn families, who still had another day to enjoy - which we were highly jealous of - we handed in our keys and set off for the 7 hour journey home.

The house that we hired was brilliant for 2 families giving us all plenty of room with lovely views from all windows and the best bit skiing from our back door. Not forgetting the hot tub which at the end of each day was so soothing especially with a pint of gin & tonic. Everything about Big Mountain was great from the slopes, lift guys, staff in the coffee shops and admin office. We had a couple of problems in the house when we first arrived and within 2 days everything had been mended or sorted.

So as we left Whitefish we passed a shop that sold wooden carved bears which we had seen previously on our trip to Montana. With a 'u' turn we popped in a bought a new addition to our house - large black hand carved bear to sit at the front door.

Our journey home to Ralston was great, yet again the sun was out making the trip so much easier. With one quick stop for lunch we were home by 5pm and collected Jinx shortly after who had been staying with friends in Ralston as we were unable to take her to Whitefish.

Skiing & Snow Mobiling...

2010-12-22T18:59:00.000-08:00

Mon 20 Dec - We had a day of skiing with snow falling, so visibility wasn't great although not too bad. Fraser again went on the jump park for a while. All the time we have been in Whitefish the temperature has only gone to about -10 degrees which has been pleasant after living in Ralston where it is so much colder.

As we came home, skiing to our back door, Andy was on his balcony (2 doors down from our house) so it was game on for a snowball fight. This then progressed from the balcony down onto the snow with Chris, Fraser and myself against Andy, Mia, Francesca, Millie and Olivia - not sure who won as we started changing sides. Great fun with the light fluffy snow - however it is not great for making snowballs.

Tue 21 Dec - We were all up, dressed and up to the summit of the mountain by 8.30 am as we had booked to go snow mobiling for the morning. Unfortunately there had been an admin error and the guide was unaware of our booking so it was agreed that we would return that afternoon. However the benefit of being on the mountain so early was the amazing sunrise that we watched.

So after skiing for a couple of hours in the morning we repeated the journey again this time to meet our guide. After a brief introduction to the snow mobiles we jumped aboard and set off. The day could not have been more perfect as the mountains were in their glory of sun and snow. From the summit we dropped off to one side in order to take the routes designated for snowmobiling. The first section was a drop down bending round a couple of corners - I must have missed the comment on where exactly the brake was and therefore went whizzing past Chris and the guide with a look of horror on my face - I soon figured out all the relevant controls.

We got to see many miles of the mountains of Whitefish going at speeds of up to 60kmph much to Tegan and Fraser's delight. At one point our path was blocked by a fallen tree so with a small tight path to the side we all managed to get past and continue on our journey, however on the return leg I managed to sink my machine in the soft snow - it would happen to the girl driver!

It was a fantastic afternoon and such an experience for Tegan and Fraser. Towards the end both children were ready to go home as their feet and hands were beginning to get cold but after a hot chocolate and brownie they were more than happy.

Cafe Kandahar...

2010-12-20T15:54:00.000-08:00

Sun 19 Dec - Noo, Richard, Chris and I went out for a very grown up dinner at Cafe Kandahar which we could walk to from our house on Whitefish Mountain.

So getting all dressed up - well as much as the Canadians do - clean pair of jeans, bit of jewellery and heels we stomped across the snow to the restaurant (obviously not in heels but snow boots).

Kandahar Lodge is the only hotel on Whitefish mountain and the restaurant has received fabulous reviews - serving out of the ordinary cuisine using very local produce, the restaurant even had white table clothes - not usually found in Canada/America.

So with pre-dinner drinks in the lounge we then took our seats in the restaurant for what was to be a 5 course dinner - thank goodness I had only had a bowl of soup for lunch! Between the four of us our choices of food ranged from pork belly, duck& liver moose, skirt of bison, asparagus & mushroom, rack of lamb, fois grais, scorpion fish, elk roulade, chocolate volcano & chocolate tasting plate - all of the food done in exceptional sauces complementing the different flavours.

Eventually we finished dinner and walked back to our house - very thankful for the walk as our tummies were groaning but happy!!

Snow Ghost Trees...

2010-12-19T13:34:00.000-08:00

Sun 19 Dec - A day of glorious skiing with amazing scenery. Again skied from our back door down to the base lift, a quick warm up run on Chipmunk run and then off up the mountain. We skied several runs during the morning before stopping for a hot chocolate and bumping into Noo & Richard. Noo and I decided we would go up to the summit and ski one of the long routes down - this was Noo's first time at the very top of the mountain and she had a great time and did really well.

Chris and Fraser then decided to go off and do some boy stuff including going to the jump park - Fraser is loving his new found confidence but definitely pushing the boundaries of his ability.

Tegan and I took a couple of lifts up the mountain and then skied Home Again to our back door.

Tegan's 7th Birthday...

2010-12-18T21:14:00.000-08:00

Sat 18 Dec - Tegan's 7th Birthday in Whitefish, Montana. Tegan started her birthday off with a breakfast in IHOP - International House of Pancakes where she chose the biggest chocolate pancake on the menu - luckily she couldn't quite finish it all. Followed by a little shopping in Kalispell and after dropping me back off at our house on the mountain Chris took Tegan and Fraser off to the cinema to see Yogi Bear. Whilst they were at the cinema I rushed around preparing all the food (with help from Noo) and getting the house ready for a 'surprise' party - that was really Tegan's only request for her birthday.

Luckily for Tegan a lot of her friends were also in Whitefish therefore we were having a party for 10 children. So with everyone here we awaited for her arrival, by which time it was snowing so the drive up the mountain took a little longer for Chris. The house that we have rented has a mezzanine balcony which was a great place for everyone to hide and then shout 'surprise' - Tegan's face was a picture. So with food, helium balloons and music the evening went great. All the children were happy playing so the evening continued with all the adults having a few drinks!

I even manged to get a fudge brownie cake made by a local coffee shop on the mountain and Noo very kindly did some icing on the cake - Tegan was more than happy and had a fabulous birthday - not bad for a 7 year old skiing in Whitefish.

Whitefish, Montana...

2010-12-17T14:39:00.001-08:00

Mon 13 Dec - we left Ralston and drove to Whitefish, Montana, USA in 7 hours with a few stops on the way. The drive was fairly painless as the roads were so empty. We arrived at the house we have hired on Big Mountain at 7pm and friends Noo and Richard kindly had tea ready for us all. After a tour round the house, which is brilliant and very comfortable, we ate supper and jumped into the hot tub. The house has 6 levels going from the garage to boot room/den/bedroom/washroom to lounge/kitchen/dinning room to king bedroom to gallery & 2nd king bedroom - more than enough room for us all. Together with 3 balconies and small patio with hot tub where you can ski from our backdoor onto the slopes.

Unfortunately Tue was a day of rain so it became our admin day and food shop. Kalispell is approx 20mins down the road and has all the large shops that you need, along with Churches for every religion. Whitefish is also a lovely town with many boutiques and local small shops.

Wed we were up and ready for skiing, although the lifts do not open until 9.30am so a reasonable start to the day. We spent several hours on Chipmunk (green run) in order to get our ski legs back and then took several high runs including Home Again which took us to our back door - fantastic.

So we have skied Wed/Thu/Fri and the weather each day has improved - today we skied in glorious sunshine still with not many people on the slopes. All the lift guys are really helpful and friendly and the amenities are great, along with gorgeous scenery. Tomorrow it is Tegan's birthday so a surprise party has been ordered by the 6year old going on 7!!!

Dec 10 Catch Up...

2010-12-12T20:15:00.001-08:00

Fraser doing a bit of surfing down the only hill in Ralston. Great fun going down shame about the walk back up the hill.

We are in full swing of winter with temperatures going from zero down to -24 degrees - your nose hairs start to freeze at this point!

SSAFA Christmas Fair - Father Christmas arrives by helicopter to the joy of the children.

The fair was held in Ralston's theatre on Sunday 28 Nov and was well supported by the community. It was fantastic seeing Tegan and Fraser's face as the helicopter landed and father christmas stepped out onto the snow. They both decided to whizz inside and get into the queue to see him - their quick thinking got them 2nd in the queue.

During the fair a raffle was held which we bought tickets for. The table was full of good prizes and amazingly we won a prize. Chris let Tegan go up to the table and pick the prize - luckily she chose a nights stay at the Copperstone Hotel up in Canmore - fantastic more skiing.

Treasure Island at Ralston School. The Missoula Children's Theatre came to Ralston School and gave the children a chance at performing. Tegan was picked from Grade 2 to take part - as a seagull. She was thrilled to be picked and thought her seagull costume was great. The children had rehearsals Tue - Thur and then put on 2 shows during Friday. So we all went to Ralston theatre to watch the performance which was surprisingly good considering the very short period they had to learn the play. Well done to everyone.

Canadian Pacific Railway Holiday Train....

2010-12-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

Holidays are coming, holidays are coming...

Tegan, Fraser and I took a trip to down town Medicine Hat to participate in an annual community event tonight - to see the Canadian Pacific Railway Christmas holiday train, which visits over 140 communities along its network. This is a huge annual event with lots of locals turning up to the railway siding to witness the magical illuminated train with all its flashing sparkly lights. The Medicine Hat community provided free hot chocolate and cookies (as much as you liked much to the delight of Fraser) for everyone that came with donations made to the food bank. Noo, Lexi and Harry also joined us with all the children very excited, or was that Noo and myself!

After a short wait the train arrived much to our delight, just after 5pm. The main locomotive was lit up followed by four carriages carrying the Canadian Pacific name, two more carriages decorated with lights and then a carriage with a large metal section in the middle, this was positioned infront of the crowd. Then the metal side was lowered and there was Rocking Santa and his band. We were then entertained for 20 minutes by a brilliant band - Noo had a beaming smile across her face - this really felt like Christmas had arrived. Obviously we were standing on snow with temperatures about -15degrees.

At this point we were in high spirits and decided that we all deserved to go out for Pizza. So after a visit to Boston Pizza, which we all admitted was very nice it was time to drive back to Ralston with tired children, especially as it was only Tuesday night.

History:

The Holiday Train Program began in 1999 with a handful of communities and a few lights on a freight train. Today, with its hundreds of thousands of festive lights and a live show featuring well known performers, it's one of Canadian Pacific's main ambassadors in working with communities in Canada and the United States and is the only fundraiser of its kind for food banks in North America. Since the program's inception, more than 4.8 million in cash and over 2.3 million pounds of food has been collected in Canada and the United States.

Winter Has Arrived...

2010-11-21T15:20:00.000-08:00

Mon 17 Nov - Chris left BATUS on Monday afternoon for a 1 1/2 week trip back to the UK visiting Engineer Regiments around the country.

Tuesday morning I woke up to hear a message on the radio announcing that Ralston school would be closed for the day. I then looked out the window to see a snow storm going on and 70mph winds, by which time Tegan and Fraser were excited about no school. Some of the day was spent in the gym and ice arena and then an afternoon at home, during which time the snow storm had not stopped and the village was covered in snow but also ice due to the high winds and low temperature. Needless to say it has snow for the last 6 days and it looks like christmas has arrived - or so says Fraser.

Each morning now begins 1/2 hour earlier in order to put on all our winter clothes, including Jinx with her coat. Instead of cycling to school we are back on the sledge. So with Chris in England and a broken arm shovelling the path is not much fun but Fraser does insist on helping - then I'm back to square one. Some of the days have been sunny which makes everything look beautiful, once the sun disappears it is time to hibernate.

BFBS Tournament...

2010-11-19T15:25:00.000-08:00

Sat 13 Nov saw the start of a weekend full of hockey. All day Saturday the BFBS tournament took place in Ralston's arena which was hosted by BFBS radio and the Devils. The BFBS tournament is a big part of the season as all teams play against each other including 2 Devils teams. The first puck drop was at 8am (much to Chris's disappointment no lie in for him on a Saturday morning) with the Icemen vs Orange Oilers - unfortunately the Oilers won. However I have to say the Icemen played really well during the tournament probably helped by the brufen and beer in the changing room during breaks!

The Devils had a table full of fantastic raffle prizes along with an auction for several activities/donations given by other players such as sports massage, personal training, karate lessons, swimming lessons, brownies, photography and a cooked meal for up to 6 people. The tournament is a big fund raiser for the Devils so everyone helped out. The Wildcats (junior hockey) also had a table selling cakes and hot waffles which went down very well.

All the games lasted 20mins with a constant turn over of games. During some of the floods BFBS held games for the children including 'pass the parcel' and the best one - pushing children sitting on a tray down the ice, not sure who had more fun the children or the adults pushing. Picture Fraser 2nd from left.

The final game took place just after 5pm with the Flyers vs Black Oilers. They had a great game but unfortunately it came down to penalty shots. After both teams scoring 1-1, then both missing the tension was great, finally the Flyers scored.

That evening we all got dressed up - well put on a pair of jeans and our respective hockey tops and went to party. So along with lots of drinking, a good curry, disco and Sam T doing the auction it was a fantastic day. Chris and I left just after 1.30am.

Sunday Tegan and Fraser had their skating lessons after which we jumped into the car to go and watch the NHL Oltimers vs Med Hat Fire Brigade ice hockey game in Medicine Hat.

The Oltimers had two Hockey Hall of Fame members - Bryan Trottier and Glenn Anderson. The rest of the team was Bob Bourne, Dave Ellett, Jimmy Mann, Warren Skorodenski, Thomas Steen & Jack Valiquette. They were all amazing skaters and such good entertainers especially considering they were in their 50's. Game play consisted of 3 x 20 mins and inbetween 2 figure skater girls came on - also very good. The other highlight was a group of junior hockey players (aged approx 4-5 yrs old) who came out to play with 3 of the oltimers, the guys were so good with the boys and it was very funny. The final score was 14-7 to the favourites, a great Sunday afternoon. Tegan left with a loud mini horn and Fraser bought a signed mini goalie stick.

Remembrance Day...

2010-11-19T12:25:00.000-08:00

Wed 10 Nov Ralston School held an assembly for Remembrance Day.

All pupils attended along with parents and invited guest from the military. Pupils from Jenner School also attended as they are located fairly near to Ralston and only have about 14 pupils.

All year groups either sang a song or Kindergarten recited a poem whilst holding pictures of poppies. It means a lot to the children of the school as most of the pupils come from a military family, either British or Canadian and are aware of the current wars. It is also good that they learn the history of previous wars.

On the day of the 11th Tegan, Fraser and myself wrapped up warm and set off to attend the official Remembrance Day service at our own cenotaph in Ralston. Luckily the sun was out but the temperature was fairly cool which was not good for the children standing around, or adults. Tegan joined the Brownie group as they all sat together. There were many representatives from the local community, military personal from BATUS and CFB Suffield and guides and scouts. As always the service is very touching especially when the helicopter flew overhead at 11am and dropped hundreds of poppies onto us all below.

Foothills Brass Band...

2010-11-04T18:59:00.000-07:00

Thursday 3 November Ralston School had the Foothills Quintet Brass Band visit the school for the day. Each grade had time with the band and got to learn all about music especially the sounds made from the brass instruments. The members of the band were extremely good at explaining music in the form that children could understand and kept them entertained.

A friend called me to say parents could go up to the school at 2pm to listen to the quintet along with the whole school in the gym. So on with my coat and off I went. It was lovely listening to them play Star Wars and Harry Potter along with many other different tunes. A great experience for the children to be so near to the instruments and players.

Brownies & Halloween...

2010-11-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 20 October Tegan took her Brownie promise and is now a member of the 1st Ralston Girl Guides, previously she had been a Spark (the Canadian equivalent to Rainbows).

Mums and dads were invited to go along and watch them say their promise. So Tegan now has a new t shirt, scarf and toggle to wear each week.

Halloween weekend was a busy one. It started with the MFRC (Military Family Resource Centre) putting on a haunted supper so Tegan and Fraser got dressed up in their first set of costumes.

Friday lunchtime Ralston school had a halloween parade in the gym where all the children could show off their ghoulish outfits.

That evening it was my turn to dress up as it was John's birthday and Sam D had decided to throw him a party. Sam worked all day and turned their house into a haunted house of horrors, it looked amazing with coffins, grave stones and a smoke machine in the front garden. Inside there were cobwebs, spiders, dead people, limbs lying around and pots of 'blow your head off' chilli, even though one pots was supposedly mild! Everyone that came looked fantastic and it was eventually time to go home, the signal was Sam asleep whilst sitting on her dinning room chair.

Saturday evening Tegan was invited to Holly's Halloween party - another outfit - and again had a great time playing games and eating things that were orange. Fraser and I tagged along much to Fraser's enjoyment.

Halloween night finally arrived. The weather in Ralston was dry but getting a little cold not that the children cared it was more about how fast you could run from one house to the next and hold on tight to your ever bulging bag of candy. People in Ralston had made a brilliant effort with many of the houses totally decorated. Chris managed to get home in time to walk round with us. The evening finished with visiting the fire engines that had come down from the base. So with all their loot Tegan and Fraser checked out what they had and I finally managed to get them into bed. Fraser wanted to know if he could do 'trick or treat' again the following night?

Sheila & Alex's Wedding, Vancouver... Part Four

2010-11-04T18:12:00.000-07:00

Sunday we were up fairly early to say our goodbyes and off to the airport. We had a chance to catch up with some of the family over breakfast - Trevor with his hangover was going back to bed. It had been a fantastic opportunity to see so many of Chris's family especially the ones that live in Canada, and the fact of us living in Canada we were able to attend Sheila and Alex's wedding. Vancouver is certainly a place I would like to go back to with all its water, bridges and lovely parks and amazing buildings.

Pat & Rick came to the airport with us as their flight back to the UK was only a couple of hours after ours. As always it is sad saying goodbye to family but we had all had such a fantastic time together and we would be back in the UK next summer. So with hugs and kisses done we waited in our departure lounge for the flight to arrive, much to Fraser's enjoyment at plane spotting.

Our flight was on time and within 1hr 5mins we were back in Calgary collecting cars and driving back to Ralston.

Another adventure over - until next time.....

Sheila & Alex's Wedding, Vancouver... Part Three

2010-11-04T09:13:00.001-07:00

Friday night Rick kindly looked after Tegan and Fraser whilst I went out to dinner with Patsy and Kim - fab night at Earls.

At midnight something crawled into my hotel bedroom - Chris had finally made it to Vancouver. Up to this point Chris had still been out on the prairie working but his boss had agreed to let him have the 36hrs in Vancouver for his cousins wedding (thanks Stuart). I have to say it made my weekend not only to have Chris at the wedding but more help with my broken arm.

Saturday morning Tegan and Fraser came bouncing into my bedroom to jump all over daddy, Chris thought he was going to catch up on some sleep!!! We opened the curtains to a beautiful sunny day - just what you want for a wedding. Breakfast was great as Chris got to see his family and especially his cousins who live in Canada. For us the morning was a slow start, however Tegan had to join Sheila and the bridesmaids to have her hair and makeup done - very exciting for a little girl. Picture right - Sheila's mum and sister - getting ready.
After 'sushi' for lunch as previously mentioned our hotel was surrounded by Chinese and Japanese restaurants it was time to get ready and make our way to Queen Elizabeth Park and The Seasons in the Park restaurant. To our surprise a limo had been arranged to take us all departing from the hotel to the wedding venue - the kids thought it was great.

Sheila and Alex had organised a series of family wedding pictures to be taken in the nearby gardens, much to the interest of all the tourist people walking around, many of them Chinese who then started taking pictures of the wedding party - very odd.

After all the photos were taken we took our places inside for the wedding to start at 6pm. Sheila and Alex had kindly asked Tegan to be flower girl and she knew what she had to do during the
ceremony but we were still unsure of Fraser and if he would carry out his Ring Bearer duties. Just before the wedding ceremony started Sheila gave Fraser a silver badge to wear on his waistcoat - it was in the style of a sheriffs badge with Ring Bearer scrolled on it, I can't believe Sheila remembered it with so much going on, but it did put a big smile on Fraser's face and he loves it.

A little after 6pm the ceremony commenced with the 2 bridesmaids and flower girl walking in to take their places, followed by the guys (Alex's 2 brothers) and Fraser (so far so good) and finally Sheila and her dad. Sheila looked fantastic and her dress was absolutely beautiful. The wedding ceremony was lovely and with approx 50 guest it was very intimate and such a beautiful setting overlooking Vancouver.

Happy to say Fraser stepped upto the mark just at the right moment handing the rings to Sheila and Alex. After the ceremony we had a fantastic dinner and the wine flowed very happily during the speeches. When dinner had finished we all went down a spiral staircase to a dance floor and the night was carried on with a disco. With 2 very tired children it was time to leave. Alex and his family were wonderful and we all had a great time together getting to know new people, always good fun. As far as I know Sheila and Alex's big day went without a hitch and they both smiled all day and night, many congratulations to you both.

Sheila & Alex's Wedding, Vancouver... Part Two

2010-11-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning was spent splashing around with Aunty Kim. Kim, I think, had a fantastic time playing with Tegan and Fraser in the swimming pool and hot tub. Fraser spent a lot of time dive bombing Kim or asking her to come into the hot tub and just as she sighed with relief at the warm temperature he then turned round and jumped back into the considerably cooler swimming pool. Sitting on the sideline it was very entertaining - but many thanks to Kim as the kids had a great time.

By mid morning Rick and I came up with an escape plan - leaving the four sisters to have time together. So we hopped into the car and set of for another Vancouver adventure this time to Granville Island. Granville Island is connect to the city by a small causeway and lies underneath one of the main highways in Vancouver. It is an island that is home to performing arts, art education, dining, artists studios, art galleries, cement factory, brewery, floating houseboats and fabulous public market with lots of fresh food and a great place to have lunch overlooking the waterways. The market place allowed us all to select different types of food for lunch whilst we sat in our window seat watching the aqua bus ferry people from one side of the waterway to the other. After wandering around the market and childrens marketplace, much to the delight of Tegan and Fraser, we then turned down to the shoreline and came across some amazing floating houses. These houses were by no means shabby little boats but two storey luxury homes most of them with ceiling to floor windows with views out onto the water and across to the city, their parking spaces were in the form of boats. We all had a fantastic time at Granville Island with so many things to see and do, a great place to visit and returned to the others full of our adventure.

Friday morning we decided to visit Grouse Mountain. We left the hotel with sunshine but when we arrived at Grouse Mountain the summit was covered from sight by a large grey cloud that did not appear to be moving, all around however was blue sky. So we had a coffee and then went to look at a dam just down the road but judging that the cloud was in fact moving and we should go for it. So the 6 of us (Pat, Rick, Kim, Tegan, Fraser and myself) jumped aboard the skyride and took the 8 minute, 1 mile journey up the mountain standing 3861ft.

Once at the top and with our zips firmly done up (the temperature was a cool 4 degrees - not good for Pasty) we could see the views across Vancouver and the range of things to do on top of the mountain, I got excited seeing all the ski runs - just a few more months to go! Our first point of call was to visit Cooler and Grinder two grizzly bears whose home is Grouse Mountain. They had both been born in June 2001 and although not related had separately become orphaned. Both bears were brought to the mountain refuge for endanger species several years ago and now have a 5 acre habitat to live in. All of us loved seeing the bears and managed to catch a theatre presentation on how the beer cubs were found and their life story so far.

After wandering around the mountain top it was decided we needed warming up so lunch was in order. At this point we noticed lots of people were very sweaty and wearing sports kit (ie not a lot of clothes much to Patsy's shivers). It was then that we found out about the Grouse Grind.

History
Hikers were first recorded on Grouse Mountain back in 1894 when a hunting party shot a blue grouse bird and named the mountain in the bird’s honour. It wasn’t until the 1920’s and early 30’s, however, that Grouse Mountain saw the first big wave of adventurous hikers. Several thousand people flocked to the face of the mountain each year looking to reach the cabins located in the Grouse Mountain village, at the foot of what is now known as The Cut ski run.

The Grouse Grind®, as we know it today, was first developed in 1981 by mountaineers looking for a challenging, convenient aerobic workout to sustain them for their longer hikes. They began by following the existing British Columbia Mountaineering Club trail, which still exists today, and offers a slightly less strenuous climb. People soon wanted a steeper route and about a quarter of the way up began using well-worn animal paths as their guide. The trail route was completed in the winter of 1983.

The Modern Day Revival
The revival began in the early 90s, when the trail was appropriately named the Grouse Grind® in conjunction with the first ever Grouse Grind Mountain Run®, now Western Canada’s premiere trail challenge. Often referred to as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster,” the trail has become part of the fabric of Vancouver. More than 100-thousand hikers a year take on the challenge of the rugged terrain and steep climb, up an approximate 56 per cent slope (30°), which starts at the Valley Station of Grouse Mountain and finishes at the Peak’s plateau.

In 1996, the original cast of builders, along with a number of enthusiasts from the B.C. Federation of Mountaineering Club and Grouse Mountain, rebuilt the trail ensuring optimum safety and enjoyment for the high volume of hikers while maintaining the highest level of environmental protection from erosion.

Length:	2.9 kilometres (1.8 miles)
Elevation Gain:	853 metres (2,800 feet) - Base: 274 metres above sea level (900 feet) - Summit: 1,127 metres (3,700 feet) - Total Stairs: 2,830
Statistics:	Annually, over 100,000 people hike the Grind™.
Average Time:	On average it takes up to an hour and a half to complete the hike. For novice hikers, up to two hours is recommended.
Participants:	Hikers range in age from 7 to 90, with an equal male/female split.

Course Record
The official course record to date for men is 25:01 held by Sebastian Salas set at the 2010 BMO Grouse Grind Mountain Run®. For women, the record is 31:04 held by Leanne Johnston and set at the 2007 event. Unofficially (that is, a record set outside the annual Grouse Grind Mountain Run®) the course record is a blistering 23:48 that is also held by Sebastian Salas.

Sheila & Alex's Wedding, Vancouver... Part One

2010-10-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 12 October, Tegan, Fraser, Pat, Rick and I flew from Calgary to Vancouver to meet up with the rest of the family in order to attend Sheila & Alex's wedding which was taking place on the Saturday. Sheila is Chris's cousin. The Canadian side of Chris's family had not met Tegan and Fraser so it was a fabulous opportunity for us all to spend some time together and Sheila had kindly asked Tegan to be flower girl and Fraser ring bearer.

After a great flight which only took 1hr 15mins we arrived to sunshine which we didn't expect in Vancouver as people told us it only rained there - they were proved very wrong as we had lovely weather all week and perfect for Sheila's wedding on Saturday evening - almost summer like.

Our first point of call after collecting our hire car (which I would like to point out I drove for 5 days with one arm - probably illegal - all around Vancouver with Rick navigating) we dropped our bags of at the hotel (which looked like it was situated in the middle of China town) and then went round to Sheila and Alex's new house in Delta. It was great to meet up with everyone and Tegan and Fraser soon made friends with all the aunts, uncles, cousins & husbands off - they did a get a little confused.

After breakfast on Wednesday morning we all met up and decided to go to Stanley Park. So with a little navigating round 'down town' Vancouver we arrived at the park on a glorious sunny day. The park covers 1,000 acres of forested peninsula and is a Canadian national historic site. There is so much to do in the park from trails, cycling, horse carriage rides, train rides, gardens, totem poles, aquarium, farmyard and much more. The park sits on a peninsula and therefore the scenery is fantastic looking across the Burrard Inlet toward the city centre with all the amazing buildings and condos. It was decided that we would go to the aquarium, whilst the rest of the family went for a walk around the park.

On entering the aquarium we first visited the Tropic Zone which incorporated the Amazon rain forest. Straight away Tegan and Fraser had their noses pushed against the glass tanks looking at the amazing creatures along with Pat, Rick and myself. We then progressed into the Treasures of the BC Coast which again was so interesting to see the vast variety of sea animals in the local area. After spending time looking and learning inside we stepped outside to see the sea otters, sea lions, beluga whales and dolphins, also managing to catch the dolphin show.

Wednesday evening we attended the wedding rehearsal so that Tegan and Fraser could see what they were expected to do. The wedding was taking place at Seasons in the Park situated in Queen Elizabeth park in Vancouver - an amazing setting with fantastic views from the restaurant. We also got to meet other members of Alex's family. At this point I was still not convinced that Fraser would go ahead with being the ring bearer, although he is 'very' outgoing he does get shy in situations where everyone is looking at him. However there was hope - Alex's brother Matthew, who has 3 children, became Fraser's friend and things were looking up. Fingers crossed for Saturday. Very kindly after the rehearsal Alex's mum invited us all round for supper and was a very gracious host providing us with some lovely food and a great evening to get to know their family. Fraser made friends with Matthew's son Thomas and likewise Tegan with Olivia who was 13 years old but played with Tegan.

Thanksgiving...

2010-10-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

Monday 11th October was Thanksgiving in Canada so we decided to cook a big roast turkey on the Sunday (Chris was out on the prairie on the Monday) along with a chocolate bread pudding, should have been pumpkin pie but we decided an alternative was better. Pat & Rick were still with us at this point so after a lovely Sunday walk out on the prairie we came home to a brilliant lunch cooked by Chris, very handy in the kitchen.

Monday Tegan and Fraser were off school due to the bank holiday so we all went ice skating. This broke the day up as I was also packing as we were due to fly to Vancouver on the Tuesday in order to attend Chris's cousin Sheila's wedding. Disaster struck jut as we were about to leave the ice - I was standing still when Tegan skated into the back of me and took my legs away from me, I landed on the ice on my left arm. Later that evening the pain was intense so I decided a quick trip (down into Medicine Hat) to the hospital was necessary. After a very swift x-ray and speaking to the doctors I came out to greet Chris wearing a pink plaster cast, approximately for 6 weeks.

Sept & Oct ....

2010-10-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

Woops a few weeks have flown by yet again since my last update so here we go.

Finally Fraser is now in school full time and still all seems well, he is more than happy lining up for school in the morning and off he goes. He did come out of school recently, proudly pulled out a plastic bag from his coat pocket where he showed me his 5 pet grasshoppers and their food 'grass' and then promptly shoved them back into his pocket - you've got to love boys!

The last weekend of September saw a long weekend for the kids. So Friday morning Fraser went to play with Harry whilst I took Tegan, Mia and Lexi up to camp in order for them to try and sell all their Girl Guide Cookies - what a success they had on the unsuspecting soldiers and managed to have a complete sell out. After collecting Fraser I took them all ice skating prior to a quick stop for lunch then a cycle ride around the prairie in order to walk Jinx before heading into Medicine Hat. My kind neighbour informed me first thing Friday morning that I had a large nail stuck in my rear tyre which wasn't the start to the day I wanted as Chris was out on the prairie on not due home for a couple of days. So on the way to Med Hat I called into Kirk's Tires, put on a little lip gloss and they very kindly plugged my tyre for me, foc. Fraser thought it was great how they sorted out the tyre and was mesmerised for 5 minutes. After shopping as the kids had been so good all day we met up with Noo, Harry & Lexi and went out for tea - a great end to a busy day.

The remainder of the weekend was spent going to the cinema and then on Sunday I summoned up some courage and decided it was time that I did a weekend 'shinny' (friendly ice hockey game with whoever turns up plays). I was on the 'light' coloured team and after a couple of minutes of play whilst sitting on the bench I started to remember how much the guys smell whilst playing hockey - mind you I'm sure I don't smell of roses. It was a good game and good experience so I intend to play lots more.

Prior to doing the weekend shinny I had participated in the week long 2nd year skate school, which was a great feeling getting back on the ice and trying to remember all the things we had been taught from the previous season. This week 4 Oct is hockey school and then the games begin, starting Friday with a shinny against the 1st year guys. Sam T also organised a girls night to visit a local store in Medicine Hat called Source for Sports - a hockey store. BATUS and Source for Sports have a good relationship therefore they were happy to put on a night just for us girls, providing us with nibbles and wine/beer and enabling us to have the store all to ourselves and ask any questions regarding hockey. I would say most of us girls bought something - well I mean girls in a shop and not buying anything! Some girls spent a little more that others especially after lots of wine.

Pat & Rick arrived in Canada on the 30th September and so far the weather has been fantastic for them with lots of Autumn sunshine. They were in time to see Tegan and Fraser participate in the schools Terry Fox run which took place on Friday. Friends Sam T and Sam D also have their parents out visiting Canada so Saturday night we decided to take them all to Ralphs Texas Bar for a night of cowboys and two stepping - brilliant fun. Sunday was a picnic in Echo Dale park and a walk along the Saskatchewan river again in fantastic fall sunshine.

Monday 4 October 8 girls went western style horse riding to celebrate Noo's birthday - I forgot how high you are once on a horse. We went on an hour long ride out over the prairie - a great way to spend a Monday morning and all the horses behaved. On returning to the village Laura very kindly provided birthday lunch for us all and all the visiting mum's came round to join in.

Spruce Meadows....

2010-09-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

Tegan is back in the routine of school and so far enjoying being in Grade 2 with a new teacher. Fraser is nearly there although he is still finishing school at 11.45 am - 2 more weeks to go before he is in full time, but like Tegan he seems to be enjoying it - however it is strange seeing my little boy in big school.

Someone has turned the weather temperature down this week just in time for the ice to be back down in Ralston arena. Lunchtime skating is full on - with first timers eager to start learning or returners getting back on the ice with a little caution for some. I've managed 3 lunchtimes along with Fraser who still just wants to go fast. Skate school commences this week for the Devils both 1st years and 2nd years in the evenings - looking forward to it.
Sunday Andy and Sam very kindly gave myself, Tegan and Fraser a lift with them up to Spruce Meadows, Calgary. Spruce Meadows is an outdoor equestrian facility built by the Southern Family and opened in 1976. The show jumping complex is in the foothills of the Alberta Rocky Mountains just south of the city and comprises 360 acres. The current president of Spruce Meadows is Linda Southern-Heathcott, a former olympian who competed in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games for the Canadian Olympic Team. The 'masters' tournament has taken place at Spruce Meadows from Wednesday through to Sunday which is 'British Day', this is the 35th year of championship sport at Spruce Meadows. The weather was perfect both for the riders and spectors as it was cool at times but dry.
Upon our arrival we had a wonder around, Spruce Meadows is a amazing place with all the grounds in immaculate condition, flowers displays everywhere and buildings designed beautifully, along with bronze statues dotted around the grounds. During our day we got to see the Celle Stallions, Calgary Round-up Band, Calgary Stetson Show Band, Household Cavalry, Royal Horse Artillery, the Heavy Cavalry and Cambrai Band, pony rides, Sam Steele's Scouts, Fort Calgary Wheel & Runners and lots of others. At 11am we found seats at the International Ring to watch the Parade of Nations followed by the Grand Prix Round 1 of the masters show jumping competition - the jumps are so very big. The prize money for the winners is large, the pot is up to $1,000,000 and the events are covered on Canadian tv. I managed to watch the first 15 riders then it was time for lunch after which the kids were getting restless so I left Andy and Sam and off we went for a further look around. Tegan and Fraser got to stroke many of the horses and loved seeing all the different breeds - Fraser was especially taken with a mule horse called Biscuit. We eventually met up with Andy and Sam just after 5pm had a quick
bite to eat before making the drive back to Ralston. Thanks to Andy driving I could relax and just be the gopher in the middle of 4 kids supplying them with all the snacks, wipes, drinks and rubbish collector.

Whitefish, Montana, USA...

2010-09-06T21:00:00.001-07:00

Chris managed to get a long weekend and as it was Labor Day Weekend (3 -6 Sept) we decided to drive to Whitefish, Montana USA. Although it was a 7 hour drive with the Canadian roads being so open and unpopulated it wasn't a difficult drive just long. We arrived at the American/Canadian boarder immigration where we had to complete the necessary forms, have our fingerprints and photo taken and then allowed to go on our journey. As we entered the Glacier National Park we took Logan's Pass road which took us up and over the mountains. At this point I was driving and it was a very interesting drive weaving our way up and down the mountain with lots of twisting and turning around bends and finally coming all the way down the mountain again.

We had chosen to stay at the Kandhar Hotel located on Big Mountain just outside Whitefish. One of the reasons to make the journey down to Whitefish was to check out Big Mountain for skiing this Christmas. So we checked in and went for a wonder around the mountain village to see what it had to offer. That night we had supper in the lounge area with a large log fire burning and fantastic pizzas. I also had a massage with 'Johnny Ray' who comes to the hotel each night for an hour and sets up his chair in the lounge for 10 minute massages - fantastic. We then jumped into the hotel's hot tub.

Saturday morning we headed slightly up the mountain to go on the Alpine Slide. The weather was perfect for whizzing down a mountain on a slide, back up on a chair lift and down again this time changing partners on the slide. After which we jumped on the Big Mountain chairlift which took us all the way to the top of the mountain for the amazing views over Whitefish. Unfortunately we didn't see any beers however the mountain we a great playground for mountain bikers which Fraser thought were fascinating.

We then left the mountain and stopped off at the Boat Club for lunch - perfect for people watching and everyone out on the lake in their speedboats and jet skies - a different lifestyle. So after a great lunch we visited the beach located just round the corner from the Boat Club and took a dip in the lake - a little cold! After getting a few supplies from the shops we made our way back to the Kandhar hotel and crashed in our room.

Sunday someone turned the temperature down drastically and the heavens opened with rain, although we were later told that it had snowed at the top of the mountain. So after a wonder around the town of Whitefish we joined in the American hobby of going bowling. Then back to the hotel hot tub and a movie. We were taken with Whitefish as it enables you to ski in/out from most of the hotels and houses so it is under consideration for Christmas. Monday after breakfast we packed the car and started the drive home, due to the snowfall we could not go back via Logan's Pass so drove the longer route which was actually also the quicker route back to Ralston.

Fraser Starts School..

2010-09-06T20:44:00.002-07:00

30 August 2010 - Fraser Starts School.

Monday was the beginning of school after 9 weeks summer holiday along with Fraser's first day of school.

So off we set for the short walk to Ralston School, both kids with their new backpacks and lunch boxes - Fraser was very excited with his army bag and skull & crossbones lunch box - very different from Tegan's pink lunch bag. Tegan met up with her friends and joined the line to enter the school. Fraser likewise joined his line and we were then called into school and his new classroom. This year the kindergarten class has been split into two classes meaning that there will only be 15 children in each class, along with 2 new teachers. So after hanging up his backpack and changing into his indoor shoes we had a look around his new classroom. Fraser took it all in his stride and after a hug he was happy for me to leave.

So far so good - one week down and he still seems happy - although he was only there for 4 days before he had the Friday and Monday off as Chris had a long weekend so we popped to Whitefish, Montana USA for Labor Day Weekend.

Fort Walsh...

2010-08-31T09:26:00.000-07:00

5 August - The sun was shining so with a picnic packed off we set for a day trip to Fort Walsh which is located in Cypress Hills, unfortunately Chris was in the middle of Prairie Thunder exercise. I decided to take the Trans Can Highway 1 which took me out of Alberta and into Saskatchewan for a short while before we came back on ourselves into the Cypress Hills area. The journey seemed to take forever and at some points during the trip I wasn't quite sure where we were heading as after coming off the highway the roads started to twist and turn and go up steep hills (something we are not use to living on the prairie!). The scenery was beautiful, which was a welcome change from our tumbleweed and grass in Ralston, and as always lots of wildlife could be seen. Finally we came to Fort Walsh - in the middle of nowhere which straight away gave you thought as to how all the settlers all those years ago managed to trek across the prairies to arrive at such places and set up homesteads. We were pleasantly surprised to see other cars in the car park as we thought we might be the only visitors as the roads were dirt tracks and we hadn't passed anyone.

We had arrived just at the right time to go straight into a 12 minute film depicting what life had been like and the story of the 1873 Cypress Hills Massacre. Farwell's Trading Post was originally constructed to house Abel Farwell during the trading season of 1872-73. Across Battle Creek, in the same trading season, Moses Solomon and his men operated another trading post. A third group of people, the Nakoda or Assiniboine, moved into the general vicinity after a long hard winter. All three groups were involved in the Cypress Hills Massacre in June of 1873. The massacre happened all due to lawless days of the American whiskey trade at Farewell's trading post where the traders and Aboriginals had drunk too much whiskey and an accusation over a missing horse. After the event the Northwest Mounted Police came to in force law and order and built Fort Walsh. The main trade at the time was buffalo hide parchments.

After watching the film we then hopped onto a bus (typical American/Canadian yellow school bus) and set off for a tour round the hills looking at Farwell and Solomon's homesteads and where the massacre took place. We then drove to Fort Walsh and disembarked from the bus. We were greeted by 2 guides who were dressed in period Military Police costumes. Tegan and Fraser were invited with the other children to go off and get dressed up and have their own 'kids tour'. Fraser being a little shy wanted me to also go - so I think I was the biggest kid!! Mum and Dad went off with the remainder of the adults whilst Tegan and Fraser got to wear mini Red Military Police jackets and off we set for our tour. Our guide was brilliant and really played the part getting the kids to march and shout out orders. We looked at several buildings including the Sgt's mess, Offr's mess, commanders house, horse stables, gunnery, jail, courthouse. The children were told that we need to arrest 2 mums and a dad - so we offered up a Grandad - at this point I thought it was going to be a simple pull them aside. However the children had to march them to the courthouse where roleplay was carried out. The Capt was the prosecutor with the children as the jury and the 2 mums who had been caught drunk and hitting each other. My dad was being charged with supplying unlawful whiskey to traders - he was given a small card with things to say but he brilliantly improvised and the whole roleplay was hilarious.

After concluding our tour of the Fort we were driven back up to the information centre which had a small museum of artifacts to look at afterwhich we ate our lunch whilst looking at the fantastic scenery and enjoying the sunshine.

We decided not to drive home on the highway but took the cross country route through Cypress Hills and eventually coming out at Elkwater. The route took us through open pastures where the beef cattle roamed freely and often peered into our car, the road was a dirt track so I only drove at 35/40km but it was a lovely journey back. We stopped off at Elkwater for an ice cream before heading back to Ralston. We all agreed that we didn't know what to expect when we set off that morning but had had a fantastic day full of history.

Airport Runs & The End of July...

2010-08-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

20/21/22 July we spent each day going to the airport to take friends back so that they could catch their relevant flights - all very sad. On the Thursday we dropped Jan & John off at the airport so that they could collect their hire car as they were continuing their Canadian adventure off driving to Vancouver. Chris, myself and the kids then spent the day at Heritage Park in Calgary.

Heritage Park is Canada's largest living history museum travelling back in time from the 1950s to 1860s. All the employees wore traditional costumes and many of the buildings were original which had been lifted and transported to the park from other areas within Canada. Fraser loved going on the steamtrain which travels around the park stopping at 3 stations where you can hop off or on. We all loved going on the carousel c1904, ferris wheel, dangler swings, whip (old form of waltzers) and the caterpillar ride. We also went to sea on the S.S. Moyie paddlewheeler - well a gentle paddle around the lake. The park was well set up as you could easily walk round and see everything and not too busy when we were there. After eating our picnic lunch we decided to visit the traditional ice cream parlour - yum. So after an enjoyable afternoon we headed back to Canmore.

Friday we revisited the town of Banff for lunch - Chris and my Dad were very happy as we ate in The Rose & Crown a pub that servers traditional beers - apparently very good beer. That evening Chris and Dad set off to play golf at Kananaski golf club. Unfortunately Chris and Les had tried to play the previous week, it was going to be their boys night out, but the weather wasn't good and they had to cancel. However to my dad's advantage Les kindly left his golf shoes so off they went Friday evening and had a fantastic time.

Kananaskis Country Golf Course is one of the premier golf destinations in the Canadian Rockies. The surrounding mountains tower 10,000 feet (3,000 metres) above sea level, the courses themselves are at almost 5,000 feet (1,500 metres).

24 July - We finally made our departure from Canmore back to Ralston. So after a last walk along the Bow River for Jinx we packed the cars and set off on our journey back to Ralston. My mum and dad had only seen the Rockies and Calgary at this point so found it very interesting watching the scenery change to the prairies.

26 July - Monday - 5 mums and 12 children set off for an afternoon at Echo Dale Park. Armed with picnics, sun umbrellas, towels, beach toys, chairs and a birthday cake we set up our pitch. It had been Sam T's birthday during July so we decided to celebrate. The kids were all sun creamed up and took to the water, it was a glorious day and the perfect place to be. So after much water play it was time for lunch - out came a huge range of food and cake along with candles - not sure what all the Canadians around us were thinking. Everyone had a fab day and it was definitely time for bed for worn out children.

28 July - Wednesday Medicine Hat Rodeo. Chris and I were invited, along with other British Military to attend the Presidents Lunch at the Rodeo and then to watch the events. So with children at home with Grandma and Grandad off we set. Again it was a glorious day just right for watching the rodeo. After a spot of lunch and a long list of speeches we were set free to take our seats in the stands and watch the rodeo events. It soon became apparent the difference in the abilities of the cowboys taking part in the Calgary Stampede to the Med Hat rodeo, however we still take our hats off to them all for their courage (or stupidity) to ride bucking horses and bulls.

31 July - Saturday Sapper Oktoberfest. Chris and a team of Royal Engineers had organised a Sapper party in order to thank the variety of people in Ralston and Suffield who help them throughout the year.

The party took place at Ralston's own Fort Whoop Up. A large proportion of those invited all dressed up in either the girls dirndl or boys lederhosen, everyone looked fantastic. Games had been set up around the area along with big pictures boards with scenes of German mountains and countryside, along with yodeling and alpine music. There was a bar set up to serve traditional German beer and wine. There was however one minor hic up - food had been ordered but unfortunately the catering company took it to the original Fort Whoop Up in Lethbridge which is 2 hours away in the wrong direction, so the food finally arrived at 11pm - a little late but no one seemed to mind at that stage of the evening - good beer munching food!

Grizzly Paw Pub ....

2010-08-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

18 July - Sunday. A night in the Grizzly Paw Pub - Canmore.

It was decided that we all needed a night out in the local pub in Canmore which brews its own beer. My mum very kindly agreed to look after Tegan and Fraser - so the rest of us hit town - well Canmore. Chris, Les, John and Jan all ordered a tray of 9 samples beers each - what a great idea. Alli, Tonia, my Dad and I all stuck to normal drinks - well I think Alli had something a little strange.

After several hours Jan, John and my dad decided it was time to go home. So the rest of us carried on drinking at which point Les and Chris decided to sing to the pub in their finest voices. The Canadians who were still in the pub returned with their version of a song, Les and Chris were then on a mission to out sing them. However over hearing a couple of girls who were heard to say "don't worry they're English" sums up their singing. It was then time to leave.

Prior to going to the pub we had visited Lake Minnewanka situated in Banff for the afternoon.

Chuckwagon Races & Show...

2010-08-28T11:16:00.001-07:00

17 July - Saturday.

Off we set for our final trip to the Calgary Stampede, this time we were off to see the chuck wagon races and the evening grandstand show which promises to be the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.

After a couple of hours of us all wondering around the show grounds we all meet up to take our seats in the grandstand - there was eleven of us in total. Yet again the weather was great for us providing a really nice evening to watch the show.

The chuck wagon racing was great, fast and being the penultimate night the guys were up for big money prizes.

Once the chuck wagon races had finished a huge stage was hauled into place and within an hour it was up and ready for a great show. By this time it was 9pm so we were ready for all the entertainment and fireworks. The show included everything from singers, dancers, acrobatics, motor cycles, comedian, children, musicians and of course and amazing firework display. The motor cyclists were amazing and the stunts that they did were incredible. At one point in the show 3 trap doors opened in the stage floor and up came 2 sets of drums with the drummers and a huge single drum - however the drummers and their kit didn't stay on the stage, their platforms were raised up into the sky and drawn towards the crowd. This also happened to guys on the motorbikes and other illuminated animals with stunt people on top of them doing acrobatics. The show really was breathtaking and an amazing evening to be part of.

We eventually left the show ground just before midnight and got back to Canmore in the early hours after a thoroughly amazing evening, so glad that we had all gone.

40th Birthday...

2010-08-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

16th July - Friday was my 40th birthday. My only request was to go running in the morning along the Bow River with Chris and Jinx. Luckily the sun was shinning and I had a great run - absolute heaven. As for the rest of the day not much happened!!!!! On the contary - Chris had arranged all sorts. After opening presents and cards - which I did really well with and got totally spoilt we then set off to collect Tonia and Les from Banff (after their romantic night away) and headed for Hotel Fairmont at Lake Louise. This is a luxury hotel which sits on Lake Louise providing spectacular scenary. Chris had arranged for us to all have afternoon tea which takes place in a lovely lounge overlooking the views.

Whilst having tea my present from Chris arrived - a Tiffany & Co necklace - fantastic, a very happy girl. We spent the rest of the afternoon wondering around the lake and taking in the mountains and beautiful scenary before heading back to Canmore for supper and more champagne.

Chris also had made by the chefs at Fairmount Hotel a birthday cake - it was a fabulous chocolate cheesecake which had very ornate decorations on top and very tasty. However after eating all the afternoon tea we decided to take it home with us for later.

Mum, Dad, Jan, John & Alli Arrive in Canada...

2010-08-26T17:15:00.000-07:00

14 July Wednesday - Chris and I go to Calgary airport to collect my Mum, Dad, Jan, John and Alli who apart from Alli have flown from Spain to Uk and then over to Canada - Alli direct from UK.

15 July Thursday - Off to the Rodeo - again. This time however Chris and the kids stayed in Canmore. Tonia and Les went off to Banff for a romantic night for 2, however the ended up in a Greek restuarant smashing plates!!! So I drove the 6 of us back into Calgary to visit the Calgary Stampede.

More information to follow just thought I would get photos and dates on as I have so much more to say in the next month or so.....

Calgary Stampede...

2010-08-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

Monday 12 July - We're off to the rodeo. Calgary Stampede is advertised as one of the greatest outdoor shows on earth and it was truly an amazing experience. Since 1912, the Calgary Stampede has been built on world-famous events. The Chuckwagons and Rodeo are one of a kind. There are six major events in the Rodeo – Bareback, Bull Riding, Barrel Racing, Saddle Bronc, Steer Wrestling and Tie-Down Roping are the backbone of the Stampede Rodeo. Add in Novice Bareback, Novice Saddle Bronc, Junior Steer Riding and Wild Pony Racing for the youngsters and you've got the best rodeo in the world.

Tonia, Les, Chris, Tegan, Fraser and myself took the drive from Canmore to Calgary which took just over an hour and luckily found a parking space in a small local church (we felt better paying for parking and giving the money to a church) just minutes walk from the stampede grounds. We were all dressed in our cowboy hats and boots and ready for a great day. Once into the grounds we were faced with all sorts of events going on throughout the day before the actual rodeo started at 1.30pm. Initially we were faced with a huge fairground but all around the grounds were smaller shows going on, a large indoor mall, an arts hall which had some amazing paintings, lots of food stalls, an Indian village, Budweiser Clydesdales Quintessential Draft horses to name a few events. After spending a couple of hours wondering around we made our way to our seats. All morning the weather had been great, however as we took our seats the skies went dark. The opening ceremony for the rodeo was great and fast paced. As with all Canadian shows/events the Canadian anthem was played and the whole stadium stood and removed their cowboy hats. All the cowboys participating in the competitions came out to take a round of applause before getting ready for some amazing rides.

The weather had been fantastic all day however as the rodeo started the skies turned black and before we knew it thunder and lightning was crashing over our heads. At first our seats were fine however the wind direction changed and at one point the rodeo stopped. We later found out that it was the worst weather for the stampede in the last 32 years. The grounds soon became a swomp of mud which made it all a lot harder for all the cowboys, however cowboys are as hard a nails - why would someone want to ride a mad bull? With so much rain the conditions were extremely hard and dangerous with one horse breaking its back and a young bull rider falling off and the bull landing on top of him, luckily (well sort of) it was only a young small bull.

The whole rodeo was amazing and credit to all the cowboys and cowgirls who rode throughout the afternoon. The prize money for all the winners in each of their categories was very surprising - the winner of the cowgirls barrel racing won $10,000 (approx £7,500) for 17seconds ride. We all left the stampede a little colder than we had arrived but had been part of an amazing experience and thoroughly enjoyed watching the rodeo. So off we drove home to Canmore where Tegan and Fraser were put to bed and we jumped into the hot tub.

Tonia & Les Arrive in Canada...

2010-08-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

7 July Tonia & Les arrive in Canada. Chris went to the airport to collect good friends Tonia and Les who decided to visit us in Ralston and experience a bit of Canada for their holidays. They all arrived back in time for supper and champagne before jet lag set in and they couldn't keep their eyes open any longer - not bad as it was 11 pm Canadian time (6am UK). We spent the next couple of days in Ralston and Medicine Hat as Chris was still working on the prairie although he managed to get home a couple of evenings for us all the have a bbq. Tonia & Les paid a visit to Lammles which is a Western Wear and Tack shop as they needed to get kitted out ready for Calgary Stampede, they came away sporting new cowboy hats.

One of the days we went to Echo Dale Park just outside Medicine Hat which sits along the Saskatchewan river and has a man made beach. So off we set with our picnic and swimming kit - I think most of Medicine Hat were also there that day as it was extremely busy but nice for a couple of hours, Tegan and Fraser had a great time in the water.

Friday night the four of us went into Medicine Hat for a night out. First stop was Montanas Cookhouse Saloon for dinner where we all ate far too much but managed to sit outside as again the weather was great. Then we went to Ralphs Texas Bar to listen to the live band and watch a bit of two stepping by a few of the locals, I think we were all a bit tired so left just before midnight.

11 July - Sunday that morning we all got up loaded up the two cars and headed for Canmore - the Rockies where we had hired a house for 2 weeks. We left with all the girls in one car and boys in the other - apparently the girls did well as Fraser didn't stop talking for 31/2 hours - Les needed a very large G&T. The house was great especially as it came with a hot tub - so within a few hours of being in Canmore we were all in the hot tub and bbqing.

Soooo Behind - 7 Weeks....

2010-08-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

1st July Canada Day - We started off the morning going to Rod and Laura Keller's (Suffield Base Commander) house for breakfast, along with the rest of the village. They were great hosts serving up pancakes, bacon, sausages, maple syrup and other bits - what a great start to the morning. Luckily the sun was shinning which was great as breakfast was served in the garden with kids running around, lots of people dressed appropriately in red and white. After a couple of hours interval, allowing all the pancakes to go down, we set off to Medicine Hat to continue Canada Day celebrations at Kin Coulee Park along with Noo and her children. The weather really was great so we ambled our way round the park stopping and looking at the activities going on including a skateboarding competition which Fraser and Harry particularly liked, I think the girls also liked the young boys skating - very cool!

There was also a display of old cars that were in immaculate condition which we passed on our tractor ride. After an ice cream and snow cones and a bit more wondering round it was time to go home.

4 July Independence Day - our friend Karen (who is American) decided to hold a party to celebrate Independence Day. Most of the guys were out on the prairie but a couple made it and Chris managed to turn up for some cold hot dogs and beer (all that counts really). So yet again more eating and drinking - great fun. Karen organised some games for the kids but I think the big kids had more fun. There was egg throwing and spoon racing - however the eggs were not hard boiled - there were quite a few 'splats' going on. Fraser then joined in the rugby game along with some of the grown up boys (men) and had a fab time.

Days inbetween we went to the splash park in Ralston village which is great in the hot weather and easily passes the afternoon. Noo very kindly turned up with her bright pink chairs - which are very comfortable - although the kids thought they were for them?? not a chance.

Quietish Week in Ralston...

2010-06-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

Wednesday evening was the last meeting of the Girl Guides prior to the summer holidays. Laura (who is the Guiding Leader) had kindly opened up her back garden for the Guides Advancement ceremony. Luckily the weather was perfect and everyone brought along dishes for the 'pot luck' supper. All the Sparks, Brownies, Guides and Pathfinders were awarded with their certificates, badges and other awards that they had earned. Unbeknown to me Tegan also had to 'jump the toadstool' as she will go up to Brownies at the start of September. We had a great evening and it was good to see how many girls from the village are actually part of the Guides, although like most things in Ralston there is a big turnover of families due to happen this summer so numbers will change. So we left Laura's garden with more badges to be sown onto Tegan's sash but a happy girl with the thought of moving up to Brownies.
Thursday morning I dropped Tegan and Fraser at their respective schools and jumped onto a bus with 11 other girls and we headed off for a trip onto the Prairie. We had been invited out to the village of Hetar, this is a mock Afghan village out on the prairie which is used during the Prairie Thunder exercises. After a briefing of what to expect and our role for the day we again boarded the bus for the hour long drive across the prairie to the village, however this time with our Berkas at the ready. Whilst travelling on the prairie we had to wear helmets as we bounced along in the bus. The bus stopped just outside the village where we donned our berkas. The construction of Hetar is amazing and a very important part of the training for the soldiers going to Afghanistan. There are actors who work within the village as market stall holders and elders who remain in character at all times including speaking the language and wearing tradition clothes. So wearing our black berkas we were told to find ourselves a husband and follow them around the village, we soon learnt that Afghan women must walk behind their husbands and are not allowed to speak the husband does it all. Wearing the berkas in the sunshine was hot - also at one point I had my hands outside the berka, this is not allowed as it is taken as a sign of flirting with the opposite sex. Unfortunately during our time in the village the soldiers on exercise did not enter the village as the exercise is very fluid and our timings did not cross paths. However it was a very interesting to see a little of what goes on on the prairie. My appreciation of the distance Chris can sometimes be when he says he will be home in an hour and the environment he is working - still beats sitting behind a desk.

The remainder of the week has continued in glorious sunshine. The weekend has come and gone with doing a few jobs including mowing the lawn where I managed to break the lawn mower - I need to make a phone call Monday morning. I took Tegan and Fraser to the splashpark on Saturday morning along with friends and their children. Sunday we were kindly invited to a bbq where the 9 children had a great time running around in the water toys and playing in the park which is very conveniently situated just across from Sam's house whilst we soaked up the sun. We were supposed to be watching the England v Germany football game - but hey living in Canada with the time difference everyone already knew the score and it was better sitting on Sam's decking. Prairie Thunder 2 finishes next week so it will be great to have friends to our house for a bbq and I can prove I have a husband - once again Chris does miss out on many things.

For those of you who remember last year Jinx's catch and kill record for gophers stood at 5 - well she caught her first gopher of the season today, still not a pleasant experience picking up a dead gopher with a dog looking very pleased with herself.

Week of Parties...

2010-06-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

Once again I start off with my weather report. It has been outrageous for this time of year - for 3 days last week we have had rain and high winds - it is supposed to be really hot and sunny for the middle of June. Needless to say the prairie is yet again mud and the mosquito's are going to love it. The local news channels have been reporting on the floods within 'the Hat' including parts of the Trans Can highway that has been closed due to the floods, this is all very unusal for Medicine Hat. Luckily Fraser woke up on his birthday (Tue) to glorious sunshine.

Wednesday morning Noo and myself (kindly at Noo's house) hosted a breakfast as six of the girls are due to leave Ralston in the next couple of months, so we thought we would combine them all. Everyone kindly brought different bits and once it was all popped on the table there was a great feast for us all to tuck into, a good start to the day.

Friday morning was Fraser's Graduation from Little Gophers. Within the Canadian school system as students move up a grade they have a graduation, hence Little Gophers did the same. Fraser is not usually known to be shy however recently if the attention is directed at him and everyone is looking in his direction he becomes very shy - hence on Friday he was not going to do any of the singing or bow infront of all the parents. All the children did really well and it was quite touching seeing them all in their mortar and gown. Luckily Little Gophers took photos of the children earlier in the week as there was not a chance for a photo of Fraser on the day. He will start kindergarden at the end of August which is in the same school as Tegan and will be full time by the end of October.

Friday night came a BIG surprise. Sam & Andy invited Chris and I round for a Mexican dinner along with some other friends, Sam did throw in that we had to dress up as it was Mexican. I didn't suspect anything as Sam is a crazy fun lady. So with Chris wearing his rug bought from the high end shop called 'The Post' in Medicine Hat (this is a renowned charity shop that we all go to buy our fancy dress from) any myself sporting a large pair of hoop earings from Dollar store, off we went. Sam met us outside the house and then told me I had to close my eyes - when I opened them her house had been transformed into a Mexican festival with about 30 friends from the Village all shouting surprise happy 40th birthday. Everyone looked fantastic and we had a brilliant night dancing, drinking and eating - I think I got home about 2am! Although my birthday is still 4 weeks away this was the only weekend that everyone was free - so I get to have more celebrations to come. Ralston isn't such a bad place to be for a party.

So after a lazy weekend with a trip to the cinema with Tegan & Fraser to see Toy Story 3 I then had to give some thought to Fraser's 4th birthday on Tuesday. He decided that he wanted to go bowling & softplay along with a Spiderman cake. The morning started early with Fraser announcing at 6am that it was his birthday (he doesn't usually wake up until 7am). Chris was able to see Fraser open some of his presents before leaving for the prairie. Fraser then announced to everyone that walked pass our house that 'it's my birthday'. So with a friend Zoe helping out with wheels we collected 6 children from Little Gophers plus Tegan and Holly (the older helpers!) and transported them all into Medicine Hat for an afternoon of fun. Luckily we had the 5 pin bowling lanes virtually to ourselves followed by the softplay area. So after 21/2 hrs of play I think most of the children were worned out. So another birthday over for a
year - however Tegan is now on countdown for hers.

Sports Day & Chuckwagon Racing...

2010-06-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

Tegan took part in Ralston Schools Track and Field sports day on Tuesday. Unfortunately the weather wasn't great however it didn't rain or snow so it was fine, just a little chilly for the adults, the kids didn't seem to mind. Tegan and all her classmates took part in all the events during the day with a break at lunchtime for a bbq run by the parent council. I went up to the school initially to watch but then helped out with racking the sandpit, measuring the shot put distances and dishing out the food at lunchtime along with several other mums. This is one of the lovely days where I am very glad that I don't work whilst living in Canada as the look of pleasure Tegan had on her face every time I appear is great. At the end of the day all the children received ribbons for all the events that they had taken part in. Although Tegan didn't come first in any event she had a great time.

The week has been taken up by the usual events, school, swimming, sparks, running, bobypump, dog walking, shopping, girls lunch and a village bbq - not a bad life!!! Oh yes and the boring bit including house jobs which really are on the bottom of my 'to do list'.

Chris is still busy with Prairie Thunder 2 but had a great 3 days hosting Andy (CO from Hohne Royal Engineers) as some of the lads from the regiment are currently on PT2. Andy experienced a little of the prairie weather cold and wet Friday glorious sunshine Sat/Sun, probably with a few mosquito's thrown in. Saturday night we decided to show Andy some of the entertainment that Medicine Hat has to offer - the Dodge World Pro Chuckwagon Races. So after a very quick bbq (the boys didn't get home until 4.30pm where some other friends that Andy also knew popped round for a beer) and we had to leave at 6pm to get down town. The grandstand at the rodeo arena was full as this is a big 3 day event for Medicine Hat. Each race has 3 wagons (consisting of 2 drivers, 4 horses and a wagon) and 2 out-riders per wagon. They line up and on the sound of the hooter the barrel is thrown into the back of the wagon and the driver has to turn the horses around a marker and then thunders round the 1/2 mile track chased by their out-riders who must finish with the wagon. The races started at 7pm and were finished by 9pm so not a late night but great entertainment, truly a cowboy experience.

Sunday has been a glorious day with temperatures in the high 20's. Tegan went off to a birthday party so Fraser and I took Jinx for a bike ride. This afternoon was spent playing and a trip to the splash park which has again opened for the summer - a great facility for the village.

Indians & Sunshine Celebration...

2010-06-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

The Leonard's purchased a new car this week. Chris is in mourning as he was looking at large cars that guzzled petrol with their V8 engine, leather interiors, all the gadgets a bloke could desire and the 'cool' factor - instead we have gone for a 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan. I on the other hand think it is great as we can choose to have 4 seats or 7 seats as the back row can be removed, thus giving me a very large boot where I can throw in the dog, bikes and plenty of bags, great for days out and shopping.

Saturday morning I loaded up the Dodge with bikes, Jinx and the kids and set of for a day at Elkwater, approx 1hr 10mins drive the other side of Medicine Hat. We were off to see 'History in the Hill's' to go back in time and experience First Nations and Metis culture. Before we actually got into the car the morning hadn't gone too well with several incidents happening, including the bathroom cabinet falling off the wall onto Fraser's head and thus breaking the toilet seat in the process. Followed by Jinx having a cough which at first I didn't think anything off until I was speaking to Chris and mentioned that she had eaten 2 Raid Ant killer products which contain poison, so I ended up taking a diversion to the Vets. The vet kindly checked Jinx all over and concluded that as she hadn't been sick she really should have some charcoal solution put into her to help with the poison. Two large syringes of black charcoal was put down her throat and a bill of $110 later I left and continued with our trip. As we drove out of Medicine Hat we left the sunshine behind and headed to the only large black cloud hovering over Elkwater with lightening and rain. Luckily by the time we got there the rain had moved on.

We got to the field where the tepees had been raised just in time to see some traditional dances and even managed to join in one. After which we wondered around the tepees looking inside to see what they were like. We were informed that the trees used to form the tepee are stripped of their bark so that when it rains the water runs down the poles instead of dripping onto everyone inside the tepee. Tegan and Fraser got to look and touch skins of coyotes, raccoon, beaver, weasel and a few other animals along with looking at the tools used to skin and clean out the animals. Did you know that weasels are white during the winter and then they turn brown during the summer!

We left the exhibition mid afternoon and went to find Andy & Sam (and girls) who were staying at Elkwater for the weekend in a campervan. They had a great little pitch, sandwiched inbetween all the other campers who had had the same idea this weekend, but great for the kids with a playpark opposite. So after a quick tour round the campervan - you would be surprised what amenities can be found in an old van, we had a bbq. Unfortunately the rain decided to return just as we finished eating so we made for cover inside the van - Andy had just lit the fire in order to make the kids smorgs (toasted marshmallows sandwiched between 2 plain biscuits and chocolate) aided by his assistant Fraser they carried on cooking. So with full tummys we said goodbye and set off home after what turned out to be a good day out.

Sunday morning after a family bike ride round the prairie with Jinx (minus Chris as Prairie Thunder 2 started on Saturday - 5am starts again) we jumped into Jeanette's car and all set off into Medicine Hat where we headed for the historic downtown area to participate in the 'Spectrum Festival - a sunshine celebration'. The sunshine was certainly shinning today which was great as last years festival was halted by snow. This has been a 3 day event with a variety of events taking place all day. On arriving we went straight to the pony rides which all four children loved and they got to stroke a 6 day old donkey. We then meandered through the park where there was a central stage with performers entertaining the crowd. After having lunch we went to watch the Spectrum dancers on stage entertaining the crowd with bellydancing, bollywood dancing, bikini boot camp and street dance, we decided to move on before they invited members of the audience up to participate - considering that we were sitting in the front row and knew a couple of the dancers it was a good move. Tegan and Fraser also got to stroke a Bearded Dragon lizard along with other animals that were in a small petting farm area. After playing on the bouncy castles and face painting we decided to call it a day via Tim Hortons for some 'tim bits' for the kids - a great day out.

May - Another Month Flown By...

2010-05-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

Yet again the month has flown by with all the usual adventures - well strange weather conditions, Chris popping in and out and keeping Tegan and Fraser amused.

It was my Dad's 70th birthday in May which he celebrated with good friends who all live in Spain. Unfortunately we couldn't be with him but we will celebrate again as he is due to visit us in Canada in July so his birthday treat is going to the Calgary Stampede.

I must again refer to the weather - it is becoming a great topic of conversation. We started off the month of May with a huge dump of snow - so back out came the snow clothes in order to walk Jinx and get the kids to school. Then glorious sunshine so out came shorts, t-shirts and water sprinklers and of course the mosquitoes - yuk - however everyone was happy. Things were looking good then out of nowhere massive winds (the photo is off my new temperature thermometer as the wind ripped the other off the post) people had been carried away by the sun and erected their gazebos to which they became crushed by the winds and were no more. Finally this weekend I was woken up by Fraser shouting that it was snowing - he is getting very confused as he thinks it is going to be Christmas soon!! Apparently it will be 27degrees by Wednesday - we shall wait and see.

There has been lots of lunches, brunches and generally eating & drinking going on with the girls - especially as lots of our husbands are out on the prairie most of the time. One particular night I was invited to dinner at Andy & Sam's with other friends and by the end of the night we were all in the neighbours hot tub until the early hours of the morning after drinking far too much champagne - great night.
The circus came to town - so with 6 mums, 1 nana and 14 children we all drove to Medicine Hat for a evening of entertainment. It wasn't quite so much high thrills more of spinning plates, dogs jumping and hula hoops. However the kids had a lovely time and with a couple of elephants, horses and clowns thrown in it was good fun.

Friday 21st May was the SAFFA 10km fun run which I had entered. Unfortunately the weather was not great with really strong winds (always against you!) but the event still took place. There was a childrens 1km run to start off with followed by the adults 5km and 10km runs, several people had dressed up - there were a couple of batmans, a pengiun and other strange outfits. I of course took Jinx who could run 10km without breaking into a sweat but she set a good pace for me, my finishing time was 53mins. Once all the runners were back there was a short medal presentation which I managed to gain 3rd place in the girls 10km run, much to the delight of Tegan and Fraser who now want to fight over who wears the medal. Jo came in 2nd in the girls 5km run. It was a good fun event and money was raised for SAFFA.

Monday 24 May was Victoria Day which is a national holiday in Canada so therefore all the schools were closed - so once again a group of us packed up a picnic took the kids to a play park for a while and then met more friends for an afternoon at the cinema watching Shrek. You have probably guessed that most of this months activities do not include Chris - although he did get 2 days off as the first Prairie Thunder has finished and managed to play golf with a friend Tommo who was over from Germany - luckily on a sunny day.

Tegan along with 29 other Girl Guides has just spent the weekend camping at Elkwater on their annual guiding weekend. So Friday night with her suitcase packed, sleeping bag and pillow under her arm off she bundled into Sam's car packed with other children and litres of bolognese that Sam had prepared. Sam & Sam had volunteered to be camp cooks for the weekend and apparently did a stirling job keeping all children fed and happy. Of course the weather decided to play up - with snow but Tegan came home happy - although at 8am this morning still could not be woken up for school.

As I mentioned we were woken up with snow Saturday morning and off to a Caribbean Party that evening - dressed in shorts, loud shirts and hats and flip flops! Anything goes in Canada. Tom and Patty had decked out their house beautifully and turned up the heating - obviously no one was going outside. So with cocktails flowing - Chris did whizz up some very tasty ones, not too sure what was in them everyone had a great night. We finished off the weekend with Sunday lunch for some friends (and their hangovers) with lamb on the bbq and chocolate pudding.

Prairie Thunder 2 starts again on Saturday so Chris has a fairly normal working week until Friday and off we go again - hopefully the prairie will have dried out by then.

Apologies to those of you who do log on to read this blog that I keep lagging behind in my updates, I'll do better - such a busy life living in the middle of the prairie!

Bowling and Ranchmens Party...

2010-04-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

Firstly I must yet again comment on the crazy Ralston weather system that we seem to have all to ourselves. So we have gone from sunshine to snow back to sunshine and now gale force winds and rain which makes the prairie extremely boggy. Last week Chris's TSV has got stuck out on the prairie with several other vehicles and the season hadn't officially started (1 May) so at this rate they could all be stuck in mud! It also makes walking Jinx hard as my boots get so caked in mud you can hardly walk although it doesn't slow Jinx down. As I am writing this blog (Mon 3 May) we have just been told to expect 100km hr winds due tonight and snow!!!! What!

Two weeks ago we had a Ranchmen's Ball/seafood night in the mess. The Canadian's don't really appreciate getting 'dressed up' hence the western theme for the night. So with Chris and I appropriately dressed in our cowboy boots, shirts and hats off we set for a night of yee hi. The seafood night has always been a big thing in the mess but due to several reasons it was slightly downscaled this year but saying that the spread off food was great and much enjoyed by Chris who could eat lobster and prawns until he could eat no more. A group of ladies had come up from Medicine Hat to teach us all line dancing which was very entertaining followed by a brilliant 3 piece band who played until 1am when we had to go home.

As the boys were working on the Saturday Noo and myself took our children (5 in total) into town for lunch followed by bowling. Noo has found a great little bowling alley which is 5 pins with small wooden balls which means the kids can manage them on their own - great. All the kids had a great time and by the time we had driven back to Ralston the day was over. Lots more trips like this will be planned over the next 6 months whilst Prairie season is on.

Last week was Education week at Ralston school which commenced on the Monday morning with pancakes for breakfast. Tegan has already become a teenager and doesn't get out of bed on a school morning but Monday morning she was up and dressed and ready to be at school for 8am - to ensure she got her full share of the pancakes and sausages. Obviously Fraser was more than happy with his change in breakfast - beats cereal! The school also held a 'volunteers appreciation lunch' which lots of us were invited to on Thursday. Finally on Friday there was a 'soc hop' for all the kids - disco. Tegan chose her party dress finished off with her Spanish red and white polka dot shoes - looking at Grade 2 and above I am going to make the most of 'party dresses' as I don't think that will be her choice next year. The kids had a great time dancing and Fraser loved running around with his mates Cameron and Harry. The parent council provided a bbq for all the kids which I helped out on. Chris managed to make it up to the school just in time to see the older kids arrive for their disco - he was amazed how girls dress sense changes so quickly with age, I think he wants to keep Tegan aged 6.

On Wednesday night the Sparks and Brownies had a trip to the BATUS Fire Station which is located at the entrance to camp. I volunteered to help!!! of course I also had to take Fraser along who thought it was great. The guys were really good and showed the girls all round the 3 engines that they have letting them climb over them and press the siren button. We also got a ride on one of the engines through camp and over to an open piece of ground where they demonstrated the fire hose. All the kids loved the visit and camp home with stickers, hats and books.

So with Chris definitely out on the prairie all weekend plans had to be made. Saturday was a friend Zoe's birthday so Noo and I organised a birthday lunch for Zoe and all the kids and we even got to sit down and watch a dvd (PS I Love You) a good girlie film, obviously interrupted a million times by one or several of the children, but it felt very decadent for a Saturday afternoon.

Sunday I was brave and took Tegan and Fraser to Medicine Hat leisure centre swimming. We had a fab time with Tegan now jumping in and diving under water - such a change from a year ago when she wouldn't get water past her neck. Fraser - well he just wanted to do everything, including going into the big pool and jumping off the diving board - no fear, as I am treading water ready to drag him to the side. The pool is great as every so many minutes the waves start up along with a whirlpool section and all sorts of floats to play with and cheap $16 for a family of 4 (approx £10).

I am trying hard not to ask Chris when he thinks he will be home as the Medman exercises have started there is no hope - he is currently starting work at 5am and straight out on the prairie all day - but I think he loves it - much better than sitting in an office. Hopefully I will get him to make an input to the blog soon.

Where has a month gone?....

2010-04-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go and I thought I was going to be so bored living in Ralston - on the contrary. So here is an update on all our goings on since the middle of March to date, hope you are sitting comfortable.

Tegan returned to Sparks after our Florida holiday on Wednesday night and upon leaving was given a box of Girl Guide Cookies to sell - each box contained 12 boxes. Normally this is not a problem however Ralston is only a small village and with all the Sparks, Brownies and Guides all trying to sell their boxes you do get a little inundated with cookies - however they are very nice. So as we left Sparks we walked across the road and into the ice arena to watch the Iceman play and she manged to sell 8 boxes to unsuspecting spectators. It must have been the big brown eyes looking up at them, reminds me of the cat in Shrek! She subsequently managed to sell the remaining boxes during the happy hour at the mess - she is great a sales.
Ann-Marie who was our body pump instructor has been posted back to UK so for her last class we all dressed up in 70/80's kit - I'm at the back with a big black wig!

Within our first week back at school Tegan and Fraser only attended for 3 days before the schools shut Thursday and Friday. So Sam and myself left Ralston at 8am with all four children and headed off for Hiddden Valley which is just over an hours drive, the other side of Medicine Hat, for a days skiing. It was my first visit to Hidden Valley and what a great place to ski especially for the kids as it only has a handful of runs. After 3 runs we stopped for a rest at which point it had started to snow a little, but back out we went for another couple of runs then lunch. Tegan and Fraser both skied well although as usual Fraser decided he did not want to turn at any point but ski in a straight line down. Sam was great and encouraged him to turn and some of the time he did. By the time we had lunch the snow was much heavier so we only completed another 2 runs after lunch and then decided to head home. Not long after leaving the car park Fraser was asleep, a great day out.

On the Sunday we returned to Hidden Valley along with Chris as it was the last day of the season for the mountain and they had their annual 'Slush Out'. A slush out is where a large long deep pit is dug and filled with water with skiers/borders skiing down the mountain and trying to get across the water without falling in. Prior to the slush out many skiers/borders were doing tricks which we watched in the sunshine whilst eating our picnic. We briefly left to take Jinx for a walk at Elkwater (just round the corner from Hidden Valley) and returned just in time to watch the comedy of skiers falling into the slush pit. Some skied in normal clothes while others dressed up to take the plunge, one skier came down in just his boxer shorts - cold!!

A couple of other minor things that have happened: Whilst Chris watched 3 games of rugby I took Tegan and Fraser bowling along with Sam D and her 3 girls (Sam's husband John was with Chris for a boys afternoon of rugby, beer and pizza). After finishing the bowling we decided to feed the kids at Sam's house as we didn't think the boys would appreciate 5 kids interrupting their viewing. Finally I had to take Tegan and Fraser home for bedtime as it was 9pm. I had a bunch of girls round on the Monday night as a Book Club has recently started in Ralston and it was my turn to host. So we had a couple of glasses of wine, discussed the chosen book - Birth House by Ami Mckay and then discussed all sorts of other things. On Wednesday I help out with selling daffodils for Cancer around Ralston village, Noo and myself went to Ralston school as the children had all brought in money to buy a bunch - we even sold out and had to get another box.

The last weekend of March was a busy couple of days. Thursday night started off with a happy hour in the mess (4pm) with friends Mike & Karen wetting the babies head for the birth of their little boy Gregor. So after a glass of champagne we had to leave (5.30pm) as we also had to go to an Italian supper which was being held in the village. After feeding the children I had to be on the ice at 7.30pm for the White Devils final game of the season. Chris decided at 6.45pm that he would play for the Flyers (the blokes team we were playing against) so I luckily found a babysitter, rushed home and got Tegan and Fraser ready for bed then rushed to hockey. It was a good game with fairly matched teams unfortunately the final score was 3-2 to the Flyers, however I was awarded another gold star for having a good game and being in the right place for the position I play - I might have finally learnt what the game is about!

Friday night was the Devil's girls' night out and we were all off to Ralphs in Medicine Hat. So after jumping on the coach we set off at 6.30pm to Ralphs Texas Bar and Steakhouse for a night of dancing and drinking, duly dressed in our Red, White or Black ice hockey tops. The early part of the evening all dancing was the 'two step' with a live band on stage - very entertaining to watch. Much later in the evening a disco took over. I was conscious that Saturday was the BHL (Batus Hockey League) final and the Icemen (the team Chris plays for) were on the ice at 8.30am which I wanted to watch - so I caught the transport home at midnight - however friends Sam T and Sam D along with some others partied on until very late. So we were all up early Saturday morning and over to the arena - bacon & sausage sandwichs for breakfast. The Icemen were bottom of the league partly due to the age of all the players and the high number of 1st year players, so their chances of winning and playing further games were slim. However the game was amazing and they won - I nearly wet myself with all the excitement and shouting. I might add that the Icemen have had the strongest and loudest support from their wives throughout the season however there were only 4 of us there for game 1 - I think the rest were just getting into bed! The Icemen went on to win their next game and after a few beers (it is still AM) and brufen (good combination!) they were ready for their third and fourth games - unfortunately they lost and therefore out of the finals. That evening we had a party in the Sgt's mess where all the awards were presented along with a curry and disco - another good night. Sunday Chris bbq a leg of lamb for lunch and Andy & Sam came round for lunch - a good lazy day after several busy days and nights.

A group of girls who are on the SSAFA committee were invited to a trip onto the prairie to see what goes on out there and I managed to jump aboard. We had 2 TSV's (big white trucks) meet us on camp and after signing some necessary paperwork and donning our helmets off we set across the prairie. The prairie is vast and undulating more than I had expected, i thought it was just flat as the surrounding area is around Ralston village. Our first stop was at Excon - this is a structured building where all the briefings take place, theatre and computer simulations. They were also in the process of delivering all the containers where Chris and prairie staff sleep for the season. From there we drove to Hettar which is a mock village where some of the Medman exercises take place, all very realistic, along with a smell machine. We were provide with a lunch box (the same as the guys get) which we ate on the back of the TSV's by this time the sun had come out - quite a nice picnic really. Dave then drove us around the prairie visiting several other landmarks that they use for the exercises, there are a lot of realistic buildings together with a Shell petrol station! As there are no rivers on the prairie which are needed for the guys to practice crossing there are dry river beds dug with signs saying 'river' - this made some of us laugh. We had a great time on our visit and it was a brilliant insight into what Chris and the guys all get up to and where they are.

Right nearly at the end of my catch up month. Last week was a full packed week. It started off with our friends Paul and Jeanette inviting us round for a curry night, they have had a posting to Nepal and therefore make amazing curries - needless to say we had a fantastic night along with other good friends. On Easter Monday we were back round Paul and Jeanettes as it was their daughter Molly's 4th birthday and they had a bbq and easter egg hunt for the kids (Tegan and Fraser have lived on a diet of chocolate for several days now) - the weather was great nearly summer like! Wednesday night Paul managed to get tickets to see the Medicine Hat Tigers ice hockey match - they were in the play offs so it was an exciting game to watch against the Calgary Hitmen . The atmosphere was brilliant and the speed at which they play is so fast - I would still be at the other end of the rink. Unfortunately they lost 4-1.

Friday night was a surprise party for Jeanette as it is her 40th birthday at the end of April and Paul decided a party was in order. Noo and myself gave Paul a hand in organising it. Noo is great at design and therefore transformed the Jubilee Arms pub (the pub in Ralston village) into pink and black theme with homemade chandeliers and a balloon tree the pub looked great and we all had a fab night.

As it is the month for 40th bithdays we had a girls pot luck lunch for Jo (Woods) who's birthday was on Monday - there is a common theme in Ralston - eating and drinking.

Finally on the eating, drinking and socialising side of things I was out for a girls dinner Wednesday night at Zoe's house who cooked a lovely dinner and again it was a dinner for Jeanette's 40th birthday - this girl is having a month of birthdays!!! Chris was also out having a few beers with the Icemen.

Well I think that has caught with the last month. Chris is now on a different time schedule from the rest of us in the Leonard household as Prairie Season is about to commence - roll on November! Oh yes nearly forgot the amazing weather that we get in Canada - last week we were having bbq's and this week we have had snow storms with the schools closed and snow up to my knees and today the sun is shinning again.

Mother's Day - 3on3 Tournament

2010-03-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

We left Florida under a very big wet black cloud on Thursday it didn't stop raining all day however we managed to pass the day before catching our evening flight back to Calgary. Due to our late landing time we booked into a hotel nearby to the airport getting into our bed just before 1am. Both Tegan and Fraser were great on the flight and travel really well. To Fraser's delight the following morning he could look out the bedroom window and watch the aeroplanes taking off and landing - easy entertainment. Our 21/2 hr drive back to Ralston was fine however we were very to surprise as all the snow had disappeared. This weekend has been lovely blue skys and good temperatures.

Before leaving for our holiday I signed up to play in a 3on3 ice hockey tournament on the Sunday and friends kindly invited us round for dinner on the Saturday night. Both events seemed a good idea however we totally forgot that the clocks went forward and therefore lost an hours sleep, already still a little tired from our Disney holiday. So Saturday night we had a wonderful evening round our friends Noo and Richard's house for dinner, Noo is an awesome cook and made a fantastic supper. Before we knew it the clock was saying 1am which of course was 2am so with a sharp exit and into bed to try and get a few hours sleep before I had to be at the ice arena for 7.15am. The tournament was made up of 6 teams with 9 players in each team including at least 2 girls. Although I was a little apprehensive due to playing with predominately guys who can skate considerably faster than me and have more expertise I had a great day, especially as I managed to score 2 goals for my team, one of them in the last few seconds - a great confidence boost. We did make it into the semi final but unfortunately got knocked out So Mother's Day didn't really happen in the Leonard house as again we forgot due to being away but also the Canadians celebrate in May - so there is hope! Chris and the kids came along to the arena to support me which was great, both Tegan and Fraser are very happy playing in the arena with all their friends.

So fingers crossed the weather will remain good this week, so much so the gophers are making a reappearance - which is a little early in the year due to the good weather. Tegan and Fraser have a short week at school this week as the school is closed on Thursday and Friday so I need to find some activities to keep us busy.

Disney Animal Kingdom....

2010-03-10T16:49:00.001-08:00

Tuesday was the day we visited Disney's Animal Kingdom and saw some amazing animals in very realistic environments. On entering the park we hot footed it across to the other side to go on Kilimanjaro Safaris, passing by the Tree of Life, which I did briefly believe was a real tree to Chris' amusement. We jumped aboard an open air safari vehicle which took us on an exciting expedition through an African-style savannah where giraffes, gazelles, elephants, rhinos and lions roam freely. On the safari vehicle, which had us all bouncing around in our seats, we were guided through the safari with comical commentary and drove very near to the animals whose habitats were extremely lifelike and plentiful. After going to several parks throughout the week we have got used to planning our routes in order to see the things we really want to see or experience as the day goes so quickly, especially with 2 small children. It was particularly important here as the Animal Kingdom shuts at 5pm in order to allow the staff time to care for the animals. We also visited the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail where we got to see several gorillas including a mum with a 2 week old baby - Fraser was very interested.

During the day Tegan and Fraser also had their faces painted - this was one of the best examples I have ever seen. We then caught the Wildlife Express Train over to the conservation station. After eating our lunch we went to the petting area or as called in Disney the 'Affection Section'. Tegan saw a handler holding a Rose Boa snake and was quite happy giving it a stroke and asking questions.

The next big thing that we did was to watch 'Finding Nemo The Musical'. This was a 45 minute production taken from the original musical - an amazing show to watch. The actors danced not only on the stage but came out into the audience and one of our favourites, Crush the sea turtle, appeared regularly saying - 'hey dudes'. By the time we had watched the show it was 4pm so with only 1 hour remaining we went into the Dinoland section and let Tegan and Fraser run around the Boneyard which is a play maze build around fun dinosaur fossils.

So with our final day at Disney parks over we headed back to the hotel for a quick swim and an early night to bed. Both Chris and I said we have loved visiting all the parks but we have had enough of being herded like sheep with the several other thousand people - dare I say it we are actually craving the prairie or better still Canmore and the mountains!

Today was a day of eating indulgence as first thing this morning we headed to IHOP (International House of Pancakes) for breakfast. This is an American institution by the looks of it as the restaurant was packed with everyone's tables fully loaded with pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs and many a heart surgeon nearby no doubt!! Tegan was sensible and only ordered one pancake - however it was chocolate and even she couldn't finish it. Fraser went for the 5 pancake option - baby size luckily but again once covered with maple syrup even he didn't quite clear his plate. Chris went for the combo option - 2 pancakes, bacon, hash browns and scrambled eggs, most of the plate was left empty. I however went for the entirely healthy option blueberry pancakes - however 4 enormous pancakes came out loaded with blueberry compote and once I added some maple syrup was a truly awesome stack and yes somehow I did manage to eat all of them!!! We promptly paid the bill and went to play mini golf - phew some exercise! After a week of playing golf in Phoenix recently Chris had to lower his expectation levels and played crazy golf with the family. Once again like everything Disney, its built with quality and entertainment in mind - it was great fun. Needless to say with his recent intense golfing practice Chris won (and was the course leader that day he wanted me to mention!), both Tegan and Fraser loved it.

After a quick stop at an outlet mall to purchase the last few remaining items that we 'really' needed the remainder of the afternoon was spent in the swimming pool at our hotel along with a couple of Mojito's in the jacuzzi.

Tomorrow afternoon we leave Florida for our journey back to Canada after having experienced a really great holiday at Disney and Florida.

Disney Magic Kingdom...

2010-03-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

Sunday was spent having a lazy day by the hotel swimming pool in an attempt to miss the big crowds. Thankfully the temperatures finally got better. The hotel has an activities room for children with everything from a pool table, ping pong table (Fraser's ball direction wasn't so hot), bank of pc's, Wii console, and lots of small activities for children. Outside nearby the swimming pool area there is a great climbing frame. So after spending a couple of hours of playing we finally jumped into the swimming pool. Although we didn't leave the hotel we still didn't return to our room until around 6.30pm.

Monday off we went to Magic Kingdom with beautiful blue sky and warm temperatures - shorts were the order of the day for Chris and Fraser. Thirteen years ago Chris and I went to Magic Kingdom on our honeymoon and one thing particularly disappointed me; it was one of Disney's anniversarys and instead of the beautiful blue castle it was covered as a pink cake - today I was happy to see the castle looking great and back to its original best.

As we arrived all the Disney characters were putting on a show in front of the castle which was a great start to the day which both kids really enjoyed. Throughout the day we worked our way around the park from Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, Mickey's Toontown Fair and finally Tomorrowland. We went on lots of rides and saw many shows which were all entertaining. The whole Leonard family went on Thunder Mountain Railroad which is a runaway train rollercoaster, Fraser was even holding his hands in the air although the expression on his face said "should I really have my hands up Dad?".

The day passed far too quickly and we felt that we had only managed to see half of the park. Dispite being out of the supposed busy season there still seemed to be an awful lot of people there. We were quite happy therefore not to be visiting in the heat of the summer, as queuing would have been a bit grim. The day was ended by watching the amazing fireworks display which even Fraser agreed he enjoyed (normally he doesn't like the loud explosions of fireworks). Leaving the park with the other thousands of people was a lot easier and smoother than we had thought it was going to be. We entered the park via the monorail and left by boat. Chris and I both agreed that you could easily go back to the park and still not see everything as there is so much there. A great day out.

Cocoa Beach and Seafood...

2010-03-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

Again we headed East out of Orange County to Cocoa Beach for a day of sea and sun. We had the sun but the temperatures were still too low for Chris and I to go into the Atlantic sea, however it didn't stop Tegan and Fraser who had a great time. After changing into their swimmers they ran towards the sea, Fraser ran in and promptly ran out, after a few more attempts they both acclimatised and we couldn't keep them out. Then we began building sandcastles, shortly after which Tegan decided she would wrap herself up and do a spot of beach snoozing! To Fraser's delight we built the sandcastles and he destroyed them - sounds like a Royal Engineer in the making!

After a couple of hours on the beach we headed to the 'Ron Jon Surf Shack' - the biggest surfing shop in Cocoa Beach. This was clearly a surfing 'mecca' with everything in the store being very 'cool' - so we promptly left with a couple of purchases.

We finished off the day driving to the marina for dinner at Grills Seafood Deck and Tiki Bar. For those of you who have ever been to El Sids in Mojcar Grills was the Floridian version, but we have to say better. We had a fantastic seafood dinner where Tegan ate a 1lb of shrimps to herself. Finally we have arrived back to our hotel once again late in the evening.

Epcot...

2010-03-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

Today we visited Epcot and what a great day we have had. The weather still could be a little warmer as we had to wear jeans and sweaters but we had a blue sky and sunshine.

For the first part of the day we stayed within the area around the famous Epcot golf ball - well it looks like one, not sure if that is its official title. Our first stop was the Seas with Nemo and Friends where we boarded a 'clamobile' and set off on a quest to find Nemo and pals, all very entertaining. Then we went into an auditorium to have a 'Turtle Talk with Crush'. For those of you who do not know who Crush is, he is a friend of Nemo's and is a very friendly turtle who has a lot to say for himself; he also says 'dude' a lot which Fraser now emulates with regular prompting from Chris.

Then it was off to the 'Land' attractions. This included a great ride called 'Soarin' which simulated free fly hang gliding adventure over the west coast of the States; luckily Tegan and Fraser were both tall enough to go on this ride which although a little tentative they did enjoy! After Soarin we went on a boat ride which looked at 'Living with the Land' which took us through a greenhouse with ultra modern farming techniques (well it is Epcot!) and a fish farm where Disney are developing different methods of growing vegetables, fruits and herbs - all very educational.

After visiting 'Reimagined - Spaceship Earth' which is located in the parks icon, we then went to meet some of the famous disney characters including, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto which brought a huge smile to Tegan and Fraser's faces.

Much later on in the day we eventually started to walk around the world showcase visiting all the countries. Chris first of all had to have a pint of Guinness in the Rose & Crown Pub in the English sector which apparently was very good. Then shortly after we entered Germany so decided to reminisce where Chris had a weitzenbeer and bratwurst whilst Tegan and Fraser had a preztel; we decided we need to go back to Germany as some point.

Our final destination was the Test Track ride. This is where you board a GM mock car on the longest, fastest attraction in Dinsey history; again Fraser was tall enough so off we all went. We boarded a racing car style ride which went through some of the tests that new cars go through, bumpy surfaces, up hill, quick stops, round corners, and finally outside on a test track at 60mph - Fraser loved it, Tegan not so sure.

We seem to be getting back to our hotel later and later each evening. To finish off our day today we sat on the sofa and watched the Epcot fireworks from the comfort of our hotel room. Tomorrow maybe a visit to the beach and a fairly relaxed day. Tegan has done a great job walking many miles with the aid of ice cream!

Kennedy Space Centre...

2010-03-04T17:56:00.001-08:00

We took the road East out of Orlando to the Kennedy Space Centre for a day of memorable experiences. After purchasing our tickets we got onto one of the buses to take a tour around the facility. This included the Apollo/Saturn V Centre and the LC-39 Observation Gantry which is 60 foot tall, where we managed to see the latest Space Shuttle on its launch pad being prepared for an April departure. We also passed the launch control centre and the track that the crawler-transporter takes which carries the shuttle to the launch pad. It takes the crawler approx 7-8 hrs to move the shuttle the 3 1/2 miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch site.

We stopped off at the Apollo/SaturnV centre and stood underneath a Saturn V space rocket which has been broken down into 3 parts so that you could see the various stages and respective engines. Hanging from the ceiling alongside Saturn V are large copies of each of the mission badges. Roy, one of the engineers who worked for NASA for 30 years, was in the centre happily answering any questions, so we went to say hello. Fact - it wasn't until Apollo 11 that America finally landed on the moon and there were only 7 missions that actually made it to the moon. Fact No2 - Apollo 11, the first successful mission to the moon, very nearly never made it back. Buzz Aldrin used a Bic Pen lid to act as a circuit breaker which was essential for the lunar module to take off from the moons surface. Without that pen he and his illustrious counterparts would have been stranded on the moon.
On our bus tour around NASA we were amazed by the amount of wildlife that we saw including an abundance of armadillos, a bald eagle and I spotted an alligator swimming up a small inlet of river. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge surrounds most of the space centre, with NASA owning 2/3 of the park. On our return to the Space Station Centre we wondered around all the exhibits including the rocket garden, several rockets that you could look inside, then Chris and I went on the new Shuttle Launch Simulator Facility ride.

Fewer than 550 men and women of the earth's almost 7 billion people have ever flown in space and we got to meet one of them - Jack Lousma. He flew on 2 missions, Skylab II where he was the pilot, and STS-3 where he was Columbia's commander. We chatted briefly and he even said thanks to Chris for 'serving' and doing his bit; I think he was quite touched!

The other amazing experience that we had today was to actually watch NASA launching its newest weather satellite. The unmanned rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral carrying a $500 million GOES satellite. The launch was scheduled to take place at 6.15pm which we didn't think we would see as we expected to have left by then. However, having been told the launch would be delayed we left the centre and drove down the causeway where we saw lots of cars parked on the verge so decided to join them on the off chance it would take off soon. Luckily, after approximately 20 minutes the launch took place in twilight - quite amazing. It is not everyday you get to meet someone who has actually been into space and watch a rocket launch. A difficult day to beat.

Disney's Hollywood Studios...

2010-03-03T18:02:00.000-08:00

Firstly it was very cold today, so much so we had to buy Tegan a warmer top upon our arrival at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Luckily later on in the day the sky cleared although it remained very cool (relatively speaking!) So off we set for another exciting day at Disney, with out hotel again proving perfectly positioned as the journey only took 10 mins. We managed to see most of the shows during the day, also a good incentive to get indoors as it was a little warmer! We started off with the High School Musical parade, Beauty and the Beast, Voyage of the Little Mermaid and the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular which was the same routine that Chris and I saw 13 years ago on honeymoon, but it was still very good.

Fraser's eyes lit up when we found the Star Wars set and watched the Jedi Training Academy where young children could go up onto the stage and fight with their light sabers against Darth Vader. We then took a turn into the Star Wars shop where Fraser lined up in the queue to have his own custom made light saber built, he even got to pick what parts he wanted.

During the day we also saw the characters street parade which was very entertaining especially as Tegan and Fraser have recently watched Monsters Inc and the Incredibles both of which were in the parade. We did stop for a bit of a treat in a 50's diner for ice cream sundaes and cheese cake for Clare. Another great, full day with more to see and do tommorow - an out of this world experience we think.

Sea World...

2010-03-01T16:17:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Florida Sunday evening after a relatively painless journey. We found our hotel straight away, the Parc Soleil Hilton Grand Vocations Club, which is a new hotel and therefore everything is immaculate. We have a one bedroom suite which is bigger then an average one bedroom flat in the UK. The kitchen is fully kitted out including dishwasher, microwave, cooker, washer/drier and a large fridge. Tegan and Fraser are on the pull out sofa which is the size of a king size bed. Our balcony also looks out towards Epcot and Disney so we can watch the firework display each night. The other facilities include several heated pools with water slide, hot tubs, outside play area and indoor activities centre for Tegan and Fraser, gym along with a running trail around the lake (which we have both used already!) and a couple of eating places. We think its about the best hotel we've stayed in.

Monday we had glorious sunshine (Tuesday's forecast was not so great, thunder storms) and about 70F, so we headed off to Sea World for the day. The drive from the hotel to the park was 6 minutes - so we are very near to all the attractions. We all qualified for free entry into Sea World thanks to the generosity of the American armed forces welfare package. This recognises the British Army also and as such Chris was allocated "Hero" status on is his ticket and Tegan, Fraser and my ticket read "Hero Dependents"! Due to the time of year the park was relatively quiet and we could see all the attractions/animals that we wanted to get up close to. Obviously we watched the Shamu show however this had been downscaled due to the recent fatality involving one of the trainers. As such none of the trainers got into the water with the whales but it was still an amazing show. Later on in the day was saw the dolphin show which was spectacular, then whilst having a look at the dolphins in a smaller pool - Fraser commented as one of the dolphins cleared its breathing hole - "that dolphin has just farted!" We got to see the polar bears, walrus's, beluga whales, sharks, sea lions and many other aquatic animals. Tegan and Fraser also braved several childrens rides including the Shamu express (mini roller coaster) whilst I finished up the day going on the Manta - a new very fast ride where you are hanging by just your harness, what a buzz to finish the day.

Tuesday was as predicted very overcast with strong winds so we collected all our Disney tickets from Shades of Green, which is a hotel within Disney that is solely for America Armed Forces personal. Once again they provide a fantastic welfare package for their guys but also allow British serving members to purchase tickets for Disney attractions at a reduced rate. On our way to Shades of Green we spotted several Armadillos on the grass verges, which I have never seen before. We then headed off to an outlet mall for the rest of the day. I have thought of several friends throughout the day who would love to have been shopping there. Needless to say we came home with several bags of goodies and a much lighter bank balance. We then all jumped into the hot tub although the sky was black and strong winds - great fun.

Tomorrow - off to Universal Studios ...

Phoenix & Canmore ...

2010-02-21T18:51:00.000-08:00

Guest editor. Having experienced the limited opportunities to play Golf last Summer, when someone mentioned a winter golf tour at work I was all ears. Golf in Alberta is a 6 month sport - the other six months of perma snow and frozen ground ensure courses close late October and don't open until at least April the following year. Sadly for me the 'open six months' coincide with the exercise season. 'So who's up for a week of golf in Phoenix?' was closely followed by 'I'm in..........once I speak with CinC Home Front!' Thankfully Clare being the great sport she is quickly agreed, a budget was set (she's always been that efficient) and before I knew it I and 7 other guys from work were on our way to Scottsdale, Arizona for a week of competitive golf. Ten rounds over six days at six different courses meant early starts and full days. Thankfully buggies were used throughout. Mikes Hard Lemonade was suddenly adopted as the tour sponsor with certain individuals partaking more than others in the sponsors beverage! The quality of golf varied, as did the difficulty of the courses and opposition, but somehow the result didn't really matter as sun and warmth combined with a few beers made up for it. A big thank you to Dave Short for organising a great week and congratulations to Mike 'Oh he's asleep again in a bar' Griffiths for being our overall winner.

Me again - last week was half term so we had a relaxing first part of the week as Chris was still at work. Then Wednesday evening we loaded up the car and set off to Canmore for 3 nights. We booked into The Banff Boundary Lodge which was perfect as it was similar to a small 2 bedroom house that also accepted dogs. Thursday morning after walking Jinx we set off to Sunshine Valley for a days skiing. Tegan and Fraser skied the whole day with us, although Fraser owned the mountain and watch out, he was coming through. The weather for both days was brilliant blue sky with temperatures around -8 degrees so not bad. Thursday night Sam & Andy (also staying in Canmore) invited us over to the condo they were staying in, along with other friends Paul and Jeanette and all the kids for tea - so after a few drinks and food we eventually got to bed happily worn out. Friday was the same again although Tegan and Fraser went into Tiny Tigers for a few hours so that Chris and I could ski a little more. We collected Tegan and Fraser and all skied off the mountain after another great day.

Oh yes before I forget Chris scored his first goal in ice hockey this week- that's one all in the Leonard house. Monday evening the Icemen played against the Chieftans with the score 4-3 to the Icemen - unfortunately the weather was not good that evening and the referees did not make it to the arena therefore the game was void - however Chris is still claiming his first goal - not bad considering he has only played 3 games.

So back to work and school this week. Friday evening we are having a few friends round to celebrate Chris' birthday. Although his birthday is actually on Saturday we will be packing that day before we are off on an early holiday before Chris starts the exercise season in April. Where??? .... I'll let you know next week.

Goal Scored ....

2010-02-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

The White Devils had a game against the Orange Oilers (guys team) on Thursday night and I have finally scored my first goal, a great shot if I say so myself. Jill who plays centre took the drop and passed it to me and with a good whack in it went. It was a good match although the final score was 6 - 3 to the Orange Oilers but everyone played really well and we had a good group of girls supporting us - so lots of shouting! It was a brilliant feeling scoring so hopefully I will get lots more - I think I am finally understanding the game?

Friday morning I went into Tegan's school to do Fruity Friday - this is where a couple of mums go in and chop up lots of fruit to sell to the children for 50c each week. The school doesn't provide hot meals and their snack shop is basically muffins and candy - so Fruity Friday was started by two of the mums and has since grown in support. It turned out that it was also school assembly and Ken Merrit who was the Canadian soldier chosen to carry the Olympic torch for Ralston had come to talk to all the children. Ken gave a talk to the children during assembly and tried to answer all their questions, he was one of 12,000 Canadians lucky enough to carry the torch on its journey through Canada, finally ending at Vancouver. All the torch bearers were given the option to purchase the torch that they had carried for $400 each of course Ken took up the offer. After the assembly had finished Ken then visited all the grades and I luckily had my camera on me so all of Grade 1 (Tegan's class) got to have their photo taken holding the torch.

Chris has been in Phoenix, America all week playing golf with 6 other guys and by his telephone calls has had a great time, although a little tough as they have played 10 rounds of golf in 6 days!!!!! Hopefully photos will follow next week. He even got to stand on green grass wearing a t shirt - something that doesn't happen here at the moment as everything is just white, I think I remember what grass looks like!

A Nicht Wi' Burns ...

2010-01-31T19:12:00.000-08:00

Needless to say Chris didn't manage to win our millions in Las Vegas but did have a good time. Their one night stop over in Vegas actually got extended to two nights but unfortunately the weather was not kind to them as it rained the entire time, apparently the worst weather in the Californian desert for many years, great as Chris forgot to take his jacket!

Chris returned home on the Friday night to find a house of 3 children - Tegan's friend Harriet come to stay for the weekend as her mum was off playing hockey whilst her dad was back in UK on work. So I got to see what it would be like having 3 children - I think I'll stick to 2 and a dog. However Harriet was a great girl to have and the 3 of them had a great time, along with us all going to the cinema to see Alvin and the Chipmunks, it was great! The snow also decided to return last weekend and dumped quite a bit, the drive into Medicine Hat was quite scary as the snow was blowing across the highway making the road similar to an ice rink - on the way home we saw 3 cars in the ditch.

Wednesday night Chris made his debut ice hockey game Icemen (the team Chris is in) vs Orange Oilers - a riverting game with the score 7-0 to the O/Oilers! Chris made quite an impression as it was his first time on the ice he lasted approximately 30seconds before being sent to the 'sin bin' for tackling another player - he was thinking ruby not ice hockey!? I must add that he did actually do really well considering the other players are either 2nd yrs or 1st yrs but they have been training since September - so there is hope - for next year!

Friday night we attended Burns Night in the mess. The evening was organised by our friend Paul (on the right in the picture) who did a great job and we had a fab evening. During dinner we had the Selkirk Grace, Address to the Haggis, Chieftain o' the Puddin Race piped in, highland dancing, Immortal Memory, To a Mouse, To the lassies, to the Laddies, Tam O' Shanter. Dinner was finished off with Atholl Brose which Chris sampled fully by the jug along with all the whiskey, a slow start to Saturday morning for some!

The Selkirk Grace - Some Hae meat and cannae eat, And some wad eat that want it, But we hae meat and we can eat, Sae let the Lord by thankit. Robert Burns 1759 - 1796

Saturday night Chris was packing his bags again this time off to Phoenix for a week playing golf with 6 other guys from Ralston - hopefully better luck with the weather. So Charlotte (another golf widow) invited myself and the kids round for Sunday lunch which was great and before I knew it it was time to get Tegan and Fraser into bed. The snow has returned and there has been a gentle flurry all day - temperatures this week have hovered around -15degrees so not bad.

Olympic Torch Comes to Ralston...

2010-01-18T20:31:00.000-08:00

The last week has been quite extraordinary as the weather has been mild for January especially in Canada, last year the snow remained for the entire season with temperatures usually around minus 30degrees. This week most mornings have begun at zero rising to 5degrees during the day, with this change the snow has melted during the day but frozen to ice overnight causing hazardous conditions in the morning, the walk to school and around the village has been quite dangerous. Snow is forecast for next week - so I can get my 'duvet' coat back out. We have also had the deer in the village with a couple visiting our neighbour's garden - they are not quite so keen to jump into our garden to be greeted by Jinx.

The highlight of the week was the Olympic Torch coming into Ralston Village on Saturday. Tegan and Fraser had their ice skating lessons in the morning and then back to the arena in the afternoon as the Devils (girls hockey team) were playing against the PSP staff (Canadian gym staff). There were 4 members of the PSP team against 20 Devils - so game on. The PSP guys were dressed in tuxedo on skates and kept everyone entertained - needless to say they could have won very easily however it was a draw at full time, it was a really good fun game. After the game refreshments were laid on in the gym which was full of the local community, then at 5pm we all went outside to line the route round the village. It was like a little carnival with a procession of vehicles all handing out flags and bottles of coke and then finally the flame - an amazing thing to see pass my nose.

Monday morning began with Chris leaving at 3.30am to fly to California for a week with work, however there is a good ending as they have Friday evening in Las Vegas, I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures and spending the millions that Chris is going to win!!!!!

Christmas is over...

2010-01-10T19:14:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you all.

Our christmas has finally come to an end after 3 weeks in the glorious rocky mountains staying in Canmore. Tomorrow (Mon) Chris is back to work (what a shock after 4 weeks leave) along with Tegan and Fraser back at school and I will start to rearrange our house to accommodate all the lovely christmas presents Tegan and Fraser received.

We left Canmore on Saturday lunchtime after spending the morning packing and ensuring that we hadn't left anything behind, although luckily Andy & Sam were staying for an extra night so could sweep up anything we had left. To say the house was amazing is an understatement, it suited us all perfectly especially with 4 children and 3 dogs to also contend with. There was enough space for us all, walking the dogs on the golf course was very handy and the views from our front balcony were breathtaking.

Our final day skiing was on the Friday and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day as the sun was out with blue sky and a temperature of zero and hardly anyone on the slopes. Chris and I skied together in the morning, then with Andy & Sam after lunch and finally the highlight of our holiday was Tegan and Fraser skiing off the mountain all the way down to the car park with us. That evening the four of us managed our first night out on the town or rather a quick trip to the Tapas restaurant in Canmore with our friend Jo kindly babysitting.

So with our holiday over we are planning our next trip to Disneyworld, Florida.

For those of you in the UK hope the snow isn't causing you all too many problems!!

Happy New Year ...

2010-01-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you all. We spent the day on the slopes of Sunshine Valley as we were half way through our ski rec lessons - 5 days of skiing tuition which was great fun - our instructor was called Ernie - that fastest milk float on skis! We had half the week at Lake Louise ski resort and then moved to Sunshine Valley. Unfortunately we did not have glorious weather as the clouds came down and it snowed for 3 of the days but had great fun - even skiing at -20 degrees. New Years Eve was fairly quiet as we all went round to our friends Jo & Pete for a few drinks but the Teskeys and Leonards were home at 10.30 pm to put very tired children to bed but we managed to stay up until 12.30am to see the new year in with a bottle of bubbles it was then straight to bed as we were up at 6.00am on New Years day for more skiing. Breakfast was eaten in the car with chocolate brownies in the cable car - energy food!

Prior to N/Y's eve Chris had a boys night out to see Calgary Flames vs LA Kings ice hockey in Calgary. He had a great night out with the Flames winning 2-1 and was home just after midnight - the following morning was another 6am start for skiing.

Tegan managed to complete 4 1/2 days of the ski rec which was great considering that she is only just 6 years old and was skiing from 9am to 3pm with only a 1hr lunch break - however by Friday lunchtime she couldn't speak due to tiredness so spent the afternoon with Chris sitting in front of a fire and drawing. Tegan and Chris did ski off the mountain on Friday night which was great - amazing to see how well she has progressed with her skiing. Fraser and I skied to the halfway point and then caught the bubble car down.

Today (Sat) has been a day off and tomorrow we are off to see the Calgary Flames hockey team on the Super Skills day which should be good fun.

Unfortunately our camera has packed in so no pictures for the moment. Wishing you all a happy 2010 - bad luck if you are back to work on Monday as we have another week here in Canmore skiing and hot tubing!!!

Happy Christmas from the Rockie Mountains...

2009-12-27T19:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Christmas to you all - hope everyone has had a wonderful time. Tegan, Fraser and myself joined Chris in Canmore on Friday 18 Dec along with our friends Andy, Sam and their children Francesca and Millie and all 3 dogs. The house we have rented for a month is great, large 4 bedrooms along with a den downstairs for the kids. We back onto Silver Tip golf course which makes dog walking easy and we have our own hot tub in the back garden - fantastic after a day of skiing. The view from every window in the house is of the snow covered mountains, very picturesque. The golf course is also home to a large herd of elk which roam around.

Saturday afternoon we went up the mountain to have a look, Sunday we started skiing with Tegan, Fraser and Millie having lessons whilst in Tiny Tigers and Francesca having a lesson for older children. Tegan and Fraser had lessons over a couple of days and have done really well, Tegan can now snowplough her way down a green run, however Fraser is not quite there as he doesn't have any control - as normal just goes fast. Tuesday was a day off from the slopes and was spent tobogganing on the golf course, swimming at the local pool and finished off by going to watch the Canmore Eagles vs Calgary Canucks ice hockey which was really good.

Christmas eve we didn't ski and spent the day doing a few chores and popping into Canmore. That evening friends from Ralston invited us all around for drinks and mince pies then it was home to get all 4 children ready for Father Christmas, we left out milk, a carrot, sherry and mince pie, which all promptly froze. So with very excited children we were ready for our first Christmas in Canada. Fraser did wake up around 4am to say that 'he has been' but we persuaded him that he had to go back to sleep - then all 4 kids were up at 7.05 am - not bad. After a mammoth session of opening presents, a quick jump into the hot tub Chris and Sam were then in charge of cooking christmas lunch. After a splendid lunch and more playing tired children eventually went to bed.

One of Chris's christmas presents was a day of snowmobiling along with Andy which they have both done today (Sun 27th). They left at 8am and didn't return until 5.30pm after a great day of zooming around mountains in glorious sunshine, a good boys day out.

Tomorrow we start a week of ski rec lessons at Lake Louise which should hopefully improve my skiing, as for Chris not sure if they will get him to slow down for long enough!

More to come in the next few days...

Nativity Play, Mess Xmas Party & Tegan's Birthday Party...

2009-12-16T19:01:00.000-08:00

It has been a week of parties, plays & carols this week, with the snow outside it really does feel like Christmas. Friday morning started off with Little Gophers Nativity Play in which Fraser was one of the 3 kings, pictured here with our friend Millie as Mary. The children all did really well with their parts and then singing several well known carols - all the mums and dads were there squashing their bottoms onto the rather small chairs with cameras in hand. Fraser just smiled all the way through it and then put his fingers in his ears during the singing, I don't blame him.

That afternoon Ralston School Choir put on a carol service in the theatre which was brilliant and we again got to join in at the end with more carols, much to my delight as I do like the odd carol, not that I can sing. Friday night was also our Christmas party in the mess which was DJ for the guys and posh frocks for girls - although a little strange all dressed up and wearing my snow boots as it was minus something on the thermometer and snowing.

Sunday we had Tegan's birthday party - we decided to do it the weekend before her actual birthday as school finishes on the 18th and we want to drive up to Canmore so Tegan was happy to have a party and she then worked out she would get another tea party and cake on her actual birthday as well - its all about the cake. We must have been mad as we had 20 children for 2 hours but I did hire Sparkle Fairy to entertain the children although whilst she was face painting one child there were 19 others running around and screaming so as you can see below I know how to entertain children - wrap them up in toilet paper!

Tegan had a great afternoon and came home to a pile of presents which of course had to be opened that evening. She had decided it was to be a 'smart & pretty' party hence the new party dress.

Chris has know finished work for four weeks so set off on Monday morning into Medicine Hat to do his Christmas shopping - a little worrying what he may have bought as Med Hat is not known for its designer shops! Before jumping into the car he did take a picture of the temperature this was taken about 9.30am - all week the temperature has been between -25 and -30 degrees but then today (Wed 16 Dec) I had to look twice as it was zero degrees - shorts & T shirts weather nearly!!!

As of Tuesday Chris decamped from Ralston and has gone to his bachelor pad for 4 days in Canmore, lounging in the outdoor hot tub, skiing at Sunshine Valley and out to supper with mates!!! Actually we decided that it would be a good idea if he went up earlier with all the children's presents and things that we would need. Luckily a friend has kindly lent me their second car so I will drive up on Friday with Tegan, Fraser and Jinx. So two more days in the village and that is it for 3 weeks along with our friends Andy & Sam and their children and dogs. I think most of Ralston village are actually going to Canmore and we already have several invites to other friends houses during the time there. Hopefully whilst in Canmore I will be able to update my blog with all our daily events - getting Tegan and Fraser on skis is going to be very interesting.

Chris, Tegan, Fraser and myself wish you all a very happy christmas and new year. Take care xx

Winter Has Arrived....

2009-12-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

We woke this morning to -30 degrees rising to a barmy -22 degrees later on in the day and that is without windchill - so we are finally experiencing a Canadian winter - mind you the sun was out! I have to say my new boots and coat which is actually called 'Duvet' are great it's just the exposed bits that started to freeze, even my eyelashes. Jinx was ok in her coat for the first 30 mins and then she was ready to get home quickly.

Sorry yet again the weeks have run away with me so here is our update.

Tegan and Fraser are still busy with all their activities and their ice skating is getting really good, we can't keep up with Fraser as he is so quick. On the 19 Nov Tegan lost her first tooth which she was extremely proud of and the tooth fairy made a visit leaving a hefty $2 after drinking her drink and cookie - Tegan has the same principals for the tooth fairy as for Santa. The next event for Tegan has been having her ears pierced this weekend, she was very brave and didn't flinch. Having her ears pierced was her birthday present but done a little earlier so that hopefully they will have healed in time for skiing.

On Friday 20 Nov we went to the Ralston Theatre as a squadron of Gurkha's were visiting BATUS and hosted a curry evening, for those of you who have not eaten a Gurkha curry it is great. They also provided some entertainment by doing a marshal art display/Khukuri patter, traditional Nepalese Jhyaure dance, Gurkhaali Khukuri dance, comedy dance and highlander bagpiper - Tegan and Fraser had a great evening.

On Monday 23 we hosted an evening at our house for some of the Engineers who were over in BATUS helping to restore the prairie after the summer medman exercises. The CO very kindly sent round the chefs to my little kitchen who prepared some amazing food for us all.

Sat 28 Nov we had another 'Progressive Supper Party' round the village which again was great fun. It takes a lot of organisation to sort out who is cooking what course and where everyone is going but really good fun - mind you we had a dump of snow the day before so everyone wore snowboots and nice clothes.

The following day it was the christmas fair with Father Christmas arriving by helicopter which all the children thought was amazing. The SSAFA girls had worked extremely hard and transformed the Ralston Theatre into Santa's grotto with lots of things going on for the children, from face painting, decorating baubles, guessing the weight of the cake, traditional sweet shop - needless to say Tegan and Fraser came home after eating far too many 'E' numbers very happy.

It was our wedding anniversary on 30 November so instead of a romantic meal for 2 - well we have been married for many years - we were off to see the Medicine Hat Tigers play ice hockey. It was a great night however I couldn't believe how young they were 16 - 19 years old and I often lost sight of the puck as they were so quick. Unfortunately the team lost the game which apparently is the first time in a long time, on the way home we stopped of for donuts at Tim Hortons - we know how to be romantic!!

So although we haven't left the village except going into Medicine Hat the weeks have whizzed by - the change in weather has been quite significant and it now takes an extra 20 minutes to get us all kitted out before we step out the door, by which time I feel as though I have done a work out.

24hrs In Calgary & BFBS Tournament...

2009-11-16T15:51:00.000-08:00

Tegan finished school on Tuesday lunchtime for us all to jump into the car and drive to Calgary for 24hrs. Chris flew to England on Wednesday evening and as Tegan and Fraser's schools were shut for Remembrance Day on the Wednesday we decided it would be a good opportunity to leave the village for a night. So after the 21/2 hr drive we hit a few ski shops looking for our final purchases hopefully for the winter - skis for Chris and I. Unfortunately that night we didn't find any ski's but I did managed to find an awesome coat that should hopefully keep me very warm all winter along with a few other purchases of very necessary clothes! The plan was to visit the Calgary Telus Science Museum on the Wednesday morning but we did manage to find another ski shop on the way and hey presto we came out with skis and poles - phew. The remainder of the day was spent at the Telus Science Museum which is a great place for children big and small. Everything is 'hands on' which was great for 2 children who had spent a lot of time in the car. Fraser loved the aircraft simulator whilst Tegan was happy trying everything, they both even lay on a bed of nails - which individually were very sharp. I went on a 'G' bike - which was a bike that had been fitted with a motor that propelled you round a circular cylinder up to 5g's - a great experience although a little wobbly legs when I got off. Finally we had to drop Chris off at the airport and drove home.

Wednesday was game on - White Devils vs Icemen (which is the team that Chris will be playing for once his neck is sorted out). Happy to say the White Devils won 1-0 followed by a trip to the pub - it was a good night. I had made the decision at lunchtime to have my skates sharpened - I won't be doing that again on a game night as suddenly I was unable to stop, but I did manage to stay upright most of the time.

The big event this weekend in the village was the BFBS Ice Hockey Tournament - I did warn you that everything revolves around ice hockey at this time of year. Due to Chris being in the UK I decided not to play as although Tegan is fine running around the arena with her friends Fraser is a little more of a worry. But we did spent virtually all day watching all eight teams playing. The final was between the Chieftans vs Flames with the Chieftans winning 1-0. The BFBS tournament is an annual event sponsored by BFBS and run by the Devils which is a great fund raiser for the girls team. The day was finished with a curry supper and party this year held in the Sgt's mess. I was planning to wear a smart little outfit and then got told - no you wear jeans and your ice hockey top, mind you I did cheat a little and put a belt round my top as it is soooo big!

Sunday morning Fraser was invited to visit the helicopter hangers with his friend Harry. So with a very excited Fraser and not quite so much Tegan we set off to the hangers - Fraser although a little shy at first soon thought it was great - I have to say the helicopters were a little smaller than I thought. Fraser and Harry got to sit inside the helicopter and Fraser has since not stopped talking about it.

Chris is still in the UK returning to Ralston late Thursday night - I think we are having better weather here than the UK from what I can gather. Although we are still having very high winds and I am just waiting to see if the trampoline gets blown over again.