Sister Act Part One

Its quite a moment waiting at an airport to meet two sisters who you haven't seen for over 20 months.  A long overdue get together and entirely generated by the girls a few months previously.  The usual 50 minutes or so wait from landing to greeting occurred and it was very 'Love Actually' as the girls emerged from the arrivals doors.  It really is rare to see other than joy at the arrivals area in an airport.

Vancouver was a little overcast on that Saturday afternoon but bouyed by being together we headed for home some 50 miles East or 2 and a half hours away.  (The run from Vancouver Airport is mostly on urban roads and quite slow.)  For Manda this was her first trip to Canada and for Cherie I think her third.  Chins wagged continuously and jaws must have ached.  We laughed and set a trend for the whole week to follow.  We drove back via the Laity Pumpkin Patch just to show the girsl how big halloween celebrations were in Canada.  Nuts really.  Word has it that Haloween has become more important than Christmas in North America.  That say something about the times we live in.

Had I cleared the leaves that morning I would have been wasting my time as a fresh layer had deposited at home while we were on the road.  Kim opened up the house; lit the stove and lights and we unloaded the girls into their own rooms.  Cherie into the Spirit of the Whale room and Manda into the Cedar Four Poster.  For the duration of the stay Kim and I had decided we should move into the basement suite.  The added bonus for the girls was their own bathroom.  For us we decided this was like going on our own holiday; change of scenery and all that.

It took just minutes for all to settle and with Champ being beside himself with excitement and one of the cat's calling in to say hello introductions were completed quickly.  It is a tradition for Kim's family and now mine of course, to leave bed presents for visitors so this was duly done.  Gifts given in return were spectacular and we felt blessed. 

It would be remiss of us not to have some liquid refreshment so we toasted ourselves with the final bottle of home made Rhubarb Wine saved specially for the ocassion. We then checked our stock and assessed supply and demand.

Father Moriarty was already moving props behind the scenes so while Manda helped Kim prepare the beer can Chicken, Cherie and I headed to the Mission Springs Brewery to fill Growlers with beer.  This was not because we hadn't filled them in preparation for the arrival, it was because Mr Dirty Shirt had already celebrated the impending arrival the previous day.  Growlers hold 1.89 litres and at $7 on a Thursday are good value.  Anyway, I digress.  The pub hollered and Moriarty screamed which meant Cherie and I had a pint on the premises for good measure.  This fact was not entirely surprising and with the passing of time, Manda and Kim drew the appropriate conclusion.

Back at the house the Beer Can Chicken was ready to go into the barbecue and the local Peaches and Cream Corn was also prepped.  Baked potatoes were already in the oven and waiting for spring onions and sour cream.

Kim had another surprise waiting for the girls and I headed to the basement fridge to collect a Cake Pop specially designed as a welcome by Kim's workmate Yvonne.  Each part of the decoration is edible and extremely tasty.  The theme was a cross between thanksgiving and the arrival of the pilgrim fathers and harvest.  The owls were included to reflect our home owl population.

Jet lag can be quite debilitating so with dinner done we planned to allow the sister act to feel free to retreat to their sleeping quarters and in anticipation of the next day.  Kim and I were less than 15 minutes behind them!  Next day update tomorrow.