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.

The Flayling Arms is Bursting at the Seams

Another summer has been and gone and actually before I launch into this blog update I have a gripe.  Since when does summer begin in August and end late September? Must do better next year I fear or my SAD syndrome may get the better of me.

So the rain is falling and the leaves are already laying their carpet across our acres and sending me a middle finger signal!  The leaves can insult me all they like because this year I have a leaf blower / mulcher that is powerful enough to eat small children.  Hurrah.

Jamie Franklin has just departed our shores having arrived in Vancouver on September 19th en route to Alaska September 22nd returning Vancouver for an overnight chez us, October 3rd.  We had an excellent visit and if it is a sign of things to come when Manda and Cherie arrive on 22nd October then we are truly blessed.

He miraculously brought sunshine with him and our trips up Grouse Mountain and to Whistler were awesome.  We love visitors and especially family because now being established rednecks and me with an Australian accent we can entertain in true local style.  Apparently mixing English English with Canadian English results in Australian English.  I must confess I sometimes hear myself being antipodean and I quite like the inflection.

Our barbecue has been in daily operation and our local hunting/fishing connections have been amazing.  We had some beautiful fresh Sockeye Salmon which we cooked on soaked cedar boards using one of Kims amazing recipes.  We had beer can chicken which is a terrific way to cook chicken, also on the barbecue but keeping the meat extremely moist.  We finished Jamie's stay with fresh T-Bone Moose Steaks, all meals accompanied by garden produce and ably supported by ale, wine and cider as required.  More of the same awaits Manda and Cherie.

Our children continue to stride through life and we couldn't be happier that they do so happy in heart.  Samantha has now successfully completed her second year nursing exams in University and is already into her last year.  Alexa is now at school and heading towards her 5th birthday next year.  David is self employed and is the doting father to Mason who is now two.  Heather is still in University at Prince George here in British Columbia and with grade scores averaging 4 she is being educated entirely by scholarships.  She is thinking of a year out then studying law.  Reece is now happily working hard and also very much connected with the lovely Emma in the relationships department.  Marcus is throughly independent; a Chef, rugby player, canoeist and all round great person.  At 19 and the youngest of the crop he carries the last flag of childhood into adult life where Kim and I are concerned.  They all make us proud and contented.  We would love them to be here more often but that is just not possible all the time.  Once my working gets moving maybe that can change.

We are so loooking forward to getting home next year for a planned month to see everyone.

I spent some time in the Flayling Arms this morning (our winery come brewery in our basement cellar).  Kim's Blackberry Wine is coming along very nicely and my new Ale is starting its fermentation in readiness for tasting once beloved sisters arrive.  The Poacher (our hot tub) and our Fire pit are primed ready for action and we pray for clear days particularly when we take the Ferry to Vancouver Island.  Venison is arriving shortly and there is the possibility of Elk sometime soon.  Elk is apparently an amazing meat to eat.  We'll see soon enough.

So as I watch another leaf fall past the window I sign off until another day.  Bloody leaves!!!

37 Years between Slopes

In 1974 and as a sixteen year old schoolboy who knew absolutely everything he needed to know about the world I travelled to Bulgaria.  I did so with about 30 schoolmates and under the management of three schoolmasters from John Fisher Grammar School.  Wearing loaned ski regalia I was obviously Val D'Isere himself; never mind ther fact that my ski pants were actually ladies ski pants if I recall correctly.

Having landed in Sofia and boarded our grey bus; to travel through a grey landscape in a grey and very communist country, we remarked on the absence of snow.  Our guide informed us that at least 24 inches of the white fluffy stuff would arrive overnight so fret ye not.....

We were greeted at the hotel reception in Borovets with hot fresh baked bread and a hot non alchoholic toddy of some description.  That was to be the last non alcoholic toddy like thing for the next week as I and my classmates discovered Mastika Brandy and that pretty unclad girls on playing cards fetched a rare price on the Bulgarian black market.  Good job I had some with me.  We skied each afternoon and took lessons each morning and gradually climbed higher on the slopes as we became more competent.  I recall failing to detach myself from the chair lift at the intermediate disembarkation point and arrived at the top of the mountain and a route down that could only be described as bloody scary.  Got down eventually but only after deliberately falling over as few times to avoid plummeting down over the steep cliff like moutain edges.

I remember having a fantastic time and recall very clearly the Russian Army Officers who stood guard on numerous gates in and around the resort.  Very cold war and very KGB.  I was glad to be there to experience it.

The reason for blogging this long ago event is to report my second visit to a ski resort just 37 years later than the first trip.  Mildly more mature but no less susceptible to an alcoholic toddy I again boarded a bus, this time in Mission British Columbia.  No classmates within a continent but colleagues from the local Chamber of Commerce.  The event was a business after business get together for networking and socialising.  $10 per head covered the bus trip, fresh pizza and hot chocolate; lift passes, equipment hire and a hot food buffet after a bit of slope action.

Hemlock Ski Resort is about 45 minutes from home in Mission and the switchback climb up the mountain is quite hairy particularly in a bus and on compacted snow.  The temperature up the mountain was reported to be -30.  That on the face of it sounded rather chilly but in reality and without any wind it did'nt feel as cold as the Mission we had left behind.  In fact for the first time since I arrived here in July 2009, the Fraser River had frozen over.  No mean undertaking when you consider it is every bit as wide, if not wider, than the River Thames in London.

Not quite a lithe as I was in 1974 I passed on the ski-ing and snowboarding and opted for tubing and tube races.  Great fun; fast paced and with a tube lift to get back up the course not too strenuous. 

All in all it was a great experience and a reminder of 37 years before.  On this ocassion, though, the chances of a rapid return are great.  Having a resort like this pretty much on the doorstep is huge.  Being gifted a free tubing pass for family also makes it likely I'll take Kim with me sometime soon; don't think I'll be around in another 37 years time for visit three......

John Wayne woz 'ere

Seven months out of work and living in a splendidly isolated rural location can and does make one stir crazy.  So, it was in the nick of time that Kim and I whisked ourselves off to Vancouver Island for a five day break and to visit Mike and Sue in Campbell River.  The original trip had been planned to give Kim some respite from her busy work schedule and to enjoy an early birthday dinner out with her parents.  I was programmed to mind the homestead and the furry occupants therein.  Plans changed.  I rattled my cage; we found a house sitter and headed west. 

We pre-packed and I collected Kim from the Hospital at 8am Friday after her night shift.  McDonald’s egg and bacon McMuffin’s and hash browns in hand, plus coffee we started our journey in bright sunshine towards Horseshoe Bay and BC Ferries.  (Sometimes only a McDonalds will do it) From Mission to Campbell River is no small undertaking and our estimated arrival time at destination was 2pm.  Added to our food for thought was a phone call from Sue warning that Campbell River had seen a dump of 8 inches of snow overnight. 

Highly amusing was the fact that when we left Campbell River five days later we did so in bright sunshine only to arrive to snow in Mission.

We met the snow at Fanny Bay....one moment no snow at all then suddenly it was there.  The sign at the side of the road has always amused me because Deep Cove (an adjoining resort) and Fanny Bay are posted one above the other.  Read vertically rather than horizontally the text takes on an altogether different meaning.  I mean, Cove Bay for goodness sake!  The road conditions were treacherous and the driver who slid into the grass on the median and held his head in his hands was clearly expanding his vocabulary.  Campbell River was under 8’ of snow and that snow stayed for as long as we did and is probably still there now.

Nothing quite relaxes a person like a change of scenery and a change of pace.  In this instance the scenery provided food for the soul.  The change of pace provided by brisk walks for a couple of hours each morning of our stay; twice at Salmon Point and once at Miracle Beach.  We chuckled because Miracle beach slightly overstated the quality of the location.  We felt that perhaps sleight of hand beach might have been a more appropriate moniker....That said it was still beautiful.

Vancouver Island is a remarkable place; the pace of life is slower and the people friendlier than their counterparts on the mainland.  That is not to say that Canadians are not friendly, just that on the Island they are more so.  We dined out on every day and a different meal each time.   Dinner at the Anglers Dining Room at the Dolphins Resort on the Saturday was fantastic.  Very few choices with four starters; entrees and desserts, but the quality was on a par with our favourite menu at the Wharf in Bugbrooke, Northamptonshire.  Everything on the plate was special and the mmmmmm’s round the table were quite audible.

Sunday we breakfasted at the Willows a sports bar with an excellent breakfast at a great price and on the Monday for lunch we repaid Mike and Sue’s hospitality from the Anglers Dining Room with a visit to the Salmon Point a restaurant with a beautiful ocean view, good beer and fine food.

Our other meals were home cooked fare and invariably followed with some enjoyable verbal sometimes even intellectual jousting at the table.  World affairs, world leaders and multiculturalism formed the ad hoc agenda.  It is always fun to wash down the distraction of a focused debate with an ale of two. 

I spent some of the time watching movies with Mike....Older wartime movies are not generally my cup of tea but I have to confess I thoroughly enjoyed the Devils Brigade with Montgomery Clift and William Holden and then the Desert Rats with James Mason and Richard Burton.  Mike was less enamoured with The Birdcage which we watched with Kim and Sue.  I’m pretty sure that the last straw was seeing Gene Hackman in a dress.  On a personal note I cannot recall seeing a less attractive drag queen in my entire existence.  Even Terrence Stamp in Priscilla Queen of the Desert was a better fit.

Campbell River is a haven for the rich and famous.  Painters Lodge in the town has been host to John Wayne, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Julie Andrews.  Goldie Hawn is also regular visitor which presumably means Kurt Russell is also in town.  The fishing is obviously the main attractor as Campbell River is the Salmon Capital of the world, but the prospect of seeing whales, seals, bears and other fauna in the vicinity adds to its appeal.

We set out to get rest and we achieved that.  Like any trip from home; there comes a point where home and your own place beckons.  We left recharged and headed south towards Nanaimo and Departure Bay.  We passed Willow Point, Oyster Bay, Qualicum Bay and the aforementioned Fanny Bay.  (Fanny Bay Oysters are apparently widely renowned).  The passing vista was amazing almost scenic saturation.

We had originally planned to take the 1230pm ferry back to the mainland but set out earlier to try and make the 1030am boat.  We arrived in Nanaimo ten minutes before sailing and drove straight onto the ferry.  The crossing was quite choppy with 2 metre swells.  I have sea legs and my darling wife does not so breakfast for me presented no challenge where for Kim it could have been a problem.  The sea settled before any problems ensued and we arrived home by 1.30pm a lot quicker on the return journey than outgoing.

For visitors to Canada we strongly recommend adding Vancouver Island to the itinerary. The glacier on Mount Washington is also a must visit and I have yet to enjoy that pleasure.   We plan to return to the Island in early summer.  We will head across to Tofino on the Pacific Coast and take a Whale watching boat trip to watch the Grey Whales on their migration north to the Arctic Circle to feed on the abundant Herring.  (I hasten to add we will not be joining them for the whole of their journey).  We are also quite likely to see pods of Killer Whales who shadow the grey whales looking for calves for food.  So come on over to our place........

No raindancers required

One of the most depressing things that confronts residents of the Lower Mainland in BC is the rain.  It is not the ocassional shower; the odd drizzle or the torrential downpour, those are easy to deal with.  It is the persistent precipitation that lasts for days at a time.  From November through to March and because of the closeness of the mountains, it pisses down more often than not.  Respite comes in the form of snow and just once in a blue moon the sun does put his hat on.  Vitamin D is part of the daily intake just to stave off Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Our house is about 500' above the City of Mission and the Fraser River so it is not unusual for rain down there to fall as snow up here.  The snow particularly when enough of it falls and settles, draws out the inner child. Unfortunately the agility and muscle condition of an 'inner middle aged person' is less flexible than that of an 'inner child' so there is a price to pay for sledding recklessly down the slope in the back yard.  Champ, our gargoyle-worthy boxer, seems to enjoy our 'inner childishness' and plays his part.

As pleasurable as snow can be in the short term, it takes very little time for it to become a serious aggravation.  Getting the cars out of the drive is a two hour physical challenge and after twice getting caught out we have now taken to keeping an eye on the forcast and parking roadside when snow threatens.

So enough of the weather already!  2011 is well underway and the year of the pig 2010 is mercifully fading into the past.  What I actually mean is a pig of a year.  2010 was actually the year of the tiger.  So forward with positivity is my resolution.  Ride out the recession; focus on the good things that life presents and ignore the bad.  The world is not a bad place if you look at it through the right glasses.

Mark One Year On...I Close my Eyes...

I close my eyes and I’m in the Lugger Inn, Fowey Cornwall.  It’s 1984 and having just disembarked the ferry my brother Mark and I are supping pints of Hicks Special Draft and eating locally made Cornish Pasties.  I can taste both now and there’s no-one I would rather have been with back then.  We had three weeks of raising eyebrows.  Happy times.... 

I close my eyes and I’m on a beach near Slea Head November 2005 hunting the ‘Dinguin’ with my brother Mark; and our wives Kim and Ann and nephew James.  The wind is wicked; I blame the lunch.  Tears of laughter as well as those forced by the heavy breeze lift our wonderful day.  Those that have seen the picture and certainly those of us there that day, remember Mark holding his own dingle peninsula to great all round amusement.  Even Gallarus orated that day.....

I close my eyes and I’m sitting at a table in a flat above Coughlan’s in Coulsdon, Surrey.   143a, Brighton Road and it might be 1981.   As Wing Commander ‘Molestrangler’, I am joined by my brother Mark and my sisters as we self entertain with a cassette recorder and a microphone for what must have been hours.  Fuelled by supplies from Unwins’ and benefitting from the family discount; our behaviour at times bordered on psychotic.  The spontaneous high quality humour made us a single entity and not just six separate siblings.  That piece of audio history still exists somewhere in the sibling circle.  That makes me happy.

I close my eyes and I’m marching in full No1 Uniform bayonet fixed on the parade square at Royal Air Force Swinderby, Lincolnshire...It’s 1976 and my RAF career of 15 years is launched and my brother Mark is watching me with family....I’m glad....

I close my eyes and I’m jumping to head the ball out of defence for Fields Aircraft Services.  I connect and watch the ball move back up the pitch and land neatly at the feet of my brother Mark.  Not given to wearing the same outfit often, this was one notable exception.  We played and enjoyed football many times together.  An even more memorable occasion was when we played together in 90 degree heat in Nerja in 1982.  English Holidaying Guys against Spanish Locals in the local stadium on the day of the world cup final in Madrid Spain.  The game was followed by both teams literally arm in arm repairing to the locals bar and watching the TV match together, rooting for the eventual winners Italy.  Sometime after that it was the next day........Happy Days.....

I close my eyes and I see you pouring over the Sunday Express general knowledge crossword, I see you preparing a roast dinner and watching Pirates of the Caribbean with James.  I see the compassionate caring family man at home in his castle...I will always remember those spectacular meals you took such pride in preparing.  I can still taste your mushroom with wilted spinach and white stilton.  I take your drive and seek to aspire to your standards in my kitchen.  Jack Sparra’ indeed aaaar!

I close my eyes and I see coloured lights flashing and hear music playing.....I see a 21^st birthday party and realise I’m somewhere close to the Purley Way.  I quickly mix another CD, probably new romantic in origin, having spotted that I’m the DJ and the guest of honour my future sister in law Ann.  I see my brother strutting his stuff with the love of his life...It must be 1989, and I’m happy....

I close my eyes and I see St Aidan’s Church Hall and a ‘Gorilla-gram’ is peeling clothes off to embarrass my sister Cherie on her 18^th Birthday......Its 1983 and brother Mark (and he’s not a monk) has incurred the wrath of some youths in the cloakroom.   Slightly stronger in the upper body in those days I am pleased to lift one of the offending individuals onto one of the hooks in the cloakroom and watch the remainder back off.  That after all is what big brothers are for........

I close my eyes and I can smell the Wimpy Bar in Coulsdon.  I am sitting with closest family and we’re all dressed in black for Mum’s funeral.  There’s Samantha, Reece and Marcus; Ann, Mark and James, Kim and I, and we’re eating Wimpy and Chips.....It was awesome.  It may be not be everyone’s idea, of what might be appropriate, but since when did that stop our family that 2008 day....It was a lightening prelude to a tough day, filled stomachs, so that made us all happier...

I close my eyes and I see Ann and James....I see them dealing with their loss with such strength, courage and character.  I see them emerging from 2010 with Great Spirit; I enjoy being in contact with them through Facebook.  I pat the backs of Bligh’s the length and breadth of that Emerald Isle and my siblings in England; providing kinship and support through tough times.  I’m so glad to have a sister in law and nephew to make me so proud.  You would be too brother...Rest peacefully, sure in the knowledge that they will be fine. 

I close my eyes and I see you through the glass; I’m walking behind you down the middle of the road and with family, at the most amazing farewell of a funeral, I will likely ever see.  For my life I will proudly carry you with me and not a day goes by when you are not in my mind.  Still winded I can’t believe it’s almost a year. 

Sleep tight... Michael x

A Busy October

October has been a month of quite mixed emotions.  Great visit with Reece and Marcus, both here for 16 days from the 8th.  It's very gratifying when your kids reach adulthood having flourished on the journey.  At 19 and 18 respectively these two grown men; with grown men needs; arrived and quickly set out their stall in respect of the relationship with their father and patently wicked step mother Kimberley.  Gone the need for fatherly guidance and instruction and heralded in a new era of kinship on more even terms.

Incidentally, at this early point I retract the wicked step mother statement on health grounds........

The boys are have distinctly different characters but who wants two identical peas out of the pod.  They both make their father very proud and sharing their company was hilarious fun.  Even Tommy Cooper got an extended outing during the first couple of days as we exhausted the "I went to a sea food disco and pulled  a muscle" repertoire and wept uncontrollably.....I love the Franklin sense of humour but also realise it might be an acquired taste.........Don't care anyway.

We enjoyed our hot tub on day one and shared a few beers together.  Nine months apart is a long time and plenty of catching up to do.  Next few days involved target shooting; fire pit; plenty of good food and all leading up to an extended weekend at Hi Hium in the British Columbian interior.

Two pick ups in convoy left Mission at 5 in the morning and arrived in Cache Creek at 8.30 for breakfast at Chums.  Chums is just breakfast no the place will do.  9.30 and on the road again driving uphill continuously to about 4400 feet and above the snow line.  Off tarmac for the last 30 kilometres or so and we entered a new world....One without power except between 6pm and 7 pm each night and no drinking water.  The main purpose of the trip was rainbow trout fishing and two boats spent most of the daylight hours trolling Hi Hium lake.  The ranklin fish count was impressive but only if your name was Marcus.  Nine Rainbow Trout all together.....Dad (Zero) Reece (Zero) Marcus (the other nine).  I won't get into the language that rippled across the water; suffice to say it was a bit ripe.....Bit like the ripe that was the great unwashed after four days.....The shower at home after the trip among the best.  We had the best time and without breaking too many laws!!!

The last week was a little quieter but still punctuated with events....Poor old Chas called it quits on the Tuesday.  He had a fantastic weekend at Hi Hium; one of his favourite places but he had been progressively switching off for a few days and took a serious turn for the worse while away.  He persevered but could not eat; nor could he poop.  Tests showed a catalogue of ills and we had little choice but to let the old boy sleep and he sits in the picture above where he always sat in our family.....Where you had to step over him.  I have no doubt he now sits right in the middle of rainbow bridge.....

For the boys the remaining time involved a shopping trip at Coquitlam and a trip across the border into the US and a trip to Mount Baker and a lukewarm chilli burger.  Could so easily have been special if the microwave had been left on for another minute!!!  Marcus and Dad watched RED at the cinema....well worth a watch for anyone interested....

We wrapped up our time together with a fantastic Steak meal at Mr Mikes Steak restaurant.  No veg on the menu; hack off the horns and wipe its behind and bring a sizeable beer along to boot.....Nice finish to our time together; no questions over drinking age and fun all round.  Tough waving the guys off at Vancouver Airport but we part with a different and more special relationship.  We are buddies without Dad becoming Mike; we shared hugs and voiced our affections and this all through the stay.  It was special but like all things special; its time to go home and home becomes attractive.

Standing on little glacial deposit with Mount Baker Washington State USA in the background.  My lads Reece and Marcus.  Signing off now as I'm watching England versus the All Blacks on Setanta.  See you soon.  Tarraaaa.