From Vancouver to the Western Isles

FINALLY…AN UPDATE

Michael — Mon, 28 May 2007 22:13:03 +0000

Now that we’re settled in Stornoway, we finally updated our blog, which is no longer here on wordpress. Just click this entry and have a look at the new and improved Vancouver to Outer Hebrides.

Cheers.

Images of Malta . . .

Michael — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 05:45:55 +0000

Malta’s buses…

Images of Malta’s many markets….

Maltese food- pasta, fish, pastizzi’s, figolli, fresh fruit and veg – definately a highlight of a trip to Malta is the food options…yum, yum…

Reunited in Malta

Michael — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 13:04:06 +0000

Well after seems like the longest month ever Michael and I and Callum have met up again in Malta. Callum and I have been on the road for a month with my mum. We’ve been busy finding a place to live, opening up a bank account, getting started in my new job as well as spending a week holiday in a remote village in Scotland. We have had some of the most stressfull times and memorable times in the past month and now Michael is here and we are on holiday. I’ve started a new job and we will all be moving into a great new house that we’ve rented in Scotland the weekend we arrive back. Callum and I will be flying right up and Michael will follow after he buys a car in Glasgow.

It is hard to live out of your suitcase for a month with a baby when you are not really on holiday and not really at home yet. Callum has been on more planes and slept in so many different places and I have to say he has transitioned better than me! For all of my friends and family back home I miss you terribly some times but I’m also very excited about our new adventure. I’m not going to add much more right now, but post some pics of our last month below as sometimes things are better said with pics. More will follow on Malta soon! Thanks everyone as well for the well wishes and hope you are all doing well. I also have to send out a big thanks to my Scottish relatives who have made this transition so much easier and have been unbelievably helpful. Michael and I are trying to think of a good way to repay you.

Building a better…..poker table!

Michael — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 18:08:41 +0000

When my friend Jason heard that I was going to be staying with my mum until I leave for Scotland, he decided that this would be perfect opportunity to use her garage (which my dad had built to house his ’59 Bonneville) to build the poker table of his dreams. For those who don’t know Jason, he’s an “ideas” man. Skeptically, I said sure, let’s do it!

Sure enough, he showed up one morning with two huge pieces of plywood, significant lengths of dark green felt, vinyl, foam, and a brand new jigsaw. We started by making the necessary cuts and quickly realized that “hey, this thing may actually work!”

Day two of the project (after the initial cuts were made) we had a camera on hand to document our progress (and to provide evidence to all those naysayers).

There are three pieces to the table: the playing surface, the racetrack, and the rail.

Here we see Jason sanding down the rail piece.

Gluing the foam to the rail (don’t ask about this part)

Preparing the playing surface.

Stretching out the felt and stapling to the playing surface.

Time for a quick hand (Jason was cheating)

After some delicate sanding, we got the playing surface to fit in the racetrack.

As you can see, the table will be big enough to comfortably sit 10 players.

After admiring our handiwork, it was time to get back to it. Next step: stain the racetrack with a lovely cherry finish.

And since we had to wait for the stain to dry (and we ran out of foam before we could finish the rail) – it was time to call it a day.

On the Go

Michael — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 21:10:03 +0000

Well, after we leave on Monday we have about a week and a half to get settled before I begin work again. We will be spending one week staying at quaint old village on the west side of the Isle of Lewis in a house that used to be in our family (my great grandparents I believe). The house is now a holiday let and as a 60th birthday gift for my mum, a big bunch of us in Canada rented it for a week for her so she can relive some fond childhood memories…take a look if you are interested…

Can’t wait to go walking …. !

Callum the Canuck

Michael — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 01:16:18 +0000

Well in honour of our departure, Callum’s Grandma has kitted him out in Canucks stuff. Here he is in all his Canucks glory….

One Week To Go

Michael — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 05:23:29 +0000

The movers came today (a day earlier than expected) and things went surprisingly well. Today they packed and tomorrow they move things. To escape from the apartment, mum and I took Callum for a walk since it was such a beautiful day. It also gave us an excuse to try out Callum’s new shades. We have to get him used to them before Malta. Shannon gave these to us and they are fantastic. He even let us keep them on him once he realized he could still see with them on. I got sad about leaving and had to take a few obligatory shots of our apartment – we will miss it and our neighbours alot. Take a look. This time next week we will be on a plane, so it will likely be awhile before my next post.

Saying Goodbye to Family

Michael — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 05:11:18 +0000

Well on March 10th, we had a good bye dinner with my family and the week before we had a similar dinner with Michael’s family. We are soo going to miss everyone and want to send a big thank you out to all of you for coming and saying goodbye.

A Day at the Aquarium

Michael — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 02:15:01 +0000

Well, now that we are leaving….Laura and I decided to take the kids to the aquarium. Callum had never been before and it was one vancouver thing I wanted to squeeze in before we left. Here are some pics of a great afternoon!

Things I will miss about Vancouver….

Michael — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 22:16:05 +0000

Moving makes you think, think, think all the time about what you are giving up and what you are hoping to find in your new place that you don’t have here. Some things that I am already missing about Vancouver include:

the trees, the mountains, and the mist,
the fab restaurants – especially Go Fish, Papaya Hut, and my Indian takeway place at Granville Island,
Spanish Banks,
free nights at the Museaum of Anthropology and Vancouver Art Gallery,
yearly camping at Galiano Island,
sushi,
more sushi,
belcarra park,
buntzen lake,
the Georgia Straight and Vancouver Courier,
the endless seawall,
the west end,
the rain,
the forums and cultural events,
the vancouver library,
commercial drive,
the craft markets at christmas,
the outdoor swimming pool at Stanley Park,
Whytecliff Park,
the camping and hiking,
the endless amount of activities for kids (that I haven’t even had a chance to explore yet),
Dining Out event in Feb,
the kayaking potential,
Mountain Equipment Co-op, and
Tofino (okay, not really vancouver but great all the same).

And I’m sure more will come to me. The things that I will not miss about Vancouver, include:

the traffic and commuting to the tri-cities to see grandparents,
our two main newspapers,
the insane housing market,
the fact that everything is busy all the time (the camping spots, the parks, the restaurants),
paying for parking virtually everywhere, and
the crazy pace of life (self-imposed I’m sure).

The things I look forward to in my new home include:

the ability to see more of Europe,
the lack of commuting,
exploring the western isles and scotland on my weekends,
spending more time with my hubby and son,
hopefully bagging some munroes,
hopefully planting a garden and becoming a better cook,
ensuring more down time if I don’t get around to hiking munroes, planting veggies and becoming a better cook right away,
exploring my roots,
learning about “planning” in the UK, and
coming back to Vancouver as a tourist.