It's that time again...

Well, here we are again. A relatively quiet week. Stanley Cup fever is here, of course. But the truth is...I don't care. If that makes me the killjoy from hell who wants to rain on everyone's parade and doesn't understand what this event will do for the city, for Canada, for the world...hey...for the universe; all united in a big blue and white love-in, then so be it. The last time the Canucks were in the Stanley Cup final was 1994 and I'd only been in Vancouver for a few months. I had managed to pack a lot in though. I'd left my unhappy marriage, found my own place to live (11th and Granville) and got myself a low-paid, crappy job in a small, but dubious, accounting firm (at Seymour and Drake). None of those things are particularly easy, especially when you are new to Canada and get treated as if your life only began when you got of the plane. "Credit history? What credit history? I'm sorry, our technology is not advanced enough to check with your British bank account and visa that you were a good client. Let's just start from the beginning shall we? Let's see...hmmmm....no, you can't have any credit." Same goes for work history. Unless you had a real job before you arrived here, which I didn't.

So you beg someone to let you rent an apartment when you have no job history and no credit history...beg someone to give you a job when you've only been here a few months and have no working history or credit history. And so it goes on. I listened to Zooropa and Tragically Hip (Fully Completely) and read Margaret Atwood and other Canadian authors. There were quite a few hiccups along the way...but not such a bad trip...and here we are. Stanley Cup fever is back. Back then my sister came to visit me for the first time. At last, a friendly face after months of being scowled at by a couple of miserable chain-smoking office clerks and shunned by anyone who had anything to do with my ex. A good break from typing in numbers (wordperfect 3.1 dos...remember that?) and answering the phone. Sorting the (snail) mail, making cups of coffee for the boss (what decade was it?) and trying hard (not quite succeeding) to stop myself from going mad. And all the while enduring a crippling sense of loneliness and isolation. So all things considered I was very happy to get a visit from my sister. It is also the reason why the last time Vancouver was in the Stanley cup playoffs/final stands out so vividly in my memory. Trini and I really got into the games, watching them on TV in my little bachelor suite. Alas, she went home just before the final and couldn't find it on British TV. Anyway, the Canucks lost...Vancouver rioted...we all know the rest. And I still don't care for hockey.

Last weekend was our wedding anniversary so we celebrated this Saturday by going down to Acadia beach and watching the sunset. It was a beautiful evening. The tide was very high but we stayed dry; perched on a log and drinking wine. Watching the spectacular view. It is wonderful to be able to sit close to the water and listen to the ebb of the tide while watching the sun descend; the sky a blaze of oranges and pinks. Happy anniversary to us! And thanks to Trini for babysitting!

In other news I asked the landlord if we could have a dog (as I promised Bronwyn that I would) and much to our surprise he said, "Yes, you can." Amazing. We are not planning to tell Bronwyn until her birthday next week. Right now we're scanning the SPCA listings. I think we can only get a small dog, but it is sad to see how many larger dogs are waiting it out at the SPCA. There are a couple of cute ones...but we have yet to agree on one. We shall see. One thing for sure is that Bronwyn will be over the moon. I can hardly wait to tell her.

And other news...meeting up with Wendy tonight for our first "writing meet-up". As Wendy put it, "I am nerdily excited". Oh yes...it is time to embrace our inner nerd!

And in further news...we've had sun! And quite a few days of it. Yessss!

Sand in your toes...

We have been enjoying the beach. We spent hours there this past weekend. Here's a couple of pics...although I suspect they are all starting to look the same! I just love it at Arcadia and am constantly amazed by how serene and beautiful it is.

River often enjoys his little hide-out...

And there's nothing like a warm rock to lay on when you come out of the cool water...

Actually, we've been experiencing a heat wave here in Vancouver. Temperatures got to nearly 30. We're not used to it here and people get cranky and a bit stir-crazy. There are also warnings about forest fires. We are hoping that they won't start putting in campfire bans. We have a couple of trips planned and camping is just not the same when you can't have a campfire. Mind you...what am I saying...it will most likely rain on us!

We go for quite a few forest walks, it is a place to go that is always shaded. This time of year it is lush and green. The berries are ripening and everything has sprung to life. Ferns cover the ground and moss grows over all the fallen tree trunks. The smell is wonderful; fresh and earthy. It is in contrast to the dry grassy areas that are already yellowing...and it's only mid-July. It may be a dry (rest of the) summer. Unfortunately, River is uncomfortable in the heat. He gets prickly heat and his eczema flairs up, poor thing. He hasn't been sleeping well either so we are all getting a bit sleep-deprived.

I mentioned I taught Bronwyn to knit...well here is proof. She has taken to it like a natural (what else!). I will be interested to see if she keeps it up.