Canada’s west-coast province, famous for its beautiful scenery.
There is quite literally no sound more breath-taking than the blow of a whale. This is the sound that has been lulling me to sleep at night and waking me up in the mornings over the past three nights. What a beautiful sight to wake up to: whales breaching outside my bedroom window. I spent some time this evening trying to get a decent photo but found the best views were when I didn’t have my camera on hand… or…
The past few months have been a whirlwind between the end of term in June, summer trips, applying for jobs, and packing. Suddenly September is upon us and I’m right back in at the deep end, teaching high school Maths, Science, and Outdoor Education; albeit for just a couple of weeks as I am more determined than ever to move back to Paris come October. Summer passed by all too quickly with a family visit to the UK, a week…
Summer Cultural Celebrations This past couple of months have been especially busy with travelling to Vancouver for my Canadian Citizenship Ceremony, continuing to purge my belongings, thinking about where I am going to be travelling to/ working/ living after I finish work at the end of June, and of course getting started on report cards for 7 classes so there hasn’t been much time to write a detailed post (nor to do much worth writing about!). Thankfully there has been…
Although looking out the window today it feels like winter with the grey skies and drizzle, it’s starting to feel like spring around here. Not only are the trees beginning to blossom, the buds open, and the bears awaken, it also seems as though many of us are coming back from a period of hibernation. Living in a small town, especially one which is so remote, can leave me feeling cut off and longing for a more varied social scene….
Since I moved to Canada in 2011 I have been fortunate enough to see a few incredible musicians and artists in concert. In Winnipeg we saw: The Eagles (amazing), Pink! (quite the acrobatic entertainer), Cher (costumes…), Queen & Adam Lambert (we were standing right by the stage – fantastic show), and finally, yesterday in Victoria we saw Sir Elton John, who will be celebrating his 70th birthday in two weeks time! Elton John did not disappoint. What a talented musician…
Situated on Comorant Island is the tiny town of Alert Bay and the ‘Namgis First Nation, but despite the island only being about 4 square kilometres, it does hold one very large claim to fame. Located toward the northern end of the inhabited part of the island, standing in front of the Big House, is the world’s tallest totem pole. Raised in 1973, the totem pole measures 173 feet but is made up of more than one piece of wood which…
This weekend was one of my Canadian favourites. Thanks to the extra ‘Family Day’ the long weekend was the perfect opportunity to try out some Canadian winter sports. Mount Washington is about a 3 hour drive from Port Hardy and with the weather a little unpredictable through the mountains, we planned to leave bright and early to get to Mount Washington by lunchtime. As we started the ascent towards the Mount Washington Alpine Resort I felt a bit like I was…
So, tonight is the start of what is known as Family Day weekend in British Columbia which means an extra day off from work and an excuse to huddle up in a cabin in the mountains. Tomorrow, bright and early, I shall be heading to Mount Washington with friends for a weekend of snowy fun, evening drinks, log fires, and board games in great company. I have heard there are lots of outdoor activities that I have never tried before…
Every now and again I find myself noticing small things that seem to hint at my subsequent moves around the world. Of course the connections are easy to spot in hindsight and are almost certainly mere coincidence but one such link between my hometown in the UK and my current home in Canada is quite interesting. Since I am feeling nostalgic for all things British at the moment I decided to do a bit of further research into this link…
Located on Cormorant Island, Alert Bay is accessible by car ferry from Port McNeill and is well worth a visit for anyone staying on the North of Vancouver Island. Alert Bay inhabitants are probably the friendliest people I have met and I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to travel there for work many times over the past year. The first time I visited Alert Bay was in early January 2014. We set off with intentions of visiting the…