I pottered about this morning sorting the washing out and getting some of the Lego done. I still have so much to do! I think I'll move it back to the kitchen so that I don't have to sit on the floor, might be a bit easier. The only pictures I took today are these... 😂
After an early lunch I harassed everyone into the car as we were off to Weston to see my big brother Mark and his family. We were supposed to meet on the front and have a walk. I took the boys scooters and Leo loaded the car with his swimming stuff, snorkel, towel and wanted to take body boards. Didn't have the heart to tell him that we weren't having a beach day. Fortunately the weather was rubbish so we went to their house instead which was lovely. The boys were really well behaved and we all got to have a chat about how things had been going for them. Megan and Elin were both there too so it was really nice to see all of them. The highlight for the boys was going into the garden and feeding the Koi. 😊
I didn't take any pictures so here are some I borrowed from FB.
On getting home Craig, Lucy's husband popped over to chat to Rob about some work stuff and I sorted dinner for everyone and then pretty much spent the evening chilling and blogging. I finished watching Sex and the City movie on Netflix had a lovely 2 hour Zoom chat with Lotty from the Mummy Lot and went to bed late, again! I'm determined to get up with my alarm tomorrow though.
Where they to? - 26th July 2005 Vancouver
Today was a little subdued after the high of our first day, although, it was quite a busy day. We started out with the intention of getting to Vancouver Aquarium, Canada's 2nd biggest tourist attraction behind the CN Tower, as soon as it opened to beat the rush of schoolkids. However, I ended up diverting us into an internet cafe on the way there to check our emails. Cutting a boring story short, we didn't get to the aquarium until 11AM, much to Mush's annoyance. She was right about the schoolkids too, bloody hundreds of them, all running around like demented, well, schoolkids. The aquarium was impressive, although, we did both feel a sense of anticlimax after the billing it had received. The star attraction, 4 Beluga Whales, were unlike anything we've seen before. Brilliant white in colour, much bigger than any of the pictures would suggest, and with the strangest proportioned bodies and heads you are ever likely to see outside of Yeovil. They have a bulbous lump on their forehead filled with fatty fluid, called a melon, which they are able to change the size and shape of. In the picture above, I think he was going for the "I've got a bulbous lump on my forehead filled with fatty fluid, look". I'd say he carried it off quite well.
We left and wandered back through Stanley Park towards downtown to get some lunch and happened upon an area called Painters' Corner where you can get your caricature done or buy artwork of various styles ranging from oil-paintings drawn with an artist's knife to charcoal etchings. We both commented on what an idyllic existence it must be to wake up in the morning, take your easel to Stanley Park and just let the creative juices flow. I wonder if there's a gap in the market for paintings made using potatoes that have been cut in half, carved into a snowflake shape, dunked into a pot of paint and then stamped all over the canvas?
Lunch was pasta in an Italian cafe and my dish incorporated freshly caught local salmon. I know it's the sort of thing that people say all the time but this was, by some distance, the nicest seafood I have ever tasted. The fact that Mush has a seafood allergy and so wasn't able to pinch any made it all the sweeter. Anyway, that's quite enough thumbing of the nose and trying to sound cultural, who do I think I'm kidding trying to sound like an expert in haute cuisine?
We left the restaurant and began to amble in the general direction of our hotel which was about 2 miles away when I was overcome by an ailment which I'd been suffering from, in bouts, since lunchtime yesterday. I won't spell it out (partly because I haven't a clue how to spell it) but let's just say that we don't have any Imodium packed as we'd been advised by our First Aid trainer that it was far better to "let nature take it's course." He was wrong. The nearest place I knew of where I could "go" was about half a mile away. I made a dash for it, only slowing down when I felt that if I didn't, things might get very messy. Anyway, the answer to the question that you are probably wondering is, yes, I did make it in time, but, I didn't anticipate what would happen next. One of the things we've noticed about Vancouver's public conveniences is that the doors aren't the same as they are back home in England. They are designed with a 5mm gap all the way around the door. My relief at "making it in time" was tempered by the fact that I was sharing the moment with another fella. He was stood so that he could make it look like he was washing his hands but the mirror on the wall in front of him was perfectly positioned so that he could simply stand and stare at me whilst I went about my business. I then had the dilemma of what to do next. Do I shout some obscenity at him? Do I shout for help? Do I try to stare him out? Do I pretend I don't know he's watching whilst trying to discretely mask the things I'd prefer him not to see? I opted for the latter. When I left the cubicle, he made a sharp exit so I walked briskly to the door to see where he was going. He must've sprinted from the mall as he was nowhere to be seen by the time I reached the door. Mentalist. Apparently, it's Vancouver Pride Week, this week, so there are a large number of gay blokes in town but surely no-one of any sexual preference can get their kicks from watching an overweight, ginger Bristolian evacuate his upset bowels, can they?
We got back to our room and got ready to go back out to the CN Imax Theatre to watch a show called Safari 3D. Isn't it weird how you have these kinds of facilities on your doorstep and never use them and yet, when you go away you think "Yeah, an Imax theatre, I'll have me a bit of that." The show was pretty good, all lions and rhinos and stuff, but it did seem a bit daft going to Canada and watching a show about a safari in South Africa. By the time we got back, I reckon we'd covered a good 8 miles on foot today. One minute we're putting one over on Lance Armstrong and the next we're casting an almighty shadow on Sir Ranulph Fiennes. "Look after your feet." our first aid trainer said to us before we came away. How does 4 blisters in 2 days grab you?
Tomorrow we are going to plan our next fortnight's travel and accommodation and, in the evening, we'll walk down to English Bay to watch the fireworks display I mentioned before. I've since found out that it's considered the biggest event of its kind in the world and attracts spectators in their hundreds of thousands so we are planning on getting there nice and early to get a decent position. I hope they have decent lavs.
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Feels like the kids have been off school for ages and it isn't even August yet! Not trying to wish the time away obviously and I'm planning on getting lots of day trips booked in for the next few weeks. As long as I have something on for most days, even if it's just for an hour, I'll be happier. 😊👍 I am still thinking of booking a weekend/week away somewhere in this country but haven't spent the time scrolling through websites yet and I think I want to get Ellis' birthday organised first. We shall see.
Sleep for me xxx
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