The Travelling Red Backpack

Goodbye and Thanks

2010-02-16T01:25:00.000Z

Feb 15 and 16

John woke early as he has many times before in this trip. He would have to say goodbye to both his families within 24 hours and because one never knows what the future might bring he was very sad and sentimental. However, he knows that he has been blessed to have been able to take this trip around the world - our precious, irreplaceable Gaia. He has been blessed to have such loving friends who gave him great places to stay, good food, and wonderful companionship as well as so much more: Gerald, Cathy, Hans, Pris, Derek, Sue, and Janice. He has been blessed to belong to two fantastic families who gave John not only a home but also love, kindness, support, and validation. He can never repay them enough. Thank you especially to Linda, Val, Alan, and Sandra who took such great care of John. Your hospitality, generosity, sense of humour, and love were "just what the doctor ordered."

Thank you also to his cousins, Dennis, David, and Mick and their partners and children (please forgive our not naming them as there is just so much space and John is afraid he will miss someone) who took him out and joined him in his celebration of homecoming to England. Thank you to his cousins who came to see him: Paul, Carolyn, Rachel, Stuart, Alan, John, Carol, Susan, and their partners and children. You have shown John that he will always be English just as he will always be Canadian. You are all welcome to come to Canada!

Thank you also to Rachel S who has lived in John's place and taken wonderful care of his cat, Jack. None of this would have been possible without your help. Thanks so much for the updates and pictures.

Finally, thanks to all of you who have read my blog these last few months especially my dear Gail and my good friend, Janice. Your many comments throughout these months have showed me that people who care about me were following my adventures. Thank you also to my silent but wonderful friends and family who have emailed me about the blog and my colleagues who have read it.

Later this morning John flies home to Canada. I will carry his stuff as I have done since the very first day when he was fogged in, in London, Ontario. Once again, I will take care of his laptop, without which none of this could have been shared. He will carry me with pride and I will serve him well.

Goodbye and God Bless!

The Red Backpack

John and I leave you with a few scenes from the trip.

Getting Together

2010-02-15T07:29:00.000Z

Feb 14

John spent Valentine's day with his family. Linda had spent two days in preparation for a family get together.

John woke around 9am and went down. He was stil full from the excellent meal the day before and said that he would rather wait for lunch than have breakfast. He did enjoy a cup of tea and a look at the paper.

Then he took a shower and got spruced for the coming gathering of the clan. He had just finished when Rachel, Nick and the kids arrived. Rachel immediately started helping her Mum while Nick got the children ready to go for a walk and to take Snowy along. Among other items of apparel they needed their 'wellies' (wellington boots) as it might be muddy. John asked if Nick needed any assistance walking two children and a dog. He said, no, but John was welcome to come along if he wanted. Well, with wet hair and no wellies John declined with thanks.

Just after Nick had left a call came from Alan saying that his wife Donna was not well enough to come and could someone pick up Stuart, his son, and bring him to the festivities. Nigel agreed. But there was a problem. Nick had parked behind Nigel and walked off with his car keys. Rachel ran off after the little group to retrieve the keys.

She made it back quite quickly. So quickly, in fact, that John was surprised because he had offered to go with Nigel and was not in fact ready. He quickly got his shoes on and followed Nigel out, while Rachel was reversing their car out of the driveway. John hopped in and Nigel was off.

They went through the village and onto the A12 on their way to Harwich less than an hour away. John was able to ask Nigel some questions about British soccer that he had been wondering about for many years - how the system works, the organization of the various leagues (champion, FA, other divisions), the arrangement of the overlapping play, the number of games per week and so on. Nigel had played soccer and he is an avid fan of Colchester's team so he was happy to share his knowledge even though John is, by geography, a fan of Milwall and Chelsea, though he didn't know it until this trip to the UK. He also enjoyed the changing weather and scenery of the trip.

The two arrived at Alan's and John went inside to meet Donna while Nigel waited outside and talked to Stuart. Alan and Donna, an American, had lived in the US when John was last in England and that was where Stuart was born. So this was John's first chance to meet her. It turns out that she is a truly gifted artist. John was very impressed by the range of her work and the different media that she used, from acrylics and watercolours to pen and ink. Unfortunately, Donna was really not well and it was clear why she couldn't come to the get together and that even John's short visit was taxing to her. It was only right that Alan was going to stay by her side.

John said that he hoped Donna would feel better very soon, that he was very glad to have met her and to take good care. Alan thanked John for coming. The journey was such a little thing to do.

They set off, with Stuart automatically offering John the front seat. Like his Mum, Stuart is also a gifted artist but in music. He is a drummer in a band, has a degree in music theory and wants to become a teacher. He and John talked a little about getting his educational qualifications but John had to admit that he doesn't know the British system well enough to give good advice to his first cousin once removed (or is it second cousin, John never knows). However, John was impressed by Stuart's attitude to teaching - how he wants to share - and it reminded John of himself as a younger man.

They arrived back in time to see a dining table covered in dishes fit for a king with desserts in the kitchen. The table was a work of beauty: the meats all sliced, the salads ready to be scooped, the multiple pickles, the Scotch eggs, the variety of cheeses, and crackers, the various breads, and the array of scrumptious desserts. Rachel and Linda were still hard at work on the last couple of details. Auntie Stella, Dennis, Adele, Lillie and Joel were already there. They were playing with their younger cousins, Josh and Bella. Barney was there too.

Now Barney, though 'fixed,' is in love (lust?) with Snowy who is likewise neutered. He followed her everywhere. In frustration with constant rejection he started getting her toys out of her box. Then he fiercely defended them. Even Dennis had to be quite forceful verbally to make him behave.

Hillary, Terry and Rebecca arrived soon after. David, his other son Tony (who had been away at a boxing match the day before) and Carolyn and Barry arrived a little later than that.

John had got out his iPod speakers and was playing the assembled group some Canadian music and happily adding to the din created by adults talking, children playing, and dogs growling. Stuart, though, was listening and knew the vast majority of groups John played. He even knew John's current favourite group, Arcade Fire. John tried to find his "My Name is Joe and I am Canadian" rant but was unable.

Then it was time to eat. The children were called to the table first and John thought how appropriate that was, to have the children served first because they get hungrier more quickly. Then John and the others went up to make their choices. John had roast beef, ham and chicken along with a couple of regular salads and potato salad along with delicious pickled onions of a type you rarely see in Canada. He went back for seconds too!

The house was peaceful as the assembled group 'chowed down' before starting the merriment over again in three rooms - the kitchen, dining room, and lounge (living room). Throughout the afternoon and early evening John moved from room to room as did others to talk to each person as best he could. Afterwards he wished he had been able to spend more time with Aunt Stella.

Then it was time for dessert and John was delighted to have the first big scoop of a trifle made by Hillary. It reminded him of the trifles made by his Mum. In fact, as the afternoon wore into the evening, he wished that his Mum and Dad could have been there too, along with his aunts, uncles and cousins who could not be there.

John asked David if he would like to play with his videocamera and take some candid shots. David said, "Sure!" This gave David the chance to renew his old teasing habit of taking Linda's picture without her consent, he used to do it many years ago using super 8 movie film. This time he even caught Linda saying a naughty word, Ar%%h&l*s when she realized he was filming her. It made John smile to know that he had been able to help recreate a treasured family moment. hahaha

John also played David some funny songs from Weird Al on his iPod.

Soon, too soon, it was time to be over. Dennis' family were the first to leave followed by David's. Carolyn gave John two of the biggest, strongest hugs he has ever had (to make up for all those he has missed over the years) and promised to come to Canada when she and Barry could. It was sad to see them all go but John was deeply happy that he had had the chance to see so many wonderful people once again.

He helped Stuart, Rachel, Nick, Nigel, and Linda to clean up though the others did the majority of the work. Rachel and Nick said that they would be happy to take Stuart home on their way as the children needed to get into a deep sleep before being carried into their beds (it's not a good situation when they wake up after having a short powernap in the car!).

It was not long until the cutlery and dishes were in the dishwasher and the other things washed and dried. They all had a short visit before Rachel, Nick, the children and Stuart left John with Linda, Nigel, and Snowy in what seemed an empty house. Little Josh seemed particularly sad to know that his playmate, John, would not be there the next time he comes to his Nana's house.

Tomorrow John leaves in the morning for Val's for one last night before flying back to Canada resuming his life, and ending the travels of me, his little red backpack.

TRB

English tea

2010-02-14T10:32:00.000Z

Feb 13

This was to be the day that John was to meet even more of his cousins. He got up still full from the excellent meal of the night before. When he went down to the kitchen, Linda was there and asked him if he would like a cup of tea. He did. She asked him if he would like breakfast. He didn't. Nigel came down and joined them.

After drinking tea and reading a bit of the paper, John went up to get ready for his day. His cousin, David, was going to pick him up about 10am and take him for a driving lesson to build up John's confidence in driving through the narrow lanes. In the meantime, John had time for email and the blog.

Shortly after 10, David called to say that he was unavoidably delayed due to business and would be along in a couple of hours. No worries, thought John as he settled down to read more of the paper and watch a BBC program called Click about new technolgies. In this show they were talking about Apple's new iPad computing device, mid way between and iPod and a laptop. They decided to forget the driving lesson because John has only one more journey, most of it on divided highway, back to Canterbury.

Soon, David was at the door and ready to go. It was wonderful to see David again. He was the same nice man that John remembered from his last visit to England in 1987; the very same friend John had played with at his Nanna's house when they were only toddlers.

They got into David's very cool Saab convertible (roof up in winter) and zoomed off to David's home in a village a few miles away by divided highway and local road. On the drive they talked about old times and family. It was no time before John was feeling very comfortable. It was as if the past 23 years had not happened.

They arrived at David's house in a nice subdivision and went in. A woman said hello to John and gave him the warmest hug. It was Carolyn, another cousin - David's sister who lives in London. He shook hands with Barry her husband and hugged Hillary, David's wife. He also shook hands with a fine young man, named Terry, David's oldest son and his fiancee, Rebecca. Here was yet another branch of John's family and he felt the same warmth of connection as he had with Linda's branch.

Hillary offered John a cup of tea and he was happy to accept. Then it was time to get organized into two cars (John travelled with David and Hillary) for the drive down to another branch of the family who live on Mersea a small island connected to the mainland by a short causeway. It was a picturesque drive through fields and villages that were quintessentially English.

They arrived at Mick's, another cousin and head of the third branch, five minutes before the time he had booked tables at a local pub/restaurant. So, soon after greetings were exchanged with Mick, his wife Val, and his son Simon, they once again fitted into multiple cars to travel the short distance to the restaurant very near the beach. They were to meet, Mark, Mick's other son at the restaurant.

It was not that big in the pub area and the other patrons looked up when the huge Barnett retinue walked in: Mick, Val, Simon, Mark, David, Hillary, Terry, Rebecca, Carolyn, Barry, and John. However, their tables were through the pub part and in the restaurant seating area in the next room.

It was a very nice restaurant and Simon asked his son, Alex, who works in the kitchen to come out and be introduced to John. Mick suggested a beer that John should try, which turned out to be close to his favourite back home, Upper Canada Dark.

Since it was lunch rather than dinner, everyone decided just to order a main course without an appetizer. Just as well because some of the mains were huge. John, on Val's suggestion had ordered bangers and mash. His plate was full when it arrived. Three huge English sausages, the three biggest onion rings John had ever seen, mashed potatoes and gravy with a bowl of veggies on the side. The sausages were so good - they were pork with a little zing of pepper. And the gravy was beyond excellent.

Conversation was good all around the table. It was a little more subdued than at other times when the English sense of humour was running rampant but it was fun and witty, nevertheless. One aspect that John found particulalry interesting was based on Mark's career. He worked as an engineer on Princess Cruise Lines, and indeed worked on the Pacific Princess, the famed Love Boat, of the TV series of the same name. He regaled the group with stories of his time there. He now works in software.

Soon after, Simon had to leave to pick up his wife, Shelley and his daughter, Holly.

After the rest had finished eating, the men got up to pay but David and Mick sent John and the others back. John thanked Mick and David for their generosity. As they left John captured some nice scenes of the harbour for the blog.

Back at Mick's it was time yet again for tea or coffee. John chose tea. The group sat around Mick's living room talking and reminiscing. Mick and Val showed pictures of their grandchildren and various items of interest for all. Various times, Mick was called to the phone to deal with an emergency at work.

Mark had asked to have the TV on to keep one eye on the rugby match, France versus Ireland. Unfortunately the French won 17-3.

Then another competiton show came on that captured people's attention. It is the one where contestants have to go on obstacle courses and often fall into the water under the various contraptions they have to negotiate their way, over, through or around. There were peals of laughter as various contestants tried to jump onto and across a large series of huge rubber balloons and most often bounced off into the water.

Simon, Shelley and Holly came by. John had met Shelley when he was last in England but Holly was not yet born. It is strange John thought how fast times can fly. Here he was meeting a young woman who had not been born when he was last here and Simon was middle aged. John remembered Mark and Simon about three years old holding onto Val's hand.

The room, due to simple body heat, became very hot. John thought it reminded him of Melbourne even though it was cool outside and there was no heating on in the house.

Around 8:30, the visitors started to make a move to go and they headed back. Timing was important to ensure that the causeway wasn't flooded by a high tide that can close the road to all but the biggest trucks.

John drove back with David and Hillary again. David who has always been a professional driver negotiated the dark, narrow roads with ease.

Upon arriving back at David and Hillary`s, David got out some memorabilia, such as a painting of their Nanna Barnett and a wolf cub album with David on the cover while Hillary made tea. David also brought out a precious container with pictures of his Dad (John`s other uncle Ted) as a prisoner of war in WW2. Talk turned to old times at 33 Brunswick Court where Carolyn and David`s Mum and John`s Dad had lived as children. They talked of their grandmother and their aunts and uncles and the good times they had had playing together as children when they visited. John was sad not to have the chance to see his cousin Diane, who is David and Carolyn`s older sister.

Too soon, it was time for John to go back to Linda`s and John said his farewells, happy to know that all would be coming to the family get tgether the next day. When David dropped him off at the door, John went in and had a short talk with Linda and Nigel about his day and headed up for bed after declining Linda`s kind offer of a cup of tea.

TRB

First and Second Gears

2010-02-13T09:31:00.000Z

Feb 12

It was a dreary overcast day when John looked out the window. It was the kind of day you want to spend poodling along in first gear. He was glad that Susan and David did not have to make such a dreary drive but wished that David felt better. As a result, John didn't have anything specifc planned during the day though he was very much looking forward to taking Linda, Nigel, and Aunt Stella out in the evening to thank them for their kindness and great welcome.

He quickly remembered it was Linda's birthday and retrieved her card to take downstairs. Josh and Bella were already there and Rachel had baked her Mum cupcakes, each with frosting and one big frosted letter on top of that. They spelled out "Happy Birthday, Nana xx" It must have taken some time to decorate.

John had a shower, then had breakfast with his tea and afterward played with Josh and Bella. It's funny, but with children around the hours sort of melt away. He read the paper, wrote and uploaded the post for yesterday with its video. He also tried to keep out of the cleaner's way, too. She seemed like a very nice person.

In the afternoon, John went along with Linda to let the children play on the playground equipment in the park close by. John shot video of the chidren running, climbing, balancing, swinging etc. Once again, the children loved to be on camera. It was a little trying when Bella, once again, refused to leave the park but the offer of seeing herself on 'television' helped her to change her mind. All in all, though, they are very good children.

Once back in the warm, John and the two children watched the video together - little Bella pointing at herself on the screen and cooing, "Bellaaa" with the biggest smile. John was smiling too.

Then the day switched into second gear. Rachel came and picked the children up, Nigel got home from work, and Linda went and picked up Aunt Stella. Linda had asked John if he could do it but he was a little concerned about driving on such narrow roads, especially in the dark. He lost his driving confidence a bit the day before on the local (as opposed to major) roads.

When Linda arrived home with Aunt Stella they left, with Nigel at the wheel, for "The Railway Tavern" for dinner. It is a typical albeit beautiful English pub with good food and a happy ambience. People were standing around talking and laughing in a relaxed easy fashion. Linda got the group a table while Nigel generously got the first round of drinks. John accepted only on condition that the rest of the night was on him to thank them for everything. Nigel accepted reluctantly but graciously and ordered a local brew for John that was 'just what the doctor ordered.'

They surveyed the menus. John chose a delicious carrot and parsnip soup to start and a tasty lamb dish (pieces of lamb in a tomato-based gravy with roast potatoes and veggies) for his main course.

As they were finishing their mains came up another cousin, Paul, and his partner, Beverley. It was so great to see him again and to meet Beverley! John had last seen Paul when he, Aunt Stella, and his late Uncle Bernie had visited John's Mum and Dad in Nova Scotia in the 1980's. When Paul was up getting drinks John told the group he had taught Paul something when he was in canada and was going to test him.

Thus, when Paul came back, John said he had a question. Paul said ok and John asked him what he had taight him back then in Nova Scotia... and lo and behold Paul got it. John had taught Paul how to throw a forward pass with a Canadian football. Then John asked, "how DO you throw it?" And Paul said completely correctly, "You have to put your fingers on the laces." It was astounding that after nearly thirty years he had not forgotten! Good teacher? Great student? Both? hahaha

The dessert menu arrived and John thought to himself that he shouldn't have any because he was so full. The easiest thing to eat was simple ice cream so that is what he ordered. He didn't think he would get three huge scoops. Nigel gallantly agreed to take two of the scoops so they would not get wasted.

When the bill arrived John was very happy with it. It was far less than he had expected. He hoped that Nigel had not paid for all the drinks surrepticiously. John asked what if anything he should leave as a tip. Ten pounds, twenty pounds? Paul and Linda both said, "Five pounds" in unison. John felt yet again the warmth of family. They didn't want him to overpay and so were looking out for him.

Too soon Paul and Beverley had to leave but it was wonderful to have seen Paul again and to have met Beverley. Paul made a promise that if he ever does come to North America he will definitely come and see John.

It was, at last, time to leave the establishment. On the way out, Nigel pointed out that the pub was right on the river and has a brand new patio deck right on the banks of the river, all ready for the spring season. It will be beautiful there and likely will be so popular it will be hard to find a table.

They drove Aunt Stella home and John walked her to her door. Then it was back to Linda and Nigel's home. The day had everything: slow, lazy, reflection, fun, great food, family. What more could a person want, thought John as the clock neared midnight.

TRB

A Day of Many Things

2010-02-12T13:11:00.001Z

Feb 11

John did not expect a day that would be filled with such diversity of things. So, this will be a long one!

Once again, he felt well. He had talked to Gail the night before and they had had a good conversation.

This morning, like the last one, was frosty and icy as it had snowed the day before and overnight but there was blue in the sky. John had not expected this kind of weather. He had predicted that it would be overcast with light drizzle every day. So, this was a nice surprise.

And because it was icy, John thought.... Well, truthfully, John didn't think! He decided it would be a good day to go out for a drive. The sunny sky filled him with confidence and he still has a full tank of gas that he doesn't seem to be able to use up and he doesn't want to take the car back with a lot more fuel than he started because it is very expensive here (1.11 pounds per litre). Furthermore, Alan (in Kent's) GPS phone, called a SatNav here, would bring him back to Linda's no matter where he went. And he drives through Canadian winters, doesn't he?

After having breakfast and tea, he went out to look over the car's controls more carefully. Once again he was impressed with the little car. The only control that still stymied him were the two levers (the turn indicator is where the winshield wipers should be and vice versa - many times on the way here John had told the other traffic that he was changing lanes by turning on the wipers).

So he set out to see the countryside, stop the car in picturesque locations and take some beautiful video. He turned right coming out of the subdivision. He doesn't know why he chose right but it took him to one of the villages. As he drove he noticed there were fairly big trucks parked wherever it was convenient for them and the cars and other trucks had to take turns passing by. Well, that was ok. He motored on and the road led to the A12. Ok, John thought, it would be nice to see the divided highway on a good day and practice handling the car where there was a lot of room. He headed towards London, intending to take an off ramp somewhere to see the countryside.

Everything was smooth and John's confidence rose even higher. Smiling, he took an off ramp near Chelmsford and drove away from the city. For those who know the area, he thinks it was the A414 towards Maldon, another famous British fighter base in WW2. He came to a nice little village but the SatNav didn't seem to be working. The battery wasn't dead but the screen kept telling him it couldn't connect to the Internet. So, he stopped and turned it off and then on again and all was once again, fine.

Strangely, since it was programmed to go to Linda's, it did not tell John to turn back the way he had come but rather to continue on the road. Good, John thought, this little device is very clever. He drove through a country lane that gave him spectacular vistas but had no, and I mean, NO shoulder. The road was lower than land it ran through. Right beside each narrow lane was a metre or so of grass on land (the edge shaped like a cliff) one foot or more higher than the road itself so you could not drive up onto it. And right next to that were the hedgerows. John realized that he really couldn't stop to take video. So he drove on a little disappointed but still enjoying his time.

The GPS told him to turn right. No problem. The sign should have warned him when it said, "One Lane Road with Passing Bays." But the map said it was only 0.3 miles back to the A414. No worries. John just hoped he wouldn't meet another car and have to back up to the closest passing bay. And he would only go 30.

The A414 was closer and closer. He went over a ridge and there in front of him down in the hollow ahead was a white car sitting in the road and a tow truck hoisting a van onto its bed. He hit the brakes.... nothing. He hit them again.... Nothing! He was getting closer and closer. Too close! He stood on the brakes and realized that the ABS brakes WERE working, chattering down the sheet of ice that called itself a road.

His car stopped close enough for John to see the many rust marks on the other car.

Once stopped he thought he might wait the minute until the van was hoisted but then realized no one was sitting in the car in front. It was just a barrier to stop other cars from crashing into the tow truck. And the tow truck did not seem to be making any progress towards hoisting the van. So John turned in the driveway of a lovely house and went back. The GPS had him turn right back onto the original road and it intersected the A414. He needn't have even had his close encounter of the vehicular kind. Shaken, but not stirred, John continued on.

(note from TRB to John: Stop with the stupid jokes when you're dictating!)

The A414 led him back to the A12 and he decided he would follow it but take a slight diversion to a village where his two uncles and families had lived. But first he had to pass through the village closest to Linda's where it was narrow, so he took a turn left to try to bypass the main road. OMG, the streets were half the width of the main road with cars parked on both sides and there was still traffic.

No one blew their horn at John but he did see angry looking drivers who seemed to be shouting in their cars at him. Let's just say they had faces like pitbulls chewing wasps. John realized that because of his extra care he was probably adding 10 seconds to their various journeys. This sort of bad impatience behind the wheel is a bad British trait. They even have TV commercials about it asking people what would life be like if people teated each other the same way when walking.

Anyway, he was soon back on the main road in the village weaving in between the delivery vans parked everywhere. He took the turn to the village and set off cross country again. Once again, it was pretty and he thought of one of his late uncle Stan who had been the volunteer fire chief and who must have ridden these roads - and of the memorable time in 1960 when he took John and his Dad on a drive in his car and had let John turn on the siren.

He arrived in the village and facing him was a huge transfer trailer of the size they have in Australia blocking 80% of the narrow road. John thought, "I just can't win!" as he drove on the sidewalk within centimetres of a house to pass by. He saw a sign to the other village close to Linda's and followed it, arriving back determined to tell the world his story.

He spent much of the afternoon with John and Bella. He videoed them and showed them what they look like "on TV". They turned out to be, like most English chidren, natural stars and were able to easily follow his director's instructions. Along with Linda they went to a playground in the chill wind. Josh turned out to be an expert climber though not quite four and both enjoyed the slide. The two had so much fun that they resisted leaving although it was getting much too cold for them to stay in the biting wind from the North Sea. Bella resisted loudly and sat on the ground. Linda had to pick her up in her harness before she would walk again.

Bac kn the warm, Susan, on his Mum's side called to say that she had to cancel lunch for Friday as David, her partner, was ill. He had come back from a work trip with a virus with the exact symptoms as John had experienced when arriving here. They had a great conversation and agreed to stay in touch from now on by telephone was well as email.

Soon, Snowy came home. Now John has forgotten to tell you of Snowy, Linda and Nigel's pet white West Highland Terrier. She is a lovely dog but loves to play and roll in the mud and so she does not look snowy often! hahaha She had been out to get shampooed and clipped and was stunning when she arrived home. The video below shows her.

Linda told John that his cousin Dennis was picking him up to take him to dinner at his house. Dennis arrived just after Rachel had come and picked up John and Bella and they set out.

It was great, John thought, to let someone else drive, as Dennis confidently and quickly negotiated all obstacles. Dennis volunteers with a service that helps people in the wee hours on the weekends - they work with with the ambulance service and help people who are hurt, sick on the street, drunk, homeless, whatever. He volunteers one overnight every month.

They went to the best Fish and Chip shop in the city where Dennis lives and Dennis bought cod and chips. When they arrived at Dennis's home he took John in to meet his wife Adele, and their two children, Lillie and Joel (named after John's Dad). What a charming family! Both children are intelligent, creative and obviously filled with talent, enthusisam, and curiosity about everything. John did not ask their ages but thinks that Lillie is in her last year of elementary school and Joel is a couple of years younger.

Adele makes greeting cards and John asked he if she could make one for him to give to Linda as Feb 12 is Linda's birthday. She graciously agreed. Although they said they would not take John's money, he insisted because the resulting card would not be a gift from him to Linda if he had not paid for it. Adele reluctantly agreed to acdept payment.

They sat down to dinner. John had a big piece of fried cod with home made french fries and mushy peas. John had never had mushy peas before but they talk about them on Coronation Street so he had wondered. Adele had them, along with regular peas, and salad. Dennis said you have to have them with mint for them to be good. They WERE good. John was stuffed at the end of dinner.

Joel showed John his room and his lego. He is really into lego these days and Lillie told John about her school and what is happening there. Along with Dennis they headed up to the attic where Adele makes her cards and they showed John all kinds of neat stuff - including a bow and arrow that Dennis bought from apygmy hunter when he spent nine months driving from England all the way to South Africa many years ago.

The interaction with the children was wonderful as they did their best to make John feel welcome. The only being not entirely convinced of John's good intentions was Barney, their wire haired dachshund. He was very friendly and liked to be stroked but guarded John, and his toes, closely.

After dinner they talked about a lot of things like Internet Safety, what Canada is like, what is going on in their lives and they saw where John lives using Google Earth.

Adele had by now made the card and was putting on the last bit of decoration when Linda and Nigel came to pick John up. How can we transfer the card without Linda seeing, ran through John's mind. Dennis had given John the previous weekend'a newspaper with a story of a man whose father had gone to BC some fifty years ago. When John was getting up to put on his jacket and shoes he dropped the paper onto Adele's lap as if he was giving it back. She instantly knew what he was doing and deftly slipped the card into the paper and folded the paper up. As they were leaving she gave him the folded newspaper back. John was pleased that their exchange had worked so well. Linda did not seem to notice anything amiss. It was hugs and handshakes goodbye and John was off in the comptent hands of Nigel, driving with the same confidence as Dennis had before.

After arriving back at Linda's, John had tea and big piece of low fat fruitcake before heading off to bed thankful for such an awesome day.

TRB

Out and about in Essex

2010-02-10T22:37:00.000Z

Feb 10

John spent the part of the day/evening writing and uploading a couple of posts to the blog. He was happy to talk to his cousin Anita because he had not been up to a visit the previous day. Anita has a holiday house in Newfoundland and loves Canada. Her daughter has been attending MUN (pronounced MUHN) the Memorial University of Newfoundland. They agreed that they should make a point of seeing each other sometime when she and her family are all in Canada. However, it is a three-hour flight with a connection in Halifax so it will have to be planned. Perhaps John thought, he could see his children and grandchildren on the way to Newfoundland. John was very happy to talk to Anita and to realize that he does have a cousin in Canada...when she is there!

After watching some TV with Linda and Nigel John retired to bed. He also took one more Panadol to ease the fever and drank two huge glasses of Orange Squash to rehyrdate himself. He felt quite good when he turned in. In fact, he knew he would be able to sleep well because Nigel had adjusted the radiator in his room and turned it off. John was able to get under the duvet in a cool (in both senses of the word) room.

His night was perfect and he got a great sleep, waking up not only refreshed but feeling 95% himself again. Ok, maybe 97%! It had snowed the night before and there was still a dusting left on the ground and it made the scene outside really attractive.

He went downstairs and saw Linda who asked him if he would like some toast. Oh Boy! Did he ever! He had two slices of toast with the most delicious strawberry jam washed down with tea. That was the moment John knew he was better. John was happy to help Linda by cutting up some of the veggies for dinner because he knew he would enjoy eating them later.

Linda and John then went over to Auntie Stella's to take her to the hospital to get an Xray taken. Linda drove through the local villages and John was able to see how the design of the buildings differed from Kent to Essex. The three passed by a village where two of his uncles had lived (and of course Linda and Stella) and saw some of the places he remembered as a boy when he had visited them there.

When they arrived at the hospital John felt good that he could help by taking his aunt in while Linda parked her car. His aunt has difficulty walking and John was able to have her on his arm while getting to the XRay department. John thought to himself that being part of two wonderful families (his Mum's and his Dad's) is, indeed, a blessing.

After the XRay was taken they drove to a local big box store area and Linda picked up some groceries while John had a long and enjoyable conversation with Aunt Stella. It turns out that they see the world in similar ways and that felt good to John.

After that Linda took her Mum home and drove John back to their house by a different route so John got to see more of the local countryside and villages.

The chicken was smelling sooo delicious!

Well, the roast chicken dinner tasted so delicious. When Nigel and Linda called John to the table he was astounded by the smells and the look of his dinner. He may have been hungry but this was great: roast chicken, gravy, roast potatoes, all the veggies John had cut up and peeled and more! In fact he cannot remember all that there was but it included cabbage, carrot, swede, green beans, zuchini, and well as I said he was so hungry and it was so delicious he gobbled it down without noting precisely what he was eating but the tastes were incredible. He thought how well he has been fed... first by Alan in Kent and now by Linda!

In the evening he read about the history of the local villages from Roman times to the present. Then he asked me to write this blog entry.

Suffice it to say that John is now 100%

TRB

2010-02-09T20:23:00.000Z

Feb 9

John was exhausted after the night. Rarely had he felt so bad physically - an aching body, a severe headache over the entire front and top of his head and a stomach constantly rumbling and gurgling. And lying in the bed, his feverish mind raced over the various worries in his life. Nothing seemed good. He wished he had taken Linda up on her offer of Panadol for pain and a stomach settling drug.

He had been up several times in the night and had tried to drink fluids to avoid dehydration but fluids swept right through him. He listened to trains pass by and looked at the ceiling. The he would turn over in the bed just to feel a cooler pillow. His hands felt very hot.

When morning came, he went downstairs and Linda gave him the drugs and she said she was ok with him going back to bed. She has been so understanding and that has made it so much easier for John. Finally, with the aid of the drugs he slept. He woke at 12:30 but continued to lay down because he felt very weak. He finally got up at about 1:20pm and came down. He was surprised and happy to see his Auntie Stella, Linda's Mum, there (along with Rachel's children that Linda takes care of three days a week). Stella was married to John's late uncle Bernie.

They had a very good conversation about a lot of things until Auntie Stella left. Tomorrow John is going to go along with Linda and Aunt Stella to the hospital where Stella has to undergo some tests.

John wanted me to write this now because he doesn't know how he will feel later even though he is feeling a bit better at the moment.

TRB

From Kent to Essex

2010-02-09T20:19:00.000Z

Feb 8

This was to be the day that John was off to see his Dad's side of his family. When he woke he was not feeling very well at all. He attributed this to nerves because he was going to have to drive through some pretty heavy traffic. He was also sad to say farewell to Val and the family. Val made him a piece of dry toast and some tea and he felt a little better and said that he was sure it would pass. However, he still had to visit the bathroom a few more times.

The driver from Enterprise, the rental car company, came to pick him up a little later than agreed but that was ok John thought as long as he could make it to Linda's before dark. It was a cold day with occasional snow flurries and the weather had put the car company behind in their pick ups. The driver, though, was a really nice guy and he had been a London bus driver before retiring. He had driven some of the routes that John had ridden on with his Mum and Dad when he was a small boy: the 47 and the number 1. Of course the driver had driven those routes when John was already in Canada but he was fascinated to hear how the system worked with drivers and conductors being teams who always worked with each other. The driver had, in fact, married his conductor.

Soon they were at the rental depot and John bid his driver farewell and was accompanied into the office by one of the office staff. It turned out to be the easiest and best car pick up he has had. The guy walked him through the whole process quickly and easily, helped to take his luggage to the car and gave him a run through of the controls. The only trouble was that the car was not full of gas. He has to return it with the same amount in it but that is hard to work out when it is only at a quarter tank. It is much easier to fill up when you arrive back.

It was a brand new black Volkswagen Polo (950 miles on the odometer) and it had a lot of bells and whistles. It was a tight little car and felt like it would be very steady on the road.

Then John was off. The driver had told John the easiest way to get to the divided highway from the office. He had pointed out the way to go on the first roundabut, told John to take the right hand side of the next roundabout and then just go straight through all the other roundabouts until getting to the M2.

John followed the instructions but he seemed to be heading in the wrong direction through many, many roundabouts and then out into open farmland. At one point he was right beside Canterbury Cathedral in the middle of town. In the end he pulled over, got out Alan's phone GPS and it said he was going in the right direction.

He arrived at the M2 and zoomed out onto the highway. He found it difficult because all the distances, speed limits and speedometer are in miles not kilometres and he had to look in the rear view mirror on the other side. He heeded Alan's warning not to overtake European trucks in the lane beside them (they have left wheel drive and cannot see cars directly beside them).

Then it started to snow.

The flurries became very heavy. So much in fact that it was hard to see very far down the road. The car's temperature guage said it was 2 degrees Celsius so the snow was not settling.

Then fuel gauge started to beep.

John missed the first service centre and eventually saw a sign for the next one. It said 13 miles. Now 13 miles is a lot further away than 13 km. The fuel gauge was beeping again when John pulled in. He filled up the car and it took 42 pounds to fill it. That is about $70Cdn.

He pulled back out onto the highway and felt more comfortable. He knew he was taking the Dartford Crossing and the signs were plentiful. He had his one pound fifty for the toll ready and followed the signs even when they seemed to be going the wrong way. He only made one mistake, being in the wrong lane to go to the A12 east after passing through the tunnel and a truck driver blew his air horn to complain. For John such a trip in England was a miracle of good directions.

He reached Linda's by 3:30pm and the light was still good. It is a very nice house on a little side street of a small English country village. She welcomed him inside but by now he was really feeling sick. He had a fever and all his muscles were aching. He offered to go to a hotel rather than share whatever disease he had but she would have none of it.

After showing John to his room, a lovely bedroom on the second floor facing the front of the house, she said he could lay down if he wanted and although just arriving he said thank you and did just that. It felt so good after the two hour drive to know he was there and didn't have to worry about finding his way.

He came down in time to see his cousin Alan and his son, Stewart come in. Then Nigel, Linda's husband came home and finally Linda's daughter Rachel came in with her two cute children, Josh, 4, and Bella, 2, and her husband, Nick. The company really perked John up and he started to feel a little better. John had last seen Alan in 1965 because Alan had lived in the US with his wife the last time John was back in the UK. Alan said that he had thought John was bigger than him because John WAS bigger... in 1965! No longer so!

After the company had gone, Linda, Nigel and John sat down to dinner. Linda had cooked a lovely dinner of beef, potatoes, veggies and gravy that was delicious but John's stomach was still feeling very off. Although Linda had only put a little on his plate he still couldn't finish it.

The three had a good conversation after dinner and he learned a lot about the family, and Alan's work. By 9pm though John was really feeling that he needed to lie down badly and he went to bed.

It was a bad night. John could not get comfortable because of his aching body. He could not get the temperature right... first he was too hot and then too cold and then too hot again. It was nothing to do wth the excellent heating system; it was John's body fevering up and down. He tossed and turned all night and he realized that he had a pretty bad stomach flu bug. At one point in the night he contemplated abandoning the blog. But that is a story for tomorrow.

TRB

A Day of Reflection

2010-02-07T19:36:00.000Z

Feb 7

Today was very quiet for John. It was thus a day for reflection and the weather made it perfect for the activity. It was cold, near freezing, with heavy dark overcast and a damp wind that cut right through John. He didn't go out much.

The highlights of the day were a magnificent Sunday lunch cooked by Alan. There was pheasant and chicken topped with gravy, along with so many veggies, Yorkshire pudding and dressing. They had roast potatoes along with carrots, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, swede (a little like turnip but not turnip), cauliflower, and another vegetable that John had never heard of before.

John spent the rest of the day watching a show called Zoo Days about the Chester Zoo. He enjoyed watching the treatment of a little lion cub called Tejas (TAY-JAS) who had been taken of since birth because his Mum had rejected him. Tejas had tendons on hus front legs that were too short to let him walk properly. They put a cast on his front feet and he did very well and didn't even chew off the casts. He is one of only 250 Asiatic lions in the world today. The show followed him from his birth through to growing up and it was the sweetest and happiest story and on this dreary day one that did John good. It was on Channel 5 and they had over four hours of the show on through the afternoon. Tejas has since joined a the breeding programme of a French Zoo.

John also packed for his trip to stay with his cousin Linda and see his Dad's side of the family next week. He is picked up at 12:00 noon tomorrow and after picking up the rental car, we drive to Essex. We will be adding to the blog when we can.

TRB

Whitstable

2010-02-06T21:58:00.002Z

Feb 6

John was up quite late - he had slept soundly until 7:30 or so. He got a cup of tea and went out to Val's living room. She came in a few minutes later. Alan had asked John if he wanted to go for a walk with the dogs down at Reculver but there was a problem with the back door of the four wheel drive vehicle so Sandra and Alan had decided to take a walk into Herne Bay with the dogs instead. John still wanted to go.

It was an interesting walk and the dogs had a great time. When they reached the town, Sandra and Alan put Rufus and Lara on leashes and although it was not necessary thay had a leash for Charlie and John was able to walk her. They had hoped to look into the Herne Bay Museum but it was closed until 10:00am and they would be long gone by then.

Alan suggested that they have breakfast and decided he would get each of the dogs a large, warm sausage roll as a special treat. Sandra had one as well. John and Alan had a sandwich, but Boy oh Boy what a sandwich! It was back bacon, with cream cheese and cranberries on English bread. Now Engish bread is like French bread but in a bigger size, just as crusty and just as delicious. The combination of flavours was superb.

They came back with plans to visit another seaside town, Whitstable in the afternoon. But the dogs were quite muddy from their free ramblings. John volunteered to clean Charlie, the smallest, while Alan and Sandra did the big dogs. Rufus and Lara started to horse around and Rufus left up when Sandra was cleaning him and his head hit into Sandra's causing a painful collision. Sandra said she was ok so John wnet back into Val's.

Gail and John had agreed to talk at 12:00 (7:00am in Canada) and she and John had a nice talk about many things.

Soon afterwards, it was time to set off for Whitstable. Sandra had a headache from the collision so, understandably, she decided to stay home.

Whitstable is a very cute little town as you will be able to see from the video below. The three first stopped at the harbour which is famous for its oysters. They bought some seafood (mussels, cockles, and prawns) and a pheasant. Then it was over to the oyster bar, where Alan bought them fresh oysters. The man shucked them and John and Alan ate them raw. It was only the second time in his life that John had eaten raw oysters. The first was when he was small child and the experience had turned him off. This time he really liked them. They were sooo fresh!

They walked around the town and stopped into the Duke of Cumberland pub for a drink. John and Alan had Red Lite beer, a locally brewed beer by the people who own the pub. Val had a coke.

After seeing the town they returned home to prepare for dinner. John wanted to take the family out to thank them for everything. He leaves on Monday to see the other side of his family.

They went to the same restaurant where Val and Les had taken the family the previous Sunday. They had a nice meal and all had a good time, a result of some great wit and exhilirating conversation. John said that he really felt good to say thank you in this small way for the many kindnesses he has received from his wonderful family.

After eating their fill, they all drove home to feed the dogs (who needed to eat too). And then it was time for another early night.

TRB

Herne Bay

2010-02-05T22:44:00.000Z

Feb 5

John has been able to experience 'living' in England this week. He has not set a frenzied pace that he did in many other parts of his trip but has been able to sit back and reflect on all the aspects of his life. It has been healing to be in the arms of his family because he has felt very alone in the past and this is so good for him.

Today, he and Val went for a walk into Herne Bay. It was a nice day weatherwise after some that have been less than good. The temperature reached 10, which is amazing for February. The sky had some cloud but had enough blue to make a handkerchief as his Mum used to say.

They walked down the seashore into town and walked around the streets. Herne Bay is a bustling little seaside town that has come across hard tiomes because of the global recession. There are many shops that have closed.

One shop they went into, was kind of an antique store that was absolutely packed with stuff. There was everything there from clothes to life-sized Santas you could put on your lawn. There were little figurines, toy soldiers, Toby mugs, Royal Douton etc of all types in cases. John was thrilled to see a Muffin the Mule, a TV character from his toddler years and one on which he had sat as a child. He even has the picture. One thing that John found fascinating was the display of chairs on the sides of the walls.

Next Val and John went into the Rook's Butchers and bought a leg of fresh (not frozen) New Zealand lamb for dinner.

Then, they took a different way back and saw the statue of Barnes Wallis, the inventor of the 'bouncing bomb.' This was a system in which bombers would fly very close to the surface of the water of a dam reservoir and drop bomba that would skip like stones on the surface. They did this so they would hit a dam at the exactly the right place to destroy it. The whole project was to break the electrical generating dams supplying the Nazi German factories in the Ruhr Valley. It was quite successful.

After arriving back, they went up to the village, got a hot chocolate and cake, and Val got some veggies for supper. The dinner itself was marvellous - the meat done to perfection, the broccoli, carrots, roast potatoes excellent. they ate a few chocolates for dessert.

John offered and was allowed to do the dishes afterwards.

TRB

Canterbury Museum

2010-02-04T20:00:00.000Z

Feb 4

It was after 8am when John came to this morning. Life had started without him. People were up and doing thinhs while he was sleeping.
When he caame out, Val was reading in her living room. John said that he feels so good and so comfortable and he is sleeping so well.

He didn't have a lot on his genda today apart from arranging and reserving a rental car to take him to his Dad's family in Essex next week. Alan had wannted to loan John onw of his cars but his insurance could not cover anyone who did not have either a British or European driver's license.

John looked through the phone book and the Inrternet and came up with fve possible companies. Two of them didn't meet his needs and one had a bad number. He got two quotes and the second one met the other's price and agreed to pick him up and drop him off at Val's. So he booked it on the spot.

Sandra came in and asked Val and John if they wanted to go into Canterbury as Alan's flight lesson for 9am had been rescheduled for 2pm due to weather. John said he would get ready right away. It turned out that Sandra could get ready faster than John, a new experience for him.

They set off in Alan's Range Rover and went into the city. Alan and Sandra dropped them off in the shopping district. Since John did not expect any good shots in the rain he did not take the videocamera.

Canterbury's shopping district is a working area but it has many of the original Tudor-age buildings so it is extremely picturesque. The two looked for a Roman museum but it seemed closed. So, they visited the Museum of Canterbury (click here for the link).

It showed the considerable history of the city from the time of the Iron Age through the Celts, the Romans, the Anglo Saxons, the Normans, the Middle Ages, the Tudors, the Industrial Revolution, as far as the Blitz in World War 2. It was extensive and very interesting. So much so, that John left a favourable comment.

The museum even had a Rupert Bear museum. John's teddy bear was a Rupert Bear and he had a number of Rupert children's annuals that he loves to this day. So, he was delighted to see some Rupert memorabilia. Once again, John thought that he should have taken his camera.

After an extraordinary visit, they left and went to a coffee shop where John had a coke zero and Val a hot chocolate. Then they went back to the bus depot to get a bus back to the village.

Val went into the local flower shop and bought some flowers - John ordered some to be delivered to her tomorrow to thank her for all her kindness.

After arriving home, John went out to practice using the GPS that Alan has loaned to him for his drive and while outside saw Alan coming back from his flying lesson and they had a long talk about it. It was Alan's first landing and that is always a thrill!

Val had cooked a dinner of ham and chips, with peaches in brancy topped with cream for pudding. It was sooo delicious. They ended the day watching TV while I was left writing the blog.

TRB

Flying over Kent

2010-02-03T21:35:00.000Z

Feb 3

John was awake early because this was to be the day he accompanied Alan on his first actual flying lesson over at Manston (Kent International Airport). Manston was an RAF fighter base in WW2 and was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe. So John considered it an honour to fly out of there.

The two arrived at 10am ready for the lesson at 10:30. Unfortunately, someone at the flight school had not told the flight instructor about the lesson and he had to come from home. John talked with one of the club members while Alan read a training book as they awaited the instructor.

The instructor arrived shortly before 11am and he took Alan in for a preflight briefing. When they came out the instructor said to John that he could wait inside while they did the walkaround. However, John wanted to see the walkaround because they were going in a four seater Piper Warrior which is a low wing airplane while John has only flown high wing Cessnas. So he went out with them.

He watched the walkaround and noticed te similarities and differences from the way he had been trained to do his walkarounds. Soon, it was time to get inside and buckled up. Alan took the pilot's seat and John found it surprisingly hard to be a passenger. Every ounce of his being wanted to take the controls. The instruments and controls were very nicely appointed in the aircraft but the back seat was not the most comfortable.

It wasn't long before they were taxiing out to the runway and taking off. The day was heavily overcast and that made it a very smooth ride indeed. They took off to the weat on runaway 28 and proceeded in a southweasterly direction.

Alan learned the effects of the controls - ailerons, elevators, and rudder at different airspeeds on bank, pitch, and yaw. He learned the secondary controls of engine level and flaps and the necessity of trimming the aircraft.

John took the video you can see here and at one point saw the white cliffs of Dover at a great distance. See if you can see them.

Too soon it was back to Manston and a l-o-n-g landing. They were at a great height over the threshhold but the instructor said that would take them back to the flight school better. John was very impressed by the knowledge, skill, and professional demeanour of the instructor.

They went back to the flight school where Alan made an appointment for his next lesson and paid for a series of five lessons so that he can tell if he wants to go the whole way through training to become a private pilot.

Unfortunately they were too late to go to lunch with Ron, so went home. John had hurt his back in the back seat of the plane and had to nurse it a bit.

After a short while he and Val went out to do a few errands in the ocal village. When they came back John went to sleep on the couch. It was gtime for sinner - chicken curry and John ended the day watching soccer on TV while I had to do this blog.

It was the end of another memorable day. John said he is very tempted to take up flying again.

TRB

A Peaceful Day

2010-02-03T07:51:00.000Z

Feb 2

John didn't wake up until 8:30am this morning. He had been very tired the night before so he had gone to bed at 9:30pm even though he thought it was a bit early. Bit he had slep through.

Valerie was up and when he came out, she asked him if he was ready for breakfast. He was surprised but also delighted when it turned out to be a full cooked English breakfast: fried eggs, fried tomatoes, back bacon, and toast and tea. She apologised because she didn't have mushrooms but John said not to worry as this was plenty. Besides he had never quite understood mushrooms at breakfast anayway.

After breakfast he took a shower and decided to do some computer work. He had not backed up his movie files since being in Nanaimo so he got out his external hard drive and set it going. It said that it would take over an hour to transfer files from the laptop to the hard drive.

Val and he talked and watched a breakfast TV show. It was cool and rainy outside and neither he nor Val were keen on going out into it. When the backup was finished, John caught up on his email and started surfing the Net about aviation.

If the weather is good tomorrow, Alan is going to take his first flying lesson and the people at the flight school said that John, as a pilot visiting from Canada, can go along. Now, in Canada, that would be against flight training regulations and it might be so here in the UK. So, if they say that John cannot go along, he will understand and be happy to sit in the flight school talking to other pilots and reading avaiation magazines while Alan and the instructor are up in the air.

If he does, by luck, get to ride along, he will take his videocamera and bring back some shots over lovely Kent, the "Garden of England."
However, the weather forecast is looking grim - rain for the rest of the week, so John thinks it will only be an outside chance that they do go flying. But then, who knows, eh?

Later in the day Alan and Sandra invited their neighbours, Ron and Linda, to come over for dinner. John was very pleased to meet them as they are extremely nice people and they all had a typically English fun and laughter-filled evening. The meal of lamb shanks, with veggies was absolutely delicious. The 'pudding' (dessert) was apple pie with custard or homemade English trifle. John had both. But this was after having a beer. Now trifle usually has some sherry in it. But Sandra's trifle had a LOT of sherry in it. John started getting his words mixed up. What to do? Give him some Bailey's on ice, of course. John became very happy.

After Ron and Linda had left, John helped a tiny bit with the dishes (he dried a few glasses) then he crashed, happily thinking of the day to come.

TRB

White Rabbit

2010-02-01T20:24:00.000Z

Feb 1

John awoke really early because he knew he was going to be seeing his Auntie Maudie and he had to be up and ready to go with Alan and Jack when they left at 5:45am. They have to leave early to beat the traffic into London.

It was dark and cold when they stepped outside and with the heavy frost Alan had to scrape off the car's windows. John happily sat in the car while poor Alan did the chore and Jack waited to close the gate after the car was driven onto the road.

Alan drove really well along the lanes near the village until reaching the motorway when the power and comfortable ride of the car really showed itself. They hummed along smoothly in the dark and the miles drifted past. BBC Radio 4 was playing as John closed his eyes for a moment.

They arrived at Alan and Jack's work just as dawn was breaking into a clear blue sky. John went in with the father and son and sat in their office as they performed their jobs. John drank a coffee that Jack had made for him. Jack was filling in because they were slightly short staffed. However, both Alan and Jack explained how their software system worked (which was very interesting) and they generously answered all of John's many questions even as they worked. Jack also helped John to find Aunt Maudie's place on a big map of London and John wrote down the directions to her house. It was only a 10 minute walk.

Close to 9am, John said goodbye and set off on the walk. However, he missed the first street where he was supposed to turn and hence walked on and on looking for the correct street. It was quite cold and the wind caused real chill. John put his hands in his pockets. He thought that this would have been a typical winter day in Canada. He finally turned around knowing that he must have overshot his turn. It was easier walking back with the wind at his back and feeling the occasional shaft of sunlight on his exposed face.

He found the street he had missed when he looked down some steps and saw the correct street beyond. After that it was easy to find Aunt Maudie's house.

After ringing the doorbell, Maudie, 80, the widow of John's Dad's youngest brother, answered the door. It was lovely for John to see her again. She had come to Canada once, after John's Dad had passed away, and stayed with John's Mum. So, unlike some of the wonderful people he had seen the day before, he had seen Maudie in this century.

They had an incredible talk. Sitting in her front room, they talked of old times and all the people that they knew in common, including Val. But more than that. Maudie was able to give her perspective on John's Mum and Dad and their times. It was invaluable for John to better understand his family history. He was so impressed and felt so warnm towards her.

Maudie then asked John if he would like to come to the kitchen for lunch. She had prepared everything ahead of time to help keep the conversation going. They had turkey, ham, salad, beetroots, and baked potatoes. It was delicious but the creme brulee for dessert was delicious beyond belief.

They continued to talk and laugh and John, noticing the time was past 2pm, said he had best get back to Alan and Jack's workplace. At that moment the phone rang. It was Alan, asking when John was coming back as they were ready to go home. John said a quick goodbye and he and his Auntie Maudie had a farewell hug and he set off on his return walk.

He met Alan and Jack and they headed back, stopping on the way for a snack (John was too full). It had been an incredible day but more. It was an important day because John knew his Mum and Dad a bit better than he done before. John thought to himself, "It has been so worthwhile to come to England and reconnect with his family."

TRB

A Beautiful Day

2010-01-31T20:59:00.001Z

Jan 31

This was the start of a beautiful day. Valerie was already up when John came out of the bedroom. Val made him a cup of tea and while he was drinking it, he saw Alan start to leave with the dogs for their morning walk on the beach. He waved to Alan to wait and joined them and quickly got on his warm sweatshirt and jacket. Alan had come back in and loaned John a pair of boots and a warm hat.

They walked down to the beach. The dogs met their friends and played. Well, just watch the video to see...

After they came back, it was time to get dressed for going out. Although John had said he wanted to take them all out for dinner, Valerie said definitely not today.

Les called to say he was nearly there and Valerie went out to see her brother. When they came in Val said, "Les has brought a friend." At first John thought the person with him was a womanfriend of Les. He got up to say, "Hi, I'm John" when she said something and John suddenly realized she was his cousin, Susan. What a thrill to see her! The two had spent a lot of time playing together when they were children. It was soooo good to see her.

They sat down with a drink. Les has such a great personality it is always fun wherever he is. They laughed and chatted. Val said they were just waiting for four more before they left for lunch.

A car arrived and Val said it was Carol, another of his Mum's cousins and someone who visited John and his parents more than forty years when John was just a child. She was with her husband, Dick. John was so happy to see them both and was amazed at how young Carol looked. But there was another man who definitely looked familiar but John couldn't place him. He said, "John, you don't know me. My name is Je.. Je... Joh..." Suddenly John realized... it was another of his cousins... John! John had lived on the same street in London when they were little and John from Canada was 'over the moon' to see him and his wife, Sandra. He last saw his cousin in 1969 when John was first starting university. And they had always had fun when they were together.

The group, including Alan, Sandra, Jack, Amy and Jack's friend Darrell were all going to go out to lunch and they piled into a number of cars. They went to Tabletable Restaurant. Everyone had preordered their dinners and because it was a surprise Val had picked for John. She had picked chicken goujons for an appetizer, a roast beef dinner for the main and profiteroles with cream for dessert. He also had a glass of red wine.

It was simply the most amazing as well as fun time. It reminded John strongly of what his family life had been like before emigrating to Canada. The wit was bouncing around the table and John felt as happy as he has been in a long, long time. He felt so at home, within his wonderful family (his Mum's side). He felt wrapped up in the embrace of such wonderful people. It was almost as if his Mum and Dad were there again and he was sad when it was time to say goodbye. It turned out to be Valerie and Les' treat.

Family is something that you simply cannot replace with anything else and John realized yet again how lucky a person he really is.

TRB

A Canterbury Tale

2010-01-31T11:33:00.000Z

Jan 30

This was be a day to see a town that is famous for being the seat of the worldwide Church of England, Canterbury. The Archbishop of Canterbury, whose seat is Canterbury Cathedral, is the head of the entire Anglican Church created by King Henry VIII in order to divorce his queen, Katherin of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. The town is also named in one of the most famous of medieval literature, the Canterbury Tales.

Val cooked John a couple of eggs in the shell along with toast before they went, although she did not have anything to eat herself. She said John should drink more and John took the opportunity to say that Valerie should eat more.

It was a bright sunny but very cool day. Val and John took the bus to Canterbury. They sat on the top of the doubledecker and got some great views of the Kentish countryside, going through a number of small villages, past sweeping vistas of gently rolling country, and typical English country houses.

When they arrived, Canterbury was bustling. There were loads of people, although they walked as people do on Saturday mornings - with smiles and at leisure. The architecture was beautiful and even the newer buildings blended in quite nicely with the old. John took a number of shots of some of the more interesting buildings. He also walked over the oldest bridge in England and saw the ducking stool (a replica, obviously) for the medieval punishment of wrongdoers. They did a little shopping: Val wanted to get something for Amy and John wanted an electrical plug adapter so he didn't keep using Alan's. He is so grateful for the kindness and generosity shown by Alan and Sandra. And Val showed John a wonderful chocolate shop where John was offered three samples of chocolates (a full sized chocolate each time) and ended up buying three packages of scrumptious sweets, two to share with Val and Sandra.

As they were getting chilly by now they stopped into a coffee shop to get a couple of flat whites (coffees). John also bought an orange and lemon muffin but Val declined to eat even part of it. So, John, of course, gobbled it down.

Then, they were off to see the cathedral. Val insisted on paying their admission and it wasn't cheap. She also bought John a book about the cathedral itself. It was so worth it. The cathedral is stunning inside and it has so many small chapels and crypts as well as resting places of some very famous people such as the Black Prince, who fought for England in the Hundred Years' War against France, St. Anselm, and at least one English King and Queen.

Of course, the cathedral is most famous for a dark event in British hisory. Thomas Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury in 1170, was murdered at the altar on December 29 by knights of King Henry II. He had fought for the rights of priests to be exempt from the king's law. Becket was later proclaimed a saint by the Roman Catholic church. The tip of one of the knight's swords that broke off during the murder is still kept in the cathedral and the altar is called the Altar of the Sword's Point.

After looking around they noticed that the choir was about to practice so they sat down and listened to the all male choir (boys and men) sing. The sound seemed to fill the vast space especially as the voices of the young boys soared in the highest soprano.

They left, having had a moving experience and went back to the bus area. It was going to be quite a while until the next bus so they went to another coffee shop close by and got hot chocolate drinks before going back to the stop and catching the bus back. The sun was starting to sink and the cool day was getting colder on the walk back from the bus stop.

Once back in the warm welcoming house, Sandra had prepared a steak pie for dinner and John was hungry enough to wolf his down. He was filled with a warm feeling as he settled into bed and a deep sleep.

TRB

A day of rest.

2010-01-30T08:40:00.000Z

Jan 29

This was a day of welcome rest for John. He just hung out and chilled with Valerie and talked of old times. Meanwhile I did some work on the blog: uploading videos and writing about the day before. No end to the work I have to do!

It was a wonderful day because John realized just how tired he had become. He sat on the couch and watched some nature television including a program on how they take care of the animals in the Metro Toronto Zoo. During the program, John felt soo comfortable and relaxxxx__zzzzzz.

He woke up long after the program had gone off. That was how relaxed he was.

Alan and Jack had gone off to work but when they came home, it was time to get ready for dinner out! Alan wanted to treat everyone to a dinner at an Indian restaurant in Herne Bay. However, Jack had plans with Sam so it was Alan, Sandra, Amy, Val, and John who got in the car to go.

They drove in and it was amazingly good. John had a couple of dishes that he cannot remember, ate someone else's rice by accident, and enjoyed a local beer. However, it wasn't just the food but the company that made the evening so special. Alan has a gift for telling jokes and recounting stories while Sandra can keep up line by line. It can make for hilaious repartee. John asked mt to underline that it was a very fun and memorable evening.

When they got home, John was ready to crash again.

TRB

Planes

2010-01-29T16:29:00.001Z

Jan 28

John woke up several times in the night. He knew that his body was adjusting to the new time zone. The house is situated on a lovely little street that is very quiet and provides John with a welcome break from the hectic pace he has been setting himself since starting off on this long odyssey.

The day started with a walk with the dogs down by the ocean and along paths between thickets of brambles. John and Alan had a great walk. It was cool and windy but the three dogs loved it. They also met many of their friends, also being walked by their owners. Rufus and Lara by their sheer size scare new people and other dogs even though they are gentle giants.

Alan asked John if he would like to go out and see the Spitfire and Hurricane Museum at Manston. John knew this was one of the most important bases from which the British sent their brave young men up in Spitfires and Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain in 1940. He was thrilled to go. Spitfires have been a passion of his for many decades.

The former base is now an airport called Kent International Airport. Anyway, they walked into the free museum and saw the two restored aircraft along with many, many artifacts of the time, including an old air force fire engine. John and Alan both put a donation in the box to help keep the museum going.

After leaving there, the two went to the local flying club. It was called TG Aviaiton and was a very modern facility. John got to speak to a pilot who had just completed a flight over southeast England to keep his licence current. Alan asked if they could see the planes in the hangar and after checking for security reasons, they were allowed to go out with a young pilot/mechanic. It was great for John to talk aviation with someone who knew the way things are in Britain. He found that, although there are minor differences, most of the regulations are exactly the same. One tiny point that John found interesting was in the way that planes identify themselves to the tower. In Canada a plane that is say, C-GBJU (will always leave out the C for Canada and talk to the tower using the last three letters, such as Bravo Juliet Uniform) while in Britain a plane that is say, G-XBJU (will always use the G for Great Britain and the last two letters (ie. they will use Golf Juliet Uniform).

Next it was over to Reculver to see the ruins of an ancient Roman fort on which had been built a church that is now in ruins itself. Reculver Church is now on the edge of a clff and is a spectacular sight though John knew the videocamera could not capture it well. All that is left are the twin towers. They also had a beer and some quintessential British pub snacks called pork scratchings.

Again the day ended with a wonderful meal that Alan cooked. It was seafood fettucine (aka tagliatelle). John was exhautsed after his day and retired early.

TRB

First Day in England

2010-01-28T11:45:00.001Z

Jan 27

John woke several times in the night, probably due to his schedule being a little off kilter as a result of the long flight and the six-hour time difference. However, his being able to lie down on the plane greatly eased his usual discomfort from long flights.

The Comfort Hotel was good and very reasonable. His travel agent had gotten him a good deal at 49 pounds which was really great. Their posted rates started at 129 pounds.

John got up and had a traditional English breakfast: scrambled eggs, back bacon, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, and hash browns. Ok, well the hash browns were not really tradtional. He also had tea, orange juice, yogurt and pineapple. A little after 8 am the phone rang and it was Valerie calling from Les' home. She had stayed with Les and they would be coming to pick John up about 11am. He brushed his teeth and packed for the next leg of his trip. He thought he would have a little lie down.

He suddenly awoke from his snooze at 10:30. So he put on his clothes once more and went to the reception and paid his bill, happy to be ready ahead of time. He put on his iPod and was about to start listening when he saw a Mercedes Benz drive up and saw Valerie get out. After a hello hug with Val, and a good handshake with Les, he put his stuff in the 'boot' and they set off. Valerie wanted John to sit in the front so he did. The three had a great conversation on the 90 minute drive to Val's home and Les said that was making super excellent time. Les had just come out of hospital after having pneumonia so it was really good of him to make the drive.

The house in Kent has a name relating to its origins rather than a street number and indeed all the houses but one have names instead of numbers. That is sooo English! It is a lovely house in whch Val lives with Sandra, Alan, Amy and Jack. It is an old house that has been totally removated inside and out and decorated with real panache. The colours, styles and themes of the decor all work well with each other. John also got to meet Rufus and Lara (two huge Irish wolfhounds) and Charlie (a sweet female Staffordshire terrier) along with their three cats, Pebbles, Abby, and TC (for top cat) two of whom came by for a pat. Pebbles is very shy.

Val and John talked for a while and Val showed John the room he will be staying in. It is her room and John protested, not wanting her to be put out of her own bed. But Valerie insisted that she could sleep in Amy's room, so John acceded with real appreciation. Shortly after, Alan came home with groceries. John had not met Alan or Jack before (because Alan was not yet on the scene so long ago and Jack because he hadn't been born yet). Alan is a fine cook and he had been out to get groceries to make supper - an Oriental dish of duck breast, rice and wokked veggies in a delicious homemade sweet and sour sauce. John, Alan, Sandra and Val had a very interesting talk and they found not only that they had a lot in common but that they all had the same sense of humour. Alan and Sandra are very successful businesspeople, running a taxi enterprise with some 85 employees. Amy works as a paralegal and Jack works with Alan.

Alan then cooked supper with no help from John, Val, and Sandra who stood in the kitchen talking. Jack's girlfriend, Samantha, came over and dinner was set for seven places. The meal itself was absolutely scrumptious, cooked to perfection. John was so full at the end that he had to turn down dessert, a first for him.

After dinner, John and Alan took the dogs for a walk along a footpath near the sea, before heading down close to the beach itself slightly before 9pm and in the dark. The particular smell of the ocean here reminded John of the seaside of his childhood. The salt spray, the seaweed, whatever it was, took John back to the happy times he had spent at the seaside with his Mum and Dad and he took a second to think of them. The wind was cold but the hat loaned to John made him quite warm.

The dogs ran and ran and obviously had a great time. Alan takes them out twice a day. As they returned it started to rain and Amy and Sandra came out to wipe the dogs' muddy paws.

The it was time for a little TV before turning in. John felt so much at home he easily drifted off to sleep.

TRB

Singapore to London

2010-01-28T11:31:00.003Z

Jan 26 Enroute

John and I are sitting in gate B7, waiting to board Singapore Airlines flight 318 to London. There is supposed to be wireless access here but John's computer cannot find it. One might have to go upstairs to the first class waiting area, perhaps. Anyway, we have some time to wait so we decided this might be a good time to write the content for the next post.

John is not looking forward to the long flight but he picked an aisle seat in a back row in hopes that if the plane is not full he might be able to stretch out a bit. It is a gamble because the row is close to the toilets. In the flight from Melbourne either he or his fellow passenger could have had a whole row but it would have been impolite to accept over the other and so both turned it down. However, John noted that the last rows are the ones they do not fill up until the end.

The day itself is typical. Sunny with clouds, hot and very humid. John was pleased when he checked out because he had eaten breakfast each morning at the hotel and it turned out to be included. So $100 Cdn a night in a 5-star hotel with breakfast is a pretty good deal.

Unlike what he had been told taxis were not cheap. They weren't expensive either - just not dirt cheap as in some third world countries. John had to take a taxi to the airport rather than the shuttle because the shuttle could only take him at 8:15 and that was wayyy too early for a 1:00pm flight.

As it was being at the airport three hours early was too soon anyway. The airport is so efficient that you check in very quickly. John went through passport control with no problem and was able to check out the malls in all three terminals by using the Skytrain between them. Terminal 3 is definitely the best one as it is the newest. If you don't look around when you arrive the other terminals can seem sort of dull. But if you look closer there are many, many shops from Ferrari and Dolce & Gabbana, to public post offices, restaurants, bookstores, childrens' stores and so on.

One of the most interesting things is that security is at the gate. There is no central hub through which everyone must go. This little change makes security clearance much, much more comfortable. John had accidentally taken a bottle of water from the hotel to drink at the airport but had forgotten to drink it. When it was discovered by the scan he was given the choice to drink all or part of it before proceeding to the seating area. After having a short drink John proceeded on and was met by three police officers who checked his passport again. That seems to sum up the way many things operate in Singapore. Tourists are seen as honoured, valued customers but underlying that is a tight security regime.

Well, it is close to the time to board so Jhn is putting the laptop away for the flight and picking me up again. Talk to you later from the UK.

TRB

On flight SG 318 currently at 39,000 feet southeast of Ashkhabad in Turkmenistan (north of Iran) after overflying Afghanistan between Kandahar and Kabul. John sent his wishes for safety to the Canadian troops below.

The Airbus A380 is an amazing plane. It is so new and the features make it a joy in which to fly. Of course, Singapore Airways gives more knee room than John is used to. Not only that but they give economy passengers more room as well.

This is the BEST flight John has ever taken and he has been flying since 1960! One reason is that his flight has come at a real down time for the airline. Nobody it seems is going to London today. His strategy of asking for a seat near the back was unecessary. There must be only 20 passngers in his section of the plane that can hold 120 people. The only downer is a baby that cries incessantly. The baby went to sleep for a while but has cried the rest of the time and the flight has been airborne for seven and a half hours.

John has a row all to himself and can lay down aytime he wants. He even had a fairly comfortable sleep. The service has been phenomenal. He was served two drinks of a good Cabernet Sauvignon before lunch (steak with mashed potatoes au gratin), beer with supper (John chose the Thai fried rice over the bangers and mash. He has been offered drinks on at least five other occasions. Since there are so few other passengers there is never a line up at the washroom!

We are in the main cabin of this double decker plane but the ceiling is curved just like it was any other wide body jet. The plane is also extremely quiet. There is a jet engine sound so low you can hear the hiss of the air flowing over the wings. The individual lights are very focused to avoid disturbing other passengers. The entertainment is superb - John watched a movie called The Informer with Matt Damon, then slept, then watched two episodes of Two and a Half Men followed by two documentaries (one on Cleopatra and another on penguins and other life in and near Antarctica). It reminded John of his ecperience in Christchurch at the International Antarctic Centre.

John has been reflective of late as his trip is starting to wind down. What does it mean and what has he learned. There are so many different cultures from the Maori to the Australian aborigines, to the Chinese, Malays, Indians. and those of us from a Western tradition. The street of Harmony with all the different religions is good but it doesn't take religion but rather goodwill. Each culture is worthy to live in peace with its neighbours. There is intolerance but it can be overcome by good faith and good karma. We are all indigenous to our beautiful Mother Earth, our Gaia.

TRB

Culminating Day in Singapore

2010-01-25T13:48:00.001Z

John woke early to make sure he was ready for his 8am departure on a full day trip to Malacca (spelled Melaka in Malay) in Malaysia. He checked to ensure he had his passport and Singapore Departure Card and went down to breakfast.

The bus arrived about 8:02 and John thought, "This is funny. They're late!" He has gotten so used to the level of service that something like this, that would not raise an eyebrow anywhere else, crossed his mind.

The trip down to the coordination centre where all the buses that pick people up from hotels converge and distribute their passengers. John was shown to a small coach where he was asked to fill out a Singapore Arrival Card and a Malaysian Arrival Card. He also had to show the driver his passport and his Singapore Departure Crad that he got on first arriving in Singapore.

Apparently very few people take this all day trip. It IS a lot of driving and the time reasonably short in Malacca so it is not particularly popular. Their driver was a man of few words. So, the passengers, all 10 of them, introduced themselves. There was a family from Fremantle, Australia (near Perth) with two boys, one in school (year 9) and one in university. There was a woman from Italy or Bulgaria travelling on a British passport. She is a tour guide at home in Rome. Go figure! There was a couple from West Virginia, close to Ohio and Pennsylvania, and knew about Ontario. There was a painfully shy young Chinese woman and a woman from the Phillipines. The group were all friendly and they talked all the way to the border (about 23 km since Singapore is so small). They all got out of the bus at Singapore Immigration.

Like New Zealand and Australia, you have to go through security and Immigration to leave the country. They take away your Departure Card (which says there is the death penalty for having 15 g of heroin) and off you go. You have to rejoin your bus that has moved through.

Everybody has to do it alone. The Aussie woman had some trouble. Their dog had bitten her passport and the officials were suspicious. But they relented. Next was an extraordinary trip in the bus between barricades and barbed wire to the Malaysian entry point. The two countries used to be one, but are not now the best of friends. Once more you have to get off the bus and go through Malaysian Customs and Immigration. John had no trouble but again they questioned the Aussie woman.

On getting back to the bus, they met their guide, a Malaysian man, who told them about Johore Bahru, the city on the Malaysian side of the border. He told them that the Sultan had just died and he was wearing the obligatory black armband for the month of official mourning. He also said they had a long drive ahead of them on a very good divided highway for a third world nation. It was some 240km away.

But first they were to see a pewter factory. The town was very third world - industrial, not very clean, with small, obviously unregulated shops and tiny factories. The guide told them about pewter and how it is made. They looked at people making molds of lids for containers meant to hold Chinese tea. They also saw the people polishing the containers. They wear gloves so that they can polish the pewter to a high sheen. John thought the gloves looked suspiciously like dangerous asbestos but he wasn't sure. They were then taken to the 'store' to 'see' the products - available for purchase, of course, at factory prices - made in the factory.

They then set off onto the highway. On both sides of the highway for mile upon mile upon mile they could see Oil Palm trees, the ones they use to make Palm Oil and Palm Kernel Oil used in all sorts of products like soaps, oils, waxes, even for food. Don't believe me? Look at the ingredient list of any packaged baked goods. The guide said that the government had converted their millions of rubber trees to oil palms because the rubber market had decreased so much due to artificial rubber.

They also got glimpses of small houses and occasional villages. They looked desperately poor to John but the guide said that the average income was $2,500 Malaysian ringgits a month and so only 4% of the popualtion was in dire poverty. The ringgit is today worth about 31 cents Canadian. So, John figures the average Malaysian earns about $800 Cdn a month.

The drive continued and the guide talked in a monotone for a very long time about the history of the area - the Malays, the Chinese, the Indians, the English, the Dutch, the Portuguese. He reeled off dates when this happened or that and why. What sultan did this or that. John normally loves this sort of stuff, but with the gentle rocking of the bus, the soothing monotone, and a short sleep the night before, he nodded off for a few minutes. Eventually, the guide said sit back and relax and enjoy the scenery.

John wondered why do they tell people to sit back; he was never sitting forward. And why relax; he was not on the edge of his seat due to the commentary. Anyway, John enjoyed the gentle swaying and looked outside from time to time. Eventually as they neared Malacca, the guide pointed out that there were other trees, too. John saw rubber trees that had been tapped for their latex. The other trees were the teak trees that the road company that owns the road (it is a toll highway) has planted to sell for timnber in a number of years.

Thye passed an area where there were lots of swifts, small fast flying insect-eating birds. The driver had to drive slowly to avoid hitting them. It was as if they didn't understand about traffic.

Then they arrived in Malacca and were taken to the Hotel Equatorial for lunch. It was sumptuous. It was one of the best buffets John has seen ever. They scrimped on nothing. John ate well, both first course and incredible desserts. He also splurged by buying a coke to go with it. It was $5 Singapore. John gave three $2 bills just to get some Malaysian change to take home.

After lunch, they boarded the bus and were taken around the town. Eventually the guide asked then to diembark to see a temple for Buddhists, Taoists, and Confucians and explained about the gods and how these three can all happily coexist. He told them that the street was called Harmony because it had Christian churches, Hindu temples, Buddhist temples, and Muslim mosques.

They were then given 50 minutes to walk the old streets. The guide said to guard your passport because there was no getting back into Singapore without it and they had had some people pickpocketed in the past in the area. John wandered around with the Aussie guy and their two sons. John didn't want to go shopping anyway so they sat down near the riverbank. Suddenly, the younger son, yelled out that there was a crock in the water. John grabbed his camera and got some good footage - not of a crocodile - but rather a large monitor lizard. It was the highlight of the day. They met the bus and the guide and were taken to another part of the toen close by. There was a choice. Sit in the bus or walk up the hill to see the place where Saint Francis Xavier is buried. Once again, most people did the activity though the Aussie woman and the Bulgarian/Italian stayed on the bus. It was quite steep but very cool. John had never seen a Saint's burial place before.

They met up with the rest of the group and headed for the bus. It was time for the two hour ride back. The group had a good discussion about all sorts of things. John was very impressed by the two sons. The one in university has his head and heart in the right place. No rightwinger there. He is taking film studies. The younger son oozed talent. He is in year 9 at school but didn't look more than 13. He could easily keep up with the adult conversation and had amazing social skills. It turns out he can cook better than his parents from watching cooking shows on TV. The boys both do their own laundry and cleaning. And they are really happy kids. What an awesome family!

Soon, it was time to go through the customs and immigration process in reverse. Just as long and tedious. But then they were through and headed back to town. For the first time ever John was the first one delivered to his hotel. He said his farewells to all the others and wished them well, his trip to Singapore over.

John has asked me to remind you that he will not have Internet access for a few days but to hang in there. More posts and videos will come when he can get connected again.

TRB

A Day of Contrasts

2010-01-24T17:05:00.002Z

Jan 24

John is having all the fun and as usual I am left to stay in the room and only have the cleaning staff to admire me.

It was another incredible day. John had the morning to himself and so he spent it uploading videos for his faithful readers. Yes, that's you!

He was ready at 1:30 to go on a tour of the Heartlands and Changi Village. With the complete unconsciousness of the totally pro-government guide, John found out about the nasty underbelly of Singapore. The bus first stopped at Changi Prison Museum. It is adjacent to the present day Changi prison. On the way, the guide said all the wonderful ways the government has organized everyone's life here. As we passed by the biggest prison grounds John has ever seen, he told the story of the man who is to be executed on Thursday. A poor Bangla Deshi man here on a work permit was found guilty of murder. The guide said this meant that there were no special favours to anyone even if you come from a foreign country. Of course, it did not apply to the Romanian diplomat who, on Jan 7 this year, killed three people on two different sidewalks when he was driving drunk and went back to his own country.

Anyway, they entered the museum and it was horrific. It was the story of the Japanese invasion and occupation of Singapore from 1941 to 1945. All the Japanese atrocities were documented, some with actual torture pictures. John found it hard to hold the tears back. There is no doubt that serious war crimes were committed against all the people, White, Malay, Indian and Chinese. The Australian troops figured greatly in the suffering. John could not get over the irony that the descendants of those who suffered are committing their own cruel crime by executing someone just minutes away from this site.

The tour continued and the guide extolled life in Singapore. If you earn around what John makes you are forced by economics to buy your apartment from the government. And you are only allowed to buy one. If you can afford luxury then you can have pretty well have whatever you want and there are houses as well as luxury condos. The government housing all looks pretty well the same, much as one would have expected to see in Communist Russia. Not only that, but each building has a quota of Chinese, Malays, Indians, and Eurasians according to the racial profile of the overall population. That was good said the guide because it prevemnted people from making their own ethnic areas.

The guide then stopped the bus and took the group into a housing development. They saw the food courts that the regular people use and it isn't the downtown cafe scene. It was one in which John would have felt unconfortable eating anything. Because of the racial mix there has to be a restaurant for each of the four recognized races. Every restaurant has to display the mark they get from the government inspectors. A is the best and you can get by with a B. But after two C's you automatically get a D and have to close for two weeks.

Next, it was out to the common area in the middle of about five large apartment blocks, where there was a playground for the kids, a wet market with fruits and vegetables, as well as indestructible open air exercise machines. There is a subway station nearby with feeder bus routes, and a sports area. The guide said how good this was.

John noted that no one had air conditioning, the washing was hanging on poles sticking out from the windows, and that few people looked as happy as the guide. In fact, the guide pointed out an indoor supermarket on site with A/C and said this was for the pampered people. He also told the group that there is NO social support. If you don't work... you die... in prison. And people are required by law to support their parents after they have retired. They also have to contribute 20% of their salary to a savings scheme that they can draw money from, when they turn 55. "So", John said to himself, "now we know who pays for Singapore's prosperity and how they do it." This was definitely a side to Singapore that most tourists and perhaps many expats never even know about.

John decided he would call this way of life Communistic Capitalism.

The next stop was at the main mosque for Singapore and as they arrived they could hear the call to prayers. The guide explained how Muslims have to clean themselves before entering the mosque and how men and women are separated for prayers. Then they had some time to explore the traditional (though no longer)Muslim area. A guy selling Sony cameras decided John should buy a lense filter for his camera. John declined and the guy did what he could to sell John something else and when that didn't work he tried to scare him into buying the filter, saying that in the heat mould would grow on the lense. John laughed at that one. When was the last time you saw moud growing on glass? The guy wouldn't even go away when John said he couldn't take it back because of government regulations (not true of course) but faced with John's total implacability (polite "No thank you" to every suggestion) to his pressure he gave up in disgust.

They got back about 5:30 and John was scheduled to go on the night tour at 6:30. He walked around looking for a snack. He found a nice patio area in back of a swanky mall after a 15 minute walk. There were many restaurants and John looked at their menus and decided on a beer place and a dessert place. He looked at his watch and noted that he had to be finished by 6:15 to get back at 6:30. So, he bought a Tiger beer, the local beer. Since he was the only one in the bar at that hour, the waitress talked to him the whole time. It was very pleasant. She said to go to Bangkok rather than shop in Singapore. Just don't eat the food she said. Then John went back to the other place and ordered choclate cake a la mode. It was 5:55. At 6:10 it hadn't arrived. The waitress said that it had to be cooked and it would only take another three minutes. When it had not come in that time, John got up and left. Even if it had come, he would have had two minutes to eat it.

The night tour was great. It included dinner at a Chinese restaurant on the Marina Quay. It is a place with hundreds of restaurants lining the river walls (all rivers are contained by walls). John was seated with a stunningly beautiful, cultured young couple from Mozambique and three irrepressible guys from Iraq who could barely speak English. There was also a family from Russia at another table with the parents and three grown children. John said they were the UN. But the Iraqis said there wasn't anyone from South America. God, they were hilarious.

They wanted to know what everyone did and when John said he was a professor they were truly impressed and HAD to have their photos taken with him - about 60 times! It must have been their first time out of Iraq and they were happy. The guide, an attractive young Chinese woman, was always losing them because they were in front of this fountain or beside that plant, taking each other's pictures and calling for John to go over and get his photo taken with them.

The meal was a traditional Chinese one and John enjoyed it. But the Iraqi guys said they would have liked more meat.

The woman from Mozambique was an economist. Her husband looked chiselled. The Iraqi guys kept asking him if he was an athlete. After being pressed, he said he had a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. The Iraqi guys said they were athletes and their game was chess.

Next, it was onto a bum boat for a night cruise down the river. It was so beautiful. The air was like silk on John's skin. The Iraqi guys started to sing and clap. The Russian women laughed and clapped along too but the husband just glowered. He was no fun at all.

Next, they went to the Bugis (BOO -GISS) village, a night mall place that is like Chinatown overflowing with people. John bought himself a passion fruit juice and drank it down. The guide said to watch your wallet.

Their last stop was the famous Raffles Hotel, where they first created the famed Singapore Sling drink. The hotel is named after Singapore's founder Sir Somethingorother Raffles and is over a hundred odd years old. They went around the hotel's open areas and saw the famed Long Bar where you can eat peanuts and throw the shells on the floor - the only place in Singapore where you can litter. It is a really ritzy place. The presidential suite goes for $7,000 a night. Michael Jackson always stayed there when he was in Singapore.

As the tour was ending, John said goodbye to the group. He shook hands with the couple and the Iraqi guys. The Russian guy said Welcome to Russia. John said Welcome to Canada. And he left the group and went up to the bar and ordered a Singapore Sling for $28.25!

It was too sweet and so, after finishing every precious drop, John ordered a rye and coke and guess what they had it. Canadian Club rye. He drank it, knowing this was a real drink.

After eating his share of peanuts and gazing at the painting of the Shanghai Lady behind the bar, John left, hailed a taxi and went back to the hotel. It was past 10:30 and John has to be up sharp in the morning as he is off to the city of Malacca in Malaysia.

TRB

The Flyer and Sentosa

2010-01-24T05:00:00.001Z

Jan 23

John told me that he had another activity and exploration-filled day in Singapore. He started off early, leaving the hotel at 8am, for a ride on the Singapore Flyer. This answer to London's famous Eye sits near the ocean on Singapore's southern coast. They say it is, at 165 metres, some 13 metres taller than London's and is the tallest observation wheel in the world. Like many structures in Singapore it was positioned with the help of Chinese feng shui and operates with the same principles in mind.

Since it was early there were few people about and John only had to share the gondola with a couple from South Africa who work in Saudi Arabia. And since she was afraid of heights and sat carefully in the very middle, John and her husband were free to roam around the entire gondola to take whatever pictures or videos the wanted.

It was a spectacular day, so unlike the cloudy one before. John took lots of video from the Flyer and hopes that you enjoy the views as much as he did taking them. You can see Singapore's downtown, its opera house that looks likea two turtles with ragged shells and the original colonial buildings built by the British. You can also see that there remains a construction boom. Right now, amongst many other projects, they are building a new casino - the first for Singapore - and convention centre. It will include a whole new botanical gardens. Like everything Singaporean it will be operationalized better than anywhere else. It is almost as if they see what has been done elsewhere and say how can we do the same thing only better?

Next it was off for a cruise on the Cheng Ho, an old style Chinese sailing ship. They cruised along Singapore's west coast and past Sentosa Island that John was going to see later the same day. John talked with a number of couples - the South Africans, and another interesting couple, he from Switzerland and she from Finland. They had travelled extensively and they said that, apart from the road signs, you cannot tell Ontario apart from Finland. He had been in aircraft maintenance so he and John talked planes quite a bit.

John stayed outside to get the views of the coastline and was up close with the hundreds of ocean going freighters who were waiting their turn at Singapore's docks. He also saw more oil tankers than he could have imagined. Singapore is a hib for oil shipments to China, Australia, and Asia in general. It has a number of huge refineries. However, the day was getting warmer and more humid.

After a leisurely narrated cruise they stopped at Kusu Island for 45 minutes. Kusu is Chinese for Turtle and he saw many turtles and tortoises there as the place is a sanctuary as well as being a place holy to Taoists and Muslims. Many people make a pilgrimage to the island at special times of the year. However, there was nothing to eat or drink on the small island so John was happy to get back on board and buy a can of Sprite for $3. He sat and talked to a couple from England on the cruise back.

He went back to the hotel for a bit of a break and uploaded videos to the blog before heading out once again - this time to Sentosa Island. Sentosa is Singapore's family fun island with hotels, beaches, theme parks, rides, and shows and the name means tranquility in Malay. After getting there, John was amazed by the sheer numbers of humanity. You could not walk without bumping into people. The local people seemed well equipped to handle this but if you used Western manners you just didn't get to go where you wanted much of the time and people piled up behind you. In the end, John just had to push ahead but felt he did not really understand the proper way to go about moving because, as he brushed by people, they seemed to startle a little.

John lined up for 30 minutes to take a ride on the Tiger Sky Tower - a round revolving disk filled with people that goes up slowly to give beautiful views of the island and Singapore itself. He took more video here, too. crammed though he was. This was not a highlight of the trip!

However, after that, John went in to see 'Images of Singapore' that definitely WAS a highlight, though he did not take video in it. It was a three part presentation of the history of Singapore. It started with a wonderful five minute film of four men, one Malay, one Chinese, one Indian and one Western (Eurasian actually). They represented the four winds that brought people to Singapore (north from Malaya, east from China, south from India and west from Europe). They talked about the four values on which Singapore is based - family, community, peace, and harmony. John was touched.

The next part, the Singapore Adventure, was a walk through museum with dioramas of life on the island since the earliest times as well as multimedia displays of old photographs and movies. It was chronological and very well done... enough writing for those interested but not too much for those who just wanted to experience history. John was very impressed by the good behaviour of the children, unlike his experiences earlier in the trip. They were exhuberent and having a wonderful time but were not out of control.

The experience finished with Singapore Celebrates, a multimedia showcase about Singapore today. It is obvious that the people of Singapore love their 'city state' country and it was nice to see their pride.

By then it was time to go to the Songs of the Sea, a spectacular live action, laser, fountain, flame, music, computer graphics and pyrotechnic show held on the beach in front of an amphitheatre that can hold 2,500 people. It is the world’s only permanent show set in the sea. It is a fairytail story about a young man named Lee, wh by singing was giving the fire, the sea, and a beautiful maiden back their powers. It was truly impressive! John has asked me to upload a video he made.

Anyway, I am tired just thinking of the busy day that John has had.

TRB

The City and the Safari

2010-01-22T23:05:00.005Z

Jan 22

Well, what a day John had! He booked or arranged stuff, through the hotel's travel advisor, to do for his entire stay. So, it started off with exploring the hotel. He found the pool and the pub. Every time he went outdors though his camera lens steamed up, such was the difference in humidity from inside to outside.

The hotel has six restaurants if you call two fast food places, restaurants. There is the buffet restaurant off the lobby, Tony Roma's, a posh bar, an Irish pub, a Subway, and a Texas burger place. And it has its own shopping arcade with beauty salons, spas, and wedding planning stuff including a wedding dress store.

As his camera got used to being outside, John then went to video the shopping both high and low. He got back just in time to take the city tour.

Unlike the other city tours he has been on, this guided tour also took you to places and you got out to explore with the guide. He saw little India, Chinatown, the old Imperial sector, what was supposed to be a jewelry factory (but turned out only to be a fancy jewelry store). Finally, they had precious little time to see the National Orchid Garden. John was not happy to have wasted time walking around a jewelry store where the people tried to sell him stuff when he could have been taking more time seeing the buggest collection of orchids in the world. They were magnificent. The highlight was the new variety of orchid that was created in Singapore in honour of Nelson Mandela (even though it was not the prettiest one).

Little India was fascinating too - the culture, the smells, the street decoration. A major Hindu festival had just finished so that the streets were still alive with colour. It was almost, John imagined, like an authentic street in India itself. The Indian population is not that large, though, some 5% of the total.

Chinatown was great as well. John got to walk through a Buddhist temple as a service was going on. He also bought some candied pineapple slices and sweet lime balls at the Chinese market on Smith Street and ate them before getting back on the tour bus. The woman at the stall had asked for $2 but John said he only had one dollar on him (which was sort of true; he only had one $1 coin). So, she screwed up her face, took a few pieces out and sold him the rest for $1. John had never bargained before. He doesn't know if he really got a bargain or not.

The guide explained the the population is made up of Chinese, Indians and Malays and that of the 5M people about 1.2M are expatriates from other countries living and working there.

Anyway, he also saw the Raffles Hotel, in passing. A Singapore Sling drink costs between $24 and $28 there. Just because they invented it. He saw the Singapore Opera House, the Supreme Court building, and many, many malls that the bus passed. Honestly, you can find a specialized mall for any conceivable thing you might want to buy. Think of Masonville and multiply by maybe 100 or more and you have Singapore's malls.

The National Orchid Garden was amazing. It covers three hectares with hundred if not thousnads of species of orchids. There is the VIP orchid garden, the orchidarium with its wild orchids, the Tan Hoon Siang mist house, the refridgerated cool house where the mist spray allows high altitude tropical orchids to flourish. The whole garden takes up 40 hectares.

Coming back from the Botanic Gardens, they ran into a huge traffic jam. The guide had said that traffic in Singapore is good because they have an intricate road toll system and a limited number of vehicle registrations. Every so often the government puts some more on the market and lets the people bid for them. It currently costs between $20,000 and $22,000 for the document and it only lasts for 10 years. Then you would have to bid again. Nobody does that. They sell their cars. So Singapore, which does not manufacture cars at all, is the world's second biggest exporter of used vehicles (after Japan).

Beside the vehicle registration, there is a 100% sales tax on cars' MSRP and gas is $1.79 a litre. So, you have to be rich to drive a car. They even have special registration for cars that cannot be driven in peak hours. So those are for the weekend drivers.

Government housing is not cheap. They build huge high rises - 50 stories - but charge people current real estate prices (from $200K to $15M) depending on location and size. Almost everybody lives in government housing. Expatriates have the best housing and some even have their own detached houses on their own property (a real rarity in Singapore). John thought his faculty should set up an international programme here. hahaha The poor people, however, have to rent. But rents are based on income alone and you can get a bachelor apartment for $35 a month if you earn less than $1500 a month. So their system is capitalist and socialist at the same time.

When they got back to the base, John switched buses and went to the Night Safari. It was breaking his resolution to see only free animals but this is a 'first of its kind' in the world. The place only opens at night so you can see night animals walking about. There was a tram ride but John's camera could not see in the darkness well enough to take any video. Then there was a cultural performance by Malay people of the tribe who orginally inhabited the area. He shot good footage of that.

Anyway, he is up early tomorrow morning so he will have to upload the video when he gets a chance. Right now it is late and he needs to get his sleep.

TRB

Melbourne to Singapore

2010-01-21T15:45:00.001Z

Jan 21

After just four hours' sleep John was up to get his packing finished and be on his way to Singapore. Janice was worried about the traffic and so they left around 7:30am. John was very sad to say goodbye to Barney because he is an old dog and John knew for a fact that he would never see him again.

As they drove to the main Melbourne airport, John and Janice reminisced about their time together and how both had enjoyed the holiday. It was her birthday, in fact. They faced the inevitable they they, too, might never see each other in person again although they agreed to stay in touch. After dropping John off at the departures, Janice was going to see her sister's children's children who are visiting her sister.

The traffic, however, had been a dream and they were at the airport at 8:30. John's flight was at 11:20, so he had lots of time and no worries about getting on the flight.

John lined up to get his boarding pass and filled out his Australian exit form. He passed through exit Customs and then security with no worries this time apart from emptying me again for them. He bought a drink and a science magazine and settled down to wait.

The time passed quickly and it was time to board. Perhaps John is getting too old but he felt some trepidation with the number of families with two-year olds getting on the plane. They were in a Boeing Triple 7 and the two rows directly ahead had three toddlers. Each child took their turn emitting piercing screams from time to time. John heard shrieks of pain, of fear, of frustration, and sometimes just plain naughty ones as one tyke tried to outdo the kid in front.

That was the only negative of the whole trip. The service on Singapore Airlines was beyond excellent. Before the plane was very high in the sky the flight attendants were around offering complimentary wine, juice, pop, beer - and that was in economy! They did two rounds before bringing lunch. Each passenger had a menu. The appetizer was marinated sweet chili shrimp with asian slaw along with a roll and butter. There was a choice in the main course: roasted chicken in mushroom sauce, buttered vegetables, and lyonnaise potatoes OR Gaeng chu chee pia (fish filet in red curry and coconut milk) served with mixed vegetables and rice. John asked for the chicken, but they had just ran out of that one but he was fine with that because the fish dish was remarkable. They ended with cheese and crackers, and an ice cream cone.

Twice more they came around with drinks before serving refreshment - lamb and potato curry pie or fried rice with chicken, shrimp and vegetables. John asked for the fried rice and the flight attedant made sure he got it. John had not seen such service in Canada since the 1960's.

The plane was not full and John had only one seatmate in the three seats. He was a young guy from Hyderabad, India just finishing a two-year contract with a bank in Australia. He is a software engineer and his job was to increase the bank's business intelligence. The two had a couple of really good chats during the sevan and a half hours they spent together. He said that John should visit India some day and John said he should really come and visit Canada. They made a deal that each would do it - completely unenforceable, of course!

Upon landing at Changi airport, John filled out his Singapore Immigration card and passed through Immigration with no lineups and zero difficulty. He went to pick up his luggage and it was already on the conveyor belt going around. There was room everywhere - no people jostling to get their bags, no huge lines anywhere. Customs just waved him through the door. John was not used to being trusted like that! Everywhere else I have been like a red flag in front of a bull as far as Customs people are concerned. John and I must fit some sort of profile, I guess.

He went to the traveller's desk and paid for his shuttle to the hotel. It was only nine Singapore dollars. The same rde had cost $50NZ in Auckland.

He met a young Aussie woman who seemed a little nervous because she started to talk to John spontaneously while waiting for the shuttle. By the way, from getting off the plane to the shuttle leaving the airport was about 15 minutes.

Anyway, she had just got a job as an occupational therapist in one of Singapore's hosptials and she was kind of nervous about the new job, finding a place to live and so on. John tried to reassure her and it seemed to help.

Her htoel was out by the hospital so John was off before her. Both wished each other the best.

John is very happy with the hotel. It is the highest quality place he has stayed on this trip. His room was upgraded from superior to deluxe which means he has slippers and a robe and little extras like that. Take a look at the video.

John decided to splurge and pay for good Internet access while he is here.

He went out for a walk and found that indeed Singapore ia all about shopping. More on that another time. Now it is time to say goodnight as it has been a long day.

TRB

Culminating Day in Australia

2010-01-20T14:17:00.002Z

Jan 20

This was to be John and my last day in Australia. He woke up about 7am and read for a while. Then when he got up he found Janice downstairs getting some toast. She had decided that rather than stay at home for the day and meet John later for a meal in the city she would come in too. She rarely goes to the downtown because it is so crowded.

Anyway, they took the train in to the city and got off at Southern Cross station because Janice had said she wanted to see the newly developed precinct called Docklands.

At a posh little fish and chip place on a part of the area, Janice bought lunch for them both. They had blue grenadier fish, with french fries, a dim sim each, and a battered potato hasbrown each. It was very filling.

After walking for a bit they found a shopping area with hundreds of designer shops and factory outlets. They also found Australia's first Costco. Janice had wondered what it was like. So they went inside. You can look at stuff there but not buy until you have a membership and that is not practical for a person living on their own. John has foound the same thing in Canada even though he lives close to a Costco.

Next, they went to a bookshop for Janice to buy some books for her grand niece and nephew and after coming out they realized they were right beside a City Circle tram stop, a free service.

They hopped on even though it was quite full and found seats. As the tram continued on its route, more and more people got on, stop after stop, until it was straining to move and standing room only. They were both happy when they came to Flinders St Station and were able to get off.

One of the things that John had wanted to see before leaving was the flame show outside the casino later that evening, so the two went looking to find a movie to put in some time. After some considerable searching they found the downtown movie theatre but there was no movie about to start. So, it was plan B. But there was no plan B.

They wandered down to the area called Southbank on the south bank (strangely enough) of the Yarra River than runs through Melbourne. They say the Yarra is an upside down river because it is as muddy on the top as it is on the bottom. However, Southbank is lovely with hundreds of fine restaurants. They put in some time because neither was hungry enough to eat at 4:30. So, they had a lemonade or slushy at a foodcourt.

Then they went along and looked at the menus of many of the restaurantts. Janice's sister-in-law had suggested a restaurant called 8 and they really liked the look of its menu so they went in. This was to be John's way to thank Janice for all her kindness.

It was great! It was a part of the casino and the food and service were both 5 star quality. The restaurant had a great special - two glaases of wine, two courses (either appetizer and main course or main and dessert), a side and coffee or tea. John had two glasses of pinot noir from the burned out area he had seen the day before while Janice had sauvignon blanc. John's main course was kangaroo with a raincherry sauce, salad and a huge creme brulee. Janice had a beef carbaccio, barramunde (fish) and s aalad.

Aside: Although John loves to see kangaroos wild and free, they have to cull them these days or they eat up all the vegetation in the current drought and end up dying of thirst.

The day turned to evening as they sat on the restaurant patio. The restaurant was near one of the six huge three-story fire towers spaced about a hundred or so metres apart that the casino uses to put on the flame show every evening and they felt the heat from some of the flames. So, after they finished their meals they went outside to watch the whole show. John videoed some of it. The waiter said that it costs the casino about $10K a night to put it on.

Then it was back to Janice's home on the train, arriving after 11pm. It had been a fitting day to end this leg of John's trip. After getting me to write this post John attempted to upload a video to the blog.

John and I are not really looking forward to the 8 hour flight tomorrow to Singapore.

John wants me to tell you, my readers, that he has no idea of the connections in Singapore starting tomorrow so please be patient.

TRB

A sobering drive

2010-01-19T10:02:00.000Z

Jan 19

The day was cloudy and cool when John woke up. He dozed while watching me put in a couple of hours uploading new videos from his days in Sydney. Take a look, if you haven't seen the new ones - like Manly Beach, Manly and the pirates, and some nice views in the Powerhouse Museum. These were all possible because the dongle, though expensive, allowed John to have a better Internet connection. He has no idea what his connection will be like from Singapore.

Anyway, after having a cup of tea, he and Janice set out to see the effects of the devastating bush fires that occurred last February, almost 11 months ago. John remembered hearing about them on the news - over 200 people (men, women, and children) had been killed in the fires. Janice had been there 10 months ago but had not seen it since.

They drove towards a town called Marysville, population about 520, about 90 minutes away to the north. As they passed through the Yarra Ranges National Park, they began to see the changes in the landscape. For mile after mile, trees had blackened burnt trunks reaching up to the levels that the flames had leaped. Many of the gum or eucalyptus trees are able to withstand bush fires so they were sprouting greenery all along their trunks from the ground up, giving them a weird looking appearance. John felt that it was good to see this regeneration as it meant that the forest was healing itself. However, he felt sad to think of the countless animals, both wildlife and stock, that had perished in the flames.

Nothing prepared him for the utter destruction of the small town of Marysville. An early description of the town said, "Marysville is well known for its beautiful gardens and scenery, and as a gateway to year-round outdoor activities. Nestled in the foothills of Melbourne's Yarra Range..." it had many attractions for tourists such as fern gullies, views of the mountains, and walking tracks to Steavenson Falls. It was the place to go for Melburnians to escape the summer heat since the 1920s.

"It's primary industry [was] tourism. Prior to the fire, it contained numerous cafes, art galleries, restaurants, and craft shops. It has been used as a base for the Lake Mountain ski resort. During the snow season, the population of the town has been known to double or even triple, due to the influx of other hospitality and tourism caterers, such as ski hire, toboggan hire, chain hire, and many other profitable ventures associated with snowplay and skiing. During summer Marysville is frequented by many bikers, particularly on weekends. Marysville is cradled between two of Victoria's best motorcycling roads, the Black Spur & The Reefton Spur." source: Wikipedia
Now it was just a shell. The fires of 2009 had destroyed 90% of all the buildings including the school, police station, and almost all the residential houses. That day they still call Black Saturday, the fires raced through the town in minutes, killing some 45 people in the little town alone. The fire had been huge, and had started perhaps as far away as 150km.

John was very touched to see the empty spaces where people's lives had been played out. He saw the reconstruction efforts with homes at all stages of construction - and some with nothing happening that he assumed meant the family had been killed. But he was most impressed with one home, nothing more than a concrete pad, with the debris all cleared away, and an Australian flag flying from an old stick.

He was inspired that the trees were regrowing, the animals were having babies to repopulate the forest and the people were rising again from their tragedy.

TRB

Dandenong Drive

2010-01-18T22:16:00.000Z

Jan 18

On this day, the rain showers continued helping Melbourne to become more quenched. Janice and John visited her friend Lynney where they had some pikelets (small pancakes) and a Boston cake - a sponge cake with white creamy frosting.

After that they visited a wholesale nursery as Janice wanted to find some six foot plants to act as privacy hedge. However, she didn't see what she needed and will go back another time.

Then they visited the Dandenong Ranges National Park and the quaint little villages up in the hills overlooking Melbourne. John found some souvenirs and they had lattes and a vanilla slice french pastry.

They saw stringy bark gum trees, one of the many species of eucalyptus in Australia. These trees shed their bark in strings down their sides until the strings fall off. They also saw a Kookaburra fly in front of the car. The Kookaburra, a kind of kingfisher that makes a distinctive sound, is another Australian icon.

After one of the many showers the air heated up and the road steamed as the wet pavement evaporated back into the air.

They arrived back at Janice's where she made spaghetti and meat balls with home made sauce. Janice doesn't use packages much!

TRb

Back to Melbourne

2010-01-18T00:09:00.000Z

Jan 17

We said goodbye to the Quest on Dixon at 10am and walked down to the central railway station to use his Sydney pass for the last time (it gives you a free round trip to the airport as well as everything else). It was not a long walk but it was humid and John was sweating and complaining to me about my weight again. I haven't gained any weight! grrrr. In fact, I am only this weight because I am carrying his heavy laptop.

Anyway, after finding our way to platform 23 we waited for the train to the airport. It came along shortly and was very nice...like the double decker GO trains, only new.

The airport was the third stop. We got off and found our way to departures. It was too early to check in because the flight didn't leave until 1:20 so John looked around for someplace to eat (he had run out of shredded wheat the day before). All he could find was this little stand, so he bought a lemonade and a cheese and veggie roll. The roll was covered in puff pastry. He ate it hungrily.

When it was time to check in, he did and the flight was pretty routine. Except for the landing. The pilot had said it was windy but John could tell that it was a very strong crosswind (the plane was crabbing severely into the wind). The pilot plonked it down hard. The passenger area bounced at least three feet so that would mean that the plane bounced a good eight feet when it landed.

When they got off the plane John could understand what happened and realized the pilot's landing had been very skillful. The wind was definitely gale force. There are no jet ramps at the Avalon airport so you have to walk down the stairs they roll up to the plane. We were pushed sideways by the wind when we stepped outside; it was that strong! And it was only 18 degrees. It really felt like a storm was coming.

A day or two before Janice had emailed to ask John when the flight was due in and she had lost the paper. John had written back that he thought it was 3:30. But he was wrong. It was 2:30. It was his own fault that he had to wait an hour for Janice to arrive. And she had been held up by road work. Luckily for john he had a bus shelter to wait in as the gale blew all around.

He was very happy when he saw her car coming up the drive as Avalon is in the middle of nowhere.

Janice made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and peas for dinner. They watched Miss Congeniality 2 on TV. John was happy to lay down in his bed and drift off as the rain started to pour on this parched land.

TRB

Avatar

2010-01-16T13:45:00.002Z

Jan 16 Part B

After Avatar

Well, John went to see Avatar at the largest Imax screen in the world - 8 stories high... and he loved it. He saw it as a morality tale of more than superficial good versus evil. It was, he thought, about the contest between good and evil that lies in all humanity and at many levels. We have the knowledge to know the ways we should be treating our Mother Earth and we have the capacity to destroy her. We have the morality to know how we should treat our brothers and sisters and we have the power to destroy relationships and entire peoples. We have the knowledge that we should be treating our fellow creatures and plants with care yet we are killing them at phenomenal rates without care.

But this was a story that should have been told in words whether aloud or written. The message kind of gets lost in the glamorous computer animation - which was spectacular - and the battle scenes. John said it was the best flight animation he had ever seen. It also had to have a Hollywood ending because it was on film and took hundreds of millions of dollars to make and needed to make that money back many times over. And that hurts the morality of the story itself. How ironic!

So, yes it gets John's and my two thumbs up. It was a fitting ending to a fantastic few days in Sydney.

TRB

Day 5 in Sydney

2010-01-16T08:55:00.003Z

Jan 16

The day started out with a mistake. John was excited to be going to Avatar at 9:30am. When he arrived there were two other guys there and they were perplexed. How could they go to see Avatar at 9:30 if the theatre didn't open until 10am? They were on the phone to the movie company. John said that he had wondered that, too. So he got out his ticket and sure enough it said 9:30PM! But that was alright... it gave him more time to see things on his last day in Sydney.

So, he went back to the hotel, picked up his hat and his canera and set off. He had wanted to see the other famous beach, the one at Manly. He knew that there was a long ferry ride to get to it and it was covered by his three-day pass. So, he went and waited for the Explorer bus and sat through the same old taped descriptions of the areas they were passing that he had listened to, with fascination, the first time. Sydney has the biggest this and the widest that and the longest something else etc. But now he was catching some of the nuances that he had missed before. He knew about the Hungry Mile, Bennelong, Mrs. Macquarrie's Chair, and the Suez Canal. He could tell you about Wooloomooloo and Harry's Cafe de Wheels where Frank Sinatra had eaten and where Elton John once conducted a press conference. He knew they only serve meat pies and hot dogs.

So, he knew exactly where to get off the bus to find the ferry to Manly.

He had just missed it!

But it was only a 20-minute wait for the next one. And he was one of the first on and sat down the side of the boat to take some shore scenery. The 30-minute ride was nice and people all around were looking forward to their day at the beach. So, it was a nice atmosphere.

Manly was a cool surfer dude kind of place made for tourists, if you can picture that unlikely combo. The town has made the central area a pedestrian mall and there were all kinds of shops. John walked with the mass of people (the ferry holds over 300) down to the beach.

It was beautiful, like Bondi, only this was a nice warm day. John went onto the beach and took some video of the surfers but again, the surf was not high and the waves were only allowing the surfers very short rides. He did notice the shark nets that were out in the water, however. The surfers were ignoring those.

There was a huge amount of beach volleyball going on - maybe 10 courts set out in the sand - and there was a school to teach people how to play. It seemed pretty organized.

After a little walk around the Manly downtown, John found a Moevenpick and bought himself an ice cream cone - two scoops - one caramelito and the other cappuchino. It was great!

Then he went to the ferry terminal to come back. On board he came across 5 or 6 guys dressed as pirates. He asked them why they were dressed that way. They were all from Britain and they were going on a stag. The theme was pirate. Well, they did an "Arrrr" for John before making that quintessential British error of thinking he was American. One guy saw his camera case and said, "He's Canadian!" John, in jest, said if anyone called him American again they would be walking the plank themselves... without a plank! Despite their little error they were really funny and witty, waving their rubber swords and daggers at passing ships and yelling, "Arrrr." They expected the stag would last into the wee hours. John wondered how much "Arrrr" would be left in them by then.

John picked up the same bus again and got off the Queen Victoria Building, a gorgeous old building containing a shopping mall on five levels. The shops though were not your trypical mall ones. They were very upscale... like Yorkville Avenue off Avenue Road types. Gucci, Armani and so on. Suits were 50% or more off, only $750.

Then John went to his last attraction apart from the movie - the Sydney Tower. It is like the CN Tower only shorter. But for a little extra they put you in a special outfit, special shoes, and take you right outside with nothing but a railing and the tether that you have clipped onto the building. They made quite a production out of it, making you go through security, then a metal detector, then a breathalyzer test. John passed all three. They then make you put all your stuff in a locker and only take the locker key. They don't want you to drop anything from the tower. John felt really disappointed because he would have loved to have taken a video up there. Instead he had to settle for still shots that they take and sell back to you afterwards.

After they stepped out, John realized that his pilot training had taken away all fear of heights. He could look down through the plexiglass floor and over the railing with no worries. At one point you are on a plexiglass platform and they move it out over the edge of the building.

The guide pointed out all the places that John had seen since coming here. It was a remarkable experience being completely on the outside, with nothing but a tether and a railing. The wind blew. And then all too soon it was over.

John's adventures (apart from the movie) in Sydney were over. We take the flight back to Melbourne tomorrow.

TRB

Powerhouse

2010-01-15T13:44:00.001Z

Jan 15

John woke later this day. He had decided not to use his last day's bus pass unless the weather was better. It was forecast to be rainy and 25 again. He decided to give the dongle a try just to see if it would work - and it did. He said he would use it until it didn't work anymore.

If he wasn't able to move around the city he thought he should do an activity close to his hotel. The closest attraction was the Powerhouse science and technology museum.

He set out wih his jacket for warmth as well as rain protection but still had only his shorts to wear as he had left his jeans in Melbourne, Well, the forecast of 25 was low. He didn't need his jacket and had to carry it. It was muggy though. John found his way to the museum and went in. He got a $2 discount for having his pass so it was only $8.

He first went to the steam engine room where they had old locomotives and steam engines for running things. Then he went to the air exhibit and then to the space exhibit.

Usually John likes to see kids in museums because they can learn so much but today they overran this one. There were thousands... seriously. Everwhere, they ran and shouted and screamed, sometimes piercingly so. They ran to the interactive exhibits pushing buttons and if there was no instant gratification they ran on to the next one. Parents were using the museum as a babysitting service as they let their kids run wild. One child about ten was pounding all the buttons that moved an industrial robot at the same time and as hard as he could. The machine was vibrating. You were supposed to get it to pick up the blocks (teaching you programming). "Ah," John pondered, "I must be getting old."

He realized that the fault wasn't really the kids but the museum. Although he would give the technology exhibits high grades the science ones were poor. They did not take age appropriateness into account. There were some exhibits that were fun and interactive but the science was too high level for most adults let alone children. Who can understand nuclear fusion from a simple abstract activity of moving circles on a touch screen? Like the Ontario Science Centre the science activities were staged. There were no truly interactive activities that children could work on, like making a small electric motor from hundred of available parts, under the guidance of museum staff.

What they did teach the kids was how to dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller video. The dancers got the kids all revved up and then tried to teach them. Even the staff couldn't do the moonwalk so apart from creating hyper kids, nothing of educational value was achieved.

That seemed to be the trouble with the Powerhouse. It didn't know seem to know whether it was a repository for artefacts, an informal educational experience, or an entertainment venue. There was an exhibit for the parents that had music and Australian music stars of the 80's. John wondered what that had to do with science or technology. John did recognize INXS and Crowded House amongst the myriad bands that did not achieve international success.

One other problem was that exhibits often interfered with each other. The sounds of one would make it hard to hear the next and so on.

Having said all the negatives, there were some really positive aspects. The design technology was outstanding with designs created by year 12 tech students that had been brought to life and manufactured by the museum. There was also a 'design through the ages' exhibit that could take days to truly appreciate. Their space simulation was cool as you spent time in the space shuttle and got the disorienting feeling that you were weightless. The first train in Australia complete with first, second and third class carriages was impressive.

The one science exhibit area that was excellent was about scent. It was at a level that everyone from young children to adults with PhD's could understand and enjoy. You pressed a button and put your nose up to the tube and smelled. It was the kind of science that should be in such museums because it gives children a sense of playing with a phenomenon that is real to them. It also had molecular drawings and text that showed and explained why you were smelling what you were. And that was interesting to the grownups. There were also stunningly beautiful photographs of nebulas, galaxies and stars that would have made John, as a youngster, want to become an astronomer (err astrophysicist). John also saw a copy of the Strasburg clock that was excellent. He was lucky to be there at the top of the hour to see all the various parts in motion.

John found himself leaving after three hours but only because his back had become sore from all that looking and reading. He walked back to the hotel and took a nap.

He got up for supper and walked to find another pub. This time he had lamb shanks with mashed potatoes and gravy but no veggies. It was just that kind of pub. He made a resolution to eat some veggies tomorrow. One thing he has found is that it is hard not to drink in Australia. The main courses are fairly inexpensive in pubs but they have a $20 minimum purchase and all you can get is alcohol. This time John had to buy two beers to get the price up to $20. He wandered back to the hotel somewhat buzzed and slept again. He hoped that he would get to sleep early enough to wake up in time for Avatar in Imax 3-D in the morning.

TRB

Cold Day in Sydney

2010-01-14T22:06:00.005Z

Jan 14

Well, John has sent me out to Macca's... again! To upload the posts... again! He looked at his data balance and it seemed like he is so close to his limit that he might have uploaded the new data amount to the wrong cell phone number. He has a booklet with the cell phone number on it but perhaps he picked up Janice's booklet by mistake and put the data into her account. Or the Vodaphone Australia system just ate his money. They made clear that they could not (would not, maybe) undo any incorrect information entered when he was finishing the transaction.

Anyway, he also asked me to tell you about the day and upload a video if Macca's lets me...

John watched the morning talk shows and the weather people said showers early and late and a high of 25. So, John thought he would be fine with a shirt, short pants, and sandals if he took along his 'old man' sun hat and travel umbrella. Well, just as in Canada, the forecast was wrong. It never made it close to 25 and it spitted rain from time to time throughout the day. John found himself surprisingly cold, waiting for the Sydney Explorer bus.

After having another talk with Gail who called, he took the bus to Circular Quay where he boarded the Bondi Explorer. This was to take him along the beachside precincts and towns on the south side of Sydney Harbour leading to Bondi Beach, the most famous of all of Australia's beaches.

Along the route he saw panoramic scenes overlooking Sydney Harbour and took a couple of scenes. He also saw the approximate area in Double Bay where Nicole Kidman used to live (and recently sold for $14M Aus). The driver said all the homes in Double Bay are worth between $5M and $10M. And they are not mansions!

Unfortunately, the buses are set with the A/C on because it is the summer and as a result it was freezing in the bus. It was warmer outside when John got off at Bondi. The surf lifegaurd station said the air was 20 degrees with a 15 knot wind. The wind and misty rain made it seem colder than that. However, John did walk on the sand to be able to say he walked on Bondi Beach!

John saw a little of that Aussie spirit with all the surfers in the water, waiting for bigger waves. The waves were big enough but he thought the surfers wanted better. That was not all he saw. A woman about to go out surfing casually removed her bikini top to put the top of her wetsuit on. It raised no eyebrows and John thought that in these sorts of ways Australia is healthily laid back.

John went to Macca's and got some Chicken McNuggets just to feel a little warmer inside. Then he went back across the road to wait for another bus. This time he decided it would be warmer in a museum and since the Bondi bus would stop outside the Australian Museum that would be his choice. The commentary had said that it had an exhibition about Australia's indigenous peoples and he was keen to see and learn more. There was also a special exhibition of wildlife photography that he wanted to see.

It was extra to see the wildlife photos but John paid as it was only a little extra with a regular museum entrance. The photographs were sumbitted by photographers from around the world as part of a best wildlife photographer contest that the museum sponsors. There were Canadian photographers along with those from many other countries. The overall winner was of a wolf jumping a gate. There is quite a controversy because there are claims that it was a tame wolf living in a compound in Germany who was trained to jump the gate. If true (and it is still not decided yet) that would have broken the rules of the contest because the animals have to be wild and free and captured doing something that is natural for them to do. Experts says wolves will not jump fences or gates in the wild but rather try to slide between the railings if they can.

The only thing odd about the exhibition was that the overwhelming number of photographs - maybe 80% - pictured snowy, wintry scenes. They were stark and dramatic, of course, but John wondered if the snow made the photographs seem subconsciously somehow more exotic to the local judges in Sydney the same way rainforest pictures would seem to judges during a Canadian winter.

The next exhibit was about the Indigenous peoples of Australia. John learned a great deal. For example he came to appreciate that the cultures of the peoples, that some call aborigines, are the oldest living cultures in the world - between 60,000 and 120,000 years old. That means their cultures were in existence during the last ice age! They make the ancient Greek civilization on which all Western cultures are based, seem very young, shallow, and inexperienced.

The cultures were perfectly adapted to the Australian continent and climate. Their spirituality is so complex that most Westerners cannot understand it. John was struggling to understand about dream time and ancestral paths but got glimpses that his sense of Gaia and how we all belong to Mother Earth might fit happily alongside theirs. Although the peoples had no written languages and didn't make permanent dwellings and didn't farm or keep jobs or believe in individual ownership, that did not mean that they were, or are, primitive. In fact, their cultures are, or should be, considered part of Australia's national treasures!

So, it was sad to see the ways that these people have been treated. They suffered the same sorts of abuse as suffered by Canada's First Nations and the indigenous peoples in the United States. As happened in Canada, their children were taken from them and 'westernized' in residential schools. The missionaries tried to destroy the languages and the cultures by brutalizing and abusing the children. The governments did the same, through force of arms to the adults (the exhibit detailed many massacres of indigenous Australians). You see, in the early 1800's it was considered sport by the settlers to hunt the 'abos' but the settlers would get their knickers all twisted when the men fought back and killed some of them. So the settlers would pressure the British governors to bring in the troops.

However, in fairness, it has to be noted that Australian government has recently taken responsibility and apologized - officially - and has settled some land claims. John saw the actual proclamations in the exhibit.

John thought that Britain - as a colonial power - has a lot to answer for in so many places around the world from North America, to Australasia, Africa, India and so on. Then he realized that he would have to include all the other European countries who were trying to do the same sorts of things: Denmark, Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. By and large, their inhumane treatment of indigenous peoples and their destruction of so many ways of life brings shame on all their histories.

A very sad and sombre John left the museum to find his way to supper and his hotel.

TRB

Data problems

2010-01-14T08:59:00.000Z

I may have to stop updating the blog for a few days. I recharged the dongle but it is not showing on the data usage. I may have recharged the wrong dongle.

TRB

Day Two in Sydney

2010-01-13T10:49:00.001Z

Jan 13

This was John's first full day in Sydney. The first thing he did after eating his shredded wheat and partly frozen milk (the room fridge was set too low) was to go and get a Sydney Pass for three days.

The pass would give John complete access to the two 'hop on hop off' explorer buses (one for Sydney and the other for Bondi), all local trains, all local buses , all Sydney Harbour ferries and the trip back to the airport. And it was only a little more than a half-day Gray Line tour of Melbourne!

John found that he was really close to the Darling Harbour where he had gone the day before. Yesterday, not knowing the city, he had taken te long way.

Anyway, he got on the first explorer bus that came along but the driver couldn't take Visa. He took John anyway and dropped him off at a stop near a tourist info place up the line. There John talked to an Aussie couple, Wayne and Dawn, who were in the same circumstances. They were very friendly but did other things while John got on the next bus so they lost track of each other.

John was determined to video all that he could see from the bus so stayed on for the whole two-hour trip. The driver noticed and wondered why John wasn't getting off at any of the stops. John explained that he wanted to see everything and decide later where to get off. This he did, at Circular Quay where he had planned to take the ferry to Manly, a famous Sydney beach. But it had left already and he was feeling a little hungry so he took a ferry back to Darling Harbour.

By this time it was nearly lunch time so John walked back to his hotel (a 5 min walk at most). There he had some pop and a madeleine cake and had a short rest.

Then he was off again. When he caught the bus this time he got off at Sydney Opera House. He walked about the grounds and saw that it was, indeed, a magnificent building up close as it is from the distance. The he caught the next bus and got off at the Royal Botanical Gardens.

These were amazing. Although they could not be as lush as those of Christchurch (that John had toured with Peter) because of the climate, they were huge! They went on and on - a fernarium, a palm tree grove, threatened and endangered plant garden, a rose garden, a tropical rainforest, a semi tropical forest, a Wollemi Pine once thought extinct but found in 2000 near Sydney. Although John didn't think he would be impressed by a botanical garden this was somehow different - impressive in its size, its diversity, its grounds, and its aesthetic where they ask you to walk on the grass and make it yours. John took a couple of hours here.

By this time the clouds were rolling in and John's aviation weather class came back to him telling him that warm front was fast approaching so he hopped on the next explorer bus and got off downtown where he had seen another RSL club. He went in for dinner and had the special - American ribs. He also had a beer and as it was happy hour the pint only cost $3.

As he left the wind had come up and rain was splattering the sidewalk. He was lucky to be able to walk under the eaves that most of the downtown stores have until he got back to the hotel.

As I am writing this a thunder storm has come by. This is the first rain he has seen since arriving in Australia. John will have to wear his rainjacket for the next two days according to the weather people.

TRB

Melbourne to Sydney

2010-01-12T07:48:00.001Z

Jan 12

The night leading to this day was long. The temperature was so hot that John could simply not stand laying down in his bedroom at Janice's. In fact later on (at 4am) it was still 32.5 degrees outside and hotter inside the second floor of the home even though Janice turned her bedroom A/C on to maximum and left her door open.

So John asked if it would be ok to sleep on one of the couches in the living room where it was a bit cooler. Janice was ok with that. Stewart was out with his mates and came in around midnight but in true Aussie fashion seemed better able to cope with the heat.

About midnight, Barney the beagle came down to his bed in the living room, close to the couch and feel deeply asleep. John counted all the different ways the dog could snore and found that there were 16. It was only when John got up and went to the kitchen to get himself a glass of milk that Barney stopped his snoring. He was obviously thinking that perhaps he was in luck and there would be food on offer - or at least left close to edge of the counter!

Eventually John feel asleep. He guesses that it was about 2:40am. And then he heard Janice get up and come down the stairs. It was 3:40 and they had agreed to get up at 3:30. He jumped off the couch, brushed his teeth (having already taken a cool shower and shaved the night before), packed his toothbrush and was ready to go.

They set off about 3:55 into the hot, still, dry night. It was dark and there were few cards on the road. John was very grateful to Janice for driving him (in fact she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer when he said he would find his own way) because a taxi would have cost $200. It was a 75 minute drive in the middle of the night because John's flight left from Melbourne-Avalon and not the main Melbourne airport. Perhaps that is why the flight was so inexpensive.

When they arrived at the airport, he gave Janice his heartfelt thanks but she said she was happy to to do it and that she would meet him on his return. He also asked her to give his best to Stewart as he would be gone before John returns to Melbourne for a few days.

John got his boarding pass and went through security. Once again John is blaming me for his having to regularly undergo 'random' security checks. This one was to make sure I wasn't carrying any explosives. The man made John read a statement that said that John could refuse to let me be searched but then neither of us would be allowed to get on the plane. Of course, I wasn't carrying any. But the man did not even check the videocamera! John thought he should have checked it too but realized that it was prudent to say nothing and move on.

The flight was uneventful. John sat beside a young Chinese couple who spoke no English at all. Even the flight attendants had to gesture to show them to stow her purse and to put the seats in the full, upright position for landing. At least it was only a 75 minute flight.

When they landed John immediately felt a different Australia. Hot (not very, very hot) but muggy. Much more like our summers at home. He asked about how to get to his hotel and the information person showed him where to pick up a shuttle bus. He could take the train but would have to find his way from the nearest station and he decided the $14 would be well spent taking him directly there.

Sydney seemed completely different than Melbourne. It reminded John of the first day he arrived in Canada, June 19, 1957, in Montreal. Sydney seems older than Melbourne, more gritty, more businesslike, more trashy. In fact, it seemed a lot like the London of John's childhood - not in a backward way - but in the feel of the place.

It is almost as if Melbourne is a pretty, feminine ballerina and Sydney is a sexy harlot, out to get your money.

After arriving at the hotel, John dropped off his luggage and went for breakfast at Hungry Jacks, who do an egg muffin just like Macca's (aka Mickey D's) except it comes with a latte. As he walked around he realized with delight his hotel was plumb in the middle of Chinatown. What a eclectic combination of stores! Chinese groeceries and restaurants, adult bookstores, high end fashion stores like you'd find in Yorkville, big supermarkets, liquor stores, and tourist places comingling together. There were people, cars, buses, and trams everywhere with a Vancouver type monorail overhead. Sydney is busy!

He walked down to Darling Harbour and got some information and shot a quick scene. He noticed that Sydney has the world's largest Imax theatre and that they have Avatar playing in 3-D. He went in and was able to buy a good ticket but not today, but Saturday, and then only at 9:30 am!

The old guy was starting to feel tired, so he went back to the hotel where a room had been made up. He laid on the bed and thought wistfully of home eventually falling asleep for an hour before waking up and going out to get some groceries. He will make his breakfasts and so has cereal, bananas, milk, pop and some little madeleine cakes. He also bought himself a six pack of Steinlager - pure New Zealand beer!

After putting his stache in the fridge he went out again looking for an early dinner. He went to the local RSL but it wasn't yet open for dinner and John was hungry. So he went and found an Irish pub. It was $10 night and he got one of the best Porterhouse steaks he has ever eaten for $10. It came with salad and chips (err french fries). There was a minimum for using his Visa card so he also got a Carleton draft.

While waiting on the patio for his dinner to arrive a really old guy came up, smoking a cigarette, drinking a half pint of Guiness, and insisting on an inappropriately l-o-n-g handshake. He talked in such a thick accent (from goodness knows where) that John had to ask him to repeat himself three times after everything he said. He told John that he (John) was a guy named Mark that the old guy had met at that very pub last night. John said he hadn't been there before. The old guy than asked John for $10. John quickly said, "I don't have that kind of money" which kind of perplexed the old dude. He just sat there smoking. John then told him that the sun was starting to get to him on the patio and all the smokers' ashes were wafting around so he was about to go inside to eat his steak. The old guy took that as an insult and, leaving half his drink on the table, tottered off down the street. John still doesn't know if the guy was legitimately being friendly or using an old con trick. If he was, he wasn't good at it. But he definitely was an alcoholic.

Sydney is not Melbourne!

TRB

Hot Day in Melbourne

2010-01-11T10:05:00.004Z

Jan 11

Although it had been cool enough in the night, John woke to hear that, true to the forecast, Melbourne was due for another very hot day. He could almost feel the heat as the sun came up from the horizon.

Janice was already up and working. She has had so much to do trying to get her house up to the condition she wants it to be in. Today she had planned to clean the second sliding patio door that had been left in a very grungy conndition by the tenants who had lived here before.

It was already hot when she started. She took the door apart and started to clean every part of it from the rail at the bottom to the one at the top outside in the garden. John offered to help but he was wimping out because of the heat. It must have been over 30 by 10am.

Midway through the job, Janice had a building contractor she calls 'John The Builder' come over to give her an estimate on constructing two pergolas. These are kind of like permament awnings and are as strong as the regular roof. This left the patio opening wide as the day really began to cook.

At noon, Gail called John and they talked while Janice and John 'The Builder' walked around talking about pergolas and other construction type things. Gee, there are a lot of 'Johns' around here!

After `John the Builder` and the `Fan Man` who also came - to fix the remote control fans in the bedrooms, yes, remote controlled - had left, John (the backpack carrier) helped Janice to finish the patio door job because by that time it was becoming unbearably hot. You could not walk barefoot on the patio stones without burning your feet.

The TV was saying that the Wimmera region of western Victoria had declared a catatastropic fire alert also called a code 1 emergency, click here for more details.

John watched a lot of TV in the cool living room while leaving me upstairs in the hot bedroom. After coming back from his workplace Stewart took Janice out to buy her a birthday present before he goes back to the UK. John watched tennis in the cool.

Meanwhile Barney the beagle noticed that Janice and Stewart had gone out but had forgotten that John was still there. He had had his eye on a piece of cake that was too close to the edge of the counter. When John heard rustling plastic noises and went to investigate he found Barney in the middle of the kitchen floor his muzzle deep into the cake. Although John said the `bad dog` words he couldn`t help but smile at the initiative and cleverness of the dog.

Later in the day, John ventured outside just to say he had been out in 43 degree heat. He took his videocamera and talked about what it was like outside. He only walked a few hundred metres before turning back, happy to come back into the air con. However, his stomach felt a little upset. You have to make sure you`re well hydrated in these temperatures.

Later on, Glenn and Rachel, Stewart and Janice went out for a `birthday celebration` and `farewell to Stewart` dinner. John was happy to eat some dry toast at Janice`s place. He will be happy if it goes away before he heads out for Sydney early in the morning.

Our next blog post will be from Sydney.

TRB

Melbourne City day

2010-01-10T13:04:00.001Z

Jan 10

Even though John slept soundly he woke around 9am ready for his city adventure. Janice said that she needed to keep working on her house as it is not yet up to her standards so she drove John to the train station at Glen Waverley and he bought his Super Sunday Saver for $3.10. The ticket would allow him unlimited access on any city trains, buses, and trams all day long. Janice loaned him a small backpack (he left me home saying I was too big!) and had very kindly put a bottle of cold water in it.

The train trip was good, the seats comfy, although there were a lot of stops. He was on the 10:30am train and was in the city by 11:10. The first thing he did was go to the Tourist Information Centre in Federation Square in the heart of the city, just outside the Flinders Street train station where Glenn and Stewart had said to get off the train. He found out that there was a free tourist bus shuttle and the first stop was the MCG, which stands for Melbourne Cricket Grounds although they play Aussie Rules football there, too.

The bus was loaded and John had to stand, hlding onto a strap. That was no problem because he was getting off at the first stop.

John bought his tour pass and joined a small group - a young guy from Ireland, two young guys from England and a young couple from India - on the tour. Their guide was a long time member of, and perhaps a player with, the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) and now retired. John and he were the only two around John's age. The guide had a passion for the game that came out easily. He showed them the seating, allowed them (against the rules) to wiggle their toes on some of the best turf in Australia, took them through the locker rooms, the training rooms, the media boxes, pointed out pictures of the former stars of both Australian cricket and Aussie Rules football, took them into special rooms for the elite of Australian sport, and showed them all the artwork inside.

One stunning piece was a huge needlepoint tapestry depicting the history of the MCC since its inception in the 1880`s. There were hundred of tiny figures playing cricket and football amongst pictures of the stands through time and everything looked so realistic that John had to go up close to check that each was, indeed, made of tiny stitches. Apparently, only Korean women can do the needlework with the precision needed and it took a large team (John cannot remember the actual number but it was huge) some 18 months to complete. It must have been 16 feet long and at least 8 feet high! The skill that the designer and the artisans obviously had, put John in awe.

The 90 minute tour took nearly two and a half hours due to the knowledge and dedication of their guide, who said that since he was a volunteer they couldn`t fire him for giving a much longer tour than we paid for. At one point, another group came up from behind and their guide said to her group to listen to our guide because he knew so much. It may have been the best tour that John has ever had of any facility anywhere, although the tour of the Hostess Potato Chip factory, with the large number of free samples he got, still rates up there for him!

After they finished John noticed the time and went back to the bus stop to pick up the tourist shuttle. It turns out that it is run by Gray Lines, is free, and takes about 90 minutes for the loop. It is like the 'hop on hop off' tours of other cities but is free! Since the loop only goes on one direction, John was able to see 13 more stops - from the Arts Centre, Chinatown, the Theatre District, Melbourne Museum, Lygon Street, U of Melbourne, Queen Victoria Market, Docklands, Waterfront City, William Street, Soutbank, the Shrine and Royal Botanic Gardens. John stayed on the bus becuase it only runs until 4:00pm or so and he didn't want to be caught miles away from the train station. It did mean that he decided he would go back anpther day. The Melbourne Museum looked especially interesting - very fun. playful, and interactive.

John and Janice had agreed that he would call her when his train was about to leave the Flinders St station so she could pick him up at Glen Waverley again. He did just that from a payphone on the platform as the 4:00pm train was about to leave, John was amazed that the $3.10 ticket was still valid for the ride back. Janice picked him up a couple of minutes after he came out of the station.

Janice said that Lynney had said I might enjoy a movie called Samson and Delilah, about two aboriginal children, and she rented it from Blockbuster. The movie was very powerful but incredibly sad. They then went grocery shopping for dinner this evening.

It had been a great day and John's spirits were very high.

TRB

Party

2010-01-10T08:22:00.002Z

Jan 9

Yet another hot, sunny day. John said how he could understand those who feel oppressed by such weather when they need rain during what is, a 10 year drought in the country.

He didn't accomplish much but watched some TV and had a nap. Janice, on the other hand, worked outside in the heat and said she got a lot of staisfaction from seeing things get done. Although he felt slightly guilty, the thought about mad dogs and Englishmen came to his mind. Besides many of the things that Janice needs to do are best done by the person who wants them done.

Since Janice, Stewart and John were invited to go to Glenn's house that evening to celebrate his engagement, say a farewell to Stewart who goes back to his job in the UK and wish Janice a happy birthday, they did go out and John bought a bottle of wine to take along. Janice bought a butterly leg of lamb, made potato salad and the stuff to make bruschetta.

Stewart drove them to Glenn and Rachel's house about 30 minutes drive away. There they met John, Janice's brother and his wife, Christine, and Lynney, Janice's friend and her boyfriend, Trev. It was a very fun evening. Glenn and Rachel's house s very nice, very modern and spacious and they have a sweet little dog, named Tinkerbell, who is part chiahuahua and part Jack Russell. Glenn barbequed the lamb, sausages that tasted like Chicken Kiev, steak, and hamburger to perfection. Much fun was made, throughout the evening, of Lynney who forgot to bring the cake she had promised. Both John and Trev are very funnny and when everyone got into it, John was laughing very hard indeed. Janice's brother John also recounted some of the stories of things he had gotten up to, while in the Victoria State Police. They reminded John (who owns me) of the kinds of stories he had heard from the Mounties he knew in Nova Scotia. It turned out that the other John had made a trip to Canada in the 90's to Vancouver and Toronto to discuss technical stuff with our police. Trev's daughter and boyfriend are currently skiing in Banff. So, there were quite a few connections.

John had to tell those present - apart from the other John who knew - that Canada did, indeed have wild bears - three types: polar, grizzly and black. And yes, both grizzlies and polar bears WILL attack people on occasion. It is funny how we all make up our ideas of places we have never been. John did say that he wanted to go into Melbourne city and Trev and John said that it would be a good day to go as it was only supposed to be 34, whereas the next day it was forecast to be 41. Glenn said that John might like to go for a tour of Melbourn'e huge stadium, the MCG, and Stewart said that Sunday was a good day to go as you could get a cheap day pass on the train system.

The evening ended very late and when John arived back at Janice's at about 1:00am he was too exhausted to tell me what had happened so I have had to write this post a day late.

TRB

Friday the 8th

2010-01-08T12:47:00.002Z

Jan 8

The beautiful, warm, blue-skied days continued. It was almost chilly in the morning but the temperature rose and rose hitting a high of 34, but with only 16% humidity it felt really nice. The weather people are saying that a heat wave is starting and the fire crews are on high alert because the hotter it gets the more likely the fires are to start.

John and Janice talked about his upcoming side trip to Sydney. In fact, Janice had raised the topic by saying that the fares on JetStar Airlines were really cheap. They looked online and found one-way fares of $49 for the 90 minute or so flight. They charge $10 for a suitcase but John thought that was acceptable so agreed to that. In the end for some $142Cdn John had his return eticket, his luggage, and trip cancellation insurance. The only trouble is that his flight leaves at 6:00am. At least traffic won't be bad. Janice said that she would drive him to the airport. He will be back in Melbourne for a few days before heading off to Singapore.

There were some complications in the use of telephone contact numbers because the programmers of such systems cannot anticipate all the possible combinations of travellers. John could give his Melbourne contact address and telephone number but that was not his home address and he has a Canadian Visa with obviously no Australian address and if he gave his Canadian address and telephone number they would use that to contact him in the event of a flight change. In the end he figured out a way that the system would accept.

Next they looked at hotels using Wotif.com and found a 4.5 star hotel for a superspecial, last minute, price of $99Aus a night on Darling Harbour in Sydney. John decided to book 5 nights - from Jan 12 to Jan 17. And it was done.

John and Janice then talked about plans for the remaining time he is in Melbourne. She is very busy just getting her house organized and there are a number of events are planned. She had decided to cancel her birthday celebration on Jan 16 because the house is not yet in good enough shape for a party. She was concerned that John was not getting to see enough things around Melbourne. However, the way that things are working out he will have to do his sightseeing when he gets back.

On Saturday the 9th there is a party to celebrate the engagement of Glenn, one of Janice's sons, to his partner Rachel. On Sunday, much of Melbourne is shut down, the train connections into the city are minimal, and the forecast high is 41. Besides there is an NFL football game on live on the big screen TV in Janice's air conditioned first floor. On Monday, he has an important phone call in the middle of the day. And on Tuesday he leaves at 6:00am (actually he leaves the house at 4:00am latest).

After such heady conversation it was time to take a break. John took it easy and tried to find out if his dongle would work after he leaves Australia (it won`t) and Janice said she would buy it from him for half price. He was happy to agree and spent some time getting himself organized better and watching sports on TV with Stewart before they went to the nearby shopping mall, called Knox. John wanted to buy more data for his dongle. Janice needed some food for a barbeque. John inisted on buying the meat - pork chops. They were not only successful in finding what they needed but John also found some nice souvenirs for his family in the UK later in the trip and Janice picked up some meat for Barney, the beagle.

When they got home, Stewart, Janice, and John went to the house that Stewart owns nearby but rents out to pick up and wheel back Janice`s barbeque that had been loaned to the tenants. John`s job was to walk Barney. Whne they got back, John said he would light the BBQ and heat it up to clean it. But the tenants had used up all the propane and they settled for fried pork chops, salad, and oven prepared potatoes.

After supper they took another walk with Barney but as they returned up their driveway he was attacked by a little dog when the neighbour woman (who had her pet outside without a leash) petted Barney. No damage was done.

After that they watched an old movie called Flightplan with Jodie Fisher before John asked me to write the blog. John said that things turned out well, everything considered.

TRB

Lazy Day

2010-01-07T11:33:00.002Z

Jan 7

This was to be a day of relative rest for John though not for Janice. For the first time since he had left Canada he woke up at nearly 9am. He felt good that he wasn't facing another drive of hundreds of kilometres even thogh he had enjoyed every one in the days gone by.

In fact, John spent the entire day creating videos for posting on the blog and then uploading a few. His dongle only has 1 Gigabyte of data and each video uses up 60 Megabytes or more. So he may have to buy more data so as to upload them all.

The day was another beautiful one. The sky was completely and utterly blue and the temperature was in the mid to high twenties with no humidity at all.

Janice spent her day working on her gardens both front and back, installing new outdoor taps, pulling out large bushes, working on the fence, and conditioning the soil for alternate use. Since she had been away for four months in Queensland prior to getting home in mid December there was a lot to be done. When she was finished, however, she had a place for a herb garden and the small backyard looked very organized and attractive. John commented that she was a really hard worker. He had helped a little in pulling out some of the roots of the bushes and so he had a small inkling of the work that she had done.

Despite her hard work, Janice insisted on cooking dinner. She created a dinner out of rice and meat balls, made of minced pork, fresh garlic, onion and a prepared Indian sauce. By then it was past 9pm and john helped put a few dishes in the dishwasher.

It had been a lazy day for John - needless to say he didn't take any video - but he was still tired enough to call it quite early and left me to do the blog.

TRB

Tragedy and Beauty

2010-01-06T12:07:00.000Z

Jan 6

The trucks roaring past the motel window first woke John at 7am. This was to be the last day of the journey around a little corner of Australia, a journey that in the end took perhaps 2,500km and maybe more.

The two friends decided not to have breakfast at the motel but hit the road early as it was to be a long day. Soon after they had started they came upon a grim scene. There had been a road accident. A transfer trailer had collided with a pickup truck that was pulling a trailer on a narrow and twisty section of road.

There were three or more police cars, a rural firefighting crew, road crew, park rangers, tow trucks, and traffic control people guiding cars along one lane, and... a veterinarian's car but no ambulances. The two trucks had been carrying cattle either to or from a sale that they had just passed by in Mount Gambier. There were many lifeless forms of cows lying scattered on the road, in the fields or in the trucks and the vet was putting down the other injured animals. It was both gruesome and heartwrenching at the same time. Both Janice and John had tears in their eyes as they carried on their way in silence. It was an extremely sad start to the last day of the journey.

As they continued along a few hours later they came across an echidna (a cute little marsupial anteater) sitting in the middle of the road and took great care in avoiding it. They hoped that other drivers on the road would also care for this little animal that had no idea of the scene down the road from where he or she sat.

They travelled onward for a number of hours eventually joining the Great Ocean Road, a road John had partly travelled about 10 years before. They stopped in Portland for brunch. John didn't feel like meat and so chose pancakes in maple syrup, with berry compote and whipped cream. He said goodbye to any thought that he would be somehow lighter at the end of his trip than he was at the beginning.

They set off again, stopping at many lookouts to see the spectacular coastal scenery (if John can get the dongle to work, he will upload video from this day before he uploads videos from past days).

The cliffs were spectacular, the sea was a gorgeous shade of blue, the waves grand. Many of the seaside towns were full of people and for the very first time on the trip they saw 'No Vacancy' signs. It mattered not as they were planning on ending the day back at Janice's house.

Finally, after a number of hours it was time to leave the Great Ocean Road - a name that truly fits it - and head back into Melbourne from Geelong on the divided highway. They stopped in to a local chicken and chips and Janice bought a whole chicken, fries and coleslaw for them and Stewart.

It was a happy reunion for Barney (aka Barnaby) the beagle and Janice. And Stewart was happy to see them as well. It was the end of a spectacular trip around the southern part of the Great Southern Land.

Postscript: One of the only - though fairly constant - negatives of this day of the trip were the flies. They were everywhere and they got into your ears, land on your arms, legs, head, and even try to get in your eyes. It makes shooting video very uncomfortable and itchy. Janice even demonstrated the great Australian wave - a hand going in front of your face to shoo the flies away.

TRB

From the Barossa to the Limestone Coast

2010-01-05T11:37:00.000Z

Jan 5

As John woke in Hahndorf, in the Barossa Valley, he was thinking that it would have to be another McDonald's breakfast if he was going to upload the blog for January 4th. Janice had said he could borrow her car and he took it up to the McDonald's at Mount Barker again.

The drive was truly mystical. The heavy mist was rising in front of a strong sun over the twisted road bucking and heaving under the car as the skeletons of trees emerged and then receded into the fog. John noticed how well Janice's car drove - steady and firm with good brakes.

John ate another egg mcmuffin just to use the Internet. He spent quite a long time doing his email and uploading then got back into the car and headed back to the Zorro Motel. I know, what does Zorro have to do with German heritage, but there you go.

Janice was up and eating a piece of 'Bung Fritz' sausage that you can only buy in the state of South Australia. Janice said it tasted like sawdust with a skin. But she had to try it because you can't get it anywhere else. She said that the first time she tasted it was good but it went downhill every time after that.

They then packed up the car and hit the road. Janice had called her cousin, Kaye, and they used her GPS to find the location. She chose some intermediate stops so that they didn't have to go via Adelaide again. The result was a very pretty drive through low mountains, tall trees, well maintained homes and roads like those in New Zealand. It emptied out onto a wide plain that slowly transformed itself into the outer suburbs.

On the way they looked for a dongle so that John could use the Internet more reliably but they didn't find a dealer. Janice did however find a Boston Bun to take to Kaye.

The bangalow was extremely nice and was located in a new housing area. Kaye's daughter-in-law is an officer in the Australian air force and these were her married quarters. Kaye was looking after their dog, a huge friendly malemute named Misty, who liked nothing more than to have her ears scratched and be stroked. The house, like many in Australia had a clear path for the wind to flow through the house from front to back (or vice versa) and was very airy and spacious.

Kaye told them of a mall where they could find a dongle. After a short but friendly visit, John and Janice set off again and successfully found one but John's visa card didn't work and he had to get cash out to pay for it. Then theyy were off to find the Barossa Valley, renowned for its vineyards and wineries. It was an exceptionally pretty area and after passing many, many wineries John saw one that he recognized from the LCBO, Jacob's Creek. Janice very kindly suggested that they stop in.

John tasted a reisling, a pinot grigio and a shiraz cabernet. As Janice was driving she didn't taste any at all. She said it would make her more tired and that just wouldn't be responsible.

After the wine tasting, they set off once more this time to get onto the road. The GPS gave directions through beautiful though very dry lands until they finally found themselves on the main highway, called the Princes' Highway (M1). From there they took another highway, the Dukes' Highway (A8) and travelled a long way. Once again, John was amazed at how big the country really is. Along the way they passed yet another winemaking area, the Coonawarra Valley.

It was going on 8pm when they arrived in Mount Gambier on the Limestone Coast about 7 hours from Melbourne. They looked for motels helped by the GPS and eventually found one. In the process of looking they went by another RSL and John remembered the fine meal he had had at the one in Mildura a few days before.

So, they found a Quality Inn and left for the RSL. The restaurant had porthouse steaks on special so they each had one. It included mashed potatoes, fried onion rings, a Steak Diane sauce and a salad. John overindulged in the pickled beets that he had hoped to have on a burger in New Zealand but had not found one. They washed it down with a beer. John had told the bartender that he wanted a local brew and had one called West End.

It was yet another interesting and enjoyable day on the road.

BTW, the dongle works well, doesn't it?

TRB

South to Adelaide

2010-01-04T20:28:00.001Z

Jan 4

It was another crystal blue day in the outback. John woke a little chilly as the dry air gets quite cool overnight. The cabin was nice if fsirly rudimentary.

After getting Janice an instant coffee and himself a cup of tea, they decided they would once again tackle the walk up to Wilpena Pound. They made a breakfast of Weet Bix along with toast and jam and then set out. The previous evening they had walked up a trail trying to find Wilpena Pound but had to turn back as twilight was approaching and you don't want to be on a trail in the dark in a country with poisonous snakes, lizards and even insects with names like 'fire ants.'

They got their bags packed and headed back to the Flinders Ranges national park. This time they stopped into the reception centre and got a map and directions. It turned out that the previous evening they had been close to the lookout but had just taken a wrong turn on the path.

As they walked up the same path at the start of the walk, they saw that the same trees, streams, and plants looked quite different. Since they were early enough in the morning they saw other kangaroos, one with her joey, as well as a wallaby feeding near a small stream.

This morning there were more people around and they said hello to all those they passed. They only saw two people coming back when they were going up the trail but many people going up when they were coming back.

They took the path to the Hills homestead and read the history of the family since the late 1800's. The original settlers had discovered this natural amphitheatre that had only one path, the sliding rock path, in or out. They bought it for 200 pounds stirling. Surrounding this completely natural enclosure that they called a 'pound' were very high hills that the sheep couldn't get over. So, they took their sheep up to graze on the plants.

Unfortunately, the sheep ate all the salt bushes and the area became unuseable for grazing in only fifteen years. The family still lived there but allowed the native plants and animals to return.

The trail continued from the homestead only some 600 metres but they were all uphill climbing along a steep trail made of bedrock and steps alternating with each other. There was a choice to be made - the low lookout or the high lookout. The two friends decided that the low lookout would be good enough. Even so they were some 200 feet above the homestead that looked far below.

John did a pan around the part of the pound that they could see from the low lookout but the flies bothered him the entire time, around his ears, under his hat, and even into his eyes. So the pan was very uneven because John was batting them away as he tried to record the scene.

After returning back to the car, they headed off towards Adelaide. At first it was the beauty of the Flinders Rangies gleaming in the sunlight that turned once again into the stark open beauty of the plain at the edge of the outback. They stopped a number of times to take breaks because the drive was a very long one. Janice reminded John that even this trip that will likely cover over 2,500 km is just a small part of this great southern land.

Janice's GPS became essential because it proved impossible to buy a map of the state. They don't make many maps anymore because there is little demand with GPS devices in most people's cars. It is too bad because a map can show you the things that surround you in a way that GPS systems cannot.

They were going to Hahndorf, a pretty little town that Janice had visited only once before, many years ago. The GPS took them almost into the centre of Adelaide before taking them on a lovely drive that had scenic hills and a modern tunnel through one of the hills. Hahndorf is very picturesque and it is Australia's oldest German town.

After finding a suitable motel room, they went to a McDonalds in a neighbouring town, called Mount Barker, so that John could upload the previous day's post. Janice left John to look at the shops while he did his email and uploading.

Side fact: McDonalds in Australia uses the nickname Macca's.

Then it was back to the motel. Janice called her cousin (from Queensland) who is visiting her son for Christmas. They made plans to see each other tomorrow before John and Janice leave to see the famed Barossa Valley (famous for its wines) and start off down the coast to Portland and Warrnambool on their way back to Melbourne.

TRB

A Day of Bad Decisions

2010-01-04T09:14:00.001Z

Jan 3

John heard the birds singing outside his motel room in Mildura and thought about the adventure he was having. Today he was going to really see some of the outback!

He got up and took his laptop to McDonalds (Mackers in Aussie talk) where Internet access is free. He was able to check his email only indirectly because remote desktop would not connect to his office computer for some reason. So he used his gmail account. He also uploaded two days of this blog while eating a McMuffin, hash browns and orange juice. After finishing his work, he bought a sausage mcmuffin for Janice and walked back to the motel and delivered it to her.

They set off around 9am. They drove along the Sturt Highway for a way before realizing that they needed gas and that there were none along the way. So, they doubled back to Mildura and stopped at a gas station (a servo in Aussie talk). John pumped the gas while Janice went inside to look for a map. After John had finished he went in to pay and after paying came out and went up to the car - not noting that it was pointed in the wrong direction. He opened the passenger's side door only to realize that it was the driver's door and that another woman was looking up at him in amazement. She said, "Can I help you?" John spluttered something about being at the wrong car and looked over the lot to where Janice had moved the car and was splitting a siderail laughing. He apologized to the woman and she waved when she saw that John had indeed found the right car, almost the same make and model and definitely the same colour. John then had to endure Janice's teasing such as, "Were you trying to get a better offer?" while laughing so hard she cried again. John could only say that the one who laughs last laughs longest. She shrilled with laughter again whenever she thought of it later in the day.

They headed out on to the highway for the second time. The drive was interesting, past vineyards, little towns like Renmark and Hawker, and the Murray River where they saw a sidewheel paddle steamer and crossed on a little cable ferry. John thought the river was narrow enough to b bridged and didn't need a ferry. He kidded Janice that the trip only took 48 seconds. They stopped at a little place and Janice bought a chunky steak and onion pie while John had a vanilla-iced, jam-filled homemade donut. In truth. it was better than any of Tim's.

At various times they saw hills in the distance as the land became drier and drier, the trees became shrubs, and the salt bush ruled the arid land. There were almost no houses nor livestock not even any wild creatures in sight. Luckily the temperature didn't climb as high as it had been in Melbourne and the highest that John saw was 29 which is really quite pleasanet in such dry air.

Nearing the end of their day's journey they saw the mountains of the Flinder's Range rising in the background across wide plains as they saw the needle on the gas guage go down. They drove through town after town with gas stations closed up or boarded up. It was only in the last town before the national park that they found a gas staion open, with less than 1/8 of the tank left. At that gas station you could book accommodation and Janice arranged for a night in a two-bedroom cabin at the Rawnsley Park Station just outside the park.

They decided to buy food at the grocery rather than eating out at the local restaurant where even bruschetta was $15.90 and the main courses were all over $30. They then went over to the national park where John got his wish and saw live wild and free kangaroos, wallabies, galahs and cockatoos. They also took a 5km hike up the hill to see the Wilpena Pound but John, by mistake, took them up a trail that was marked authorized vehicles only instead of the walking trail. They eventually turned back after walking far more than 5km as the sun was setting without having seen the special feature of the park. they may go again tomorrow if their legs and backs will take it.

Upon arrivng back at the cabin, Janice cooked a back bacon, three-egg omelet with toast with rice pudding for dessert.

Their day of bad decisions had come to a merciful end.

TRB

Road Trip Australia

2010-01-02T19:36:00.004Z

Jan 2

Today was the start of John's long anticipated trip into Australia. He had been to the country before but never had the chance to really see a part of the country that comprised two states, Victoria and South Australia. He had only seen Melbourne, the Dandenongs and a litle bit of the Great Ocean Road before.

John packed up the car while Janice organized the house, Stewart and Barnaby. They set off at about 11:30 and went up the Calder Highway (motorway) towards Bendingo passing through the historic townships of Heathcote, Maldon, and many other gold mining towns of days gone by.

They then headed northwest towards the mighty Murray River with a destination of Mildura in mind. Along the way John saw some white cockatoos and pink and grey galahs beside the road. John was also impressed by the kangaroo crossing signs though it is unusual to see them in the heat of a summer day. We also saw some small dust storms and signs for an endangered bird called the Malle Fowl. The trees were various varieties of the gum tree (eucalyptus). They also saw the salt pans that produce an apricot coloured salt that people can buy.

There was also a place alongside the road that showed signs of having had a bush fire a number of months before. The plants were regenerating well. Australia had had so many fires in the past number of years and last year hundreds of people were killed in those fires.

They stopped for a break and an ice cream in a place called Sealake, that seems to have neither a sea nor a lake. John had a caramel ice cream bar called 'Heaven.' It was like a very thick Revello bar but was covered in a caramel topping and had a thick streak of caramel down the middle. Although the temperature was about 27 degrees the low humidity made it quite pleasant.

They also passed miles and miles of grape vines and the Lindemann's winery. Their wine is sold in the LCBOs.

When they arrived in Muldura John found it to be a lovely little resort town, with a wide boulevard in the centre of the road leading into town. The boulevard contained many tropical palm trees (date and coconut) as well as native trees and bushes that complemented the pastel colours of the buildings.

The town fronts onto the Murray, one of Australia's most famed rivers. They took a look at the houseboats moored by the riverbank but didn't stay as they were nearly got eaten by the mosquitoes. They crossed the bridge just to say that they had been in the neighbouring state of New South Wales.

In the town there are many hotels and motels. When Stewart called Janice she asked him to look up the prices online. He was able to find specific prices on a good travel website and John was able to use that information to get accommodation at the Quality Inn Tropical Islander for a low Internet-quoted price.

The two friends then went to the local RSL (Returned Servicemens' League) that John thought was like a Royal Canadain Legion. However, this one allowed guests in and had a wonderful restaurant, a bar, and a room full of slot machines. John ordered the roast of the day and had a wonderful (and HUGE plate of) roast lamb, with roast potatoes, stir fried vegetables and mint sauce. Janice had a veal parmigiana and said it was good. They both had a beer.

Being tired after a long day of driving, they headed back to the motel and said goodnight. John was looking forward to the next day when they go into the Flinders Ranges.

TRB

New Year

2010-01-02T19:36:00.000Z

Jan. 1

The first morning of 2010 was cool and overcast. John got up and had a breakfast of cereal and tea. Janice was feeling slightly better as a result of the painkillers but still looked to be in great pain when bending over. She still had a lot t get organized from her previous move to the house so John said he would be happy to help.

Some boxes had been stored outside and had gotten very wet in the rain of the nigth before. Some other boxes had fallen on Stewart's car in the garage. The three helped to pack boxes in Janice's car and they went over to a self storage place, called appropriately Fort Knox, and put those boxes in a big storage locker that has a lot of Janice's other furniture.

Janice prepared a roast lamb dinner for her friend Lynn who came over to say hello. John had met Lynn when he had been to Australia ten years before. All four sat down to dinner. We had the lamb, sweet potatoes, regular roast potatoes and peas. There was ice cream with chcolate syrp for dessert.

John and Janice prepared an itinerary for the trip using Google maps. John decided NOT to go to Kangaroo Island because of the cost of the ferry. It would have cost $303 return in addition to accommodation and meals and that was simply too much. Instead we will go over to the Flinders Ranges National Park north of Adelaide. The same wildlife can be seen there as Kangaroos Island and it is almost outback, so John will see one of the things on his bucket list. The distances are great so most of the time will be spent driving.

John hopes to be able to upload this and other posts from McDonalds along the road.

TRB

Last Day of 2009

2010-01-01T01:48:00.002Z

Dec. 31

John woke up surprisingly refreshed from having slept in quite a warm room. The temperature outside had barely dropped to 24 overnight and the day was already heating up to the predicted high of 38 again.

He got up and headed downstairs where Janice was preparing breakfast (back bacon, eggs and toast) for all three. He ate well. As in the day before, Janice said her back had been really hurting for a couple of weeks and that she was going to see the doctor in the afternoon. She said that she had been going downstairs when her beagle, Barnaby, had clipped the back of one knee as he raced down ahead of her and that she had tumbled. She thought she might have bruised a kidney. She seemed to be in a LOT of pain when she moved in one particular direction.

So, they just kind of hung around and talked. At one point, Glenn and his best friend and best friend's wife came over for a visit to wish his Mum a Happy New Year. She is due in May or June, according to John, although he often misses details like tat.

After they left I wrote the blog while John tried to figure out how to use the 'dongle.' It is like one of the Rogers thumb drives that can connect you to the Internet via a cell phone connection. It is quite expensive $10 for 1Gig of data transmission. John spent some time trying to install the software and get the dongle to work on his computer.

The signal strength was very poor. Janice said that it had to do with being in a brick building. So while she was out taking Stewart somewhere, John went outside and sat on the ground with his laptop doing his Email and uploading two posts. John was very surprised and happy to receive a comment from someone in NZ noting that one of John's posts had incorrectly named the mountains around Arthur's Pass. He decided not to change the original post because that would have made the comment seem out of place. However, he very much appreciated learning how Arthur's Pass got its name. And he realized that perhaps he had other readers as well. So, welcome to all readers and if I have made errors in descriptions please let me know.

Anyway, Janice went to the doctor who told her that she had some cracked ribs, a very painful condition, and gave her a prescription for painkillers. They will take weeks to heal.

In the evening John and Janice walked over to the local shopping mall that has many restaurants to have a meal. Stewart had made a reservation for them at a place called Red Salmon (which reminded John of the name Red Lobster but this is more upscale) while he was going off with some friends to an outdoor concert for New Years Eve. Janice insisted on buying a bottle of wine while John got the meal. It was very nice though as their meal was nearly finished the skies opened up and it poured. John had thought Australia was dry these days but the lightning sparked across the sky and the thunder rolled. After it eased up a bit they walked back - about 15 minute walk but got soaked to the skin. At least it was warm rain. But the temperature was dropping as the cold front was moving through and John knew that he would get a better sleep. John did wonder if it had rained that hard at the outdoor concert where Stewart was celebrating.

The two friends watched the fireworks at midnight on television from Sydney before John said he was so tired from sharing that bottle of wine that he had to turn in. Janice decided to stay up to enjoy the continuing celebrations.

It was 2010.

John and I wish you all and everyone everywhere a peaceful and happy New Year!

TRB

On to Australia

2009-12-31T06:59:00.002Z

Dec. 30

John woke early as he needed to get himself organized, packed and off to return the rental car before 9am. His flight to Auckland was scheduled to depart at 10:30.

After finding the place to drop off the car (Note: John only had to ask for directions twice!) he went into the terminal building and handed in his car keys. Next he went to the counter to ask if he could check in all the way to Melbourne and not have to see his suitcase until landing in Australia.

Well... he had forgotten that Canadians (probably everybody else too but Kiwis) need a visa to visit Australia that cannot be granted in Australia. Luckily he could pay for an electronic one on the spot but he had to go to the service desk. It was $30 but he could have got one for free online if he had known AND had a good Internet connection.

On the first leg from Christchurch to Auckland, he sat beside two young women from California. One was a furniture maker which John thought was very cool. He was lucky to be in row 2 and was amongst the first off the plane in Auckland.

Once landing in Auckland, John walked to the International Terminal. It felt kind of strange to John to be back in Auckland but not in Auckland as such. It was a good 10-minute walk in a very strong wind and even the 20 degree temperature felt chilly. The sky was partly cloudy and John could tell that a high pressure weather front was coming in.

After filling out John's New Zealand exit form and the Austraian entry form, we went through security again and waited for his flight to Melbourne.

The flight went well and the sky grew clearer the closer we got to Austalia.

We landed and John along with the others went though Australian Immigration, glad he had his electronic visa. Next he had to hand his form to a friendly Customs guy who stamped it saying, "Welcome to Australia, Mate!" However, John went the wrong way and had to come back past the same Customs guy who said could he see the form again and then put an X over the stamp. John thought, "Whew that stamp must have meant I would have been searched." But then he thought, "What would stop anyone putting an X over the stamp?" Sure enough the guy had in his very friendly way ordered that John's suitcase and me to be searched.

John was sent down his own lane and had to wait at the end to be allowed in, only to be sent down yet another lane where he again had to wait. All the other people sent down other lanes were having their suitcases opened while John was standing alone.

In a couple of minutes two guys came along and asked John if he had declared everything. He had not declared an apron as a present for Janice so he fessed up that he had it. They asked if it was made of wood (you cannot import wood into Australia)... but really who makes aprons out of wood? Then they asked of he had any drugs or syringes. John said, "Good Lord, no!" They then asked if they could XRay the luggage and me. John had no problem with that but I felt violated. Of course, the XRay showed nothing and they happily sent us on out way.

Luckily, when he walked out the door, Janice was waiting in the 38 degree Celsuis heat. We all went to her car and she drove us to her new home. She had only been there since Dec. 14. On the way, Janice picked up some groceries for supper. When they got to Janice's house, John said hello to Stewart while Janice prepared spaghetti sauce and spaghetti for supper. They all spent quite a while talking before John retired to his room for the night. His first day in Australia ahd come to an end.

TRB

Culminating Day in Beautiful New Zealand

2009-12-31T06:58:00.002Z

Dec. 29

John's last day on his self-drive trip was truly incredible. Despite his unhappiness with the motel owner, he set out at 8am looking for breakfast and Internet access. That meant he had to take me along!

We went to the buffet restaurant where he went the night before. It had a full breakfast for $17. He had Weetbix cereal, tea, a lamb sausage, back bacon, sunny side up eggs, hash browns and roast potatoes. He also had two glasses of sweet blackcurrent juice.

Then he set off to do his email. The Starbucks offered it for $3 an hour so he bought an hour. You don't need to buy a drink so in effect it was cheaper than getting the Internet for free but having to spend $4 plus on a cappucino, thought John.

At a little after 10 am he was finished and, putting me on his back, we went to the Curator's House restaurant to meet Peter. John was there at 10:25 and a minute later up came Peter. John put me in the trunk of Peter's car and they went and parked in the botanical gardens parking lot.

They went for a walk and saw a lot of wonderful flowers but John had forgotten the videocamera. That was ok, he was more interested in talking to and catching up with Peter. They talked academic philosophy - Peter is a philosopher - and found that yet again they had much common ground. At one point, John said that he felt validated by Peter's erudition. They agree on so much but Peter has the language to express it - anti globalization, anti corporatization, pro humanity, and in favour of all life on the planet.

They looked for coffee and went back to the Curator's House but were told they couldn't sit outside unless they were staying for lunch so they went to the Arts Centre's patio outside one of the old original buildings of Canterbury University. Peter said how he and his daughter run. He can run for 16k. The day before he had walked up the local mountain (round trip six hours) but it was foggy so he will go again.

After a tour of the new campus of Canterbury U, Peter dropped John off at the motel. Peter was going to pick up his children at the airport. Peter, his wife Linda, and their families are from Auckland and the children, both teenagers, had spent Christmas with their grandparents.

John changed into his shorts and left for the International Antarctic Centre - the base for New Zealand, USA and Italy's Antarctic expeditions. What the hec is Italy doing in the Antarctic? thought John. The Americans feel that they have to be everywhere, of course and New Zealand is only a few thousand miles from Antartica... but Italy???

The Centre was excellent. For the first time John saw little blue penguins. At first he was sad to see the poor little creatures in captivity but talking to their keeper found that they weren't In fact, the keeper said that if they had been captured for display he wouldn't be working there. It turns out that all their penguins have been rescued and are unable to live in the wild. Some have missing feet, or broken wings caused by fishing gear. Yes, those fish and chips may cost more than money.

John also saw and learned a lot about the Antarctic and saw updated photos from Ross Base, the NZ base (painted green to remind the Kiwis of home). However, he decided not to go into the blizzard room where they have a fake blizzard (with a minus 43 wind chill) every 15 minutes. John snickered at the people who went in wanting to know what cold is really like! The blizzard only lasts 3 minutes and before going in they have people put on parkas and boots over their clothes. Some people ran out part way through. hahaha

Next John went for a ride on one of their tracked vehicles for the Antarctic. They only go 15 k/hr but they take you across really rugged ground and up and down hills and into deep pools of water. Everyone had to hold on to the straps above to avoid getting thrown around inside. It was fun. A young couple had just gone on the ride before and the guy was telling us all what was coming next. After the first series of violent jostles he said. "That's just to get you prepared for the real ride!"

After an enjoyable 3 hours John came back to the motel and got ready for the culminating experience of his week - The Maori encounter. A shuttle picked John up and took him and a couple of other families from different motels out to the site, where they handed in their vouchers and waited. John met Trish and Wayne a nice couple from Cairns (in northern Queensland, Australia). She is a history movie aficionado and said that she had been looking for years for a Canadian film, 'Black Robe.' It is the story of the Jesuits among the Hurons. John had seen it but did not know where she could find it.

It is hard to describe the evening except to say that it was an historical reenactment in which we, the tourists, took part. We saw a chief from the north come down to the south and attack a pa (fortified village). We were herded to the centre (for our own safety they said) as the fighting took place all around us. We got to enter storehouses and were told how people lived. Every so often our narrator would stop everything and tell us what was going on and the historical basis. We were taken through the years, through the arrival of the settlers and the growth of NZ, even going on a tram car ride. It truly is a world class experience and, in fact, is the only reenactment of its type in the world. It is also a politically sensitive story of how NZ came into being. Unfortunately John's camera batteries died part way through the experience.

After the reenactment, we were treated to a hangi - a Maori feast. We had traditional Maori bread, fish chowder, lamb, chicken, fish, kumara, potatoes, salad, and coleslaw with custard, steam pudding and pavlova for dessert. John sat beside a large Aussie family from Tasmania, grandparents, parents and children. The son-in-law was Maori himself and had so much personality he kept us in stitches. John also at beside a woman and her grown granddaugher from Coventry in England visiting her son in Christchurch. We all had a great time.

Then it was time to head back, the end of a a fantastic and totally unforgettable week here in the South Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand.

TRB

Christchurch via Arthur's Pass

2009-12-28T20:43:00.002Z

Dec. 28

John felt good as he came to for the day. It was just past 7am and he felt that he was about to experience something new. Looking out the window he thought he saw the light of... could it be... sunlight?

Yes, there was the promise of a beautiful day as the clouds descended but the light drizzle was gone. He packed up the car, had a last laugh with Jill and Bill the motel operators and headed off. All the motel people have been just great thought John.

He had gone this way before - just yesterday as he had gone up to Franz Josef glacier. At that time, he had stopped at a gas station and bought a 1.5L bottle of L&P pop (World Famous in New Zealand). When the young woman told him $4.50 he had said without thinking much, "Wow, that's quite a bit." She had just glared at him. A few minutes later when he was drinking out of the bottle in the car, the young woman and a friend went by and the friend was saying, "You shouldn't get that upset over a boy."

Today, he needed some gas to ensure he got to Hokitika so he stopped at the same station. After getting just $10 worth because the price for regular was $1.87 a litre he was served by the same young woman. As part of the transaction she said, "Press the green button," John fumbled trying to guess the button and she repeated again more forcibly, "Press the green button," John said, "But I'm green blind." She said, "You should have said that at the beginning" and punched the button herself. Without thinking of the day before, John said, "You should have said 'Press the button with the checkmark on it.'" She gave him another glare and muttered something under her breath. They completed the rest of the transaction in silence. John said, "Thanks", but she didn't reply. I guess she was still raging inside about her former boyfriend.

It was certainly time to hit the road.

The road after Franz Josef was the same twists and bends as before as the road climbed up the side of the next mountain. We climbed up into the cloud layer that must have only been 400-500 feet above sea level. It was a fairy tale world of fog and ferns, and little waterfalls raining down beside the road everywhere. Soon we were descending again.

As the road flattened, the sky got lighter and by the time we reached Hokitika, it was sunny. There were still clouds but the day was drawing hotter. John stopped for gas and also bought some toffees (he has not eaten candy since leaving Canada). We turned at Kumara Junction onto State Highway 73 towards Arthur's Pass, one of only three routes through the Southern Alps. It is called Arthur's Pass - not after Arthur - but after the Arthur Mountains who must have been named after... Arthur?

The clouds were like a gossamer crinoline around the mountains but as we ventured closer to the Otira Gorge in the Arthur's Pass National Park, they lifted entirely revealing a sky as blue as forever. John had to stop many times to take videos - the gorge, the viaduct, Arthur's Pass summit. Often he would come across a viewing site filled with people but often preferrred to go on a little further and take a video where he was more alone. Despite this almost every video has the sounds of cars and trucks passing; it is a busy highway.

We stopped at Park headquarters for a break and because the day was so warm John unzipped the bottoms of his long pants to make them into shorts.

The mountains that followed were in the rain shadow of the coastal mountains. They are dry, with tussock grasses, some flax and a lot of stony ground. John remembered the lessons he had taught about weather and geology in grade eight science and saw it now as living truth.

We also stopped at Cave Steam between the Broken River road bridge and Craigieburn Forest Park entrance. See the website There were lots of young families picnicking and going down to the river to swim. The river was a long, long way down and the rock formations were fascinating. But even more interesting was that the river had large deep caves along its banks and you could walk into the caves. Must be great on a hot day!

As we descended from the mountains onto the Canterbury Plain, the clouds once again formed an overcast canopy. John feeling itchy in the arms, realized that he had been bitten a number of times, probably while ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the scenery.

Then it was into Christchurch. He didn't get the instructions quite straight but for some reason picked another road and found his way promptly to the motel.

It turned out that Internet access at the motel was prohibitively expensive - $6 for 30 minutes. He asked the owner if it was a mistake and was told in no uncertain terms that that was the price, and there was no discussing it and he walked away. The motel guy was this 'try to get whatever you can without providing good service' businessman which may partly explain his brusque 'take it or leave it' attitude. Not only that but maybe many people have complained about the price (John estimates that the price is at least 45 times what it could possibly cost the owner) and it touched a nerve. John also reflected that the owner must think him poor because of his clothes and treated him accordingly. John thought sadly, "All this way meeting wonderful, friendly people and now two arguments in the same day!"

To do something positive, John went for a walk downtown and came across a Roast Beef restaurant and had a complete roast beef dinner with Yorkshire pudding. It was the best he had had since his Mum used to make them. Wandering around downtown he saw Cathedral Square, a unique sculpture that looks like a huge metal vase and found the restaurant where tomorrow he is to meet his old friend and colleague Peter from Auckland days.

Then it was back to the motel to watch some TV. We both wrote this post together as I didn't want to put words in John's mouth. He hopes to go to an internet cafe and do his email tomorrow (at $3 an hour).

John said that it does mean that he cannot upload a new post or do email tomorrow, and will have to connect next from lovely Australia.

TRB

PS update Dec. 29: John is at a Starbucks and has Internet access for $3 an hour which is reasonable. Today he is scheduled to meet his friend and former colleague from Auckland, Peter. Janice may remember meeting Peter when he visited London in 2005. Anyway, after their get together and walk through the Botanical Gardens John is off to the Antarctic Base (C'church is the jump off point for scientists to fly to Antarctica. The he ends his travel week with a Maori educational and cultural evening that includes a feast.

Fox Glacier Village

2009-12-27T09:18:00.002Z

Dec. 27

Throughout the night we heard the pounding of the rain outside. John snuggled deeper into his 1000-thread count pure cotton sheets and slept like a baby. The weather had made it impossible to call Janice in Australia as he had hoped because the lines were down. They have to connect in just three days at Melbourne's Airport.

Once John woke, he saw a day of mists begin. The air was humid and the road steamed. High alongside the mountains great clouds of vapour sat and hugged them. John went over to the glacier guiding place and got his money back. He had read that he needed moderate fitness, four layers of upper body clothing, pants not jeans, a day pack to carry, a warm hat and gloves - all available, apart from the fitness of course, in the glacier guide store. Not only that but he would have to walk at least 30 minutes in a physically demanding, steady-paced, uphill hike for 30 minutes as part of the four-hour hike. John said to me, "What the hec am I doing? I have escaped winter only to go walking on ice while doing exercise?" Since there is so much demand, the guides were happy to give John his money back - well they reversed his credit card purchase.

Now, feeling guilty John decided to go to Matheson's Lake. There is a photograph of Mount Cook from Matheson's Lake that is iconic of New Zealand. It appears on mmany tourist brochures. So, at about 8:30 he was on his way. The track was easy and within about 15 minutes he found the spot and took his video with a few other early bird tourists. But he noticed that the trail went on further and so did he. The other tourists were left behind as he walked through beech and tree fern forests, coming to one pristine spot after another. He saw ducks playing on the calm waters of the Lake while helicopters and planes reached high into the sky taking tourists up onto the glaciers.

Eventually he came to a sign that said "View of views." He climbed the steps and came out into a dazzling world of many hues of lake, mountains and clouds. To use the word magical would be a disservice. John felt at one with the Universe. He knew his fine camera would try but could not come close to capturing the moment. But John felt that was right. We all experience Nature but we cannot and perhaos should not try to capture it. So, knowing that the moment was his and that the video would not display it properly, he drunk in the scene while a deep peace descended onto him.

Coming down he had his choice to get back to his car - the way he had come or to continue walking around the lake. You know what he decided. Along the way he came across a bird and his mate sitting part way across a field. John stopped to say hello. The birds knew he was still sorry.

Coming back to the car park, John saw a restaurant and sat down to get a cappucino. It was woderful! Half of the foam on the top was covered with chocolate while the other half had a chocolate fern drawn on the foam. John pondered the prices here $4.50 for the cap, $7.50 for a toasted bagel, $22 for a burger and felt sad. It was almost like the tourist industry in Nova Scotia that depises tourists for coming to despoil their world. But with Nature here, this was a very small and transitory feeling.

Next John set off to see Fox Glacier. It was a long but very interesting drive then a long walk across the rugged, stony, glacial moraine to the glacial face. It took about 40 minutes one way. He met a couple from England (Yorkshire, actually) who asked him to take their picture which he happily did. Then he asked them to take some video of him which they, too, did enthsiastically. The path was wonderful, up and down, crossing wild streams with flat rocks placed strategically for people to walk on. You could see people on the trail ahead the size of ants. Once again, the awesomeness of Nature spoke to John and pretty soon he decided he didn't actually need breakfast but he wanted to continue exploring. So, he took the road to the Franz Josef glacier about 20 km up the road.

By the time he got there, a lot of people were already there and he was feeling tired. So he decided on the short 10 minute walk up to Sentinel Rock. No one told him it was uphill all the way! Once again, he said his thanks that he wasn't doing those 30 minutes uphill with a fit guide and young people demanding to go faster. He saw the glacier from the lookout and was satisfied when he arrived back at the car.

Coming home, he said that he had done a full day's hiking and here it was only 1:00pm. He got some coins and soap powder to do his laundry and started that. He was back in his room when the community siren started blaring. He went out to see. A lady from another room came out too and they started to talk. She was 80 and was as sharp as a razor. She is the leader of New Zealand's Euthenasia League, likes sky diving, and had gone off the road at 7:00am and broke her car. So she had to stay in the town overnight to catch a bus home tomorrow so had taken a room at the motel. She was feisty and she and John disagreed in jest on whether Canadian are Americans. John said we are North Americans not Americans while she said, no we are Americans... period. Both were right, of course.

Even though the weather was now magniificent, John decided to catch up on computer video stuff while watching the washer and dryer. That took a long time because John had not updated it since Auckland and there were 250 videos to upload, get registered on the database, and save to the external hard drive.

After that John decided to watch the DVD he had been given in Vancouver called "Zeitgeist Addendum." It took a full two hours and halfway through John went for dinner at the place next door, called the Plateau. His waitress was Canadian. In fact, two of them were - both from Quesnel, BC! They are travelling the world finding jobs along the way. NZ was their second stop, the first being southeast Asia. He also overhead people in the next table saying they were from Waterloo. So, he said hello to them, too - a nice family - and they had a friendly conversation. John had a $22 steak burger that was really quite good and washed it down with a Monteith's original beer.

Finally it was time to watch the rest of the video while I had to write this blog. Some things never change! (sigh)

TRB

Boxing Day

2009-12-26T07:55:00.001Z

Dec. 26

Waking after a restful night, undisturbed by ghosts, John set about trying to use his phone card. It worked really well and John enjoyed his conversation because it was still Christmas Day in Canada but was already Boxing Day in NZ.

It was a bright day and John got his stuff together and went out to take some more video of the lovely surroundings. Peter saw him and asked if he'd like a continental breakfast. John never turns down an opportunity like that, of course. So, Peter laid out cereal, milk, fruit, yogurt and asked John if he would like some tea and toast. John said yes, of course. When it was time to settle up, Peter would take nothing for his kindness and would even have allowed John to keep the $10 in $2 coins he had lent him to try to use the Internet vending machine the night before. But since John had not used the coins he gave them back. John would never take liberties with somebody else's kindness.

Then he was off. First to Wanaka. He had not seen it the evening before because the resort was out of town on the side closest to Cardrona. So, he was awestruck by the beauty of the lake as the road snaked down towards the town. If anything, Wanaka is prettier than Queenstown. John needed gas and also had heard about Puzzling World - a unique attraction. He ponied up his $12.50 to go into the two storey maze and be lost.

The maze runs more than 1.5 km with bridges and crossovers but people walk on average 3 to 5 km in finding the goals. John was lost for a long time and kept bumping into the same people over and over. A friendly Aussie couple gave him some hints and he found the first goal - a tower to climb and look over the maze. Eventually he did find all four and then his way out. It took about 90 minutes. Long enough for it to be fun but not so long as to be frustrating.

Then it was off to see the hall of illusions and he went in rooms on angles where the water appears to flow uphill, rooms that look normal but are very short at one side and tall at the other. He saw 3-D faces that appear to follow you and a lot of holograms.

It was almost 11:30 when we set out. But John got his directions messed up and took me into some spectacular country in Mount Aspiring National Park. In fact, we ended up at Treble Cone ski resort about 30 minutes outside Wanaka before he realized he was going the wrong way. The hint: The road turned to dirt and had a warning that you needed a four wheel drive vehicle to proceed. So we had to turn back and go the way that Cath had told us.

Once again, the scenery of the day eclipsed that of the day before. How can people live in such a beautiful country and work at all? You could spend your entire life just being enraptured by Nature. John thinks the videos will be the best ever!

Slowly they climbed into the Southern Alps and as they crossed the Haast Pass, the weather changed. It got overcast, cooler and then started to rain... buckets. During this part of the trip from Haast to Fox Glacier, John knew that there were wild west coast beaches to his left and huge rugged mountains to his right but he could see neither in the low clouds and heavy mist. One time the road came very close to the ocean and the sign said to beware of detritus on the road after the seas have been rough. We also had to drive past a rock slide on the road - carefully.

And the traffic was thin. At one point, he came across a large Chinese family - maybe 9 people - who had lost control and slid their van into the ditch. He stopped to see if everyone was ok but they waved him on, saying all were fine. I think the Dad was embarrased. The other bad thing was that John hit a big bird, something like a pheasant on the road. Normally, birds fly sideways when a car approaches but this bird flew right in front of the car and before John had time to react, he heard a bump, looked in his rear view mirror and saw a cloud of feathers and a body tumbling end over end on the road. He was very sad.

It was a l-o-n-g way in the rain to Fox Glacier and when he got there he was tired and hungry. The motel he will be staying in is great though and he may be able to upload posts though not video! Darn! he paid $10 for 100Mb. That is the size of some of his videos. If he goes over they charge $25 more. Yikes!

Then he went to book a walk on the glacier for the next day. It was $95 for a fully guided four hour walking tour. Yikes squared! But he booked it in hopes that they would get to go into a crevasse. He must like being in tight situations! hahaha

After that he looked all over town and found that most of the restaurants were still closed for Xmas or weren't open for dinner yet. He found one, The Mountain Goat, I think he called it. He had an open face sandwich of lamb, salad and other stuff and washed it down with a Speight's beer (Pride of the South etc etc). As he finished his meal he noticed that the sky had opened up and it was raining large cats and dogs so he had walk back to the motel in his T-Shirt and jeans and was soaked to the skin. He felt that perhaps this paid him back for killing such a beautiful bird.

TRB

Christmas day in Paradise

2009-12-26T07:53:00.001Z

Dec. 25

This was only the second time that John had been alone at Xmas since 2003. However, it is different when it is summer. He awoke to a whole new day although he said his good wishes and sent his love across the miles to all those he cares about - every one.

He was packed and ready to go. The motel is operated by a couple, John and Robin. He saw Robin and she gave him a combined Merry Christmas/Farewell hug. People all over NZ but especially in the south of this country are so very nice.

He packed up the car and set out about 8:30am. Well, he couldn't find his way out of Dunedin! He first turned the wrong way on a one-way street - thank goodness there was no other traffic. He whippped his car around and went back the way he had come. Next, he turned down another street. This went across a bridge over the street he needed instead of making an intersection with it and he was off down the Otago Peninsula once again! Finally, he found his way onto the motorway and headed south, past the airport. He knew he was supposed to turn onto state highway 8 but he drove and drove. At one point he stopped, thinking he was like the teams on the Amazing Race who get lost. But no, he just hadn't reached the intersection yet.

When he found it he was treated to an incredible road. It was twisty and windey, with hills and flowers, trees and curves and dips and bends. Traffic slowly started to build up as the morning wore on, making it more difficult for John to go slower than the speed limit. He stopped whenever he could to get video but in many places that simply was not possible. However, he did get some nice shots from time to time.

Robin had told him that he would be going through a fruit growing area and to get some cherries. John thought that no places would be open being Xmas day. He was partly right and partly wrong. There were no people at the stands but there was fruit and travellers were left on their honour to pay the amount requested. John got 500g of fresh cherries and left his money.

He passed through towns like Alexandra and Cromwell before connecting to state highway 8 towards Queenstown - NZ's premier resort area. John had been there before and it brought back some memories of that trip even though much has changed. John got some good video. He also visited Arrowtown too, a gold mining town around the same time as the Klondike gold rush in Canada. As in Canada, NZ used Chinese labourers to do all the hard work.

One more step to go.... Crown Ridge Road. Spectacular, awesome, the most beautiful place John has ever seen. The road winds up the side of a mountain with hairpin turns rated at 15kph. And in NZ when they say a turn is rated at a certain speed it's not like in Canada where you can do 10, 15 or 20km/hr greater than the sign. No, here 15km/hr requires that the car be going no faster than 15 km/hr. Eventually the road reached the top of the mountain and you could look across at the summits of all the surrounding mountains across the narrow valleys.

John was also amazed to see a sign once we had reached the top that showed it was a steep descent. But under the picture were the words 'Next 40 km' Not 4km but 40 km!

As per Cath's instructions, John called Peter at the Cardrona Hotel. Perhaps I have taken him away from his Xmas dinner John thought sadly. John is one of only three guests at the hotel/resort because technically it is closed on Dec. 25. Cath had said the hotel is haunted but John was not s-s-s-scared! He did hear a mother talking to her children during the night even though there was no family staying here!

Cath had made a reservation at a resort restaurant about 20 minutes drive away. It was a wonderful meal - appetizer of marinated venison sliced very thinly with salad greens. The main course was turkey au jus (no, not gravy) with garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and crusty dressing. Dessert was a citrusy creme brulee. It was washed down with a nice glass of sauvignon blanc from Marlborough. It was great but so was the price $65.

John was going to try to upload these two posts but at $10 for 2 hours he thought he would wait to see how things went from his next overnight stop Fox Glacier village.

TRB

Christmas Eve

2009-12-26T07:52:00.001Z

Dec. 24

This was the very first day that John was on his very own in New Zealand in 2009. It started out cloudy but the day grew ever brighter and sunnier. The UV outlook was extreme (not just very high) so he put on sunblock until he looked very pale from the white material.

Then he set off in the car in his very first driving experience through the heart of Dunedin's packed shopping street - George St. He went passed the Octagon - the main square (except it has eight sides)! Then he followed Cath's directions to follow the signs to the Otago Peninsula. This part of NZ is called Otago and perhaps it is named after the peninsula.

Anyway, the drive on Portobello Road was spectacular, close alongside the bottoms of cliffs near the ocean. The direction that John was going the road hugs the water on the left and the rocks on the right. He soon got the hang of it as he followed a camper van along the road.

He stopped several times for video before getting eventually to the Royal Albatross Colony on the very tip of the peninsula called Tairoa. This is the only mainland colony of these huge sea birds who have wingspans up to three metres across (that's ten feet)! Once they have fledged they go out to sea for at least three to five years before again setting foot on land.

Derek had said to hope for a windy day in order to see them fly. Unlike other birds who have strong pectoral muscles, Albatross' weak muscles find it hard to take off in calm air. Albatross are gliders not flappers. But it was a lovely calm day. John paid an incredible $40 for a one-hour tour but it was well worth it. The talk was fascinating and the experience magical. He saw six birds sitting on their nests. He also saw a colony of very rare Stewart Island Shags (a species of cormorant) and also a New Zealand fur seal swimming in the water far below the colonies. These are all wild creatures, not in a zoo.

After the tour and a wee look at the little museum devoted to the Northern Royal Albatross, John had lunch at the cafe. He had a sandwich and a cup of green tea. John wasn't sure who was watching the other more intently - him or a cheeky little seagull.

The motel operator, also named John, had said not to pay to see the penguin colony because the birds would be out to sea during the day and to go and sit beside a beach on Sandfly Bay to see them come in during the afternoon.

John set out to cross the peninsula. He had this sense of freedom as he drove on dirt roads no wider than his little red Toyota Corolla up steep hills and ridge back roads with wide vistas of stunningly beautiful scenery. He also noted that NZ often uses wooden fences rather than guard rails alongside deep drops. But it was all part of the adventure. He found his way to Sandymount Recreation Reserve and took the walk along the cliff edges.

To say it was everything he had hoped for would be an understatement. First he travelled through a forest glade right out of Lord of the Rings, then he came to a fence with a closed gate. It was closed to keep the sheep in but John could see the trail marker ahead. He wandered through sheep grazing as he felt the strong, constant wind and looked below to see the ocean whitecaps. John had always hoped for this sort of walk - completely alone in NZ surrounded by the bah-h-h-ing of sheep. And he was alone. During the entire walk he saw no one else at all. Needless to say but he had to avoid stepping in sheep droppings as well as rabbit pellets all the way!

He eventually ended up at Lover's Leap. There was a wooden platform made as a viewing point and John could see the rock bridge over the small, deep, chasm inlet hundreds upon hundreds of feet below. He was at cloud height too although the clouds stayed offshore. He memorized the moment to keep it with him forever.

Then he found his way back to the car and drove on to Sandfly Bay. Again he left the car and walked part way down to the beach. He sat on sand amongst some scrub (beautiful yellow flowers actually) out of the wind far above the beach but far enough down that his heart was racing on the slow climb back up. He didn't have the time to wait for the penguins as it was Xmas eve and he wanted to get something for supper before everywhere closed. However, he enjoyed the view of this incredible white sand beach that forms a sand mountain.

Then it was back to the motel. However, John took a wrong turn somewhere near Dunedin and got completely lost. And he couldn't find the street names he was on. He could see the cross streets and after going miles and miles the wrong way out of Dunedin he found a cross street on the map and eventually found his way back.

To celebrate the Xmas season he had chicken at KFC! Then it was off to bed to watch 'The Santa Clause 3' while I wrote and somehow uploaded several posts to this blog. John's day tomorrow includes his trip across the South Island to Wanaka. He sent warm Happy Holidays thoughts to those reading his blog.

TRB

Going to the South Island

2009-12-24T06:22:00.002Z

Dec. 23

John was up early, ready to set out on his South Island adventure. The motel office had ordered a taxi for 6:45 but John was outside waiting at 6:30. The taxi was ahead of time and the driver had planned on doing some paperwork waiting for John. So, John waited while he finished the work and they set out for the airport. John had a great conversation with the driver, a highly educated man from Ethipia. It is the same for immigrants in both Canada and New Zealand that new immigrants, especially of colour, have to do jobs for which they are overqualified. The driver told John of the same problems that taxi drivers face everywhere, squeezed income from increasing costs while fares are held low.

At the airport, everything went tickety boo. The fight was on time. We landed in Wellington that had wind gusts up to 30 knots and they made the 737 shake a wee bit. It reminded John of bumping around in a little Cessna 152. However, the rest of the trip was glorious. They flew just off the east coast of the South Island and John swore he could see the west coast past the sparkling white Southern Alps. He did not take video of it because the crew didn't seem to like it. However, on the trip, John did get breakfast, muesli and yogurt, with tea. John had bought himself an Egg McMuffin at the airport in case Air New Zealand did not serve anything.

Air Canada, please take note - Air New Zealand knows how to bring customers back again and again with good service and good meals!

Upon landing he was met by Cath of NZ Impressions who took him to pick up his rental car and drove him into Dunedin, giving him a quick orientation tour of the place. They then went to get John checked into his motel, a very nice one that is part of a chain, Bella Vista. John was shown to his room - small but with all the conveniences. John was pleased with the room. Cath then went through all the components of his package, from how to use the cell phone, her suggestions for places to see and places to eat.

After she left, John decided to take a walk around the downtown to get oriented before he went out onto the road. He walked and walked and took some video. he also bought some muesli to make his own breakfast and some Sprite Zero to take on his trip. He tried to use the Internet and it took hours to find out how to get connected and when he finally did get connected, the speed was so slow that he had no hope of uploading videos. He thought that this might have to wait until, he gets home and that is just too late. He had high hopes that maybe in Australia....

After going to an Indian restaurnat down the road for supper, he took the car out for a spin when the traffic was light and so was the sky. He didn't have any trouble getting used to driving again.

He was so tired he fell off to sleep at 9pm.

TRB

Ready for the South

2009-12-24T06:21:00.001Z

Dec. 22

This was the day that Gareth, Jolie and the children were arriving. John had made a reservation to stay at a motel near the airport so that Sue could get the house organized to have their family stay. Besides, Gareth et al were coming in on a flight near midnight and John's flight to Dunedin was leaving at 8am on the 23rd.

So, John packed me and suitcase up, and took off the bedding to help Sue. John and Derek then set off, first to go to Lynley's again to pick up his hat and glasses. Lynley and Dave were painting a fence when John arrived so he got to say his farewells again.

Sue had suggested that Derek show John, Lake Pupuke. It is a small lake in Milford, right next to Takapuna and the school where Julie, Derek and Sue's daughter, teaches. John noticed a pattern. Hans and Pris had taken John to some of his most favourite places when he lived in Auckland. Derek and Sue had taken John to wonderful places he had missed while living here.

John also bought some souvenirs and a box from NZ Post to ship home the souvenirs and some extra clothes he did not need as well as a wonderful book on New Zealand history that Derek and Sue had wrapped as a Christmas gift to him. Sending them all home by parcel post, would make more space in his overloaded suitcase and poor old me! He bought Sue some flowers to thank her for her kindness.

When they got back, Sue prepared a delicious lunch - a gourmet sandwich with marinated red bell peppers and so much more. It was like a sandwich that they had had while travelling in China. After the lunch John packed the box and Derek took him down to mail it off. $100 for surface mail! Well they don't do the old surface mail anymore. It goes faster than that. Derek helped John to write on the customs declararion in a way that should help Canada Customs to understand that none of the stuff is subject to duty.

After posting that off, Derek and John walked down to Julie and Paul's house. Ben had asked John to come and see his toys on the first day so this was the right time for that visit. It is a super modern spacious home, with a high slanted ceiling overlooking large decks and a natural preserve. Derek, John and Ben went down to his playground (constructed by Paul) in the woods. It has a Thomas the Tank Engine, a big slide, and a rickety bridge - perfect for a small boy. Derek played an ogre while Ben and John ran. There was also a billy goat gruff at one point. Ben is such a delightful little boy - full of imagination and fun but very, very kind and good hearted.

Then after supper, it was time to go to the motel and the airport. John had never met Gareth but had known about him for decades, so he asked to tag along at the airport just to meet the last members of Derek and Sue's family.

They went first to John's motel. It was in Onehunga and turned out to be far away from the airport in a fairly desolate area. It was clean and functional but did not fill John with confidence. But it was only for one night and it was very cheap by comparison to the other motels. They then went off to the airport where they also met Jolie's Mum who was also there to welcome them home. It was lovely to see the family reunion when it happened. Gareth drove with Derek, Sue and John and they had a nice talk on the way to the motel.

As John got into bed he realized that the motel was on a major road for trucks who roared by all night, sometimes their brakes would hiss. The motel lights outside were bright enough to see the room as if it were daylight. But then John would only have time for about a 5 hour nap anyway and so it was a good choice.

TRB

Dec. 21

2009-12-24T06:20:00.000Z

Dec 21, 22

These were days for getting organized, eating wonderful meals, and getting ready for the next leg of the trip. As Xmas was approaching Derek and Sue were having to keep lists to make sure everything was ready for the holidays, Gareth (their son) and his wife Jolie and their two children were preparing to come home for the holidays and so meals had to be thought out, arrangements for presents organized and so on. John felt that he was in the way even though both Derek and Sue very graciously disagreed.

On the evening of the 21st John was scheduled to go and see the family that he had lived with (well, had the granny flat in their house). John had hoped to see Lynley, her partner Dave, and Lynley's adult children Kris and Kim. Too bad as it turned out that Kim and her fiance could not make it due to retail work this near to Christmas and Kris' girlfriend was off to Australia for the holiday so john did not get to see them.

Derek dropped John off at Lynley's new house in Takapuna. It was not the same house on Northboro Road where he had stayed. But it was very beautiful, stylish and in a great location. Like Derek and Sue's house, you can see a part of the ocean.

The first item on the agenda was to take Lynley's dog, Sam (short for Samantha) for a walk along the beach at Takapuna. They went to a beach where John had feared to tread. It was the nude beach, though in the evening with a brisk wind and a temperature of just 17 there was noone in the altogether. Lynely said something about it having something to do with the gay community, too and that was somethign else that john had not known before. They played throwing the ball and two year old Sam, who is about the size of a Jack Russell, loved runniing to get it.She also played with another dog being walked. Here in NZ, people expect their dogs to be social and get along.

When they got back Kris offered John a drink. He made a wonderful summer drink. It was Feijoa flavoured vodka mixed with old fashioned apple juice (you know the cyder type of apple juice not the clear stuff). It was so delicious John greedily asked for a second one. Like John's drink of choice at home, the Caesar, this instantly became his favourite drink -- for New Zealand.

They had a wonderful barbecue meal - lamb chops, lamb sausage, and chicken. Lynley, who is a marvellous cook (like all his friends in New Zealand it turns out) also prepared roast potatoes, salad and asparagus. The highlight of the meal though was the pavlova. Lynley had remembered that it was John's favourite. It is like a large, hard meringue though soft inside. Both Kiwis and Aussies claim it as their own. Lynley's had real whipped cream and strawberries to top it off! It was so large that the four (Lynley, Dave, Kris and John) did not even eat a quarter of it.

They had wonderful conversation about days gone by and current news and all helped do the dishes. Kris, it turned out had sailed for New Zealand! He had just finiashed his engineering degree (just waiting for convocation) and was working for the summer sailing tourists on those huge America's Cup yachts out of Auckland. It had been Lynley's last day at work before a long break (she goes back Jan.11) but she offered to drive John back to Derek and Sue's. As they were saying goodnight she said, "Do you have your hat and sunglasses? Of course, john had forgotten. he said he would find a way to come by the next morning to pick them up.

When John got in the house and said he had to go back, Derek and Sue immediately volunteered to run John over. John felt really touched that all his friends made such efforts for him at such a busy time of the year.

TRB

Housewarming

2009-12-20T22:24:00.000Z

Dec. 20

This was the day that Derek and Sue had long scheduled to celebrate, with their friends and family, the completion of their house renovations with a drop in. It has been two years that Derek and Sue have been living in their small rental apartment on the ground floor while having their house renovated. And the result is spectacular! Very stylish, with clean lines, great colors, the latest in kitchen and bathroom technology, and wonderfully coordinated furnishings.

John helped his hosts to set up for the get together, scheduled to start at 1:00pm. There was every kind of finger food you could imagine. Many kinds of dip, crackers, chips, snacks, fruit, chocolate to dip strawberries in and on and on. In fact, if you have seen a dip and something to dip into it, that combination made its appearance at this party. He also helped to carry up drinks from the basement - at least eight types of beer, every kind of wine, punch, ginger beer, soaft drinks, juices. For a moment John wondered if Queen Elizabeth was invited but then thought, no, none of them would have invited royalty!

In the end, including the three children, some thirty one people attended. The first to arrive were Derek and Sue's daughter, Julie, with her husband Paul and their delightful four-year old, Ben. He is a wonderful child. John had had quite a bit of fun with him the first day John had arrived at Derek and Sue's. Ben is usually shy with strangers but took to John, when John seemed very afraid of the monsters that turned out to be Ben in a Halloween mask. It was soo cute!

John met a lot of very nice people young and mature alike and all extremely friendly and outgoing. One of the nicest surprises of the day for John was seeing an old buddy that he had taught with at Auckland in 1998. David was one of the two science educators who welcomed John to the School. His parents have been friends of Derek and Sue since they came to NZ in the 80`s and they have literally seen him grow up to be the professor he is today. John and David spent a long time catching up on what has been happening to each other professionally since John left NZ in 2001.

It was evident that everyone was having a wonderful time!

The 'do' ended some time after 7:00pm when the last guests headed home and then John helped Derek and Sue clean up. They were done by something after 9:00pm. The three then had a drink and headed off to bed. I had to stay up and write this entry!

TRB

A Day of Rest avec un Repas Formidable

2009-12-20T22:18:00.000Z

Dec 19

Saturday dawned clear and bright yet again. John slept in for the first time since he left London. He spent a lot of time (about three hours) creating videos of his three previous days - trying to get just the right scenes for this blog. He also tried to catch up with email and that took quite abit of time. He also worked on writing the blog. Unfortunately, the Internet was not cooperating.

He tried several times to upload a video but each time the YouTube website estimated that a roughly two minute segment would take over two and half hours to upload. Although John tells me he is a patient man, that seemed excessive. In fact, his computer cannot run for that length of time on battery power and it would be a major undertaking to unplug Derek's computer to plug his in, so he doesn't try. Besides, each of the segments should only take 30 minutes to upload. It is hard to believe that these little videos take such a long time to upload at low resolution.

John did a speed test on the Internet conenction and found that, although download speeds were something like 480 thousand bits per second the upload speeds were only 48 thousand bits per second. At home John reaches download speeds of 2 million bits per second or 4 times the speed. And that is 40 times the upload speed. It could have been the Internet Service provider's fault (NZ Telecom) or it could have been the start of the school summer vacation (more kids online)or it could have been more people connecting for Christmas. So, John decided to keep the videos and upload them when he gets some better upload speeds.

In the evening John took Derek and Sue to a French restuarnt in Mairangi Bay. It was called The Narrow Table. They received small bowls of something created by the chef. It was like the most delicate scrambled eggs you could imagine with truffles (not, not the chocolate kind but the special gourmet underground fungus). They then ordered an Australian shiraz, and appetizers. John had a pate made of chicken with Port wine and truffles along with crusty toasted French bread to spread it on and capers on the side. He forgot what Derek and Sue ordered (some kind of exquisite mushroom dish) but he noted that his was much bigger.

Then came the main course. Derek and Sue had ordered the rabbit pie. It came very hot in a shallow dish covered by puff pastry. John had coq au vin. There were two chicken breasts in the most amazing wine sauce. The mains were served with whole boiled potatoes and salad. Derek and John had a lemon creme brulee for dessert while Sue abstained, settling for a coffee. The meal had taken a couple of hours and the conversation had been very good. John was surprised that the bill was as low as it was (he had forgotten that the prices in NZ always include the tax and there is no tipping per se).

They arrived home about 10pm and all crashed because tomorrow was going to be a big day.

TRB

Views of Waiheke

2009-12-19T01:51:00.003Z

Dec. 18

Yet another day when the sun shone into a blue and white New Zealand sky. After the same incredible and healthy breakfast, Derek, Sue and John packed up the car and headed to Devonport to pick up the ferry to Waiheke Island. It is a famed island in the Hauraki Gulf outside Auckland's Waitmeta Harbour. It is a green, lush sanctuary outside Auckland's bustle of exquisite beauty, organic vineyards, white sand beaches and quaint villages. For some reason John had not been there either. Scott and Karen had visited when they visited John for a week in 1999 bu John had never gotten there.

The ferry trip took about 40 minutes. Derek rented a car after they arrived and they set out to see the island. They stopped at Charlie Farley's at Onetangi Beach for lunch. They shared three small baguettes filled with bacon, beef and veggies. Sue and John had a beer each while Derek declined as he was driving. They walked along the wide sand beach and talked to a woman who was out with some friends for a day trip.

Then it was on to Man 'o War Bay where Captain Cook had anchored many centuries before. All along the way at so many super scenic locations, John was asking Derek to stop or Derek was very considerately asking John if he wanted to try to capture the scene. So, all along the road, John was jumping out of the car to try to capture some of the breathtaking scenery. It was not pssible. The beauty of this country can simply never be adequately recorded in photographs, videos, or movies so John's effors, though beautiful, represent only about one-tenth of one-tenth of what it is really like.

The three friends then headed back to the ferry where Derek dropped off the rental and they travelled on the 5:35 ferry back to Auckland City, transferring to the Auckland-Devonport cross harbour ferry. On the long trip back they were able to talk to an interesting but very talkative lady who sat down beside them with her small bottle of wine. She gave John a guide book for Auckland that she had. He didn't have the heart to say he did not have room even for that.

The drive home along the motorway was interesting because Derek and Sue pointed out the changes that the landscape has undergone since they had moved to Auckland in the 1980's. John could remember the changes from the days he had first arrived some eleven years ago.

It was an end to a day filled with natural, impressive, indescribable beauty.

TRB

Please note: Video will be uploaded when possible.

Magnificent Muriwai

2009-12-19T01:40:00.001Z

Dec. 17

After a restful night's sleep, John got up on another beautiful day. Sue made a breakfast of cereal with fruit while Derek got coffee. In the morning, John was able to take some time to have a look at Derek's new book and talk to Derek while Sue was having her hair done.

When Sue got back, it was tinme to see the gannet colony at Muruwai. In the three years that John had lived in Auckland he had never seen the shore birds at home. He had been to Piha with its Lion Rock and Whatipu with its enormous beach cave but not Muruwai. One of the reasons may have been that it is not as accessible as the other two places.

It was about an hour's drive and they stopped for sandwiches at a French patisserie and picked up healthy, whole grain, kettle fried chips at a supermarket on the way. On the road, they passed wineries, farms and small communities.

Upon arrival at the car park (parking lot) on the cliff overlooking the area, they ate their sandwiches and drank their water. John had avocado and bacon in a sesame seed bun. The wind was very strong and the sea was crashing spectacularly against the shore. In fact the cliff itself is the caldera of a volcano. At a distance you could see its circular shape.

The three then set out along the trail that overlooks the colony. Gannets are surprisingly big birds, attaining a wingspan of about to two metres. That is six feet or so. They were gliding effortlessly in the heavy onshore wind. Many birds were sitting on their nests while others had fluffy chicks they were tending. John couldn't help himself but keep his camera rolling and rolling at this scene of hundreds if not thousands of magnificent sea birds.

Ther are at least four different areas where they nest, a small cliff bound island, a rocky promonotory and two flattish areas. Derek said the colony has expanded over the years since he and Sue first saw them. In those days you followed a tricky fence line along the edge of the cliff whereas now there is a wide gravel path with wooden viewing points.

Derek then went back to take the car down to the beach car park while Sue and John took the path down the cliffs to the beach. Derek rejoined them as they reached the beach. They walked along some amazing flat and level bedrock. Nets to the place they were walking was another rock surrounded by water on which they had seen a car commercial being made. It must have looked very surprising to see a car on the rock with sea all around.

The three then walked along the beach. Derek and Sue told John that the once beautiful black (almost navy blue) volcanic beach sand was losing its colour due to a company that was extracting iron ore from black sand somewhere along the coast. The company dumps the leftover sand into the sea and this washes up all along the shore and discolours the original black sand. John saw signs that people had erected that said, "Leave our beach sand alone!"

They walked up to the car and after a short break at the beach facilities got in to the car. John thought he was saying goodbye to Muruwai but there was still one more treat to go. They stopped for ice cream. John had some of the most delicious boysenberry.

While there Derek and Sue got good family news about a new baby in the family - their niece Sara is going to have a baby boy. In the evening she came over and they had an enjoyable visit with her while her husband was at a work event. It was a very enjoyable end to a magical day.

TRB

Please note: There is video to accompany these posts but current upload speeds are too slow to make it practical. Please check these posts later for video.

Onward

2009-12-16T21:27:00.004Z

Dec. 16

This was the day that John was scheduled to go to Derek and Sue's. It was yet another beautiful sunny day - there have been quite a few now and even when there has been rain, it has been only showers and you could generally see some blue sky and sun at other times.

Hans raised the Canadian flag on his flag holder on the house and it looked beautiful way against the deep blue New Zealand sky. John was deeply touched that Hans would fly the maple leaf in honour of his presence.

In the morning Pris took John to see Sullivan's Bay in Maharangi Regional Park. This was yet another part of the same coastline as Tawhranui and Wenderholme, yet once against distinct and unique. This beach has darker sand, lots of rocky outcrops and more Pohutukawa. There was the Spirit of Adventure, New Zealand's three masted sailing ship, used for training young sailors, pulling up anchor when they arrived. Soon, it was on its way out to sea.

John and Pris looked for filming or photographic opportunities. John saw some se kayakers coming in. There was also a fishing lesson going on just behind the beach. They looked for sea urchin shells and Pris found a few. She had also found a number at Wenderholme, a couple of days before. John could not see them even when they were right in front of his eyes.

The two went back for lunch and all three enjoyed the delicious leftovers from the previous night's meal.

After John had a chance to say his goodbyes to Harriet, pay his last respects at the resting place of Winston, Hans and Pris' wonderful dog who has not been gone very long, and take a last, long look across the manuka, pine and lancewood forest valleys it was tme to head To Derek and Sue's.

They arrived in the mid afternoon and it was a strange mix of feelings for John as, with sadness in his heart, he hugged Hans and Pris goodbye and thanks for a tremendous time, and happily hugged Derek and Sue hello. John had lost touch with Hans and Pris during the times of his divorce and he determined never to let that happen again.

Derek and Sue showed John around the newly renovated ultramodern home. It is nothign short of spectacular. He has a very comfortable room with much closet space and windows on two walls. In that respect it is like Hans and Pris' - light beaming in from many places.

Derek and Sue then took John down to the beach at Long Bay where he had once walked with them and their son Gareth's two beautiful golden labs, Josh and Chloe. They all lve now in Syndney Australia. Unfortunately Josh developed cancer and had to be put down a little while ago. They walked the sands of Long Bay and talked before heading off to a British pub in Brown's Bay. John had a dark British porter and Derek and Sue had their favourite beers. The pub had a great atmosphere.

Then it was back for dinner - a savoury medley of chicken and vegetables in a delicious sauce. After a week of gorging, John couldn't eat as much as he would have wanted but he did manage seconds. Sue then brought out a specail dessert, key lime pie, that she remembered was a favourite of John's. It was delicious and once again John started to despair of ever losing weight during the trip. hahaha

After dinner, the friends looked at photos of the many places that Derek and Sue have travelled from Greece, Thailand, China, Italy, and so on. Then they watched an hour of Coronation Street. The story is far behind in NZ. So, although John knew what was going to happen he kept his tongue from revealing what is to come.

Then it was time to say good night and drop into a deep slumber.

TRB

Pris' Birthday

2009-12-16T21:27:00.000Z

Dec 15

This was Pris' birthday but Hans unfortunately had to work in town. Pris also wanted to go into the city to do some errands and some Christmas window shopping. Rather than go into town, John decided to again stay home, enjoy the wonderful scenery of Evergreen Heights and work on the videos to upload them.

Hans and Pris had shown John where all the food and dishes were so he could make his own lunch, have a cup of green tea and top up the sugar and water container in the tree where the Tuis come to visit and drink. It was a quiet and peaceful day. John decided that with space becoming a real issue in his luggage that he should start reading the novel given to him by Liz, his former doctoral student. So he gos a good start on it.

When Hans and Pris came home, it was time to dress for dinner out. Pris had chosen a beautiful Thai restaurant in Orewa for her birthday supper. The restaurant was beautiful, not in its location, in a kind of a strip mall, or in its abience but rather in its food and the brilliant authentic dress and wonderful service provided by the owner and her wait staff.

Pris nad Hans know the owner and it was hugs when we arrived. John told her quietly that it was Pris' birthday. Well, what a feast they had! They shared appetizers and main courses - of seafood, chicken, beef and pork with noodles, rice and vegetables though John did not remember the names of any of the dishes. One of them came to the table steaming and John got a video of it. The flavours were like melodies playing on the tongue. At the end of the meal the owner herslf with her son brought an unordered special dessert, a stack of little cakes with a candle burning on top. Pris seemed pleased because it was a recognition but not 'over the top'

There was enough left over, after all were filled to the brim, to make a full lunch the next day. By the time they got home, it was time for John's final spa pool and what a night! The heaven turned out their finest glory - the air so clear he could see thousands of stars in every direction under the black dome. Hans and John saw an incredible bright meteor that streaked halfway across the sky, a fitting end to an amazing week's stay.

TRB

Entertaining

2009-12-15T00:08:00.004Z

Dec 14

Monday was a day to spend more quietly. Pris had a friend coming for lunch and there was food to prepare and the many normal things to do around the house. Hans had to check the possum traps. Although both Hans and Pris are kind, caring, animal lovers, this is a job that HAS to be done. The opossum, brought from Australia many years ago wreaks havoc on the native plants, including people's gardens and flowers. In fact, for New Zealand, the introduction of the possum has been an ecological disaster. Hans has to set humane traps to discourage them from eating all the wonderful native plants at their place. The common brushtail possum See this link for more! can be a vicious little creature, unlike the Virginia opossums we have at home. And, unlike the ones in Canada these are not rare. In fact, they breed very quickly. John had helped Hans check the traps from time to time. Without humans conntrolling their population, they would destroy most if not all of New Zealand's native plants.

John spent the morning decorating the Christmas tree that Hans and Pris have set out in their main foyer. He took his time to try to make it a little artisitc and he was happy with his effort.

Pris' friend Barbara came and they all had a very pleasant lunch together. The lady is 86 but still drives her own car and looks as fit as a fiddle. After lunch John was able to do a little emailing and then spent some of the afternoon editing video. As the afternoon wore on Pris asked John if he would like to see her photographic work. It is marvellous. Pris has a real eye for colour, shade, design, and contrast. Many of her photographs are of flowers at very close range and they are visually stunning.

John then tried to help Pris learn about Photoshop but it was the newest full version and it did not work just the way that John's old 'Photoshop Elements' program works. So, Pris will have to learn more by working with the program herself.

The day ended with the spa pool after some hilarious Two Ronnies videos that had John rolling on the floor laughing holding his side. However, a shower came through and they left more quickly then usual. It is funny, but there you are in the pool, kind of floating in the warm water but cool rain falling on your head just doesn't feel good.

TRB

Wenderholme

2009-12-14T23:56:00.000Z

Dec. 13

John woke up a little later this morning but as soon as he came out there was a cup of tea ready for him. He said how he was being treated like royalty but Pris disagreed. She said he was being treated like a member of the family.

In the morning Hans wondered if John might like to decorate the Christmas tree. John thought that it might be a lot of fun, so he did. It turned out pretty well and he didn't break any of the ornaments so he considered this a rousing success.

John also videoed the birds outside the kitchen using his tripod and the zoom lens. he fgot some nice shots for Jack. These were included in the video on yesterday's post.

After lunch everyone was a little tired, so they retired to their respective rooms and had a snooze, waking up a little after 3:00pm. Hans and Pris had told John that Wenderholme Park had one of the best stands of Pohutukawa in the area and wondered if he would like to go for a walk. He surely did.

It was not very far away from Puhoi, only about 5 kilometres, but the main part of the trip as far length of time was concerned was getting onto State Highway 1. There was a lot of traffic. Even so they were there within two shakes of a lamb's tail.

It is a very beautiful little park - again on a peninsula. The left hand side of the peninsula as you go in is grassy with many trees, parking lots, grassy areas and barbecue pits for people to use. It was quite busy with lots of families. Some were playing cricket, other just having picnics. Pris took her digital camera and took some shots of flowers with bees visiting them. John took more shots of the scenery.

At the end of the peninsula is a fairly narrow tidal channel that had warning signs about tidal currents but some people haad their children swimming in there. It didn't look dangerous but they don't put signs in places like that for nothing.

As you get to the end of the peninsula the land turns into a beach. There were people fishing and families playing in the ocean water. It must be fairly warm there because it is shallow. John shot video of oyster catchers, dotterels, and seagulls. He also tooks some nice shots of a cliff nearby and the house of the original owners that has been marvellously kept. In the garden was a magnolia tree with huge flowers. On the way home, Hans stopped at a stunning scenic lookoff and Pris shot video of John so he could remember his time here with him in the picture. The video here could not match the beauty of the landscape so I did not put it in the little video.

Then it was back home for dinner - leftovers (John's favourite meal) and something that John had never had before. They were like meatballs made of meat mixed with pineapple and topped by coconut. Delicious! Pris also made a scrumptious salad.

After dinner John and Hans solved a problem with Hans' email so he could send off greetings to friends. Then John joined Pris to watch a British 'made for TV' movie called The 39 Steps. John remembered that his Dad had thought the original 1939 movies was "cracking good." The 2008 version was very well done and well acted but the story was a bit dated and hard to believe. I guess it fitted the earlier times when the original book was written (1913).

As the movie ended, Hans said that he had finished his emails. So the three headed out once again for the spa pool to end another memorable day.

TRB

Lazy Days

2009-12-14T22:59:00.002Z

Hans and Pris had a number of errands to do in town today and John thought it might be good to give them a little time alone as well as give them time to get some of the busy Christmas stuff done. So he elected to stay home and take care of the place. Besides, it gave him some time to laze around while I worked on the computer to upload and edit video, write the blogs up from the previous two days. I have to be fair and admiot he also took more video of this incredible house that will cause people to marvel when he gets back to Canada.

I included some video with bird sounds for Jack and John promised that the next time he was going out that he would take more.

Hans and Pris arrived home to find John asleep on the bed. Really taking care of the house, eh! They had a wonderful babrecue of really good pork sausages and chicken kebabs. I can see John is gaining back all the weight he lost in the firat two weeks of his trip. Pris said that she and Hans are 'foodies' so that is just the way it goes. Perhaps he will be able to cut back on his consumption when he visits Derek and Sue.

The three friends ended their day watching a DVD of the Two Ronnies, a British comedy team and the usual dip in the spa pool to end the day.

TRB

A Day at Tawhranui

2009-12-12T03:14:00.000Z

Friday the 11th dawned clear and sunny yet again. Hans, Pris and John were up early for a morning walk before Pris' cleaner came. Once a week she comes to clean their absolutely spotless home.

Then it was packing the car with a picnic lunch (sandwiches, feijoa wine, and a fruit loaf) and they were off to Tawhranui (pronounced TAFF-RAH-NEW-EE). It is one of Nature's many special places in Aotearoa. It is a place of great beauty, wonderful white sand beaches, rocky shores, and natural hillsides. Technically it is a part of the Auckland Parks system and on top of that it is a working farm. There is also a marine sanctuary there. For more see: Tawhranui

Tawhranui is at the end of a long peninsula so it takes some time to get there. The three friends passed through the gate in the predator fence. This fence runs across the entire peninsula and the authorities have taken out all of the invasive species of animals both predatory and introduced in hopes that the native birds and plants can come back.

Europeans, North Americans and even Maori and Pacific Islanders have, over the course of time, brought many harmful plants and animals to New Zealand. These invasive species have badly damaged the unique flora and fauna of this place; a piece of paradise that separated from the rest of the world 180 million years ago.

It is good to see that people are now trying to undo the damage. And Tawhranui is such a place - even though it still has cattle and sheep along with its wild places.

Hans found a great place on the beach for them - under a Pohutukawa tree, away from the sun and the brisk onshore breeze. They set down their beach blankets and were able to gaze out over the blue ocean to Little Barrier Island, one of the islands that guards the approach to Auckland Harbour and keeps it safe for sailors.

Their hearts went out to a seagull who had lost one foot and had to keep balance on the other. They threw plenty of scraps his way while they ate their delicious sandwiches and drank the feijoa wine.

As Hans and Pris laid down to enjoy the soft shade of the Pohutukawa tree under which they were sitting, John went off to take some video. He saw some sheep grazing and heard more bird song so he took it for Jack at home to enjoy.

Then it was back to Puhoi.

Later in the day, they all went down to the village for fish and chips and chilled Stella Artois that they bought at the general store. They sat down on the banks of the Puhoi River to eat. Neither John nor Hans could get the tops off the bottles as they were not the screw top type and Hans' tool did not seem to have a bottle opener. So Hans asked a guy who happened to be picnicing nearby if he had such a tool. He did and was happy to bring it over to open the bottles. John asked him if he'd like a beer but he said thanks but no; he was about to drive.

It was such a civilized way to eat dinner on a warm evening - on the banks of a river, eating delclious, delicately battered fresh fish, tasty home made chips (err fench fries), while washing it all down with a cool beer.

John took many deep breaths and realized once again why he had come to love this land when he lived here before.

TRB

Mount Eden and the Museum

2009-12-12T00:45:00.000Z

John woke early (6:00am) as he has been doing since arriving in Aotearoa/New Zealand It is the result of changing time zones that John has not quite switched but it works out nicely. Hans and Pris always go for a morning walk and John is up and able to join them.

Breakfast was great in the natural area where Hans and Pris have their home. It is high on a ridge, surrounded by native bush. The views are magnificent and the entire scene idyllic - quiet with nothing much more than the songs of the many birds who live or visit. Harriet, the cat, has been as friendly as she gets with strangers. She came around to gently sniff at me and I wondered if she could smell Jack.

Pris had a job to do in the big city so John, Hans, and Pris set out together along the motorway to Auckland. After getting a coffee at a little shop on the Great South Road, Hans and John let Pris off and went sightseeing.

They went to the Epsom Campus of the University where the Faculty of Education is now housed. It used to be the Auckland College of Education. After walking about a bit, they drove up Mount Eden, the highest point in the Auckland area. John saw the bronze plaque at the summit that shows the direction and distance to various places. He knew that Toronto was one of the places on the plaque. It is over 13,000 kilometres away. It made John think how things are so different there - short, cold, days, snow perhaps, people all bundled up, Christmas things fitting the weather. Here the days are long, the temperatures in the high 20's and Santa Claus looks distinctly out of place amongst the men and women in shorts and sandals.

John was overwhlemed by the beauty of the city, sitting like a carpet resting against the feet of the volcanic cone. He took a LOT of video, including a shot of Mount Victoria that he had visited and taken video of the harbour earlier in this blog. It looked so low from Mount Eden.

Next, they headed off to the Auckland Museum that is situated in the Domain, a vast green park in the centre of the city. The museum has classical architecture but inside you can find so many different things. John especially wanted to see the Maori exhibits - the long war canoes that can hold a hundred men, the marae (spiritual meeting house), the storehouses, the war clubs. He also enjoyed the exibits that feature New Zealand wildlife both present day and extinct - like the giant moa, a bird that would dwarf an ostrich.

John and Hans also visited a special exhibit on the rose. Yes, the flower. It was amazing. It was quite interactive. You could put your nose into a cone and press the button the smell the different varieties, or detect which perfume contains rose oil. There was a game for kids in which you had to pollinate enough flowers to keep the garden alive. Both John and Hans failed. There were so many other aaspects of roses from decoration on cups and clothing, through their history, to their characteristics and genetics that it is impossible to describe them all. Hans realized that this would be a perfect exhibit for Pris to see.

They then ate lunch in the museum cafe. John had a bowl of roasted vegetables that were delicious but it was such a big portion he couldn't finish. Hans had a quiche. Then it was back to pick up Pris and head for home.

On the way home they stopped at Silverdale to see a gift shop owned by a friend of Pris. John realized that, due to his own foolish packing, he had NO room to take souvenirs with him. His only choice would be to throw away clothes. He will probably buy souvenirs and send them home after the Christmas rush.

Hans cooked an amazing chicken stir fry, which they once again were able to eat at the table outdoors and afterwards watched a funny video while eating a dessert Pris had made - little round chocolate cakes topped with whipped cream and fresh raspberries and chocolate chips. John said to himself that he won't be losing weight this week!

Once again they ended their day in perhaps the most civilized way possible - in the spa pool, listening to the silence and looking at the stars, planes, satellites. and shooting stars.

TRB

From Puhoi

2009-12-10T04:38:00.000Z

Wed December 9

John was up early in preparation for his presentation. He was not sure of a number of things: how many people would be up after the conference dinner and party of the night before, how many would make it to his session, and how it would go over.

He needn't have worried. About 30 people showed up and that was after a prior 15 minute keynote session. In fact, the other session was late starting and ending but John's session chair delayed the start so that John and the other four groups presneting would have ther regular time lengths to present. John was extremely happy that Tony, a tech ed guy he had met when he was working in Auckland was the chair.

John started out by saying that he wanted to hear what the audience thought of the meaning he had made of his story of his 17 years involved with online education. Then he told his story as an early adopter of technology and explained his DRAGS model. That took abut half his 25 minutes. Then he asked what people thought. Some thought that early adopters ended up doing three things while John's model only had two. There was discussion, all of it constructive and helpful. One person even said that John's model was similar to a grief process and that grief and change might very well be connected. What an insight!

Two of the next presenters mentioned John or his paper. The presenter in the session just following said that John's paper segued into theirs perfectly. They were very kind. The last paper had to go into the morning break because we had started late. Some people had to have their break and missed it. It was done by Don, a Canadian academic at Auckland Uni, who created and has been working on Auckland's LMS (online platform) called CECIL. It was the first platform John used to teach online as a teacher. He talked about how they are reinventing it to match their competition and make it better. How cool it that!

After John's session, he decided to talk to exhibitors for advice on some things he might do when he gets home. The exhibitors were very friendly even though they knew they couldn't sell John anything; they only deal with Australia/New Zealand. Then it was time for lunch. Many types of chicken kebabs. John had one of each type and sat down.

A young wamn came to talk. She said how much she appreciated John's talk. Then she said how the history was so important because many of the technologies John had mentioned were not even in use when she was born! hahahaha However, it was good to know that his talk had given her an historical perspective. She got up and a young man from Nigeria sat down.

John had met him the day before. He had seemed to know no one and he and John had had a talk. He found New Zealand's winter too cold. He also seemed homesick so John had spent some time trying to give him a laugh and listening to what he had to say. He said that he was sorry he had missed John's talk. John said he should come and see a Canadian winter but he said if it was worse than NZ's he couldn't survive it. John said that we had the clothes for it and that Toronto was a place where many Nigerians lived and if they could do it so could he. Then it was time for the last session, a keynote.

It was a man fron Britain and he talked about Web 2.0 technologies. And he used them. He used twitter as he talked and the twitter feed of his, and those who were following the feed, appeared in real time behind him. It was very impressive and John took good notes. The man ended with pictures and videos he had taken while at the conference set to music. Extraordinary feeling to see some of the people John had met up there on the big screen.

John left the conference, happy that he had come. He said goodbye to Cathy and thanked her for her kindness and generosity and headed to the ferry where he was to meet Hans and Pris at the other side. It was a beautiful day.

John saw Hans in the crowd when the ferry arrived and they greeted each other with hugs and handshakes. It was so good to see his old friend. They had almost lost contact when John was back in Canada. Pris had stayed home to do some things. Hans took John to Cathy's place to pick me and the rest of his luggage up. John said goodbye to Michael, with good wishes all around and then Hans and John were off to Puhoi. Cathy's cats, Minnie and Scarlet, were not around to say goodbye.

John remembered many of the places they drove by on the way to Puhoi. But Hans stopped in at Waiwera, a place John had driven past many times but had not stopped in to see. It was just a tiny place on the ocean. Hans said why don't we stop for a few minutes just to breathe? Like so many places in NZ, it was simply spectacular. After a few silent minutes they were on their way again.

They arrived at Puhoi where John and Pris hugged a big hello. John realized he had not remembered just how beautiful a spot it is. The octagonal house could be in a home magazine, the views from the top of the ridge where the house is located are almost other worldy in their beauty. They showed John to his room where he got out of his conference formal wear within seconds and was in to his shorts and shirt.

They had home made bruschetta before a barbeque'd meal with sausages, chicken, asparagus and mashed potato and the most novel and impressive pickled kiwi fruit. John was reminded of another thing - how well Pris can cook!

After taking a night soak in their hot tub (spa pool in NZ), looking up at the brilliant night sky with their tgousands of stars it was time for bed. John fell asleep before I did.

Sorry but no videos until John can get sufficient bandwidth. Tomorrow John and Hans are off to see the Auckland Museum and other sights.

TRB

Conference Day Two

2009-12-08T05:17:00.001Z

John left early today, took the ferry determined to take some video of Albert Park before heading to the conference. It was another lovely day and he got some great video. It was a special day for some students who were convocating so he got a few shots of them and their parents. A lot of people go to the park to take pictures on memorable occasions.

He arrived a little late for the first keynote speaker - a guy extolling the virtues of Balcboard, an online software platform that is a major sponsor of the conference. However, there were two real presenters afterwards and they were very good.

This conference is short by North American standards but people go to sessions from 9:00am to 5:00pm and that is very tiring. John did take some video of some cool ASCILITE people. One of them, the convenor rings a big cow bell to tell people it is time to go their next session. And this is at an educational technology conference!!!! Sometimes the old technologies are the best!

After lunch John presented with Josie and Cathy. They did a session that asked people about the state of e-learning at their institutions. Forty four people showed up. It was originally designed for 90 minutes but they only had 45. No worries!

Josie started with a warm up, asking participants to put up their hands to answer three questions. Of course, the questions were designed ot make the partiicpants smille but at the same time realize that things are not perfect at ther uuniversities. then John talked to the group, saying that common practices tell you a lot about policies and planning and aksed people to say what the practices were at their places.

They divided the group up into three and each took a group. because it would have bee too noisy for three big groups in the same room, John took his group out into the wide coridor. The group appreciated that. After only 10 minutes it was time to go back in and John, Josie and Cathy said what their groups had talked about. The three groups had done the quesion differently but there were a lot of nodding heads. then cath intorduced her question. What next steps need to be taken? John again took his group outside. This was an even better discussion this time as was to be expected. Again ten minutes wasn't enough time. however, it seemed to John that there was lots of agreement and that the participants enjoyed knowing other had many of the same ideas and the same problems.
Josie then did the wrapup. people seemd pleased with the session and Josie collected the notes and stuff and is going to send it out to all the participants.

After the seesion, John did some email while waiting to go to the big conference dinner. There is a prize for the best costume. John is going as a stuffy old Canadian! hahahah I told him he should have taken me to look hip!

TRB

Conference Day One

2009-12-07T06:10:00.002Z

The day was beautiful as predicted. Cathy left early to go do some organizing at the conference. John left about an hour later. He walked down to the ferry, crossed and then walked up to the building. It was a good half hour walk, much of it steeply uphill. John took his jacket off as he walked up the hill to Albert Park.

It is an amazing park. It has stately, huge old trees, manicured lawns, large flower beds, and winding walkways. If there ever was a place to stop and smell the flowers on this Earth, Albert Park is the place to do it. John decided he might take his videocamera tomorrow if the weather stays fine to show you this magnificent park in the middle of downtown Auckland.

John found the place to register in the business building and yes, like every other university it is the best building on campus. I heard it cost $225M to build. Once registered, John had a coffee and talked to some exhibitors, one of which is a company headquartered in Kitchener and their Aussie representative was at the conference. You never know who you might meet, eh? As a result John made a good contact for when he comes back home.

Then he went to presentations that lasted all day. In between each session there was a break of about 20 minutes for tea, coffee, water and food. The food was at lunch was like top notch hors d'oeuvres. Mmmm. You could have veggie or meat, deep fried or not, and things John had no idea about but that tasted incredible! That is one of many things that NZ and Oz are good for -- great food!

People at the conference are without exception friendly and outgoing. There are over 400 at this one and it is the biggest or one of the biggest that ASCILITE has had.

John is getting a head cold and, as always for John, with that comes runny eyes. So he bought some nasal spray on his way back to the ferry and that will fix the problem.

Tonight he is taking Cathy and her flatmate, Michael, out to dinner. Three others from the conference are coming along and, in NZ style, are paying their own way. he says he needs to go now and doesn't trust me with the computer so I have sign off.

I hear you have a snowstorm coming, Southern Ontario. Canada will once again become a winter wonderland. Be safe!

TRB

Video from Auckland

2009-12-06T09:58:00.000Z

John took a short walk to Mt Wellington and took some video. A little sample is here. The weather is becoming lovely and you can see it in the video.

The ASCILITE conference started officially this evening. The welcome was down by a traditional Pacific Island group with their drums, guitars, and men and women dancers. The men were very many and had the woman conferees all a tizzer and the women dancers with their long black hair, grass skirts, coconut bikini tops danced the hula from Hawaii and other dances from Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji etc. It was a jaw dropping and sometimes ear splitting extravaganza to start a conference off.

This was followed by awards. Cathy received one of the two top ones, for long term service to the organization. She has free membership for life. It turns out that she got the New Zealand branch of the organization going.
It was well deserved.

After it was over, a woman offered to take us all back to our places in Devonport. She teaches at a college and her husband is a high school teacher. Jhn and he had a great conversation on the way home as the three women wanted to sit together in the back seat. The drive saved us $5.00 on the ferry.

Sunday Dec. 6

2009-12-05T22:05:00.001Z

Well, after having a rough night, John decided not to go on the trip to Waiheke Island after all. You pronounce Waiheke, WHY-HE-KEY.

Anyway, Cathy said that she could drop John off at a medical clinic in Westlake before she went to pick up the rest of the group. John happily agreed. He seems to have a fever at night which drops off and becomes during the day. He saw a doctor who said he didn't have the flu but rather a chest cold with bronchitis. Rest, lots of fluids, and vitamin C is all he needs.

John took the bus back to Devonport, happy to know that his condition is temporary. He had to change busses at Takapuna where he used to live but had 40 minutes to kill. The link below gives the schedule.

Bus schedule

Since it is Sunday there was a huge farmer's market going on. John bought himself freshly squeezed orange juice that was more like real oranges than any other OJ he has had.

The day is sunny - the second one in a row! He may go for a walk with his camera. Today it's Devonport's Santa Claus parade, which seems weird because te temp is going up to 20, the plants are growing, and the flowers are blossoming.

Dinner

2009-12-05T10:06:00.000Z

Following on from he last post...

Cathy suggested that since their other co-presenter, Josie, from Hong Kong had just arrived she might not want to eat out and perhaps they could all have dinner made by Cathy. John agreed quickly and offered to help. While Cathy went to pick up Josie, John stirred the soup, put the rolls in the oven and prepared the lasagna for backing. It was a good meal but John couldn't eat as much as he thought.

After the meal, the three of them sat in the living room and planned out the presentation. Basically, they are going to ask people what IT strategies are in place at their institutions and collate all the ideas so that everybody has all the ideas from everyone else. John's part is to explain one of the questions they are going to ask. What do the common practices at their place mean about the policies they have (whether implicit or explicit)?

Tomorrow a big group are going to go out to Waiheke Island and go to a winery for lunch. John told me he is taking the videocamera as it is a very scenic place. So, the next post should have some more video.

Will it never stop?

2009-12-05T00:05:00.001Z

The rain continues, hard and without ceasing. Well, that's not true. The rain comes down really hard and then eases up almost to the point where you think you have seen the end. Then it comes back.

John spent most of the day doing errands. He had the start of a sore throat and so got some Strepsil throat spray. After that, he went to the supermarket and got some cereal and milk, some juice and kleenex. Then he trudged back up the hill home in the pouring rain. He has had some nice conversation with Michael, Cathy's flatmate who is a playwright, actor, research assistant and many other skills and they continued their conversation.

Cathy called to ask John and Michael if they wanted to go to a dinner with the ASCILITE executive in downtown Auckland at a trendy restaurant called Mezze http://www.mezzebar.co.nz. Michael said he had been soaked enough for one day already and declined while John (not knowing any better) agreed to go. It was a good decision in many ways because he met some super people from Australia and New Zealand.

Part way through the evening John started to feel a little ill, coughing and so on, and decided to take the ferry home. Cathy, who has worked with these friends for a number of years, decided to stay on.

The rain was pouring down and drenching and John got soaked to the skin, through his Columbia waterproof jacket. When he laid down to sleep he started to feel really bad. He felt he had a temp, a bad cough, aching all over. Thoughts like ,"It could be the swine flu" raced thrugh John's head.

When Cathy came home, John said that he should go to a hotel but she said if he had the flu she and Michael were already exposed and that would do no good. She did suggest he move to a more comfortable bed in the living room rather than the hard one in the bedroom. John accepted gratefully. She also offered to take John to the doctor if he wanted but he said that he would prefer to wait to asee if he felt worse before going. Cathy said that most 'blokes' are like that and don't go to the doctor soon enough. She made him a manuka honey and lemon tea drink and that seemed to soothe cough somewhat.

The next morning he awoke feeling a bit better. The aches and slight fever were gone but he still had a headache and as the day wore on he felt even better. He still had the tickle in the chest that caused him to cough a little but it surely does not look like the flu. He went back to bed and woke up nearer to noon.

As the afternoon approached, John even did a load of his washing. Cathy said that if it rains some moew that will just be the final rinse. The weather outlook is calling for some sun and partly cloudy. John even thinks he will go to a dinner with his copresenters (Cathy and Josephine from the University of Hong Kong) tonight.

Cathy's Garden

2009-12-03T09:52:00.002Z

Today John and I woke up to clouds and light drizzle, but there was the promise of a blue sky. Unfortunately, it turns out that this is a big weather system that is expected to hang about until Sunday and the weather is to get worse, not better. Sunday is the first day of the conference. Then, when John is at the conference the forecast is for sun and warmth.

John went for a walk and got himself a fish and chips lunch in Devonpart. He soon discovered that this is not a good place to buy food. The fish and chips cost $24... for lunch! I can only guess what the dinner fish and chips would cost.

John was making this video of the garden when Minnie, one of Cathy's cats, came along with an order from Nature's Takeout. It used to be a bird. At least Minnie ate it all.

John had hoped to climb Mount Victoria today and take some stunning video of Auckland Harbour and Rangitoto Island but the rain came down in buckets.
In the afternoon, John had a good talk with Michael, Cathy's flatmate. He has had some very interesting jobs ranging from acting to research.

We'll just have to wait to see about the weather tomorrow. John may just have to listen to his audiobook instead.

Videos

2009-12-02T21:29:00.000Z

The videos look very small here in the blog. You can see them at slghtly higher quailty at YouTube. Just go to http://www.youtube.com and search for jbarnett0807 and they will come up.

TRB

First evening

2009-12-02T21:24:00.001Z

Cathy had said that if John was not too tired there was an art gellery event in Devonport. Two artists were being featured and they were also going to play music. If he wanted to go along he could meet her at the ferry. If he was too tired, not to worry. Just don't be at the ferry.

After he had had a little, unplanned snooze for a few minutes, he was up and decided to go. It wasn't even raining much. So, they went and it was very cool. The art was interesting and much like Alex Colville's (John's favourite artist). But it turned out that the artists had also played for years in bluesy rock bands back in the 60's. They regaled the crowd with many stories and it was amazing how down to earth te guys were. Two other guitarists arrived and they set up (the drummer had something else to do apparenty!) and they played. It was good.

John was pretty hungry by the end of it and asked where there was a good pub. Cathy suggested a place nearby and John had a Speight's (Pride of the South since goodness knows when... Good on Yer, Mate!) and Cathy had a glass of wine. She said they made the best french fries and to order 'fat chips'. They were awesome. Thick and flavourful with a garlic mayo sauce for dipping.

Then it was back to Cathy's and a long deep sleep.

TRB

First day in New Zealand

2009-12-02T01:28:00.003Z

What can I say? Kia Ora my friends! That is the Maori language for hello, hi, greetngs and welcome all put together. I am in Auckland and it is raining. I think John brings the rain with him wherever he goes.

We arrived with the dawn at a little past 5:00am. It is now Dec. 2 here whle it is still Dec. 1 back home. John carried me through customs with no problems. He complains how heavy I am... the wimp!

John believes in staying up his first day in NZ in order to avoid the jet lag. He has been up since waking up in Van at 10:00am Nov. 30. He couldn't sleep on the plane thinking of home, his friends, and his cat. A woman on the shuttle said a wise saying that resonated with john. "When you have lived a travelled life, home is always where you're not." He has spent the day walking around downtown Auckland and buying a few things. He also stopped in to hsi old building but most of the profs are at another campus and so he talked to a secretary. She said she will pass the word that John is back in town.

John did have a good trip to NZ. He was seated beside an Indian couple who were travelling to Wellington. It turns out he is a retired Indian diplomat. He had been posted to NZ as Indian High Commissioner (Commonwealth term for ambassador) and his kids grew up here. When it was time for them to go back home, they wanted to stay and since the kids are really talented, NZ accepted them. So he and his wife agreed to become NZ citizens too. John learned so much about world politics from this man. He was biased pro India of course but he could explain so many other things going on in the world and it all made sense and it was NOT in our media. When I asked how he got his information when in another country, he said the Indian intelligence people provided him the background. He had visited Ottawa, on official business of course, but had never been posted to Canada. They were such a genuinely nice couple. She was very proud of their grandchildren.

Anyway, enough talking for now. John is trying to stay awake but I am just going lie down here on the floor.... zzzzzz

TRB

At YVR

2009-11-30T20:42:00.001Z

Well I am writing this post at the airport in the departure lounge. They have free Wifi (hint, hint YXU!)

John got the 10:00 shuttle even though hisight was scheduled to leave at 1:10 pm. Everything went great... for a while.

First, John thinks he left his iPod cable at Gerald's. So he has a useless iPod until he can buy another cable - if he can find one. Then, without thinking he packed his special shampoo and skin cleanser in me! He should have known to check them because they are each over 250 ml in size! He wondered why everything fit so much better this time than the last! He checked his luggage easily and got his boarding passes and found that the United flight to San Fran is delayed until 2:50pm. No worries, he should still have 2 hours to catch the Air New Zealand flight at 7:00pm.

John then proceeded through to security where they found the stuff. Yes, the shampoo and the skin cleanser! They never escaped the eagle eyed staff!

John decided to go back out and buy a new little bag and to check it. As an international flight he is allowed two pieces of checked luggage. He is hoping now that the weight of all that other baggage doesn't burst the containers in the bag he bought in the airport. Then he had to go through ssecurity all over again - they gave me, the red backpack, a full body search.

However, it was no problem clearing US Customs. John dresses well when he crosses Customs and Immigration lines and he is just connecting in San Fran.

Anyway, here he is sitting in this lounge, looking glum, smelling cheap after shave on the guy in the seat behind him, listening to flight calls for other airlines who appear to be on time, seeing a clear blue sky he never experienced in Vancouver when he might have been able to enjoy it, and looking at the 15 people tapping a way on their laptops as I type this. hahahaha Never mind! It is always good to get the travel problems out of the way at the beginning of the trip. Not to worry, I'll tell him a few bad jokes and all will be well.

Here is some video

TRB

Grey Cup Sunday

2009-11-30T20:21:00.001Z

First off, what a game! John watched it in his hotel room. Lucky he didn't turn it off after time expired because Montreal won after a penalty on Sask with no time remaining. It was good to see Montreal win after so many failures ion Grey Cups lately, but it was sad to see Sask lose in the way they did.

Earlier in the day... I worked on the blog while John slept in. Afterward he took the camera and took the shuttle and SkyTrain into Vancouver. It was so overcast that apart from the mountains that John saw from Gerald's place one day he hasn't seen one here. That must have coloured his perception.

He arrived downtown and could not find a visitor's centre and no one knew where to find one. He spent the three hours he did have starting off with a good breakfast in a Crepe place. Then he started just wandering around the downtown in the drizzle. He walked Robson and Granville Streets and several blocks on either side until he arrived down at the waterfront.

He was about to come back when he saw a Tourist Info place. They were at least able to show him how to get back on the SkyTrain. Arriving back at the airport for the shuttle he waited for an hour and only just made it back in time for the big game.

He was abe to talk to Gail and was able to watch the Amazing Race to see his favourite team, the Globetrotters get eliminated.

All in all, not the best fo days. But then, some days are diamonds and some are stones.

TRB

Goodbye Vancouver Island

2009-11-29T15:48:00.002Z

After a great time on Vancouver Island's east and west coasts with many great experiences, conversations, and laughs with Gerald and Karina in our memory it was time to get myself packed up and head onward with John.

Karina had a swim meet and Gerald was timing the swimming so John and I decided we would take the early ferry to Tsawwassen (south of Vancouver) from Nanaimo rather than the one to Horseshoe Bay in North Vancouver. We would have had to fnd our way on the Skytrain and bus to get to the hotel south of the airport if we had gone to Horseshoe Bay. However, we didn't know that our choice meant that Gerald would need to drive us about 25 minutes to get to the ferry terminal rather than just being down the road. He said a taxi would have cost $40. As usual, Gerald was so kind.

We said our heartfelt thank you's and goodbye's and walked on the ferry. BC Ferries is a good service, The boats are clean and the service seems very efficient. John put me down and had a traditional breakfast as the ocean swept by. I asked a crew member (who turned out to be the purser) where I could buy a bus ticket to my hotel and she said she didn't know but in came by in a few minutes with a print out of the directions. They were right on. She later came by to check if it was the information I needed. The two hours melted by as we gazed at the ocean and passing ferries going in other directions.

When it was time to get off, John got me onto his shoulder and took the suitcase and was lined up to get off when an announcement came, "Would the gentleman going to the bus please report to the purser's office?" John immediately realized that he had forgotten the video camera. The purser had seen it, picked it up and was keeping it safe. When he got to her office, she said, "Did you forget anything?" with a smile. Now that IS amazing service! If anyone from BC Ferries sees this, the purser on the Coastal Inspiration deserves a raise!

Then it was off to find the municipal bus to get to the hotel. It was windy, cool and raining lightly. The driver was not scheduled to leave for 30 minutes but very kindly allowed John and I to get on early and wait even though she had to leave the bus. At departure time there were only four of us onboard and it looked like it was going to be a very pleasant trip. With just a minute to go, a ferry from Victoria arrived bringing the entire population of the city who all wanted to take our bus. In fact about half couldn't get on even though it was one of those big articulated buses. John thought about the London buses crammed with Western students he had seen going to the campus in the mornings.

I had to sit on John's lap rather than having a seat to myself. John thought he might miss his hotel because so many people were standing in the aisle he couldn't see out. However, after asking people around if they knew the hotel, it turned out not to be a problem. At least three people saw the hotel and told John to pull the cord to signal the bus driver to stop. People in Van are either very, very cool or somebody wanted a seat! Probably both!

John carried me across the street, in the now soaking rain, and registered at the hotel, the Sandman in Richmond. It is highly security conscious - you even have to swipe your room card to use the elevator. They also give you an ID card that is required before you can charge things to your room. Not only that but they actually charge the Visa immediately when you take your room and add an additional $100. They promise to refund it if you haven't used the extra charges.

John laid around on the soft king sized bed while I worked on this blog and uploaded videos. If you haven't seen them you can look back to earlier entries.

TRB

Back to Nanaimo

2009-11-29T03:18:00.002Z

After a very restful night's sleep, John and Gerald woke to a beautiful clear bright blue crisp sunny day. I am saying this because it is the ONLY blue sky I have seen since we arrived. John woke and took a video of the dawn breaking over the trees from the balcony of the cabin.

Once Gerald had awoken and green tea made (the coffee machine did not have filters for the coffee we had brought), they sat on their balcony experiencing the moment. Then they were off for a walk along the Wild Pacific Trail. The views were incredible to start with but and became progressively better. The surge of the ocean waves crashing over rocks set against the azure sky took John's breath away.

They met two women walking what Gerald called their 'ugly' dogs. They were shar peis, the ones with all the wrinkles. One woman said the dog who came up to us was a chicken and didn't need to be on a leash, because he never ran off - at which point he ran off - down the path the way from whence they had come. We had to stifle our laughs as they coaxed, cajoled and begged the dog to come back so they could continue on their journey. John said children and animals always make liars of us all.

They walked by a Coast Guard place and lighthouse that is still run by people and not automated. Then it was back to the cabin to check out. We looked for a place for breakfast but it was 11am and we got a Mexican brunch. John had black bean soup, and a chicken tortilla wrap. It was good but hot.

Then we took the long (about 3 hour) ride back to Nanaimo through the same gorgeous country that we had just travelled over the day before, past Kennedy Lake, over the pass to Sprout Lake all the way to Port Alberni. We got gas and a drink there - Gerald had a dark roast coffee and John had a hot chocolate with whipped cream. Gerald said it was no wonder John was fat. hahaha

Finally back in Nanaimo, we went to get the crabs with which John was going to say thank you to Gerald and Karina for their hospitality. They got four jumbo crabs, took them home and returned the rental car. Gerald prepared the crabs for Karina's arrival and all three of them sat down to a feast of crab and stir fried vegetables. It was delicious! And the three had a great time talking about schools.

It was time for bed and John was happy to fall into his, knowing that tomorrow was going to be another full one.

TBD

To Tofino

2009-11-28T00:56:00.004Z

Thursday Nov. 26 (posted on Nov. 27)

For the first time since we arrived there was no rain. The sky started off clear and then clouded over a bit. After a good breakfast of muesli, OJ and Coffee, John and Gerald set out. The first place that Gerald wanted to visit was starbucks. John had a green tea latte and Gerald a regular coffee. Going down the divided highway north from Nanaimo the mountains became visible. They were awesome! And after turning onto highway 4 west to Port Alberni they became even more awesome. Stunning with snow on them. We stopped at Cathedral Grove and walked amongst trees some of whom were little saplings in the year 1206. They let any trees that are blown over by the wind stay there as nursery trees for the new trees.

Then it was on to Port Alberni for Tim's. John had a strwberry, banana, coconut doughnut. Gerald had a tea biscuit. The road after Port Alberni was another wonderful experience. Twisted and winding among the mountains, trees and lakes, the road took the car on one direction after another all the time.

There was a bank of cloud alongside each mountain as if it had a feathery white necklace. They took the fork to the right to go to Tofino. Going through the Pacific Rim National Park they went immediately to Tofino. It is a quaint little village really. Very picturesque. They had a drink and a snack at a little restaurant. John said he enjoyed his veggie rolls (like sausage rolls with veggie stuff inside). They walked all around, going down to the waterfront and seeing what seems ubiquitous on the island - float planes, fishing boats and water taxis. They stopped into an artist's gallery. It reminded John of the artefacts he had seen in the Royal BC Museum.

Returning down the same road - Tofino is the end of the road - we stopped in the Park, bought our day passes and went down onto Long Beach to see the waves. They were rated as extreme today and it was a magnificent sight. We also went on a walk through the rainforest where Gerald told John the colour was green, green, green. A highlight was seeing two coho salmon mating in the small rainforest stream.

Finally we arrived in Uclulet where we found our cabins. Incredible place. Three stories with a living room, kitchen, a loft bedroom upstairs with a hot tub, and a bedroom in the basement. Gerald insisted thet John take the loft. Then it was off to dinner at a nice little restaurant before heading back to the cabin. I wrote the blog while John took his bath. After three days of walking, his legs are getting mighty sore.

TBD

Gerald can cook!

2009-11-28T00:52:00.004Z

Thursday Nov. 25 (posted on Nov. 27 - no Internet access)

We woke up about 7:00am. Gerald and Karina had already left - Karina to work and Gerald to do some errands and pick up a rental car for our trip to Tofino tomorrow. I took the opportunity to work on this blog and try to edit some raw video, make some movies and upload them to the blog. John spent his time looking out over the deck to Nanaimo Bay, watching the float planes taking off and landing and the ferries coming and going. After two hours I still could not upload a single video. When Gerald came back he said that perhaps it was Internet traffic and to try to upload them late in the evening when most of North America is asleep.

John agreed with Gerald and we watched Gerald prepare a delicious lunch of barbequed marinated chicken and brown rice. In the afternoon, Gerald and John took the camera and went on a tour of Nanaimo. They went to a park that looked like a rinforest. It has been very rainy on Vancouver Island lately and the little stream was gushing huge amounts of watwer. There were two amazing waterfalls and they followed the stream right down to the ocean. John said that hard poart was climbing up the rail on the way back and he was ut fo breath at the end. Gerald laughed.

The tour continued as they went down to the waterfront for a cappucino. They also talked to a guy who owns his own fishing boat but doesn't fish, just sells fish. By this time it was getting dark and after agoing back to the car, they camew back to the house.

Gerald then made dinner. It was incredible! It was a curried seafood stir fry. There was salmon, clams, oysters, and prawns over a bed of brown rice. It seemed very healthy at the same time as being delicious.
Gerald and John were enjoying a glass of wine and watching Criminal Minds when Karina got home. She is a swimmer and the national swimming championships are coming to Nanaimo and both she and Gerald will be either swimming or working at the event. Both of them work really hard. Even though Gerald had taken a vacation day, as head of HR, he had to send multiple emails to organize an arbitration hearing for Dec. 30.

John felt that his day of activity was making him feel better physically already.

TBD

Magical Victoria

2009-11-26T01:52:00.008Z

First, I want to thank those of you who have left comments. I have read every one but don't know the blog well enough to be able to reply directly to each of them.

Well today John left me back at the hotel and just took his videocamera. Darn!

He went to take some videos and set out in the wrong direction. What he thought was the Empress Hotel turned out to be a new resort and spa that had the same general shape in the distance. When he got there he realized it was too new!

Well the Empress hotel was across the small inner harbour but it was not more than a 20 minute walk to get there. He got there taking very short video clips of quaint little things all along the way. He signed up for a city tour at the Visitor's Centre and then walked about the quaint downtown area taking short videos that will make a nice video collage. Too bad that his suitcase is too full to get souvenirs.

As he was getting closer to the Empress he saw the BC legislative assembly building and a large student protest going on outside. The protestors were all women. He talked to one of the women who told him that the BC govt was closing the midwidery program at UBC. After signing the petition (even though he is not a BC resident) he asked about Ontario programs. Apparently there are three: MacMaster, Ryerson and Laurentian -- just the progressive schools, I guess. Of course, Western has no such program.

By then it was getting cooler and there was a mist in the air and the city tour was leaving ina half hour. He just had time to go to the Chocolate Brothers for a cappucino. It was great sitting at the window watching the people walk by. No one was hurrying. This is BC apparently and life is more relaxed. Cars stop for pedestrians. Cyclists are everywhere even at this time of year.

The tour was excellent. In 90 minutes he saw wild seals, the richest real estate in BC, a development that refused to change the way they drove on the right hand side of the road for years after it was illegal in probably the world's first gated community back in the early 1900's. He saw a few of the thousands upon thousands of rabbits on the campus of the University of Victoria. He learned the history of Canada's first Chinatown and saw the narrowest street in Canada (4 feet wide).

After the tour he went with the recommendation of the tour guide and visited the BC Museum. There was so much to see: the stories of the Salish First peoples, BC natural history where he talked to a volunteer who was telling people about tidal pools. John was amazed that he still remembered his biology from the mid 1970's and had a great conversation with the volunteer who was showing people live sea anemones, fish, and other molluscs and crustaceans. He realized that so many of the sea creatures are the same on the west and east coasts.

There was also a big exhibit on the history of BC. John got quite a start when looking at the exhbits when he realized that he was looking at an old PET computer from the late 1970s. This is history he thought to himself and suddenly felt quite a bit older. Hec he even remembered the 8 track cartridges and those fancy IBM electic typewriters! He ended the visit watching a hilarious old Charlie Chaplin movie. Eighty years old and just as funny today!

After getting back to the hotel, he found Gerald in the pub - where else? They had a beer then he picked me up with the suitcase and Gerald drove us all through the fog to Nanaimo. We met Karina, Gerald's wife who is a principal and talked education through a nice lasagna dinner. By 10 o'clock we were all tired and headed for bed.

This was John's first real vacation day. He didn't have to carry me!

Will try to upload videos but it is very hard. John gave up after waiting over two hours to upload a 25 second video at London airport!

TRB

A Day is 24 hours

2009-11-24T18:01:00.008Z

Well, what a start to the trip. Janice took us to the airport in plenty of time for the 9:15 am departure. John packed so much into me I got him back by nearly dislocating his shoulder. He will know better next time!

As we waited in the departure lounge without being able to even see across Ramp 4 through the fog to the runway, John`s pilot training told him that there would be a delay. We did hear a loud engine roar overhead at one point and John told this military guy he was talkng to, that it sounded like a Dash 8 overflying the runway. At 9:30 the Air Canada sign at the podium said the ontime 9:15 departure of Jazz 7706 was delayed. Then it was cancelled. They sent us back out of the departure lounge and told us to pick up our bags (No, none were lost!) and call the Air Canada number on our cellphones to rebook. I didn`t have my cell phone. So, I went back to the ticket agent with my luggage and went through the whole process again. I booked on the next available flight 7712. It was to leave at 11:00am. I headed back through security and decided to make the video below. At 11:15 they said the flight had been delayed due to mechanical problems. The new time was 12:30, then 1:00pm, then 1:30. We finally took off at 2:00pm.

We arrived at the new Pearson terminal, the first time John had been there. We had a new connection to Vancouver leaving at 4:00pm. The flight went well. The new information options are great! I watched a movie about a couple on their honeymoon in Hawaii with an evil couple stalkng them. I think it might have been called Perfect Getaway.

We arrived in Vancouver. Airport staff were everywhere to help. Almost none of them knew how we could get to the ferry to Victoria. Eventually we found the right ticket booth and got a bus to the ferry, BC Ferries newest one, Coastal Celebration, and took the 90 minute nighttime trip and got on another bus to downtown Victoria and then a texi to the Swans Suites hotel.

Had a chat with Gerald until 2:30 am Pacific time (5:30 am in London). And our 24 hour day was over!

TRB

Here is the video in the departure lounge at London Intl Airport (YXU) which is not to be confused with London Heathrow (LHR) in the UK.

Arrival at Vancouver

I'm Off!

2009-11-23T11:50:00.004Z

Welcome! I am on John's back and ready to head out to the airport. Today I fly from London to Toronto to Vancouver then take the ferry to Victoria, the bus to downtown and a taxi to the hotel.

I am carrying John's laptop, video camera, and iPod. I hope I am not too thick (physically, not mentally!) to get through security. Wish me luck!

TRB