Singfest 2011

I'm having quite a musical week. Sunday, I was at the Prince George Music Festival watching V play violin with the PG conservatory junior orchestra. Tuesday, I was at Singfest 2011, a non-competitive school choir festival at which V again was singing (she is 4th from the left in the third row up). In contrast to the more traditional choir pieces performed by the other schools wearing formal attire, V's choir sang two rock 'n' roll numbers and wore jeans. Love that attitude. Last night we went to hear Sarah McLachlan in concert in PG. It was a great evening and worth the ticket price alone just to hear Sarah sing "Angel" live on stage.

Fashion week faux pas

Couldn't resist posting this as it made me laugh. Full credit to Matt in today's Daily Telegraph.

More snow and ice

One thing about the cold winters in this place. You have to get out there and enjoy the snow and ice as much you can. Otherwise you'd go mad cooped up indoors all day. Here we are at the local rink practising our hockey outside in -15 deg C and blue skies.

Spring is here (not)

This weekend has been spent mainly shovelling snow. Another 18 inches fell in PG over the weekend and the snow pile by the side of my drive is way taller than me now. Skiing was a blast on Saturday with thigh high powder all over the mountain. Powder skiing is murder on the quads though and I was exhausted with a smile on my face by the end of the day. Anyway here's a photo of me relaxing at Zoe's, one of our favourite cafes downtown. They do a mean veggie chilli and killer fruit smoothies.

Woolly Bear Weatherman

Another cold front has moved over PG today and it's -26 deg C outside. It reminded me of the Woolly Bear Caterpillar I spotted last autumn. Folklore claims this humble larva of the Isabella Tiger Moth can predict the severity of the winter ahead. According to this one, this winter was going to be short, cold and snowy (correct so far!). Those interested can read more about them at the link below.

http://members.shaw.ca/soohortsociety2/Page13_ThingsGoWrong_WoolyBearCaterpillar.htm

Houston, It must be around here somewhere.

We had a fab weekend in Vancouver a couple of weeks ago. At the Macmillan Space Centre you can don a suit and walk on the moon. Without hesitation K jumped at the chance. Someone must have told her there was a good yarn shop up there.

Racing Stripes

This weekend V and D had their local Ski club Race day. They had a whale of a time slalom racing and V clocked 47km/h in the speed trap. Here are some edited highlights and yes it was snowing buckets all day.

At home with the gang

D's reading has really come on lately. In fact there are too many books to read and too little time. Hence the scene we discovered in his room recently where he had "recruited" some reading helpers. I'd give him 10/10 for resourcefulness.

V, clearly not to be outdone, has recently picked up an interest in the guitar in addition to her violin. Guitar practice mainly involves singing and playing along to her favourite pop tunes - endless renditions of Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift. Still, at least it's not Lady Gaga or 50 Cent.

Family Ice Fishing

Here's some more photos of us ice fishing, this time with the family. After reaching the lake (note D's snow shoes) we clear the snow, drill a hole through the ice, drop in a baited hook and line and Bob's your Uncle. The ice was 8 inches thick and the temperature -10 deg C so to keep warm we simply drilled more holes!

Heading out to the lake

A friend and I went ice fishing the other day. The lake was pretty remote so we had to ski in and out. This is the rather unflattering photo my friend took on the way in. Still I look better than I did 30 minutes later after I had fallen over a couple of times. You may be wondering where all our gear is. In fact my friend was pulling it all behind him on a sled and yet he still managed to out ski me. Still, you have to admire my orange beanie (or toque as they call them here) personally hand knitted by my wife no less.

Whistler Inukshuk

Originally used by the First Nations peoples, the inukshuk (much like its European sibling - the cairn) is a group of carefully balanced rocks, sometimes taking the form of a person, which signifies an important location for utilitarian or symbolic reasons. We found this one at the top of Whistler mountain last summer.

Big Tree Trail

After shovelling another 12 inches of snow off the drive this morning I find myself reminiscing back to last summer. We had a fabulous holiday in Tofino on Vancouver Island. Meares island is a short boat ride away from Tofino where you can explore the ancient rainforest of giant redwoods and cedars and get right up close to nature.

The world's largest...

This is a curious North American phenomenon. Many small towns on major highways seek to boost their visitor numbers by installing huge versions of everyday objects by the roadside in an attempt to "put themselves on the map". For your perusal please witness "The World's Largest Nordic Skis and Poles" (allegedly) at 100 Mile House off Highway 97, British Columbia.

Jasper Autumn

My parents visited us in Canada for the first time in September. It was a good trip and nice for them to see where and how we live. We managed to spend a few days in Jasper while they were with us. Jasper and the surrounding area are beautiful in the autumn, a lovely time of year and one of my favourite places to visit. We stayed in a hotel by Pyramid Mountain just outside town and were rewarded with views like these each morning.