Here we are in November already. Doesn't time fly when you are enjoying yourself.
We definitely feel like we are on the home straight now and I for one am really looking forward to coming home to see my friends and family! It's not that we haven't enjoyed our visit here, because there have been some magical times - when we first saw the mountains for instance. But, as with most things, you get a bit blase and find yourself surprised when a visitor sighs in awe at the beautiful views that we have just become accustomed to seeing. There is snow on the mountain tops now, and that is a sight to behold.
Vancouver is called the Rainy City. Well it sure as hell is :-) When it rains it just rains solidly for 2 or 3 days, all through the night and all through the day. I woke up a couple of times last night and the rain was still steadily falling - and it is heavy rain, it comes down in sheets. To be honest I like the sound of rain falling, it's soothing really, it means you don't have to go out unless you really have to, so we stay in and gather around the laptop, negotiating our turn. Simon commented that we could do with another one really, we could do with one each but we won't be getting them ;-)
It will be interesting to see how we feel when we get home. I will miss this place, it is beautiful, calm and laid back. The people are calm and laid back. The pace of life is much slower and much less pressured than in the UK. I have been going into schools speaking about UNICEF, this is one of my voluntary jobs, and the teachers I meet laugh a lot, take time to ask where I am from, nearly always have a story about a relative or someone they know who comes from Britain. They have time to joke with the children and spend time one to one explaining things to them and they do have 25 to 30 kids in the classes. There is no National Curriculum, the local school boards set the curriculum for each year and the schools don't have such strict attainment targets to reach. Well, all I can say is that the Canadians I meet seem quite well educated even though they have had this lack of 'structured learning'.
The boys have settled in really well to life here. Sport is big and although this is wonderful for Rowan, it is not Josh' bag really so I was worried about how he was going to find it. At school his lunchtimes are taken up with drumming, singing in the choir, crocheting (yes crocheting) and he organised a book writing club with a couple of mates but he says he's too busy to do this very often. He is still a drama queen and still likes playing with girls best, so that hasn't changed at all. He loves it here as he feels valued for what he is.
He hates his Aquaquest class though - all children are encouraged to go to Aquaquest classes because there is so much water around us. These are swimming lessons, in a big way! Josh loves swimming and playing in the water, he has a lot of confidence in the water, but he doesn't have the stamina to swim the number of lengths you are required to do (lots!) and he cannot dive correctly..... so he hates it. But, of course, Rowan loves it and is romping away at it.
You can get food from just about everywhere here and culturally it is by far the best place I have ever been to. But then again, when Bridget and Robin (Si's sister and brother) came recently they weren't as impressed by all the things I pointed out as they come from London, so maybe it is because I am used to little 'ole Sheffield and the lack of things that happen there....?
I am going to try to attach a couple of photos of Vancouver Island here (we are just trying out this new way of updating our site - well we are actually getting around to updating our site :-) One of the piccys is when we went Whale watching - it was a very tiny boat and a very choppy sea..... Rowan and me were a bit green when we got off ;-)
I am going to sign off now, I need to go to bed, but I will write more when I get some time soon.