Kimberley, BC

The end of term all went smoothly and Saturday we flew to Calgary. Jon & Lorenza were on the same flight as us, so at Calgary airport we picked up a hire car for the 5 or so hour drive to their home in Kimberley. We got a beast of a car, a new 5.4 litre Dodge Charger. They don't know the meaning of the word small in this country!

Jon & Lorenza have a lovely home in a forest park 5-10 minutes drive from Kimberley town centre. The first 2 photos below were taken in their back yard, & the deer brazenly walking down the street is right in front of their house! Bears have even been known to come right near the house in the summer, & their neighbour has even spotted a cougar.

Sunday was a leisurely day. Saturday had been a long long day of travelling so we had a nice lie-in. We then went into Kimberley so Jon could put his skis & snowboard in for a service & Will could sort some hire gear. That afternoon we went for a walk on the hill right near the house. We saw lots more deer which was very cool, & even organised a self-timer portrait of the 4 of us by balancing the camera in a tree, which would account for the wonkiness of the photo!

Sunday night we were all invited to their neighbours for a lovely meal, but after a big feed & a few glasses of wine we were all pretty shattered by 9pm, so came home & got an early night. It's not surprising really considering that due to the 7 hour time difference our bodies thought it was 4am!!!Today the boys hit the slopes for the first time. Lorenza & I dropped them off at the ski hill, then went into Cranbrook which is another town about 20 minutes drive away for a spot of shopping. I had forgotten to bring my contact lenses with me (which will serve me right for packing at midnight after a few drinks the night before we leave!). I went into an optometrists & explained my situation, & they gave me a pair of monthly lenses plus solution for free! I was very impressed, it would never happen in the UK...

At the moment I'm sitting in front of a cosy fire while it snows outside. Tomorrow Will & Jon are keen to ski at Fernie which is another resort about an hour & a half away. Life is pretty good...