"The Artist formerly known as Ralph" As you all appreciate modesty is one of my many endearing qualities so it is with due humility that I feel I have to announce a change of name. Instead of Ralph, I would henceforth like to be addressed as "The artist formerly known as Ralph." You may be wondering why the change, so since you ask I will tell. The name "The artist formerly known as Ralph" is more in keeping with my new fame as ...

Housesitting in Haines "Our last two dogs died when people were housesitting" With that final morale boosting comment, Ann and Tim left us in charge of Tahvi, the Siberian husky mentioned in the last blog, and Kunene the cat, and departed for their summer holiday in Canada. Actually "holiday" is a bit of a generous description of what sounds like purgatory, carrying very heavy canoes for miles overland to then paddle in a lake 7 feet long...

Camping in the Yukon, Canada I used to think that the main advantage of having a dog is that you could fart all you like and blame someone else! Whilst wilderness camping in the heart of Canada's Kluane National Park a second advantage in canine companionship became obvious, they are very good bear detectors. If you happen to be camping with Tahvi the Siberian husky, there is a third advantage, she will very kindly decoy the bear away from you and harass it un...

Juneau…. it's raining again? I have finally found the easiest job on earth, weather forecasting in South East Alaska! As the natives of Juneau, Alaska's 31,000-person capital, have been quick to point out there are two types of weather here, raining and about to rain. Fortunately coming from a country where precipitation is not exactly uncommon, we have hardly noticed the difference; in fact we have elicited a certain grudging respect amongst the locals for ...

Up the Inside Passage This is probably yet another blog title that will have certain acquaintances of ours sniggering like naughty schoolboys, step forward Gary, Alan, Marc, Phil, Roger and others! I am of course referring to the famous coastal route for oceangoing vessels that navigates up through the thousands of islands of British Columbia and South East Alaska and avoids the need to cross open seas. Prospectors took this route in the late 19th century, lu...