Gooday folks, this week has flown by and my days are blurring in to one alot at the moment!! I think thats due to the lack of routine I have. Not long now until I re-join the working world, boooo. Although I am looking forward to meeting all my new work buddies and spending some time on the mountain!

But back to a week ago. On Friday I went back over to Vancouver to stay with Deb, Hugh and the 2 boys. It was rainy and foggy so I didn't see anything on the ferry, normally the view is awesome. But this time it was just white. On Saturday we went to the Vancouver Aquarium, which is located in Stanley Park. It has dolphins there, so it was cool to see the dolphin show and all the other weird fish we share the world with! The beluga whale had a baby, so we saw the beast of a baby that was! We had lunch there and funnily you could order fish and chips... funny for us, not so funny for the fish. Distasteful much? Poor lil things. We didn't see any Cod swimming around the Aquarium, so I guess that's something!

Hugh drove us around 'The Crescent', which is a street in central Vancouver, which has the biggest houses on ever! Most of them have probably starred in films, as Vancouver has a big film industry. So it was cool to see them and dream about what I could have, if I was rich or if I marry the right guy.

Hugh is an awesome cook, so I was spoilt with fresh homemade cinnamon rolls that night. What can ya do? Someone has to eat them.

Sunday we went for lunch at a restaurant called Moby d*** , its a very popular fish and chip place. They are very big on their fish and chips over here, but they don't do it as well as us Brits do! The chips are just not the same, still it was very good and the restaurant was covered with tonnes of whale decorations. The boys spend half their time saying 'look Penny there's a whale!' 'Look Penny, there's a whale eating its lunch!' 'Look Penny, there's a whale with its baby!' I had become their best friend the night before when I brought out My Nintendo DS and let them play with it. Kids are so easily brought!

After the meal, it was either go for a nap, or go for a walk to work it off. Thankfully we chose to go for a walk along the beach. It is a place called White Rock and you can see from my pictures, why it got its name... The big white rock is from a glacier from way back in the day when the area was a glacier. Or something like that...

Before we went walking though we were witnesses to a car crash! It was very wet on the floor and one car skidded right in to the car in front when it stopped for us on the Zebra Crossing. Luckily we hadn't started walking across it, other wise I would've been starting the ski season with my legs in casts! But they took our details, incase they needed witnesses for insurance claims etc. So that was exciting. For us, not so much for the learner drive who had been the one to hit the car in front!

The weather held out and we didn't get rained on. So the walk was really nice and much needed after spending so much time inside because of the downpours. I was dragged in to a game of Eye Spy, using colors instead of letters. That's what happens with 4 year olds.

Deb had taken Monday off so we could go shopping. Christmas has well and truly begun over here, so she started her Christmas Shopping and I just continued to shop for me... I found myself buying my ski boots, which look like they are now going back as my little toes are not happy with them. Damn my wide feet, but at least I have feet right?

I got the ferry back that evening, Ray and Val picked me up and the first thing Val said is that she had missed me and it had been so quiet without me. I am beginning to get a complex that I am really noisy as this is something everyone keeps saying in England.

Tuesday I had a chill day, well apart from the huge run I went on. I knew where Darren and Ray were working, so I ran down there to see how they were getting on. Darren saw me and wondered 'what the hell are you doing?!' I simply answered 'running'. On the way back, it was just me and my ipod, looking out over the sea, dying whilst running back up the hill. It felt good to be out and about exploring the local neighborhoods, whilst getting fit! The houses are pretty much amazing everywhere here so it provides a good entertainment to take my mind off the burning sensation in my legs...

Wednesday afternoon I went out and about with Shawn, a guy I met at the party (Bush Costume). We went for an all day breakfast at Rickies, YUM! Then to Sugar Loaf hill. You can see downtown Nanaimo from there and the surrounding Islands and hills. We sat up there for a long time, watching the Float planes come in and out, but as the sun disappeared it got cold. So we had to leave, but it felt like I could've got my tent and stayed up there all night. It was so peaceful and awesome to look at. We continued on to have a meal at Moxies and then went on to the movies to see the new Seth Rogan comedy.

Thursday I went for another run. It was like a summers day, until I got outside an realized that although it looks like a summers day, its still actually winter weather and its freezing!! I soldiered on (in my RAF T-shirt! Big it up to you guys!!) And ran around the houses having a nose at what I would like to own one day.

Last night I went out to the Pub with Steph, who I met 4 years ago, she is Michelle's daughter, about my age. We went to Millers Pub and ate Wings, 10 for $2. You can't really go wrong. Well apart from the mess you get in to eating them. There was about 10 of us there and I was fully aware of the fact that I had only just met these people and didn't want to sit with Honey Garlic sauce covered across my face, up my arms and all over my hands. I have been set a mission to start drinking the drink that they all love called 'Ceasers'. I tried it and it is officially gross. An acquired taste apparently. It contains Vodka, Clam and Tomato juice (yes, clam), Tabasco sauce and pepper. They then have runner beans put in there and olives across the top. Yes it is as bad as it sounds! It's a very good hangover drink apparently. So I may give it ago on Sunday if they meet up like they say they are going to. I've got a year to master drinking this drink! I'm not one to give up on a challenge!!

Phew, that brings us to today, congratulations if you made it this far. I am off out tonight with Shawn; we are going to an Ice Hockey game. Whooop! Pictures will follow.



Have a fab weekend dudes and dudesses!

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