The Big Question

I had a conversation the other day, that I have had many times before in various degrees of heated arguments.
The question is;
"What colour is my hair?"

OK. OK, just hear me out!

The thing is, the answer I get is NEVER the same. It ranges from Brown, to Ginger to Strawberry Blonde!
(I remember one of my Junior School teachers telling me it was Auburn, when we were working on a project 'All About Me', but as I discovered that I couldn't spell it, I just wrote Red,)

This time though, there was an agreement from two people.

Apparently my hair is Strawberry Blonde.

I do NOT agree, but I thought that it was worth investigating.

I discovered that there is no clear idea as to what colour a Strawberry Blonde actually is. Both Debra Messing and Sienna Miller are both referred to as Strawberry Blondes and they are as different as night and day!

So I think the answer is that some people will continue to use that term and I will continue to deny it!

Ah well, at least I did not have to deal with the 'hate crimes' that were carried out against red-headed children last month!

Snow!!!!!

Well, THIS is why I came to Canada!!!!!!
I have been reliably informed that for Vancouver to get as much of the white stuff as we have had in the last week, is incredibly unusual. I think it must be because I am here! I am happy to take any thanks or blame that the general population feels appropriate. I am just sooooooo pleased that it is here!!
I love the way that, even in the middle of the night, it is still so bright outside, with all the lights reflecting off of the white ground, and the sky is an erie pinky/orange. It is so beautiful, and the whole world looks clean and fresh.
Unfortunately, it is not quite so much fun when it has half melted, and the roads are sheets of ice! Walking to and from work is interesting! I keep doing wobbly slips as I go along! I must work on my balance!
The first day I was just like a little kid and threw snowballs till my hands went numb!
Fabulous!!!!!!

Fashion Design Open House

Yesterday afternoon, I went to Kawantlen University for the open house put on by the fashion students there. The fourth years had their portfolios out, and they were all pretty fabulous!
Rachel had, as part of hers, the 'Beauty And The Beast' photos, from when she made the costumes for the show.
I loved it! They were just about PERFECT!

Unlike the photo I saw of the production that is coming to Vancouver this week! Shame.
For the two other productions of this how that I have seen, the costumes were right, so I hope that what I saw were just rehearsal costumes.
Anyway, Rachel's were great, which is the main thing!

Unfortunately I had to go to work after looking at the portfolios etc, so I couldn't be there in the evening when there were to be 'refreshments and carolers' , so I was told!
:-(

Crafty!

I made a ribbon picture the other day! Just for a change!

Before....................................

And finished!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As well as getting the board and ribbons to actually make the thing, I had to keep going back out to buy the other things that I had forgotten! Hooks, stapler, nails and a hammer!!! Who knew there were so many things I would need! I had to buy a screwdriver the other day!

My upstairs neighbours went away last week (to Mexico I think), and they asked me to collect their post for them, which I did. Today they came round and gave me a thank-you card and a wind chime! Well! A 'thank you' would have been sufficient! But it was very nice all the same!

Christmas Parties

Last night was the Christmas party for work. It was at a golf club, and consisted of dinner (yum!), speeches / awards (yawn!) and then general milling around / dancing.
Before dinner they played all Christmas music - which felt a bit odd as it is still only November and feels far too early for all this festive-ness!

Isn't 'people-watching' great?!
Last night I saw one of the funniest sights that I have seen in a long time. There was an older couple - the man looked like an older, wrinkly-er version of Christopher Eccleston (in the dark, anyway!) - and they were doing a Jive routine on the dance floor. Nothing too amusing about that you might think, but........they were up there for over an hour, and they danced to EVERYTHING. And I mean, everything. From 'YMCA' to 'Let It Rock' to Summer Of 69' to '(You) Shook Me All Night Long' and everything in between!!! They somehow managed to find the rhythm in each song and adjusted their speed accordingly.
After a while they swapped partners and started to teach other people there! They kept dancing the same 30 second sequence over and over and over again!

Then a young couple got up and started doing their own version - which they made up as they went along! there was a lot more shaking and jumping around going on in theirs, but it still made for an entertaining night!
Very funny! :-)

I have just had a thought! In a few weeks, I will have been out of the Child-Care profession for a whole year! and I thought I would never escape!!!

Update

I haven't blogged for a while, have I?
Sorry. That's what comes of being too poor to have the Internet and having to wait till Sunday to catch up with everything!

Well, basically, work is fine, my flat is fine, (empty, but fine!)

I went to see 'Hairspray' and 'The Drowsy Chaperone' yesterday in Vancouver, and I have started a new Blog where I am writing about them. It's called 'Critics Corner'. Very original, I know!

When I first thought about this trip, I decided that I was going to have an adventure. I think that the adventure is that I am learning how to budget! A necessary lesson I believe!

Bonfire Night

I missed Guy Fawkes / Bonfire Night this year and I am very sad about it. :-(
It is one of my favourite nights of the year because it just smells so great! The whole night smells of woodsmoke! Mmmmmmmm!

It is best if it is a cold, crisp night though. The rain tends to spoil it a bit!

Oh, and one more thing. I saw six, (count 'em!) police cars on the way home tonight! All at different incidents. I had never realised that Canadian emergency vehicle lights are a different colour to the English ones! Much prettier actually.

Singing And Cycling

It was chilly tonight coming home. It was much better than the precipitation I have had to deal with in the last few days though!

I was in a rather good mood and I found myself singing Christmas songs as I pedaled along! Out Loud!

Goodness knows what people must have thought of me. It was probably a good thing that it was 10.30 at night and there was no-one around. I hope!

Spiders And Their Webs

There are three places on my journey too and from work that are narrow enough for a spider to string up a web.

And they do.

You would think, that as I destroy them twice a day as I pedal through, they would get the hint and give up.

But no!

Halloween

I never knew that there were so many songs that could, in some vague way, be linked to Halloween!

The satellite radio station at work was churning them out all day. There were a lot that I had never heard of actually, including one that I have only ever heard my Dad sing snatches of. Something about, 'They're coming to take me away!'.

Or something.

Mind you, I lost count of the number of times they played 'Thriller', 'Ghostbusters' and 'I Want Candy'!!!!!

The Adventure Starts Here.....

Well.

It has been an exciting and emotional few days!

Basically, I have FINALLY found a place to live after the house-sitting finishes. And about time too! It was getting very frustrating and disheartening hunting every day, to no avail. I just could not get over the difference between wages and house prices! Grrr!

BUT.... the search is over, and I pick up the keys tomorrow. Yay!

Once it happened, it happened very fast. On Monday evening I came across the ad, and sent the guy an email. On Tuesday he replied and we sent a few messages back and forth, the last being late on Tuesday night, with me giving the dates and times I was available to go to view it.
Then (of course!) I overslept the next morning and woke up to find a reply saying that I could go that day. IN 45 MINS TIME!!!!!!!!!

I was like a blur!

I got there, not TOO late, and the man was very nice and the flat was HUGE!
I signed the papers on the spot.

Then I went bouncing into work, all happy and excited! Next its shopping time!!!! Yippee!

Sunshine

Today was gorgeous. It was absolutely clear, without a cloud in sight, and the mountains were a dark blue against the paler sky.
I still can't get used to seeing mountains every way I look!
There was hardly any wind today either, so in the sunshine, it was really rather warm. It made a nice change from the last couple of days, when I have been cycling into the wind. In both directions!

Tonight it was the LOUD Step Class. It is the advanced level and it looks like a lot of fun, but tonight it turned into carnage! It is sooooooo fast.
The teacher is the only male employed there and everyone loves him! He is in his early 60's and I have never seen such an energetic person! The class is exhausted by the end, and he leaves looking as cool as a cucumber! It's not like he doesn't give it everything either!

I would like to do it some time, but I am always working at that time. Well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

An 'Alice In Wonderland' Day!

I went to see a rather bizarre play tonight. It was called 'Leading Ladies'.

Think, Noel Coward doing bad Panto. If that's possible!

It was very strange. It actually had the opportunity to be quite good, but it never really got there I'm afraid. Mind you, most of the audience was belly-laughing away, but slap-stick has never been at all my thing, hence the reason Adam Sandler does my head in.

Having said that, I did enjoy myself tonight. I think it was mainly because I was just so happy to be back in a theatre again! I get such a rush from it, even when I am not performing, and I do miss it dreadfully. I really must do something about that! My favourite feeling in the world is standing behind the curtain on opening night, and hearing the orchestra getting ready for the overture and the sound of the audience as they find their seats. Mmmm! Wonderful!

The theatre tonight was just gorgeous! It seats just over 500 people, so it is very intimate. It seems like it had been newly refurbished and it looks lovely. They have Guys And Dolls there next, which of course I will be going to see! Can't wait! I think that will be the 5th time I will have seen it!

Also today, I saw a wedding party who were blowing bubbles over the bride and groom instead of throwing confetti (!), and a big brown rabbit hopping around a car park with a big black crow!! Yes, a rabbit!

I also got blisters on my toes and what felt like frostbite in my fingers!

All in all, an interesting day!

Time Flies

I have been in Canada for over a month now! Wow!

It's odd, because in some ways I still feel as if everything is all new and strange and I will never get used to the differences, but on the other hand, I feel like I have always been here!

I also realised that this means that I am almost half way through my house-sitting stint, and I had better start looking for a flat nearer to work.

I haven't the faintest idea where to start! (As usual!)

Shhhhh!

Don't tell anyone, but I have a confession to make.

I ate McDonald's on Saturday!

I know, I know, it goes against everything I stand for! I have been so good as well. I haven't eaten it for 4 years!
I'm such a disappointment to myself. :-(

I have to admit that although it tasted GOOD, I had a tummy ache all night!

Serves me right I suppose.

Ha!

This afternoon, I put out the rubbish / recycling to be collected on Monday morning, as I will be away until Sunday night, and it will be too dark and scary to do it when I get back.
As I took it out, I noticed a big black bird (a crow, maybe?) across the road watching me. I then forgot about him and carried on bringing out the bins etc. Once I had finished and was back inside the house, I happened to look out of the living room window and saw that the crow had ALREADY gotten the lid off of the bin and was pecking away at the bag inside trying to get at the rubbish!!
So..... out I marched, picked up the lid, and pushed it back on as hard as I could. (It doesn't fit very well.)
But, by the time I had got back to the house, 'Mortimer' and his wife had hopped back up and were ready to have another pop at it!
Grrrrr!!
Then I realised that if I moved each of the bins far enough away from each other, then they wouldn't have anything to balance on as they tried to remove the lid.
This seemed to have worked as I saw them hop around the bins for a bit and then lose interest.

BUT. Five minutes later I looked out and saw that Mr and Mrs were back - with a friend too don't you know, the lid was on the floor and they were getting stuck in big time!

In the end I gave in and brought the bin right back up to my front door.
Sigh. Outwitted by a crow. :-(

Eeeeek!!!

There is a BIG spider in my house, and I am too afraid of it to get it out.
*sobs*

Impressed?

I got up at 8.30 (!) this morning and went for a run!!!!!!!!!
I know!!!!!!!!!
Mind you, I had to have quite a talk with myself to get my bones out of bed in the first place. But I did it!

I already HATE cycling to work! It takes me over half an hour, it rains and the roads are scary. *sigh*
Plus, my job unfortunately has turned out to be even MORE boring than SDE - if that is possible!!! All I do is say 'Hi!' and swipe cards. AND........ Health & Safety would have a field day in there (George and Nick!). There are no chairs, we have to sit on exercise balls (!!!!!!!) - which of course I can't balance on and so I keep wobbling, and the desks are cupboards with doors, so there is no way to put your legs underneath!!!!!!!

Good grief.

Autumn

This afternoon, I had my first day of training for my new job. All I did today was go through paperwork / policies etc. I will start on the computer system tomorrow, but from what I saw, it looks simple enough. Quite like the SDE system actually, with just a swipe in and no tickets to issue. I hope it is not as boring as SDE though!!!

I cycled there and back and it was REALLY warm today. It felt almost like summer but the ground was covered with autumn leaves and conkers! It was rather disconcerting. But in a nice way.

On the way home, I stopped off at the mall to get work clothes. I bought the things I needed - including trainers and bought myself another pair of shoes as well! Very impractical but I like them! What do you think Amy?!!!


Oh, one other thing, here is the first McDonald's ever in Canada. Apparently. A little bit of trivia for you!

I'm A Geek

And proud of it!

Last night I listened to the Chris Moyles show from Friday morning. It was done from the TARDIS which was very cool! I am such a big Doctor Who fan! :-)

Also, it was lovely to hear the dulcet tones of Chris Moyles again!

Speaking of radio stations, I have yet to discover one here that is not 80% adverts! Very frustrating. :-(

Job

I have just had a call back from a job offering me a position - so I'm a bit happy at the moment! It means I can now start spending money again! I've been quite restrained really. So far I have only made a few small, tiny and insignificant purchases including hair straighteners, a hair dryer and a mobile phone!

I am going in for some training next week and then I start the week after.

That's not bad is it? I've only been in the country two and a half weeks. :-)

Oh yes, one other thing. I heard someone announce the time earlier and they said 'It is twenty before nine' !!!!!

Such a strange country.

Drugs

Before I came to Canada, I read somewhere that Vancouver has a high and easy availability of drugs.
I now realise that this is an observation founded deeply in fact.

I just didn't know that the drug in question was coffee.

Hockey

The other night I watched an Ice Hockey game on TV. It was between Vancouver and Edmonton. I have to admit that I found myself getting drawn in, and I REALLY enjoyed it!
I couldn't follow it completely, but I think i got the general idea! The fights are still more than bizarre, but they certainly made me giggle!!! So uncivilised!

Who'd have ever thought I would become a sports fan?!

I found one of my favorite shops the other day. The Pier! Love it!
The girl who served me was from Manchester and she was talking about how much she noticed people in Vancouver being healthy and active, i.e jogging, rollerblading etc. She said back home the only time anyone runs anywhere is to get to the pub or the chippy! Ah! It was so nice to hear someone say 'chippy'!!!

I bought myself a mobile phone - finally! It took me ages to make any kind of decision, but once I made up my mind, I went to the shop and bought one that day.

It's pink.

I know, I know! I hate pink, but I thought that since I have always gone for dark phones before, maybe I should be daring! I actually love it! It has quite an OK camera on it too which has some rather cool settings! I have had fun experimenting with it. This is one that I took at Granville Island;Very cool! (I think so anyway!!!)

Better

Dinner was better tonight. :-)

Eating & Cleaning

My dinner tonight was a bit of a disapointment. It tasted like hotel food...........and NOT in a good way. It reminded me of the food I used to serve at Sandbanks. Urgh! I havn't qiute worked out yet what was wrong with it exactly, but it was really awful. It was basically just chicken and veggies, so I should have been OK. Right?

I guess this is just something that I am going to have to figure out through trial and error. I am begining to realise that even if something looks the same as I am used to, it dosn't nessisarily mean that it IS the same.

Mind you, the cheesecake was a bit YUM. :-)

The other thing that is messing with my head is doing the laundry. Last week the machine I used was new and modern and familiar, but now the one I am using is about a hundred years old! It is a top loading one that is so deep that I can hardly reach down to the bottom to get the clothes out! There is no tray to put the powder in, so I just dumped it on top of the clothes! I didn't feel to sure about that, so I e-mailed someone for advise first! Felt a bit silly mind, but hey-ho! Everything seems to have come out clean so I feel a little more confident about the situation now. Phew! Like I said it is a huge beast of a thing so even if I have a big armload of washing it barely fills it!

Next mission, the dishwasher! I have been washing the dishes by hand so far!

Hmmm

Well........ here I am!

Its been a week and I have have accomplished a grand total of nothing! Just the way I like it.

Amy went home today and I talked to the bank about getting a credit card and then came to the conclusion that I have no money to spend, so what would be the point just now! *Sighs*

I went for a bike ride along the dyke after lunch. George, you would be proud of me! It was very sunny and lovely and the little tiny birds on the paths kept leaving it until the VERY last second to hop out of my way!

I rode for about half an hour, then decided to brave these back-to-front streets to come back........and lasted 5 minutes before I had to flee back to the relative saftey of gravel paths. This is all doing to take some getting used to!

Coming back I was headed towards the airport. You would love it here Claire. You can plane-spot to your hearts content! It does all look rather spectacular with the blue and white mountains all along the skyline and every so often they seem to spit out an areoplane or a flock of birds.

I move next door tommorow and plan to be there almost two months. Maybe I will start to think about a job at some point during that time.

Leaving

It's odd.

I still feel neither excited nor scared about this adventure looming in my horizon, and I leave tomorrow!

It still doesn't seem quite real and I don't really feel anything yet.

Maybe it's like when I first bought and moved into my flat and I felt like I was in a hotel for at least the first couple of months. I felt like it didn't belong to me and any day someone might come knocking on my door and tell me that there had been some terrible mistake and could I please leave.

Silly, I know.

Packing

I HATE packing. It stresses me out like nothing else on earth.
I mean, honestly, what if I forget something? Something important, like ……. marmite?!

Seriously though, packing is the thing I hate most about going away. I don't know why really. Maybe it's just that nothing ever fits in my suitcase and I end up having to sit on the lid!

Ah well, I get to have lots of practice over the next few months!

Can't wait.