Walking in a Winter Wonderland!!!

Hi to "ye who is much warmer than thou". As you can see our -20 somethings have stayed most of the week. It is -22 this morning. Last night we went walking down town to the provincial building, which is a beautiful, old building where the city has put an amazing display of lights and ice sculputers. They also have choirs singing in the building for the next few weeks leading up to Christmas with free hot chocolate, with refills. The ice sculptures are just out the front and just amazing. I will have to learn ,when Phil gets home how to use the camera at night.
In Edmonton they have sleigh rides through out the city you can even take a sleigh ride to look at the street lights in different neighbour hoods. It is quite strange to be walking in the snow at Christmas time.

Josh is just sampling something "on the rocks". Josh and Jane both got work the first shops they walked into. Jane has been working in a costume jewelery/assessories shop since Wednesday. Josh starts work today in a Sports store selling skies, snow boards etc. Both are very happy and have easily ajusted to the jet lag.
We have Erin-May visiting till Tuesday, from Australia. She got stuck in Banff for a few days with a snow storm but has managed finally to get to us. What a great photo! The family who invited us to share the evening with them brought a snow mobile thingy???? yesterday, so that has created a fair bit of excitement in our household. We may get a go in the next few days before Erin-May goes. Phil will be home tonight (saturday) so that will also be fun to enjoy this beautiful weather with him.

I have finally finished all my Christmas sewing and card writing and now have to concentrate on packing, as we move next weekend. That also will be a first, moving in the snow. Once you get rugged up like the abominable snow man its not too bad out.

Have a great week, "and take time to smell the roses", maybe I need to change that to "take time to throw a snowball!"

Lots of love Tina

The kids have arrived just in time for Winter

Hi to all in the warm part of the world. Also I believe some have had some lovely rain, awesome!!!
Josh and Jane arrived from Australia on Sunday morning (2.30am) it was around -20. We were so excited to see them. The Christmas tree and moose was a display at the airport. It does seem strange to be going into Christmas with a couple of inches of snow on the ground. They had a good but long trip but seem to have managed the jet lag well. As for the weather we are all still getting used to it. (is that possible)

This photo was taken after a walk to the mall. They look kind of strange with all the layers on but they look no dofferent to anyone else. After Church on Sunday we went to some friends place for lunch and they gave us a heap of winter coats, which is fantastic. It really isnt bad in the snow if you are dress right. Im going to buy a set of long johns today because you legs get so cold below the coat line. We are expecting Erin-May from Newcastle (a friend of Kylies from Uni )she is stuck in Banff because they got a foot and a half of snow and need to clear the highway from banff to Jasper.

Our little flat is feeling the effect of have lot of people, moreso all the coats, scarves, touques and gloves everywhere. We are moving in 10 days or so to a house someone at Church has rented out to us. So that will be fantastic. It is about 20 mins from the Mall but will but much better with all the family coming. So if anyone is sending a letter or a pressy let me know so I can give you our new address. Letters are taking a little of 2 weeks to reach us now.

Josh and Jane both got jobs yesterday. Both of them got an interview straight away and got the job on the spot. So they will be busy before Christmas. They will be doing at least 40 hours before Christmas but they are flexable after Christmas to give them time for some tourist things. How exciting is that for them. The Mall alone is looking for 500 people to work there. There is such a job shortage.

I am managing the icy, snowy roads quite well. I was really nervous about it but by everyones standards I have done good!!! Phil has had a few slides in the truck and has seen a few accidents on his travels. He may be going over the rockies later on today so that might be a little more challenging. He has seen lots more snow than us and has had to drive in a lot worse than me.

We are all well and just trying to finish Christmas gifts and post them all. I made Jane a Canadian flannel quilt which I will get some photos off. I was pleased with it but it is so difficult to stitch things without all my proper "stuff".

Have a great week, remember in this busy Christmas season to "take time to smell the roses".,and remember the Lords birth and all that means to us.

Tina

Another adventure

These are just some random photos of our travels. Phil has made an inukshuk. These are scattered over all the tourist spots and can be brought in all shapes and sizes. It is to be the symbol of the Olympic games in Vancouver in 2010. It used to be a place where the Inuk people buried fresh meat in the snow to share with other travellers. It also pointed the way in which the travellers had gone. Now it represents friendship and helping each other. I am quite taken with them and we will buy one as a memory of our time in Canada. The photo was taken in october at the Athabasca falls. Which now would be covered in snow and possibly the water would be frozen over. This is a photo of the Columbian Ice fields. They had a small avalache and we just caught the after spray (if thats what you call it). We heard it before we saw it. Quite amazing. We should have a camera which you dont have to turn on and just knows when to be ready to take the right photos. Note also the amazing blue sky.
This was taken in the same week. Mark and Linda are behind the snowman with us. We brought a book about the history of snowmen. (snowpersons I suppose now) which is so interesting. This one was made by the staff at Meligne Lake. When we got there there was no one around, usually it is quite a busy tourist spot with cruises and walks. They shut the roads to Meligne lake when they get too much snow because of the narrow roads and I guess there are to many roads that need maintaining (snow ploughing and sanding) during winter that they only do the main ones. Some of the roads actually became cross country skiing paths, so you see road signs that are only for the skiers which is quite funny.

With the weather dropping to -19 today with a wind chill of -25 I now know why people wernt keen for winter to come. It snowed overnight and is snowing at the moment but not very heavy. It will be interesting for Josh and Jane, who arrive on Sunday morning (1.30am), to be in such cold weather. I think the excitement of the snow will outweigh the cold. (maybe) Starting from Sunday we will have all our kids over the Christmas holidays, yeh. Clayton is coming in February for a month and Gai is coming for a month at the end of February. So we will be busy, which will be fun. It will be so nice to get some snow photos and for Little Elijah to have some fun in the snow. He turned one last week. Time has flown. I miss the kids so much!!!!

Well have a great warm week and will update more snow photos soon.Mind you the camera gets so cold sometimes it refuses to work. Interesting!!

Tina

Winter is almost here!

Well another couple of weeks spend in the Rockies. How exciting. It has started snowing on the mountains and while Edmonton has had a few falls of snow it hasnt layed yet. It did snow a little on my birthday and that was exciting for me. Phil and I spend a few days in Banff with Gary and Merrie. There was a fair bit of snow around making driving a little hairy at times. The most amazing days were when we went up to Sulphur Mountain by Gondular and got the most beautiful clear skies and a 360 degrees view of the rocky mountains. Another amazing day was the hike up Johnson Canyon. I have been there a few times but this time some of the water falls and pools were starting to freeze. I know where they get the saying "Winter Wonderland" from.

This is a photo of a male Elk. They have amazing antlers which drop of each year. You see a lot of these guys and they are quite used to tourists stopping for photos. They can be quite aggressive and we are advised not to go to close to them. Notice the beautiful snow peaks in the back ground.
This is an office for the Johnson Canyon walk. It is a log cabin and just doesnt look out of place nestled in the mountains. In winter they have ice walks in Johnson Canyon where you actually climb up the frozen water falls and walk on the frozen creeks. Hopefully we will get to do that when the kids come over.
What a beautiful picture of this little deer. This photo really sums up the peacefullness of a snow fall in a Canadian forest. This photo was taken near Maligne Lake, near Jasper.
I just love this photo of the snow on the mountains, on a beautiful sunny day with a new sprinkling of snow on the mountains. In a week or so the stream will be frozen and all we will see is white. Canadians say that offen when it has snowed you get the most beautiful sunny days even though it may be below zero, around -20 it is still amazing.

Well a little over 2 weeks till Josh and Jane come to visit. Then kylie arrives on Christmas Eve, Tim, Kate and Elijah in January and Clayton in February. I am so looking forward to seeing them all. Gai ( from Tamworth) is coing for a month at the end of February. Yeha I carnt wait. I will be so busy I wont have time to get homesick. Our little 1 bedroomed apartment will feel the effects of being overloaded. But it will be worth it.
Christmas has come to Edmonton Mall and it looks brilliant. I was starting to wonder if Halloween would ever finish. Lots of stitching needed to be done and card to be made and sent, so hopefully I am going to be busy for a while.
Have a great week, and Dont forget to take time to smell the roses.

Tina

More new Photos Sorry!!!!!!!!

Wow what a day!! The rivers and lakes are starting to freeze as you can see in these photos. Someone said that running rivers and streams never freeze, well here is the evidence. It is so amazing to see how it changes even daily. It snowed overnight and at some points in our adventurous day it was -4 degrees.

The photo below is of a raven. We saw several of them today trying to get the tourists to feed them. I wonder if the cold weather makes them a bit lethargic or something, because they seemed to appear at all the parking areas and came very close to us.
We have had a lovely few days in the mountains and the snow is just a beautiful bonus. Most of the day we travelled in snow and the trip to Lake Louis was all snowy. Lake Louis wasnt as majestic as it is when there is no snow around. We spent a bit of time looking at the shops in the Lake Louis Chatae which is quite beautiful in side. Nothing though compared to the Banff Fairmont Hotel which is more like an old castle.
Thinking of you all as the weather is warming up and the cold is setting in over here.

Tina

Where in the Rockies Again!!!!

We are in the Rockies at Banff once again and woke up this morning and it had snowed. Awesome. This photo is of the Bow River, which has boat trips on it in the summer. Some of the rivers and dams are beginning to freeze over which is something I have never witnessed before. I wonder how long it will take before they are all frozen.
This is up on top of the World, well the banff gondolar anyway. Yes it was -9 degrees up there. It is the most amazing views I have ever seen. It takes 7 minutes to get up to the top which is higher than Mt kosiosco. We have been up there 4 times now and each time I am still overwhelmed by the beauty. God is so good.
Guess what these are? We are going back in the morning early to see if he is back there. I can bearly wait. There were a heap of these foot prints which we feel there were two bears, one baby and a mother.
This is of the lake where the bear prints were. While we were taking this photo we saw two beavers playing around in the lake. How special this was. They didnt mind that we were there and just continued to play. It was getting dark and they were a little way in so the photos didnt turn out too well. Words are very hard to explain every turn in the road in the Rockies. Each minute is new, each day and each season is so different it is hard to comprehend. Okay of to bed now so we can go bear, deer, beaver, elk, squirrel, coyote, and chipmunk hunting.

Have a great week.
Tina

Let it snow! Let it snow!

Hi everyone, How is the warm weather down under. As you can see I have been shopping for fabric. This is a gorgous flanel that I found. I'm planning to make something for Elijah with it but what I havent decided. I would hate to cut up this beautiful fabric. Maybe a pillowcase would be lovely. Elijah will be 1 next month, how time quickly that has gone. He is so gorgous and we miss him so much.
Another Fall photo with a beatiful lake behind it. Most of the leaves in Edmonton are gone now. It is looking quite dry and is cooling off. Today it was 20 degrees but has dropped to 7 this afternoon and they say it is the beginning of the cold. It is ment to be only 5 tomorrow. I am really looking forward to the snow but my friends are not. So I have comprimised and said I could wait for the snow till the kids get here in December. Somehow I dont think it will hold off that long. There is snow in the Rockies of course. With the snow comes me worrying about Phils driving in the conditions we are not used too.
I just loved this photo. These are washrooms/restrooms/bathrooms/toilets. What a place to need to go!!!!! Soon you wont be able to get up to this area as they close the road. These photos were taken at Mount Edith Cavall car park. This was the car ride where our pommy friend, Mark, informed me that it wouldnt snow!!! Not that I would ever bring that up again. Especially after the soccor (I think that was what it was) England verses Australia.

Well in the next few months there will be many more beautiful snow photos for us to share. This week we are being visited by Merrie and Gary Bott in Edmonton and then we will be spending a week in Banff at a resort there. It has been forcast to snow there next week, so that will be nice. I hope they brought there warm clothes, except Merrie asked me to bring my swimmers so that could be interesting swimming in the -4 degrees lakes and rivers. I think there must be an inside pool at the resort.

Hope you all have a great week and "Take time to smell the roses".

Tina

We had another great week on the road to Vancouver. The fall colours were just amazing, as the photo through a very dirty truck window shows. It was amazing to see the difference from town to town in the trees. Vancouver trees are just starting to turn at the moment where in Edmonton and closer to the rockies they have almost finished. Vancouver is much warmer and by the ocean. I love this trip to vancouver then on to Calgery as you travel mostly through the mountains but not the side where the tourists usually go.
I just thought this was a funny photo. They let anyone drive in Canada!!! Note Mt Robson in the background.
Just another amazing sunset and dirty windscreen. Phil and I saw the northern lights this week which was just amazing. Unfortunetly it was overcast and we didnt get the full effect of the lights. They were red and just looked like a wild fire in the sky. We stopped the truck and turned all the lights off to get a better effect.
We also saw a black bear walking through a mountain stream. I was so excited. Not many Canadians have actually seen that. Our friends are amazed at the things we have seen, but we do a lot of Kms to see these amazing things. I am still waiting for a photo of a bear with a Salmon in her mouth and cubs playing on the edge. Unfortunetly I got so excited I didnt think to get the camera out. Ha ha Poor Linda was on bear watch the whole week we were away and didnt see any. Since they have gone home both Phil and I have seen some.

Now of course Phil took this photo. This is a mans view of a sunrise!!!!! I must say the sunrise was beautiful, but it took me a while to see the machinery. The skys here seem much bigger and the colours much more vivid. In the Prairies it is even more amazing, all the open skies.

This week is to be a busy week for me. Tonight I had friendship group which is for folk with disabilites where they come and enjoy singing, a bible story and some supper together. i really love going and helping out. Tomorrow night I am going to a friends for supper and we are going to seeing discovering Jane??? The story of Jane Austin. Wednesday night is cooking for a group of single parents in the community that the Church we attends runs. Thursday night is Bible Study, and also during the day volunteering at an old folks home. Friday is Voluntary work at a Bible for Missions thrift shop. Saturday is a conference on "Disabled folk in the Church" then on Sunday we have Church and are going to Supper with a group of friends. Im going to cook Caramel pie and see how that goes down. It is so good to have things to "keep me off the streets."

Well thanks for viewing the blog, we really do enjoy sharing our experiences with you.

Tina

Just some craft Ive been playing with!

Just a couple of things I have been working on. The top little wall hanging was for a friends 60th Birthday we had the privalige to attend. We had a lovely evening playing "shojbok" (not sure of spelling) It is a dutch game with a long board and round "stones" which you have to get into slots at the end of the board. I havent played since I was very young, just a few years ago really. Its was interesting to see the dutchies childhood memories come back. Many of the folk had a board in there home.
Just a couple of card for birthdays that I have been making. I actually dont know anything about scrapbooking but enjoyed making these cards. Hopefully I will get better and make some Christmas cards. I am trying to find things to occupy my time and found it took me nearly all day, save a trip to the mall, to make them. Hopefully I will get quicker (and better) or else the Christmas cards will be for 2008. Anyone have any good web sites with card making ideas??? I havent got my borowed sewing machine back yet but hopefully next week I will be back finishing some gifts I have started.

WOW, How Awesome!

I'm runny out of words to descibe the Rockies! As you can see we had yet another fabulous week in the Rockies. What a privilage to be able to show our English "4 hour" friends, Mark and Linda this wonderland. As we were going up to Mount Edith Cavall to look at the ice caves I asked if anyone thought it might snow. "No" said Mark in his English accent "Not cold enough". Well it did snow and he will never here the end of it. We couldnt go ice caving as there was too much snow to walk for 2 km in our sandshoes. What a great surprise and how beautiful it looked. The photo is Linda, Phil and myself attempting snow angels??. Linda managed the most amazing snow angel on the Icefield glacier. "Good Job". Im sure it was a first, mind you we couldnt see the glacier properly because it was covered with several inches of snow.
It must have been snowing over night for there to be this much snow. We aslo went to Maligne Lake and the ground was covered in snow as well as the boats and boathouse. So the winter has come even though it is only around the 6th day of Fall. We did see some amazing Fall colours as the photo below shows. The contrast between snow and fall colours was incredible.

The day we arrived in Jasper it was raining and cloudy, but when we woke the mountains had a lovely layer of snow on them. How amazing the rockies are. I really will miss them when we come home.
This was a rather sedate photo of the 4 of us. The mountains in the background are covered in cloud. And it is hard to see the river down below. Along the road from Jasper to Banff are endless lookouts/pullouts/laybyes or whatever your country calls them. It is only a 3 hour drive but takes a day or two if you even look at half of the lookouts. We stayed half way at the icefield at an old log cabin motel. What an experience. We had an amazing dinner but this couldnt match the company. We had a good laugh at the menu where we had a choice of Grain or Starch to accompany out meal. I have never seen this before.
After such a fantastic week it was very hard to come back to an empty flat. But only 7 weeks till Josh and Jane arrive. Then Kylie and Clayton are coming on the 21st December. Fantastic!

Phil rang this morning to say it was snowing 2 hours drive away so I guess it wont be too long before Edmonton gets its first snow falls for the season. It is only 5 degrees today and overcast.

Have a great week and dont forget to take time to smell the roses. Miss you all so much.

Tina