A puppy's day out in Banff ...

Sitting on the river bank

It seems to have become a bit of a tradition for me to visit Banff on one of my first weekends back in Calgary and I decided to continue this yesterday with an afternoon wandering along the river in Banff.  This time, we obviously had the puppy with us and it was great fun introducing her to the wonders of the snowy river bank.  After a stroll along the river, we browsed the shops on the main street.  It took longer than normal because we couldn't walk more than a few metres without someone wanting to stop and say hello to the lovely Abbey.  Finding a lunch spot was a little tricky given it is still winter and many places don't have their outdoor eating areas open yet.  However, the Banff Grizzly House were kind enough to serve us on the patio and it was there that we enjoyed a cheese fondue followed by a chocolate fondue (and left feeling several kilos heavier!) whilst Abbey kept guard over our table.  It was a lovely way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon and maintain a tradition of getting that mountain fix upon returning to Calgary.

 

A stroll along the river

Mmmmm, cheese fondue!

What's better than cheese fondue?  Chocolate fondue of course!

Zonked out on the way home

A very comfortable puppy dog

Introducing ...

... Ladyleigh's Abigail is So Posh.  Yes, it's a ridiculously long name for the new addition to our house, but isn't it so fun and quirky?  To us, she is simply Abbey.  Since picking Abbey up on Vancouver Island and bringing her home (the journey of which included her first ever plane ride), C and I have found so much joy in introducing Abbey to the wonders of life in Calgary.  She has been a dream puppy so far - no shoes have been destroyed, very few 'accidents' have occurred in the house and she simply rolls with whatever you throw (not literally!) at her ... bikes, babies, car rides, children, wheelchairs, noisy dinner parties, construction workers at the house, other dogs etc.  No matter what situation Abbey is put in, she just takes it all in and loves it.  We feel very lucky to have such a wonderful puppy in our lives!  Enjoy these pictures of Abbey's first week with us ...

Check me out!

Such a kisser!  The first cuddle, closely watched by mummy, Meg

First plane ride

Late night bubbles to welcome Abbey

Heading out for a 'carry' around the neighbourhood

Discovering snow for the first time

Yum!  Raspberry canes

Woohoo!  Snow!

Naughty?  Me?

Abbey and her squeaky sheep

And with her 'cigar'

New trick - climbing on her carry bag

Evening snuggle

Ah, it's a dog's life

Look how my two ears stand up!

Victoria in 24 hours ...

Celebrating the February birthdays ... Thane, Tom and myself

Our time in Victoria was short but jam packed with a variety of activities.  We managed to show Tom many of the sights of downtown Victoria, despite the rain - Dallas Road, with its great views across to Washington State; the beautiful Parliament buildings; the magical Empress hotel; and the lovely downtown buildings.  However, our primary reason for being in Victoria was to make the hour long drive north of Victoria to collect our new puppy.  Tomorrow, I'll share the photos of the lovely new addition to our household.

Ferry to Victoria ...

For several reasons, I was super excited about catching the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria, on Vancouver Island, last Thursday.  Firstly, I'd never caught the ferry, being lucky enough to have my sea plane fare paid by my employers each time I travelled to the Gulf Islands.  Secondly, I was obviously excited about meeting C on the other side, after about 8 weeks apart.  And lastly, it meant we were one step closer to picking up our lovely little puppy.  The ferry terminal on the Vancouver side is a fair distance from the downtown core, so we caught a bus there, only to be delayed boarding the ferry due to a 'police incident' which we later found out referred to someone going overboard (intentionally).  As we wove our way through the Gulf Islands, Tom and I thought that life would have to be pretty bad to willingly go into those waters ... in the middle of winter.  After dwelling on that sadness for a moment, we turned our eyes to the beautiful scenery of the Gulf Islands.  There is something truly mesmorising about that part of the world.  The islands have a magical light about them.   However, it's not easily captured in photographs ... well not my photographs at least.  But, I took a few snaps as I counted down the long 95 minutes before I could disembark and see C for the first time in a while ...

Another ferry coming through the Gulf Islands

Lighthouse en route

Sun shining through clouds

Stanley Park and Coal Harbour ...

Totem poles in Stanley Park

One of the 'must-do' experiences in Vancouver (according to the many bike rental places across the city as well as myself) is a bike ride around Stanley Park.  Thankfully, our second day in Vancouver brought no rain and even a little bit of sunshine.  We promptly took advantage of this window of opportunity, hired a couple of bikes (a mountain bike for Tom and a cruiser for me) and set off around Stanley Park.  Along the way, we stopped at the various sight-seeing spots and information panels before reaching English Bay and stopping to soak up some Vitamin D for a little while.  In the afternoon, we wandered through Gastown and Chinatown before ending up in Coal Harbour to enjoy the sunset.  After our uninspiring culinary feast in a mediocre setting the night before, we wanted to find a special place for dinner on our last night in Vancouver.  On our way back to the hotel, we stumbled across Cardero's, a beautiful restaurant right on the water and serving a delicious menu featuring lots of local seafood specialities (and the best creme brulee I've ever tasted).  The restaurant didn't disappoint and I'll definitely be a return visitor on future trips to Vancouver.  Whilst it was a whirlwind trip to Vancouver for Tom, we managed to hit a lot of the 'hot spots' and by the time we hit the sack that night, we were ready to head off to Victoria the next day.

Stanley Park

Looking back to English Bay

Enjoying some rare Vancouver winter sun

Coal Harbour at sunset

Sea plane coming in at sunset

More sunset

Coal Harbour and mountains

Granville Island ...

The day that Tom arrived in Vancouver was grey and miserable.  But, being good travellers, we didn't let the rain stop our adventures.  After purchasing a couple of umbrellas, we headed for the water taxi terminal to take us to Granville Island, where we could spend at least some of the day inside staying dry.  After wandering through the market, shops and galleries, we bunkered down at the Granville Island Hotel for lunch and beer tasting.  Finally the rain stopped and we were able to continue our adventures.  Another water taxi took us to Yaletown where we checked out the shops (Marimekko tights for me) and looked for a restaurant for that evening.  We walked back to the hotel and promptly decided to crash - Malaysian take-away, local beer and a movie, all enjoyed on our respective beds in the hotel room.  An early night and prayers for no rain followed.

Granville Island hat shop

Purchase of the day - a trucker hat

Long lunch (to escape the rain) at the Granville Island hotel

Colourful houses on Granville Island

The same colourful houses from the water taxi

Shopping in Vancouver ...

Yes, I've been missing in action over the past week and a bit.  After leaving 'the family' in Sydney, I spent a whirlwind week in Melbourne, catching up with family and friends, beginning work on my thesis and preparing for my departure for Canada.  The more time I spend with my family, the more I love them, not just as family but as friends.  Man (how North American!), I'm going to miss them.  The week simply flew by and before I knew it, my trip to Canada had begun.  I arrived in Vancouver early this morning and spent the day walking the streets of downtown Vancouver, soaking up the crisp, fresh winter air.  Being a little tired and emotional after leaving my family, I don't have much to say right now but I thought I'd share with you the highlight of my first day in Canada (which was spent alone) ... these gorgeous Helly Hansen winter boots ... 

The picture doesn't quite do them justice.  They are black suede boots with a toasty fur lining.  They're super comfortable and are designed for the snow, so will suit me perfectly for my return to Calgary at the end of the week.  My other purchases today?   A steak flavoured rope toy and some salmon jerky puppy treats.  I'm just a little bit excited about picking up our puppy on Friday!  Oh, and seeing my brother tomorrow.  And, of course, seeing Cameron on Thursday.  But for now, a combination of jet lag and two glasses of red wine means that this jet-setter needs to go to bed.