Well, we’ve been back in our own house for nearly a week now and all the unpacking, washing and ironing are done. The house is more or less back to normal and I just have to tackle the jungle that has grown out of our little garden. The only thing not to grow has been the lavender that Paul pruned before we left! Never mind I never did like the smell of lavender!

What an incredible adventure we had in Canada and America. Here’s a few thoughts now I’ve had time to think:- 

Best hotel – the hotel we stayed in in Whistler, although all the hotel’s had something to recommend them.

Best meal – possibly the Mac and cheese I had in the Shady Rest pub in Qualicum.

Best walk – probably the walk to Jack Point, although there are many that I love and can’t wait to do again.

Best city – for me, probably Chicago or New York.

This holiday definitely confirmed for me that my favourite places to visit are places where we can get out in the country and watch all the incredible wildlife that is out there.

The train rides were definitely a highlight of the whole trip – spending a whole day sitting in a comfy seat watching incredible scenery go by was wonderful and sleeping on a train a definite experience not to be missed. It was also great to talk to so many interesting people although I could have done without the man we got lumbered with one breakfast and who insisted on introducing us to his daughter in Washington station and having our photo taken with him was excruciating!

I will never forget the bike ride we did around Stanley Park and False Creek in Vancouver – the weather was perfect for once although we did pay for it next day when the rain hammered down so hard that we couldn’t leave the flat!

We did stay in some very “interesting” places from the tiny cottage in Banff where the bedroom was dwarfed by the enormous jacuzzi bath to the luxury of the hotel in Whistler. We met some very interesting people everywhere and I definitely talked to a lot more people than I usually would.

The most exciting times for me were when we saw wildlife we hadn’t seen before – the moose with her youngster, the marmots who posed for the camera, the Pygmy owl who was so cute, the ruffed grouse, the sandpiper cranes and the merganser babies who ran on top of the water and the otter having crab for his breakfast.

Top of all our experiences for me was watching the eaglet and his parents in Beachcomber Park. We saw him most days while we were in Parksville and were very lucky to meet a lovely lady called Jeannie who was also in awe of him and has continued to send me updates on his progress. He’s very close to leaving the nest now, flying across the nest when his Mum and Dad aren’t there. Mind you he still seems to enjoy being fed by his Mum – obviously a boy!

It’s lovely to be back in our little house and I’m enjoying being back in Felixstowe but I can’t wait to go back to Canada and continue our adventures.

Bye for now

Gill