Planet Ruby Starrs

Full circle,we are back in Vancouver, in an airb&b place very central - good spot, very nice apartment, modern with a little outside deck to sit on - and we are minutes from down town Vancouver.   Not that we are too bothered as we are cream crackered - interstate driving - and then city driving all very different from the wide open spaces we have passed through over the last few weeks.  Its that point in the holiday when its time to go home.... The car has gone back - we are unsure as to whether it still housed a mousecedes or not, we haven't had any food or drink in there for a few days but I did discover when I unpacked my emergency pants they had been shredded!!!  BUT they were my emergency pants and I hadn't needed them so they could  have become part of a nest any time over the last weeks... The car people seemed quite happy with the mess we left the car in having practically lived in it for 60 days - we didn't mention mousecedes but there was a lo...

Totem poles in the great hall Today we went to the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Amazing exhibits of First Nation artifacts, history and art, displayed in a wonderful great hall and surrounding rooms.  Many beautiful totem poles, and other symbolic carvings, creatures, huge dishes, spoons, renovated, reconstructed and some in their original state on show celebrating Canada's early and present history. Symbolic statues and huge dishes for ceremonial parties. A ceremonial garment constructed from several pieces of other garments - a kind of recycling!! In one of the gallery rooms there was an interactive video display where the room was enclosed and different images were projected onto the walls. As you walked around certain bits of the imagery reacted with your shadow causing the projection display to change and suddenly what had been a quiet piece of fluttering art was a red mist, a rainbow or sparkly lights or li...

It was worth paying for a window seat..... safe journey, few mishaps got a bit lost in Vancouver ha ha - tried to get the bus in the wrong direction... but ended up in very nice apartment where we will live til sunday Amazing views from airplane across Iceland, Greenland and the Canadian Rockies... and there are beautiful butterflies in the garden..... and amazing peaks across the way all looking very very fabulous! but now we need to eat and sleep its been a long two days..

I've bought a little notebook to travel with which means I can blog with ease and keep in touch with family and friends without having to resort to the dreaded tablet which has now been relegated for music only.   I'm feeling very smug as I mananged to set up the new computer all on my own and everything I need is there and working - to date- now all I need to to is buy a tent and finish the endless lists to ensure we pack everything for our summer trip. Its just under two weeks until we hit Vancouver and then the Rockies, travelling across to Calgary and then down into the States heading for Casper, Wyoming to meet friends and view the 2017 total eclipse and then on to where ever the road takes us.  As long as we are back in Vancouver mid September we can please ourselves.   I'm very excited champing at the bit for some quality sunshine and hopefully some dramatic weather in the mountains -not too dramatic while we are in a tent I hope - Last time Dr Fred was in North ...

I've had a bonfire halloween week, we had a brilliant firework display courtesy of a Newcastle friend - on the beach on Druridge Bay, BBQ, bonfire and the best fireworks and pyromania I've witnessed at a private event. It was cold and windy and I have to say I was a wimp, I didn't venture down much before the fireworks and then came back home to  fire pretty much straight away!! Dr Fred helped set up and clear away but I'm very pleased I managed to get it together and brave the beach for the main event. I was in a very excited mood having just - finally - booked our flights for our intended adventure next year. Its official at last, we fly into Vancouver mid July and out again when we have trawled around the Rockies, across into the US of A done a few more rocks, national parks and enjoyed the 2016 total Eclipse of the sun visible from somewhere down that way...  we don't plan too much as it's more fun to see where the road takes us. Needless to say I'm ve...