2006 Ghostbusters Save Vavcouver !

All week at work it seemed to me that a plague of spiders had appeared to have arrived and begun spinning thier magic creating vast amounts of cob webs all of a sudden ! This could only mean one thing of course !


Haloween was about to arrive in the creepy ghoulie hollow of Vancouver !

The impending and growing excitement seemed to take two forms that the independent English witness (me) could spot.

1. As noted - all manner of creepy crawlie decorations got splattered across desks, computers, chairs, windows etc etc etc .......... and not least can the odd pumpkin or two cause hazard for the unsuspecting rambler not paying attention to where they are going !

2. The second and all together more interesting tell tale sign of arrival is that every girl in town within ear shot starts to natter about what costume they will be sporting, and furthermore to which party.

Obviously being the quiet, honest respectable bloke that I am (look every one - my mom reads this so forgive the ever so slight white lies)
I was shocked and horrified to learn that the costumes in general consideration basically involved leaning to the risque side !

OK OK ! I will dispense with the tosh. Yes - every girl in town decides to turn their:

i) nurse
ii) little red riding hood
iii) little bo beep / snow white
iv) wpc

costume into a :

i) Slutty nurse
ii) Harlot red riding hood
iii) Horny bo peep / snow white
iv) Dirty wpc

costume.

I have never seen so many scandalously dressed girls wandering the streets of any city before (and that includes Newcastle upon Tyne or Liverpool). Obviously I hated it ! mmmmm?

Taking Will's suggestion that we go as a team to the bash I had been invited to by some work colleagues, we got ourselves armed up with water pistols, white overalls and hey presto !

The Ghostbusters take on Vancouver !

That a good time was had by all I'm sure you can see ! That a free bar was principal cause I'm sure you need not be Sherlock Holmes to work out ! Lets just say by the time Ray Parker Junior made it onto the DJ's play list my dancing skills were not too pretty or stylish, even if they were energetic ! Elbows at the ready !

West Coast Pricey Boy !

Waking up Thursday morning to my black berry bleeping like the clappers, I did wonder what disaster was brewing and on which of my sites this would warrant such action at such an hour ! Far from being a superintendent confessing he had just hit a power line with a backhoe and had blacked out half of South Surrey (yes this has occured) it turns out Pricey Boy had encountered upon some cheap flights from San Francisco to Vancouver and wondered if a west coast visit trip north could be put on the play list !

Pricey now being a US jet setter and currently working in California hopped the few states and the odd 1100 miles to join me for a relaxing week end in the BC sun arriving at the airport late Friday evening.

Picking up the largest hire car in Canada (a Lincoln Victoria as used by the local cops) we sped through town, across Lions Gate bridge and abandoned the car just in time to sink a few coolers in my local - The Rusty Gull.

Encountering some odd old boy playing the bag pipes (through his electric guitar wired to his apple mac) cracking very poor gags as he went, we could only shrug in bemusement and smile as beers arrived. I can only assume this is a sign of the times ?

Sinking half a dozen beers and crashing in to bed at 1am it did occur to me that perhaps this wasn't the best preparation for a game of rugby I had ever performed, that was scheduled for the next morning. Dragging Owen off his airbed next morning we duly bussed it over to Stanley Park where the Rowers (a motely crew of knackered expats) took on and beat the youthful and fit but chicken students of UBC.

Feeling not one bit of dissapointment at being told we had enough of a regular starting line up that I would not be required to play, we took the opportunity to stagger into the clubhouse at final whistle and check out the view of the seconds game from the bar balcony with beer in hand ! Much more civilised I'm sure you will agree.

At this point, having placed an England top on him, Leigh (the well know cougar hunter from Sydney) recounted how he had managed to get himself run over staggering home from the pub the night before by a plush twenty something blond who then offered to buy him dinner as peace offering. Obviously she wouldn't know that it is a regular occurance for this Waratah to bounce of all manner of things on his route home most nights. Either on foot or mounted in his stock car jeep ! How very nice the locals are hey !

Concluding our Saturday tour with a traditional English meal of chicken Jalfrezi, peshwari naan and poolou rice as they call it here, it was grand to have the first family turn up and see my new life first hand.

A final walk on Sunday prior to departure en route up to Whistler in the cold, only served to peak anticipation for the impending snow and family ski weekend visit to the mountains scheduled for the end of November.

Good to see you Owen - looking forward to guiding you on some scary missions up Blackcomb. Get on that training regime son !

Jessica watch - Fantastic Four update !

Barry Norman eat your heart out ! Live from the city streets of down town Vancouver (and all of twenty feet from my desk) this weekend saw Hollywood descend upon our humble abode and transform it into good old New York New York for some heli action as part of the new Fantastic Four Movie.



Having mounted a Jessica Alba perving bird watch perch from our office for the past three weeks, the massed twitchers were not dissapointed as she nearly got chopped in half in her finest white skimpy frock as extras dove for cover in all directions !

That a real helicopter was filming all this action and landing on a postage stamp size spot of land closed in on four sides by concrete structures was a little surreal to watch to say the least.

The BA crew crew hotel (the Marriott) is in the back ground on the top right which gives you some idea how central this is - and how many Joe Public bystanders were looking around in total bemusement !

Good old Twentieth Century Fox must flash some amount of cash to the city to allow this madness ! For a country that loves its mindless paperwork and union orientated safety regimes - this seemed a little on the wreckless side noting that there was all of two bored looking RCMP Constables picking their nose at the end of the street.

Thanksgiving lunch on Bowen Island !

I must have lost count of how many public holiday long weekends we have had since my arrival in May ?

This being Thanks giving must have been probably........... ooh.... the fifth Monday that I have had to go mooch around and generally do zero work !

I must admit I didn't see too many Indians wandering about handing out corn on the cobbs to new world settlers in this part of town, which is what I am led to believe this particular North American holiday is all meant to signify ! Ho hum oh well !

Also in true cross border rivalry the Canadians hold their thanks giving in October where the Yanks hold theirs in November ! All very odd but who am I to complain.

Driving in second gear the entire 15 miles up to Horse shoe bay in Leigh's pimped ride (a battle scarred but not beaten) Suzuki Jeep we hopped onto the BC ferry out to Snug Cove on Bowen Island in search of a thanks giving lunch spot.

Settling on Doc Marlins public house conveniently spotted all of a hundred metres from the ferry jetty it seemed rude not to have some beer battered Halibut and chips basking in the sun with a cooling Pale Ale.

A full turkey just didn't seem right given the peaceful maritime location even if that was what is supposed to be scoffed at thanks giving.

The snow isn't too far away now blighty dwellers ! In less than a month those hills in the back ground will be white at the peaks en route up the sea to sky and Whistler !