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 !