tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170439092024-03-07T18:30:58.228-08:00in the blue canadian rockiesa journal of a new life in canada & thoughts on an old one in englandGraemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-10536712234626013172008-08-09T14:03:00.000-07:002008-08-09T14:09:12.616-07:00I'm back..........A mere 18 months or so after my last post on this blog, I have decided to resurrect it and from time to time post a few thoughts, experiences & observations.<br /><br />A lot of water has flowed under the proverbial bridge since I last posted on here - with first & foremost a new Canmore born son, Charlie born in September 2007.<br /><br />Today is a sparkling hot day, not a breeze in the Valley & probably 27 degrees. It's not been the greatest summer weather-wise, lots of rain, plenty of thunderstorms & the occasional scorcher in between.<br /><br />Last night was typical, after several days of beautiful hot weather, I bought an infra-red patio heater - no sooner had i battled with the instructions & assembled it, then the thunder boomed around the mountains & the rain bucketed down.<br /><br />Well I'm going to tinker with this, bring it up to date appearance wise & think of some interesting thngs to post.Graemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-92208652050262056842007-01-02T08:29:00.000-08:002007-01-02T08:35:51.157-08:002006/2007so it's all over for 12 months & today is back to work day - i mean i was working last week, but the phones/e-mail were deader than an ex-Iraqi president, so this is really back to life, back to reality<br /><br />christmas was good, it cannot fail to be when you have an excited 2 year old who is getting to grips with her first proper notions of what it's all about & this year, now that we know so many people in the valley - there was no shortage of parties to attend<br /><br />i also burnt way more calories than i consumed, thanks to snowboard sessions at Lake Louise, Nakiska & Sunshine - add to that a bit of x-country skiing & snowshoeing - it was all good<br /><br />in fact the snowshoeing was great fun, we went up to Spray Lakes & struck out into the forest, apart from the occasional dog sled, it was just us, the trees, the mountains, the snow & a burning sun - bliss<br /><br />so that was it, NYE was a quiet one - i had burnt myself out at Sunshine with a full-on day on the slopes & so we chilled out at a friend's party & watched some fireworks - a contrast to some of the London NYE parties for sureGraemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-31291592388137159522006-12-27T22:17:00.000-08:002006-12-27T22:21:35.446-08:00my 2006 picks..........<div style="direction: ltr;">No.10 HOWLIN' RAIN - HOWLIN' RAIN<br />No. 9 THE BROKEN FAMILY BAND - BALLS<br /></div><div style="direction: ltr;"><span class="q">No. 8 THE BLACK ANGELS - PASSOVER<br />No. 7 CUT CHEMIST - THE AUDIENCE IS LISTENING<br />No. 6 HOT CHIP - THE WARNING<br />No. 5 BELLE & SEBASTIAN - THE LIFE PURSUIT<br />No. 4 VETIVER - TO FIND ME GONE<br />No. 3 MIDLAKE - THE TRIALS OF VON OCCUPANTHER<br />No. 2 THE TYDE - THREE'S CO<br />No. 1 ESPERS - ESPERS II<br /><br /><br /> Top Ten Tracks - jeez this was hard - here is my current selection,<br /> this will have changed by tomorrow<br /><br />No 10. GRUFF RHYS & LISA JEN - candylion<br /></span></div><div style="direction: ltr;">No 9. HOWLIN RAIN - death prayer in heavens orchard<br /></div><div style="direction: ltr;"><span class="q">No 8. ESPERS - dead queen<br />No 7. VETIVER - been so long<br />No 6. THE EARLY YEARS - so far gone<br />No 5. HOT CHIP - boy from school<br />No 4. THE TYDE - brock landers<br />No 3. DAVE ALVIN - california bloodlines<br />No 2. MIDLAKE - roscoe<br />No 1. BELLE & SEBASTIAN - another sunny day<br /><br />Top 5 Reissues - no problem with no. 1 here.......<br /><br />No. 5 JOHN PHILLIPS - the wolf king of LA<br />No 4. JESUS & MARY CHAIN - entire back catalogue remastered<br />No 3. JOHN CALE - paris 1919<br />No 2. JOHNNY CASH - live at Folsom Prison<br />No 1. GRAM PARSONS - the complete reprise sessions<br /><br />Top Book - shamefully i have read less than 10 books this year - some<br />of them have taken me months but i enjoyed these two:<br /><br />John Peel - Margrave of the Marshes<br />Naomi Duguid - Mangoes & Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through the<br />Great Subcontinent<br /><br />Top Movie - hmmmm we don't have a cinema so bit tricky this one:<br /><br /></span></div><div style="direction: ltr;">obvious choice - Borat.............but most enjoyable in a melancholy way<br />Be Here to Love Me - the story of Townes Van Zandt<br /></div><span class="q" id="q_10fc7abe5378d516_7"><br />Best dvd i watched - Two Lane Blacktop</span>Graemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-84672093971163427522006-11-28T21:44:00.000-08:002006-11-28T22:01:10.507-08:00SoCal in the spring...........we've decided to head down to Palm Springs in March for a week<br /><br />never been to that part of the world & the aim is to book into a small, independant hotel - ( tho' it looks like it'll be a bit tough finding a child friendly one) - from where we can do our own thing<br /><br />a lot of the hotel's have a fifties vibe about them which fits perfectly with a bit of a B-Movie phase I have been going through - Invasion of The Body Snatchers rules!!!<br /><br />now the radio blog is up again i can share some tracks from bands i have been listening to<br /><br />So Far Gone (also a terrific Teenage Fanclub track) is from the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Early-Years/dp/B000HOJFAK">latest album</a> by <a href="http://www.theearlyyears.org.uk/">The Early Years</a> - they are a London band, much akin to the likes of Spacemen 3, Sonic Boom & Spiritualised all of whom i saw, loved & adored in equal measure in my indie-kid days<br /><br />actually on reflecton i think i am still in my indie-kid days<br /><br />surely by now is houlda developed an affection for Simply Red, Michael Bolton & Keane?!?!Graemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-3962600566723621372006-11-27T22:49:00.000-08:002006-11-27T22:52:12.727-08:00The Music Machine Returns.............after much fiddlin' about - it's back & i can share some favourite tunes<br /><br />i love this version of Blues Run The Game by obscure 60's US folkie <a href="http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_C._Frank">Jackson C Frank </a><br /><br />and of course you can't go wrong with Donovan<br /><br />more to come, but don't fret it ain't all folkGraemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-48320064787330475732006-11-26T21:47:00.000-08:002006-11-26T21:52:53.434-08:00so cold it hurts.......by jove it's cold<br /><br />cold as in i think my eyeball's might be freezing<br /><br />cold as in getting into the warm, from being outside, really hurts<br /><br />cold as in don't touch any bare metal with ungloved hands or else<br /><br />it's -35C to be precise, in reality it's only -25 - but the wind chill man, the wind chill<br /><br />so all this lovely talcum powder like snow that is falling is going to waste as only the extremely brave & the foolish are venturing outside let alone up a ski hill<br /><br />and there's more to come, a whole weeks worth of bone chillin' cold<br /><br />those warm summer's evenings are a mere dream, now we are in the depths of winterGraemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-55399481270022283332006-11-21T20:24:00.000-08:002006-11-21T20:37:23.672-08:00brown water....it's terrible<br /><br />i haven't written anything here for <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">aeons</span> - it's not like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">i'm</span> always crazy busy - i just forget<br /><br />i am in Vancouver, heavy, heavy storms have turned the water in the reservoirs a murky shade of brown & a murky shade of brown is what you get when you turn the taps on<br /><br />the city is without clean drinking water & subsequently sales of bottled water are at an all time high - it's all a bit surreal & makes you realise just how precious the stuff is & how much we take it for granted<br /><br />the ironic thing of course is that this, being Vancouver, is accompanied by an almost constant downpour of fresh water from the leaden skies<br /><br />it's all too much & i look forward to getting back to Calgary & <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Canmore</span> tomorrow where life in the deep freeze is much more straightforward<br /><br />i urge you to listen to <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=116198410">John The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Wolfking</span> of LA by John Phillips </a>- it's just been reissued, i have been a fan for years of this early 70's masterpiece - now it's back for all to hear<br /><br />a talented guy who waste a lot of his life on drugs but was also married to one of <a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=68295843">the most beautiful women</a> in the history of popular music in my humblest of humble opinionsGraemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-7379744199157932042006-10-17T20:50:00.000-07:002006-10-17T21:00:11.865-07:00home from home....well i am just back after 2 weeks in the UK, it was a bit strange to be "home" after a whole year away - but in reality nothing had really changed<br /><br />the roads were still clogged with far too much traffic, things in London were still horribly expensive & <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Charlton</span> were still losing<br /><br />things i noticed<br /><br />- just how many people wear suits, it's very informal here in Canada - hardly anyone wears a suit but back home everyone was suited & booted<br /><br />- how much better public transport is in England, it's non-existent over here barring air travel<br /><br />- how fashions had changed, everyone in 80's style long jumpers & belts, skinny jeans, boots etc, i do like this season's look - over here <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">fashion</span> is more dictated by weather, with <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">the</span> <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">onset</span> of snow this morning - it's hats, gloves, scarves & big coats<br /><br />- Poles everywhere, London is the new Warsaw - but even in the little towns, East European accents are everywhere to be heard<br /><br />- food, we ate at some great pubs & enjoyed a proper old-school curry - food in general in the <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">UK</span> is better than Canada - although we know most of the best, secret places to visit over here<br /><br />- pace of life - London is mad, mad, mad - especially rush hour, i had kind of forgotten that aspect of things - it is definitely more chilled over here<br /><br />so great to be back, to see some very dear friends & family - but back home now & back to the grindstone in the run up to Xmas<br /><br />nice.Graemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-41318043009999847472006-09-21T21:18:00.000-07:002006-09-21T21:41:12.317-07:00Widnes 1990.......<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4549/2080/1600/roses.jpeg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4549/2080/320/roses.jpeg.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />i was reading an article today about The Stone Roses & their famous gig at Spike Island in May 1990 - it brought the memories flooding back, i was a mere slip of a lad back then living in one of the most run down areas Manchester has to offer, carefree & totally hooked on the Stone Roses<br /><br />they were the soundtrack to my late teens & we'd got on board the bandwagon pretty much before it left the station, big fans pre-debut LP & first seeing them in front of a few dozen people at a club called Legends underneath the Rugby League ground in Warrington, one dark, dank night in '88<br /><br />fast forward a couple of years & the band were super nova, it's hard to describe just how massive they had become in Manchester by the time Spike Island rolled round, forget the Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, James etc etc - The Stone Roses fired up the whole late 80's Manchester craze, they were streets ahead of Oasis but unfortunately unlike their plodding succesors, they succumbed to a blizzard of drugs & in-fighting<br /><br />Sunday 27th May 1990 for me is a haze, chemically imbalanced i dont actually recall that much - just hazy flashes of the band on stage, a giant globe beach ball bouncing around in the crowd, fireworks & of course 16 or so perfect pop songs<br /><br />it seems a long time ago & a different world, but i was there - in the days before V2 festivals & the like, this was about a northern band with attitude, and 30,000 or so kids witnessing a legendary group at the all too brief pinnacle of their powersGraemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-63100614839055833232006-09-20T21:02:00.000-07:002006-09-20T21:08:11.492-07:00R.E.S.P.E.C.TGood old Hugo - loved the speech today at the UN.<br /><br />Viva Hugo. Viva Venezuela.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4549/2080/1600/Chavez127928.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4549/2080/320/Chavez127928.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Graemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-34632967775626619942006-09-17T16:34:00.000-07:002006-09-17T16:49:02.315-07:00Banff, AB<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4549/2080/1600/IMG_1619.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4549/2080/320/IMG_1619.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>there's not much to interest anyone other than hungry, souvenir hunting tourists in <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Banff</span> - if you are looking for humorous tee-shirts or small bears in Mountie uniforms you can't go wrong<br /><br />it is very, very much a tourist town, it is however surrounded by stunning scenery & on a sunny Sunday afternoon your eye is constantly drawn to the snow capped peaks & the amazing blue waters of the River Bow<br /><br />even though i only live 25 minutes away by car, this was only the second time this year i have stopped for a look around the shops & notwithstanding the possible need to buy bears in Mountie outfits for disliked relatives at Xmas, it'll probably be my last<br /><br />on the way home i nipped up the potholed, dirt road that takes you above the Spray Lakes <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Reservoir</span> to take a few pictures - now my car with it's fancy 4<span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">WD</span> makes effortless work of this steep, winding, rutted road & I admit my speed was a little higher than it should have been<br /><br />so i apologise to the old guy who had for some reason pulled over & stopped on the side of the road, (in the area that states "No Stopping - Avalanche Danger") - how was i to know he had his window wound down & was taking a photo from his car window as i came round the corner swooshed past him, through a lake of a muddy puddle & soaked him & the inside of his car - <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ooops</span> - sorry Grandpa!!!Graemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-25604839051460050832006-09-17T16:28:00.001-07:002006-09-17T16:28:48.958-07:00a newt's eye view<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4549/2080/1600/IMG_1625.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4549/2080/320/IMG_1625.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" > <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/15337579@N00/245844404/">I</a></span></div><br />if you were a newt paddling eastwards down the River Bow through Canmore this afternoon, this was what you would have seen.......nice eh?Graemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-47178919148678146632006-09-17T10:55:00.000-07:002006-09-17T11:01:12.410-07:00Sunday morning snapshot<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4549/2080/1600/IMG_1616.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4549/2080/320/IMG_1616.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The snow clouds have lifted & its a glorious September morning again, there's a big melt on & I had to capture the scene from our bedroom window - a few days ago, the mountains were bare.<br /><br /><br />I'm off to Banff now, to take a few more pictures.Graemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-48823076914689914582006-09-15T22:45:00.000-07:002006-09-15T22:47:48.751-07:00a reminder<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4549/2080/1600/IMG_0636.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/4549/2080/320/IMG_0636.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>on a cold, snowy day it's nice to recall a bit of sun - our local swimming pool just a few weeks backGraemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-63563653908195312782006-09-15T22:29:00.000-07:002006-09-15T22:44:40.811-07:00a jammy situationwell it was a good night in the Rose & Crown last night, too good in fact & it was struggle to get up this morning<br /><br />it will be even harder in a few hours time when i have to drag myself out of bed at 5.30am to watch Charlton live on the TV - now there's commitment for you, the question is should i go back to bed afterwards of concede defeat & just stay up as though a 5.30 start on a Saturday morning is perfectly fine - hmm decisions, decisions<br /><br />whats the worst thing you can spill in a car? well i managed to smash a huge jar of jam in my trunk (boot!) yesterday afternoon, i guess there are worse things - but what a pain cleaning that up - the spare tyre is now officially glued into place with apricot based confiture, god help me if i get a flat in the next few days - as i scraped the sticky mess out it was falling all over the sidewalk (ha!) & up my driveway, really bad news when there are hungry bears everywhere - it took ages to clean up, not helped by the slush & snow & my car has a sickly jammy fragrance to it<br /><br />i drove to <a href="http://www.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=innisfail,+alberta&ie=UTF8&z=8&ll=52.021382,-113.954557&spn=2.305438,6.943359&om=1">Innisfail</a> today, the weather was attrocious & everywhere just looked dank & depressing - unusual for Alberta which seems to be sunny 90% of the time - a real Fall feeling abounds, but its due to warm up again rapidly after Sunday - not that it matters, i have a few days next week in Vancouver & i know it will be all fine & dandy over there<br /><br />so thats about it, another week whizzes by, 11 months we have been here now & it only seems like yesterday that we were heading down the Trans Canada Highway from the airport to Canmore for the very first timeGraemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-60011135418093637832006-09-14T18:21:00.000-07:002006-09-14T18:25:38.415-07:00three inches...of snow today, the street looks like a scene from a Xmas card - it's the 14th September<br /><br />just off out to the pub for a few beers with my good mate JG<br /><br />it's quiet at the moment with Nicky & Tabby back in the UK, i'm rattling round this big old house like a pea in a drum<br /><br />i'll be back soon enough, two weeks today I'll have a pocketful of pounds & pence, driving on the other side of the road & looking for the nearest good Indian restaurant<br /><br />yes that's one thing i miss over here - a decent curryGraemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-84279714622900229712006-09-11T19:44:00.000-07:002006-09-11T19:57:53.924-07:00memories.......with the nation in the grip of 9/11 <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">reminiscing</span> i guess i should just say that i was at home in Greenwich, London on that fateful day - i remember looking out of the windows every few minutes to see if Canary Wharf was under attack - it wasn't<br /><br />i recall we had fish & chips that evening, too shocked to cook & in need of comfort food - it was all too much - no matter what <a href="http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/images/chart0905_3.gif">despicable politics</a> were behind it all<br /><br />and now we have movies, <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/4171409.html">TV "<span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Docu</span></a> Dramas" & all sorts of what some say is "cashing in" going on - i haven't & will not watch these things, people's lives obliterated turned into entertainment<br /><br />on a cheerier note the good weather continues, it was +30 in Calgary today, amazingly they are calling for just +1 on Friday!!!! Must be some cold front rolling in...........<br /><br /><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Canmore</span> United lost in the final of the end of season Bow Valley League Tournament, <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">disappointing</span> but the tournament was pretty meaningless & the real trophy, The <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">BVSL</span> League Championship was handed over to us, halfway during the day's proceedings. I played all 5 games yesterday, from 10.30am to 7pm - knackered isn't strong enough to describe my physical <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">state</span> at the moment & we have to do it all again in <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Cochrane</span> this coming weekend, with an even bigger tournament and tougher schedule - better get the thermal gloves ready for this oneGraemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-84815111293744109262006-09-07T18:03:00.000-07:002006-09-07T18:10:52.268-07:00of bears and cabers....the 3rd night of 3 in Toronto on a little work jaunt, i am back on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Westjet</span> to Calgary first thing tomorrow morning<br /><br />it's a short week, after another public holiday on Monday - we seem to get one a month - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">i'm</span> definitely not complaining<br /><br />the weekend just gone was scorching, we went to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Canmore</span> Highland Games on Sunday - lots of dubiously connected "Scots" <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">larging</span> it up - but i<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">t</span> was fun & I finally got to see someone tossing a caber- i can tick that off my ambitions in life list<br /><br />the week before C<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">anmore</span> United won the Bow Valley Soccer League - it's been a pleasure playing for this multinational team, with great lads pulling together to win this hotly contested title - shame the Championship winning party is when i am back in the UK<br /><br />i also found time to cycle the rugged <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Rundle</span> trail from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Banff</span> to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Canmore</span>, we were well aware of the dangers of running into bears but luckily they were nowhere to be seen - maybe they were tossing cabers too, some of those hairy Scotsman were suspiciously bear like in appearance come to think of itGraemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-55561385205464291612006-08-21T20:40:00.000-07:002006-08-21T20:51:48.266-07:00a bear.......finally got to see my first Grizzly bear on Saturday morning, as we drove down <a href="http://www.google.ca/maphp?q=Kananaskis,+AB&ie=UTF8&ll=50.785102,-115.058441&spn=0.636413,1.73584&om=1">Highway 40</a>,(roughly where the green arrow points, for a hike into the mountains<br /><br />there he was, sitting on the edge of the forest, his coat shining in the fierce sun & looking rather sleepy<br /><br />we turned the car around for a second look but he was gone, dissapeared into the vast forested wilderness that the highway cuts through<br /><br />the hike up at the <a href="http://www.peakfinder.com/passes.asp?passname=highwood+pass">Highwood Pass </a>was strenous as we climbed several hundred metres in elevation, but at the the top a series of cascading waterfalls offered some respite from the heat<br /><br />all good fun & wholesome exercise<br /><br />the following day i starred for Canmore United in our 7-1 demolition of Caribou in the Bow Valley League, actually i saw stars as a nasty clash of heads forced me off dazed & confused shortly into the 2nd half - it was odd, i kind of felt OK but my head was swimming & i couldn't walk for a while - needless to say my head hurt for the rest of the day but i hope to be fit for our final game of the season on Sunday, a win guarantees us the league titleGraemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-1155876624278090442006-08-17T21:40:00.000-07:002006-08-17T21:50:24.293-07:00bloody Brazilians....I am on the Island for a couple of days, as ever it's a lovely place & the weather is good - i flew into <a href="http://www.britishcolumbia.com/regions/towns/?townID=48">Comox</a> today from, Calgary - <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&saddr=calgary&daddr=Comox,+BC&ie=UTF8&om=1">a route that</a> took us over the Coastal Mountain ranges of BC in pristine blue skies<br /><br />then a pleasant drive down from Comox, via Nanaimo to Victoria with a few work stops on the way<br /><br />which brings me here to a hotel in downtown Victoria, temporary home to the Brazilian National Swimming Team competing in the <a href="http://www.panpacs2006.com/">Pan Pacific Swimming Championships</a> & currently running riot in the hotel, worryingly close to my bedtime<br /><br />i'll have to go & shout at them - maybe I'll remind them of their dismal World Cup<br /><br />on second thoughts, as an Englishman I better put the stones down or my glasshouse will be well & truly broken<br /><br />so what is Portuguese for "SHUT DA FUCK UP!!!"Graemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-1155610497167193202006-08-14T19:37:00.000-07:002006-08-14T19:54:57.180-07:00sunset over the mountains....this summer seems to have lasted for ever, it's another lovely evening & i am sat in the lounge of our new home with a beautiful view of the sun setting over the mountains - the few wispy clouds slowly reddening as darkness nears<br /><br />the new house has brought with it nothing but hassle & expense in terms of actually buying it - thanks to an idiotic buyer of our UK house turning out not to have the money to fulfill the deal, she so happily entered into & an estate agent redefining the boundaries of incompetence - but enough - we are here now & on a balmy August evening that's all that matters<br /><br />recent weekends have been spent at festivals<br /><br />the Calgary folk festival was headlined by Kris Kristofferson - a true legend, but also a legend who refused to leave the stage & was still playing after about 3 hours by which time our initial spell bound attentiveness had succumbed to weary, cold boredom<br /><br />the weather was gorgeous - hot, dry & with much lighter evenings over here - it was a truly wondrous day - my 21mo old daughters first festival & an experience that spilled over from the cool bands playing (the great Son Volt, Robbie Fulks, Dave Alvin) into the craft stalls, ethnic food vendors & of course he beer tent/garden - not a chav in sight<br /><br />the following weekend was our very own Canmore folk festival, a smaller, more family oriented affair - but again, perfect weather & lots to do outside of the music, including a small enclosure filled with tiny sheep, goats & pigs which the kids could stroke - i never knew pig's had such wet, slimy noses<br /><br />so back in the Uk for 2 weeks hols at the end of September - really looking forward to it - hopefully all this stuff about the planes & security will have calmed down<br /><br />out here in sleepy, balmy Canmore it seems a long way awayGraemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-1152749072458247692006-07-12T16:40:00.000-07:002006-07-12T17:04:32.573-07:00saskatoon shakedown........sorry about the lack of posts - i was watching the world cup<br /><br />my thoughts on it.......later<br /><br />another busy month whips by, i'm in Saskatoon tonight - its 35 degrees & hotter than Zinedine's temper - last time i was here it was 30 degrees <em>under</em> & i had my car dragged out of a snowdrift after i veered off the road<br /><br />yesterday i was in Victoria & on Monday, Vancouver - i wish Westjet did air miles or something - i could fly home for nowt<br /><br />talking of which, i will be back in the UK for 2 weeks in September - hurrah! Also BA will soon fly direct to Calgary from Heathrow & its cheap - drag your sorry asses out here because<br /><br />we have pretty much sold up in London & bought a house in Canmore, its a single family house 3000sq feet backing on to Mount Lawrence Grassi & acres of wilderness - the people we sold it to have had bears, wolves & lots of deer in their back garden - theres also a really cool swing strung between two of the trees in the garden - maybe this is why the animals visit?<br /><br />in the basement theres a fully separate flat, so visitors can relax in their own space & if so minded avoid all contact with us during their stay<br /><br />the house buying process has been smooth, selling up back home has been like pulling teeth<br /><br />in other news - i had a week off & spent it fishing, biking, hiking, shopping, drinking & umm watching football (proper football not the American stuff) - i now play for the great Canmore United in the Bow Valley Soccer League - we have a squad of 24 & almost 24 different nationalities - which is great & has made WC2006 all the more interesting<br /><br />the weather has been scorching, really hot & usually bone dry interspersed with huge rumbling thunderstorms & awesome lightning - Canmore is really swinging, on the weekends the bars are full, the pavement cafes buzzing & the mountains swarming with visitors - i flee to Peter Lougheed National Park - here you can escape the cowds & come face to face with nature - but i still havent seen a bear<br /><br />what we have had for the last week, an annual event is mosquitos - they have gone now but for a couple of days it was hell - thank god for Deet<br /><br />so that is it, i go home 9canmore of course) tomorrow afternoon just in time for training for Sundays game & then i'm playing golf for the first time ever on Friday i also play poker with a crowd of mates now on a regular basis, another new thing<br /><br />it's all good<br /><br />my thoughts on the World Cup<br /><br />Rooney - harsh sending off but i'm not convinced it wasnt deliberate if it had been Crouch i would have believed it to be accidental, Rooney has that evil streak in him<br /><br />Sven - absolute twat who only picked the players the Arsenal mob wanted him too - his decision to take Walcott rather than Darren Bent was utterley ridiculous & ended up costing us dear - thank god he's gone but McClaren is just as bad<br /><br />Zidane - who knows what motivated that headbutt, i'm sure there was sledging going on, but hasnt he heard it before? - he's been sent off 14 times before so maybe he has<br /><br />Italy - good luck to them, i love Italy the country, the food, the people<br /><br />Portugal - ditto, people whinge about Ronaldo but forget Crouch cheating & fouling his opponent to score the vital goal against Trinidad<br /><br />Crouch - shit, shit, shit OK he tries hard, so would i<br /><br />roll on the new seasonGraemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-1150345578299930952006-06-14T20:54:00.000-07:002006-06-14T21:26:18.366-07:00who knows where the time goes?i can't believe its more than a week since i last wrote this thing - it has, as is per usual these days, been hectic - i have been to Vancouver & Toronto in the last 7 days - & even had time to play in Canmore United's 10-0 drubbing of Rim Rock in the world famous Bow Valley SoccerLeague - we even get weekly coverage in the local paper<br /><br />the weather has of course been wet & dull & i only get to watch the World Cup in the evenings, hours after the games have finished - meaning the deliberate avoidance of scores all day - which is not that difficult in the footballing desert that is Alberta<br /><br />the trip to Toronto was great by the way, i missed my evening flight on Sunday & ended up on the 12.30 night flight out East - stuck in the middle seat on a packed & sweaty plane - horrid, horrid, horrid!!<br /><br />well it's nearly the weekend & some much needed rest, so on Sunday i am getting up at about 6am to head out on on a photography field trip up to<a href="http://www.great-adventures.com/images/canada/Emerald%20Lake.jpg"> Emerald Lake</a> which should be fun, as long as this rain buggers off<br /><br />all the travelling has given me some time to listen to new albums & i can definitely recommend<br /><br />Madlib - Beat Konducta Vol1-2 Movie Scenes<br />Gotan Project - Lunatico<br />Primal Scream - Riot City Blues<br /><br />I have piled money on Spain winning (or at least reaching the final of) the World Cup - i am feeling pretty good about this after their 4-0 drubbing of the Ukraine this morning<br /><br />Viva Espana!!!!!Graemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-1149563424358601602006-06-05T20:01:00.000-07:002006-06-05T20:11:30.963-07:00last minute breakdowni know the whole world is going World Cup crazy right now - and it funny how suddenly the world, his wife & every Z-list celebrity is suddenly an expert on the beautiful game when oridnarily they would know their Inter from their Milan - but it's also Stanley Cup Final time & Alberta's own Edmonton Oilers suffered a sickening loss tonight in game 1 (of 7) against the Carolina Hurricanes<br /><br />the game was tied at 4-4 with 20 seconds to go when the Oilers goalie fucked up a clearance & gifted a tap-in to the Hurricanes striker - all the more sickening that the Oilers earlier led 3-0<br /><br />what puzzles me though is how a game of 60 minutes stretches out for nearly 3 hours - it would be the equivalent of a football match starting at 3pm & ending at 6.45pm - my advice, cut down on the millions of ad-breaks & get the game over & done with - we fit 90 minutes into 2 hours with the Worlds No. 1 game - time for the hockey boys to do likewise<br /><br />so just got back from Victoria, as i have said before it's a great place - an (almost) tropical climate, ocean & mountain views at most turns & a quaint Britishness pervades - we drank in pubs, ate fish & chips, saw double decker buses & heard plummy accents on every street<br /><br />the only thing missing were the hordes of Burberry cladded ASBO-ed up chavs hanging out at the precincts<br /><br />what a shame eh?Graemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17043909.post-1148965015584833922006-05-29T21:49:00.000-07:002006-05-29T21:56:55.600-07:00Two Lane Blacktop.......I finally got to see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067893/#comment">this 1971 movie</a> tonight after capturing it from the net, it was so worth the wait - an extremely rare film - and if you get the chance to ever see it <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067893/usercomments?start=0">do so</a>Graemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356624135130799342noreply@blogger.com0