The only way I can sum up the experience is “familiar but no longer home”. Back in mid April I made my first journey back to the UK since relocating to Canada. The trip was built around a family wedding and offered a chance to catch up with both family and friends. It was over three and a half years since Maidstone was swapped for Metro Vancouver. Many challenges had been faced and overcome in Canada, stability had arrived and the BC way of life was becoming the norm. Was I ready for a return to the old country? I really wasn’t sure.
The actual journey from Canada to the UK was as smooth as could ever be expected and the afternoon after leaving YVR the BC Brit family were heading to Devon for a few days R&R where my family live.
It didn’t take long to get back in to the swing of sitting right, driving on the left. Oh, and how good to see real car design again, not the garbage that isften found this side of the Atlantic.
The weather in Devon and throughout the 2 weeks was wonderful. Summer in April. Beach BBQ, and shorts all the way. We’d left Vancouver amid torrential rain and low temperatures. Having packed for poor weather an emergency summer wear shop was required to make sure I was appropriately kitted out. I certainly wasn’t expecting that to be the case.
It was great to see family again. As was to be expected, 3.5 years made a visible difference to everyone we saw.
Phase 2 of the trip involved travelling from the South West to the South East. Essex awaited. The reason for our trip in the first place was to attend a family wedding, which we duly did. And it was an Essex wedding.
Next stop was back to our former home, Maidstone. That’s where “familiar but no longer home” popped in to my mind.
The town was looking a bit frayed around the edges in places. The global recession has hit the UK harder than BC., Canada, and it shows. What really struck me was the difference in people’s attitudes. Maybe not family and friends, but folks you met in shops or on the street. The only way I can describe it is somewhat down. The hangdog feeling was more evident in the South East. Woolacombe (Devon) as a tourist resort is probably more of an unnatural environment and as such didn’t appear as gloomy.
Although the family enjoyed the visit, we were pleased to come home. And home is BC. The last 3.5+ years have gradually opened out to bring a better quality of life than we were experiencing in the UK. Of course this isn’t utopia, life has its up’s and down’s. The difference here is that mountains, space and on the whole a more positive attitude exist.
Well, I’d ridden the Ducati to work a couple of times and as enjoyable as it was, the route through New West being really start stop just leads to clutch hand cramps. Not a pleasant experience at the best of times. The obvious answer was to ‘twist ‘n go’ on a scooter. No clutch, no cramps, no decision to make. Just do it.
The big difference is the engine. The extra cc’s really make a difference and the water cooled 4 stroke is silky smooth and silent compared to the Kymco (which is actually a 175cc). Acceleration is effortless and I’m getting the last laugh on the stereotypical mulleted mustachioed truck drivers as I leave them standing at lights. Let’s face it, a scooter is only supposed to be 50cc and I can almost feel the ridicule pouring over me when a RAM 2500 pulls up beside me. Until it’s green on. Then it’s grin on for me.
Steveston as a settlement has been around since the late 1870′s and became renowned in the area for its Salmon canning. There’s still an historic 
Which reminds me, these British Columbians adore getting outside whenever the sun shines. Walk, cycle, skate, board, whatever it takes to get mobile, BC’ers will do it. It makes it virtually impossible to live a couch potato existence here as one is just shamed in to activity.
Arriving in the village, the relaxed pace changed to serious speed as we’d happened across the inaugural 
The only downer about these rides is ending up at the destination in jeans rather than shorts. Having said that, it never ceases to amaze me to see so many bikers out in T-shirts and shorts. Maybe I’m just too risk averse (wimpy) to do it, or maybe I just know my limits.
