My favourite shot from the recent trip to the streets of Vancouver. Buds and beans sums up this place. ...
Becoming Hybrid
Rather like the pace of life in the South East of England, my speech was fast, too fast. Last year I was granted Canadian citizenship and with that I joined the dual nationality club. From time to time I’ve reflected on what being a citizen of two countries means but have never committed my...
Becoming Canadian
After 3 years in my new home, a momentous decision has been made. I’m applying for Canadian Citizenship (as are the rest of the family, which is actually rather comforting). It all began in 2004 with a second redundancy looming within 18 months of the first. A nagging feeling that the UK wasn’t going...
Three Years
It’s the morning of the flight to Canada and everyone’s up early. A new life beckons. Running out of space. A dash to Maidstone for another case. The taxi is late, the M25 is stationary, there’s a fire alarm at Gatwick, but we’re on our way. Forms stamped by immigration, “Welcome to Canada”. A...
HNIC theme under threat
I’m most likely the last person in Canada to post something about the Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) theme being under threat . To be honest I wondered what all the fuss was about, it’s only the theme music to a sports show after all. I didn’t think Canadians got particularly agitated about anything,...
Wheels
Despite International Driving Licenses being available, you can pretty much forget about buying one before coming out to BC. Why? Well, your UK license is only valid for 90 days, and as the International License is tied to your national document – you get the picture. So, towards the end of last November I...
Proudly Canadian
On Remembrance Day I attended a Canadian Football League (CFL) match. My thoughts on ‘football’ are elsewhere, but this post is really about being proudly Canadian. When I first visited Vancouver back in June and attended a baseball game I mulled over the singing of the national anthem O Canada before the game started....