First Leg first

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For the third year running there has been no decent snow over here for cross country skiers, though you can see the ski hill is pretty popular with our young grandson.Yesterday we took a trip to Revelstroke to go to the pool. This is the most amazing pool with a lazy river and really realistic trees, eagles flying overhead, caves to hide out in, plus sauna, tub and steam room, a huge slide and regular pool too of course. This is the public facility and hugely popular, no wonder it was worth the long drive. We stayed for hours then hit a restaurant for lunch, spoilt for choices again. These small BC towns have really cashed into the valuable helicopter- skiing and backcountry opportunities. The amount of foreign (European and American) money being spent on high-end, high challenge pursuits and the ancillary services is huge.On the other hand the daffodils are poking up and the crocuses are in full bloom so the season will have to end soon. Climate change(?) seems to be bringing Spring months earlier than usual to this part of the country, hence no snow down low for us who do not want to have to climb thousands of feet to find cross country snow.So we have been playing construction site, trains, and jigsaws with Rio and cuddling with little Hanna who is 5 weeks old today. A gentle lead up to the strenuous activities Nath and Greg have planned for us when we join them in NZ later this week.I have been availing of the physiotherapist here in Golden. Though still not quite shipshape I will be good to go for hikes ........ I haven't yet dared to tell those fit and energetic in-laws that things might have to be slower for a bit!!Meanwhile in the Southern Hemisphere where the sun will track across the northern sky, which seems mind boggling, things in Christchurch sound like a bowl of jelly. They have been having tremors and little earthquakes regularly. Lots of new experiences for us in the next while, we'll be taking a load of photos.Cheers for now,Mary and Bernie

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