Ooh, this is a long yin... no more coffee for Em! ;)

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Hey!
I realise its been a fair while, but just so ya all know i haven't managed to die or do myself any profoundly awful or blog-worthy damage as of yet; just busy with a whole buncha weddins an a crazy 2yr old hippie chick!
Its truly astounding how hard the whole childcare thing is... and that's with a pond, a trampoline, 3 cats a dog an 2 peacocks at my disposal, too... fair play to those of ya that have done it and can sit back an laugh now... scary biscuits man! She almost takes the edge of the green out here! 😉
All the weddins have been really good fun, actually: its a kinda odd sensation witnessin people that you do not know from Adam sharing their most important and strong innermost feelings with the people they love and, er, you, all around them... kinda lovely to be able to be a part of the day with them... The last lot were SO into this place and its hippie values and pro-green atitudes and "at oneness with nature" it was awesome! They were so enamoured 15 of them stayed an extra day and we all went tubing together on the sunday!
oooh, tubing, now there's an experience e for the chick that took 8 years to get her driving license and still cannae park unless the space is the size of Morrocco! SO starting to understand the dangers of being severely lacking in judgement of distances an currents an stuff... Was thinkin that i survived whitewater rafting and it sorta occured to me that was mainly because of the other like 20 people in my boat; as i floated off down river, could not stop and did my first"rapid" er, backwards, and screaming,and flailing like a flailing thing that should not ever ever be allowed to flail.
Still, I managed to stay IN THE TUBE, the whole time! Sounds pretty good up until i expand with the truth: this is because, and i reckon i can categorically say, ONLY because, Paul - the guide of this trip and the dude who runs the ranch (i.e. my boss) decided i had to grab onto his feet and would not let me go any further unless actually physically attached ti him...At last: someone gets the "me+individual responsibility for controlling vehicle=HUGE risk of danger to me and many more" equation! Actually I reckon it was that he was bored in the quiet bits (OF WHICH THERE ARE LIKE 3 4 SECONDERS EACH!) and he wanted someone to talk to, that, or i provide free labour and if i die he has to pay for childcare and general help at home...
Anyhoo, I Was a bit bummed when he said it, I thought I'd done okay, but then by the end of the trip, when 11 out of the 13 had actually all toppled out their tubes (and they were all totally competent...); Paul had commented that he'd never ridden the river that high and fast before and the last rapid, which i SWEAR to god actually took the ass clean out of Paul's wetsuit, approached I realised the right decision had been made! It was well hardcore! Total fun, tho, an I cannae wait to do it again!
Oh, on the whole vehicle thing,i have been driving around here a wee bit; its funny, after voyage one where i only turned onto the entirely wrong side of the road once, I actually feel ok about everything being backwards. think I'll probably spend at least 10 mins lookin in every direction at kerbside wherever i am from now until eternity, but hey...
Been well good fun this last week in particular, we're on "last weddin comin up!Whoop whoop!" mode, so we've been taking day trips all over the island! Went back to Victoria (Oh my god, Bubble tea! The food/drink of the gods! Its like a milkshake with GIANT, like really giant, tapioca balls in it! Yummy! Totally acquired taste, but i swear, its the bomb!) and walked by the beach, got a yummy Thai lunch, wandered thru China town (fave part of Vic!) an got some well cheap bargains (billabong shorts for $4, that's 2 quid in real money!) Went to Mount Washington near Campbell River yesterday. That was lovely (not the rockies, but hey...! 😉 ) Hung out with Ginger, played on the trampoline, took the chair lift up the hill, fed some birds that were so tame they actually SAT ON MY HAND! Saw bauetiful views of the moutnains in and around Whistler on the mainland ( i think.,.. don't quote me on that! They were well pointy an cool lookin anyhoo!)Hiked a few routes around the hills and witnessed the fear that is people you know (*and not even that well!) mountain biking down an actual mountain! That was well cool! Gonna try it out myself next week on Mount Prevost near the ranch - got the pads an the gear an everythin - cannae wait!
Long an short of it all: still lovin it in wonderful Canadia; meetin some amazin people; seein some beautiful parts of the world; gaining insight to the ways of things round here and "on the island" and really just chuffed to have the opportunity to be here as folk i've met an in scotland are headin back to work and school and reality...
Funny tho, I so got the travelbug now! Been here only one moth and i feel like i've been here years! Its amazing, the whole time thing... Gettin itchy feet, man! A whole month in one place? That just ain't hugely my bag anymore, well, maybe in India and Cambodia, but that's for the greater good, and the sun,of course!
Hope all's well with you guys,
hugs
e
😉

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