Civilisation

One of the things I have to say I've been looking forward to since we started our family is spending time with the boys doing more grown-up things. Nothing too ambitious, just simple things like sitting having a chat over a cup of coffee (or a mango smoothie) or having a quick lunch in a restaurant that isn't painted in primary colours.

So today was a real treat. Mrs had a day off and went shopping (a novelty in itself) and the boys and I went off to find a barber, a coffee and to see what we could see. We went on the bike and the boys both sat in the trailer - they're getting a bit big for it now, but were very well behaved.
We ended up on 4th avenue, Kitsilano, meandering along the street, looking in shop windows and watching the world go by.

We stopped off in the Book Warehouse and found a fantastic book called "Skippyjon Jones" by Judith Schachner. A hilarious story about a kitten with a wild imagination. Elder and I then had our hair cut at the Kitsilano Barber's and we had lunch at a little chinese diner. Then we cycled home. Simple pleasures, but great fun (apart from the revolting nappies).

Man with a Mission

Went to a place called "Mission" over the weekend. It's on the way to Hope. If you ever find yourself there with energetic kids, the Fraser River Heritage Park on the east side of the city is nice - what it lacks in playground toys (it has none) it makes up for in mud piles, open spaces and the interesting remains of the original Mission after which the city is named. Plus, it has cracking views of the Fraser Valley, the Skagit mountains and the northern Cascades including Mount Baker.
The ferry across the Fraser River at between Fort Langely and Albion is also fun, although the queue lasted longer than the ride. At least it's free!
And finally, you could do a lot worse than go to Hava Java for a coffee afterwards - it's in a strip mall next to Safeways off Highway 7 on the west side of town. Their coffees were significantly better than Starbucks.

Things to do in Victoria

We went to Vancouver Island for the weekend and had a great time, although Youngest was not well. We found a great spot for keeping the kids quiet for an hour or so: Victoria Bug Zoo.
They have a good collection of creepy-crawlies including giant stick-insects, hissing cockroaches and beetles that play dead. You can touch or hold some of the creatures, under the supervision of a knowledgeable guide who communicates well.
 One creature they have that was new to me was a Vinegaroon - a really cool Arachnid that looks a bit like a scorpion and can squirts concentrated vinegar out of its arse. Every chip shop should have one. Which brings me nicely to the other cool place we went - Willow's Galley - an unpreposessing shack on Estevan Ave in Oak Bay that does great halibut and chips.