Well, I'm back.

No, unlike Sam from Lord of the Rings, "I'm back" means my adventure is starting, not finishing.

I've moved in with a remarkable 95 year old woman. She is bright as a button and very witty. She also walks up the massive hill beside our house and carries her own groceries down, reads voraciously, listens to The Vinyl Cafe on CBC radio, and rarely turns on the TV. She's lived in this house since 1941.

Speaking of the house, it is incredible. As I sit now, I'm looking down into a Japanese garden (perfectly maintained, and complete with pond), and to my right I can see cruise ships gliding past in the ocean, and watch the sun setting on the top of Sycamore mountain. Fantastic. From my bedroom, I look back onto downtown. I'd post pictures, but my camera died in England and I didn't bother bringing it here, because it's not worth repairing (being the 4-5th time it has needed costly repairs). So either I'll get a camera, or use the bad one of my computer to get pictures.

The house itself is remarkable. It was built by Margaret's family, mostly by her father. It has been modified by Margaret's late husband into a bit of a Japanese style - hence the garden. He was also a furniture maker and clock enthusiast, so most of the furniture is hand made by him, and there are several remarkable clocks around, including the "guts" of one from the 17th century, sitting beside me here in the study.

The drive out here, with my friend Diana, was wonderful. She drove the whole way (even though I offered!) and we stayed with some friends of hers from eMI in Kamloops. They were wonderfully hospitable, and I ended up staying up far later than I intended to talking to our hostess Joan.

Today, I helped Diana move, and then we went for dim sum with her parents who had also driven out with some of her stuff. The night we arrived, Di and I went for sushi with two Edmonton friends who were in town for a couple of days, and then had some bubble tea afterwards. The next day we walked in the ocean and through a forest.

So, ocean, forest, sushi, dim sum, and bubble tea. Now I'm ready for term to start. Well, perhaps I still need to visit Wolf and Hound for a pint, but I'm pretty much ready for term to start. Freshman orientation is tomorrow, so I don't need to be there, but I think I'll show up for a bit - even though I should be working on my paper for the geology/paleontology course I took with Denis this summer. That can wait. Orientation only happens once a year.

Well, that's all for now. Do check back for further updates as time progresses! I'll try and do one a week or so, but who knows?