THE SUN IS SHINING!

Hi everyone - I am delighted to report that not only is the sun shining in Vancouver but that it has been that way for two days, and those two days happened to fall on a weekend! Long may this last cos I can tell you that all the rain is not good for a girl's spirits!

Righto - so what have I been up too? Well on Wednesday I had to work (ew) and afterwards met up with Patrick for a catch up on his antics in PEI and some coffee. Pat managed to get some work on his second day here which I think must be some sort of record, and tells you a bit about what the job market is for working holiday people here - so much easier than Toronto! After our coffee we headed back to our respective hostels and I spent some time chatting to two fellow kiwis about our impressions of Canada, and getting an update on what is happening at home (they had both left pretty recently).

Thursday was another day at work but with literally nothing to do I ended up reading the bulk of my 900 page book... not the best but they are paying me so I am not going to complain! At this stage I am there for another two weeks and my boss is actually supposed to be in the country this week which may help generate a little more work! I also discovered something called "Google Earth" on the internet which basically shows you aerial shots of anywhere in the world. I looked up the huge metropolis of Leeston and could even click on a link that told me the town's basic stats etc (hardly any people, 8 churches, 2 pubs, and a dairy basically). After work I met up with Pat again, and then with Neil (one of the New Zealanders). We ended up chatting to a lady in the kitchen at the hostel and the three of us headed off to Tim Hortons to introduce Neil to the wonders of a Timmys donut... I seem to be introducing a lot of people to the wonders of Timmys donut... I wonder if there is some sort of rewards programme for people like me?!

Friday was more reading and doodling at work and then after work Pat and I went out for some Japanese to celebrate his birthday. It was Pat's first go at Japanese food, and at using chop-sticks and I am very impressed at how well he managed with it all! I am really enjoying having loads of cheap Japanese food nearby and since the hostel I am moving to tomorrow doesn't have a kitchen I will probably head out for some more this week! After dinner we caught one of the little 'mini-ferries' over to Granville Island. These boats look like big versions of the boats little kids play with in the bath and I love chugging across the water in them! We had a big walk around the sea wall and a bit of a look at the shops on Broadway and Kitsilano.

Saturday was a beautiful morning so I headed straight down to the waterfront to watch some sea-planes coming and going (I don't know why... just like to watch it!) and then met up with James to visit the Dr Sun Yat Sen gardens in Chinatown. These gardens were really lovely and tranquil and I have heaps of great photos which I will show you all soon I promise! After that we met up with Gareth and Tracey and went through the free chinese gardens right next to Dr Sun Yat Sen's place, which were also very nice. After that I did a little window shopping and then Pat and I went out for a beer. We joined up with James, Tracey, Gareth, Scott and Tara after that to go and listen to some celtic tunes and have a couple more beers.

I discovered yesterday while getting money out for said beer that I had got my tax rebate so really today was always going to feature some shopping! To feel less guilty about spending the day indoors at the mall when it was so lovely outside, Pat and I went to Gastown first so he could see a bit more of the city before he heads home to Ireland on Tuesday. After that we jumped on the train and headed out to metro-town and I am now the proud owner of three pairs of shoes with NO HOLES IN THEM (hurrah) and a few other bits and pieces. It has been so long since I shopped without carefully planning out first what I needed and how much I could spend that it actually was a little stressful but don't worry - I am sure I will get my skills back soon!

Well I have to go and pack my bags for the hostel move tomorrow but I hope you are all well and have a great week!
C