It's the nearest bit of sea.

Did I ever tell you of the time I went to Maldon on Sea. When I rearranged my hours at work, to get a day off each week, I had great plans of going on adventures with my camera.  As you will realise if you read my last post, those plans did not come to fruition, however early on when I was full of enthusiasm I did manage to get out of the county.  I wanted to see the sea.  I calculated the nearest sea would be at the obviously named Maldon on Sea.  It has sea in the towns name.  There must be sea there right?  Remember this, there may be a test later.
Maldon on Sea is very easy to get to.  It doesn't take long.  There is a nice little car park behind the high street that is very easy to find, and does not cost a lot of money.  This is probably a lovely little town in the summer.  Sadly I didn't go in the summer.  I went in the second week of January, and, despite it being very sunny, it was bitterly cold.  The was a wind whistling up the estuary which seemed to be delivered directly across the North Sea, from the frozen fjords of Norway.  However, I had come prepared.  I had on my flat cap, although I had left my whippet at home, and I also had a very cheap but efficient pair of gloves I bought when I had my one, and only, let me emphasise, ONLY, snowboard lesson.
Now when you head out of the carpark there some very clean, if very dated, public toilets.  If you are a born again diabetic, and it's a very cold day, this is a very welcome facility.  Full marks Maldon.  I'm sure the phone numbers on the back of the cubicle door will come in very handy, although I will need to look up some of the words on Urban Dictionary.  After a quick pitstop (check spelling) you head out onto the high street to be presented with a very old church. 

I stop to take some pictures, but the locals stare intently. This may because there is not a lot to do on a cold January morning in Maldon, or perhaps they think I might be casing the joint to steal the church silver, or perhaps it is that someone taking their gloves off to take photos in sub arctic temperatures must clearly be a madman, and surely we need to all the local constabulary, or the men in white coats.  The staring becomes to much so I make my excuses, and leave, like a reported from the Sunday tabloids infiltrating a wife swapping ring in Chingford.
I head down the main street noting the vast number of charity shops, and coffee establisments.  I decide I'm not here to shop or drink coffee, so I head in the direction I believe will be the quickest to see the sea, it is called Maldon on Sea after all! Remember this.
I duck down a side street, and the town starts to get a bit older, and has a more friendly feel to it.  Judging by how people take care of their properties they love this town.  It is starting to grow on me too, but I do love a good seaside town so that isn't too surprising.  I turn a corner, and I see ships.  Definitely ships, ocean going, barnacle bottomed, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, ships.  This must be where the sea is.  I don't know if other families do this, but when we go near the coast we have this unwritten game of who can see the sea first. Whoever shouts "I can see the Sea!", first is the de facto winner of this game.  Of course I am on my own today, and I am not going to shout out "I can see the Sea!";  the locals already have me pegged as a nutter remember!  But soon I am sure I will be able to see the Sea, at Maldon on Sea; Sea is in the name, as you may recall from the start of this post.  As I head towards the ships I know that soon I will round a corner where these ships are moored, and my quest will be fullfilled; and lo I approach the quay.

 The sun is low in the sky and temporarily blinds me, but I press on.  I dip into the shade of a olde worlde looking pub; the sun sin't over the yard arm, but they are serving breakfast, but no! Focus!  I'm not here to eat breakfast at a pub, I'm here with one purpose, and it is nearly met, my eyes adjust to the bright, morning Essex sun, and at last I can see....mud!  MUD!! Lots, and lots of MUD!!! Mud as far as the eye can see!!!!  My heart sinks a little.  The icy wind that cuts through me cannot penetrate the deepening mire of disapointment, a mire surely thicker than the vast expanse of gloopy, gloopy mud that oozes before me.  This can't be it.  I can't have come all this way to see something that I could have walked down the road to see between the banks of the dying River Colne.
A couple walk past, and look at me with pity.  I can almost hear them whispering to each other when that have passed me "I bet he thought he would see the Sea!"
I decide this can't be it.  There must be a place I can see the sea in Maldon on Sea; it's in the name after all!
I walk past the ships, petulantly trying not to admire them; blaming them for my fog of sea-less disappointment.  I pass the harbour office.  I'm tempted to go in an ask where the sea might be found, but the swarthy looking men hanging around smoking, make me feel inadequate, and so I pass on with what I hope is a nonchalant air.  As I turn the corner I am met with what I now know is Promenade Park. Along one side of this lovely park, and it is lovely, is a vast sea wall stretching into the distance.  A sea wall, SEA wall.  I can barely make out where it ends.  It is surely longer that Southend on Sea's pier; for the record Southend on Sea has a lot of mud too, but you can usually see the Sea, and it also has sea in it's name, and richly deserved too!
I set out along the sea wall.  To one side is the pretty Promenade Park with it's vast expanse of lawns, and flowbeds, it's play parks, and boating lakes; to the other side of the sea wall is, well erm, mud (I hate to mention it again, but mud is as mud does).  As I progress along the concrete walkway, dodging dog drops, I see a figure emerge at what must be the end of the see wall.  A vast figure looking out to erm mud. 

As I draw near I can make out the figure is armed and dangerous. It appears to be a warrior with sword held aloft.  I expect he is there to deter the invaders that would have had to wade waist high in dirt, because as you might have guessed when I get to the end of the sea wall I can see nothing but miles of mud shimmering in the winter sun.  I sit dejectedly leaning against the statue of Maldon on Sea's ancient protector.  I'm not going to see the sea today!
Slowly I plod back to town.  I look around the charity shops, and drink coffee. 
I can't be downhearted for long.  Maldon on Sea is a really lovely little town.  I will come back one day, when it's warm.  An I will bring my children.  We will drink in the pub that announces Ping Pong as one of it's main attractions, and we will eat ice-cream in Promenade Park while we watch the model boats on the boating lake. And I will regale them of the time I came to see the Sea, and they will look on me in wonder, and observer
"Why didn't you wait until the tide came in you silly twonk?"

Wednesday is the new weekend

I work part time. This is mainly due to the circumstances around having to look after my son who has severe learning difficulties. As a result my current employment means I get a whole day off each week. Now I generally end up wasting the day by arranging things like dentist appointments; I recently had to get root canal work which was fun while it lasted.  Occasionally I would do fun selfish things like take a trip to the seaside, well to the mudflats, of Maldon, but mainly I waste the day by popping into St. Albans, and wandering around buying too many books, and generally having a meh time.
This week was a little different.  My neighbour decided to book roofers to repair the hat of his house. It needed doing, and chunks of concrete were in grave danger of falling down, and braining someone. Unfortunately the scaffolders had completely blocked my exit so my car was going nowhere in a hurry. So what's a chap to do?  I decided to do something I hadn't done for a long time.  I grabbed my camera gear, and headed off over the fields for a healthy perambulation in the fresh air.
We are lucky to live so close to the countryside, and although you can never escape the dull roar of the M25, there is still plenty of greenery that you can put up with it. One particular field if often festooned by the rich reds of Poppies, and the luscious blues of Cornflower.

In the spring this is a rich carpet of red, and blue, but at this time of year the poppies have mainly gone to seed, and the cornflower are fading fast. It is however a pretty sight.

A little further on my travels I cross a bridge over the aforementioned M25. It is here that the local graffiti brigade ply their trade.  It starts with the novice painters who have little imagination in both their application, and their choice of football team.

The next level up at least try to bring some creativity into their work, although I'm not sure these satanic artists are trying to portray Ali G or Jimmy Saville.  Perhaps we will never know.

Our next paint sprayers start to use colour in a more flamboyant manner, and you will see in the top left corner some stencil work that even Banksy would be proud of.

And then finally someone comes along showboating, and all the other little arty vandals give up and go home.

The previous weekend we could hear what I can only describe, in my Victor Meldrewesque middle aged fashion, as dance music drifting over our town. We could not decide whether it was from the local football club, or a party, or even the booming from the local drug dealers car plying their trade.  I think I have now solved the mystery. A field that has been used as a bike scrambling course, much to the annoyance of the owners, had been used as the overspill campsite from a local farm that appeared to have been having a little festival.  Judging by the amount of plastic litter strewn about they had not followed Glastonbury's example of trying to save the planet

Much Nitrous Oxide was consumed judging by the amount of canisters, and balloons.

Al least the revelers were prepared for rain! 

And isn't there always someone who loses their pant?

Someone will be cursing wasting their stash (don't worry folks I binned it)

Always keep your little dry!

The farm might be having a tent sale soon folks.

So at the end of my little stroll, I was presented with some wisdom from the country folk.

And you can't argue with that!

Stanley Park and watching lions

Stanley Park is a municipal area in the middle of Vancouver.  It is a huge area of both developed parkland, and original woodland.  I won't go into all the facts and figures about it, you can read about all that here, however it is around 1000 acres in area.

As far as I'm aware there is no formal residential development in the park, although there are a few places to eat, visitor centers etc. Surrounding much of the park is water, and much of this coast is fringed with beaches imaginatively named first, second, and third beach.  When I went there was a very hot spell, and the sand was being well used.  Be aware that there seems to be a liberal attitude to clothing so if nudity offends you then try to look at the horizon and enjoy the mountain vistas if you visit.  Vancouver is a city of cyclists, and although there often are separate paths for walkers, and bikers, it's as well to keep your wits about you.  Remember UK folks, it's drive on the right here!

Around Vancouver, and the parts of British Columbia I visited, there is a growing recognition of the aboriginal history of the area.  A lot of the place names are now displayed in English, and in some of the other local languages.  In Stanley Park there are some references to ancient legends and customs such as Siwash Rock, and the totem park

In addition there are more contemporary artworks such as the "Girl in a Wetsuit" statue.  You can of course enjoy a horse drawn carriage around the park.

One of the things my brother was keen for me to see was the spectacle of a Canadian Football game.  Now for the record this is not the same as American football, although there are similarities.  I can't pretend to know the rules, but here is a wiki break down of the game.  As you might imagine if you have seen either sport on the television this is an event full of razzmatazz. The local team, the BC Lions were up against Calgary.  With Canada being so huge I gather it is unusual for many of the away teams supporters to gather.  Consequently much of the stadium was bedecking in orange.

Local and national pride are much in evidence, from the entrance to of the team via large inflatable lions mouth, complete with a guard of honour by the energetic Felions cheerleaders, to the singing of the national anthem with massive flag, and recognition given to the emergency services.

 The game itself is a mixture of fast paced action, interspersed with many periods of stoppage.  Fortunately in these periods the crowd is still entertained with things like the Kiss Cam, games for fans to win prizes on the pitch, and of course the routines by the cheerleaders.  All in all it was an amazing experience, with the game often becoming an interesting sideshow to the rest of the action going on in the stadium.  Sadly the local team lost on this occasion, but for me it didn't really matter, what was important was being there, and seeing Canadians enjoy a sport they clearly love.

Every holiday needs a sunset photo

Ambleside Park affords views of the Lions Gate Bridge to one side,

 Stanley park in the center,  and the beginning of the rest of Canada to the other.

This was my first real close up glimpse of Vancouver, and was a lovely spot to start.  We visited in the evening to catch the sunset, and as it turns out the moon rise.  The beach here is well used for locals, and visitors alike.  Like much of the shoreline there are tree trunks littering the coast, remnants of the logging industry, bleached by the wind, sun and rain in equal measure. These trees provide places to sit, and ponder, to lie and shelter from the evening breeze, or even as a steady surface to rest your camera if you've forgotten your tripod.

From the waters edge fishermen cast their nets, hauling in dozens of little fish which I guess we might call Whitebait here in the UK.

 Vancouver is a place for outdoor pursuits, and the fading light did nothing to stop the water sports enthusiasts from taking advantage of the natural resources.

 They share the waterways with the worlds freight traffic which regularly sails to and from the city's dock. 

 Ambleside is a very pleasant place to spend the twilight hours, both bustling, and relaxing at the same time.

 When the sun has finally faded into the blue hour, you can see the moon rise over the water to welcome in the night.

Sound of Silence

I stood here, and heard nothing. No matter how much I strained to listen there was not a sound.  No birds, no breeze in the trees, even the grasshoppers that had accompanied us along the trail stopped their chirruping. There were no aeroplanes overhead, and the roads were too far away to intrude with the drone of engines. I cannot recall ever being in a place with such serenity.  At that moment there was perfect silence, and it was beautiful.

This is a small creek on Cypress mountain.  In the winter this is a bustling ski resort just outside of the city of Vancouver, in British Columbia, Canada. My brother snowboards here, and my sister in law skis here. I'm told there is a very real community spirit in this resort.  Despite the perennial debate over which sport is more skillful, I can picture everyone coming together to enjoy the slopes, against backdrop of the seemingly endless forest covered mountains that surround this corner of the planet.  One day I may be able to witness it first hand, and perhaps take my chances on the learning slopes myself.

 Cypress Mountain was one of the venues for the 2010 Winter Olympics.  In the summer it's hillsides appear is criss crossed by the treeless ski runs that snake down the mountains to the resort center, however elsewhere in the park that surrounds them there are well protected conservation areas, and carefully placed trails that allow visitors to enjoy the environment without causing damage, or getting lost in the wilderness.

The road to Cypress Mountain affords a magnificent over the city of Vancouver. It's difficult to gauge from this stitched together panorama, but it really is a city among the trees. It is only when you get to the center of the most commercial district that you lose sight of them.