Holiday adventures

Christmas day on Vancouver Island

Happy New Year to all our 'blogsters'. We hope you had a good one, and that 2009 will be good to you all.
It seems ages since I last wrote, so if my prose seems a bit rusty, please put it down to too much food, wine and good company over the holidays.
Our holidays started with a get-together and delicious dinner at Fraser and Edi's house in Lighthouse Point. Suni, their lovely daughter, and Heather and Cory, Edi's twin sister and nephew, were also there. It was great to reminisce with them all, and catch up on their news.
Next we flew across the country to Victoria- taking the long way round via Montreal and Vancouver, but luckily missing all the storms. We spent ten days with Charlotte, Pierre, Lily (22 months) and Isabelle (5 months) in the woods of Metchosin, just outside Victoria. As you all probably koow, Vancouver Island is where a lot of Canadian 'snowbirds' go to avoid the snow and bitter temperatures 'out east'. Well, it didn't work this year! We arrived to thick snow and, in some cases, impassable roads and driveways. Charlotte and Pierre live at the top of a narrow lane and had to rent an enormous seven-seater four wheel drive SUV to get to their house! Thank you both for your forethought!
We had lots of fun with our little granddaughters - including 'the early morning shift', exercising with Lily on the trampoline, hot tubbing in the snow, and almost sliding down the hillside in the SUV! We also had a super day out at Weir Beach in the brilliant sunshine, and, of course lots of hugs and kisses from everyone. We were sad when we had to fly off on our 'red-eye' flight via Seattle and Atlanta back to Fort Lauderdale.
Now, since we've been back, we've provisioned the boat for the crossing to the Bahamas (we cornered the market in tins of chili, spaghetti sauce and stews!) We'll be going from Fort Lauderdale to 'West End', on Grand Bahama. Bob and Carol, on'Sea Change' arrived on 5th January, and John and Eileen on 'Somewhere in Time', will arrive sometime today. Both boats have been travelling all the way from Ontario since the beginning of September. Then we all wait for the famous 'weather window' - no 'north' in the wind and preferably soft southerly breezes. Just a passing thought...every boat crew we've chatted to so far has been making for the Bahamas...will there be room for us?! On the other hand - it sounds like 'party time' once we get there! More anon.