Top Gear

Alright, well, here I am. I made it to Great Britain.

   My one-night stop over in Calgary was nice, if cold. Thank you's to both Alden and Courtney for Pick-ups, drop-offs, drinks, and sleeps! A bit of a long wait in the airport before my flight, but it was not the longest I've had to endure. As for the flight? The BEST long haul flight I have ever been on. There were honestly 30 people on the entire Trans-continental Airbus. We all had an entire row to ourselves. Nothing like stretching out across 3 seats and sleeping for 6 hours!

   Tina, Tara's mum, was there to pick me up, despite my dreams and hopes Tara would be there instead. Sadly, she was in Wales as she said she would be, hiking through the "Mountains." Don't take that the wron way - i love Tara's mom! One can hope though... After winding our way through both Gatwick Airport and Enlgand's Motorways, we made it back to the Cochrane home. Once here, Tina and I just relaxed, watched TV, had some amazing Omelettes, then went and did some shopping. It was obscene how busy that Department store was, on a Sunday. I now understand why so many English leave here! Cramped roads, cramped shops, cramped everything. I did though, manage to stay up from 3 am English time, to well into the evening. Take that Jet Lag! Or so I thought.

   So I woke up at 2pm this afternoon... I do place the blame on Tara's Alarm Clock. The same Alarm Clock which has been taunting me for the past year and a half... The same bloody Alarm Clock that STOPS trying to wake you up when you clap. Or talk. Or yell at it. How (d)effective is that? Due to my sleeping in, I missed my chance to purchase a SIM card for my mobile phone. I'll plan that for tomorrow. Again. I did take Max, the family dog for a nice long walk this afternoon. We went for a short exploration of the neighbourhood, woods, and fields. Some nice homes in the area, yet all so different than Canadian homes. Now, I'm just chilling on the couch watching my favourite TV show ever, Top Gear.

   A few comments on the Yukon. I had an amazing Visit. To see friends again, family, and even the Territory was great. On the drive my Grandpa and I took to Haines Junction to see my Aunt and her family, I came to realize what I love about the North. For one, you can drive for 2 hours on an entirely empty highway. You can see nothing but glittering icy mountain ranges, frosted trees, and clear, crisp, blue sky. Okay, and the odd car. But still. Second, some of my greatest friends still live here. The visit with my Auntie Di, Uncle Ken, and their three munchkins was great. Helped remind me that a great deal of my family is in the North, and I love that. It was also... cold. Very Cold. -25C  with a windchill and dropping cold. And dark. Dark from 4pm to 10:30am. And... still Whitehorse. No, It was home, and where I grew up, but I don't think it will ever be my place of residence again. Sorry guys. There are too many other places in the world with so many more opportunities and experiences. If these places happen to have winter, chances are they will be shorter, lighter and warmer.

See you later,
B