Golf with a View.

I was lucky enough to be able to golf at another amazing golf course this weekend. Furry Creek Golf Course is known to be one of the most picturesque courses in all of British Columbia and it certainly was impressive. I played with a friend I used to work with and her husband who used to be a golf pro at Furry Creek and Nicklaus North, so he was able to give me a few pointers during the round. Below is the courses signature 14th hole which is one of the nicest holes I have ever seen.

Other than being known for it's beautiful views, Furry Creek is also famous for being the course where the movie Happy Gilmore was shot. The picture below is actually the hole where Adam Sandler got into a fight with Bob Barker during the Pro-Am tournament. The creek you can see is the one they rolled down the hill and into the water on during the fight scene.

Yes! I'm still an Australian.

Only 611 days after my arrival in Canada I was officially presented with my Permanent Residence (PR) status today.

After getting a letter with my interview appointment time I turned up as the letter suggested by myself, armed only with 2 passport photos and my passport. Strangely enough the letter actually requested that only people who's name was on the letter should attend the interview due to space restrictions, so I was quite surprised when I arrived to a waiting room full of couples....about 40 in total. I'm not joking when I say that I was the only person at the office without a partner. As Cammie is sponsoring my application to stay in Canada I thought for a moment that maybe she had to be there in order for me to get my PR card, hence all the other people, so I quickly pulled out the letter again to check I hadn't read it wrong. I was correct, the letter did specifically ask only the permanent residence applicant attend. Why all the extra people then I hear you ask?! Anyway, after realising that I would still be able to get my PR card even without Cammie in attendance we were all led into the presentation room which is when I learned that what was described as an 'interview' in the letter was actually more of an semi-official ceremony. There was a stage with 2 large Canadian flags, a big Canadian Coat of Arms on the wall and an official presenter......I was starting to feel a little sad sitting there all by myself!! :-(

One by one we were called up asked a few questions relating to our criminal background and presented with our paperwork, a small Canadian flag and a copy of the "Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms". All the proud new Canadian residents stood up there with their new Residency Status and posed for pictures with the flag and shook hands with the presenter..it was all very exciting except....no one took any photos of me!! I did take this one when we got home especially for the blog.

Yes, I still am and always will consider myself to be an Australian, and a proud Australian at that! After today though I am also a relieved Australian, who is now considered to be a legal landed immigrant of Canada and no longer has to live with the immense fear that shortly after the birth of his son he may be evicted from the country, forcing his wife into a life of crime in order to provide food and shelter for our baby!

Summer Lovin'....Lovin' Summer!!

Summer has finally hit Vancouver after only 20 short wet months of living in the city!! We haven't seen a drop of rain in more than 2 weeks (which is literally unheard of in Vancouver) and the days are filled with blue skies, sunshine and birds whistling in the trees. Cam and I are trying to make the most of the Bermuda style weather and are eating as many meals as possible outside on our patio. I'm also trying to fit in as much golf course as possible while it's sunny and before the baby arrives, as I fear my golf career may hit a very abrupt end at that point!! The only downside of this fantastic weather is that the grass doesn't look so lush & green....not that I would ever ever complain about the lack of rain in Vancouver ;-)

As you can see from our backyard, there's not even any snow left on the mountains.

Baby Thomas' First Girlfriend!

Congratulations to our good friends Andrea and Dave who on the 5th July gave birth to their first child, a baby girl named Cailyn Regan Salmon. Cailyn's due date was actually May 24th so the fact that she was 3 weeks early has Cammie and I stressing out a little and feeling that we may have to spring into action at anytime!! :-)Cammie and I went to visit them on Monday night and the family seems to be settling in at home pretty well. Baby Thomas was pretty excited and kicking like crazy while Cammie was holding Cailyn.......I guess he's very keen to meet his first girlfriend!!!

Canada Day Gifts!!

I was lucky enough to receive several gifts on and around this year's Canada day....these were in addition to the public holiday that was very generously bestowed upon us.

1. This gift from the BC Government is the type of gift that just keeps on giving! A new Consumer based Carbon Tax that is applied to all fossil fuel purchases. This supposedly "revenue neutral" tax adds an extra 2.4 cents to every litre of gas/petrol you buy. Fantastic timing by the government given the already record high oil prices that only look to continue rising. I know most people who read this would only dream of paying $1.55 (CDN) for a litre of gas so I won't harp on too much about it for the moment. What this means for us is that a 30 minute drive to the U.S. will now save Cammie and I approximately $25 on a full tank of gas in our 4WD/SUV......a worthwhile road trip in my opinion.

2. $100 cold hard cash.....also from the BC Government!! Well not cold hard cash but a $100 Climate Action Dividend cheque for all British Colombians, to encourage us to go green. Although most people (including us) will probably spend the money on gas, there were several suggestions by the government as to what they think we should spend the $100 on. The most practical in my opinion was their suggestions to put the $100 towards the purchase of a Hybrid vehicle!!! Not sure $100 would even but the petrol cap but you have to admire their enthusiasm!!
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=ecea1487-507c-43ef-ab88-5a972898e0b7&k=38130

3. 611 days after arriving in Canada, I am very happy to report (as much as the above points may suggest otherwise) that I should be receiving my PERMANENT RESIDENCY card later this month! It's been a long and tedious road which has included many hours of document completion, several different renewal and extension applications and more phone calls to the Canadian Immigration and Citizenship call centre than I care to remember....but we are almost across the finishing line. And, if everything goes to plan I will finally be a legal landed immigrant living without the fear of deportation just in time for the arrival on my Canadian/Australian Son.

What an exciting week it's been.....with all those gifts anyone would think Christmas had come early this year!!! ;-)

Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day for Tuesday 1st July everyone!! Fortunately as Australia day is in Australia, Canada Day is a public holiday in Canada which means a well deserved 4 days week for us! We spent the day enjoying the sunshine with some new friends we made at our recent Pre-natal class. Meshel and Rob invited us to a BBQ at their place which included plenty of Mexican beer....go figure!! This couple are also expecting a boy and are due 3 weeks before us, so I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty more of them in the months to come!!