Happy new year everybody! This week we have had fun looking back though all of our 48 blog posts from 2020 and trying to come up with some highlights. It was pretty hard to come up with a short list, so here is our long list instead!
We landed in Canada on February the 10th and stayed with our friends Thom and Hannah. We enjoyed a trip to a hockey game (before everything was cancelled), played frisbee golf and went on some scenic walks around the city.
On our second week, we set off on what was supposed to be a 6 month trip across Canada, starting on Vancouver Island. We had Workaway placements in Victoria and Nanaimo, where we learnt about chickens, sheep, woodworking, beekeeping and to say “itadakimasu” before our dinner!
Once it became clear our planned trip was not going to turn out as we planned, we hunkered down on Gabriola Island for 4 months! We stayed on two different farms, made some friends for life, one of us grew a horrendous beard and we both learnt all about market gardening and being a bit more Buddhist.
Now we get to August. After buying our car Elsie and building a bed frame for the back, we set off to explore more of British Columbia. We started with Strathcona Provincial Park, checked back in with Vancouver, went on lots of spectacular hiking in Squamish, did another couple of Workaways in Pemberton and Kamloops, looked after the world’s friendliest kitty in Kelowna and did more hiking and camping in Fernie and Kootenay National Park.
As the summer ended, we decided to treat ourselves to a very fancy AirBnB in Sun Peaks Resort, where Thom and Hannah have been living. Whilst there, Ollie biked and Rosie baked. We both tried to get online work, but Rosie ended up getting an office job in Vancouver. We loved it when the snow arrived, especially Ollie who got on the skis as soon as he could.
Which just about brings us up to now. Rosie’s job is going well, our apartment has a bit more furniture in it now and Ollie is getting used to the local ski hills.
Our new year’s resolution is to make the most of our second year in Canada, so we can give you something exciting to read every week. Thanks for sticking with us and for all your lovely comments over the year. We miss you!
Roaming Rollie 
Happy New Year, Rollie! Thanks for a year of fantastic blogs, I have no doubt that next year will be as exciting as the last and I am sure you will absolutely make the most of it. We really miss you but reading your blogs and the wonders of Skype mean that you seem a little closer. Have a great 2021!
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Love you mummy! Who knows what next year will bring, we didn’t realise how exciting it was until we put this compilation together.
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It comes as no surprise to us that all the best people you met on your trip so far were a little fury… maybe with the exception of Ollies beard.
The bears are still wating for their taste of rollie quisine though, anyone got beans?
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Love you too pikas!
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Got no beans
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Happy New Year! Thanks for keeping my Saturday mornings insteresting. Here is to 2021… where I will continue to wonder whether you two would have killed eachother if you were locked down in your house in the UK last year… I think the Canada option is better.
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There is no doubt. I nearly killed ollie tonight when we left the house and consumed beer. I reckon we’d have lasted 1.5 weeks.
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Thanks for the interesting recap. What a lot you have done, places visited and new experiences. Looking forward to following you through 2021. Happy New Year, stay safe and ….. enjoy x
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Thanks sue. We were so impressed and envious to see your camino journey! What an experience! Congratulations and really hope to meet up with you, Richard and hannah once we return to Europe!
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Thanks for the wonderful recap! My favorite pictures are the one with the lamb (Baaaaa!) and the wonderful views on your hiking trips. So good to see that you have a couple of armchairs for the flat! I also think the snow looks wonderful (from inside in the warm) and envy you your view!
Have more fun this year, enjoy every moment and have a great adventure!
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Thanks Maria! It’s been great to chat to you all recently, we’re really happy you got your heating fixed!! Look forward to speaking again soon. Xxx
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Can not improve on eloquent comments above.
I can not resist asking “Muski” Ollie to wear his westkit while skirting the rocks, skidding across steep slopes, skittling standers by, scattering siskins, skimming over ruts. Can you go back up to the top with skidoo or huskies?
Show us your skills, don’t skimp, the riskier the better, you skiver……..
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You’ve skied over our heads this time 😂. Sadly we haven’t scattered any siskin, but I have definitely skittled some by standers. I want to try a dog sled before we leave! But skidoos are ridiculously scary. I am definitely a skimpy skiver, but ollie will ski for the both of us! (no risky stuff please)
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Bring back the beard!
Looking forward to seeing what the new year brings, thanks for letting us live vicariously through you!
Crack a beer, big love!
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No, boo!
We miss you Al, you’d love the breweries over here! I think you’d be a better drinking companion than “this has too much flavour”-Summers
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