Re: can you help?
 

I apologize if I sounded that way.....it wasn't meant that way at all. I guess being an outdoors type of person....it hard for me to understand why everyone doesn't want to be outdoors no matter what the weather. It's certainly each to their own....and as my kids get older....I can only hope that they will still be as enthusiastic about the outdoors as they are now.

Sorry if I offended you (stolen from IainK).....it wasn't meant to critcize at all....really just meant as a suggestion. :D[/QUOTE]


I'm probably a bit sensitive to be honest as I know I should push husband and kids to be out more no matter where I am or what the weather. I'd love an outdoors life but that's not my only reason for wanting to go to Canada. I want to do something different. during my childhood I lived in HongKong, Ireland and several places in England. I didn't ever think I'd end up in a suburb of Birmingham.

Re: can you help?
 

Just to set the scene ... from October through to May the trees are bare, the grass is brown and the temperature will be somewhere between -20C and +20C ... although in Jan/Feb, it can get down to -35C.

In June ... we get the last of the spring snow and a lot of rain (for Calgary) ... everything suddenly bursts into life if it hasn't already ... the spring bulbs come up, the trees and grass finish greening up ... the jackrabbits (actually snowshoe hares) turn from white to brown.

In July and August, it can get into the high 30's ... we also get some pea to grapefruit sized hail and spectacular thunderstorms ... with the thunderstorms come tornadoes. The pea sized hail trashes garden plants and the grapefruit sized hail trashes cars and roofs. Funnel clouds are frequent in thunderstorms, occasionally they touch down as tornadoes and can do a lot of damage ... if you see one, you don't stand and watch ... they can cover ground at 90mph.

By September it usually gets more mellow, temperatures can be in the 20's, we can get some snow or rain - if we're lucky the warm temperatures last through into the middle of October. The only real downside is that there can be more than a 20 degree swing between day and night ... it can drop below freezing overnight and hit 22C the next day ... it massacres frost tender plants.

For three to four months everything bursts into life and grows frantically ... it's a really, really nice summer in comparison to the UK ... then it goes back to sleep for the other eight.

Re: can you help?
 

The issue I think is that people who don’t get out in the UK and have a selection of excuses why… invariable end up using the same excuses in Canada..

Case in point ..I lived in Wellesbourne in Warwickshire in 2002/2003 I regularly spent my weekends in the Lake District, Scotland, North Wales and would daytrip to the Peak district. My favourite area being in the Hope/Castleton area.. Driving to France was something we did when we ran out of wine and cheese…

Traffic was never that bad you just need to make sure you didn’t travel at peak times.. just the same as planning trip around Canada.. traveling the 401 here in Toronto at the wrong time is just as bad as traveling the M25 in London…

Re: can you help?
 

Have you got kids?

Re: can you help?
 

[QUOTE=MikeUK]The issue I think is that people who don’t get out in the UK and have a selection of excuses why… invariable end up using the same excuses in Canada..



But I do go out here. I quite often go out and then it rains.

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yes. 1

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[QUOTE=jugsy]
but that happens here too.... buy Goretex...

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I'm getting deja-vu. I've already had this conversation with someone else.

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Just curious ... driving anywhere with two kids is hell ... did you mange to do all that travelling with a sprog in tow?

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In the UK we didn't have the sprog... well we did for some of the trips but internally doesn't really count.

We do have him now in Canada and still do the traveling... now timing is much more important as "peak period" also includes tantrum times as well as heavy traffic..

Managed a 7 hour road trip this weekend.. carefully planned breaks along the 401 with nap coordinated start time :D

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We have two boys ... I don't drive a van so much as a mobile boxing ring.

We still manage road trips ... we went camping every few weekends over the summer ... the kids were the problem, not the highway.

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[/QUOTE]

Something for us to look forward to...right now both kids in car seats, so they can be placed strategically far enough apart that they can't touch each other......then of course.....you get the "he/she's looking at me........

You've really dillusioned me......I thought McGrouch's kids would be perfect!! :D

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Thats why I'm getting a mini van 1 in the front 1 in the back :D

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Hmmm ... that was our theory ... our van has three rows of seats ... then we took out the rear seats in the summer to fit all of the camping gear inside ... they're still out so that we can fit the hockey gear in.

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What about one of those roof boxes?? or you could get a truck and threaten to make them sit in the back in winter :D