babyblue

We have all talked about the things we miss from the British Isles.We have all done are fair share of moaning about this subject.I think there are many people here that could do with a boost from time to time. So I thought what a great idea it would be to try a bit of positive reinforcment for all new comers and us alike!

Lets talk about things we love about Canada!

Things we have found here that we would never find back there!

New found food!

New interests!

New love!

Personally i have found i am able to do more here than i could ever do in the UK. I have had my fair share of doubt and wanted to return on many occassions but i stop myself by positive thoughts and reasons for Canada.

Tim Hortons.... Well need i say anymore!

trailers and weekend breaks to a cottage!
(struggled to get a weekend at bogner regis back there)

Bus service! (at least there is a fairly reliable service here and even a few feet of snow does not grind the service to a halt)
No panic buying because snow is coming.

At 65 life does not come to a grinding halt. I personaly found in the UK that as soon as you reached retirement all seem down hill.people seemed to get sick,sit in homes and wait to die. Here i see people jogging,swimming,dancing,hiking and still living life to the full.
My mother came back to the UK for six months(a few years back). She hated it as she said she felt so old and expected to act this way!

Although we all complain about the holiday allowence here, we have to weigh all this up with the long term quality of life.I see retired couples here traveling i RV's all the time. Back and forth from the states and living life to the full. They probably do more in the retirment years than any of us are experiencing.
Each to their own i say!

So there truly are many benifits to life here. We just need to take the time to truly remember our thoughts before we took the plunge in the first place.

what are your views?

Hipster Contrarian

Is Tim Horton's really that good? (I couldn't even find one in Vancouver, and I made a special effort after comments on this board.)

babyblue

I just think Tim Hortons has become the national drink here. Kindda like the Cuppa tea in britain.

I love it and the latest is the french vanilla! oh i could just drink some now!

Tangram

Yes it is and half the price of the Starbucks sludge... it certainly kept me warm when I was over there before Christmas.

iaink

My wife

Butch Cassidy

Tim Hortons is S*I*E compared to Second Cup!!!

hot wasabi peas

Right now I'm thinking of:

my cat
blueberries
fresh, wild pacific salmon
ancient rainforests
aboriginal stuff
mountains
gray whales
dolphins swimming with the ferry
'hey, howzit goin' eh?'
feeling normal (respectable even) in just my jeans, tshirt and sandals
Rebar, Kim's Vietnamese and Ebizo (fav restaurants)
so bad it's good tv in the middle of the night

hot wasabi peas

I'm Canadian and I don't like Tim Horton's. I know there are a couple in the airport but really you have to get out into suburbia to find Tim Horton's... just find an ugly stretch of soul-sucking big box stores, Rotten Ronnies, bingo barns, gas and lube stations and Tim Hortons should be right there.

Butch Cassidy

And doesnt that just say it all!!!!!

Hipster Contrarian

Ooh, consider me there!

What I liked about Canada was that even the bus drivers were helpful. The bus drivers. I live in London- enough said!

babyblue

that is really cute!

NewCalgarian

You've got it dead right - Tim Hortons is just crap. Why people place so much importance in all that sugar and stodge I'll never know? How come you can't just get a proper cappucino without some revolting, rididulously sweet, extra flavour in it (vanilla or whatever)? Surely there are other things in Canada of greater importance? Rockies? Mountain sports etc? Wide open space etc?

Hipster Contrarian

I'm liking the sound of this place less and less (TH, not Canada). I've done the flavoured coffee thing before and it made me fat once. No point me moving to the land of fresh air and exercise if I'm struggling to breathe and unable to move .

iaink

Cos everyones different?

Im not a huge fan of the coffee, its allright for what it costs, and I think that the fact that its an affordable "treat" is why its popular. I like the timbits or a donut once in a while, cant fault them for what they cost.

The thing I like about Timmys is its classlessness, I get the impression that people of all sorts and backgrounds will get a timmys, and I like that its cheap enough that I can treat folks at work now and then without thinking about the cost, so its a nice social thing. The quality of the coffee is not what Timmys is about in my view, although at least its consistent. Its a microcosm of Canada, good value, friendly and classless.

iaink

LOL! Have you seen the size of the average Canadian. Where did you get the idea that its a land of fresh air and exercise?