Welcome to Vancouver

What a lovely city, with the feel of Adelaide and the look of Sydney. Our friends Bob and Pat are looking after us royally and proudly showing us the highlights of their part of the world. Don’t believe what they tell you about cold and ice and snow. Vancouver this week is warm and sunny.

On our first night, as we sat down for dinner in our friends’ condo overlooking the harbour in West Vancouver, the fire alarm went off. It wasn’t until later that we realised dust from renovations on the ground floor had set off the smoke alarm.

So that was how we met the neighbours, on the stairs of the emergency fire escape, as the fire engines and ladder unit came screaming to a halt beneath the window. And everyone was so polite. On the landing every one was properly introduced before we started going down the emergency stairs.