A Nicht wi Robbie

At the 40th Annual Robbie Burns celebration in Fort St John last evening the Scotch and Athol Brose (a delicious concoction of scotch, milk, oatmeal and honey) were flowing freely. As a good Scottish meal should, it included all the honors of haggis, prime heilan stirk, bashed neeps and chappit tatties.

Master of ceremonies (or here referred to a chairman) was performed by a Newfie judge. Masons and Knights of Columbus co-existed peacefully. We were entertained with the story of how this event came to be co-sponsored by these 2 disparate groups. It seems that a judge 40 some-odd years ago become tired of them appearing before him with their squabbles and legally bound them to get on with each other. He told them that once a year they would have to organize an event together without falling out - Robbie Burns Day became that event and they are still doing it 40 years on. 

Happy Robbie Burns Day!!!!

The annual celebratory tribute to the life, works and spirit of the great Scottish poet, Robbie Burns (1759-1796). Celebrated on, or about, the Bard's birthday, January 25th, Burns Suppers range from stentoriously formal gatherings of esthetes and scholars to uproariously informal rave-ups of drunkards and louts. Most Burns Suppers fall in the middle of this range, and adhere, more or less, to some sort of time honored form which includes the eating of a traditional Scottish meal (haggis), the drinking of Scotch whisky, and the recitation of works by, about, and in the spirit of the Bard.

To A Louse On Seeing One On a Lady's Bonnet, At Church 1786

Ha! whaur ye gaun, ye crowlin ferlie?
Your impudence protects you sairly;
I canna say but ye strunt rarely,
Owre gauze and lace;
Tho', faith! I fear ye dine but sparely
On sic a place.

Ye ugly, creepin, blastit wonner,
Detested, shunn'd by saunt an' sinner,
How daur ye set your fit upon her-
Sae fine a lady?
Gae somewhere else and seek your dinner
On some poor body.

Swith! in some beggar's haffet squattle;
There ye may creep, and sprawl, and sprattle,
Wi'ither kindred, jumping cattle,
In shoals and nations;
Whaur horn nor bane ne'er daur unsettle
Your thick plantations.......


And on and on it goes.... Find out more about our 'Nicht wi Burns' on Saturday night!

 

A Russian entry in the Ice Carving Competition

Sorry we put that last blog on twice but we didn't think that it had gone through.

Just thought you might like to see some of the professional carvings done at last weekend's ice carving competition. 

Debbie's Thai Cooking Class

Sadly lacking in Fort St John is a Curry House but we have recently discovered that a Thai woman by the name of Nu is offering good Thai food at one of the local pubs.

We were excited to find out that Tina's friend and co-worker, Debbie, had taken a cooking class with Nu. Last evening, Debbie shared her expertise with us. The dumpling fest that followed made for a great night. (The photo at left was actually taken while we were waiting for the dumplings).

Debbie and Andy are interesting folks who, having moved up here from the coast, are taking full advantage of all the North has to offer. Andy entertained us with stories of his hunting trips into the wilds done on horseback. 

Debbie's Thai Cooking Class

Sadly lacking in Fort St John is a Curry House but we have recently discovered Nu's Thai Restaurant which serves up some delicious spicy thai food.

We were happy to find that Tina's friend & co-worker, Debbie took a cooking class with Nu. Last evening, we had a enjoyable dumpling fest as Debbie taught us how to make these scumptious goodies.

Debbie and Andy are interesting folks, who having moved up here from the coast have taken full advantage of all the North has to offer. Andy shared exciting stories of horseback hunting trips out in the wilds bringing back everything from bears to moose. 

Saturday morning's ice carving

 

Who is this man?

Is this a Russian competitor? Does he have a vodka nose? Or is it a hapless Ukrainian drunk who just happens to be our worshipful mayor?

Here we see Mayor Jim Eglinsky, probably ironing for the first time in his life! Good for him though, taking part in this local event in the bloody cold for hours on end. Imagine, he isn't even wearing gloves. Talk about hardiness! 

High on Ice 2007

In the frozen Northern wastelands, in that January post-Christmas funk, events are organized. There is dog-sledding, snowmobile races, snow golf, ice carving, horsedrawn sleigh rides, tobogganing races and curling bonspiels. This all occurs under the name of "High on Ice". This event was not well advertised. We did see flags hanging from the light posts saying High on Ice but Charlie thought it was a reference to crystal meth!

Yesterday, we went to check out the ice carving. It was similar to the sandcastle competition but a hell of a lot colder. The temperature hovered around -15 degrees celsius. There were teams there from BC and from as far away as Russia. Their work was amazing. Locals even have a chance to take part. 

JASPER

After a quiet New Year and Crimble in FSJ, we brought the Og to kennels (which he loves because of his girlfriend, Penny - a girl from the Arran Islands off Scotland). We headed off to the nearest decent alpine skihill which is 7 hours drive from here ( this is the biggest downfall of the Peace ). Jasper is in the middle of Jasper National Park and is beautiful in all four seasons. We have often seen elk wandering down the main street. On our last visit through the park, we drove alongside of a wolf as it loped beside the highway.

The ski conditions were fantastic. All the crazy winter weather this year has been great for all the ski hills in the west ( the Ontario & Quebec hills are still green, or so we hear). We love Jasper. This was our third trip there and although a very small town it has alot to offer, especially if you like the outdoors. Stunning scenery, good skiing, great hiking, hot springs not far away and a great brewpub besides! They served my favorite - Pumpkin Ale (yum, yum, piggie's bum!).

We always stay at Bed No Breakfasts while there and this time we were right across the road from the railroad yards. This was a heavenly sound for Charlie who is a nerdy trainlover. But for Tina (a light sleeper) it was not quite like heaven. The beautiful suite made up for it. Lying in bed, you could see the gorgeous mountain ranges that you can see in this photo. 

There is black gold in them thar hills...

On our way home on December 30th from downhill skiing at Worsley, Alberta, we took Petro Canada road through the Boundary gas field. You normally get oil and gas from the same location. The countryside around here is dotted with gas wells that are just a valve and a hut, but every so often you get a pumpjack, an engine hut and a tank for it to fill (as pictured here). Pumpjacks are used on old low gas pressure wells and literally suck the oil out of the ground. This one has an old single cylinder diesel donkey engine doing about 100 rpm making the pump go up and down. 

Rose Prairie Coulee

The Peace District lies north of where the Rocky Mtns go underground before they reappear way up by Fort Nelson (5 hours drive north of here). Consequently, the Peace is geographically part of the Alberta plains (or prairie land). It should be flat and boring but gently undulates and is carved by river valleys or as they are known up here "coulees". Left is a picture of the Rose Prairie coulee, one of the areas that we fell in love with when we explored the outskirts of Fort St John last March just after my interview with Dr. Andreiuk.