Horseshoe bay, West Vancouver

Well Spring is finally here so its time to dust off our sun hats,  and watchout for bears. The new warmth and longer days evoke visions of berries and pies, I dont know about any of you but its the season of plenty so generally I get stuck in. 

Right back to our little trip, we decided to explore our back yard so to speak and stayed within 20kms of Downtown Vancouver. We went and explored Horseshoe Bay in west Vancouver, which feels like the last suburb on the way to Squamish, and then headed around the point to Whytecliff Park, Canada's oldest protected marine park for a peak. 

Canadian beaches are funny.

A chilly walk around Whistler Village

During my recovery period from a broken rib I have been feeling the urge to pick up my camera and explore my surroundings. I believe that the moment that we forget how beautiful our surroundings are we are no longer really there, so off I went armed with many mm's of focality. 
It was absolutly freezing, the temperatures this morning were inverted so it was minus 10 degrees centigrade in the village and plus one on the ski slopes, lucky for me the sun was out so I could shoot at a faster shutter speed, enjoy

time for a photo

We woke up to the city shrouded in chilly fog this morning, the mercury sitting a icy -1c below zero.

Time for a photo

Well Kassandra and I procrastinated throughout the morning today watching light snow fall past our apartment window. It was a typical day off, sleep in followed by french toast and a little facebook. Kassy declared a stroll through our neighbourhood with cameras, and, well I cant say no to a walk about in outfits n' camera's. We meandered down Water Street and were awe struck at a piece of furniture in our favourite store 'InForm'. It was a giant clothes peg functioning as a bench, we both saw it as a coffee table in our apartment. The Molletta (peg) bench by Baldessari e Baldessari. 
It was love at first sight, we immediately began spectulating on price, two and a half thousand? three thousand eight hundred? oh these numbers flew around us like magical sparkly dust, imaginations running wild at the mystery beheld before us in its eternal pop beauty. We had to know its secrets, be closer to its form, even smell its woody aura. We wondered in, 'be cool baby we're in outfits, we fit right in....chilled'. I moseyed up to the retail desk, typical designer sat behind it, blue gingham check shirt complete with black framed hipster glasses. Four and a half thousand spilled out of his face like he was offering us a cuppa tea, we casually played along, but deep down we knew that if you can afford it you dont ask. 
Well im waffling on again, here are some pics from our stroll around the end of Gastown and beginning of Railtown. enjoy

time for a photo

Here is a snap I took along the Oregon coastline. This is what this magical coast does best, moody sea fog!

Oregon Coastline shrouded in fog

time for a photo

The other morning I had some spare time up my sleeve and went for a stroll around the Gastown area. As was promised by every single vancouverite or vancouverean that we met since we arrived, its been raining...alot. Well when I got home and proceeeded to 'park' myself on the couch I was rudely interupted by a blinding glare in my eye. I investigated said beam of light and it was the sun peaking through a break in the clouds, reflecting off the street below. The rain paused and I snapped a few off. Here you go:

A break in the rain

Lust for time

Well i think every little boy has spend countless minutes pretending their matchbox car could fly, emulating WW2 Spitfire noises, spittle flying in every direction, ants quivering in terror as low diving bombing raids of a toyota corolla hurtled through blades of grass at mach 5. 

Around the age of ten being taken to airshows, beeming at the chance to sit in cockpits, marveling at a sea of instruments laid out like technological caccoons. Terrifying roar of jets, the rich smell of high octane fuel only fine tune details of a dream that began before girls become the favourite theme

A few years past by and puberty set in, I lived in the Lake District in the north of England. RAF Tornado's would straff near the hamlet in which we lived. Trust me it didnt help with my want to fly. 

Jeez im really waffling on. Well i'll cut to the chase, ive been needing a watch and after obsessing over watches online for many weeks (my girlfriend almost knows as much as i do about military watches and James Bond watches now, fancy that) I settled for one.

I wanted something utility, could be smart with a strap change and could handle my next challenge.....snowboarding. But more about snow later. I came across a past MOD (ministry of defence) issue watch for RAF and RN pilots. The civilian issue is cheap, tough and more than military styling its a military issue sibling. What more could a urban wannabe flyboy want?

And to top it off im looking at getting my private pilots license   next year (when spring has kicked in, not a good idea to learn in winter in british columbia. Well here it is on me:

Pulsar PJN299X1

Update: I recieved my new strap from Crown and Buckle, to soften the 'Cold War'look of the watch. I thought it gave it a bit more of a vintage flieger kind of look. This is just a test fitting as I dont have the pin tools to fit the strap. Tell you what, receiving a parcel in the mail never loses its magic, I reckon this is one of the reasons why people love shopping online:

Crown & Buckle oiled leather strap