Cafe Photos (2)

Cafe Photos (1)

Hold the front page!

Max got in the paper - by pure chance (and probably cuteness of blond hair). This was front page of the Comox Valley newspaper, and the only coverage of the Cumberland Harvest Fair!

Issie and Maxisms

Max at the Café, talking to Brooke, our manager.

"We should have called this the Thrift Store Café, cos that's where we bought everything....."


Issie and the dinner table. We're having roll-mop herrings.

"Issie, you should try this, you might like it."
"No, I don't eat birds."
Puzzled silence.
"Oh, Issie, it's not Heron, it's Herring, it's a fish"

We're open!

So the Wandering Moose Café opened it's doors on Sunday lunchtime, for a very quiet, gentle start with no publicity and a few friends and passers by. And it went great. We had a steady trickle of customers, never an empty room until the late evening, and a perfect day for us and our three staff to settle into the business of making and serving great coffee, food and gelato.

Today was good too, a very quiet morning then increasing numbers of people, many of whom had hear about us from their friends who came the day before. We look forward to watching that grow and grow.

Tired, but happy....

I know, I know

We've been lamentably silent over the last few weeks. So a quick few lines on why. We are non-stop busy with our current project, which has been in the imagining since we left the UK and is now taking real, physical shape here in Cumberland.

For those that don't know, Gesa always wanted to run a cafe and we figured we'd arrive, get jobs of some sort, look out for a space to lease and go from there. Well, life isn't always so neatly planned. A great space came up a couple of months ago and we jumped at it. We're on a very steep learning curve and hoping to open up early next week. Here's the building:

It's an old Post Office on the main street here in Cumberland and the inside is gorgeous. We'll offer coffee, gelato (italian ice cream), baked goods and a range of snacks. Name still fairly secret and lots more to tell but that's for another day.

I've got a whole book load of stories about the ups and downs of opening a small business but for now we've got to make sure the next chapter goes well so off back to the grindstone. Bye for now.

Open House at Cumberland Elementary

This morning the whole family went to school, to enjoy coffee, muffins and a personal tour from our children. Only ten days into the school year, Nick and I are already friendly with many of the staff and parents, and know the library and classrooms well. This morning however, we got to have a more indepth look at Issie and Max's work, and get an idea of how their days are organised. They showed us the music room, wow! Gone are the days of triangles and tamborines, today's music rooms are stocked with electric keyboards and loads of other funky stuff. Thy also have a well stocked library and a computer room, to which every student has access and their own password. Things have changed since we were kids! To encourage the children to show us around, every student was given a passport, which was then stamped as they accomplished each room or task e.g. introduce us to their teacher or principal. We are really pleased with the school, its friendly and supportive staff, and their understanding in Issie and Max's ups and downs acclimatising to this new way of life. Nick and I hung around long enough to observe the national anthem. Growing up in Quebec, we never did this, but I was forewarned this is done, like in the USA, each morning after attendance. So, to make sure our kids were on top of things, we got a great book from the library and we learned it over the summer. Well, I am proud to say, Issie and Max are one of the few who actually sing it! Above, a glimpse into life at school in British Columbia, Canada.

Scouts Canada

I used to be a Brownie (Girl Guides Canada) and Nick used to be a Boy Scout, so it seemed natural to put our own children into the same. However, I ended up having a delightful conversation with the Scouts at KidsFest, who convinced me to keep Scouting in the family. There were several practical reasons for this, including the fact that at the moment Issie and Max would be in the same group, and even better, there are meetings right in Cumberland. In my day, girls were not allowed into the Scouts, but things have changed. Like fish to water, Issie and Max have embraced Beavers (young Scouts) with full enthusiasm. So you can imagine how excited they were last night when they got to take home 'Rusty', the Beaver mascot. They have Rusty for the week and taking their caring roles very seriously. They changed him into pajamas, made him a bed, and even made him breakfast this morning!

A visit to Coombs

Another weekend outing, this time to Coombs. We went to explore a really neat reclamation yard. The kids had fun 'dusting' while Nick and I drooled over all the possibilities when it comes to building our own home. Just a little further down the road is the Old Country Market with its famous goats on the roof. Look closely at the picture, I did manage to capture them....just. The market itself is full of delicious local and imported foods, as well as many crafts and wares. We could not resist a few toys and some of their delicious treats. While Max nibbled on his watermelon cookie and Issie tackled her 'small' ice-cream, I wandered the many little gift shops behind the market. A lovely stop and worth another visit. Maybe mext time we will stop and have lunch in their cafe.

Comox Valley KidsFest

Last weekend the Comox Valley put on a fantastic KidsFest. For only $3 per person, the kids then had access to loads of fun stuff, from bouncy castles and mini golf, to Karaoke (Issie was awesome) and circus performing. They even had a whole science area. Both Issie and Max delighted in creating their own bubbling volcano.

Maxism

Max might not always adopt the most mature style in his responses, but he can use some pretty grown up language......

Scene: The Breakfast Table. Gesa has a big pile of postcards prepared the night before to send to friends and family. The clock is ticking and the school run looms large.

Gesa: "Now, I just need you kids to sign these cards."

Max: "WHAT? That is just too much. You can't expect us to do all this on a SCHOOL day."

The Walk to School

Three days at school and they are already so independent! We walked along behind them yesterday and realised what a great view we get every day. In the winter, those hills are covered in snow.

Beer for the stupid

This is a bottle of beer I drank last night.

Read the writing on the cap....

First day of school!

The long awaited first day of school has finally arrived. Two very excited kids set off this morning, and we met them again at 12:30, this being a shortened first day. They didn't want to leave! The teacher's told us that they had 'loved having your kids in class', so that's great, we loved having them in class too! Here's to many more great days at Cumberland Elementary School. Just the walk in the morning is fantastic, with the mountains close behind us and the fresh air blowing through. Lovely.

A few days in the Comox Valley

We really enjoyed showing Gesa's sister our new home. Here's a few photos from those adventures.

Hanging out in Vancouver

We took a few days to go sailing again, having become very shorebased in just a few weeks. It was odd to have to take so much stuff down to the boat just to go out for four days. We used to just tidy up and sail away.

We took Gesa's sister and her two kids over to Vancouver with us, it was a great way for them to experience sailing and get back for their flight home to Montreal. After that, we just hung out and enjoyed the city. We rented bikes and cycled round Stanley Park, the fabulous forest park just next to the downtown core. We went over on the bus to West Vancouver for dinner with friends there, and generally had a great time.

Max found one of those slides that generate a bit of static electricity and make his hair stand on end, especially when he goes up and down it fifteen times.

Off to the Farmer's Market

The Comox Valley, where we now live, is very strong on local food, sustainability and all manner of good stuff. Gesa took Issie down to the farmer's market and learnt all about composting systems. She came home telling me we needed to buy a $45 compost bin.

Little did she know that whilst she had been out, Max and I had been having some guy time in the workshop and turned a bunch of scrap lumber into a - you guessed it - compost bin. $0. So now we can keep our kitchen waste out of the garbage too.

In the workshop, Max isn't allowed near the big circular saw, but he's a master with the pillar drill and power screwdriver!

Mount Washington trip photos

Up the 'mile high' chairlift, fabulous views down from the mountain and across the Comox Valley, Georgia Strait and to the Costal mountains of mainland BC. Awesome.

We're on facebook

It's taken a while but seems like it's time to get into the next level of web / social networking beyond the blog, so we have a facebook page. Find me as Nick Ward, Cumberland BC. if you're already there.

Off sailing

We've been doing great stuff here with Gesa's sister and her two kids, seeing the sights and going to places we haven't been yet either. Mount Washington was awsome. Photos will follow, really.

Right now we're off to the boat for a few days - the relatives fly back to Montreal on Sunday and then we relax on board for three days or so before it's back to Cumberland and busy busy. More posts then.