A night with Michael Buble (well sort of!!)

Around 6 months ago I heard on the radio, on the way to work, that Michael Buble was coming to Calgary, so on my first break at work I jumped onto the internet and purchased a couple of tickets.  Nigel was initially determined not to go as he really isn't a fan, and we could have done with the money, but as we aren't sure if we'll be staying I wanted to make the most of it.  Eventually I managed to persuade Nigel to come with me so we headed off to the Sadledome.

We had spoken to friends of ours that had seen this particular concert in the UK and they had also told us how much they'd enjoyed the support act Naturally 7.  I'd known about them in the UK, but not really heard them preform and was not disappointed.  The band basically do what they call 'vocal play' where the seven members imitate the sound of a large variety of instruments with their voice.  I throughly recommend a quick visit to Youtube to have a look at their version of 'In The Air Tonight'.  

As for Michael, well it was amazing, and he was a definite entertainer, and despite Nigel's initial reluctance he actually really enjoyed it.  Both Nige and I were singing and swaying all night and I was dancing with my favorites.  

Below a few pictures (with the 'ye old faithful' iphone!) of another fantastic night.

        

Suprise Birthday Celebrations

As most of you will know Monday August the16th marked my 28th Birthday, but as our visitors pointed out, with us currenty classed as "visitors' to Canada my birthday could be celebrated from 5pm on Sunday the15th local time (12 midnight on the16th in the UK).

I had been talking for weeks about having an Indian meal as we hadn't had one since our visit to the UK in May.  So Nigel decided he would take me out on the Sunday evening.  So we left our house guests Kathryn and Luke to have a quiet night in while we headed out to the restaurant.  

About 15 minutes down the road Nige realised that he'd left his wallet at home and although I had mine Nige had insisted on going back to get his.  So after much muttering on my part we turned around and headed back home.  Now I've always thought myself as a rather observent person (and for those who know me really well, actually rather nosey!)  So I was rather shocked to find that whilst I had believed we were heading out to the restaurant, it had all been a plot to get me out of the house, so that Kathryn, Luke and our neighbours Samantha and Brian could activate 'Operation Suprise Party'.  In the 25 minutes we'd been out of the house, friends had arrived, tables had been laden with food and drink, and the house, inside and out had been decorated with balloons, banners and assorted birthday paraphernalia.

I was so shocked, especially when I heard all the details of the 'goings on' between everyone involved.  So thanks to my wonderful, yet extremely sneaky friends I had a great evening, plus I got to celebrate for an extra 7 hours!!!!!  

Bad News!

Earlier this week we had a phone call we had really hoped not to get, when Nige's boss rang to inform him that Service Canada had refused their LMO (labour market opinion) applicaton that would have allowed Nige to apply for a work permit.  The main reason was, Service Canada felt that the job title didn't fit the salary, so they didn't know how to categorize the position.  Although the person dealing with the application was extremely helpful gaving the lawyer some tips and advice on how to change it before they re-applied, this now means that we have to start the process again.  So they have to re-advertize the position for two weeks then review any applications they get, then submit another application for an LMO.  Everyone seems really positive about what the outcome will be, but with Nige and I having what could potentially be a 6 week wait, we're both rather concerned with the money situation.  After a lot of talking we have decided to see what happens in 6 weeks as we could run the risk of returning home to find we get the LMO a couple of weeks later.  Also after winning $2 and a free go on the Canadian lotteries, we're hoping we'll hit some good luck and have brought another ticket and shall keep our fingers crossed for either a nice lump sum of money or a positive LMO from Service Canada!!!

This weekend we have some people arriving from the UK and we are looking forward to having them.  They are a couple who we met last year, who have decided to move themselves and all their belongings from the UK to live in Canada.  We have been in contact a lot over the last few months and we are so envious of the excitement and nerves they are currently going through.  As we were kindly offered a place to stay by our friends Haydn and Deedee when we first arrived, we know how much easier that made our transition.  With this in mind, have offered our Guest suite in the basement to the couple until they find a rental property.  Not only are we helping them out, but we're both hoping that they will be a real reminder as to why both Nigel and I made the decision to move here originally, giving us a renewed drive to push through these next couple of months.   Also as we're not working, if they need our help for anything then it will be a welcome distraction from thinking of ways to annoy each other for entertainment!!!

So thats the latest, and I'm sure like us you're sick of all these doom and gloom up-dates, and I truly hope that it won't be long until we can write some good news!

Work Permit Up-date.

After not having heard anything from Service Canada, the immigration Lawyer contacted them to assess the situation.  He was told that due to a huge number of LMO applications they currently have, the processing time is now 6 weeks, not the usual 3.  So we now have another 3 weeks to wait until we find out our fate. We have also yet to hear from the CIC that they have received our PR application and that we have moved onto the next stage, but they have just completely changed the process so are being realistic and expecting delays there.  So sorry guys you'll have to keep those body parts crossed a while longer I'm afraid!!  We'll keep you posted though!

Stampede Night Out!

Some of my friends from work were organizing a big night out at one of the temporary Stampede bars in downtown Calgary on the friday night.  So Nige and I headed to one of the girls condo's to meet up with everyone then headed down to the bar.  It is basically a large white marquee that is set up on a car-park (you can actually see it behind me in one of the Stampede Parade pictures).  It is full of bars, a stage, dance floor and BBQ area, with some of the cleanest portaloos I have ever seen in my entire life!  Once you get over the initial shock of the 'eu de heave and stale beer' (which doesn't take long!) the atmosphere is amazing.  It was so nice seeing some of my work colleagues and catching up on all the gossip and great for Nige to get a chance to meet up with their other-half's.  We had a great night and after much, drinking, dancing and merriment we headed to the station to catch the train home (the trains run 24-hours during Stampede.  After a 30minute walk from the station home we eventually got into bed at 5:30am, just as the sun was coming up (bringing back happy memories of making the 30 second walk across the road from our neighbours house, as the sun was rising, after an impromptu gathering!)  


We were both a little delicate this morning, but both agree that this was an unforgettable Stampede, heres looking to next year!!

Stampede - Day 2

So having had a day to relax from our first full Stampede day, we headed out early yesterday morning for another day at the Stampede grounds.  We had made a note on Monday of a few things that we wanted to do today and first on our list was a henna tattoo for Me! 

Next we made our way to a photo studio booth in order for us to get a photo.  As we tend to do most things with just the three of us, we rarely have a picture taken with both of us in it, (Domino doesn't have thumbs so struggles holding the camera!!), so we headed into Stampede market and got this photo taken............

By means of modern technology, those family members wishing to purchase a copy can click on this link www.antiquephotoparlour.com with the password  121629 PM-07-14-2010 for the next 2 weeks.   

After a spot of lunch we made our way to the Grandstand.  Last year we hadn't managed to see the afternoons Rodeo event, so we booked our seat this year and had been lucky enough to get good seats in order to see all the action.   The Rodeo event consists of many different events including, Tie-Down roping, Saddle Bucking Bronco, Bareback Bronco, Bull Riding, Barrel Racing, Wild Pond Race and Steer Wrestling.  

Obviously we're still using the iPhone and the pictures come out looking further away than we were, so thanks to the Calgary Stampede I have put on a few close up shots of the action.  

So after an action packed afternoon we headed back home to see to Domino and change ready for our evenings entertainment.  During stampede a large number of bands and performers do concerts in one of the Stampede stages.  This year the Saddledome had been given, for one night only, to Bon Jovi and guess who had tickets!!!!!!!!  We had managed to get tickets for the sold out concert through people we used to know and were really excited, so we caught the bus to the station and then got the train to the stampede grounds.   

The concert was amazing and we had an awesome time, we even made a call to my sister Tiffany at 4:30am UK time so she could sing 'Livin' on a prayer' along with us and Jon Bon Jovi.  We had met up with a friend of mine from work before the concert so we all headed to the Stampede bar, Nashville North for a few drinks after the concert and then we headed back home to rest ready for our last Stampede night on Friday.

Stampede - Day 1

Stampede fever had well and truly hit us this year and we were going to be spending a couple of days at the grounds taking in the Chuckwagon races, Rodeo, plus all the other events on show during the 10 days.  Our first day was going to be the Chuckwagon races and the evening show where we had tickets for the grandstand.  We arrived at the park about 11am to enjoy everything on offer prior to the evening's entertainment.  After taking a look around the BMO centre market place, we enjoyed the show put on by the 'Superdogs'.  This involved relay races by a variety of breeds through a course set out with jumps etc, dog dancing and a game of musical mats!  We haas watched this last year and really enjoyed it and this years performance did not disappoint.  We then headed into the Saddledome to watch the sheepdog trials.  The sheepdog and rancher's task was to direct the 3 sheep around a designated route, through a gate and then into a pen, within 4 minutes.  The control and connection between the rancher and sheepdog was great to watch and we had a great time here. 

We we lucky to be inside the Sadledome watching all these agrecultural events when, not wanting to break with Stampede tradition, a storm arrived, the heavens opened and those outside we treated to wind, rain and enormous hailstones!  We also got to watch the Cattle Penning championships where three riders have one minute to separate 3 specifically indentified cattle from a heard of 30 and direct them into a pen the other side of the arena.  It was really fast paced and amazing to watch the team work together whilst trying to get the correct cow out of the bunch.

Below is a picture from a new event in Canada called 'Cowboy Up'.  The course is laid out for cowboys and cowgirls to navigate with their horses, being scored out of 10 for each obstacle which they get 30s to complete.  The obstacles included 'brush', a tunnel (with a blind exit), a post box (the horse has to stay completely still while the rider stands on them to post a letter), a cart pull, bridge crossing, flag pick up/drop off, water crossing, jumps then a tunnel for only the rider to crawl through (the horse must stay where the rider leaves them).  Once these are complete, the cowboy/cowgirl has to remove the saddle and re-mount the horse, perform 2 spins in a clockwise and anti-clockwise direction, ride through moguls/water then sprint a full circuit of the arena all bareback!  A fantastic display of rider/horse control, trust and speed!    

We then headed over to the BMO Centre to watch the Acrobatic Rock & Roll Ice Show.  This was awesome!  A live band as shown in the following photos, Acrobatic performers and an elite list of Ice Skaters including Olympic Gold Medallists Scott Muir and Tessa Virtue, as well as the world renowned Elvis Stojko. 

   

Scott Muir and Tessa Virtue above.

Scott Muir, Tessa Virtue and Elvis Stojko

After a quick snack we decided to take our seats in the grandstand ready for Chuckwagon races and the Evening show.  Sophie proposed a personal bet on the chuckwagon races, where the loser had to clean the house from top to bottom the following day.  After 8 races we were even at 4 a piece, with just the 9th and final race to go!  Sophie had first pick of the 4 Chuckwagons, but unfortunately for her, she didn't pick wisely!! I won 5/4 and knew Sophie had a hard days work ahead of her! lol  The pictures below show a bit of the chuckwagons and some shots of the amazing Grandstand show.  This year the show included some celebraties, including Eva Avila who sung at the Winter Olympics, comedian Tim Nutt, artists from Cirque du Soleil and Broadway and Daniel 'Da FunkyMystic' Celebre, of of Michael Jacksons' principle dancers from his planned 'This Is It' tour and of course teh Young Canadians of the Calgary Stampede.

As with last year, before the Chuckwagon Racing we all stood and removed our hats for the national anthem. We were both very proud of ourselves when we were actually able to join in this year!  "Oh Canada..............

The Grandstand Show begins.

In the picture below you can see a steel globe and inside that four members of the Dominquez Daredevils a family of four motorcycle stunt riders that defy gravity by riding their bikes round inside the globe.  It was impressive with the two of them, but we couldn't help but hold our breath when all four of them were inside riding round at speed! Aswell as the stunt riders there were also three people suspended on wires above the audience and four riders doing jumps across the stage!

As the show reached its finale the fireworks begun!

We had both had a great day out and all thanks to The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, on our doorstep!