It's 2012 and my big sister is here!

It's amazing to have the first of my sisters here for a visit.

Christine enjoying the sights of Nanaimo.

Her first couple of days here were pretty low key as the weather was a bit rainy and I think we were all a bit pooped after the Christmas period - we did have fun though working on a 1,000 piece puzzle and movie watching. 

I went back to a warm welcome at quilting last week - they are such a wonderful group. My day was spent making wedding things which was lots of fun. I think my quilting will take a back seat for the next while. Brian has been at hockey already and enjoyed being back with his new mates.

Me in the sweatshop with Fran, my sewing buddy.

We did a drive out to Cathedral Grove to show Christine the giant Douglas Fir trees - the paths were a bit muddy after the recent rains...and it was cold.

En route we checked out Little Qualicum Falls - we've driven by the sign before but never ventured in to see it. With all of the recent rainfall, the falls were really impressive...not so "little".

We had the place to ourselves. 

As our intended lunch destination at the Coombs Markets was closed, we continued on and went to the pub Brian goes to for lunch after his Thursday hockey games. It was there I discovered THE BEST Fishermen's Chowder ever - since then, Brian has brought some home for me twice. I'm hooked.

Gloomy view of the fishing boats from the pub.

My new best friend!

Oh yes, we had another load of wood delivered.

Other sightseeing outings included a day in Victoria - checked out downtown, had lunch by the water, drove around the older upper class neighbourhoods and finished off with a tour of Craigdarroch Castle - which was more interesting than expected.

Amazing woodwork everywhere.

Pretty swish eh?

On the way to Victoria, we stopped at
this tiny railway station to remember the grandfather
of a friend of Christine's - he built a cabin
here many decades ago - couldn't find it
unfortunately but the station was a good stand in.

Loved these murals - made me look twice!

It was dark as we neared home, so we did a quick detour off the main road and through the main street of Ladysmith. They are renowned for their Christmas light displays and we were fortunate they were still on - what a pretty sight. Makes me wish we could have Christmas lights all year round.

Another day was spent exploring nearby Gabriola Island, home to about 5,000 people. I've met several people from there so was curious to check it out. The coastal scenery is spectacular.

Found another picnic spot for you. 

View of Nanaimo from the ferry.

One night Brian took Christine to see the local hockey team play - she had a great experience - including the mandatory hotdog and beer dinner prior to the start of the game. Yummy.

These banners are up at the local
ice rink - they are so cute.

Another sight at the rink - Brian ready to take a pass.

The day before Christine left (Monday this week), we awoke to find a very slight snow covering on the ground. Christine was pretty excited and more so as it snowed a little during the day. What she didn't know at the time is that the day after she left (yesterday), we would wake up to a huge snowfall! She whined and complained the whole time she was here about the cold so it was good she made her escape when she did!

After a great visit, we put Christine on a very early flight Tuesday morning - she will have another week with her daughter and grand babies in their new hometown in Minnesota before heading back to Australia...and work.

So, we are now alone again.

Some people from Newcomers recently floated the idea of a monthly euchre group so that has now been organised and 16 of us begin in a couple of weeks - enough time for Brian to teach me the rules - again!

We are expecting another snowfall tonight or tomorrow. Have to say I'm a bit over it already. One interesting thing though is that we can now see where the deer go during the night as their tracks are visible in the fresh snow. Ha!

Plans are progressing for the wedding - big decisions being made on hairstyles, outfits, hotels, speeches, etc...and that's just the parents of the bride! Imagine what the bride is going through.

No big plans over the next couple of weeks so blog updates might be meagre. Hope your year has started off well! Can you believe it's 2012?