Million Miles an Hour

That's how my brain feels right now!

Normally I'm not nervous about a trip south but I'm VERY nervous about this trip. First I think it's because I'm actually going down with a purpose and I'm worried that I'll forget something (like my passport, the forms the doctors have to sign, my retainer, my meds, etc etc) and another reason is I'm pretty broke. Typically trips south are for SHOPPING and this trip is going to be pretty light on the shopping. I need a few essentials I can't get here (like dress socks) but I can't shop with wild abandon ;-)
One major (MAJOR) splurge that I've purchased already is.... Leonard Cohen tickets! I actually think I bought the last two! They aren't the greatest seats but I'm SO excited. I pretty much grew up listening to Leonard Cohen and to see him live is going to be pretty awesome.

So I'm sitting here mentally running lists and details in my head (what times I'll have to get up, where to get the PCL bus at the Vancouver airport, what I'll be filling my afternoon in Whitehorse with tomorrow etc) and instead of packing I'm procrastinating!

Posting will be pretty light for the next 10 days or so. I have no idea what my internet access is going to be. My uncle has their connection locked up so tight that the last two times I've been there I couldn't connect to their wifi even with him doing all sorts of things that would apparently let me.



Temperature: -15C
Sunrise: 6:41am
Sunset: 11:07pm

*Drumroll Please!*

And the winners are:

1st: tea-na

2nd: merlinthecat

3rd: fireweedroots



Thank you all for entering and for all of the wonderful comments!! I'm really pleased that you all think posting the temperature/sunrise/sunset is a cool thing. I enjoy looking at it every time I post and seeing how much it's changed. I get immense joy in the summer when I can write n/a! (I don't know if anyone has noticed but I've started putting the temperature in the labels so you can click on it and read posts from other days with the same temperature. The nerd in me LOVES this!)

I'll be emailing the winners shortly! (I seriously wish I could send a present to everyone, all the comments really cheered me up this week - it has been a seriously INSANE week... My vent on the knittyboard doesn't even cover it!!).

Now for some Q&A:

Q: One of my favourite parts is the sunrise/set and temperature part. Will you keep doing that when you move?

A: I'll definitely keep up the temperature thing. I'm not sure about the sunrise/sunset. Not because I don't want to but I'd have to find a website that lists it. Right now I use weather.ca/theweathernetwork.com and they don't post Melbourne's sunrise/sunset. I'll look into it though!


Q: I still think that New Zealand is the land of your dreams.

A: Ok I know this isn't a question but I wanted to say that we actually thought about moving to NZ because then it would be a little more fair to not be somewhere that's "home" for either of us. The thought of going through this immigration process for two people makes my head spin! I don't think NZ has a special "Eligible Australian Citizen" section like Australia has for NZers so it would probably be impossible for us to get in because neither of us are skilled workers. I can tell you though that we'll be heading to NZ soon after I arrive for a nice vacation!


Q: My daughters (8 & 10) and I read your blog from time to time. Since we watched the ice road truckers they are fascinated by living up in Inuvik - so different from us - they have so many questions - like do you get to eat bananas?

A: We're just getting to see ice road truckers this year! Yup, I eat bananas! Actually, it's one of the only fruit (besides apples and oranges) we can get up here all year round that is pretty reliable, quality wise. They do get VERY expensive in the winter though (and during freeze up/break up) I took a picture and posted it on this entry - click - on November 30th Bananas were $8.38/kg (one kilo is 2.2lbs). Yikes!

Q: Where did you live before?

A: I grew up in Alberta, Canada but essentially before I moved up here I was living in Germany. I went to Germany for the fall 2002/2003 semester and then when I got home at the end of February and didn't have anything better to do my stepdad (who was up here teaching at the time) suggested that I move up. So I decided on a Friday and hopped on a plane on the Monday. And I'm still here! My whole family (mum, brother, stepdad) lived up here at one point and my brother has been back and forth a few times but I'm the only one that has stuck it out. (side note, besides my boss who is technically disqualified due to the kerfuffle that happened this fall, I've been at my job longer than anyone else. A lady that I work with now started a week after me. I know it's only a week but I'm pretty proud of that week!)


Q: I assume the merino is extra lovely because it's grown in a colder climate?

A: Quite possibly? I don't know actually (shame)... I haven't used it much even though I have a TONNE of it (my mum's friend has the sheep and he gets the yarn commercially processed and dyed). BUT!!! Guess what project I've used this yarn for? (long time readers will laugh).... The Hat of Doom!!


Q: Did I ever show you the cowl I made with the lovely blue yarn you sent?

A: I don't think so! I remember the tea cozy! (my memory is insanely bad ATM so if you actually have, I feel really bad!)

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Thanks again everyone!! If any of you have any other Arctic/life in the Arctic type questions, feel free to ask and I'll do my best!


Temperature: -13C (feels like -21C)
Sunrise: 6:45am
Sunset: 11:03pm

6 Years in Inuvik & 100 Posts Give-away !

Ok! So today marks my 6 year anniversary in Inuvik and it happens to coincide with my 100 post mark.

To enter my give-away all you have to do is leave a comment. In your comment please let me know if you're a long-time/regular reader, occasional reader or if you've just popped by for the contest (it doesn't matter if you just commented for the contest, I'm curious ;-)). Also please leave me your email address so I can get ahold of you (see bottom of post).
There are no restrictions on where you live but I can't guarantee shipping times.


I've put together 3 prizes:

1st:

Inukshuk bag with zipped top (100% cotton), Inukshuk mug, Northern Delights Tea, A book on the Western Arctic, a 50th anniversary Inuvik license plate and yarn (the green yarn is 100% Saskatchwan Merino and the other is dyed by me).

2nd:

Inukshuk mug, Northern Delights Tea, 50th anniversary Inuvik license plate, and yarn (the teal and blue is 100% Saskatchwan Merino and the other is dyed by me).

3rd:

Inuvik license plate, and yarn (the pinky/maroon, green, and blue is 100% Saskatchewan Merino and the other is dyed by me).

The contest closes Friday April 17th at midnight and the winners will be emailed --- please leave me your email address in the comments! If you don't leave your email address you need to check back on the blog after midnight on Friday. The winners will be notified and I'll need to hear back from them by Sunday so things can go in the mail on Monday before I head to Victoria.
If I can't get ahold of you I reserve the right to give the prize to someone else or cancel that particular prize altogether.


Good Luck!


Temperature: -2C
Sunrise: 7:03am
Sunset: 10:47pm

Bor-ring!

Holiday Mondays make for boring blog material.
I have Mondays off and when the rest of the world does it means I can't go out and do my running around because all the stores are closed. booo... I had to get up early today to drive one of the residents to the airport only to find out AFTER we get there that the flight was cancelled. Nice. So I spent a lot of the day napping (because I can). I get to do the whole getting up early thing again tomorrow now.
But tomorrow is an exciting day! 100 posts and 6 years in Inuvik! Check back to find out what to do to enter to win some awesome Inuvik and yarn-y presents.

We went for a walk just a little while ago so that I could maybe have an exciting story or picture to share but nope. I got a bunch of pictures of Glen pulling funny faces. I think he might kill me if I post those :-p


Temperature: -4C
Sunrise: 7:08am
Sunset: 10:43pm

Unexpected Vacation

We got word on Wednesday from immigration that I have to go and have my medical check done... By May 14th. So I get an unplanned and expensive vacation. I can't just go to any doctor, I have to go to one of their designated doctors and of course there aren't any in the territories (mind you, it would probably be more expensive to see one in Yellowknife or Whitehorse because I'd have to pay for a hotel). My choices were basically to go down to Edmonton or go to Victoria. 4 months ago I would've just sucked it up and gone to Edmonton but after finding out how cheap it is to fly to Vancouver (comparatively) I pretty much can't justify spending the extra $400 to go to Edmonton. There's also the pain of finding my way around Edmonton and a few other kind of annoying things. I know my way around Victoria and it's pretty hassle-free as far as seeing family goes (mostly because if I want to take the bus downtown or go for a walk they tell me to have a good time instead of "you want to go WHERE?" "I don't know how to get there" "I'm too tired to take you" blah blah).

I've been reading more northern blogs lately and we all seem to be writing and thinking about the same thing. The cost of air travel in the north is FAR too expensive. As it is, my "cheap" ticket to Vancouver is costing us the same amount of money as Glen's ticket back to Australia. Where does that make sense? (and yes, I got the lowest available fare give or take $40).
If we hadn't already planned a trip out in June this probably wouldn't be so annoying but now I'm having to pay for a second vacation we can't afford (being that the work contracts got switched in December I don't have much vacation time as it is and I'm using it in June/July). Also, what happens if for some freak reason they have to re-do tests? There's no way I'm spending another $1100 to fly back down!

So, I'm finding it hard to get excited about this trip even though it's to my absolute favourite place in Canada. The last time I was in Victoria was in 2003 so it's been a while. I've been looking at pictures from my last trip and thought I'd share one of my favourites.

Galiano Island

Temperature: -12C
Sunrise: 7:21am
Sunset: 10:31pm

Even More Sewing!

EDIT: We went outside to take pictures of the quilts so I'm editing this post and the previous one to put in the better pictures.

I've got the pink quilts all sewn together!

"lap sized"


"baby sized"

Here's a link to a picture of the bundle I used for these two quilts: click - I'm going to use the brown fabric in the top left as the borders and then the pink check and the pink chocolate bar fabric as the backings (depending on how much I need for the lap quilt will depend on if it gets the check or the bar fabric -- they were ½ a yard short of check fabric but it might fit - I usually order ½ a yard extra just in case and they had the exact amount listed in the pattern.).
We've figured out fabric for Glen's oldest nephew. Here's a link to the picture of the bundle: click - I'm going to use all but the four flowery ones in the top left. And I've decided on the two fabrics in the second row on the right as my border/backing. I hope it's boy enough. Looking at the bigger pictures of the fabric it looks like it will be and there's a bit of cheating you can do with the fabric - like using the more "girly" fabrics for the small squares so you only get little snippets of the pattern.

The fabric for my cousin's quilts is at customs so hopefully it will be here soon. The ladies at quilting are going to be so surprised when I show up with a bunch of stuff pretty much finished!


In the next few days I'm going to run around and get some of the stuff for my 100 posts thing. I'm going to try to make it for the 14th (one week!) which will be my 6 year anniversary of moving to Inuvik (yikes!!!).

Hope you guys aren't getting bored with all the sewing talk!

Temperature: -15C
Sunrise: 7:34am
Sunset: 10:19pm

More Sewing!

I've been sewing like a mad-woman the last few days. I got the top of one of the quilts almost done (just have to add the border). I decided to start on the second of my YBR quilts. I'm glad I did because I was doing that one in "lap sized" and it turns out that it will actually fit a single bed (I dunno who's lap they were going by!?!). So now that I know that, I can turn the pink one into a lap & baby sized quilt instead of a twin. I've got the pink quilts all laid out, all I have to do is sew it together (which I was going to start on tonight but my back is killing me!). I still have the border to put on before I sew the backing/etc on.

(how is this lap sized? Glen's holding his arms above his head!)



close up

The camp-out quilt is going to Glen's nephew who will be 1 in June and then I thought I'd give the "lap sized" pink quilt to his niece who will be 5 in September and then I couldn't leave out his oldest nephew (he's 12) so I'm going to make him one too.

Now that my mum has seen the quilts I'm doing she wants me to make one for my cousin's kids. Actually she wants me to make one for EACH of the kids. Yup, 4 more YBR quilts to make. 5 new ones in total. I've ordered the fabric for the ones my mum wants me to make and I still have to order the fabric for the one for Glen's oldest nephew. There isn't a lot of boy fabrics (for older boys) so I might struggle finding something (or get really creative).


Temperature: -21C
Sunrise: 7:43am
Sunset: 10:12pm