Canada is a land of snow, ice and cold

I know my postings are getting further and further apart. I am simply enjoying the lovely summer weather far too much to find the time to make more regular postings. I often think about writing an new post and the potential topic, but the day or evening seems to have disappeared before I got close to actually doing it.

At work there is a meeting about every 2 months with the whole civil department (around 100 people). As part of this meeting, all the new staff are expected to do a powerpoint presentation about them selves as a formal introduction. I was told to give a bit of information on my work background and any interests outside of work. Since everyone sees a bunch of these presentations the more light hearted and interesting you can make it the better.

I have found after working in Denmark and now New Zealand that the same few questions come up about Canada, so I decided I should just answer them for everyone the same time so save myself from explaining the answers any more. I am sure you are dying to know what the questions are, so for my avid blog readers I will answer them one more time. (Please note that this was accompanied by a large map of Canada in my presentation, but since most of you are from Canada, I am sure you can picture it in your head just fine.)

First Question: Where are you from?
Answer: Vancouver on the west coast of Canada

Second Question: What about that French part of Canada?
Answer: Quebec out on the east coast is the French part of Canada however there are some smaller bilingual communities across the country.

Third Question: Do you speak French?
Answer: No. I took it in school for eight years and despite their best efforts I don't speak it fluently.

Forth Question: What is the weather like?
Answer: In Vancouver, the weather is actually quite similar to Wellington, but with less wind. In summer our average daily highs are within about 2 degrees and in the winter it gets slightly colder with the average daily low in Vancouver being zero degrees and in Wellington it is 6 degrees. However, Vancouver is the most temperate of Canada and other parts get both colder in winter and warmer in summer.

Fifth Question: What about snow?
Answer: In Vancouver we are fortunate and don't get much snow; we average 6 days per year with more than 5cm of snow on the ground. However, if you head east, to say Toronto, they average 50 days per year with at least 5 cm snow. But I don't want you to feel bad for me due to the lack of snow. If you drive 30-45 minutes from the City of Vancouver you can be at one of three ski hills in winter.

I thought I had done a pretty good job of explaining the weather and making comparisons so that a bunch of technically minded people could understand it, but it has since become apparent that I still have alot more work to do if I want to dispell the myth that all of Canada is a winter wonderland with snow, ice and cold.

The other night it was the formal Christmas party for work. Despite having had nice weather for the last few weeks and the days since, the evening of the party was quite cold, windy and wet. I was wearing a skirt and sandals. We were standing outside waiting for a few people and I complained that it was a bit cold. My coworkers (all wearing suits, socks and shoes) said I should be used to the cold since I was from Canada!

Below are a few pictures from a recent hike with my Rover Crew.

Pasture land in New Zealand. The south island is in the distance but it was a bit hazy so it isn't too visable.

Some scenery along the way.

Looking down on Wellington.