Summary

This holiday has been talked about for a long time but something has always seemed to get in the way, and for those of you who don't know the Stroke that I was unlucky enough to get in July 2009, seemed to be the final happening.
Just for the record, the day that we flew home from Toronto was the third anniversary of my Stroke, and if you had told me then that I would be managing this kind of holiday three years later I would never have believed it.
The planning kept me busy during the winter months of 2011, but on our son's advice we first  booked the two long haul flights: Manchester - Vancouver and Toronto - Manchester and then "just filled the middle bits in". I poured over maps of British Columbia & Alberta and plotted out a route which I thought would be suitable to drive during the time that we would have a hire car and then decided how far we could travel in a day and where to stay.
We then booked our first and last hotels: Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler & Calgary, hire car and internal flights.
I busied myself looking at places of interest and what trips may have been possible to achieve and booked these online. Confirmation paperwork started to arrive and I began to assemble a file of punched pockets which would develop into our travel itinerary.
We have never undertaken a holiday such as this, but all the pre-planning meant that we had a trouble free holiday and the "scheduling" worked out really well. This has been a huge confidence booster & means that with the same pre-planning we would look to be "independent" travellers again.

We flew into British Columbia, travelled through Alberta, then flew over Saskatchewan to Manitoba and passed through Ontario.

Only by crossing three time zones on our travels did I realize the vastness of Canada

We slept in 13 different beds.
Everywhere we visited the people were very friendly & helpful.
Everywhere we visited was very clean & litter free.
Recycling is the norm - even hotel and motel rooms have recycling bins.

I am sure that there is  more to write about or to edit and I will revisit this blog at some time, but until then this has been an account of a wonderful and memorable holiday.

** I am also writing a blog about my Stroke and you can follow this: http://fivesmallminutes.blogspot.co.uk/

Monday 9th July - Homeward Bound

Well, sadness all the way! Today was the day to return home.

Up at 8.0a.m. to complete the packing and after breakfast and showering, upstairs to have morning coffee and scones with our wonderful host, Bette.  We are indebted to Bette for letting us have the use of her basement appartment and carry fond memories of our time with her.

Bette's garden

Soon it was time to go to Winnipeg Airport for our internal flight to Toronto.  Gill dropped us at the terminal and as we checked in, the lady who assisted us moved the seats that had been booked forward for ease.                                                             

We had quite a while to wait and we passed the time away by watching the baggage handlers on the tarmac and workmen red-lining the tarmac to indicate "plane parking"! Once on board the stewardess welcomed us - all except for an ex-boyfriend who it would appear was also on the flight. Once again we had to put our watches on 1hr.
We flew over Thunder Bay and Lakes Superior & Huron on a very clear day. On our approach to Toronto we could see the CN Tower, its construction began in February 1973 and it was opened to the public nearly 3 years later. (Picture above)
Toronto Airport was extremely busy, the busiest I've known an airport, the Security and other airport workers were travelling around on Segway scooters.I found it all rather overwhelming to say the least. We had pre-booked assistance, but that seemed rather disorganised to us. We had 5 hours to wait for our next flight: Toronto/Manchester.
After check-in we were taken to the area of our departure by a "white knuckle" ride on a golf buggy. It certainly was not for the feint of heart and the driver seemed to delight in his skills! We ate a light supper of crackers, cheese, fruit & walnut bread, before boarding the plane in readiness for take off at 23.45.
We had pre-booked the same seats as our outbound journey, which were specifically chosen to give extra leg room. The crew were attentive throughout as they had been on the outbound and the two internal flights.
We arrived in a very wet Manchester on time  at 11.30a.m Tuesday 10th July. Once we finally arrived home our son and family were waiting for us - seeing our granddaughter was the tonic we needed after such a brilliant experience.
Hopefully, we will be able to realize something similar again, in the not too distant future.
Thank you everyone who assisted us and in particular to my husband for his unswerving support in the preparations and during our time away on our holiday of a lifetime.

Sunday 8th July - Last Day

A day of mixed emotions. Our last day on what has undoubtedly been the holiday of a lifetime.

We awoke at 8.0a.m. and had to put the TV on as it was the Men's Final at Wimbledon with Federer & Murray. (This was the 30th anniversary of the men's final being on a Sunday.) Could Murray win?

The weather again was gloriously sunny & hot: at 11.30a.m. the temperature had reached 28deg. We drove along the Henderson Highway to Lockport which is the site of ancient agricultural inhabitation, the feeding area of the migratory bird - the American White Pelican and dam and lock of the Red River. The bridge and locks at Lockport were completed in 1910 and make the Red River navigable to Lake Winnipeg. Lockport is an ancient settlement  and one of the oldest in Canada.

Half Moon Diner

We ate at the Half Moon Diner which was extremely busy, it had a vintage feel to it with a checked floor and red vinyl booths.
Then it was on to the Lockport Dam: the Red River flows through the turbines which generate electricity. It was a fascinating sight to see and the dam causes fish to congregate just below the locks which in turn attract flocks of White Pelicans.
We drove home via River Road, a road of very large and impopsing houses whose gardens border the river. (One of which had its own sea-plane.) The Kennedy House Museum on River Road tells the history of a 19th century Scottish/aboriginal family. Captain William Kennedy, Explorer, and entrepreneur built this gothic stone style home in 1866, which now houses the Maple Grove Tea Room.

 

 We returned to Gill's by taking in the sights of Winipeg for the last time, in particular the Exchange District, which in 1997 was declared a National Historic Site. Established at the turn of the century it is the original centre of commerce & culture. A twenty city block of approximately 150 heritage buildings it is an exceptional colllection of archtecture and now a popular backdrop for filming movies.  One last ice cream a a very quick visit to a $Store we were back to prepare supper of BBQ'd oak smoked pork. We started to do some packing in preparation for our return home the following day. What a meal we had - Gill served it on a china dinner service.










This dam causes fish to congregate just below the locks. The fish attract flocks of white pelicans who station themselves at the locks or just a few hundred yards north at the outflow of the Red Riptember. You should see dozens of pelicans on any visit to Lockport. Due to the abundance of fish fishermen from all over the province come to this part of the Red River to catch catfish and enjoy the parks in the area

Saturday 7th July - Pineridge Hollow

Today was a busy day: visiting Pineridge Hollow, Kildonan Park and going to Gill's friends for lunch.   The weather was glorious and a very hot 30deg. 
Pineridge Hollow is around a 30 minute drive from downtown Winnipeg, and sits just outside the scenic Birds Hill Provincial Park at Springbank. The turn of century style Carriage House is home to a restaurant, gift & home store and a farmers market. A unique prairie experience.

Busking Stop

My favourite

 We wandered around in the heat looking at all the farmers market stalls which were selling goods as diverse as bison meat, home grown veg, hand knits, hand made glass ware to name a few.
Inside the Carriage House the goods ranged from furniture, lighting, garden equipment to children's toys. For a more in-depth look visit:
http://pineridgehollow.com/  

Next was to go to Gill's friends, Bob & Susan,for lunch. It was only a short drive and we welcomed the break, it felt as though we had known them for years they were indeed very generous and welcoming.
The house stands in 17/19 acres and Bob soon took Neil for a ride around his land on quad bikes. The main garden was designed, created and built by Bob a magnificent achievement and a true delight. Bob made lunch of freshly fried pickerel, whilst we sat in the conservatory!

The afternoon passed really quickly with much idle chat!
On the way back we drove through Kildonan Park which was established in 1909 by a Polish-Canadian and is one of the largest in Winnipeg. It is home to the outdoor performance area the  Rainbow Stage and the Witch's Hut which opened in 1970. The latter was a centennial project of German community of Manitoba and a gift to the children.

Witch's Hut

We arrived back at Gill's around 6p.m. and after a quick change went to the Round Table Steakhouse for our last meal out.
A fantastic day once again

     

Friday 6th July - Assiniboine Park

Despite the hectic previous day we were up as normal at 8.a.m. The dull morning turned into a hot and sunny day and we visited Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg.
We visited the English Garden which is more fre-form than the formal garden. There are a couple of notable statues: The Boy with the Boot and the Queen Victoria Monument which were donated to Winnipeg to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
 There are several gardens within the park, but we also particularly enjoyed the sculpture garden with its numerous bronzes. There is also sculptured stonework that was originally housed on the facade of the Canadian Pacific Railway's Alexandra Hotel, which was considered one of the finest in Western Canada.

 Flowers everywhere

The sculpture of the Coat of Arms of Canada was taken from the annexe to Winnipeg's Main Post Office.

From facade of Royal Alexandra Hotel

Family Group

Coat of Arms of Canada

The Sower

                                                                                    

Queen Victoria Monument

I particulary liked the sculpture of The Sower which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Dutch in Manitoba 1893 - 1993.

Albino Bison

We lunched in the park at the Qualico Family Centre which is located on the banks of the duck pond. The park covers a vast area and it is home to the Pavilion Gallery, zoo and conservatory. Plenty of time is needed to appreciate all that the park has to offer. http://www.assiniboinepark.ca/about/park-story.php
On leaving we saw the "Countess of Dufferin", which was the first steam locomotive to operate in the prairie provinces, and is now housed on the edge of the park.
We returned home via East Kildonan, a residential area in the North East part of Winnipeg, to see the area and house where Neil's aunty & uncle had lived, Gill also took us to the Cemetary to see their grave.
Another tremendous day with highs and lows.

Thursday 5th July - Birthday

Today was the day to celebrate my birthday, I was not allowed to go to Gill's until she had everything in place for me and this meant waiting until 10.30.
She had assembled a flower arrangement, purchased a birthday cake and wrapped presents. How lucky I was.
I had asked to visit The Forks, which is an historic site and green space in downtown Winnipeg, which is located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1974.
The Forks market began as two adjoining stables for competing rail companies, the horse stalls were joined together by a courtyard and bridges and is now The Forks market. There are numerous restaurants and eateries and work of Canadian artisans. My kind of place!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forks,_Winnipeg#The_Forks_Market
After lunch there we looked around the crafts, particularly the Prairiescape pottery.

Hotel Fort Garry

 

 

Canadian Museum for Human Rights

 Manitoba Legislative Building

The day turned out to be very hot, 28deg with 30% humidity. We took a  boat trip and our guide was very knowledgeable and had a rather wicked sense of humour - after the season he was going to Cambridge University to study as an actuary. The trip was a refreshing way to travel throughout downtown Winnipeg and the lovely neighbourhoods along the river: Exchange District, St. Boniface and the Museum for Human Rights, which will be the first national museum outside of Ottawa once it is completed in around 2014/15.
The day just seemed to get more hot and the car was parked quite some distance from the entrance to The Forks. A small fleet of drivers with golf carts were happy to oblige and return you to your parked cars. Once back at base we got ready to go out for a meal at Bistro Dansk, West End with Gill and Bette. The food was good and homemade and the portions were extremely generous to say the least.
The celebrations is not end there as once we returned home a neighbour came over and we cut the birthday cake.
Thank you Gill for a memorable day.

Wednesday 4th July - Work & Relax

Up at 8a.m., showered, breakfasted and then it was time for my exercises: I tried hard to keep up with them taking the opportunities as they arose: at bus stops, parks and even whilst waiting for elevators.

Canadian Royal Mint

Gill had arranged for us to go to her place of work and this did not disappoint. I was introduced to the staff whist Neil was given a tour of the plant and shop floor which proved to be very informative and interesting.
Whilst we were there, there was a sudden massive thunder storm and the sky went as black as night. Thankfully, it did not last long and the ground became almost dry instantaneously. Quite remarkable.

 Heading back to Gill's we passed by the Royal Mint, but no better photograph to show it in its splendour. We shopped at Safeway and sat in the gazebo virtually for the remainder of the day. The storm had done nothing to clear the atmosphere or cool things down. Gill played her guitar and we sang along. A scrummy barbecue for supper and we talked all night about travelling, finally returning to the apartment at 11.45.

Two of my favourite items in and around Gill's. 

A few years ago we were lucky to travel to Hong Kong and we were somewhat surprised to see this memorial to a soldier from the Winnipeg Grenadiers.

The inscription reads:
In memory of W.O.2 John Robert Osborn VC
Winnipeg Grenadiers
and through him all those men and women, Service and Civilian, of every race and creed who performed acts of gallantry and self sacrifice in the defence of Hong Kong in December 1941. Erected on this site, which was once Victoiria Barracks, to commemorate the presence of a British Garrison in Hong Kong.