In true Canadian fashion, it rained all day long, but we’d read the forecast so we were prepared! No rain was going to get between us and our rotisserie experiment! We grabbed the outdoor umbrella and positioned it above the motor so it wouldn’t get wet. It served a double purpose, offering the BBQ master (ie. Phill) some protection from the elements when he was outside to check on the turkey (which was often).

I didn’t brine the turkey but I did give it a dry rub using a range of spices (chili, celery salt, onion powder, paprika, pepper) and let it sit in the fridge for a couple hours so the flavours could sink in. I also chopped up an onion and some garlic to fill the cavity, but that turned out to be a silly idea because as the turkey spun on the rotisserie, they fell out one at a time. I had trussed it but obviously not tight enough.

When the BBQ was preheated to about 375 degrees, we put the turkey on the rotisserie spit and tried to make sure it was as even as possible. You didn’t want it to be lopsided or it might burn the motor out trying to turn it, or it might cook unevenly. It took us a few tries – and a couple arguments – but we finally got it on there. (Don’t laugh at my trussing job – this was my first time and I didn’t want wings flopping about!)

We raced outside into the rain and quickly fitted the end of the spit into the motor. It was surprising how much heat was lost with the lid open for just a few minutes. This was concerning because that would affect the cooking time and I was sort of relying on using the time as a good indication of whether or not the turkey was done. We’d put it on earlier rather than later, just in case, so if it needed to cook for longer that was okay. I was just paranoid about drying it out!

The turkey cooked at about 375 degrees for about 1hr 20mins and when we pulled it off, it was perfect, which was a relief, especially considering how much we’d babysat it, checking it was still turning and hadn’t caught fire. It wasn’t dry at all and the skin was crispy and the meat juicy – so delicious! Not bad for a first attempt!

And the best part? Leftovers! So on that note, I believe it’s dinner time!

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So… my eyesight isn’t the best (even with glasses on) and as frogs enjoy hiding in their tanks, I found it rather hard to spot them. However, I quickly picked up a trick while walking through the amphibian enclosure – follow the guy in front of you. Make sure he’s with someone else, because that way, when he points out the frogs to his companion, you can subtly look where he’s pointing, so when they move on to the next tank, you already know where the frog is! Huzzah! You’re welcome.

I didn’t have a hard time finding this nasty looking toad though! He was staring at me with those beady eyes, ugh. There were about six toads in the tank together and they just… stared at you. They reminded me of the cane toads we have in Australia. We used to have to catch them to take them to school for science class. Of course, the girls always got the boys to catch theirs for them!

As much as I think they are gross, I have to admit that they did photograph well.

It’s interesting that the prettier the frog, the more poisonous they seem to be! This beautiful blue-legged Poison Dart frog was tiny and delicate, sitting on the log. Apparently one frog has enough venom to kill 10 grown men! Pretty and deadly.

There was a variety of frogs, of all different shapes, sizes and colours, including green frogs…

…and red frogs

…and frogs pretending to be a leaf on the ground (trust me when I say I definitely needed the guy in front of me to point this one out to his girlfriend, so I could find it too!)

…and frogs that aren’t actually frogs at all (like this white salamander). I first saw a salamander when we were in Japan and I remember thinking how weird they look! I think my exact words were, “What the heck is that?!” It looks like it’s not quite real in some way.

After the frogs, it was time to head outside for a bite to eat before visiting the animals in the outdoor tanks. We met a cheeky little squirrel who obviously got hand-fed a lot by the guests to the aquarium, because it had no problem coming right up to us…

… and even climbing up on our chairs when we were leaving, to see if we’d left any crumbs behind!

Next up is Part 3… we meet the animals in the outdoor tanks!

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The Vancouver Aquarium, located in Stanley Park, was the number one tourist attraction on my to-do list when I moved here last year and finally, in May, I got my opportunity to go with my Mum when she came to visit. Phill isn’t a big aquarium or zoo person, so if I ever want to visit those places, I need to find someone else to go with me (or go alone, but that’s no fun!). I was super excited when we joined the queue at the door, but it’s a bit of a tease because you’re stuck queuing up to get in while you can see the people who are already inside and enjoying the first few tanks of sea life. Okay, so I’m a little impatient.

The first thing we did once inside was head down the stairs to get a proper look at the first big tank. When we were in the queue, I’d seen a scuba diver in there waving at the kids watching him, but by the time we got in, he was gone. I know it’s just a guy in a wetsuit in a tank, but a part of me still thinks that’s totally awesome and the best job ever.

I was very impressed (and a little surprised!) with the variety of sea life and other animals at the aquarium. I guess they don’t call it one of the best aquariums in North America for nothing! In addition to the usual fish you’d expect to see, there were birds in the tropical room (which played havoc with my camera lens, fogging it up something crazy and giving all my photos from that room a hazy, steamy look)…

… and butterflies in the butterfly room…

…and garden eels sticking up out of the sand (I’d never seen these before and thought they were really really strange)…

…and spiky black urchins with beady white eyes that you definitely do not want to step on…

…and of course there’s a few obligatory Nemos (I found him!)

But I think the highlight of the day had to be C.C the pacific octopus, who contentedly hid in the shadows of the rock in the back of her tank. When I took the following photo, I couldn’t see C.C at all, so I was amazed to see the camera had done it’s thing and there she was, in all her tentacled glory. It was a bit of a shock to see the first photo of her because I didn’t realise she was that big. I wish she’d have come out and had a bit of a swim around but if I had a hoard of children screaming their heads off and banging on my tank, I’d be hiding in the back too.

Our next stop was the jellyfish room. I love jellyfish. I am intrigued by their see-through bodies, their long (and sometimes short!) tentacles and the danger that comes with many of them. They are terrible little things but also beautiful, especially with different lighting effects on them. We spent a while in the jellyfish room while I took a gazillion photos. My Mum was very patient.

So pretty! So weird! After the jellyfish tanks, we decided to go to the 4D movie, which was definitely an experience. They gave us lots of warnings about young children seeing it and of course, as soon as the movie started and the effects began, a good handful of screaming and/or crying children were hurridly removed from the room by their parents. There were a couple effects that made me jump, but I won’t spoil it for anyone hoping to go. All I’ll say is, if you go to the aquarium, really try to see the movie – it was very good!

Stay tuned for Part 2… next up we visit the frogs and then head outside for the sea lions, belugas and seals!

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Last year I made a Simpsons cake for Phill. It took pretty much all day in the kitchen and while it was fun, it was pretty hard work. This time around, I decided to make an ice-cream cake for Phill, which I’ve never made before. It also marked my first time using Cool Whip (I always pronounce it the way Stewie Griffin does, accenting the “h” for some reason), which I tinted blue and covered with chocolate sprinkles. The ice-cream itself was a nice vanilla bean ice-cream and I’d mixed crushed Oreos into it. Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo with my camera because, well, I was a tad stressed getting everything ready and I forgot. However, I just realised we have left-over cake in the freezer so heck, it’s late and it’s a crappy iPhone pic, but it’s still a photo, right?

There may or may not have been a third Oreo on the side of the cake that I nibbled. And that is absolutely not my fingerprint in the Cool Whip. Just sayin’.

We’ve been relaxing today so far, recovering from last night. The apartment didn’t look too disastrous this morning because it turns out that drunk Kate likes to clean (who’d have thunk it?) and my friends gave me a hand putting on the dishwasher and putting away some pots and pans. It definitely made clean-up this morning easier! Just a quick vacuum, a rubbish run and a mop of the floors and the place is looking pretty good. The best thing about the day after a BBQ is leftovers, so I won’t have to cook dinner tonight – we’ve got a few burgers and a plate of sausages left, plus salads, so it’s going to be another BBQ for dinner (minus the actual BBQ-ing!) We’re probably going to have an early one tonight before back to work tomorrow.

So how was your weekend? Did you do anything special?

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Vancouver in the winter was pretty nice too…

But I have to say that Vancouver in the spring is my absolute favourite!

Well, I should say it’s my favourite so far… since I haven’t experienced summer yet, but I can tell you now that spring is definitely going to be a hard act to follow! The tulips take my breath away – so many vivid colours and they are everywhere, all over Vancouver. It’s amazing how everything is so healthy and beautiful, compared to the hot, dry Australian surroundings I’m used to. It makes walking to and from work each day a joy.

Well, maybe not a joy, but it definitely makes it a little easier!

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We caught the free shuttle from an extremely busy Canada Place and sat back for the (bumpy) 30 minute drive up to the park. There was no queue to buy tickets and we were inside within minutes, greeted by girls in heritage dress and a sound system pumping out some classic fiddle music.

Here’s an insider tip: After buying your tickets, head to the little shack on the left. Present a valid government-issue BC I.D and they’ll give you a free annual pass card, it’s as easy as that! I don’t have my BC driver’s licence yet so I took a copy of our lease and they accepted that. Did I mention it’s free? For the price of one adult admission, you can return as many times as you like for a whole year! We’re definitely going to be coming back once the newest attraction cliff walk is operational – that thing looked crazy!

Pretty much the first thing you have to do when you arrive at Capilano is walk over the suspension bridge, since the bridge is the only thing connecting you with the rest of the park. The bridge was very wobbly and it swayed a lot. If you’ve been to Lynn Canyon and crossed the suspension bridge there, don’t even think about comparing them – they are so different! Lynn Canyon’s bridge is like crossing concrete compared to the movement of the Capilano bridge, which can get a little… disconcerting… when you’re halfway across and feel like you’re stumbling drunk.

The bridge is 70 metres above the water and 136 metres long and did I mention it sways?

Once you make it across, there’s a few different paths to follow and some lovely scenery. There’s also a canopy walk, which was good (but I wanted to be higher!) There’s a lot of platforms to stop on during the canopy walk, which gives you the opportunity to take photos and pose with some of the biggest trees you’ve ever seen, like this one:

The walking paths are all pretty easy – there’s a few steep parts but nothing a little huffing and effort won’t get you up. For the daredevils, the cliff walk will be opening soon and we managed to catch a glimpse of part of it from the viewing platform and it looks awesome(ly scary).

Looks like fun, hey?

We had a really good day, but after a few hours we had pretty much exhausted all the walks and were ready to catch the free shuttle back to downtown at 2:30pm. It worked out well because we had planned to visit Granville Island that afternoon too, so we walked over Granville bridge and had a late lunch (Chinese for Phill and me, a burger for Mum) and walked around the market. Needless to say, we weren’t there long as our legs were about to drop off, but we still had enough time for a walk around the market and try some candied salmon (ew, just ew!) before heading home.

I know it’s expensive, but coupled with the free shuttle there and back, and the free annual passes, I think it was definitely worth it, and we will absolutely be back to check out the cliff walk!

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I know everyone says it’s a tourist trap, but it was on Mum’s to-do list and it actually ended up being a fantastic day.

More photos to come…

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It sounds silly, but I didn’t realise just how much wildlife is in Stanley Park! We started out feeding some of the ducks in the Lost Lagoon. It seemed like a popular Sunday afternoon activity, as there were quite a few people out there with bags of bread. Our friend showed us how she makes the ducks jump for bread – since they don’t have knees, they are so cute when they bounce into the air to grab the bread out of her hand.

The ducks over here are so pretty with their green heads. There were so many different breeds, each with their own distinguishing colours and patterns and shapes and sizes. It kind of shocked me to realise how excited I was to see animals. It’s been a while since I stopped and appreciated nature and animals, even if it was only in a park in a busy city.

A couple beautiful white swans swam over to get some food. They were stunning, but also a little scary. I have a major fear of geese due to an unfortunate incident when I was at university – that’s a story for another day – and swans are even bigger than geese, so I was wary of them as they swam closer. I had already sussed out where the geese were and was ready to flee the second they approached the bank.

The ducks scattered a little when the swans approached. I guess size matters and the swans must have looked a little intimidating. When our friends turned and started talking to each us, the swans swam right up to the edge of the water and then started honking loudly, sticking their tongues out. I guess they didn’t like being ignored!

While we were feeding the ducks, Phill went to the little stone bridge that crossed the lagoon and became friends with the cutest little squirrel that had decided it wanted in on the food action. We’d brought some unsalted peanuts so Phill offered it one, which it took quite happily and munched away, enjoying its moment in the spotlight.

He was really hamming it up for the cameras and pretty soon attracted a little crowd of papparazzi. I was pretty impressed with some of the photography equipment some of them were carrying – there were a few full-blown tripods and cameras with massive lenses. I guess animals photograph well!

We all regrouped and headed over the bridge to follow the trail in the hopes of finding a raccoon. We didn’t have to go far before we reached a small group of people all staring into the bushes, pointing excitedly. We followed their gaze and I saw my first ever raccoon. My first thought? Omigosh, he’s sooooo cute!

Look at his cute black stripy face – it’s like he’s wearing a mask. He was hiding under a twiggy bush but would eagerly come out and take food from people. We’d brought some cheese but were obviously not professional raccoon feeders because there was a little old lady there who had brought some hard-boiled eggs she’d prepared earlier. The raccoon seemed to love them!

I’m pretty sure that raccoons might have rabies (something that we don’t have in Australia) so I wasn’t willing to get too close, even though the raccoons in Stanley Park are meant to be pretty tame. I still didn’t want to risk getting bitten!

We found another raccoon a little further up the path, a little smaller than the last. He cautiously came out for some cheese and then disappeared back into the thick brush. He was missing his tail and I wondered if he might have been attacked by a dog, since he seemed very skittish. Some kids came screaming along the path on their tricycles and scared him away once and for all.

It was now about three hours into our walk and we decided to head home. The cold breeze had become more of a freezing gale, so the comfort of our warm apartments and couches was very enticing. We still had a good walk home so we thought it’d be a good idea to start now. On the way out of Stanley Park, I noticed a sign that said “Caution – Herons Nesting Above”. In Australia, you’d see signs like this, often referring to koalas, but you’d look up and be hard pressed to spot one. When I glanced up I was surprised to see numerous nests littering the trees. There were so many and a few had herons sitting in them or on the branches around them. According to the “breeding timeline” sign, they were just starting to arrive and prepare their nests. Next up – courting!

They were beautiful birds – so big! One flew into a neighbouring tree and the herons already there started flapping madly and screeching at it to go away. I guess they’re getting protective over their territory?

It was a really nice walk and we were keen to do it again today but since the weather is rainy, cold, windy and miserable, we postponed it to another day when it’s sunny again. Maybe next time we’ll see a skunk!

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This chicken katsu curry was from the food court near my work. We’ve found it hard to find katsu curry in Vancouver (obviously we must be looking in the wrong places!) but this one is really good. If I’m having a tough day at work, I just head over and grab one of these. I’m not a huge fan of the salad that comes with it, but the portion of rice, chicken and curry is more than enough, so I’m always too full for salad anyway!

We love katsu curry so much I’ve tried making it at home. It’s incredibly easy, with the help of Japanese curry blocks. All you do is add them to water and heat until thickened, just like gravy. I usually buy the ready-crumbed chicken schnitzels from the deli department but you could easily make your own. Serve with rice, easy peasy! Here’s my home attempt:

Delicious (and very filling!). You can add chopped carrots or potato to the curry and I normally throw a chopped onion in there too. Now I’m craving katsu curry…

I can’t for the life of me remember where I had this burger but oh my goodness, I know why I took a photo of it – how absolutely delicious does it look?! And the chips are so crispy and golden – YUM! The burger looks like grilled chicken and bacon with salad and of course that sunny side up egg. I’ll also bet you that, straight after taking this photo, I picked up a chip and prodded the egg yolk until it burst – mmmmmmmmm.

Now this was an amazing meal I had when we visited a winery with a couple of our friends. This was my first ever taste of pork belly and oh wow, why did I wait so long? It was deliciously sinful on a bed of sweet potato puree. The generous topping of crackling was the icing on the cake and the meltingly delicate slices of apple added a whole new dimension. And if this wasn’t good enough, it was finished off with a to-die-for dessert…

… of creme brulee with roasted marshmallows and vanilla bean ice-cream. This dessert might not look like much but it was amazing! The creme brulee was perfect, with a hard layer of caramelised sugar that shattered when struck with the spoon. The marshmallows worked well with the custard and the ice-cream was home-made and ultra creamy. The portion was perfect too – not too big, not too small, especially after my pork belly main.

Ahhh, memories! It’s been nice looking back at some of my favourite meals and remembering where I was and who I was with when I experienced them. Do you photograph your food? I think it’s becoming more and more popular, even if you don’t run a food blog, it’s a nice reminder of great dining experiences!

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Last week Phill and I decided to do lunch in the city together. We passed a street that was blocked off with a police car and stopped to have a look, since the police man was just leaning against his car looking rather disinterested so we figured it wasn’t a crash or crime scene or anything. There were a few taxis lined up inside the barriers, which wouldn’t have been that strange except they were clearly labeled “NY TAXI” and well, we weren’t in New York. We realised they were filming something and that meant the possibility of famous people being around, so we headed across the road for a closer look.

It turned out they were filming Fringe, which is of course a pretty popular science fiction show right now. Phill watches it – I used to, but stopped after the first season. However, that didn’t make me any less excited to see Joshua Jackson and John Noble! We saw Joshua standing in the middle of the road chatting to some people and later, John Noble was sitting on top of a bus. Random, but I guess somehow Walter ends up on the top of a Vancouver bus and calls out to Peter to help him down… just as the bus starts to move. We watched them do a couple takes of the scene, but my stomach was rumbling so we left them to it while we went to find some food.

We saw John’s stunt double hanging around and I was surprised the real John was up on top of the bus, but once they started filming we understood why – he had lines to deliver. We couldn’t see how he was tied down, but he had to be, right? Especially since the bus moves at the end of the scene!

It was pretty cool and the filming crew were very easy-going with the crowds gathering – there were even people hanging around to be extras in the background. We could have ended up in a future episode of Fringe, but alas, I was too hungry. Maybe next time!

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