tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-362323442012-02-16T12:13:38.520-07:00This Blog is for anyone interested in our 2 year posting to the British Army Training Unit Suffield, (BATUS) in Canada. If you are in the British Army and would like specific details on BATUS log in to ArmyNet and search for "BATUS".Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.comBlogger931100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-49205970973778784222008-12-01T18:50:00.007-07:002008-12-04T20:45:25.414-07:00

Well there we have it. After two years our time at BATUS has come to an end. We have done, and also been through, a lot in the these two years past, most of which has been documented on this blog. We return to the UK with heads full of memories, hard drives crammed full of pictures, but best of all by far, 2 are set to become 3 in March next year with the arrival of Baby Beaman One.Studio

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-42973060197670823402008-12-01T17:33:00.003-07:002008-12-01T18:50:08.376-07:00

One of the unmissable features of life on the Prairie is the sight of the huge freight trains rumbling along next to the TransCan Highway. If the wind is in the right direction they are pretty loud at night as they sound their horns as the go through the level crossings.Here then is a viewing endurance test for you:Trains In Alberta from Mark Beaman on Vimeo.How many trailers on the first train?

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-45440076483137820412008-11-24T22:10:00.004-07:002008-11-30T09:23:40.513-07:00

En Route back from Nipika we spent a couple of nights in Canmore, paying our last visit to some of the places which have become cemented in our memories. First up was Johnston Canyon which Kirsty visited back in our first year out here. Lots of waterfalls and due to the time of year we were amongst only a handful of people visiting compared to the throngs in the summer time. Plenty of

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-77743035217097919962008-11-22T17:43:00.005-07:002008-11-22T17:59:18.976-07:00

Regular followers of this blog will know that we took part in the 2007 TransRockies Mountainbike race, Mark being one half of a competing team, Kirsty (and sister Emma) forming the support crew for that team. If you managed to wade through the numerous photos, here, you might remember that the race spent a couple of days at a place called Nipika. It was a hive of activity during the race, as the

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-65895216362334402502008-11-22T07:09:00.006-07:002008-11-22T07:22:42.105-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Mark flew down to Med Hat in one of the BATUS helicopters. Whilst passing over Ralston he took this picture which shows just how flat the Prairie is where we live.The moon has been absolutely enormous for the past couple of weeks as it rises above and descends towards the horizon. It has also been surprisingly orange. Kirsty snapped it through the trees.En route to the

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-27602645610384036572008-11-11T21:53:00.001-07:002008-11-11T21:55:52.370-07:00

Here's the Icemen video from the BFBS Hockey Tournament.Icemen - BFBS Hockey Tournament 2008 from Mark Beaman on Vimeo.

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-22787746479404127512008-11-08T19:03:00.005-07:002008-11-09T21:24:19.865-07:00

A busy few days last week which saw the other reason to head over to Fort Whoop Up (the main being the Ralston Rodeo) just behind the School. Bonfire Night:As we have lots of space here we can have a huge fire. The Fireworks cost a small fortune, quite literally money going up in smoke. Awesome:More pictures here.Next event on the agenda was the Rocky Horror / Halloween Party in the Officers

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-39076321063487696242008-11-08T10:31:00.002-07:002008-11-08T10:37:39.110-07:00

Regular followers of this blog might remember that back in June a film crew came to BATUS to shoot footage for a forthcoming TV series on Discovery Channel. Part of the deal was that BATUS would be able to use the footage to update the BATUS movie. Here is the updated movie, edited by Mark:Training AT BATUS from Mark Beaman on Vimeo.

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-1707908861895212102008-11-01T12:55:00.003-06:002008-11-01T13:11:07.355-06:00

With bonfire night almost upon us thought the followers of our blog might appreciate this:

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-9102723397939786042008-10-27T19:57:00.005-06:002008-11-10T08:07:22.333-07:00

October saw the last of the three Spouse's Visits to the Prairie and not surprisingly it was by far the coldest. The above picture shows tracer fire streaking across a valley and ricocheting off the targets on the other side.Illuminating artillery shells shed light on the proceedings.When the sun finally poked up above the horizon it didn't really warm things up. Nice light though. More pictures

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-72751291128476073032008-10-15T18:52:00.002-06:002008-10-15T18:59:32.320-06:00

Couple of videos here produced by a Combat Camera team from the Army.Look closely, you might recognise a couple of people here.and

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-62551846296312789562008-10-10T21:24:00.007-06:002008-10-10T21:51:47.066-06:00

The next big milestone in the countdown to our departure was passed this week with the collection of all of our belongings by the removal company. It takes about 10 weeks for stuff to make it across the Atlantic so fingers crossed it should all be back in the UK ready for our return. (Please cross your fingers for us) We saw our first flakes of snow today, nothing significant but a sure sign

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-77545933166413938932008-09-20T10:27:00.010-06:002008-09-21T13:52:05.336-06:00

In amongst the varied activities which Mark gets involved with at BATUS is the Spouses Visit to the Prairie, a.k.a the Wives Exercise.The trip in its current guise commences with a live fire night attack with tracer fire streaking across the sky as the Battlegroup attack enemy positions on the other side of a small valley.After a very long night the sun finally came up. Kirsty sits on the front

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-28216509112704965282008-09-11T21:21:00.004-06:002008-09-11T21:39:14.105-06:00

We have had it confirmed that we will be leaving BATUS on or shortly after the 5 December. These past two years have passed by in what feels like a blink of an eye; the remaining months will pass in a flash.With Marks promotion comes the need to attend an 8 month course at the Army Staff College at Shrivenham. Click here for a map of where we hope to get a quarter. The Staff College is due

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-7228599498802169552008-09-10T21:51:00.004-06:002008-09-10T22:18:51.740-06:00

Each year a Military Band comes out to Canada to conduct a tour. As part of this tour they spend a week at Spruce Meadows, a world class equestrian centre South of Calgary, where they provide the musical accompaniment for the 5 day Masters event. This is widely regarded as the premier event on the equestrian calendar with many of the riders and horses coming straight to the event from

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-73161154048384572572008-09-02T20:39:00.002-06:002008-09-02T20:48:38.090-06:00

First up is the movie which Mark put together with the pictures that Mark and Kirsty took during the TransRockies last year. The soundtrack is made up of the tunes which will be forever associated with that crazy week in Aug 07. It lasts for 10 mins so make yourself comfy before turning up the volume and clicking play.The reason that this movie has been so long (12 months) in the making is due

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-76032871633838383662008-09-01T17:52:00.003-06:002008-09-01T18:03:57.905-06:00

Although somewhat out of date, being filmed and aired on BFBS on 09 June, Kirsty thought that the following video clip should appear on our Blog. Kirsty has a speaking part, Mark just a walk on appearance. Movie stars in the making.

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-17348891854851321562008-08-31T15:12:00.008-06:002008-08-31T17:52:35.830-06:00

After the excitement of the Ralston Rodeo Kerry and Kirsty headed up to the Mountains whilst Mark stayed behind at Ralston to fend for himself. This worked out quite well as he was working nights for part of the week.The first 2 days in Canmore it rained so we were forced to go shopping and have a luxury afternoon tea in the Banff Springs hotel. To entertain ourselves during the wet weather

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-35996662331723594802008-08-24T19:40:00.003-06:002008-08-24T19:47:21.680-06:00

After much tinkering with the footage that we shot whilst Mountainbiking in Moab on our road trip (and trying to work out how to use the Final Cut Pro movie making package) the video is finally ready:We have also been experimenting with the best way to share our photos.The current way uses Photopic.This is how the same collection looks with Flickr. Click on "slideshow" on the Flickr page to see

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-69231242368175143892008-08-22T21:26:00.006-06:002008-08-23T07:04:51.256-06:00

At this time of year the Elk herd on the training area starts to come together with the Stags sizing each other up in preparation for the rut.These two magnificent beasts look quite put out that we took a picture of them.Another animal related highlight of this time of the year is the Ralston Rodeo.Chris and Amy and their kids Evan and Ruby, friends from the TransRockies and Kerry, Kirsty's

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-22732303602004398882008-08-03T17:36:00.007-06:002008-08-03T20:32:24.841-06:00

The biggest event in the Med Hat Calender is the Medicine Hat Stampede. Think of a Stampede as a celebration of all things cowboy related, i.e Bull Riding, calf roping etc. The Calgary Stampede is billed as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth" and although smaller, the Med Hat Stampede is actually considerably older.This event is called Saddle Bronc. Special Saddle bronc horses are fitted

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-20679460412664723672008-07-26T15:44:00.011-06:002008-07-26T21:03:54.308-06:00

Apologies for the delay. Three weeks away from work and home generates a huge amount of catching up. All worth it though. So - to Yellowstone.This picture, of hoards of people waiting for Old Faithful to erupt, sums up Yellowstone. Lots and lots of people all over the place and given our adventures preceding our arrival we had seen most things that Yellowstone had to offer, apart from the

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-53592498779124914852008-07-21T21:56:00.002-06:002008-07-21T22:01:06.966-06:00

After 4092 miles of driving (at an average 23.4 MPG - full cost to follow) with a total drive time of 76hrs and 22 minutes we are safely back at Ralston.Details of the Yellowstone Phase to follow, once we are back up to speed with life at BATUS. We didn't have internet access at the Yellowstone Country Cabin, hence the lack of updates. It did have the mother of all firepits though which was

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-50360147127762097672008-07-17T07:37:00.002-06:002008-07-17T07:53:42.054-06:00

As well as taking photos of our adventures we have also been shooting a little video on the way too. Most of it will more than likely end up on the cutting room floor prior to the release of what will be a blockbuster of epic proportions. However, here is a sneak preview of what is to come:

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-56217760456277971302008-07-16T14:49:00.011-06:002008-07-16T21:27:12.920-06:00

Seattle / The big drive (2 days) and the Moab Phase.After keeping our fingers crossed that there wouldn't be any volcanic eruptions / earthquakes on the other side of the Pacific we bid farewell to Tofino after an action packed stay,and spent a frustrating 3 hours crossing the border into the US of A. Two of those hours were spent queuing in traffic with another hour spent queuing to fill out

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-60423403116677429242008-07-11T19:49:00.015-06:002008-07-12T22:30:37.768-06:00

The Tofino Phase - and what a busy phase it was too!However, before heading out of Victoria there was time to see a few more sights before driving the few hours to Tofino. Another shot of the Govt buildings overlooking the harbour:We also visited the BC Museum, some of which was excellent, some of which was not. Spot Kirsty in the advertising board advertising the not so great bit:Whilst

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-86380507198195089502008-07-06T22:56:00.008-06:002008-07-07T08:06:29.443-06:00

Instalment 2, covering the journey from Golden to Vancouver and onto Victoria.One thing has become obvious on this trip, its going to involve a lot of driving, as any self respecting road trip should.Whilst our route was still winding through the Rockies we stopped at a roadside "convenience" and found a huge boardwalk network leading off into the forest.The picnic set came out again for lunch,

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-55153842070808043392008-07-04T23:03:00.009-06:002008-07-04T23:50:02.268-06:00

This is the first instalment of our 3 week road trip. This one covers Days 1 to 4.Day 1 was the drive from Home to Golden during which we stopped to consume the picnic lunch which Kirsty had bid for at the SSAFA Auction a couple of weeks ago.Ian and Susan provided the lunch which was consumed just outside Baker Creek on the way to Lake Louise. The picnic set which came with the lunch is

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-13863814079331581372008-06-29T21:19:00.007-06:002008-06-29T22:41:59.526-06:00

Each year Medicine Hat holds a Jazz Festival which takes place over a numbers of days in late June.The festival culminates in a concert on the roof of the multi-storey car park in downtown Medicine Hat. Someone came up with the wild and wacky idea of holding it up there a few years ago and it has been held up there ever since.If it rains they hold the concert on the next level down. No rain

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-75186782547581411722008-06-26T19:54:00.004-06:002008-06-26T20:02:51.865-06:00

On the second day of our weekend stay in Calgary we finally managed to make the trip up Calgary Tower. It was just our luck to time our visit when the cafe at the top was closed but the views were still stunning.We went early and consequently we were pretty much the only people up on the observation deck.If you are reading this and you are thinking of visiting and you have an AMA card its worth

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-5872922427993977062008-06-25T20:53:00.003-06:002008-06-25T22:13:07.041-06:00

The latest addition to the Beaman's increasing amount of hi tech wizardry is a video camera.Its one of these:PANASONIC HDC-SD9 High Definition CamcorderShoots in Hi Definition and fits in the palm of the hand. Amazing bit of kit which is going to bring back some great footage from our summer road trip on which we embark in just 5 days time.Initial messing about with it (and iMovie on the Mac)

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-57655020265270736702008-06-22T22:01:00.004-06:002008-06-22T22:17:50.636-06:00

We went to Calgary this weekend and spent most of Saturday at Calgary Zoo. What an amazing place. If you are reading this in Canada or you are coming over to Calgary you must find time (a day) to visit the Zoo.Lots more pictures here with the pick of the bunch below.This young Giraffe kept the crowds entertained by eating out of the hands of the zoo visitors.King of the Jungle and King of the

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-76100620934482499212008-06-14T19:12:00.006-06:002008-06-14T19:25:43.507-06:00

For the last couple of weeks the rain has been falling in huge quantities. It wasn't like this last year. Okay, there we a few days when it rained but this year it has been relentless. The Prairie is looking green. By this time last year most of it had been on fire at least once.Here the rain has stopped briefly and the sun has made a rainbow.Mark has been out and about on the Prairie with a

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-18445595049995060112008-06-03T21:56:00.008-06:002008-06-03T22:18:10.238-06:00

And with spring comes lots of baby wildlife.This is our baby rabbit which looks like a soft toy. It is in fact real.The Gophers are going crazy in the garden, chasing each other around and fighting over the birdseed on the floor.  All this young wildlife is pretty oblivious to humans, and cars, and as such you can get really close to the Gophers and the bunnies without them running away.All of

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-24951569146087056612008-05-31T10:28:00.007-06:002008-05-31T10:47:25.569-06:00

These little chaps are American Goldfinches. Click here for a few more bird related pics.Saturday night saw the biggest event in the Mess Calendar, the Seafood night.The catering staff pull out all of the stops and the associate mess members come in from miles around to attend their one and only function of the year.That's not a crustacean related trick of the light. Kirsty's hair has changed

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-91371303328026087822008-05-22T19:18:00.005-06:002008-05-22T19:47:48.029-06:00

Now that we have a flash new computer which can handle the massive files that our camera produces without the need to have an intricate set of fans to keep it cool to stop it from crashing it means that this blog will be updated on a more regular basis. Now that we have WiFi we dont have to sit in the basement either to update it.Our bird feeders have been attracting an ever increasing variety

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-28554686397405775122008-05-18T20:24:00.007-06:002008-05-19T21:32:00.088-06:00

After 18 months of living just 90 km away of the Dinosaur Provncial Park World Heritage we finally made it to this local attraction this weekend. And well the visit it was too. We embarked on the 3 hour guided walk which was only actually about 30 mins of walking, the rest of the time was spent learning all about the landscape and dinosaur remains that we were walking though.Looks like a muffin

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-30775927186601361462008-05-13T19:03:00.005-06:002008-05-13T19:28:38.866-06:00

Not much to report from this side of the pond apart from more pictures of the wildlife in our garden. All of the snow has now disappeared and spring is very much in the air. The number of bird feeders in the garden has doubled and the birds are busy stuffing their beaks with food, presumably for their young. Speaking of which we can hear the cheeping of tiny beaks in the tree.Gophers are

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-24212353717948297122008-04-27T08:41:00.003-06:002008-04-27T20:52:09.696-06:00

Having spent last weekend cooped up in the house watching the snowdrifts pile up and snapping wildlife from the kitchen window, Mark seems to have turned into a bit of a twitcher. By sheer coincidence if you Google Mark Beaman it appears that Mark has already published a number of bird identification books.Its actually quite surprising just how many closet wildlife fanatics there are out here at

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-6266417358344512592008-04-20T17:39:00.007-06:002008-04-22T21:33:48.593-06:00

Rodeo pictures from last weekend are here. Pictures not great as it was all indoors with lots of fast moving action. Still, you'll get the idea.Those bulls are big, these cowboys are crazy. We were due to be doing a bit of calf branding this weekend which would have seen us doing a bit of what's contained in these pictures. Mostly the wrestling with young cows element. Hopefully we will get to do

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-25870709629903061332008-04-20T15:55:00.007-06:002008-04-20T17:50:27.204-06:00

The bad weather this weekend means that being stuck inside has allowed us to wade through the thousands of pictures that we have taken this year and almost get up to date.On the weekend of 6 Apr we headed to Fernie for one last skiing weekend. Afer the conditions as Castlemountain 7 days previously we weren't that keen to go, but at least it would be nice to say good bye to Beaver Lodge and have

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-27118389999196087262008-04-20T09:38:00.012-06:002008-04-20T15:22:56.946-06:00

After some of the best snowboarding and skiing that we are ever likely to experience we have finally hung up our skis and snowboards for the winter which has meant that we have been in the village for the last couple of weekends. This has allowed us to bring our photos up to date. But first, a quick word on the weather.Last weekend Rlaston looked like this:27 degrees C, all of the snow and ice

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-12290675661005468422008-04-02T20:17:00.003-06:002008-04-02T20:46:34.990-06:00

This post will round off what we got up to out here in Feb. Yes, I know its now April and you must all be on the edge of your seats wanting to know what crazy antics we got up to in March but you are going to have to wait I'm afraid. We are too busy doing stuff at the weekends to allow time to update this blog. Our steam driven laptop can't be used wirelessly so blog updates can only take place

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-67912573729103741302008-03-02T10:37:00.004-07:002008-03-02T11:15:51.264-07:00

Our friends Chris and Amy from the TransRockies invited us up to Calgary over the weekend of 9 Feb. Chris works for an oil rig leasing company and one of the perks of his job is that he gets to occasionally entertain his friends on his company credit card.His company also gets corporate tickets to events in the Calgary Saddledome, home to the Calgary Flames Hockey team. Sat 09 was the "Battle of

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-58723177373058710152008-03-02T10:11:00.002-07:002008-03-02T10:34:56.519-07:00

Due to the great snow and the great Fernie vibe we headed back down to Fernie once again at the start of Feb, and just one week after the last visit.The snow just kept on falling during our week away from Fernie and it was great to go back to Beaver Lodge again and see just how much snow had built up on the front lawn (we think its a lawn) in the course of a week.We (Clare, Jim, Annwen, Jeffers,

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-39799928508357169762008-02-27T21:33:00.003-07:002008-02-27T21:50:13.568-07:00

January saw some pretty extreme temperatures in Ralston. Whilst the air temp got to down to -35C the effect of the wind chill made it feel like -50C! This had an interest on a number of things. Ice formed on the inside of the windows in the house and our car started behaving very strangely indeed. It drove like it was frozen; even the tyres had frozen flat spots on them first thing in the

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-61941113513571929912008-01-31T13:53:00.000-07:002008-01-31T14:23:08.619-07:00

......yes you have guessed it, skiing.From a winter sport perspective Christmas in Canmore was a bit of a let down due to there being a lot less snow this year than there was last Christmas. Each day we would check the resort report on the weather network to see 1 or 2 cms at most falling at Sunshine and Lake Louise. Meanwhile, Fernie 4 hours to the south was getting 30 cms most nights.So, just

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-21697439240196227012008-01-06T19:46:00.001-07:002008-01-06T19:58:51.380-07:00

A belated Merry Christmas and not quite so belated Happy New Year to all of our readers.Our Christmas and New Year was spent in Canmore as per last year although we returned to Ralston on New Years day, a little earlier than planned as the snow conditions were no way near as good as they were this time last year.Mark did manage to get down to Fernie for a couple of days of snowboarding while

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-58659218773680890552007-12-08T13:10:00.000-07:002007-12-08T13:25:39.613-07:00

Okay people time for some feedback on the blog please, which may have an impact on the way you see the photos linked to the blog. Which of the following methods do you prefer for looking at the pictures?Option 1 (the current option through Photopic)Option 2 (through Photobox, click on slideshow)Either post a comment down there at the bottom of this post or e-mail us to let us know which you

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-90058242501946238852007-12-08T10:49:00.000-07:002007-12-08T10:53:22.284-07:00

Almost twelve months to the day the outside temp has returned to the low -20s and we have had six inches of snow. Photos here.The snow is also falling thick and fast in the mountains with all of the resorts opening up in time for Christmas. We have already managed 4 days skiing / boarding.

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-37130141202256946482007-12-07T14:48:00.000-07:002007-12-07T14:56:10.714-07:00

As of July 2008 Mark will be Major Beaman. This isn't going to have any impact on our return to the UK, the plan still stands that we will come back at the end of next year for Mark to go on the 9 month course at Shrivenham which the vast majority of Majors have to complete within 12 months of being promoted. Great news indeed. Mark will able to be called "The Major" when he is old and grey, just

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-2203510155553684862007-12-04T15:21:00.000-07:002007-12-04T16:00:00.657-07:00

In the last of the out of sequence posts (maybe) we are going to cover this visit of Ma and Pa Beaman to Canada back in the summer time. There they are up there posing with Bow Falls just oustide Banff.They came out for three weeks during which Kirsty put together a packed programme of events which included a trip to Lake Louise, Canmore and Banff, a tour round the Canadian Badlands and a visit

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-37944320040561857822007-11-21T09:53:00.000-07:002007-11-21T10:56:08.675-07:00

So, the pictures have now been sorted through and are now ready for your viewing pleasure here.Now although Mark said on the last NY Marathon post that he had no plans to repeat his Marathon performance Kirsty has other ideas. She has already started her shopping list for New York next year.So if we are still out here in BATUS in 12 months time there may just be another NY Marathon on the cards.

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-75410999487160233822007-11-20T16:14:00.000-07:002007-11-20T16:24:17.944-07:00

Slightly out of time sequence again but what with running Marathons and stuff there are lots of photos to sort through and not enough time.Anyway, enough of that.Halloween is massive over here, with lots of people (grown ups included) wearing all manner of fancy dress for the whole day.In order to avoid the hoards of children roaming the village and knocking on doors and begging for sweets and

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-62500819365216551592007-11-08T21:42:00.000-07:002007-11-08T21:59:50.489-07:00

Well, after 4 days Mark's legs have finally stopped hurting having completed the NY Marathon in a respectable 3hrs 34min and 1 second.Without doubt a Marathon is one of the toughest things that he has done, perhaps due to a lack of training and also training including a bit or running at the pace which delivered the above result. No plans to do a repeat performance at any stage soon and certainly

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-34085126530985069332007-10-28T13:53:00.000-06:002007-10-28T14:31:53.758-06:00

Slightly out of time sequence I know but this weekend is the first time we have really had time sit down and relax since August, and by relax I mean plowing through the backlog of photos we have taken.So, back in August the World Profesional Chuckwagon Racing league came to Medicine Hat Stampede ground on its tour. Not sure how this event can be classed as a "World" event as I doubt it takes

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-51766502658220667002007-10-27T17:14:00.000-06:002007-10-27T17:23:56.095-06:00

As some of you may know BATUS has its own Hockey (Ice) League, the BHL. There are 6 teams for the soldiers and officers to play in, team depending on which department they work in and there are also 3 teams for the ladies.Its a big part of the BATUS scene during the winter, taking up a lot of time and dedication with training sessions taking place at 0600 in the morning for Mark and some ending

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-52352103060518676182007-10-20T09:37:00.001-06:002007-10-20T09:42:40.516-06:00

Apologies for not updating this blog for a while, we have been busy with this and that blah, blah, blah.I (mark) am asking all you out there to support the fundrasing efforts of a group of us from BATUS that are running the New York Marathon on the first weekend in November. To donate click on this link :http://www.justgiving.com/garycorstorphineThis system is perfectly secure and is used my

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-56396578799497545802007-09-08T09:54:00.000-06:002007-09-08T10:03:52.784-06:00

Regular followers of this blog will know that we had a bit of a problem, well what we though was a problem, with spiders in the basement. We thought the were black widows but were in fact false widows, perfectly harmless, and have done a great job at keeping the ants out of the basement.Well, our latest eight legged residents have set up home on our little piece of decking at the front of the

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-56393209919290650802007-09-01T07:43:00.000-06:002007-09-01T07:58:19.899-06:00

So, after wading through literally hundreds of photos from the race they are finally ready for your viewing pleasure.And what a week it was. 515kms of racing, most of which was offroad, the longest stage being 118km with about 2500m of climbing on that stage alone, it was a pretty tough event. The race has doubled in size since Mark and Maz took part in the inaugural race back in 2002. Not a

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-36933368759998502592007-08-28T21:54:00.000-06:002007-08-28T22:01:59.751-06:00

Well yes we are now back from the TransRockies and we are still going through all of the photos so I am afraid you are going to have to wait for those and the story. It was absoultely amazing though, a real event of a lifetime.One event that we forgot to mention last time was the Ralston Rodeo. Click here for pictures of the event which is an insight into cowboy culture and the harsh way of life

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-5979398205624874092007-08-09T21:26:00.000-06:002007-08-09T21:30:16.278-06:00

So, the time has come for Mark and Maz to embark on Transrockies 07, with Kirsty and Emma driving the RV as the back up crew.You can keep track on Mark and Maz as the team unfolds via the event wbsite which will be updated with stage reports and results as the event unfolds.Click here for the reports, you need to keep an eye on Team Rifles.Pictures and an account of the race to follow, once the

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-20118477214783029292007-08-06T18:32:00.000-06:002007-08-08T08:32:31.688-06:00

Hello all.Well once again we have been very busy since our last post on here. This time we have been having a well earned "break" which incorporated over the space of two weeks driving in excess of 3000km and riding about 220 miles on some seriously tricky terrain.General road trip photos are here, cycling photos are here.The purpose of this little trip was to see a bit more of Canada and also

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-85599296134820352822007-07-12T21:30:00.000-06:002007-07-13T08:41:55.756-06:00

As some of you may know we have a large number of temporary staff that come out to BATUS each year to assist with the training. One such member of the temporary staff that was reported to be out here in June caused quite a stir in the small city of Medicine Hat: (click twice on the play icon to see the video)One of Marks many roles as BATUS is that of unit press officer. As you can imagine he was

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-64452698267622724322007-07-08T08:52:00.000-06:002007-07-08T09:14:11.262-06:00

BATUS is currently between exercises which means that a lot of people are away on leave. Kirsty and Mark are heading off for a road trip to Whistler and Fernie next weekend for 2 weeks.This period of calm has allowed Mark to catch up with the photos / blog and looking back at the photos its no wonder we have been behind with the blog!We have been back to the UK for a week in which time we went

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-39567848420946002142007-06-24T21:46:00.001-06:002007-06-25T08:15:21.981-06:00

As the title says sorry for the massive delay on posting anything on here.The last two months have been crazy busy for both of us - Mark at work both in the office and out on the Prairie and Kirsty with her job at Gophers kiddy care / brownies, scapbooking, socialising etc.So, to see what we have been up to in May (not had time to sort the photos from June yet) click here or follow the link down

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-5955953355367168392007-04-22T09:05:00.000-06:002007-04-22T09:18:55.347-06:00

Over a period of time quite a bit of video footage has been shot out here at BATUS. At the back end of last year this was all put together and turned into the BATUS DVD, copies of which will be on sale shortly over here.For your viewing pleasure this video is now online, allowing you to see the type of training that takes place over here. Mark isn't in it - there is nothing sexy about sitting

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-38673097382964743132007-04-19T20:44:00.000-06:002007-04-19T21:10:34.164-06:00

Again, if you just want the pictures click on the new link over there on the right, for more info read on.On arriving at BATUS everyone is bombarded with info about all of the wildlife that can kill you in the village, from the spiders to the mosquitoes that can carry some form of nasty disease. Kirsty was doing a little research in Black Widow spiders a couple of weeks ago and imagine her

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-9222609933047268572007-04-18T20:42:00.000-06:002007-04-18T20:46:55.944-06:00

The information about the wildlife in the basement will be on here soon, I promise.As you know Mark is competing in this years TransRockies MTB race, with Kirsty and Sister Emma forming the support team. The TransRockies organisers send out periodical e-mail newsletters to the competitors.The last one contained these two videos put together during the 2003 event. The give you a pretty good idea

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-18458208553919729832007-04-14T08:47:00.000-06:002007-04-15T14:57:36.356-06:00

If you are the type of person who like pictures and not words click on the new picture links over there on the right. If you want some more info on our activities in the last month then read on...Well, our plan to try and get you lot out there to make comments on the last post didn't really work. Thanks to Nicky and Dex and Jennifer and Haydn for sticking some points on there. I guess the rest

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-39744444377948141642007-03-15T10:53:00.000-06:002007-03-15T11:28:30.700-06:00

Okay people its time for you to enhance this blog by leaving some comments at the bottom of this post. If you look down at the bottomof this post you can see the text:"posted by Mark and Kirsty at 12:05 AM 0 comments"If you click on the "0 comments" link a window should open up which will allow you to leave a message which Kirsty and I can see, along with everyone else who looks at this blog.I

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-52358891360410279242007-03-11T17:05:00.000-06:002007-03-12T20:56:04.857-06:00

As some of you may know Mark competed in the first TransRockies MTB race back in Aug 2002. So it would be rude not to have another crack it at in 2007, what with it being on the doorstep this time instead of on the other side of the Atlantic. In 2002 Jason "Maz" Marriott partnered Mark in the event (you have to compete in 2 man teams). To see what Mark and Maz got up to in 2002 click here.(

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-24725454493779603162007-03-06T18:53:00.000-07:002007-03-11T17:04:19.663-06:00

Last weekend (3-4 March) saw another trip to Canmore for more skiing at Sunshine Village. However, this trip included a couple of runs down Delirium Dive at Sunshine, which according to the Sunshine website is "the country's most extreme off piste ski experience."It certainly didn't disappoint. Dave Bunting the Chief Instructor at Trails End Camp, where all of the BATUS adventure training takes

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-40890142728441580852007-02-25T21:17:00.001-07:002007-02-25T21:43:54.667-07:00

Finally after much waiting for a window in the weather Mark finally managed to get out on his bike today.The temp was still hovering around 0 but the sun was shining and the Trans Can was devoid of snow and ice. The only drawback is the lack of scenery and the straight roads. Also the wind plays a a huge factor in determining the speed. Mark rode towards Med Hat for 1hr 15 turned round and was

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-25365488896796385542007-02-24T11:44:00.000-07:002007-02-24T12:02:17.513-07:00

So apart from the major event detailed below what else have we been up to in the past month?The house is now finally established with all of our boxes unpacked, pictures on the walls, nasty carpets removed, blinds installed on the windows. It finally feels like home. Check out the house updates here .Kirsty has been spending a huge amount of time in the pool doing up to 3 sessions of aquacise

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-34931890504359558092007-02-21T20:55:00.000-07:002007-02-24T10:36:49.308-07:00

It is with great sadness that we have to inform our readers (and I am reliably informed that there are people reading this blog) that Tiga passed away 3 weeks ago today.Hence the lack of postings on here.He went to the vet in Medicine Hat to have his teeth cleaned due to their condition causing infection of his gums. When he came round from the anaesthetic he had a heart attack and died.As you

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-18561382247901985792007-01-21T21:29:00.001-07:002007-02-26T09:01:55.751-07:00

(I have just changed the links to the vids 2215 on the 22nd Jan our time as they didn't seem to be working)Just back from another week of awesome skiing and snowboarding in the Rockies.This time instead of taking photos we shot a video using the film function on Kirsty's camera.There are two versions of the same film available for you to see, saved at different resolutions (quality) and different

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-63370599519224237622007-01-13T09:01:00.000-07:002007-01-13T09:16:06.832-07:00

I found the above picture of Ralston on my computer at work to which I have added the text to show you the layout of where we live. If you click on the picture it will come up nice and big. The first week back in the new year as seen Mark sorting out postings, sorting out adventure training and being pretty busy.More importantly there is quite a bit of interest here in cycling, in particular the

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-89476465267533050242007-01-06T18:25:00.000-07:002007-01-06T20:33:51.829-07:00

Pa Beaman was asking what the TV is like over here. Shaw cable provide all of the cable TV for Ralston and provide 83 channels to choose from. There are few good programmes on there, particularly on the Discovery Channel and OLN and KAYU has some good comedy programmes such as the Simpsons and That 70's Show.It is also going to be showing the new season of 24. To see the programme listings click

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-88090286162523407662007-01-04T15:42:00.000-07:002007-01-04T16:56:21.006-07:00

As usuall there is a gallery of photos over there on the right, or you can click here if you prefer.Well we have survived the festive season in the Rockies and are both a bit battered from 11 days of skiing and boarding in a variety of winter / snow conditions. Whilst Europe has been waiting for the snow to fall and their resorts to open the east coast of Canada has experienced record snow falls.

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-2148158257862654012006-12-21T18:16:00.000-07:002006-12-21T18:42:32.655-07:00

Sunshine Village Pretty much since I first set foot on snow with a pair of skis way back in 1994 I have wanted to ski / board in North America. Last weekend put a big tick firmly in the box. Click here for pictures. As a bit of a warmup for our Christmas holiday we stayed at the Windtower Lodge in Canmore for the weekend with Damian and Pam (another couple from work without kids),

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-66774961821092812382006-12-15T08:26:00.000-07:002006-12-15T08:34:04.406-07:00

This is an amusing e-mail which has been doing the rounds out here. Very fitting."OUR FIRST WINTER "DEC 20th It's starting to snow. The first of the season and the first we've seen for years the wife and I took out our hot toddies and sat on the porch watching the fluffy soft flakes drift gently down clinging to the trees and covering the ground. It's so beautiful and peaceful.DEC 24th We awoke

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-1746082902964906282006-12-10T10:06:00.000-07:002006-12-10T10:39:40.970-07:00

It turns out that we were quite fortunate to actually arrive in Calgary. Due to the unprecedented cold snap the airport was closed prio to and after the arrival of our plane.This thermometer is on the tree outside our house and when I was up and about at 0500 (jet lag) the morning after we arrived it was registering -35!Even the Canadians were saying it was cold.The past week and a bit have gone

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-57075753298150739802006-12-03T08:50:00.000-07:002006-12-03T09:18:00.209-07:00

By the time we finally laid our heads to rest in the Delta Hotel at Calgary Airport the three of us had been on the go for 24hrs straight.The day started at 0400 with the alarms waking everyone up. Once again Tiga sensed that something was afoot and managed to get himself as far away from his hiding place as possible. He had spent all weekend behind the laundry basket in the utility room. A quick

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-70554352033671820122006-12-02T08:27:00.000-07:002006-12-03T08:50:09.619-07:00

Well, its been quite an eventful time since our last post on here with the turmoil of the move now behind us. Read on for the highlights of the move. All of the photos are over there on the Move Photo Library link on the sidebar.PackingDue to complications with the Whites movers it took them 2 days to pack our stuff into the trucks. Fortunately they packed all of the upstairs stuff first so that

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-79230210099750851072006-11-19T14:47:00.000-07:002006-11-19T15:53:52.852-07:00

What a 48hrs its been.Marks last day at work was an emotional affair for some but there was no time for drawing out the process when the movers called to say that they would be arriving early. So, after a quick coffee and cakes Mark headed home for the next phase of the move.Kitchen stuff all laid out and ready to be packed up. Despite being told that the only stuff to be packed were the items on

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-13466249481821252512006-11-16T02:44:00.000-07:002006-11-17T15:01:52.481-07:00

The light at the end of the tunnel of packing, cleaning and moving is going to be 7 days over Christmas at the Falcon Crest Lodge in Canmore. Booked and reserved today, BATUS staff even get a discount there.From the website "The lodge is centrally located to 5 world class ski resorts..."Banff, Lake Louise, Kicking Horse, Jasper, Sunshine Village - here we come.Fantastic!

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-30093247057984818752006-11-15T02:08:00.000-07:002006-11-16T03:15:56.695-07:00

A member of the family that has not been mentioned so far is Tiga the cat. Here he is resting on the wicker box in the lounge prior to the house being tipped on its head. Little does he realise the adventure that lies in store which is going to unfold as follows:Two nights in the local cattery,In the car in a cat box to Cheltenham, Overnight in a strange house,Car / box to North Devon,Weekend in

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-70275262299581061132006-11-14T08:03:00.000-07:002006-11-14T08:18:20.444-07:00

With 1 week to go before the departure of the consignment to Canada the packing and cleaning has started.Sunday 12th Nov started with Mark having an unprecedented lay in in an attempt to put off the inevitable packing of bikes in the garage and the sorting out of the boxes of "handy stuff" from the shed that haven't seen the light of day since they were put in there 2 years ago when we moved

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-1162466717405391392006-11-02T04:06:00.000-07:002006-11-14T07:59:05.489-07:00

As you probably know we have both been competing in loads of MTB races this year. These pics are from the then end of season "fun" 50km Merida Marathon at Ruthin in Wales. Neither of us realised the pictures were being taken, hence the awful pictures!Kirsty also competed in one of the 24hr Team events this year, was photographed and became quite a talking point on the Singletrack forum.Fingers

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-1162377126268568452006-11-01T03:03:00.000-07:002006-11-14T07:59:05.408-07:00

This is another before we actually get to Canada type post.Godders, best man and chum from Sandhurst, and I competed in this years Medium Score event at the OMM held in the Galloway Forest Park in SW Scotland. The event is a two day orienteering competition conducted in pairs during which you must be self sufficient (food, tent, stove, clothing etc) the first one being held in 1968 and now sees

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-1161768677882819322006-10-25T03:27:00.000-06:002006-11-14T07:59:05.159-07:00

In our last visit to Chez Patrick at Drumoig before we depart for Canada, Kirsty and I took to the sky with Euan.click here to see more photos

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36232344.post-1161168242634405662006-10-18T04:42:00.000-06:002006-11-14T07:59:05.075-07:00

This blog wont be particularly interesting until we actually get ourselves over to Canada. Then there will be loads of great stuff, including the trauma of upping sticks and moving to the other side of the world for a couple of years. Then of course there will be the skiing, snowboarding, mountainbiking and also some work I suppose. Did I mention the skiing.....

Mark, Kirsty and Izzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891419006509931922noreply@blogger.com0