Helpful Cats

Now you have to be honest - it's not often I call my cats helpful - well at least not often I call the CFH helpful. But yesterday they KNEW I needed help to not complete the holiday ironing and they came up trumps, bless them. They have a ridiculous fascination for the ironing board and both also seem very very tired after their two weeks in the cattery. I think, perhaps, they didn't sleep well. They have been exhausted kitties since their return.

This is a series of pictures I took yesterday whilst trying to do the ironing before I finally gave up.

Bless them!

I have scrapped one of the pictures of Moraine lake (there are a lot of them to scrap as we did love that place so much. It was one of those times when you stood there snapping away knowing they were all going to be very similar but totally not caring and just wanting to try and capture it all. You can't capture if in a photograph, of course. You capture moments like that with your heart, cherishing them for ever. But a picture serves as a pretty reminder which sparks all of those wonderful memories off and activates the other senses too. Even as we were there we both knew it was a special place we would remember for ever and visit in our hearts a great many times.

I have a few final pictures of Canada to share with you and - in the coming days - will share a few from California too (totally different experience in every way!)

This first is a picture of the boats ready to be taken out on Lake Louise. The colour made such a wonderful contrast to the blue of the lake and the ice of Victoria glacier in the background.

This picture was taken from the top of Sulphur Mountain after riding the Banff gondola. Not one of my best experiences I have to say. I rode up backwards and didn't realise that would traumatise me so much. It was a very very very long ride in a  very wobbly cable car and by the time we were nearing the top I was freaking out and trying hard to hold onto the hysteria that was fast taking hold. Apparently my first words when I got out were 'How am I going to get down?' The view from the top was awesome though, as we saw Banff spread out before us, surrounded by peaks. We saw the Bow Falls we had been to half an hour earlier, the town of Banff, Lake Minnewanka in the distance. And actually, the ride down, facing forwards, was fine.

This is a picture of the Athabasca Glacier along the Icefields parkway - the glacier we walked on. It was bleak and freezing cold up there - and actually very depressing as they had signs all along the way showing where the glacier had been 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago etc. It is shrinking back at quite an alarming rate and it was a sobering concept.

Finally this is a picture of me sat journalling (we kept a very detailed holiday journal, usually completed last thing at night and Nigel wrote every day too) looking over Moraine Lake. I know it says Lake Louise at the top of the page, but the pages were headed up according to where we were staying. As the journal happened to be in the rucksack I really felt moved to stop and record my thoughts whilst we were there. It was as if I needed something tangible created there to keep for ever. It was that sort of place. The sort of place you wanted to make a part of you; to drink in and retain for ever. Those of you who have visited will know what I mean. It really was a special magical place. It was gorgeous bathed in sunlight with clear blue skies and lit up with the sun's radiance, but I would also love to see it in the snow. Nigel snapped the picture thinking it would be a good moment to record for later scrapping. Bless him - I fear he has been married to a scrapper for way too long.

Comments

[Heather]

Your layout does your wonderful photograph justice :D Keeping a detailed journal is such a good idea, takes a discipline which I seem to lack LOL! So cool that you have Nigel so well trained ;)

[SarahLou]

Your photos and feelings about this wonderful part of the world are bringing back so many happy memories for me. I visited the Rockies 11yrs ago and would love to go back one day. I am only slightly jealous on one count...you saw a bear...I didn't! I know what you mean about the Sulphur Mountain gondola - we had an evening meal in the restaurant at the top and the downward journey, over the trees as night fell, was scarier than the upward journey, as the light distorted the view and made you feel like you were going to end up in the trees. My photos of our trip are in a non-acid-free photo album in the loft - you are inspiring me to get them out and scrap them properly, so thanks again.

[Penny]

Oh please keep them coming, such happy memories, and from your pictures things dont seem to have changed much in 18 years. I too didnt like the gondala ride but had a bigger wobbly on the cappillano suspension bridge near Vancouver, as people thought it funny to jump in the middle and make it sway!!! Love the one of you at Lake Louise, you have trainned Nigel well. Im off now to look for my photos, time to scrap them I think, just wish I had more time
Penny

[Heather]

Wonderful pics Karen. I am so enjoying hearing about your travels. And, of course, the CFH. Gotta love them kitties!