Hello girls and boys!

First of all, congratulations to the students in the class who moved on in track and field! Alexis and Jess, you girls told me that you did well, right? Did anyone else?

Second, good luck to the grade threes writing EQAO this week. I was talking to Mrs. Swanick and she said it was going well. Hopefully all the practice we did helped you feel prepared! Remember, just take it slow and do your best. You're a very smart group :)

Burley, Craig and I have been busy exploring the beaches around Sydney. Yesterday we took a ferry into downtown Sydney. Burley tagged along and got into some mischeif. Here are a few pictures!

Burley in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. He thought it was a very cool structure! So did Craig.

Burley in front of the Sydney Opera House. This is where many plays, operas, and music shows happen. It is a very neat building. The roof is supposed to look like sails, since it is right on the harbour near many boats.

Take a look at that HUGE above-ground root! Australia has very different looking trees here. Most of them do not lose their leaves in the fall and winter. Trees that do not lose all their leaves are called evergreen trees. Trees that do lose all their leaves, like many of our trees back home, are called deciduous trees.

In the botanical gardens, Burley wanted to hang out under some mini-palm trees. They were a perfect size for him!

Burley! Don't get too close to the cactus!

I think Burley told this guy that beavers are cooler than lions. Luckily, the two of them made up and are best of friends! They even exchanged email adresses!

Burley did not want to leave! Luckily, I am VERY good at hide and go seek!

Last one! What a HUGE tree! Can you find Burley in this picture?

Talk to you soon :)

Life in Sydney

Well, we arrived in Australia safe and sound. The flight was 18 hours in total from Calgary to Sydney, Australia. That is almost an entire day! Luckily Craig and I were able to get some sleep on the plane, so our flight was not too bad.

Here in Sydney it is winter. Since we are on the opposite side of the world, the seasons are the opposite. Winter in Australia is NOT like winter in Canada. Every day the weather has been about 21 degrees, which is what the weather in Ontario has been like. People here think it is cold and wear warm coats and long pants!

Our friends live a 2 minute walk to the beach, so we have been busy relaxing on the beach, as well as exploring the city. Lots of people surf here - check out all the surfers in the pictures below.

Here are a few pictures of where we are right now. You tell me if you think it looks like winter!

Fun in Calgary!

Hello boys and girls!

We've been having lots of fun in Calgary! We did one hike on Friday that was 3 hours long at a place called Barrier Lake. Here is a picture of Craig and I at the beginning of the hike. Aren't the mountains and the lake beautiful?



* If you would like to see any of these pictures at a larger size, just click on them, and they will get bigger.

On Sunday we did a much bigger hike. We hiked a mountain called the Yamnuska. It was a 5 hour hike this time, which means we had to climb higher up. There was still a lot of snow near the top of the mountain, but the air was pretty warm. You'll notice I was climbing part of the way in a tank top, even though it looks like winter all around me!




















I hope you're all having fun back at school. Craig, Burley, and I fly out of Calgary tonight for the next part of our adventure. First we will take a plane ride for 3 hours, and then we will take one more plane ride for 15 hours straight! Next time I write a post, it will be from Sydney, Australia!


Remember, if you would like to leave a comment, you do not have to keep going back to the first post - there is also a way to comment on each of my postings as well. Right below these words you should see the word "comments" - just click on it to leave me a message!

Last Night in Ontario!

Hello! I have loved reading ALL the comments you have been leaving me. Keep an eye on the blog over the next week, because we leave for Calgary tomorrow (May 7) and we'll be taking some pictures of a certain beaver all around town!

Craig and I moved out of London last week, and we have been busy visiting friends and family in Kitchener, Waterloo, Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, Toronto, and Niagara Falls. We are excited to visit friends in Calgary, and also to do some hiking. Calgary is surrounded by mountains, so it will be very beautiful.


Brain Busters About Calgary

Let's see who can answer these questions in the comments section below!

1. What province is Calgary in? (Come on, you all should know this!)

2. What two NHL teams are from this province?

3. What famous event happens every summer in Calgary? (Unfortunately, we will miss it - the event happens in July.)


Some Messages to the Blog Commenters...

Payton - Thanks for all your comments! I miss getting lovely pictures drawn by you :)

Jess - I was not able to sign up for Webkinz before I left. You will have to wait until I get back!

Andrew - How are you doing? Have you been reading any interesting books lately?

Alexis - Are you still doing synchronized skating? If so, how is that going?

Matt - Hey Matt! Have you been following the NHL playoffs? Craig is cheering for Boston - who are you cheering for?

Mitch A. - Thanks for reading the blog so much and leaving me messages! I can't wait to read more :)

Brody W. - Our packs are full of the travel-sized things you bought us - thanks! They have come in handy! Have you read any good books lately?