A Banffy Australia Day

So, it's not quite the same when there's snow and it's cold. But we gave it our best shot to have our own little Australia Day in Banff. Actually Australia Day here went for two days. We celebrated it on the Friday night at a bit Aussie party listening to the Triple J top 100 countdown live, Berni and Fi entered a toboggan contest and then we had a BBQ the next day in true Aussie style. Except that we had to huddle very close around the BBQ. And we lost the tennis ball in the cricket game after one ball because it disappeared into the snow on the roof of the picnic shelter!! Good shot Josh :)

Berni and Fi with her flatmates in their award winning toboggan. (Another example of berni building his rep. - he made the polar bear helmet costumes, and then surfed/rode the toboggin stand-up )

Didn't need an esky at this Australia Day!

Berni - Banff's new hero

For those of you not privileged to know my friend Berni... He's a great friend of mine from Stuttgart Germany who just became part of the family when he lived with me in Brisbane a few years ago (2004/5). Since then I've hung out with him in Germany for the world cup and it was only right that he come visit us in Banff and get some 'sick' riding in. Berni is an awesome boarder!! and consequently became the boys in town new hero as soon as they saw him ride. Not only that but he also taught a couple of them how to kiteboard - and as the photos attest, it was an awesome experience.

All the boys could talk about for the week after Berni left was how awesome he was!! It was pretty funny!!

Josh, Berni and I took a roadie to the new ski resort Revelstoke - it was awesome fun. It was cheap, you could drink beers in the spa and Berni took Josh and I through some pretty awesome runs and started to really get us going through the trees... We both went on a big improvement curve from Berni's visit.


I just loved those trees!!

This is out on Vermillion Lakes beside Banff with Mt Rundle in the background.



Berni's riding partner in crime - Fi Fi!!!

Scotty K kicks off new years with us

I can't believe that first I got my parents and then Scotty K and now even Berni is here. We have been so excited to have so many special visitors while we've been over here (although maybe our flatmate hasn't :) and there's still more to come with the announcement that Josh's brother and sister are coming in March - Wow!!! I love it!!

Scott has some fine form on the slopes and has been basically smashing up the pow pow the whole time he's been here.



In true Berni form. He arrives just when it's dumping and there's a dress up party on!!!
Jones St household reunited in a place I never expected!!

As you can see no expense was spared on our outfits - and 2 days later Josh is still wearing the wolverine chops!! Scott at least put the speedos away..



The all important Apres Ski..


Introducing Scott to Canadian sports
You should've seen Scott's face walking onto the ice.. he did not trust it to hold him at all!! and then look at the grace.

We played a game of ice hockey and I think we gave the Canadians around the biggest laugh of the day!!! When you don't know how to stop, turn or hit a puck properly... well.. it provides some interesting viewing. Scott was just glad he made it out without us having to call his insurance providers!!

A white christmas, a big turkey and New Years

After having spent a couple of christmas's overseas where it just doesn't feel like Christmas. It was pretty special to have Mum and Dad over here with us this year, they helped make my fantasy of a white christmas come true! Josh and I woke up to this turkey cooking in the oven, Christmas carols on (most of you know i Love that bit), the tree looking beautiful with lots of presents and snow outside!! Yay!!!


After an excellent breakfast and the obligatory champagne we headed off to Fi's apartment for Christmas lunch with some friends. Dad was in charge of the turkey responsbilities... as you can see it was a rather large turkey!! and i don't think I will ever be able to eat turkey again.

Fi soon had us on the eggnogs!!..

and impressed us by making pumpkin pies!!..



Fi's flatmate made beer can chicken - wrong but oh so good!!

It was a feast fit for a King!!!


After quite a few champers, eggnogs etc.. we couldn't believe we now had to go to work..


NEW YEARS!!
and Josh and I have been together for two years!! Goodness... how time flies when you're having fun. So our romantic night consisted of both having to work in the Tratt :) It was actually a really fun night. Most of the customers had gone to watch the fireworks by 11pm and we stayed with the stragglers and partied the new year in at the bar and then all trooped off to our sister restaurant for an awesome boogie!!

As my beautiful friend Bonnie has deemed it.. Bring on 200gr8!!!

December Fun (with special guest appearances)

Yep. My Mum and Dad came to visit!!! They were so much fun and so cute all rugged up in winter woolies.. can't believe I got to share some of this adventure with them. I think they gave me some of my biggest laughs of the year!! The only problem was they made me laugh so much I never managed to photograph what it was they were doing that was so funny... ie. falling off chair lifts, running into each other on a downhill cross country skiing :)

This is the view from the gondola overlooking Banff.


Scenes below from our little day trip to Lake Louise... it was our first male moose sighting!!







It just had to be done. We had to go to Lake Louise, play in the ice castle and then have tea with scones and jam in the Chateau.. Daaaarrrling!

Cross country skiing. Well, what can I say. Mum got it... dad - didn't :) For a good downhill skier his true colours just never really shone on the trail. Hilarious!!!! I believe he'll tell you he doesn't like cross country skiing...

Dad and Josh bonded in the kitchen!! and produced some excellent meals..

Skiing with Mum and Dad!! Their first time in around 20 years.

I will laugh for the rest of my life when I remember Mum and Dad falling off their first chair lift in 20 years into a tangled heap (yep - one of the moments I was laughing too hard to record it on camera) and Mum 'just letting it go' down a steep slope and almost making it. It was so cold up there and Mum ended up wearing a balaclava (not a look I ever thought I'd see on Mum), Dad wasn't converted until his first frostbite spot on his nose!! Must say - my old Dad had some good form on those slopes.. I was following his tail most of the time.

Hilarious!!! and doesn't Dad look good in Josh's boarding outfit!

and what's a day skiing if not finished off with some hot springs action!!

Look at the bluebird day Lake Louise put when we took Dad there skiing..

Our trip to Jasper via the Icefields Parkway

That's Dad eating ice??? and me standing on lake Louise..


We did an icewalk through Maligne Canyon in Jasper. Pretty stunning stuff...

Josh is actually inside that frozen waterfall.. which isn't really a waterfall but water leaching out from the rock and freezing on top of each other..

Mum wasn't a big fan of driving in snow and ice..

Our second trip along the Icefields parkway was a different story this time.

We saw a herd of mountain sheep, Elk and even a wolf (and that will teach us never to leave the camera in the boot again)

For our work christmas party they booked out the closest ski field (Norquay) and we went night skiing, drinking, eating way too much and danced till we could dance no more!!

On the streets of banff just before Christmas.


Christmas preparations in Banff...

Ice skating is another 'one of the most hilarious thing's I've ever seen Josh do' times. Mind you by the end of the day he was the one doing the best leg lifts and corners.. This is on the river down the road from our house.

You could still see logs and air bubbles in the ice and really BIG cracks. There was lots of squealing but it's so strong you could apparently drive a car over it.


These kinds of cracks gave me the heebie jeebies!!