Spring is coming!

Well at long last, it seems as though the really REALLY cold weather might be behind us. I don't want to tempt fate, but it has been soooo much warmer and more pleasant here recently. Even when we have a cold day, it doesn't drop down into minus double digits, so it's a big relief.
Today is officially the first day of spring, and we are on target to have our warmest day so far - it's due to get up to about 14 degrees here today. Still plenty of sunshine, as seems to be the norm here. I reckon we have had about 80- 90% of our days here with blue skies and sunshine since we arrived in November. The only time we get cloud is when it snows. We still haven't had any rain, although we did have some sleet a couple of weeks ago which is the nearest we've got! It's all so different to what we are used to in the UK. So many people say 'How do you stand the cold?' but although it can be freezing, it's preferable to us for it to be cold and sunny than endlessly grey and damp.

Whenever the weather warms up so much, it's due to a Chinook, a warm weather front which blows in from British Columbia over the Rockies. You see it coming as it forms a Chinook Arch, like a firm arch shaped front of cloud over the mountains (see the pic here from our dining room window!) Then you know you're in for a pleasantly warm day or two.
The snow is melting away quickly now, but we still have a few piles out the front of our house as the front drive is north-facing. Across the street, everyone has their lawns back and, although the grass looks all brown and dead, I'm assured by the locals that give it a couple of months, and it will be green and pleasant again.

Not that that will be true in our garden until we do some serious landscaping and turf laying. As the weather improves, and the ground thaws, it is time to start thinking about sorting our plot out and changing the brown mud for something nicer to look at and play on! I guess it's par for the course when you buy a new home, but having never owned a brand new house before, it's all new to us!
First things first - a deck! At the moment we have a big 5ft drop from out patio doors at the back to the garden below! We need to get some decking people out to give us quotes, as a high deck like that needs decent footings and stuff - all beyond the simple skills of Mr Stophe! We also need a fence down one side of the property, and then some turf. As we live in a strict eco-friendly community, we have to observe all sorts of bylaws for water conservation too so it gets a little complicated if we want flowerbeds (we need built in irrigation systems as we can't use hosepipes etc). Having a deck will make such a difference now the weather is warming up. I'm dying to get out there and top up my vitamin D! We'll also need the obligatory HUGE grill (barbecue) that is part of any Canadian 'backyard'. They don't call them gardens much here, as a garden is more like a vegetable garden.

We are also busy preparing for Neil's mum to come out in 2 weeks time. We're off to IKEA to buy extra bedding next week, and are busy trying to plan a rough itinerary of places to visit whilst she's here. Lake Louise and Banff are definites, with a possible trip out to Drumheller to see the dinosaurs (!) and down to Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump (shorty catchy name for a place eh?) to see the sights. Calgary Tower will be another definite must-see....will she have the bottle to stand on the glass floor???? Time will tell! It's all very exciting to welcome our first UK visitor, and show them the sights and sounds of our wonderful new home. We're going to let the kids stay up extra late to pick her up from the airport, so they're very excited too!