I’m writing this from our back garden in Aberdeen. 21 degrees today, warmer in the sunshine. I’m starting to think this adventure is an extravagant way to waste money considering I can just get as good weather in my back yard. Only, knowing Aberdeen like I do, it’ll be snowing by Monday.

When we first started planning our trip it seemed like we had an age to organise everything. It was months away. In fact all our plans just seemed like dreams rather than reality. But now with three weeks left to get everything organised, we’re beginning to stress out a bit.

The biggest hurdle of them all has finally be sorted in the last few days. We’ve found somewhere to stay in Vancouver… for the first month at least. We wanted to have somewhere booked for the first month before we left the UK. Somewhere that will allow us time to recover from the 6 week driving holiday prior to arriving in Canada. Somewhere to call home while we get our bearings around the city. Somewhere we can go while we work out where the nice areas are, and where the not so nice areas that we should avoid.

We started out by looking at cheap hotel accommodation. But that’s an oxymoron in Vancouver, certainly in August. Plus if you stay in a hotel you’re forcing yourself to eat out every night, which will soon add up.

There was a hostel option. Used worldwide by backpackers as a cheap alternative to a hotel. Except if you wanted a private room in a hostel then you were almost looking as much as a hotel, but not as nice. The cheap option would have seen Emma and I being separated at night time, something we weren’t too happy about.

After searching… searching… and even more searching… emailing… phoning… more emailing…. we found somewhere. We’ve had to up our budget slightly for accommodation, but we’ve found somewhere we’re happy with. Slap bang in downtown Vancouver, 10th floor of a high rise with harbour views. It could be worse.

I’ve spoken to so many Americans and Canadians over the last few months while we book various aspects of our trip that I have already started adopting the American way of doing, writing and saying things. Mum is no longer mum, she’s mom. My mobile phone has been replaced by my cell phone. And today’s date is 05/22, not the other way around, that’s so old fashioned.

Once upon a time I’d have hated the idea of speaking and writing with an American twang, now I can’t wait to start doing it for real.

Only three weeks…

David