A fun list for January

Found this really fun list from the blog think big, live simply and decided to have a go at it myself! I enjoy doing these sort of quizzes. It's something my friends and I used to do in high school and I haven't gotten over that secret love for them.

Making : My blog planner! I have decided to plan (roughly) my year of blog posts. I find it really hard to come up with inspiration on the spot and feel that this will save me a lot of time in the long run and eliminate any boring pointless posts.

Cooking : Nothing, I am on holidays and wanting to try all the great locally owned restaurants here in Fernie. I do miss cooking though and will be happy to get myself back into some sort of routine (my waist line will also be happy). It is Chinese new year on Friday and I am hoping to cook up a yummy Chinese dish in celebration.

Drinking : Water, water and more water. I am trying to up my water intake, being on holidays has meant that I am indulging in fizzy drinks and alcohol more often than usual. My skin is hating me for it.

Reading: All the blogs I can. I have joined the Facebook group Aussie blogs to love and am slowly working my way through the bloggers (and their blogs) which have joined the group.

Wanting: To work on creating a children's book. I have an idea and a general story line. I am not sure where to start as it all sounds really daunting. Another idea for the pile..

Looking: At the snow outside. It has been snowing on and off which is very exciting as we haven't had much snow since the beginning of the year. I only have 1 week left in Canada and want to be in as much snow as possible.

Playing: 'The Simpsons tapped out'. It's an app on my ipad. Lame I know but I am addicted. Don't judge me.

Deciding: That I should go on a diet (even though I am still on holidays). The thought of ever putting a bikini back on is freaking me out. I'm also sick of the heavy and greasy food which I often eat. Bring me a salad!

Wishing: Life would slow down. Its 2014.... whaaaat. It's almost February 2014.... whaaat! Where did January go?

Enjoying: Having free time!! It has been 3 months since I finished work (wow that's gone quick). I have never had this much time off since I started full time employment when I was 17 years old. I have taken advantage of this time I have by starting this blog, learning to snowboard, learning to speak French, reading and writing regularly in my journal (yes I still like to hand write in a journal).

Waiting: For my mum to get online so I can check that our flights back to Australia are all booked (the airline was sending her a confirmation text) and also so that she can take another photo of my budgie Sheldon for me. I miss my little birdie!

Wondering: What it will be like living in the Gold Coast and by the beach. Yes I am confirming that Brent and I will be going to live by the beach! We have finished our adventure in Canada and changed our mind on living in the UK (we have decided to travel there in the summer time rather than settle there in the winter). We need sunshine and heat! I've never lived by the beach before and plan on taking advantage of this.

Loving: Si from Duck Dynasty.. He says the most random and funny things. Brent loves that show, I think its okay (I'd prefer to watch Sex and the City), the best part about it is Si.

Pondering: My resume. Since I need a job as soon as we move to the Gold Coast, I need to work on updating this.

Considering: What to do and where to eat in New York city. Currently doing lots and lots of research.

Liking: Jackson-Triggs Cabernet Sauvignon. Delish and it comes in a 1.5L wine bottle.

Watching: Vanderpump rules. I am obsessed with the characters even though they are all nasty and pretentious.

Hoping: It continues to snow tomorrow! I will be heading up to the mountain so hoping for lots of snow over night. Not long left here in Canada, who knows when the next time I will go snowboarding will be so I will be making the most of it while I can.

Marvelling: This! Awwwwww, so cute.

Wearing: Thermos.. every day..

Following: The local hockey team, Fernie Ghostriders website here. I've been to watch two games and am thinking of going to the game on tomorrow night!!

Noticing: I am getting old. You know you are getting old when you would rather spend a night at home watching movies and exploring pinterest with a glass of red wine and a nice meal than go out to a noisy pub for shots.

Feeling: Happy with life at the moment and excited for what it will become.

Admiring: My photos from my trip last year to the Gold Coast. They are getting me excited for the beach and sunshine.

Sorting: Everything I have accumulated while here in Canada. You would be surprised how much stuff I can gather in a matter of a couple of months. My suitcase was already completely stuffed and hard to shut prior to leaving, I have no idea how I am going to do it with all my new clothes. Looks like I will be doing a trip to the local op shop.

Buying: A snowboard bag as I get ready to hop onto a big jet plane.

Getting: Tips from other bloggers on how to create a successful blog. I never realised how complicated it can be (or is it just me?). I want my blog to look good, I want my pages to be easy for readers to navigate around, I want my content to be interesting, I want my photographs to look professional, I want followers.... jeez! I'm exhausted!

Disliking: Spending almost $3,000 on flights to Australia for Brent and I. Seriously, so expensive. I guess that's what you get for not planning ahead and booking at the last minute.

Opening: A new email account for my blog (its bloggingaboutchloe@hotmail.com FYI) and also a new Facebook group page for bloggers in the Gold Coast who want to meet up and share ideas. You can join here.

Feeling: Proud of my progress and regular posting on my blog.

Australia day

This year Australia day was different to any Aussie day I've ever experienced. Instead keeping cool by swimming in the pool, having some drinks with girlfriends and then walking down to the foreshore to watch the beautiful fireworks, I was wearing beanies and gloves, keeping warm inside and hanging out with other Aussie travellers.

A group of Australian guys who we have made friends with invited us to a party they were throwing... I've never been to a party with so many people crammed into one house. Here is a shot I got of the lounge room.

 

 

It was an Australian day that I wont forget.

 

Our time in Fernie is nearing to its end with 1 week to go. I have been trying to get in as much snowboarding time as possible, knowing that the next time we go snowboarding might not be for a while.

 

A part of me feels sad as we have made many friends here and I've enjoyed the ski bum lifestyle but another part of me is excited for our next adventure...

 

New York!

 

Since we only have a week until we leave for the city that never sleeps, I should probably start planning (and booking) this adventure. I'm currently researching hotels to stay in and restaurants to eat at. There are so many options that I don't really know where to start.

If you have any suggestions of hotels, food and things you have experienced in New York I would love to hear them.

 

Until next time!

:) Chloe

 

 



A night of Curling

 

 

Every Thursday night Fernie's curling club invites locals and visitors to enjoy the arena and play some curling. I've watched curling on TV before but I have never played. It seems like lawn bowls except played on the ice!

I can tell you that it is a lot harder than lawn bowls. You have to bend down onto your knees and push off from the feet platforms. Because it is so slippery, each time I pushed off I fell over! Even though I fell over it was such good fun!

I did a little bit of sweeping but that part was also hard and hurt my arms, so I gave up pretty quickly. The trick is that if you want the boulder to go faster, you sweep in front of it because the sweeping of the ice makes it even more slippery.

Check out my action shots.

 

 

 

 

Beautiful Fernie

 

 

Some photographs I took the other day while walking through town.

What a beautiful blue sky day.

 

 

 

 

 

A visit to Spa901

 

Brent bought me a gift voucher to spend a day at the spa, treating me to a massage, manicure and pedicure. Who doesn't love to be pampered?

 

Spa901 is a so beautiful. As soon as you walk in the atmosphere alone makes you feel relaxed. Upon arrival the staff give you a robe to change into and some flip flops which completes the relaxed atmosphere.

My appointment for my massage was at 12:00 however if you book a massage (or facial) you are entitled to use the hot pool and sauna free of charge. I didn't get home from my appointment until 4pm so I definitely took advantage of the free use of both.

I had my massage first, followed my manicure and then pedicure. The cool thing about their manicure and pedicures is that they let you keep the nail polishes used.

I love how pretty my finger and toe nails look now. There is something about having nice nails which makes me feel better about myself. I used to love getting my nails done on a fortnightly basis however once we started trying to save money I had to cut that luxury out. Until now I had forgotten how much I used to enjoy a manicure.

Spa901 has beautiful amenities. The massage table had a heated blanket on it which meant that I was warm and toasty while enjoying my massage. The shower head sprayed water from right above where your standing, I've never been in a shower like that before (and I loved it). The hot pool sprays water into the pool and has jets all around the edges and the change room was complete with free shampoo, conditioner and body wash as well as hair straighteners and blow dryers (so I left with freshly washed and blow dried hair). I also loved that the hot pool was large enough to put your head under and float on your back.

As well as the beautiful building, decorations inside and features the staff were very helpful and friendly. I like my massages to be gentle and the therapist did a great job of that.

If your in Fernie and looking for some time out for yourself or a place to relax after a day of snowboarding then I would recommend you check out Spa901. I don't think you will be disappointed.

The Spa901 building:


My toes after my pedicure: 

 

 

Selfie in the hot pool:

 

Hair washed and skin clean:

 

The salon:
Photo source Spa901 

 

 

Sportsgirl

 

 

Sportsgirl is my favourite store back in Australia. Their clothing and accessories are  affordable while still being quality and trendy items. Sportsgirl produce items which can be seen on the catwalk but don't make you look like some kind of lady gaga wannabe.  

 

I wanted to share with you some of the outfits that Sportsgirl have put on their facebook page. These are my favourite and immediately caught my eye. All the items pictured are currently available on their website for purchasing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yamagoya

 

 

So last night we went to Yamagoya for dinner.

 

Yamagoya is a Japanese restaurant just off the main highway in Fernie. It is very well known in Fernie and very recommended among the locals.

I was very excited about going because I haven't had Japanese in a long time (since Vancouver in November). This is the only Japanese and sushi restaurant in Fernie which is also another reason why it is high in demand.

 

Last night was the third time which I have been to Yamagoya however the first two times I was not able to eat their due to the 2 hour wait for a table. This restaurant is popular so in order to get a table, its best to go early.

I got their for 5:15 and by 5:45 all the tables were taken.

 

The atmosphere was relaxed and romantic (Please excuse the poor quality pictures, I was using my iphone).

 

 

 

I ordered a miso soup (obsessed), tuna sushi roll and vegetable tempura.

 

 

You cant really go wrong with miso soup. This one was good but if you cant do a miso soup there is something very wrong! I liked that the soup had a large amount of tofu in it.

 

 

Tuna and avocado sushi, very delish and so neatly presented.

 

 

Vegetable tempura, a mix of asparagus, sweet potato and zucchini.

 

Yamagoya lives up to its reputation. The food is clean (as Japanese is) and reasonably priced.

 

We had a great waitress who was polite and quick.

The only complaint that I can make about Yamagoya is that it can be awkward when you first come walk into the restaurant. You walk in and wait by the door until a waitress comes to serve you. We had a 2 - 3 minute wait before we got a table and while that isn't a very long time, it just felt awkward standing by the door in a busy yet quiet restaurant.

 

Apart from that Yamagoya had a good atmosphere, good food and good services which makes for a great meal.

 

Rating: 4.5/5 

The blue toque

 

Photo courtesy of The Blue Toque 

 

My birthday started with breakfast at the blue toque which is a breakfast & lunch diner in downtown Fernie.

 

The menu has a Mexican feel to it.

it features a range of breakfast burritos as well as corn tortillas such as the 'huevos del carmen' and the 'breakfast tostadas'.

 

I chose the 'Phyllo tarts' which are described as being 'buttery phyllo tarts filled with creamy scrambled eggs, red onion, goats cheese and sautéed vegetables with a side of fruit'. Priced at $12.95

 

 

The sautéed vegetables included mushrooms, tomatoes and zucchini. It was delish!

I really liked having the creaminess of the scrambled eggs and goats cheese teamed with the crunch of the pastry!

 

 

The blue toque is also surrounded by some funky art which is available to purchase.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all a great meal. I will be visiting the blue toque diner again before leaving Fernie.

 

Score: 4.5/5

Check out their facebook page!

 

The rest of my birthday was filled with celebrations which involved friends, drinks and dancing.  

 

 

 

 

 

A good birthday and a good start to 26!  

Here are some photographs of the local hockey game. We have had to learn to call it Hockey rather than Ice Hockey as Canadians think its  pretty stupid when Aussie's call it Ice Hockey. The game was Fernie ghostriders vs. Kimberly. Kimberly won in over time which was disappointing but it was still lots of fun to watch.

 

 

Brent and I at the game.

 

 

Things have been pretty relaxed here as of late. Brent and I have been doing a lot of thinking and planning for where and what comes after Fernie.

We have an outbound flight from Canada to New York (yay New York, I cant wait) but we have not planned where to after New York, we have some ideas floating about but I am not ready to reveal them until they are set in stone. Watch this space!

 

Tomorrow is my birthday. I will be 26 years old (argh). It is my first birthday away from home and my first birthday in a long time that doesn't involve a night out with the girls and dinner with my parents.

I'm hoping that the weather changes by tomorrow, its currently windy and looks like it's going to rain. I want some new snow so that I can spend some time on the hill. I have actually started to get the hang of snowboarding and am enjoying it. I can link my turns which is a actually a really scary thing to do when you are going down a big hill.

I will also be going out for dinner tomorrow night to celebrate. I have picked Yamagoya which is the only sushi restaurant in Fernie. The restaurant has received good reviews and when I was on a chair lift with some Fernie locals, they recommended Yamagoya for a good meal. I'll be sure to post my experience at the restaurant.

 

Well, here's some more photos of Fernie for you to enjoy!

 

Beautiful blue day with snow covering the houses and roads. This is just outside my bedroom window.

 

 

The scenery in the town is just amazing. Beautiful mountains whichever way you look.

 

The boys enjoying a night out

 

 

Sadie and I

 

 

Brent and I

 

 

Until next time!! Much love!