Our trip to see Mike

Hi, this is Mikes wife Denise. Thought I would put a bit on here as we've just got back after spending 8 days out there with Mike. Was lovely to see him again after 3 months. Often people say Mikes looking at things through rose tinted glasses and sometimes I'd tend to agree so this is my honest and frank (and brief) opinion on what I've seen myself and what I've heard and read......
Lethbridge I thought was too quiet, for us anyway. Some people love it there and I can see why. Apparently the winters are more mild and it's friendly and clean. Our daughter would need a bit more life around her and frankly so would I. We were able to drive round some of the estates, I wanted to do this because I wanted to see for myself rather than take Mikes word for it. I can confirm that he was right when saying there are no yobs on street corners, it feels safe and everyones friendly. It got to a stage where we were saying 'oh look theres a person', its honestly that quiet. No matter where we went we could park the car with ease and no traffic to fight through and zero road rage. When I first went over last year I was looking at the food in Walmart and thought how bloody expensive it was and limited ranges but since then Mike knows where to shop properly and being as I'm practically a chef (yeah right lol) I know there would be no problems shopping and cooking for a family and lots of things were cheaper than UK. We found eating out pretty much cheaper or on a par with UK. If you find a good steak house then you must go, they put our steaks to shame!
We found one ridiculous law out there regarding alcohol. You cannot even sit in a bar with parents if under 18. Over 18's must have ID or you'll be kicked out. Even in the hotel when ordering soft drinks we couldn't sit in the bar because Cassie is 16. That left us stumped for things to do in the evenings. You CAN sit in a restaurant with an under 18 but thats it. They are very strict about this and it's their law so fair enough but I don't agree with it especially when you're a guest in a hotel.
Job opportunities are plentiful, can't say too much about skilled jobs as there was no need for me to look but I could go out in the morning looking for a part-time job and come home lunch time hired. Our daughters found this most frustrating as over here they just can't get one!
We visited the rockies and oh my god, its truly beautiful. I went last year in the truck with Mike and was blown away by the scenery. Even Cassie and Jenny were gobsmacked, many 16 year olds wouldn't take much notice but Cassie was stunned with the small area we managed to see. We fed the deer which apparently is not allowed and was probably why one of them kicked Mike lol (tried to video it but was too late) but there were no signs up! AND we saw about 6 bears. We got really close which is a stupid thing to do when you think about it but when your out there taking photos they just don't look dangerous!!! It really was beautiful and if you get the chance to go, it was called Waterton Park then you must eat in a little cafe called 'YUMS' they do the best burgers ever!
I spoke to a lot of english people out there and they all say the same thing 'not on your life' would they go back to the UK. I met a drivers wife Sharon who said last winter was terrible and I can see from her pictures on facebook she wasn't kidding but apparently the Canadians where saying its the worst one they've had in donkeys years and I should hope so coz I actually wouldnt survive the winters if they were all like that. Sharons shed was buried and thats where I would keep my supplies coz I do intend to hibernate during the winter!
I could imagine the culture difference would take a bit of getting used to particularly for the women. I say this because in most cases the man would be out working and the wife at home with the kids until they are able to work. The wives of UK drivers get together now and again which I would imagine would help big time.
Ladies....the shopping in Lethbridge is shit. I like fashionable clothes and surrounded by shops and it really is behind with the times however we did find the odd shopping Mal which could pass as OK. The kids out there apparently save their money and go to Calgary and shop there. I could definately say that living in Lethbridge would be a no go for me for the clothes shops!!
Police sirens....forget it, you won't hear one, I don't know what the crime rate is in Lethbridge but I can imagine it would be pretty low coz everyone stays indoors lol. We saw plenty of schools and colleges around and a big University in Edmonton.
Now Edmonton was more like it. Some parts reminded me a lot of London. I couldn't live right on top of it but certainly more life and amazing shops :-)
Even there though we parked with ease and there was bearly any traffic. Of course there were lots more cars but nothing like here at all. Mike got in the wrong lane a couple of times and I think that the Canadians are so laid back that by the time they thought about tooting their horns they were back indoors!! We did hear many horns at one time though, that was coz someone went up a one way road the wrong way and the other drivers were trying to warn him! Still, i bet he thought 'sod it i'm only going one way' lol.
We picked a terrible week to go as far as the weather was concerned, it rained when we got there and rained when we left, some sunshine in between but not brilliant. That though according to the Canadians was rare, in the summer its hot always hot and they couldn't understand it, I understood it alright, its just my bloody luck!!!
They were telling me that the kids out there get involved with a lot of sport especially in the winter, skating and so forth. We watched the little ones skating, they were about 4 and would put me to shame! They start them early and get them involved, its very family orientated. This too was coming from the Canadians themselves not from Mike.
I dont know where the kids actually hang out coz we didnt see any lol. I was told by the 17 year old in the hotel that they tend to have a lot of house parties and hang out in local parks.
We also looked at show homes and like the americans they certainly know how to make a beautiful home. We were looking at brand new 5 bedroom houses with loads of rooms and basement and garage for around $600. Thats brand new though, not many of us could afford those but if those beauties are that much how much could you get normal houses for!!
One thing I noticed too was the amount of Tim Hortons around (coffee shop). You wouldn't need a sat nav out there you could find your way across Canada using the Tim Hortons, theres thousands of em! No wonder they can't get the staff, theres more Tim Hortons out there than there are people!!
So I found out some basics for myself, just looking around gave me an idea of what life could be like out there. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that it would be a wonderful place to bring up children.
Then we came home.....and hit traffic no sooner as we left the airport. Queues bloody miles long, ambulances and police sirens, motorway blocked you know the usual oh and the average speed cameras (god they do me in). I had to draw some money out before I went indoors and low and behold getting out of the car you'd have thought I was in Poland!
As for H&R, i will not get into the politics of it all but so far as I can see Mikes doing well. He gets on great with his dispatcher which I know is half the battle. There's not many companies here though that would let him take the time off to see his family whenever he wants. They recognise the fact that drivers need their families even more when they're out there on their own and Mikes never had any trouble taking time out, they told us that at the interview and they've never gone back on that.
So all in all, I asked myself and maybe you should do the same........drivers and families are going out there for all different reasons but the main one being that the UK is going down the pan. So many aspects are hideous now, whats it gonna be like in another 5 years!!! Everytime I think about it my head gives me the same answer..... we are all idiots not to want to go out there. They say that Canada is like England back in the 70's and it is but when I hear this it's almost said as though that's a bad thing. I don't see that it is, it's a good thing. Low crime rate, low population, loads of jobs, friendly people, no road rage, no traffic jams, family orientated..........what the hell are we still doing here!!!!!!
Well bye for now, I'm going back out there in February and going in the truck with Mike for a couple of weeks, really looking forward to that as it's both our birthdays and he's coming back soon for our anniversary........Stay safe x
Ps...If Shona is reading this it was soooo good to meet you at long last, we could get on well and Sharon was nice too. Good luck with the driving Shona and look after yourself out on that road x