Murray and Sophia Burns

Welcome!

2100-01-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Murray & Sophia's blog. Here you can follow our life in the Rockies and have a virtual visit to our home. Enjoy!

In November 2005, Sophia moved from the Netherlands to the Rocky Mountains in Canada. The reason? She was getting married to her first and only love, Murray.

At first they lived in the town of Creston BC, but in 2007, they both decided to pack their belongs including four cats and settle in a gorgeous house with the best view in the world. It is situated in a 16 acre paradise, a large field and forest bordered by a river in Erickson (6 km from where they lived). They live right next to town, yet rural enough to see bears, deer and raccoons in their very yard!

Once again welcome to our site, make yourself right at home.

We'd love to hear from you, make sure you drop us a line or two or look us op on Google+!

Blog Book

2012-02-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

Murray and I decided to celebrate the first six years of the rest of eternity we plan to spend together... by publishing this blog so far as a book. We have printed a few copies for our nearest and dearest family, but if you'd like to view this book in PDF form, feel free to download it.

Download the book now. Be warned, it is about 165 MB.

Spoiled women

2012-02-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Did I ever mention that Murray spoils me rotten? Well, he does. I get coffee in bed every morning, so I get to read the news on my tablet or laptop in sheer luxury. Today Rosie joined me, very interested in that little white arrow moving all over the screen.

Lastly, yesterday night's excerpt of the daily conversation between Murray and Mickey:

I guess it's slippery out there

2012-01-29T15:52:00.001-07:00

While I was downstairs, playing a duet with our cat Atrus...

Hmm, sounds good, but it needs a little extra...

Are those birds on a wire?

Did I hit the right note, Mommy?

Clap clap clap! Beautiful!

... suddenly Mur came in with a shocked face: "Please have a look at the latest movie our security camera took!"

I certainly was not laughing when I saw that... so glad he did not hurt himself badly! Just a little scrape on his elbow, and I guess he was lucky at that. Poor baby...

Such a small world

2012-01-20T11:42:00.003-07:00

Sometimes I can't believe what a small world we live in. About a week ago, Murray and I visited a specialist in Cranbrook, a very nice doctor whose wife is also a nurse and receptionist. She was ever so friendly and offered us juice and cookies (in a doctor's office, wow!! wish more doctors were like that). We started talking to her, and she told us she is from Nova Scotia. Since Mur's fore-bearers from his mother's side are all from Nova Scotia, he decided to bring some newspaper clippings and a family tree book with him on his next visit, which happened yesterday.

Can you imagine the surprise we got when the good doctor's wife gave out an excited scream, ran towards Mur to give him a huge hug and informed him that they are related? Yes, the are distant cousins, and she even met Murray's grandmother many years ago, the same one who gave him the very family book he brought with him! In fact the doctor's wife name could be found in it as well, one page apart from Murray's own. She was so excited that she ran into her husband's office, screaming "Guess what, Mr. Burns and I are blood relatives, we're cousins!!" What a coincidence, and what a small world... who says Canada is huge?

Anyway, it was not even the end of all the surprises. After our visit to the doctor, still reeling from the coincidence of meeting a distant cousin of Murray, we went back into the waiting room. Suddenly I heard from behind me "Dag, Sophia", which is a greeting in the Dutch language. I thought I was dreaming, it is not often I hear my mother tongue where we live, let alone with a mention of my name. I turned around, and saw a Dutch couple who had moved to Creston around the same time as myself, and had considered buying the very house we moved to 4 years ago. Needless to say there was more happy screaming in the waiting room!

Sew cute

2012-01-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I decided to get my sewing machine out. I wanted to make a clothes pegs bag in the form of a little dress. I created one for a very good friend of ours, one for Murray's sister in law and of course one for myself. It was great fun, all the more so because at every stage in the project, I had supervisors and helpers!

Raccoons galore

2011-12-31T16:29:00.002-07:00

A few years ago I blogged about Frosty, our yard raccoon. Ever since we started feeding her, Frosty kept coming back, and we found out she lives very near us, under our shed in fact.

This spring, Frosty got herself 4 lovely babies, and the whole lot moved in on us. So, it may not be a surprise that after a night of snow, this is the sight we wake up to...

It's winter...

2011-12-09T16:06:00.001-07:00

... What better activity than to read from the Kindle to the Cats?

The bear and the two legged hound

2011-11-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

What can I say? I live in a madhouse...

Spoiled cats live here

2011-11-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

Whenever we go away even for a short period, the cats react as if we have been gone for weeks. It's so much fun to come home... we always get such a warm welcome!

How time flies...

2011-11-19T15:01:00.001-07:00

And before you know it... it's mid November! Yesterday we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary, that too seems like yesterday.

It seems like the seasons go quicker and quicker too. We had no spring to speak off, then summer flew by, so did the fall, and right now we're looking at a white world already! But I can't just let the fall go by without sharing at least a few pictures of the gorgeous colours:

The bare evidence

2011-10-13T16:31:00.002-07:00

It's nice to live close to wildlife... but there is a downside too. We had looked forward to pick our plums, they were just getting red, ripe & juicy. But when we got up to get them, every single one was gone... and the tree was ruined. We collected some evidence, and I think we got the culprit... GRR!!!

Exhibit A: damaged tree with all the plums gone.
Exhibit B: a dump of some sort... size male shoe
Exhibit C: a visitor pretending to look innocent on his way to tree

I will leave it up to the intelligent reader to draw conclusions. Hope the little guy in the fourth picture doesn't learn bad lessons from the bear, because he has been watching them!

Smile, you're on camera!

2011-10-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

Murray and I are very happy with our home, but we do realize we live in semi-isolation. From the moment we bought this house, we considered installing a video surveillance system. Well, finally we got to install our system, which after long research became the Logitech Alert 750e with a few add-on cameras.

We had not realized how much fun it is to wake up in the morning and see what the motion detector has triggered! Below is a compilation of some of the traffic we get during any given day. From a stray cat early in the morning, a curious bug, momma and baby deer on a stroll, us on our way out, a deer in the sunset, a thunder shower, a fierce black bear, raccoons on the roam, to unspeakable alien things in the deep of the night... it's all there. Enjoy!

Oh Oh Canada!

2011-09-24T14:58:00.002-07:00

Oh Canada... how I enjoy living here. How much, after almost six years, I still have to learn about how big you are...

Yesterday, I was invited to a women-only goodbye party of two nice ladies in our congregation. We met up, and the twelve or so of us were divided up into cars. I asked where it would be and what time it would be finished. "Oh," they said cheerfully, "it's just at the lake, and we'll definitely be going home by dark."

I quickly calculated, it was half past two, lake is ten minutes away, it gets dark around eight-ish, that is one looong party. "I'll drive by myself," I said, "I need to be home around six."

"Sure, no problem", they said, as the Canadians are prone to say just about... well... always.

In the back of my mind I vaguely recalled Murray saying he meant to fill up the car, there was only a quarter tank left. Up to now, I always smiled a bit at his eagerness to top up at any occasion... nonsense really. How I changed my mind for good...

So on our way we went, with at least a quarter tank. That should be plenty enough, right? The lake is ten minutes away, it is true. But with my Dutch background, I still fail to realize how Canadians view distances. I drove behind the yellow car, and soon enough, we reached the lake. The car drove on, a very pretty, windy road, up and down we went. Ten minutes, fifteen, twenty, thirty, forty five... not a sign of civilization anywhere. I kept glancing at the gasoline gauge... which invariably kept creeping more and more towards the red dot. I was thinking very unhappy thoughts. When at last, almost an hour later, the yellow car suddenly turned left, I was shaking so much I nearly missed the turn myself.

It must be said, the ladies were wonderful about it. They looked at the gauge, pursed their lips, squinted their eyes and unanimously agreed that the car could very well make it back, but just as likely might not. "But," they said with the customary Canadian laid-back smile, "we won't leave you in the ditch, promise! We'll drive behind you, and when the car finally stops, we'll take you in one of ours the rest of the journey." Well that was a relief, and after that, I actually had a wonderful time. The weather was gorgeous, the lake beautiful, the ladies delightful, the food delicious. I forgot all about my troubles.

An impression of our day out without the guys:

Now, I know everybody is waiting for the grand climax, in which I describe my woes going home, but I must disappoint you all... the journey back was without events - in fact the red light did not even come on. I learned one thing: our Volkswagen Golf, luckily, has a big one quarter tank margin!

Peace and quiet? Say WHAT?

2011-08-31T20:10:00.001-07:00

In June, I optimistically blogged that we had peace and quiet at last. That was nice wishful thinking... we certainly can't say we had a boring summer! Instead of obeying the guards on duty, government regulations and a great big fence, people quickly found another way to their favourite spot near the river. You can guess how, yes, through our property.

We had people sneak up on our bank (how they manage it, I'll never understand - it's extremely steep and hazardous even for the deer), then laugh in our faces when we told them they were trespassing - which they knew, as they had to walk by two very visible "No Trespassing" signs...

... some proudly showing their behind while others shamefully hide their faces ...

... and inform us menacingly to get a life, stop making their lives miserable and not even think of not allowing them to camp wherever they wish, bang their drums all throughout the night, fornicate in plain view, get stinkin' drunk and light unattended fires like they did all those years before.

In the end, Mur and I decided to finally buy something we wanted for years - security camera system! To be continued...

Bye little feathered friends, till next spring!

2011-08-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

As always, it is a sad moment when we have to say goodbye to the little hummers. Not only will be miss their antics, but it is also a sign that summer will end... one day. They are so cute, feisty, friendly, bold and beautiful. There are still a few around, but the bulk of them have started to travel all the way down to Mexico. It's a comforting thought to know they will be back in the spring... can't wait!

Fernando Sor Opus 60 Etude No 17

2011-07-22T21:52:00.000-07:00

Today I got a flea up my "pants" to finally record the next Sor piece. I have been practising every day (almost, can't lie) but lately I have been toying with other tunes which are nowhere near ready for recording yet. Mr. Fernando Sor was really starting to feel unloved and neglected, so here is Opus 60 No 17 at last... enjoy!

Another Krant article

2011-07-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

Once in a while I guest write for the Dutch newspaper for Canadians, De Krant. Last April I wrote an article about phishing, hacking and how we can protect ourselves. Today I realized I had not added it to my blog yet... so here it is. If you are able read Dutch, enjoy!

Deer visitors

2011-07-06T10:20:00.003-07:00

We had visitors yesterday... Atrus spotted them first. When I came up, I saw him stare intently at something just beneath our kitchen window. When Mur and I came closer, this is what we saw:

And this is what we saw up on our field:

Peace and quiet at last

2011-06-27T15:09:00.009-07:00

Peace and quiet? But don't you live in a piece of paradise? Well, yes we do, except for one tiny thorn. Our property borders the Goat River. Once upon a time a bridge went across almost right below us, which was demolished some decades ago and the road was closed except for local traffic. Since then, the small beach (known locally as "The Point") and the river were used for swimming, rafting, suntanning and recreation.

However, especially in the last few years, The Point became a bit of a trouble zone. Some started to use the place for drinking and drug parties, uncivilized behavior and, worse still, lighting (camp) fires in the driest season. Obviously this made life rather dangerous for the people living around the area. Our neighbors even went to court about it... and finally, in March the judge decided that the province is responsible for the safety of The Point.

To our surprise, during this weekend a huge gate was erected on both sides of the river, blocking access to the beaches on either side. As sad as we feel for our fellow Crestonites that one of their favorite recreational spots has been taken away, it is a huge advantage that our safety has increased. So all in all, Murray and I are very happy with the sight of this gate.

It's got one downside... we won't be able to take pictures of our house like we used to from either The Point or the other side of the river. Here a few pictures we took when my parents were here last year... enjoy them because there won't be other pics quite like it :) First one is us waving from across the river at Mur, the other one is our house on top of the cliff and the cliff itself.

We are perched at the top of a steep cliff.

And finally, for the ones who have not yet seen our house and can't really picture the scene, here is a Google Earth situation sketch!

Summer?

2011-06-25T20:05:00.004-07:00

Crazy weather! YES that is my winter coat... it was only 12 degrees this week. We had about 3 days of nice weather this year... and this is supposed to be the nicest climate of Canada? Don't think so!

At least Atrus seems happy!

Butterfly

2011-06-24T11:55:00.007-07:00

We had an unexpected visitor today... isn't she pretty?

If you want the best seat in the house...

2011-06-23T14:16:00.009-07:00

... first remove the cat!

That sign was given to me by a friend, and boy is it appropriate! Now that we opened up the outdoors underdeck area to the cats, there is no place for us anywhere...

Seems they have moved downstairs permanently! Just a few cute cat pictures of late:

Marshmallows & Mosquitoes

2011-06-22T09:24:00.013-07:00

I love living in Creston... it's so pretty and peaceful especially where we live, out in the country. We have the most beautiful view in the world... I'm not exaggerating...

There is however one major drawback: mosquitoes! Where I grew up, in Holland, we had them too of course. They'd be very bad in September and October, or very late at night. Not here! They come out in swarms, from very early March till well into November. They don't just come out at night either, no, all day long they pester you. Something had to be done...

Almost the day we bought this house in Erickson, we thought we should create an outdoors area free of mosquitoes. Finally, this year Murray screened the entire area underneath our deck. Not only we love it, so do the cats!

Monday evening we celebrated our new area with my first real North American experience: roasted marshmallows! I had never had them before, I felt like a little girl again. Mur last had them (and he still remembers it) when he was 3 years old, when he lived on the Isle of Man.

Unfortunenately, I don't have pictures of that, it was late and dark already. This is our underdeck area. It was the first day our cats were out there, so a lot of sniffing had to be done!

Twin dolls for twin girls

2011-06-06T11:45:00.012-07:00

We are Belinda and Sally.
We need a nice home,
With two little girls
To take care of us.
Their names are
Emmy and Layla.
Can we stay with you?
Love,
Belinda - green eyes
Sally - blue eyes

This is the text I wrote to accompany these two dolls that I made. The granddaughter of a close friend of ours adopted two little girls, twins. They are almost two years old now, and I created these two dolls for them. Hope they will like 'm!