So much for the city.... and now for the rest...

So much for the city, as sang the Thrills one day in the past (class album).

So much for the city of Bham, which was brought back to me today. At 730am. You think you're away for months, and then you find you're sharing your breakfast with West Brom v Blues. So i had to watch. For a while at least, because by half time John Gregory's voice was beginning to annoy me. Where is big Ron?.. I'm sorry for the result Scribbles, but our lot will be pleased - well apart from Steve! I enjoyed hearing fans singing songs too (just doesnt happen at the baseball, but i will return to this another day..) Most predictable song? 'feed the Horse and he will score'. Best chant? 'There's only one Emile Heskey, one Emile Heskey, he used to be shite, but now he's alright, walking in a Heskey wonderland" (to Canadian readers, no these chants dont make any sense in UK English either). The Heskey one not quite as good as what the Blues sang at the Albion last season.. "Oh i'd rather be a speedboat than Kanu"

So much for the city of Toronto. Its great, a massive metropolis where you can do anything you want. Museums, shopping, yachting, theatre, sightseeing... its all here, even a private airport on the waterfront if you want to view the skyline from the air.... Its the 5th biggest conurbation in N America though, and sometimes the skyscrapers and taxis and neon lights could be any other big city...

So the time has come for further exploration. Which started on Thursday as I drove my Toyota Corolla hatchback (shit off a shovel - fantastic - never did get 150 out of the P309, was too afraid of the noises!) up highway 400 towards Orangeville, which must be pushing 100km north west of the city, and went for a firm away day!

To Hockley Valley. And it was brilliant. The day itself i'll come to.. loads to do, loads to see.

But the best part of this was realising what is outside of the GTA. You can drive for an hour and still basically be in Toronto. And most of my work is Toronto based - after all there are 5m people in Greater Toronto, and only 30m in Canada in total, so you can fool yourself into thinking this is what its like. It is a big part of what its like, but oh there's so much more...

For example, about 70 - 80km into my trip (see how cocky I've got, just jumping into the car and driving now!) I got to highway 9. Culture shock 1. A single lane road! What the hell was i expecting? i dont know, but even Yonge St where i live, which is just the equivalent of Harborne high st after all, is a 6 laner!

So i was single lane driving for a few miles, then had to turn to the north again - onto more country roads. The houses are all set way way back from the road (so far in fact that i didnt see any..), and what was on the side of the roads? Their post boxes. I've only ever really seen these things in the simpsons, and in Back to the Future when Marty in 1955 crashed into the farm on his first arrival there, and the farmer pulled the shotgun out and, while aiming for the delorean (please, Lord, stop me!) hit this old outdoor mailbox instead of the car. Does anyone else even know what I'm talking about? Tell you what, next time I'll take a photo.. But anyway, i've never seen one in real life. Quite exciting. I really need to get out more.

Hockley Valley is a hilly area full of trees. And so, although i had seen a few trees in North York, (i cant complain, its green enough for a city), this was just trees as far as you could see, which, from the top of the hills, was miles. Beautiful.... i think i know where i'm bringing people for fall, and there's definitely potential for a good couple of pictures out there.... even if I am taking them!! (and no, i havent bought the digi camera yet and yes, i will go out and get one! Before Serena gets here on 29th sep..)

It was funny. getting 100km out of the city, me and Catherine (another UK secondee) said that this felt like 'the real Canada'... or perhaps just what we were hoping to see while we were here..

The away day? How much fun do you think it can be being away as a group of 200 auditors?! Dont answer that!

I played golf. 18 holes. My vital statistics? Well i was given 3 firm logo'd golf balls on the 1st tee, and i'd lost them by the 3rd... as a group, 3 of us were very 'amateur'. OK. Shit. And between us we had 24 balls. That we finished with 4 was really only down to how many we found on our rounds! Who was most to blame???!! No comment. But i should point out, just to compound my personal humiliation, that there were no water traps or bunkers on holes 1 to 17. On the 18th i managed to lose 2 balls! One off my t shot (that was almost standard by then!) and then, having taken a free drop 160 yards from the green (what do you mean, where is that in the rules?!) i managed to find the one water trap. Which was ok, except the one water trap isnt protecting either the fairway or the green, its a pond 40 yards to the right of the course! Got a good spectacular splash on the way in though.. The poor 'real' golfer did his best to retain his humour. To be fair, he kept his cool fairly well. And his humour. As Raymond smashed another 200+ yard t shot way out to the right, he pointed out "thats ok. thats landed out way right just on the golf cart track - we can pick it up as we drive past"...

We played family feud in teams - and we won, which got me a $25 LCBO gift card. For the all but one of you who dont know what that is, its beer vouchers!

For the all but one of you who presumably dont know what family feud is, its the N American family fortunes. "we asked 100 people...". All that lark. The Canadians wanted to know whether it was Canadians or Yanks that were asked. Not that either would have helped our team of 5, 2 of which were English. We could have got the "Name something a mother needs for her young baby.." Diper, pacifier. I'd have been there all night!! Nappy. Dummy. At least huggies is huggies for all you young parents out there..

Our winning question was 'name something the police look for to solve a crime.' We were the 'stealing' team. Thank you CSI, thats all i can say. You had everyone looking for saliva, hairs, DNA, fingerprints, blood. Everything except 'witnesses'. Get in. Now to find time to spend the $25!

We also had various entertainment provided for us, one of which was a guitar player singing songs. This tempted me to want to play, although i (wisely) avoided it.. but having been tempted, i went out today and got myself a 95% canadian wild cherry and maple wood guitar. $300. Looks fantastic. Even struck a deal with the seller that if i didnt want to keep it if i went home, then he would buy it back off me. Bargain.

So the option is there for me to busk my way round Canada! Starting with Niagara falls, where i am spending the next week, then i am off to Algonquin national park to go canoeing and hiking next Saturday for Labour day weekend, then off to Ottawa and Montreal the following week... its such a big country. Time to explore a bit!