BUSY, BUSY

It has been a busy few days here in downtown OK Falls. It started late last week when I attended a high school basketball match in Osoyoos. Now having five kids I have done a fair amount of time going from one sporting field to another, one gym to the next so I was interested to see if the kids and the sporting ethos would be any different here in British Columbia.

Well guess what? It is exactly the same. One team wins and another loses, there are a few outstanding players and a lot of journeyman. Some of the team try their heart out regardless of the score and others just make up the numbers. The home crowd cheers and boo's depending upon who is in possession and volunteers and officials bring it all together and make it work.

Halftime comes and kids, big and small rush onto the court to shoot hoops with what seems like 100 renegade, bouncing balls. balls collide on their path to the hoop and children tumble, fall and slide across the polished floor.

In Australia the ball and sports maybe different but the kids are still the same. You can't tie them down they just want to get out there and have a go. Kids and sport are a perfect fit.

Saturday was the great Christmas tree hunt. We went up into the mountains behind where we live in search of the perfect tree. As we climbed higher the snow on the road deepened and the temperature dropped. We spied a side road, left the car and trekked into the woods. The dog was in some sort of nirvana, having never seen snow. She ran and jumped, pranced and splattered through snowdrifts, often lowering her jaw to the ground and running along and scooping up mouthfuls of snow. Dumb dog!

A tree was found and it was hauled back tot he van, but not before my companion decided to afford me a Canadian welcome by shoving a handful of snow down my shirt. Not a very nice Canadian at all !

No sooner was the tree home and off we set on a marathon shopping expedition, Canadian Tire, London Drugs, Wal Mart and Zellers all foreign name to me and intriguing in their own way. Even so a man can only stand so much Christmas shopping. Obviously I was paying penance for earlier misdeeds.

The highlight of the day was the Penticton Christmas Parade. Man was it cold standing out there! But I enjoyed it and it was great to see the community spirit at work. It was then a matter of racing back to the car and willing the car heater to warm up faster than it was really capable of.

Today was preparation for a birthday, the job that befell to me was assembling a basketball stand and hoop. Easy to assemble and no tools required said the instructions and that was basically true. What it didn't say on the instructions was that the hoop had to be assembled outdoors in the freezing cold where it was hard to even turn a screw.

Through pig-headiness alone I stayed outside, freezing my butt off, longing to be in Australia where it is early summer and around 34c every day. When I had finally finished my face and hands were blue. What makes it worse is that it was only -6c, what's it going to be like when it is -15c?

The rest of the day was spent preparing food and dressing the Xmas tree that at one time crashed in the lounge room knocking this and that asunder. Damn live tree's have a mind of their own.

I think Canadians take Christmas and everything that surrounds it much more seriously and joyously than we in Australia do and I think the reason for that is the weather and tradition. It is often hard to get serious about Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman when it is 35c and you are heading for the beach. It is high summer and the outdoors beckon whereas here in Canada it is snowy and cold and the weather encourages thoughts of a white Christmas and a raging hot fire.

Not sure which one I like the best, but I'll let you know!

akmacca08@live.com.au