Retirement in the sunshine

Deciding where we want to live when we retire, is taking quite a lot of time.  I am researching weather, and real estate listings, as well as questioning everything, to determine what is right for us? (out loud questioning, so you and your spouse hear your thoughts and hopefully agree on the answers)

I found Environment Canada's website for weather winners, which ranks all Canadian cities, for most sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy days and much more. http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/winners/intro_e.html

BC cities with the most sunny days in cold months

• Cranbrook #22
• Kamloops  #27
• Victoria      #51
• Vernon       #70
• Kelowna     #71
• Vancouver  #93

BC cities with the most sunny days in warm months

• Kamloops #2
• Kelowna   #3
• Penticton   #4
• Victoria     #9
• Vancouver #47  (yes this is why we want to move!)

BC cities with the most cloudy days year round

• Vancouver #10
• Kelowna    #30
• Victoria      #35

Rainiest location in BC  (this is no surprise)

• Chilliwack #3
• Abbotsford #4
• Vancouver #9
• Nanaimo   #12
• Duncan     #12
• Victoria    #26
• Kelowna   #89
• Kamloops  #98

I think we are feeling pretty confident that Kelowna is place we want to move to, not only for the weather, but that is a big part!

Where is the best place to retire in BC?

I have been retired for a few years now, and my spouse is now ready to retire, or maybe just call himself semi retired.  My kids are at University, and only come home for short visits a few times a year. We are always in search of more sun, the summers just seem to be getting shorter here on the westcoast (or wetcoast as we are hearing more often).  So maybe we should just move,.........but the question is where?

So this is going to be the start of our personal search for the best place to retire for us:

• We plan to travel more every winter, not just to Mexico, but Australia, Europe, Bali, Bahamas, New York, Nashville.....we have a long list that hopefully will take many fun filled years to accomplish.
• We need a BC residence to see our families & friends, and keep our Medical Insurance as well as many other reasons I am sure!
• We don't want 2 homes, less maintenance is the goal!
• We want more sun, a water view as well as the city life (good restaurants, good friends, shopping, summer and winter activities)
• We don't want to be house poor, but we are not ready to downsize to a condo or a 1400 sq ft home.

So off we go on a 3 day whirlwind tour of the Okanagan.  I planned a short trip full of real estate viewings. I picked a realtor in each town of Osoyoos, Penticton, Kelowna and Vernon.  They put together a list of 6 to 10 places for us to see each day.  All of the realtors were incredibly nice, gave us tours of their hometowns, sharing as much information as we would ever need to know.  We were exhausted by the end of the day.  It certainly was no vacation, we didn't even have time to visit a winery!
We saw some beautiful houses, and some real fixer uppers.  There were fabulous views, golf courses and lakes.  Not to mention the sunshine, and 80+ degrees, with a nice breeze.

We learned a few things about ourselves, and narrowed down what we are really looking for.

• Osoyoos, Penticton, Summerland, Peachland & Vernon, are all nice little towns, but they are too small for us right now.
• Kelowna is a city we could live in.  There is a clean lake, for boating, kayaking, paddleboarding or swimming, there are many golf courses, restaurants, and shopping, even a couple of my favorite stores (Winners)
• You can get a nice new house or townhouse with a view for under $600,000.  More expensive closer to the water of course.  
• City views and golf course views are nice, but we love water views best, and the ultimate would be walking distance to the water.
• So far there is only one location that fits the whole bill, but more research is needed.

We will continue to research Kelowna with the help of the realtor we met there.  We are also going to investigate Vancouver Island next.  Can the weather be as good over there? What is a better commute to visit our parents here in the lowermainland, a ferry ride or a 4 hour drive from Kelowna?

More answers to follow(when I figure out what the answers are)  

I hate Rayon!

I bought this cute little top a few days ago,( needed something red) it is a knit fabric, quite comfy.  

Then I washed it.........didn't think to look at the label.........it shrunk about 6 inches or more!  Yes 100% Rayon.  

I have always hated Rayon, it wrinkles, and shrinks likes crazy.  Luckily, I noticed before I put it in the dryer.  I got it wet again, and stretched it back into shape.  It takes alot of muscle to pull at both ends of the fabric but it works.  Of course being a knit this is alot easier to stretch than a woven fabric.

While you are out shopping you will notice these days, most ladies t-shirts & knit dresses are made of this new slinky kind of knit.  Some manufacturers are calling it Modal, but it is Rayon.....it is cheap man made fabric.  I hate the way it clings to all the wrong places.  

What happened to good old 100% cotton for a t-shirt!

Happily Ever After Spelt

Being on a wheat-free diet means grabbing a simple sandwich for lunch is a thing of the past.  On one hand it has helped me consume less carbs, but sometimes you just need to have a sandwich to take with you. ( I can't just stop at subway)

Yesterday, I found a fresh baked loaf of Spelt bread at Save on Foods.  It was made by "The Bread Affair Bakery" in Langley.  It looks like a round loaf of sourdough and it's soft, not frozen, or tiny, or heavy and dense!  Best of all it has no wheat and it's called" Happily Ever After spelt".......perfect name cause I am so happy!

This is the first wheat-free bread I have had that tastes like real bread, doesn't crumble and comes in a loaf bigger than a 4" square.

Down side it costs over $6, but so does that little loaf of Udi's frozen bread that crumbles as soon as you bite into or cut into it.

I looked up the bread affair website   http://abreadaffair.ca/ingredients.html
Unfortunately, they cannot guarantee "wheat-free" as cross contamination can occur in a bakery that mostly makes products with wheat, but I can tolerate small amounts of wheat so I am fine with this.

For the past few months I have been driving to Ladner to get spelt bread.  Richlea Bakery by Save on Foods in ladner make their own gluten free, and wheat free bread, buns, cinnamon buns & cookies....all quite good, and cheaper than the grocery store.  The spelt bread there is $4.99 per loaf, better than rice bread, but sometimes still crumbly, and mostly comes frozen.

I have tried many kinds of bread from Choices Market, all are at least $6, per loaf.  The only one that doesn't crumb and tastes real is a spelt sourdough loaf.  But it is 4" square, and doesn't have much if any fiber in it.

I also tried a nice looking fresh baked loaf of Spelt from Micheal's bakery in South Surrey, it was very heavy and tasted much like carboard.

Nothing I have tried compares to this "Happily Ever After Spelt".  It was great toasted with peanut butter, and great as a sandwich.   Now I just have to remember portion control!

Last minute vacation

You know when you read those great travel deals in the paper and you say to your partner "let's just go".....and then you realize you have to work, or what about your kids? appointments? Heavy sigh....obligations always get in the way don't they?

Well, we just got back from a lovely last minute vacation to Cabo San Lucas, booked on a Friday, left on Monday morning!  Yes I can pack that fast!  We even had company for dinner the night before we left.  It can be done, and we will do it again.

Sunwing has been advertising great deals to Los Cabos for the past 2 months, $375 +340 tax for 7 night at the All inclusive Riu Sante Fe......I think that is cheaper than living at home!  The Riu Palace was down to $595 + 340 tax at one point.  (remember follow the deals on www.triplink.ca)

We procrastinated though,

• thinking it would be too hot in Mexico,  
• hoping that we would get some sunshine at home (any day now... we are still hoping!)
• I have been to the Riu Sante Fe twice, it was fine, but I like the Riu Palace a LOT
• We had family obligations
• We just went to Huatulco in April (It is way too hot there now)

When we finally decided we have had enough rain, and no one was really going to miss us, we ended up with the last 2 seats on the plane, and could not get a room at the Riu Palace, so we settled for the Riu Sante fe @ $475 + tax each.  

If you break that price down,

• sunwing was charging $65 + tax for the air only
• leaving $410 each for the room, transfers and all you can eat and drink......that's $58.57 a night per person

You can't go anywhere in BC for that price.

Surprisingly, 

• the weather in Cabo was perfect, 28C to 30C with a nice breeze, I think we saw a few clouds one day, and the last 2 days were getting hotter, maybe 35C
• The food at the hotel was great, way better than I remember it and way better than the last Dreams resort or Secrets Resort that we have been to in the last couple years

Not Surprising,

•  the wine was undrinkable and beer was not that great.  (But I went to costco and spent $80 on wine, and took my own bottle to the bar or restaurant and they were fine with that, even opened it for me)
• There were too many screaming, drunk 18 year olds, (I am surprised more do not die from Alcohol poisoning)  Don't ever let your teenager go to an all inclusive resort, they just have no idea when to stop doing shooters!

Today I am sitting in my very green back yard, enjoying some sun, but the clouds are moving in again.....we are talking about moving.

Sleeping with Donald Trump

OK I am not really, ........nor would I ever consider sleeping with "The Donald" (ewww yuck)......it's just our 2nd try at a new bed is this really comfy Trump Bed, and we can't help joking about it.  Instead of saying I think it is time for bed, it's more like....."I think I'll go cuddle up with Donald Trump now" (probably won't talk about it in public, might not be as funny to other people?)

So yes, we sent the first new bed back, we gave it a 3 week trial, and just could not get used to how firm it was, and that yucky smell was just not going away!

The customer service at the Brick was amazing, they promise a no hassle return if you are not satisfied, and it really was No Hassle!  We were very impressed!

We heard many stories of people who had to give their new beds months of trial before they decided they liked it, but we also read one study that said, if you didn't enjoy your first night sleep on your new bed, you still won't be enjoying it 30 days later.  Trust your first impression, it is usually right!

If you read the first blog about the new bed, you might remember that I said we tried out the $3000 Trump bed, loved it, but ruled it out because it was too expensive. At the time, the salesman told us Trump beds never go on sale. (So first of all, remember salesman may lie, or maybe just not know all the facts correctly, even if they give great service)  The Trump bed was now on sale for $1427.00

We did not bring up this little lie or incorrect statement (whatever you want to call it), we were nice to him and he was nice to us.  We got what we wanted for a great price (even if it took a few weeks).

Our Donald Trump bed was comfy the first night we slept on it, no bad smell, just silly jokes!  Again we are reminded to trust our first impression.

The Cure for Everything, book by Timothy Caulfied

This is a book everyone should read, It covers the whole world of weigh loss myths and facts, as well as what it really takes to be fit, and how important it is for our health.


Myth #1 Exercise makes you lose weight......not true, you have to consume less calories than you burn,....eating less makes you lose weight
Myth #2  Having sexy Abs means you are fit.......not everyone can have those abs, but everyone can be fit if they work hard!


I love information based on facts, and this author went to great lengths to get us the facts.


Mr Caulfield not only interviewed experts, he quotes many scientific articles (which you may have to skim over as there is so many it can get hard to absorb it all), and he also goes on a diet, takes on a serious fitness challenge,  has genetic testing and visits alternative medical practitioners.  It is all quite interesting and often funny.


I will give you the conclusion as it doesn't really ruin the story:

• There are no miracle cures
• Ignore the hype, promises to Detoxify, Cleanse, enhance or boost metabolism, energize or revitalize, ...none of it works ......Don't waste your money
• Don't get fooled by new scientific break-thrus, they rarely happen .......Don't waste your money

The steps to maximum health are Easy, but it is hard work:

1. exercise often and with intensity(interval training works best) include resistance training  (even 80 year olds need muscle, you will benefit more from having strong muscles, than taking that run around the block)
2. eat small portion sizes, no junk food and make sure 50% of what you eat is fruit or vegetable.
3. try your best to maintain a healthy weight (yes this is tough, a life time battle, but worth trying)
4. Do not smoke and drink only moderate amounts of alcohol 
5. take simple injury prevention measures, wear a helmet, and a seatbelt, etc.

There are some things in this book that I didn't like, but the whole point of the book was to present the facts, what can actually be proven and what hasn't been proven.  It talks alot about the twisted messages we get from advertisers, and stresses we should not get caught up in it.  
Huge pharmaceutical companies advertise on Tv and thru your doctor, the Fitness industry is always trying to get you to join a gym or by a new product, it's how they make their money and how you lose yours!


Getting fit does not require alot of equipment.  Losing weight may require support.  Spend your money on a trainer, or a dietitian or a weight loss program that gives you support.


The other great thing about this book is that it is Canadian, and written in 2012!


Who is the Author you ask:
   Timothy Caulfield is a "Tier I Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy and a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta."  Here is a link to more about him.
https://heals.sitecore.ualberta.ca/People/Timothy_Caulfield.aspx