Theatre on the Lake – literally

When you don’t have television, you have to look for entertainment outside of the box and theatre on the lake provided just that – good entertainment in an out-of-the-box location, a pontoon stage on the lake. Each summer, our good friends Tennille and Chris produce Theatre on the Lake, a festival of one act plays on the beautiful Frame Lake.

May Fly flutters her eyelashes at her suitor in Time Flies

On the steps of the Prince of Wales Heritage Museum overlooking the lake, the festival was performed during lunchtimes and again in the evenings. You could even purchase delicious lunchboxes at lunchtime and bannock in the evening from the museum cafe.

With a stellar cast, an engaged audience and sunshine, the festival featured local plays like Sitting for a Conversation and The Shockingly Verbose Brain-Death of Jim Whipplestick as well as famous playwright David Ives’s Time Flies and a slapstick improvisation Commedia dell’Arte, Pantelone Gets a Wooden Coin. And what fun we had…

David Attenborough waxes lyrical about the rituals of the may fly

Sitting for a Conversation had a distinctly Yellowknife flavour as it was set on a houseboat with characters the epitomise the north – a straight shooting, hard drinking Aunt Em and a young women searching for meaning and direction in life. The stunning conclusion certainly left room for thought.

On the other hand, The Shockingly Verbose Brain-Death of Jim Whipplestick provided laughter and randomness as an idiot sought to bargain with death for a second chance at life.

My favourite play was Time Flies, an hilarious story about love and life for two may-flies, who only have a 24-hour lifespan. Set in a swamp, the location of the stage on the lake was rather apt and the appearance of David Attenborough was fabulous.

The final play was the improvised comedy, Commedia dell’Arte. I’m no thespian but thanks to Theatre on the Lake (and a quick search just now on wikipedia), I now know:

Commedia dell’Arte (Italian: “the comedy of art (of improvisation)”) is a form of improvisational theatre that began in Italy in the 15th century, maintained its popularity through the 16th century, and is still performed today.Performances were unscripted, held outside and used few props. They were funded by donations and anyone could view the performance free of charge.

And it’s wonderful to see this form of theatre come to life in the knife! The masked cast regaled us with laughter and wit as we watched Pantelone get ripped off with counterfeit wooden coins and then seek revenge. The play even involved audience participation when James was selected from the audience to arm wrestle Valerio for the beautiful Isabella. He didn’t win – but then again, he’s already won my heart.

James arm wrestles Valerio to win the heart of Isabella

Dragon flies, music and sun

For months people had been telling us the Folk on the Rocks music festival was the best weekend of the year in Yellowknife and when the weekend finally rolled around, we embraced the festivities with open arms.

Folk on the Rocks

Our festival started with a potluck brunch at Yose and Maria’s – lots of people and delicious food, including a quiche made with eggs from some of Yellowknife’s only home raised chickens.

The sun was shining and we caught the bus out to the festival site. Located on the outskirts of town beside the lake, we joined the masses of people queueing to enter the dusty festival site. Oh the anticipation….

With over 5,000 people in attendance, the two day festival provided the perfect outlet for a weekend of fun. The headliner was the high energy Sam Roberts Band but my highlights spanned the musical spectrum.

The hip hopping, b-boys from Edmonton, Red Power Squad got the party started for us with swift moves and lots of laughter.  The sweet sounds of Kaley Kinjo, local lyric poet Dana Sipos, french funksters Kodiak and the collaboration of performers playing the Six String Nation Guitar captured my imagination and transported me to a bold new world.

Folk on the Rocks Beer Garden

The beer garden was the place to be and why not – nothing beats a few beers in the sun with live entertainment. We kicked back with 1100 people and enjoyed the cool sounds of Giant Con and others. Kobo Town totally rocked with their old time calyspo and West Indian folk tunes. Their vibe was much like the New Zealand tunes we love. In fact so many people thought that the beer garden was place to be, that the beer ran out by 4pm on the Sunday – eek!

The music continued on the main stage and people chilled out in the sun and then danced the night away while the dragon flies buzzed around. We ignored the  dust, the dirt and the intensely annoying mosqitoes and dined on delicious food that included samosas, pad thai and caribou tortillas. Yum!

A throat singer performing the gull

Thank you Yellowknife for a glorious weekend of dragon flies, music and sun.

Dana Sipos on the six nation guitar

Godson rocking the main stage

Glorious sunset

Hidden Lake

Things have been quiet in blogosphere of late – and that is mostly due the much anticipated arrival of summer. Gloriously long sunny days call for outdoor adventures rather than evenings in front of the macbook we’ve affectionately named Seth.

The greatest adventure so far has been our debut visit to Hidden Lake – a lake that’s not exactly hidden, but is certainly glorious. When the offer of a car and a canoe loan came up, we embraced the opportunity with open arms (thanks Wenyan, Jean-Michel, Yose and Maria respectively) and Hidden Lake was our chosen destination.

Happy campers at Hidden Lake

After a 45 kilometre drive along the Ingraham Trail, we disembarked at Powder Point – the launching pad for our three hour canoe and portage adventure to the beautiful Hidden Lake.

At each portage site, we donned our bug jackets: not exactly a fashion statement but certainly a necessity. The bugs were INSANE – persistent and ever present, I’ve never seen anything like it before. Reaching the water after each trek was a pleasant relief.

And after three portages, where I left the heavy lifting to my handsome husband, we arrived on the lake. Surrounded by islands we meandered around to find the perfect spot to pitch our tent and spend the night. I figured that bears would not swim far enough to bother us here – and even the bugs kept away.

The handsome porter

In the middle of nowhere we found the perfect spot -the sun was shining, the water crystal clear. We pitched our tent, lit a fire, and  cooked up a divine meal of spicy beef, capsicum, mushrooms and couscous. Served with a fine red wine, this was my idea of bliss!

The video of our adventure sums up the experience:

This was just the reinvigoration we needed – and possibly the highlight of my time in Yellowknife so far.

One Year Ago…

Exactly one year ago today, we were clearing our desks, drinking fine New Zealand wine with good friends at the GP (The General Practitioner – one of our many local Wellington haunts) and celebrating new adventures.

Yes, the 8th of July marks our last day in Wellington and our last days at work for the New Zealand government (Transit and NZAID respectively). On the 9th of July, we packed up the trusty white family Sentra, had a final farewell breakfast at L’affare and a farewell flat white at Fidels before hitting the road for Te Kuiti – a 7 hour drive that I used to think was a incredibly long!  Little did I know what life was like in a vast country like Canada

The weather then was much like the weather here in Yellowknife today – somewhat ironic as this is supposed to be summer in the knife but rain, wind and a high of 11 degrees feels more like a Wellington winter. There was snow on the magnificent mountains in National Park, which looked spectacular as we drove through the middle of the North Island in our little white car. Oh the anticipation and the excitement……

….and here we are: living the dream in Canada’s far north.

I must say I’m glad we arrived to a sun drenched Vancouver and spent the summer there. If I’d arrived to this, I may well have packed my bags much much sooner!

Public holidays – Yellowknife style

The last two weeks have called for the celebration of two important public holidays here in Yellowknife.

Aboriginal Day

First and foremost was the celebration of Aboriginal Day on June 21 (also the date of the summer solstice) – a celebration of the cultures and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Metis people of Canada.

Aboriginal Day entertainment

NWT is only jurisdiction in Canada to celebrate Aboriginal Day with a public holiday but so we joined in the Yellowknife Fish Fry, hosted by the Yellowknife Metis. The sun was shining as we meandered down to the celebrations. The festivities were in full swing by the time we arrived and hundreds of people kicked back on the grass, eating white fish, bannock and sweet corn while enjoying the entertainment.

Meti dancers from Alberta danced away to the fiddle and demonstrated a strong Irish and Scottish folk influence while the dene drummers played with passion and power.

Dene Drummers

The day ended with a fire – and while no one was hurt, it did provide some entertainment.

And the second celebration to pass us by was Canada Day on 1 July. A day of national pride and fervour, we joined the sea of red and the million and one maple leaf flags for the Yellowknife parade.

From the bagpipers and SPCA members walking with their dogs, to the Red Hat ladies and the million and one vehicles including several fire engines as well as other random cars, the parade was entertaining in true Yellowknife style.

Canada eh – you can’t beat it!

Canada Day Parade goers

Transient Yellowknife

Over the next week, we will be farewelling two friends from the town we now call home. This is the norm here in Yellowknife, where people come and go, as quickly as the summer.

People come for the adventure, for the work, and even for the money – although given the cost of living, this may just be a random dream. More often than not, people vow to leave after a year or two, and continuously plot their escape. It can go either way and there are certainly people who intend to be here for two years and end up staying for twenty.

When we tell people our plan to be here for a year or so, they immediately laugh and say “You say that now, but you’ll be here for life.” After you pass the 2 year threshold it’s harder to depart, after 5 years, you’re going to be here forever.

This is often followed by, “Why would you leave a place like New Zealand to live in Yellowknife?” To which we shrug our shoulders, and attempt to explain the lure of the north and the excitement of walking to work in -40 degree temperatures (that feel like -56 with the wind chill), a world away from our mild sub tropical green home. Usually we give up explanations and conclude it’s not a permanent move.

And earlier this week we were certain that we too would be joining the transcient exodus: unexpectedly after only seven months, thanks to immigration. Yes, our immigration process has not gone smoothly.

Let me relay the emotional roller coaster to you.

1. Day 1, send off application for a work permit extension (3 months before our current visa expires)
2. 2 months later, no news, a helpful phone operator at immigration canada suggested resending the application. Our original was missing in action.
3. 3 weeks later, receive a phone call from an immigration officer saying that James’s extension was likely to be denied.
4. 3 days later, receive another call saying that James’s application had been declined. A refund would be in the post.
5. 1 day later, implement Plan B (operation head south) into action: advise family and friends that we would be heading south, start applying for jobs, mentally prepare for a Yellowknife departure at the end of summer.
6. 3 days later, receive a phone call from the immigration officer to say that as my spouse, James’s work permit had been granted. I was to ignore the refund that would be arriving in the post.

So after a few days of planning our departure, we are no longer leaving the knife (were we ever?).

Right now, it feels like we’re neither here nor there….But the summer sun continues to shine and we intend to make the most of this twist of fate. Let the good times roll!

The Go Show

A month ago James received a message on his blog asking if he would be interested in participating in the upcoming Yellowknife recording of the national CBC show, Go. Being the radio nerds that we are, we had already booked tickets for the show and as a keen starter, James told the producer that he would be happy to oblige, reminding the producer that he is a newcomer who sports a great kiwi accent.

The Go show itself is somewhat hard to explain and there is nothing like it on New Zealand’s National Radio. Suffice to say, it’s a comical game-show with all sorts of randomness. Check out the website to get more of an idea: www.cbc.ca/go

Brent Bambury and the wannabe Yellowlifer

And what a night of hilarity it was. The premise of the North of 62 show was that James, a new “Yellowknifer” was competing against a born and bred Northerner to prove that he was ‘tough’ enough to become a “Yellowlifer.” The irony of the theme was not lost on us as earlier that day we had received word from our immigration officer saying that James’s work permit would not be extended, leaving us with the impression that our days in the knife were numbered (more about that later).

Not one to let the facts stand in the way of a good night, James competed with great gusto and true kiwi wit – mistaking a local hip hop star for Vanilla Ice, mistaking caribou for blubber in the blind taste test and happily reading the words, “A pingo stole my baby” (after which he quickly pointed out that he was a New Zealander not an Australia: not that people here can tell the difference between our accents). Even Yellowknife’s most famous Ice Road Trucker, Alex Debogorski was on the show.

The taste test of northern fare

You can listen to the full 90 minute show here. He might not have been the winner but I’m not entirely sure that was the point….

It seemed only natural to go out for drinks afterwards so we soldiered on to the local pub Black Knight. And the sun was still shining as we stumbled home at 3am – what a night!

How proud I am to be married to a local Yellowknife celebrity!

The Yellowknife celebrity queues up outside the infamous Gold Range

Paddling debut

In the six months we’ve been in Yellowknife we’ve certainly heard a lot about paddling. This isn’t too much of surprise when we live in a land surrounded by lakes and now that the ice has all but disappeared, it was time to see what all the talk is about – so we joined the Somba K’e Paddling club for a day out. We’ve kayaked a bit in Aotearoa, including a sea kayaking adventure in the Abel Tasman on our honeymoon, but canoeing offered a brand new experience, a definitive Canadian experience – and we leapt at the opportunity to get out the water.

We rented a canoe from Narwal – a funny experience in itself. There was no one around so our friends assured us that it would be fine if we helped ourselves to a canoe, paddles and life jackets (only in Yellowknife). We left a message saying that we had ‘borrowed’ some equipment and would be back later in the day to sort everything out. Sweet!

The sun was shining and we packed up the van and drove out to Cassidy Point, on Prelude Lake, a quick 15 minute drive from town. On arrival, we launched the canoes into the water and got ready to depart.

Wobbly and with the grace of an elephant, I clambered into the bow of the canoe. Naturally uncoordinated, my strokes were somewhat awkward as I tried to set the pace with some sort of regularity. My patient partner James and skilled friends, gave me some tips and we were away. Soaking in the scenery we were carefree souls on a vast expanse of water.

Debut canoe trip

After 30 minutes of meandering across the lake, we reached the Tarten rapids. While others embarked on some white water action, we found a fire pit, spread blankets out on the ground and soaked up the rays.

Tarten rapids

The mosquitoes quickly joined us and while constant, they didn’t cause too much annoyance (of course, I haven’t seen anything yet). Cold beers and picnic fare of olives, salami and tasty brie were quickly devoured. Conversation was interspersed with flicks of the hand to deter the mosquitoes. Fishing lines were cast and pike and white fish twisted and turned and put up a fight. Ahh, this is the life: a jolt of energy and invigoration from a day in the outdoors. What could be better?

Homeward bound

The paddle home was incredible: the lake was like a giant mill pond, and we paddled calmly across the lake, feeling invigorated by the wide open space and a glorious day in the suns. Yes, paddling season has begun….

Fritters anyone?

Cooking and baking have become an all-consuming passion for me. When you spend so much time indoors, there is nothing like the aroma of freshly baking courgette, walnut and cranberry loaf or chocolate and almond friands. And when you get home from work, there is nothing like delving into some mighty fine pumpkin and feta cannelloni or mustard and fennel spiced pork. Even James has been getting in on the action with his speciality bison burgers.

While reading the May issue of Vanity Fair I noted this comment by renowned restaurateur Elaine Kaufman’s on cooking shows and dining at home:

Do you seriously think anyone watching those shows cooks those gourmet meals…Who has the time?…It’s cheaper and easier to go out. Plus, you don’t have to wash up.

That may be the case in New York or Wellington where there are options galore, but when you live in a remote place like Yellowknife, the restaurants are not particularly inspiring (whilst still being super expensive). That makes a home made gourmet delight an amazing experience, one to be shared with friends.

So when we were invited to partake in drinks and ‘appies’ last week, I immediately planned to bring along a home made plate. While in New Zealand we would usually say nibbles or hors d’oeuvres, here in Canada, ‘an appie’  or an appetizer is the norm.  On this occasion, mini corn and feta fritters with some mango chutney seemed like the perfect plan.

After mentioning this grand plan to my colleagues in exchange for blank stares and random looks, I had the realization that ‘fritters’ are not the norm here in Canada. I tried to explain, “You know, small savoury pikelet type things with four and egg. They are delicious with all sorts of varieties like whitebait fritters or paua fritters. You can have them for brunch, lunch or whatever” – suddenly realizing that this random description was making absolutely no sense at all to anyone but this kiwi girl. Thanks to the wonders of the world wide web, I could show people pictures but I started to get nervous: is it kosha to take something unusual to someone you don’t really know’s event? What if they didn’t like them?

I arrived and nervously presented my dish…and everyone peered in. “Wow, did you go home from work and make these?” I blushed and muttered, “they really are simple.”

The proof is always in the taste – and after watching people delve in, nod their heads and exclaim how good they were. I relaxed. The fritters (or patties as someone called them) were a hit!  And I was left wondering how I could possibly have doubted a sound kiwi classic?

People even asked for the recipe so here it is….

Corn & Feta Fritters

1 cup self raising flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup soda water
2 cups corn kernals
2 tbsp chopped mint (which I omitted because fresh herbs are not exactly in abundance here)
1/2 cup crumbed feta

Mix everything together….and let stand for 30 minutes or so. Then put spoonfuls into a frying pan with a little oil….. Easy as that!

Long days

The arrival of June heralded a new era in our Yellowknife life. At long last it finally feels like summer is on it’s way and I can hardly contain my excitement.

The ice road to Dettah has well and truly closed

Using the word summer maybe slightly optimistic and I think it’s safer to hedge my bets after raving about the arrival of spring only to experience freezing temperatures.

The ginormous Great Slave Lake has finally started to melt, people are boating, sailing and canoeing. Gardens are emerging with pretty flowers. The trees are starting to show tiny buds. And today was 20 degrees – a far cry from the -40 degree temperatures we experienced six months ago. I kid you not. I literally skipped home from work today in a summer-esque dress – bare arms, sunglasses and woollen tights (you can’t have it all I suppose).

We’re still two weeks away from the shortest day of the year but the long days of summer really are long. Today, the sun will set at 11.30pm and will rise again tomorrow morning at 3.45am. That means there won’t be time for complete darkness. Instead this town will be cloaked in a strange combination of twilight and dusk – leaving us with plenty of time for late evening strolls around the lake and through the forest.

Evening stroll on Tin Can Hill

The ubiquitous mosquitoes that we’ve heard so much about are starting to arrive. They certainly are large but so far I haven’t experienced the itchy bite (I’m not holding my breath that this good fortune will last). Who needs to sleep when life is this good.

House boats now floating on Great Slave Lake

Yes, I’m finally starting to believe the rumour that the Yellowknife summer albeit short (less than two months) is going to be amazing…