The '07 model Fransje Austin has been rebuilt better badder stronger and faster than before. Cut to 6 million dollar man theme song. Fade to black.

It's not that I would rather ride my bike than keep up to date with my friends and family..... but that's what happened. Here's a very quick review of the past year.......

The latest addition to what is now officially Fransje's family, these are my adventures, Jedi is my name, but you can call me Miss Master.

So I'm in Canada on a working holiday, and yes I am having an ongoing joke with myself about my ability to travel light - latest addition to my collection of travelling tools is a house. Here it is;

With the novelty of winters between -40C and -40F now gone, a trip back to New Zealand sounded like the perfect exuse to avoid the cold....

I waited and waited for the fires to start burning so I could go to work, finally decided it was time for some r&r in BC and into Alaska. It coincided with the time that BC almost completely burnt down but what the hell, I wasn't there to help.

What a stink'n year for fires in Western Canada, I should note that my position is as follows; a) From an environmental viewpoint Canadian boreal forests rely on fire for regrowth and rejuvenation, b) I too rely on fire to support the lifestyle I have become accustomed to both financially and enjoyalistically (that's a word) and, c) it's not my country - let it burn, it's cool!!! So you will understand my dissapoint when the summer to date has turned out wet. I have taken the odd snap of the few fires that I have been to - they had no chance with all the firefighting iron sitting at the airports, helicopters and waterbombers ready at a moments notice to bomb the crap out of anything or anyone that smokes, better watch out.

I caught a bit of flak for leaving Leanne behind while I toured around and enjoyed her country, and her province... but someone had to maintain 2 jobs to uphold the kind of lifestyle I'm accustomed to. Besides, it was -35 in High Level, what if the water pipes burst or something..... It was the sensible thing to do. it won't happen again

I don't want to sound like I'm the guy living further north than anyone in the world, that's simply not true. There must be at least 30,000 people further north than me in Canada alone. Unlike some of them, the sun comes up for a few hours even on the shortest days of the year. But it is only my second winter in a place like this, it could be said (coming from Whitianga A Kupe, Aotearoa) it is only my second real winter.

in no particular order, some random shots of my travels...

I spent a month from late June into July chasing fires around Northern Sascatchewan. Towns like Buffalo Narrows, Ille le Crosse and La Loche - all well known for thier charm and worth the effort to save from fire... Ahem, anyway, of all the fires I got sent to I must have seen an area the size of New Zealand go up in flames... doesn't say much for my fire fighting skills really.