AS an introduction to s’mores goes, it couldn’t have gotten much better.

Toasting marshmallows around a fire pit in front of one of the world’s most majestic lakes, hugged by the Rocky Mountains, was much s’more — sorry — than a dream come true.

The incredible experience was only topped when I braved the ice-cold waters in a canoe, to take in the beauty that is Lake Louise.

For years I’d drooled over pictures of the famous lake and the iconic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise hotel, which sits grandly on its edge and finally here I was. A real pinch me moment.

The lake is an unbelievable colour of blue, made up entirely from the melt from Victoria glacier on Mount Victoria which sits at its far end.

“How cold is it?”, I asked our instructor Kevin. “You tell me,” he replied, as he dared me to dip my hand in the chilly, crystal clear water. Ouch. “About -30,” I said to much laughter.

OK slight exaggeration but when you consider the whole lake freezes enough in winter for them to build an ice village on top, where you can skate, eat, drink and be merry, you get my drift.

Even the drizzle couldn’t dampen my delight at finally getting to experience Lake Louise and the utterly gorgeous town of Banff.

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Rimrock Resort Hotel n the rocky Mountains in Banff[/caption]

I was staying at another stunning Fairmont property, The Rimrock Resort Hotel, which cascades down Sulphur Mountain — thankfully the mountain didn’t live up to it’s name but the views? Even from my bedroom they were incredible.

The hotel dates back to 1884 but has all the mod cons you need for a very comfortable stay as you explore the Rocky Mountains and beautiful Banff National Park with it’s numerous gobsmackingly gorgeous lakes.

Banff will take your breath away — quite literally. It’s the highest town in Canada, nearly 5,000ft above sea level, where the air is crystal clear.

It’s packed with independent little shops and stores, lovely cafes and restaurants and the friendliest folk you’re ever liable to meet. The atmosphere is intoxicating.

After enjoying its delights, it was onwards and upwards, literally, as my friends and I took the Banff Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain where we were greeted by Mirror Bear, a monument to his real-life grizzly cousins who roam the Rockies. Thankfully we didn’t encounter any of them.

A bracing walk from the visitor centre to the summit of the mountain rewarded us with incredible 360 degree views of the park, the town and another iconic Fairmont hotel — The Banff Springs.

And that’s where we headed next to enjoy lunch in this UNESCO World Heritage Site — known as Canada’s Castle in the Rockies.

It’s built in the style of a Scottish baronial castle and inside there’s more than a nod to Scotland with thistles, shields and tartan galore adorning the walls and floors.

A quick cocktail in the Rundle Bar — try their famous gin ones — led to a game of ‘guess the way in through a secret door’ to the Sidecar dining area. (The magic button is on one of the shelves on the library wall — but I’ll leave you to find out exactly where).

Lunch was a selection of sharing plates of the most delicious and freshest feasts.

Stuffed and satisfied we braved the outdoors again on the patio for a mug of hot chocolate in front of yet more stunning mountain vistas.

Fabulous food was on the menu again hours later back at the Rimrock’s Eden restaurant, where we paid homage to the incredible gourmet cooking of the hotel’s talent chefs.

My eyes were quickly drawn from the majestic misty mountainside views to the works of art served on a plate before me. The Reverie Menu was four courses of the most delicious seasonal offerings of the area, paired with fine wines.

Food heaven is no exaggeration. No wonder it was named North America’s Best Fine Dining Hotel Restaurant last year.

Just when I thought the night could not possibly get any better, the Northern Lights decided to make an appearance and we all rushed outside to take in the celestial show.

I went to bed that night even more in love with Banff, if that was at all possible.

Next day I had to drag myself away from the town, the Rockies and British Columbia’s astonishing beauty as we headed to Vancouver, where we kept up the Fairmont vibe and checked into the “Castle in the City”. Also known as the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel, it’s another gorgeous building.

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Vancouver, nestled between the Rockies and the Pacific ocean, is regularly voted one of the top places in the world and we quickly discovered why.

It’s spotlessly clean, ordered, bustling but safe, jam-packed with incredible restaurants, museums, art galleries and beautiful buildings.

And the Fairmont is within walking distance of it all and close to the city’s harbour, where ships dock on their way to cruise Alaska and seaplanes punctuate the skyline.

The six-mile seawall promenade from here skirts the city and takes you all the way to 405-hectare Stanley Park, well worth the effort for the views.

Reward yourself afterwards with a dip in the Fairmont’s fantastic pool and a pamper at the spa. Then for me, it had to be an afternoon nap in my massive comfy bed in my HUGE room.

Dinner was in Notch8, named after a train’s max speed and selected because of the Fairmont’s connection with the old Canadian Pacific Railway and its modern day connection to the iconic Rocky Mountaineer.

The food here was, as I’d come to expect, impeccable.

And, of course, Notch8 features another secret room, where we enjoyed an amazing autumnal-themed afternoon tea — my fave was the Apple Ginger Rooibos.

Fun fact (or for some a little scary) the Fairmont is the city’s most haunted hotel, as a once regular guest, The Lady in Red, wanders the corridors, after she mown down by a car outside.

Historic Gastown is just a five minute stroll away and is one of the oldest parts of city. To really appreciate all it has to offer we booked Forbidden Vancouver Waking Tour.

Tour founder Will Woods was a font of info and fabulously entertaining.

Our last dinner was at another Fairmont, the Fairmont Waterfront’s ARC restaurant where we shared plate after plate of incredible inventions and indulged in a cocktail upstairs at the bar — try the Into the Woods for a bit of theatre and a taste of Bourbon heaven.

All too quickly my first visit to Banff and Vancouver was over but one thing’s for sure . . . I’ll be back for s’more very soon.

MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY is a really good kid, from a great family and blessed with a ­wonderful talent.

I’m convinced he will be named in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad on Friday because, just months after his Arsenal debut, he is already the best, fit left-back in the country.

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Myles Lewis-Skelly has been a revelation since breaking into Arsenal’s first team[/caption]

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The teenager has shown a skill set and composure well beyond his years[/caption]

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The teenager’s mum and agent, Marcia, is keeping him on the straight and narrow[/caption]

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SunSport columnist Troy Deeney has some pearls of wisdom for the teenager[/caption]

And I’ve no worries about him going off the rails, having met Myles and knowing his mum, Marcia Lewis — who has a degree in football business — is her son’s agent and runs an online platform offering advice to other emerging young players and their parents.

But like so many youngsters who emerge into first-team football, it feels like Myles, 18, is too hungry, that he wants it too much right now.

He’s already had two red cards, one of them rescinded, and was lucky not to be sent off for two yellows in Arsenal’s 7-1 thrashing of PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday, when he was substituted after 35 minutes for his own protection.

It would be easy to assume Myles is a young hot-head but that isn’t the case.

When he copied Erling Haaland’s celebration after scoring his first senior goal in the 5-1 hammering of Manchester City last month, plenty said he was getting too big for his boots.

If I’d been his captain and he’d done that, I’d have laughed and said ‘Well done — but beware that everyone is going to be out to get you now. Every City player, every City fan and plenty of others in the game’.

That celebration was youthful exuberance; there was no malice involved but it made him a target.

Myles does need guidance from senior pros at Arsenal — his captain Martin Odegaard was a teenage wonderkid at Real Madrid who had some difficult times before he reinvented himself with the Gunners.

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He will have a lot of good advice to pass on.

I’ve lost count of the number of talented kids I’ve given guidance to as a captain at Watford and Birmingham. Some are from tough backgrounds, like I was. Some are too cocky. Some are too shy.

Some kids might get their pro debut, have a great game or two, then let their standards slip — turning up late for training, moaning when they’re back on the bench for a while.

Many, like Myles, are just impatient — over-eager to impress their team-mates, manager and fans.

When Joao Pedro arrived at Watford as a teenager, he was one I had a few serious conversations with.

He was too keen to prove he was a man, that he was ready for English football, that he wasn’t, in his own words, a “soft Brazilian”.

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Myles Lewis-Skelly is well and truly repaying Mikel Arteta’s faith in him[/caption]

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So when he got kicked, in training as well as in matches, he started losing his head and picking fights.

As his skipper and strike partner, I’d tell him: “I’ll do the ugly stuff, that’s my skill set. I’ll make sure nobody bullies you, you just play your football.”

I remember telling Joao that they were only kicking him because he was good. If he wasn’t any good, they’d ignore him.

He’s matured into a fine Premier League forward at Brighton because he’s gone through that essential learning process.

When you break into first-team football, especially in the top flight, everything seems great, but it’s a rollercoaster — the ups and downs take so much getting used to.

For Myles, his red card against West Ham was like the football gods bringing him down to earth after the high of his goal — and that celebration — against City.

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Myles Lewis-Skelly was given his marching orders in Arsenal’s defeat to West Ham[/caption]

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The red card against West Ham was like the football gods, according to Troy Deeney[/caption]

One week, supporters were hero- worshipping him.

The next, some of those same fans were blaming him for the fact Arsenal’s title bid is over.

Everything can change from match to match. The trick is to accept those extremes and treat them in a level-headed manner.

Being taken off before half-time against PSV is another lesson for Myles.

But he is keeping a title-winner, Oleksandr Zinchenko, out of the Arsenal team for a reason — because he’s seriously good. I have already heard him being compared to Ashley Cole.

We seriously need to relax on that kind of talk because Ashley was the best left-back in the world for years.

But Myles will surely be in Tuchel’s squad next week, especially with Lewis Hall and Luke Shaw injured and with left-back having been such a problem position for England.

That is another experience that is going to make his head spin.

Some players struggle to deal with heading into international football at such a young age.

At the end of this season, he is going to stop and think, ‘Wow, that was some whirlwind I’ve just experienced.’

But here is another bit of advice I could pass on to him: You only get a week or two to properly relax during the summer — and then it’s back on that white-knuckle ride all over again!

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Myles Lewis-Skelly is a shoe-in for Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad[/caption]

Cody Rhodes refused to sell his soul to The Rock and in turn got smacked by a heel turned John Cena (a sentence no one ever saw coming). Rhodes finally finished his story as the Undisputed WWE Champion after his win against Roman Reigns in last year’s WrestleMania XL. It was his first world championship […]

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The ministry said Russian forces attacked Dobropillia with ballistic missiles, multiple rockets and drones, damaging eight multi-story buildings and 30 cars.

New Delhi, March 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) On the occasion of International Women's Day, Dr Anjlee Agarwal, founder of Samarthyam, Centre for Universal Accessibility, shared her inspiring journey and vision for inclusive mobility on Prime Minister Narendra...

The post Anjlee Agarwal advocates inclusive mobility, accessibility on PM Modi’s social media appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, March 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) Growing up in the narrow lanes of Dharavi in Mumbai, one of the world’s largest slums, making a career out of cricket seemed far-fetched for Simran Shaikh, the all-rounder who...

The post As a sports person, you should work hard and support your parents, says Simran Shaikh appeared first on Social News XYZ.

A 25-year-old Byford man has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol in Port Hedland after allegedly blowing a blood alcohol level more than five times the legal limit.

Tony Dow, his full name is Anthony Lee Dow is an accomplished American actor, filmmaker, and artist. He is best…

Read More: Tony Dow Biography: Net Worth, Death, Age, Wife, Movies, Parents, Height, TV Shows, Awards, Children

WITH the sun beaming down on her carefree son Blake at a friend’s summer party Tyran McNown couldn’t imagine anything disturbing the peaceful day.

Little did she know that she would soon be fighting for her life with her six-year-old boy witnessing her the moment she ‘died.’

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Tyran McNown had been celebrating with her son Blake at a summer party when she was attacked[/caption]

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Blake says his mum looked like ‘a zombie’ after she was attacked by ex Tyler Guffy[/caption]

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Guffy was sentenced to 11 years in prison for attempted murder[/caption]

After lying down in her tent for a nap, her violent ex, Tyler Guffy, 34, followed her inside and strangled her.

As she spluttered for breath, her precious boy’s face flashed through her mind, until everything went black.

Mum-of-one, Tyran, 44, was found face down and not breathing with her son witnessing her lifeless body, which he later described as ‘grey and looking like a zombie’.

Thankfully, another guest, who was a nurse, performed CPR, saving Tyran’s life.

In October last year, Guffy was convicted of attempted murder and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Now, Tyran, from Washington, is bravely sharing her story.

She says: “Tyler nearly left my son without his mum.

“His sentence isn’t enough for nearly taking my life but I fought back from the brink to be with Blake.”

Tyran met Guffy in 2019, and after hitting it off the pair started dating but kept it casual.

While their romantic relationship fizzled out, over the next three years they kept in touch.

At the end of June 2022, Guffy messaged Tyran.

She recalls: “That night he called for a catch up.

“He told me he’d had a baby with his girlfriend.

“I was happy for him and told him I was in a long distance relationship.”

The next day, Tyran noticed her email account had been hacked.

An intimate video meant for her then boyfriend had been sent to her contacts, including Guffy.

She immediately changed her password and called Guffy to explain.

Tyran says: “It was too late, his girlfriend had already seen the video and was convinced we were having an affair.

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Tyran had dated Guffy casually and when they decided to be friends she invited him along to the festival party[/caption]

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Guffy attacked her while she was in her tent, strangling Tyran until she passed out[/caption]

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All of the blood vessels in Tyran’s face burst during the attack[/caption]

“Tyler told me she’d kicked him out. I apologised, and felt awful.”

Tyran’s boyfriend ended things after finding out about the video being sent to other men.

Two days later, Guffy visited Tyran and being a shoulder to cry on for each other, one thing lead to another and they ended up in bed together.

But Tyran instantly regretted it and they agreed to be friends.

True to her word, later that week, she invited him to a friend’s annual summer party making it clear he’d need his own tent as they’d be going as mates.

She explains: “It was a festival with fire spinners, face painters and live bands.

“Blake and I looked forward to it every year.”

But just before they were leaving, Tyran admits she had a bad feeling and thought about ditching Guffy.

She says: “I didn’t want to give him the wrong impression, but then I felt awful to un-invite him, so I shook it off.”

After a 40 minute journey, they pitched their tents in the garden and went to bed.

Next thing I remember was waking up in an ambulance unable to talk, my body was convulsing and my tongue was swollen

Tyran McNown

Only, during breakfast the next morning at the main house, one of Tyran’s friends referred to Guffy as her boyfriend. 

She says: “I quickly corrected him, explaining we were just friends. 

“Tyler was in earshot but didn’t react.”

While Tyran danced to a rock band and Blake played frisbee with his friends, Guffy sat alone by the firepit.

Tyran remembers: “He seemed moody and withdrawn, so I offered to drive him back home.

“But he refused. Insisted he was fine.”

Tyran then headed to her own  tent to rest but minutes later, Guffy appeared at the door.

He walked inside and towering over her.

Suddenly, he reached his hands out and grabbed her by the throat.

As his grip tightened, Tyran struggled to breathe, then she lost consciousness.

She says: “Next thing I remember was waking up in an ambulance unable to talk, my body was convulsing and my tongue was swollen.

“All I could manage was ‘Tyler’. I wanted them to know who was responsible.”

At PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, Tyran was given a CT scan and sedative.

Hours later, she woke up in agony.

Spotting her reflection in the mirror, she noticed all the blood vessels in her face had burst. 

She even had thumb marks on her neck.

But despite her horrific experience, that day Tyran discharged herself.

She says: “With no phone, I couldn’t contact anyone, so caught the bus to my mum’s house.

“She was horrified seeing my injuries.

“I used her laptop to contact my friend at the festival an luckily Blake was safe.”

But Guffy was on the run after the attack and the police had launched a manhunt.

Blake is now eight and extremely protective of me but we keep each other strong

Tyran McNown

Soon after a friend of Tyran’s drove Blake to hers.

She remembers: “I was so happy he was OK but he was badly shaken. 

“He told me he’d seen me being brought back to life.

“Said I ‘looked grey, like a zombie’. It broke my heart. He must’ve been terrified.”

Tyran and her son then went into hiding until Guffy was caught.

After three days, he was finally arrested and she gave her statement to the police.

Weeks later, Tyran’s friend explained how he’d overheard Guffy shout ‘it’s done’ from her tent as he walked out following the attack.

Her friend had found her face down on her mattress, unresponsive.

According to him, for four minutes she was ‘dead’ while a nurse performed CPR, and resuscitated her.

In October 2024, Guffy was found guilty of attempted murder and he was sentenced to 11 years.

Tyran says: “I once considered Tyler a friend but it turns out he was evil.

“Blake is now eight and extremely protective of me but we keep each other strong.

“I’m so relieved Tyler failed to snuff out my life that day.

“Now he spends the rest of his in jail.”

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The mum says that she and her son ‘keep each other strong’[/caption]

AT least 11 people have been killed in an overnight blitz in the Dontesk region of Ukraine as Russia continues to pummel the war-torn nation.

More than 30 people were wounded, including five children in the strike as both Russians and Ukrainians on Saturday marked International Women’s Day.

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Vladimir Putin’s actions comes just hours after President Donald Trump warned him to stop “pounding” Ukraine.

Footage showed the hellish carnage in Dobropillia as the strikes destroyed eight five-story buildings, an administrative building and 30 cars.

Another nine people were killed across Donetsk region, in Pokrovsk, Konstantinopol, Yablunivka, Konstantinovka, Myrnograd and Ivanopillya, as well as Dobropillia.

A total of 42 were wounded in the region, said the administration of Ukrainian controlled territory.

Fires raged in Dobropillia’s buildings hampering rescue efforts for people trapped in the rubble.

Ukrainian reports saying the dead were civilians.

Preliminary reports say the Russians used an Iskander-M missile, Tornado-S MRLS, and Shahed 136 killer drones.

Governor of the region Vadym Filashkin urged remaining residents of the mining town – some 12 miles from the frontline – to flee to safer regions.

Dobropillia is geographically close to the rare metals deposits that Trump is seeking to get rights to exploit from President Volodymyr Zelensky, as Russia seeks territorial gains in the Donbas.

Volodymyr Zelensky – who is due in Saudi Arabia on Monday where Ukraine will start talks of a peace deal with the Americans – hit out at the latest Russian aggression.

“Such strikes show that Russia’s goals are unchanged,” he said.

“It is very important to continue to do everything to protect life, strengthen our air defence, and tighten sanctions against Russia.

“Everything that helps Putin finance the war must break down.”

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