Exploring

It’s a stunning day today. I’ve no heat on and I’ve been working outside in just a t-shirt.

Saturday, on the other hand, dawned cloudy and as I waited for Patsy to come to show me around the recycling system here I realized “it’s” over. “It,” being the move. I have no plans today (other than my visit with Patsy) and no essential errands. From now on … I coast. There will always be things to do but nothing will be pressing and that’s exactly what I wanted. My three buildings, the yard and the gardens I will build will keep me busy.

The quiet here is extraordinary. It’s a privilege to live in such tranquility. And my eyes are as happy as my ears. I have lots of windows and four glass doors; through every one all I see are trees. From my office I look into the densely forested lot of a neighbour where I’ve hung my suet and bird feeder.

Patsy came at ten to pick me up and we went to the recycling centre. It was awesome. Now I know where to take a lot of things that were here and that I don’t want. GIRO accepts almost everything and they sell it to raise the funds to pay their staff. It is huge and impressive.

Then Patsy took me on a tour of the island. We went to the medical clinic where there are three physicians and Patsy says if present myself they will take me on as a patient. There’s also a Life Labs so I can to my regular tests here instead of Vancouver and I can even go to the dentist here.

So I am cutting all my ties to Vancouver except for my asthma, HIV and PTSD specialists but I think my visits to Dr. Shoja may be drastically reduced in frequency. I’ll be talking about that with her in November.

Mid-tour we stopped at Patsy’s for soup. She has the cutest cabin and she built it herself and with the help of islanders twenty-eight years ago. I was terribly impressed. I got home at two after four hours of almost constant valuable information. What a treat it was; what a treat she is.

I fell deep asleep when I got home and when I woke up there was an email from Paula saying she was at her new place on the south side so I went to visit her and our mutual friend Chris. It was so much fun to be with good friends and to know Paula will one day be my neighbour when she retires.

I didn’t get home until eight to watch a movie with Leon after a very great and very social day.

And the last event of the day was hearing from Jay, who dropped by here last night, that he wants my pool table. I’m thrilled because once it’s gone I can turn the building into my studio.