The Penultimate Market

A Little Life follows four college friends in New York City as their lives are pulled apart by various forces. Hanya Yanagihara’s 2015 novel was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and in 2016 was also nominated for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Starring in the stage production of Hanya Yanagihara’s novel, A Little Life, is James Norton as Jude. I adore him. He is the most handsome man and he seems like a really lovely person in interviews.

•

Saturday began slowly. I lit a morning fire to warm the house on another cool morning. Eventually Her Highness and I left to walk in one of our favourite places, a natural meadow-like place where the sandstone of our island lies exposed and covered with moss. It’s a huge natural ‘oasis’ in the forest that covers our island. And then we went to the market for doggie treats. Then we returned home to commence our day of rest and relaxation. 

When I was last on Nanaimo, I got some Agastache (Kudos Mandarin) that is unbelievably fragrant—not the flowers, but the foliage. The scent of the species I got is ‘licorice mint,’ and it’s just wonderful. It smells like an herb. It’s used as an herb in cooking and is beloved as a tisane tea. Plus, the plant is highly respected as a pollinator. 

Ron came right after I awoke, having fallen asleep reading, and he took Her Highness for a walk. He’s come back to walking Sheba in the afternoons and we all love the arrangement.

Everything needing removal from the garden, all the furniture and the hammock, are in the studio for the WinterAnd the barbeque is back in the cattery where it serves as an alternate cooking site during Winter power failures. Ron helped me lift it up the steps of the deck. 

Today is another beauty. Her Highness and I will walk with our friends on the big Sunday dog walk, and then we’ll come home to chill all day. I may do some gardening, but I will definitely be doing some reading. I love Sundays!

I'm on the trail to the meadow I love here. All around here, the
forest floor looks landscaped, but it is natural. This area is protected.

This is a natural meadow created because this part of the island
has no soil. It is a huge slab of exposed sandstone covered in moss.

In some places soft, delicate grey plants grow through the moss.

Sheba loves the meadow! She wants me to play.

So, so much soft lovely moss, as as the rains have returned it is
radiantly green after a long brown Summer.

Our penultimate Saturday farmers' market. I was there when it
opened and because all the tourists are gone, there was no-one.

Normally there is a HUGE lineup for the bread from our one local
bakery, but not yesterday. It's so weird to see so few people at our
market, but interest wanes as the season ends.

We can always get nice juicy fresh mushrooms.