Hot but Productive

Work went slowly yesterday because I kept getting overheated, that’s to say dripping in sweat. I took plenty of short breaks; I learned last year, that being hot is hard on my heart. I did three or four loads of wood, and then took a break. When there’s no deadline, the work is pleasant. I’m looking forward to doing more today.

I trotted out my radio to listen to while I worked. I love Saturday Afternoon at the Opera and This Is My Music on the CBC. And I love seeing how much better the part of yard that fronts on the street looks with the dead trees down and the slow emergence of green as the fallen wood is removed. I also weed whacked the areas now free of wood. The curb appeal of Pinecone Park is much better now.

By noon, it was 26° and I was pooped after only two hours of work, but my middle name is Perseverence. I took a real break early in the afternoon to read and relax. I was exhausted and excessively hot, but I was also very pleased with my progress, and mighty happy about the amount of wood the two dead trees yielded for Winter fires. My lovely log home stays cool in the heat. I turned all the fans on and opened my Inspector Bruno book.

It didn’t cool down. It just kept getting hotter through the afternoon, so work progressed very, very slowly. I was quite content to stop when the time came, and very happy to have a nice cool shower. Rain is predicted for Tuesday; I hope it comes. I really hope it comes so that I don’t have to do more heavy watering. Today and tomorrow are predicted to reach 31°!

I’m watering in the morning, and then going on the big community dog walk. I come home for lunch and then I have a clinic meeting at Dyan’s house at 1:00, so I won’t have much time for the yard work I’m so keen to do. I won’t be free to do it until the hottest part of the day. 

Wood Sorting and Toting

The only times I feel somewhat lonely is when a guest leaves—well, to be honest, not all guests. Sometimes I am counting the minutes until they leave. But Neil was a wonderful guest. Plus, he had other friends here with whom we partied and that made his visit spectacular—no cooking for me!

I dropped Neil off at 10:00 and Kris was there to see him off as well. Then I went to Drumbeg to walk with Her Highness, and what a spectacular morning it was to walk in our extraordinarily beautiful seaside park. I was feeling blissful as we walked. Then I went shopping so that I could make a favourite dish—Thai chicken curry.

Then my first time watering the gardens. There is a lot more garden to water now, so it takes a good hour and a half. Following that, I started sorting and toting the branches and bucked logs felled by Rod a few weeks back. It’s going to be a lot of work, as is finishing the plantings of the garden-in-progress. Then I cooked the chicken.

I went out to the herb garden and noticed that the Garlic is really doing well. I am going to have a huge crop and going by the size of the plants, I think they’ll be nice big bulbs. And I have plenty of raspberries and a disappointing crop of blueberries. I was worried about both berries as I saw few bees during the blooming time. I think it’s time to fertilize. I’ve never used any and the blueberries need something.

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It's predicted to be 29° today, It’s 9:00 am as I write, and it’s already 22°, so we might make it. I am not a fan of excessive heat. Yesterday was predicted to be hot, as well, but there was a refreshing breeze keeping temperatures warm but moderate; today, there’s no breeze. I’ve got a lot of wood toting to do today. I’m going slow, sorting twigs (for starting fires), sicks, thick twigs/small branches, inch-wide branches, thick and large branches, small logs, and large logs. I stack each category separately.

The large logs must be split, everything else except the twigs must be trimmed to pieces14” or shorter. I’d say that there’s a few days of work ahead of me on this project. The results will help me use the fireplace efficiently; I can control the amount of heat by the size of the fire.

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Neil told me his thoughts about how his future might roll out. He leads a vibrant exciting life. I love his company and hearing his stories. He’s just leased a flat in The Barbican in London, he leaves to move in next week. He’ll stay until November, and then come back to Vancouver. He returns to London in the Spring to stay there for six or more months. London is his favourite city in the world.

“What are your plans, Chris?”

I want to live here every day for the rest of time during which I can function. Then, I assisted living, hospice, and death. I’d be happy to never leave home except to do things on the island, with the occasional visit to the hospital in Nanaimo.

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This morning I finally finished watering everything. I don’t water the lawns, but I have so much planted now, it’s an epic job to water everything. We’ll go for a walk, and then to our farmers’ market and then I’ll get back to sorting, trimming, and toting the wood.

I’ve decided not to use the chain saw I bought without someone here to be with me. Noise can make me go into a challenging state, so I don’t want to use it for the first time alone. Kris’ Steve has said he’ll come to get me started, so he and Kris will come over once I have all the wood assembled and sorted. 

Two Local Eagles Adopt a Hawk, Make News Around the World

This is our group dinner on Wednesday night: Left to right: Steve (host), 

Steve (Dan’s partner), Dan, me, Kris (host) and Conner (hosts’ son).

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Thursday was divine. The weather was spectacular, and Neil is a very easy to please guest. We took Sheba for a long and very lovely walk, and then, after a brief respite at home, we went to The Surf pub for lunch. It was chilly on the deck, so we ate indoors right against the front windows overlooking the sea what was churning with waves and whitecaps.

Then we came home to chill. Mid-afternoon, I took Sheba for another long walk to tucker her out so that she’d sleep while Neil and I went to the golf club for Kenny’s Pad Thai with Eoin, François and Jay. And what a lovely night it was! The view of the lake on the deck of the golf club is inspiring. I had the best night until a group of young people arrived to eat, smoke and make a lot of noise. They drove us out, so we were home early for a brief chat and early to bed.

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We’re in crisis here. Our island has been infected with Avian flu. Federal officials are here doing inspections and ordering the culling (now called de-populating) and overseeing the burying in lye of the carcasses. People with fowl do are not allowed visitors and the curbside selling of eggs is currently illegal. 

However, in other bird news, a local Bald Eagle mother brought home a life baby Hawk for her chicks to kill and eat, but instead of eating the chick, the mother Eagle is raising the chick as her own. Our cross-species adoption has made the news all around the world! We’re amazed. You can see the nest here: www.growls.ca.

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Neil leaves early this morning and I will spend the day relaxing at home. I’ll do some shopping and yard work though, as well. Next up for me, is a clinic committee meeting on Sunday afternoon. 

Neil Arrives

This photo proudly displays the fruits of Eoin’s labour.

He grew the asparagus and foraged the Morels. 

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Summer is here! The hammock is up, the cushions are on my deck chairs and the fountain is on its timer and filling the backyard with the sound of tumbling water that is so effective in attracting birds and bees to Pinecone Park. We’re in for a stretch of hot sunny weather and so it was time! And all just in time for Neil’s visit. How great is that?!

I cleaned the car bright and early in the morning and did final checks of the guest rooms and guest washroom before going on a delightful morning walk with a healed pupper and our friends. Everyone was in terrific spirits due to the sudden and timely arrival of Summer. Then it was home to do some yard work before going to the dock to pick up Neil.

I’m working on a really lame garden. It’s a bed that was once full of Campion, but they all died from last Summer’s drought or the two heavy snowfalls. Spring saw it full of dead plants and a thick cover of weeds, so it’s a big challenge, and the penultimate bed I must clean up after the Winter. Only the Fern garden remains to be weeded once this bed is done. 

Neil arrived just after 2:00 for his first visit to Gabriola. He was smitten with our island immediately. We came home and decided to go for a forest walk with Sheba. On the way, we passed Ali and Peter’s house and they were in the garden, so we stopped and passed a lovely 45 minutes with them before our walk. He loved every minute of our sojourn. 

Then he had a quick nap before we left to go to Kris and Steve’s place. And what a wonderful fun night we had. It was just joyous to be all together. Dan and Neil hadn’t seen each other for decades, so it was a grand reunion for them. And Kris and Steve’s son, Conner, was there, and he’s a terrific man. I had the best time imaginable.

I don’t know what we’ll do today. We’ll do whatever Neil wants, and then tonight we’ll meet Eoin, François and Jay for dinner at the golf club.