Di Leaves, Rain Arrives

Virginia Creeper.

The Monk's Hood in my garden.

Wednesday was great in the morning. Our morning walk with our friends was wonderful. We walked in bright sunshine under a cloudless sky, and I did quite well on the hill. When I got home, Di was up and getting her breakfast ready. I made us a nice lunch which we ate together, and then it was time for her to leave to catch the ferry.

I was sad to see her go. As soon as I got back into the house, I had a nap and within seconds of lying down, all three animals were on the bed with me. I had a good restorative nap, and then I did some tidying around the house before Her Highness and I went for our afternoon walk.

When we got home, we came into the house and BAM! Down came heavy rain, pounding on my metal roof. It’s a sound I like. It makes me want to be cozy by a fire, so I lit a small one, and we all settled in for our evening, adjusting back to being alone again.

It was a delightful Thanksgiving. I was with two women I love and have loved for a long time, and we had lots of food. Cooking the turkey was a walk in the park because it was only ten pounds. I was glad we had a window of good weather because sunshine always heightens the mood.

I’m stinkin’ thrilled with the Virginia Creeper I planted on the west side of my house. In one year, it has grown very high up the wall; one runner is perhaps two meters high or more. I want to cover just the one wall, and perhaps part of the wall facing the deck. I planted them for colour and right now, the leaves are turning lovely colours. 

I look out the double glass door that’s to my right when I am typing on my computer. It’s 6:30 pm and there’s only partial daylight, and everything is wet. But I see a valley of green. I planted in the courtyard and in planters on the deck so that when I look out these windows I see a lot of green leading out to the studio. 

The leaves haven’t fallen yet; everything is lush and shiny from the rain. It was a thrilling season because of all the compost that Bronwyn laid down for me, and because of my regular application of fertilizer. This year, everything exploded, so I’m hoping for a similar season next year because I’ve been applying fertilizer all through the Summer and I will again come Springtime. Oh, the magic of chemistry.

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Today has dawned clear, bright and cool. Rain is predicted for later today, so we’ll enjoy a long morning walk before settling into an indoor day. There are no social engagements on my calendar until November 6^th, when I go to Vancouver.

A Lovely Day with Dianne

I thoroughly enjoyed Tuesday. I walked Her Highness through the forest in the morning, keen to get our walk in before any rain fell. No rain fell all day, in the end, so I needn’t have worried.

After our walk, we came home to chat and chill with Dianne, and then I left Di at the house with Sheba so she could to her Yoga, and I went into the village to attend my ASL group in the library. And when my class was finished, I came home and after a brief rest, Di and I took Sheba on a nice long walk on a lovely afternoon.

A highlight of the day was seeing smoke billowing out of the chimney at Dave and Ursula’s yurt. I immediately went over to see all the work that was done on the weekend when Andrew and Will, plus the excavator guy, put in so many hours. The kitchen cabinets are half in, the fire was going, the shower is almost finished, and over the next two weeks, the electrician will finish putting in all the fixtures and the plumber will hook up the hot water tank. David expects his occupancy permit in very early November, so soon they will move into their new home.

The evening was spent watching Bad Sisters. I loved the show when I first saw it, and it’s good a second time. Season two starts on November 13, so it was great to reacquaint myself with all the wonderful characters. 

Di leaves today. I’m sad to see her go, but it is a stunning day and Sheba and I will get our day started with a walk with our friends. Then we’ll come home to improvise the balance of our day before Di leaves.

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A solar halo is a ring of light that appears around the sun. It's caused by sunlight refracting through ice crystals in high, thin cirrus clouds. Here are some shots of several of them for you:

A Great Day of Thanks

 Monday began frantically. I got up at 6:00 and was busy, busy, busy until I put the turkey into the oven at 8:30. By the time Di got up, the house had a lovely fragrance of thyme as Tom cooked in the oven. We called Jane, who was iffy about driving in the rain, and she was en route, so we were a go for our Thanksgiving brunch as planned.

Sheba and I decided not to go for a walk until there was a break in the rain. So, I got onto the chaise to chill before Jane arrived and I had to get back into action in the kitchen. She arrived just past 10:30 with cream for the coffee of both women. (I never have milk or cream in the house because I don’t use it.) I made her a nice big mug of hot coffee to welcome her and to warm her up.

We ate just past 12:30, and everything went perfectly. The turkey was cooked and was nice and juicy. My Brussel sprouts and the stuffing—everything was just fine. We ate leisurely and after dessert, I took Her Highness for a walk. By then the sun had come out and so Jane enjoyed a clear and easy drive home.

Di and I snacked through the remainder of the day and the evening, and we watched several episodes of Bad Sisters, but it lacked the punch of my first viewing.

Today has begun with a dull grey morning. I don’t know what Di and I will do today.  We’ll improvise. She goes home tomorrow.

Thanksgiving Day!!

Sunday got off to a lovely slow start. It was brilliant outside, so Sheba was content to wander the yard while I caught up on some emails and watched a fellow whom I follow on YouTube who posts his weekly vlog every Sunday. I fed the brood and lit a fire as well, and then Her Highness and I went for a walk together. It was most uplifting to be in the forest on such a gorgeous day.

Di arrived at 11:00. She got settled and then she and I went to The Surf for lunch. As happens often at this restaurant, we had to wait for ages for our food, but it is such a magnificent spot for dining, so full of atmosphere, and with an unparalleled view of the sea, time passed quickly. We ate enthusiastically and then made our way home.

We took Sheba for another walk and then settled in for the evening. DI was thrilled to bits with the prawns I made for her in a butter, lemon, dill sauce, and we had a side salad and later in the evening, the blueberry tart I’d made. For entertainment, we watched Water for Elephants.

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This morning, I have been very busy. I did all the dishes from last night, then I prepped the turkey for cooking and got it into the oven at 8:30. Jane is coming to join us for a mid-day meal—at least that is the plan. She hated driving in the rain and it’s pouring this morning, so she may cancel and Di and I will have a huge meal to eat by the fire to ourselves.

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The results of the 15th annual Epson International Pano Awards have been announced. Here are a few of my favourites: