Best Day of the Year

Dana sent me these photos of a mating pair of
California Quail that visited his bird feeder yesterday.

I’m back! I “came back” yesterday for the finest day of life so far since I moved to Gabriola.

Early in the morning, I hauled my incinerator to the front yard and started burning tons of twigs, pinecones and broken branches removed from the front yard. I worked right through until 3:00 pm. I kept changing my shirt because I was sweating so much in the heat. Temperature records were broken everywhere yesterday and today is going to be just as hot.

But it’s supposed to rain on the weekend and I’m glad already. The island dries out so quickly. Next week, we’re back to sunshine.

What a treat in this wonderful weather to get in and out of the spa without feeling any chill at all. Poor Sheba didn’t get much action yesterday but once I was done we had a good walk in the woods. And wow! What a walk!

The greenery is stupefying and in the meadow at the high point of the trail there seems to be a wild Lobelia growing. It is low and deep blue with little white dots just like hybridized Lobelia. It is breathtakingly beautiful. And the smell of the Cedar in the heat is like incense.

It felt good to be “back” — to feel myself again and to feel the happiness I’m used to feeling about living here. Walking in quiet is a privilege. All I hear is the rush of birds and the wind as I brush away the many flying insects I encounter. I’m glad I built my porch! No bites or stings, though.

In the evening I called Dwight. I’m hoping he comes to visit in May. He said he would. He, Dianne and DR are all coming back for a second time and it will thrill me to watch them take in the difference here between Winter and verdant Spring. 

Last night was my last puppy training class. I love all the puppies and the play times we have together. Ella is a particular favourite. She’s a rescue dog from Mexico and we really love each other. I’m really glad I went and I’m really glad they’re over.

I went to bed happy knowing today would be another day like yesterday. I’ll be working in the yard and on the fence and Sheba and I, at some point, will go to Sandwell Parkfor a walk.

(Mediterraneoarrived in the post. It’s one of my favourite films, made by the director who made Cinema Paradiso. It won and Oscar and is a sweet, kind, lovely happy film that I’ll watch tonight.)

•

When I was a kid I used to love walking up the Capilano River bed in summer. Something I remember about that time are the messages painted on many of the rocks. They were all religious and the most common one was, “He died for our sins.” Or: “Jesus died for our sins.”

A blogger I follow mentioned finding the same thing in his area recently and so I mentioned my memory and he made me laugh writing: “He didn’t die for our sins. He rose again after three days so he gave up a weekend for our sins. Just sayin’.”