Work! Work! Work!

I had so much fun on Vancouver Island Monday that Tuesday, here, was depressing.

The open skies on the ferry, on the highway, in Jane and Dana’s backyard and on the enormous Qualicum beach—all appreciated even more whilst in my little Fiat convertible—have me feeling the weight of the trees here. The rolling farmlands near Englishman Falls Park, so beautifully tended, made me want to decamp to somewhere with an endless landscape of farmland. The white plastic-wrapped bales of hay gave the landscape a painterly appearance.

Today I’m happy that the lot beside me sold and I hope they clear cut—I know: Blasphemy. I would hate to kill a tree but I find myself hoping my neighbours have no such sentiment. I covet the light after my experiences yesterday.

Tuesday was about dealing with more trouble with my spa (the water has turned cloudy) and part of a woodpile has fallen down and needs restacking. Deer have eaten several plants that were bought as “deer resistant” and so I have to transplant them all. And there’s so much routine work to do as well; I’m feeling the weight of my move.

Jane and Dana have a nice tidy and small  yard—and there’s two of them. All they talked about was visiting neighbours, their hobbies and community activities. They share an idyllic retired life together; I’m feeling I have to do too much work.

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I worked furiously all Tuesday on the yard and house and then bolted for Drumbeg in the afternoon. I wanted to take advantage of every day I can to do something inspiring that’s good for both Her Highness and I. It made me feel a lot better about Gabriola after being so inspired by the landscape of Parksville and Qualicum.

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Today is cloudy and it’s actually raining a little. It’s another day of conscientious work at Pinecone Park: I’m ordering new water for my hot tub from a water hauler today. The water currently in it has been in there for a year and its time to renew. It’s a challenging and technical job for this tool-adverse aesthete, but I’m determined to do it.

And whilst my genes are feeling butchy, I’m doing a thorough cleaning of the barbeque. What a job! I worked up a sweat doing it. My tendency to an OCD level of attention to detail has me overworking—removing every possible molecule of soot and oil.

Once I’m done, I’ll be fertilizing all my plants while its wet. And measuring the front yard to determine how much soil I need for my new front lawn. Darryll is coming by around 2:00; I’m hoping he’ll help me with the lawn and finish the porch.

Tonight: The Great British Baking Show and Liam. I can hardly wait.