Community

My new lights illuminate the walls of my living room.

The table is set for tea, with my tasty shortbread cookies.

Ethel reclines on my counter; mission control is in the background.

A Gabriola woman who still has no power was on the CBC national news Thursday morning. Full power will not be restored until Dec. 30^th; the storm was on the 20^th, so some Gabriolans will have gone eleven days without power!

Yesterday morning’s walk was lovely. The sky was overcast but there was nice bright light and no rain. I came home to bake: I made shortbread cookies and embossed them with the cookie presses I got from Lee Valley. I love the old fashioned designs and they were quite tasty.

Some good news: I got a pet sitter lined up so that I can go to Vancouver for three days at the end of March to see friends and go to nice restaurants. Now I’ve just to book my flights when the seaplane schedule for March comes online.

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Every so often I’m affected by a celebrity death. I was gutted when Gilda Radner died. She’d made me laugh more than anyone else on earth at the time of her passing. And because of her work with AIDS patients, I was also gutted when Diana Spencer died.

Well Sister Wendy Beckett died yesterday and when I read the news, it felt like the sun went down. I fell in love with Sister Wendy because of her TV show. She passionately loved art and did a skookum job of enthusing her audiences appreciation of art with that passion.

She was witty, slightly provocative and surprisingly open-minded. I fell under her spell on first viewing. When she smiled, nothing else mattered.

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Last night was ideal. I spent it reading with one eye, a skill at which I’m proficient now. And I ordered another Kate Atkinson novel to read (Behind the Scenes at the Museum); I’m approaching the end of Life After Life. I’m thrilled to be back to reading.

This morning I’ll go on a wet dog walk with my group and mid-day I’m taking Her Highness for a grooming. And whilst she’s coiffed, I’m treating myself to lunch in the village. This afternoon I’m doing some yard work and then I’ll come inside to enjoy the warmth and coziness of my cabin (see above) to stuff the 288 mural panels I’ve embossed into their envelopes.

This self-portrait mural project also involves the staging of a dance party, workshops for island residents who want help and inspiration, catering and decorating the venue. I’m focusing on the portraits and mural, happily leaving all the other aspects of this fundraiser to my colleagues.

I’d just parked my car and was heading into the North Road Trail when I heard a car honk its horn. The blue pick-up swerved into the parking bay and there was handsome, lovely David, just wanting to say Hi and wish me festive good wishes. We’ve made a date for dinner together in the new year.

I went to the post office to fetch my envelopes and decided to cross the street to get some lasagna at the gourmet store where Amanda works. There’s something lovely about Amanda! So I headed ‘round the counter to give her a hug, and she rushed to me with her arms wide open. Incidents like these give me goose bumps. Every day I feel more like a member of this community.