Friday, April 30, 2021

Asking for Help


Sixteen-year-old German cellist Philipp Schupelius, above, is the winner of the Discovery Award of the International Classical Music Awards 2020.

Asthma is a nasty affliction when it’s bad as mine has been for the past few weeks. I’m not just dealing with the physical issues (difficulty breathing and heavy coughing), but also the fear that comes with having bad lungs. So, this morning I wrote to my asthma doctor in Vancouver asking for help. Last night was rough, and in the night my fears take hold.

Yesterday afternoon was glorious. I really enjoyed our walk because it was so warm and sunny. And this morning is nice, too. There are clouds, but lots of blue sky as well, but I feel damaged and want to just pass the day under a blanket reading with the love of my life chewing on a bone beside me. I’ll be checking my email all day, hoping to hear from Dr. Dorscheid.
















Thursday, April 29, 2021

Orchids


Above is a trailer for Seaside Hotel, the Danish TV series that I’m really enjoying. It’s so unlike me to like a TV series; I usually get bored after one season. But the colours, the food and novelty of the Danish flavour of the show make me stick with it.

Yesterday was dull. The weather was dull and damp and so I just read and watched more of Seaside Hotel. This morning, it’s dull yet again, but this afternoon is apparently going to be nicer and so I may get a chance to do some yard work. Otherwise … more reading and watching after I take Her Highness is this morning for grooming and do some shopping on my way home.

Woo hoo: Tax refund banked!

And finally, here are some shots of something coming up on the island. I took these photos yesterday during my walk with H.H. I think the white ones are Phantom Orchids emerging; the thin red shoots are emerging Coralroot Orchids.







Bonus Shot:

Who's bed is this? Fred's (left)? Ethel's (right)? Sheba's?
Hint: The owner is not in the photo.

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Comfortable Monotany

He swooshed in and then out again. A magnificent Peregrine Falcon landed on my fence, right outside my office window, and then he took off—too quickly for me to be able to take a photo of him. What a beauty of a bird!

All I did all day was read, use my puffers, eat, walk Her Highness, and then watch TV in the evening before going to bed early and medicated to help my lungs heal. I’ll be doing the same today.

I wish I had more to write here, but I don’t. I do little, I see no one; it’s a bare bones existence I lead and with each day, I become a little more comfortable with it. However, once the warm weather returns, I hope to get some Croquet games going with my fellow dog walkers and with the Turner family. It’s a safe way to get together: We’re outdoors and are widely separated through the game.















Tuesday, April 27, 2021

The Seaside Hotel


I’m truly delighting in Seaside Hotel—so much so, in fact, that I joined the PBS streaming service so that I can watch all seven seasons. It’s nothing meaty; it’s just pure frivolity, but there’s so, so much to love. 

The star, for me, is Jens Jacob Tychsen; he’s an absolutely brilliant comedian, an extraordinary talent in a series abundant with wonderful performers and characterizations. I absolutely adore the series. But it is the visual beauty of the show that truly thrills me. The sets knock me out! The wallpaper, the simple minimalist staging, the costumes and the cinematography are all wonderful.

But above all else, is the food. Food plays a huge part in the series—not being eaten, being prepared. The kitchen is a primary setting and the variety of the dishes and their stunning presentation is a highlight of every episode. 

I went dog walking with my friends yesterday, and as I prepared to leave, I felt myself looking forward to coming home to read and idle my way through my evening. I’ve become comfortable with the routine of my days. I feel lucky to be able to live a solitary life without any depression.

All I did all day was read. But late in the afternoon, I took my car in to have parts replaced that had been eaten by rodents. Car parts, especially wires, are often made of or coated with a plastic made from soy, and rodents eat it. Because this Winter was so mild, the rodent population on the island has exploded and so both garages here routinely check engines for rodent damage, and my car was rife with poop pellets and gnawed plastic.

People’s Jewellers is showing an ad in heavy rotation that features short bits of couples at the moment one partner proposed to the other. It’s an ad for engagement rings that tries to be woke. There are two gay couples in the sequence of roughly ten couples. Each proposal involving straight couples has them kissing passionately; the two gay couples, and only the gay couples, don’t kiss. Not so woke after all. In fact, a total failure of wokeness.

It’s an unwelcoming 7° outside this morning, and it’s a typical Spring day—rather dark and gloomy at times, and bright and sunny at others. The coolness makes being indoors more attractive than outdoors, so I’ll be reading most of the day when I’m not walking Her Highness.