VAG in Serious Trouble

Tuesday unfolded differently than planned. I did no work at all. Instead, I played on the computer, and both walks with Sheba were long. I just didn’t feel up to doing anything. It clouded over in the afternoon, but it was 25° and heat and asthma are not a good mix. So, it was a very, very nice relaxing day. 

I didn’t have to water anything, and if it is cloudy again tomorrow, I won’t water then, either. It’s predicted to be wet on Thursday. But I have news….

Shocking news, in fact, from Dwight who works at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Its director left a few months back. I can’t remember what the official word was about his leaving, but I saw it as a bad omen. I felt he probably saw he had no future there because of the debt and the lack of budget for anything ambitious. The design for the new gallery had been rejected before he was engaged, and then officially delayed for redevelopment.

Every single staff person has been sent a letter offering a buy-out. They’re cutting about 30% of the staff positions. Now the board, who over saw the activities that have brought the institution to this point, is running the gallery! They are a sinking ship; who is going to want to invest in a losing proposition? I was shocked to read in their annual report that the gallery has spent $64 million on consultant and administrative fees so far on the new gallery! It’s going to be interesting to see how this story unfolds.

Last night was the usual: dinner and a movie. And because the day dawned overcast and mild, I will not do any watering today. I shall be baking.

Here are some photos from last evening’s walkabout.

This Fuchsia has doubled in size this year.

The Ocean Spray is blooming on the huge bush blocking the view of
David and Ursula of me in the hot tub.

I love this self-seeded plant growing in the many
cracks between the pavers in the courtyard.

Two years ago I started moving plants that were not doing well
to places around the brick patio where I put the table for when
I'm hosting guests outdoors. This was once a fire pit.

This is THE most beautiful Hydrangea I have ever seen.

The enormous bush of Ocean Spray in Colleen's yard makes 
for a beautiful backdrop to my garden.

All the Campion in the yard—and there are lots
of them everywhere—are blooming. They are
a blazing shocking pink, and they are beautiful.

This garden, under trees, I had no hope for, but it is really looking
lush and pretty now.

This garden bed, too, is under trees, but is really coming along.

I have Huckleberries and I love them.

These are my caged Blueberries. There is netting that you can't
see stretched between the frames and the planter.

You can see the lushness of my crop this year.

My big Rhodo, after a year of fertilising, is
bursting with new growth. I am very happy.

The front bed, which is open to the deer, is 
starting to look like a garden.

This Horse Chestnut has grown from a self-started
seedling found in the forest. Last year it was eaten
by Deer and so I was thrilled that it survived.

My pride and joy is this Paulownia tree that also
came from a self-starting seedling.

The Virginia Creeper is really thriving. I planted it two years
ago. Come Fall, it will be beautiful.

The Climbing Roses are blooming on the top of
the trellis, and the Climbing Hydrangea is also
blooming.

Eremition

Monday was a pretty good day. For one thing, the weather was nicer. But yes, all my days are alike; the differences are slight. I have a very slow and dull life that I spend mostly alone, and it is ideal for me.

We walked with our friends and their dogs in the morning, and then H.H. and I came home. I just putzed around the house until lunch time, and then we ate and then I went out for a wee nap in the sunshine. But I was bored, so I quickly got my work shoes and gloves on and got to weed whacking on the weed fields. I have given up on weeding. There are bazillions of dandelions and it’s hopeless to think I could get them all up. 

I’ve removed about 80 weeds, but with the weed whacker, I just pulverize them, and the yard looks better. And as I whacked the backyard, I notices a lot of plants were desperate for water. I couldn’t believe it after all the rain and cloudy days we’ve had. So, I watered the entire backyard. I also did the trees in the front yard because they were wilting at the tips. I’ll finish the watering today.

It's going to be another beauty of a day here in paradise. I shall be raking, toting, and working on one garden bed to clean up the needles and twigs. We’ll of course be walking, H.H. and me. We will likely take three walks because they are a nice break from yard and garden work.

My raspberries are rapidly ripening. Each day there are more to eat and each day there are many more ripened than the day before. Soon, there’ll be too many to eat, and I’ll start filling bowls with them. And in only a couple more weeks, the blueberries will be ripe. I can hardly wait.

Our morning walk was a killer. It was about an hour long and I kept running out of breath. When we got home, I wanted to nap, but duty called. I had to hang the laundry out on the line (I love hanging up the laundry and I love having an outdoor clothesline) and then get to work watering the front and edible gardens. And there was weed whacking and raking to do.

Every Day is Easy

 saturday

Saturday was slow, slow, slow. After our morning walk, we went into the village to go to the market where I got 3 meals from Kenny. Woo hoo! I got 2 Pad Thai dishes and one chow mein, and that means no cooking dinner for three nights. Hooray!

I napped and read through the afternoon, but I also took Sheba to Rollo Park to play fetch. We don’t last long because I get so fatigued from throwing and walking. I f’ing hate this asthma!

It was cloudy all day, so it made me rather lethargic, but I loved being able to nap and read and do nothing or whatever I wanted because I did not have to water any garden beds. That makes for my favourite kind of Summer day. But it was a rather dull solstice day.

The evening was the usual: dinner and a movie or two. This is my life.

sunday

Sunday was another overcast day. We went for a rather short walk in the morning and then we came home to chill. I read and did domestic chores, we had lunch, and the afternoon was more reading. After all, it was My Day! Early in the afternoon, we went walking on a new trail that I’d heard about. It is GALTT’s trail recommended for invalids. (GALTT is the volunteer organization that looks after our trails in partnership with the Nanaimo Regional District.)

What GALTT has done is to place large pieces of bucked logs along the side of the trail to serve as seats, but the trail is nice and flat, and I didn’t need to use them. It was wonderful to find another route for Sheba and me to walk, and it’s close to home. Sometimes I get sick of walking Elder Cedar.

The evening was lovely because I had Kenny’s Pad Thai for dinner and all I had to do was put it in the microwave for a couple of minutes.

monday

Today is another overcast day. It’s supposed to clear up this afternoon. We’ll walk with our friends and their dogs this morning, and I will do some yard work and reading today. I haven’t any plans at all for this week: no Zoom calls, no appointments, no dates with friends, so I have the entire week to myself—with, of course, my beloveds.