Expedition Canada

Jack to Vet, Toads on the Move Fri Jul 30th Sat Jul 31st Friday Today it's a 34 C day and no sea breeze.  Tonight it will cool to 23 C.  We have another day of it tomorrow before the weather returns to seasonal norms, whatever that is these days.  Threats of rain and lightning over metro Vancouver will probably not reach us.  The rain would be welcome, though lightning brings with it a greater  risk of forest fires, a double edged sword. This  sign adorned the vet's surgery.  We think Jack might score 10.5 out of 15 on the attached.   He loves rolling in the mud, the forest floor, beach/foreshore, carpet, lawn (dry and brown) and in recent days to 'scratch' his ears.  Hence the visit to the vet.  A yeast infection in both ears, common in dogs that like swimming!!!  You try keeping him out of the water Dr Vet!   I'll leave you to judge the 4 - 5 fails!  He rather took to the vet, which is unusual.  She had hi...

Odorous Wood Thu July 29th I've remarked in the past about how clean the Coast's beaches are, though this morning Jack sniffed out some unusual flotsam. He has taken to chewing on mussel and other shells on the seashore, though this morning his attention was taken by something flapping around on the shore.  A crab, I thought.  A bat it turned out.  Rather bedraggled, probably as a result of an accidental water landing.  I started to gather it up when it showed its teeth, spread its wings, and flapped about a bit.  Mindful a bat bite may not be good for your health, I searched around for something to gather it up. Fellow Brit Alan, who has an extremely large but very gentle Rhodesian Ridgeback, ambled over.  I hauled the dog back, Jack already having lost interest and Alan was as surprised as I had been to see our beach-bat. Coaxed onto the side of Jack's retractable lead case the bat was gentle lowered into some secluded and shaded beach-side vegetatio...

Blackberry Harvest Begins Tue Jul 27th Wed Jul 28th View from one of the Gibsons shopping malls reminds me of Northern Exposure! Canada has gone metric, sort of.  Many will remember market traders and greengrocers in the UK holding out against metrication and still selling fruit and veg in imperial measurements.  That was until a few fines were handed down and other than a few die-hards, decimalisation won and most are now metric. It is slightly more confusing in Canada.  Distances on roads, speeds and fuel is metric.  Length and size in builders merchants is imperial for plumbing, timber, fixings and tools (spanners etc), but not loose nails which are sold in kg.  The imperial measures are the US influence. You can by a litre of milk, a pound of butter (Canadian) or 2kg of sugar or 2lbs of BC apricots.  Having been schooled in imperial, then switching to metric, my wood purchases will be in imperial measures.  The maths challenge h...

No Rain Forecast Sun Jul 25th Mon Jul 26th Morning light - Hopkins Landing The last rain in Gibsons (and this end of the Coast generally) was six weeks ago and everywhere is bone dry.  The creeks that run off Mt Elphinstone behind us provide some relief and at the bottom of the garden, alongside the road, there is a gully that is still trickling with water.  Most of the Coast, apart from the Pender harbour/Garden Bay area are under water restrictions.  In Langdale, we are Level 2, so no sprinkler use, trees and shrubs two days a week for two hours, fruit and veg allowed.  The bulk of the rest of the coast is under Level 3 which is even more draconian.  Leaks and poor water supply planning and management are behind most of the problems.  The water is there.  The warm weather has been good for the blackberries.  The bushes on the roadsides and large parts of the 'yard' around the house are full.  I have never seen so many bushes and such a hug...

Racoons and Reflections Fri Jul 23rd Sat Jul 24th The last vestiges of snow in the gullies and ravines of Mt Windsor (we think its Mt Windsor) are quickly disappearing.  The small snow cap on the very top has gone.  Another week and it will have disappeared completely. When we arrived three weeks ago the peaks and ridges were still shrouded in snow, despite the heatwave.  At sea level its about 26 C today (Saturday), at 1689m, probably a lot cooler. Friday the bars for the roof-rack were delivered, but not the rails, even though they were despatched at the same time.  $168 for a next day delivery and the bars took three days and the rails have not moved from the distribution centre since they were received on Tuesday.  Monday, I am told.  I remain to be convinced.   The rest of Friday I spent setting up the workshop and completing my first turning project.  A large fruit bowl turned from Magnolia wood. It is the first time...

To Wildlife Cherry stone laden bear scats Thu Jul 22nd Early last week Fred saw a mother bear and cub on the bypass going down to the ferry terminal.  They are known to be living in the area, though we have not seen them near the house. They have been around though and on this morning's dog walk I snapped evidence of their presence two minutes from the house.  They clearly have a liking for cherries which were evident in the deposit along with other plant material.  The blackberries are coming in to season but I decided not to investigate for blackberry seeds! Fred was out playing tennis first thing, so I spent the morning sorting out the lathe kit in the workshop.  I think I have now managed to get all the different accessories in their correct groupings even if I have not worked out what all of them do yet.  The ornamental cutter, is a hugely complicated piece of kit and I'm not sure I'm going to get much use from it. I did manage to find instruction...

BC State of Emergency  Fred's palm-size basil leaves! Wed Jul 21st Living on the Sunshine Coast one can feel a little distant from the rest of BC and Canada as a whole.  British Columbia has declared a 'State of Emergency' less than one month after ending its Covid State of Emergency.    " More than 3,000 square kilometres of land have been burned by 1,145 wildfires in B.C. this season so far, which is three times the 10-year average for this time of year, according to B.C. Wildfire Service director of operations Cliff Chapman." To put that in to context, Wiltshire, our home county in the UK is 3,48 5 km2.  An area close to the total size of Wiltshire, is or has been on fire. On the Sunshine Coast there are no active fires.  Across BC there are 277, up 18 in the last two days.  BC needs rain, none is forecast.   “Public safety is always our first priority, and as wildfire activity is expected to increase, this is a progressive step in our wil...

Hot News Mon Jul 19 One of the many tugs taking aggregate up to Port Mellon Tue Jul 20 Not so much a new game, but a new club, as Fred had her first proper ladies doubles match at the Sechelt Racquet club on Monday.  The invitations are flowing in thick and fast.  Some good competition; she is going to have to up her game, which is already pretty good!  A second invite for a game on Monday, one on Wednesday and another on Thursday.  All but the second afternoon session on Monday accepted.  Next week is filling up! We are going to need a second car!😀 Eel or Garter Snake for breakfast? While Fred was tennising, I was Jack sitting and working out the layout for the new cronkoak.ca workshop. I was due to collect the lathe on Tuesday morning.   The Monday morning walk to Hopkins Landing produced two interesting images.  The first was one of the many Great Blue Heron, about to down an eel or garter snake (they swim quite well) for breakfast. The second...

Reality Sun Jul 18th Bar Closed Before we arrived in BC we did quite a lot of research on property locations on the Coast.  With Covid restrictions we had a lot of time.  What was where, facilities in the different towns, access to services, property availability, prices and rental opportunities and so on. There were a number of givens;  something modern, not a log ca bin, ideally beachfront, but definitely with a view.   W e made an offer on one property and missed out on another in the Garden Bay Area, both ticking the boxes apart from the beachfront.  Once on the Sunshine Coast and with a chance to explore the area in person, we got close to buying a property on the north western side of the Sechelt Inlet.  For a couple of reasons it fell through, and maybe that fortuitous.  Washed up tree stump 3m wide at the base We rather thought we'd like Garden Bay at the northern end of the Coast, and we do, but now feel it would be too remote in winter....