New Games & Toys

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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 was the largest (dead) jellyfish I have ever encountered.  A 'Lions Mane', according to the local jellyfish website intel.  Glad I did not come across this one whilst swimming!


Lion's Mane jellyfish tentacles up to 30m!!!

   
Tuesday morning, after the early morning dog walk to our local beach, a second successive 5k run yesterday was in the offing and I couldn't face the longer walk  to Hopkins Landing), then I headed off to Sechelt to collect the lathe from Bob.  

I have actually won a complete wood-turning workshop setup.  More than I ever had in the UK.  I feel terribly fortunate.  Having closed my own workshop down in the UK and I know how he felt about parting with much loved kit.  I was keen when I sold my workshop machinery that the two main buyers (professionals) got all the bits and pieces, instructions, accessories, spares etc. for the price of the machine.  Bob did the same. 

This afternoon was spent putting up shelving, unpacking all the kit and setting it all up.  Some of it I have never used before, no idea how it works, so there is a big learning curve ahead.

The pictures of my new workshop are a bit geeky, but this lot was a bargain!

A workshop vacuum, task-lighting and extension cable are on the list to get tomorrow, to finish the installation and start playing.

The bottom shelf on the storage unit on the left is a wonderful selection of blanks ready to turn.  It includes Arbutus, Maple, some huge pine cones and others I've never worked with before.  The next few months are taken care of!

The big news of the day, was the announcement by IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) about the new Parent Permanent Resident Sponsorship programme which is about to be launched.  This year they are increasing the numbers invited to apply and also asking some from the 2020 round, in which we were unsuccessful, to re-apply.  So fingers crossed as it all begins again. 

After a stress-free few months, we will be on tenterhooks while the whole process cranks up again.

We will keep you posted.

With the workshop set up, Fred back in tennis mode and gaining familiarity with our surroundings it is beginning to feel like home.  On that subject we have decided to put our much loved, but rather distant, Eastcourt House on the market.

If we come back to the UK (and it's not our preferred outcome) it would be time to move on in any case.  To something that was not a 300 year old maintenance challenge as we get a tad older.  

So the last 48 hours have been reviewing the sale particulars and finalising the agency arrangements for it to go on the market in the next few weeks.  

If Nick and Ros were still in the UK it might be different, but that is not going to happen any time soon.  So time for a change.  











Comments

  1. BobJuly 21, 2021 at 1:29 AM

    Good luck with the PPRS application - I am looking forward to a visit next year anyway! Two cars sounds like you are both getting integrated and settled.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MikeT67MJuly 21, 2021 at 7:21 PM

      Fingers crossed on both PPRS and you getting here next summer.

      Delete

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