Settling In

Exploring Locally

Thu Jul 8

Burr, barnacles and bladderwrack
a washed-up tree stump on Langdale beach

Fri Jul 9

Thursday

Apart from the odd few bit and pieces we are now installed and settled in Gibsons.  

The new old bed collected from Vancouver on Tuesday has been assembled and had some dabs of paint added, bedding and mattress being acquired. 

As we start to settle in, we've had a chance to explore the area.  The Sprockids Regional Park is more extensive than we first thought and we've hardly scratched the surface of the network of tracks and trails.  

With Fred glued to Wimbledon, I popped into town for some nuts missing from the bed, and some glue.  The more we explore Gibsons the more we find.  Tucked away on one of the back roads was an amazing fixings and fasteners store with every type of nut, bolt, screws and glue you could ever want - except the metric one I needed.  Ah, IKEA she said, metric, sorry!  Amazon to the rescue, though I would have preferred to buy locally.  

Early afternoon I returned to the Langdale Falls, determined to get to the bottom of the creek, though not via the roped descent and climb.  It was easier than I anticipated and a route that Fred could have done.  

I then started the climb to the top of Mt Elphinstone, but realising I'd forgotten to bring water had to abandon the climb to the top.

Night time ferry arrival

On my return Fred was potting her new herbs and tomato plant.... happy with simple pleasures!

Friday

The morning walk without Fred, again glued to SW London and the men's semis, was back up to Mt Elphisntone regional park, on foot rather than by car.  I chose a different trail to the one we started the other day which was more like a boulder strewn stream bed.  Much easier walking.

One heart stopping moment occurred on the way back as I was in thick forest with a lot of ground cover. 

A large dark brown/black blur crashing through the forest came in to my peripheral vision.  I called Jack back who was off the lead and was relieved to see the blur - a Bernaise Mountain dog - was being closely followed by a yellow Labrador.  Great relief all round.

Great excitement on the way back, our first post had been left at our mailbox along the street. No home deliveries here.  

Batteries from the owner for the two garage door remotes and a waterproof buoys recognition chart for boating. I may have passed the boating exam, but unless you are using it every day, it's not easy to remember the rules around each buoy type.

Fifty percent success with the door remotes.  The left door works (the one we use), but not the right one.  

After a few trial runs the left door stopped 'neither half way up or down'!  Oh.  Power isolated, door disconnected from drive track, guide tracks cleaned and bearings oiled, we were back in business.  Note to self: it may be great fun operating the door remote, but the motor is probably not designed for continuous use.  No more playing.

At lunchtime, Fred's college friend Maddy, who lives in Halfmoon Bay, swung by with their retriever Lingon.    After lunch the girls and dogs went for a walk along the Smith Cove beach.  

Later in the afternoon the owner of the cabin we rented up in Garden Bay swung by on her way back to Vancouver.  Her husband and children were getting their Sushi for the ferry from the Gibsons Japanese restaurant. We had not been able to meet the day we left Garden Bay and her ferry was running late.  

She had found a lens cover that I thought I'd lost on one of our walks on the Copperhead Trail.  Sadly the Iens cover turned out to be a filter, which did not fit the camera.  She now has to contact other previous occupiers.

A final early evening walk down to the beach on a balmy evening, left the beach measuring less than a metre by three meters.  We were the only ones there/that would fit!