Snow Arrives - Power Departs

Orcas off Camp Byng

Fri March 3rd

Our Bonniebrook Beach

Day 18 post op, Fred's rehab goes from strength to strength.  Crutches have been cast aside and a hiking stick is only being used when out and about.  Whilst not rushing up and downstairs, she's now climbing up and down pretty normally, the one thing she could not do before the hip op.  The medical team from Calgary are keeping in regular contact and the local GP is impressed with progress.   Physio phase 2, as distinct from home physio exercises, starts Mon 13th, exactly one month after the op.   A long weekend of Sebby-time when we got back from Calgary was good Fred therapy.

Camp Byng - Quite different to the other
Hammersmith! 

As I have been doing two walks a day with Fred out of dog-walking action, I've been varying the routes. 

My local favourite is Camp Byng; a 210 acre Scouts of Canada campground.  Closed up this time of year and slightly overrun/rundown after Covid; it is a beautiful walk down through the forest over a couple of creeks to the seashore.  Its long term future is in question as Scout Property Inc is mooted to want to sell it, Scouts of Canada want to keep it.  The property arm seems more interested in property value than Scouting.  On my last walk through the camp a sprinkling of snow covered the forest and I met only one other walker. 

As I followed the trail that runs parallel with the shore, a pod of two or three Orca cruised past.  They were only about 100m off the beach.

It is a reminder, if one were needed, that we live in such a rich natural environment.  Whilst on wildlife, there was an interesting on CBC yesterday about Black Bear cubs that had, unusually, been released back into the wild.  Story here.

Back from the cold of Calgary, temperatures have dropped in BC and snow has returned.  Saturday morning the area was covered, but clearing the drive felt like shovelling wet sand as it had warmed up and the snow was wet.  Two days later it snowed again, so the drive was cleared again... this time before it got soggy.  A good workout.

Several mornings recently, we have heard a sound in the house resembling a hammer drill or chattering

water pipes coming from the roof area.  There are no water or other services in the roof space.  The chimney passes through it and the soffits around the house appeared undamaged, so vermin had not got in.  I was about to start climbing into the attic.  Friday morning the mystery was solved as we watched a Northern Flicker, a member of the woodpecker family, hammering away on our neighbour's chimney cowl.  We're not sure if it was a mating ritual or attacking its own likeness in the reflection.  

Signs of Spring are emerging despite the snow.  Crocuses are out, some buds are shooting and the Bald Eagles that live alongside the beach are getting amorously noisy.  A dog-walking acquaintance who I bumped into Friday morning said for him the return of the Turkey Vultures is his test of when Spring has started.   Back home finishing off the blog this morning and I saw my first one, soaring around in front of the house.  For the first time in weeks I spotted a River Otter fishing for breakfast, with a Bald Eagle overseeing activities in an adjoining tree.  They have a tendency to swoop in and steal food from the Otters.

I headed over to Vancouver on Wednesday to look at a house Nick and Lizzie are buying and see what DIY commitments I'd be taking on.  The house is in the beautiful Lynn Valley area of North Vancouver, not far from where we spent our first month in BC.  Definitely a few weeks/months work helping Nick with the refurb when they return from their month's visit to NZ.  They and Ros are getting excited about the trip.

The sunset on the ferry heading back to the Coast was beautiful.

Bowen Island

The cold weather has created some lovely ice formations on the creeks where mist from the falls has frozen on adjoining trees. 

Clack Creek - Cliff Gilker Park

Cliff Gilker

 

The rather mesmerising falls on Clack Creek - Cliff Gilker