'Abbey Rd' Bears

Tue July 11

Off to the diner

You don't need to go down to the woods today to be sure of a big surprise. It's not my picture, I wish it were, but taken by Mark Mendonca a resident of Pemberton, just north of Whistler. You can read the full article from Pique, the Whistler/Pemberton news magazine here. We have not seen our resident local bear yet this year, though neighbours have. The Black Tailed Deer are also wandering around with their fawns who are not unlike UK Fallow Deer.

We continue to deter them from the garden and have now erected a $300 fence around our blueberries for the $30 worth of fruit we will probably eventually harvest. As we can now buy 5lbs of Canadian blueberries for $25, I have serious doubts about the economics of our fence. At least we can use the fencing again next year if I haven't erected fencing and watchtowers around the whole house!

Friends opposite us have been hosting a mother and two fawns in their garden, she hides them in the enclosed veg patch when she goes off feeding.

One of the local deer was napping in next door's front garden. Five minutes later it was being escorted out of our garden after attempting to feast on our raspberries. A friend who saw the picture observed they were very brazen. I replied that I'd prefer braised.

We have been under siege from a raucous family of Pileated Woodpeckers over the last few days, who are very, very noisy. They have been practising synchronized climbing up and down the power poles opposite with a bird either side of the pole, quite amusing to watch.

Less amusing is the insurance quote for my new Rivian SUV, which is now set for delivery. Because we are still on UK driving licences, we're deemed 'new drivers' and they want an eye-watering $7660 pa, (£4.5k). As we could be stuck on UK licences for a while longer I am close to cancelling the order and get my deposit back. I have a test drive on Thursday morning so a final decision will be made then. Car insurance in BC is provided by a state monopoly called ICBC. There is no choice or competition.

Last weekend Fred and I were both involved in cleaning bottoms. Fred was Seb sitting in North Van
while Nick and Lizzie escaped canoeing/camping for the weekend and Nick's birthday. I was helping clean the bottom of the new racing yacht that is replacing Mandala. I should have gone Seb sitting.

The Martin 242 called 'Fast Lane Fever' (we are going to drop the 'Fever') had previously been sailed on the lakes in Ontario so the bottom anti-fouling paint was for fresh water. It needed to come off to be able to apply a salt-water anti-fouling finish. We settled on sanding rather than using a chemical. Even with body suits, safety respirators, goggles and gloves, the dust got everywhere. We looked very Panda-like when the protective gear had been removed. Mine is not quite as bad as it looks as the lower shadow is the beard I am currently sporting. Fred now approves.

Fred, on the other hand, had a great time entertaining and being entertained by young Seb. This was a trial run for when we have full control for a week in September when Nick and Lizzie head to the Okanagan with friends.

A bit of a watermelon fan

He is a pretty chilled little fella. Last time he was over I gave him an old mouth organ of mine. As you'll see from the video below he's getting the hang of it. We're thinking of getting him a drum kit to take home when he gets a bit older!

One of the features of living along a stretch of coast with many island and beachside dwellings in seeing tugs hauling small barges with vehicles on the back because it is the only way some deliveries can be made.

Past the end of the Esplanade along Bonniebrook Beach, below where we live, are several beach cabins/homes with no road access. A new house is being built beyond the last house. The new occupants may well get access through the backyard of the last house. Not so the construction materials.

These are coming in by barge which has already made several journeys clearing felled trees. The latest deliveries have been truck loads of large rocks which are frequently used to build garden walling to retain and level soil. The diggers arrived the same way.

Just to the other side of the new build is a creek with two small cabins either side. The same creek that washed huge mounds of gravel down to the beach and into the back of one of the cabins a year ago.

I'm not sure with rising sea levels I'd want to be building quite so close to the high tide mark. We've joked in the past that in 50 years our house might be waterfront.