Week 15 - This Is December?

The page on our calendar is telling me it's December and not a day goes by without someone on the radio informing me that it's only 20,19,18....days till Christmas.

Emails pop up in my inbox announcing fabulous holiday deals enticing me to buy buy buy. The boxes of accumulated holiday decorations have been brought down from the attic, a Christmas crafts book, a cookbook of decantant desserts, another of appetizing appetizers plus several more of cookies, cakes and candies are stacked on the table beside my seat, to be thumbed through looking for new ideas and calories to consume. So all the telltale signs of it being the 12^th month are evident, all except for when I step outside. I won't go as far to say it's balmy but with temperatures of 7c at night and a high of 8c through the day, grabbing a jacket to run down to the crew shack, the basement or out on the deck to capture the fading light on the distant hills, isn't always necessary.

 

Into our 3^rd month here already, a daily routine has shaped up. It hasn't much varied from year 1 or 2 but we never get bored or feel confined. Mornings are coffee and computers, than lunch, tidy up, take a ride on the bike. Maybe a walk around the property, down the dock or along the beach if it isn't pouring and like last year there is wood to chop - unlike last year though we are doing it to stock the wood pile and not for our immediate use as a source of heat. Almost daily Mike will pick up the axe and split 3 or 4 rounds, I'll carry it to the basement to stack and cut some into kindling. I almost look forward the cold wintery day with the wind howling outside while we sit in front of a roaring fire.

This is the wood pile when we arrived. It’ll be interesting to see just how much we add.

Not a whisper of a ripple, nor a hint of wind gently sweeping across the surface – dead calm.

 

A walk down the dock reveals life wherever I look.

You may have to get on your knees and lean precariously over the edge of the dock while holding a camera but the view is worth the effort.

A solitary lion's mane jellyfish glides just beneath the water's surface offering an opportunity to marvel at it's gelatinous tanglement of arms.

Till next week,

Heather & Mike

Weeks 13,14 - Time To Buck Up

As the plane taxied out to the middle of the bay I was still waving good-bye....

and then we were airborne.

After 2 false starts Terry and Tim arrived late in the afternoon on November 20th. Terry's assortment of boxes and heavy duty canvas duffel bag contained not only tools of his trade as a mechanic but also the small ignition switch for the 35kw genny which we were happy to get up and running again. Chainsaws, ropes, a harness and climbing spurs were the working tools belonging to Tim who had flown in to take down a few trees.

The plane sitting higher in the water after disgorging several hundred pounds of gear I climbed aboard with a small overnight bag and computer. It had been a last minute idea for me to head into the big town of Masset for a couple of days to take care of some stuff that needed to be taken care of. The return flight was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon and the weather forecast promised fair skies so I had no worries leaving Mike as the head cook and bottle-washer for the next 48 hours.

So what does one do in Masset for a couple of days? Well for someone who doesn't often get the chance to shop at a grocery store I headed there first to buy some fruit, bananas precisely which I haven't tasted in several months, than dinner at a newly opened Japanese restaurant, lots of channel surfing ( TV yeah!) plus the joy of an internet connection that was twice as fast as I'm use to. I didn't spend all my time glued to the telly - I explored the town by way of a visit to the hospital ( nothing serious) the post office, the hardware store, and several other restaurants. The highlight was finding shelves of Christmas decorations in the local department store. It's been 5 years since I've been able to buy tinsel and bows, sparkly reams of garland and brightly coloured shiny balls.

Wednesday dawned with a clear sky and the assurance that my flight would be taking off which at this time of year is always a gamble. Mike was waiting on the heli pad as we touched down. I was glad to be home.

Another member of the welcoming committee.

   “So what did you guys get up to while I was gone?” was my first question after the plane took to the air and we started carting up the dozen or so boxes full of fresh produce and a few miscellaneous items that I had forgotten on our summer shopping trip. “Well the 35 is working again and there's enough wood to split to last several years”

Tim dropped about 6 trees, some were half toppled over and snagged, while others that were long dead and threatened to do damage to the lodge if they fell on their own.

Oops! Sometimes plans don't always go the exact way you expected.

It's not all so bad since the shed had been slated for a remodel this summer so it could accommodate more tanks. Hey guys it's already half down.

These picture was taken our first year here. The tree on the left fell the year before and the one I'm standing in front of toppled while we were sleeping and not a sound was heard.

This is what it looks like now. When Tim cut through the fallen trees the stumps settled almost right back into place.

No trucking through the forest with a wheelbarrow this time. This bucked up one is only feet to the basement where we stack our wood.

This one is going to be a bit more work.

Thursday arrived bringing with it our first real storm of the season. Hurricane force winds and slanting rain pelted the windows all day. I kept saying to myself “boy wasn't I lucky to have flown back in yesterday.”

As the storm continues the swells build yet you can see just how quiet it remains in our bay. When I say “it was a grey day” this is what I am seeing.

For the next 3 days the storm front lashed out. I kept thinking how I had just made it back into the OP in the nick of time. Mike was also counting his lucky stars for all the prepared meals would have only lasted for the 48 hours than he would really have been the cook.

By late Monday afternoon the sky had finally shaken off the last of the storm, replacing the slate coloured world with shades of blue and pink.

Till next week,
Heather & Mike