England and back!

Since my last posting I have made a quick two week trip to the UK. A family visit to spend time with parents etc. Our last visit in the spring of the year, saw pretty good weather but this trip was a bit wintery! England is suffering a bad year. A very wet summer and now some of the worst flooding in many years. One Town in Wales saw the river flood over 4 feet in 30 minutes!! A sad time for those who lost furniture and possesions. Luckily my family all live on the tops of hills so although the ground was still sodden with water they were not suffering from flooding. I did manage lots of walks in the local area.

Back home now and supposed to be getting ready for the Christmas Holiday! I have to admit that Christmas has become far too commercialized for my way of thinking and it was a pleasant surprise that although Xmas shopping was getting up to speed in the UK it was not as 'in your face' as here in Canada. Have got the decorations down from the attic and made the first batch of mince pies. The Xmas cake was made last year and I still have a pudding from then too! Yes they last for years if wrapped and kept cool. In fact they are more mature that way. The snow line is getting lower. We did have a slight covering a few days ago but it has now gone back up a few hundred feet.

Not sure if the Sea Lions are ready for the upcoming festivities......do they even know about it? They were quite content to be on their rock.

A trip to the local beach is great for the dog to stretch her legs and for Robin to try his skills at making money!! Haven't made our fortune yet....but watch this space!! Till next time...

Well here we are again. The summer jobs are over and we are now back to the fall/winter mode. The weather is following suite. We had a wonderful, hot and sunny summer and now turning cold and wet. There is fresh snow on the hills not far away and the temperatures are dipping towards 0!! The fishing lodges that we caretake for the winter are safely tied in place and things are generaly quiet in the neighbourhood. We go from a few hundred people to about 10 permanent resident all in about a week! There are a few logging camps in the area but their numbers come and go and we don't class them as being 'Inlet people'. THe wildlife has also changed. The bears that were frequently seen have gone to find fish in the creeks. The ducks are collecting in the quiet bays to wait out the worst of the weather and there are flights of snow geese heading south. The garden is put to bed with a good mulch of seaweed to keep it warm.

These are goose neck barnacles. We don't find them right round here but these were attached to a bouy that was found nearby.

We had a visit from one of the freight boats to deliver timber for a lodge. THis boat is a pusher tug and barge. When they need to manouver they attach the tug to the back of the barge and push it around. The rest of the time it is towed in the usual fashion.

Of course beach trips can be very exhausting!! I was a constant duel as to who got to the lounger first!!

At the end of the summer we made a trip to town. It was our usual grocery buying and visiting trip. Shelves of groceries make boring pictures but this is more interesting. This is Brentwood Bay on Vancouver Island. We were taking a small ferry across to Mill Bay. It was really just a shortcut but oh so scenic! The weather has been wonderful and even for British Columbia was pretty special. Record temperatures, no wind, calm seas and never ending sunshine! now that is what I call a summer. The trip home across Queen Charlotte sound, which can be pretty dangerous was calm and sunny. Hard to belive that if you continued past this boat you would eventually hit Japan. This is the Washington State Ferry 'Columbia'. It does a scheduled run from Seattle to Alaska each week.

So that was our summer. Hope to report something interesting next time.

Floatation!!

As you can imagine one of the important features of having a floating home is that is stays floating!! Over many years logs used to make the floats become waterlogged and get eaten by torredos (ship worm). This is a slow process but does 'undermine' things. There are many ways of extending the life span of a float, add more logs, put barrels filled with air under or large blocks of styrofoam. These blocks of foam come in blocks 8 feet long by 4 feet wide by 4 feet deep. The trick is getting them under! First the blocks are wrapped in old fishing net and sewn on like a parcel. The reason for this is to be able to hold it in place whilst going under water....more explanations later. Just try holding a piece of styrofoam under water. Even a small piece will try its best to remain on the surface so imagine a block 8x4x4!

In the picture you can see a block floating next to the float that it is going under. At this point the block is attached to another float housing a winch that will pull it down into the water.

From here you can see the tug boat next to the 'A' frame. The 'A' frame is a large winch called a donkey. It is used for many jobs of lifting and pulling and invaluable in this area. The blocks are pulled under the water by the winch through a pully set in the ocean floor. When the block is under the water the float it is going under is pulled into place and the block is released to 'pop' up underneath. These blocks provide a huge amount of 'lift'. Approx 64lb per cubic foot. For those science brains out there you can work out the total but for the rest of us all you need to know is the float gets lifted adding many more years of use.

The usual is to try to put an even number of blocks under the float. That gives even lift all round and makes sure the eggs stay in the middle of the pan! It is also usual to put an extra piece under an area that is going to hold something very heavy. For instance a recent float was to house a container for storage on one corner so extra blocks were placed there to keep things level. So there you have a technical posting about living here. Hard to explain but I hope you get the idea!! Stay on an even keel!! Till next time....

Spring flowers and Humming birds

I suppose late spring and early summer merge into one round here. Not a particularly spring like spring but the flowers seemed to do Ok. The garden is all in tubs and containers. We manage to grow a few flowers and veggies in the greenhouse. The soil is quite poor and has to be supplemented with lots of manure, fertilzers and peat moss. The peat moss gives it some breathing space. My prize plant is an apple tree which produces quite well, especially when it is talked to, which I do most days!!! A few seasons ago I planted some tulips. They seem to survive throughout the winter even when it gets well below zero.

The scenery around here is various shades of green. It is quite amazing how many shades there are at different times of day and the location of the sun. A garden, even a small one, gives a little splash of colour. One problem is the wind, so during the winter many of the containers are moved to a more sheltered spot. During the summer months they are in full sun! That means watering is a priority first thing in the morning to prevent dehydration.

The greenhouse is a good place to get some lettuce growing. Also I like to have a few tomato plants and this year there are three purple brocoli plants. The hanging baskets are planted and awaiting the warmer weather before being hung outside.

Another sign of early summer is the humming birds. They appear as early as april and seem at the moment to be very active.....that might have something to do with the high test sugar water they drink all day long. They are amazing in flight and are the only bird that can fly backwards!

The weather is getting warmer. The bay is alive with people working on the various lodges in preparation for the upcoming season and the wildlife are stirring looking for food. Here's to a good summer.

Long time away!

Yes we have been away...but not for that long. I have become very lax in my postings but here we are again! We had decided that this year we should go back to the UK as we hadn't been for 3 years and we were also invited to a 90th Birthday party! Now going on vacation is not really that hard to plan. Decide on a date, book a flight, get a friend to water the plants and put the dog in kennels! Well it seems to be a bit harder for us! Due to our caretaking commitments we have to have someone present at all times. That means if we go away we have to pay another caretaker. This time we prevailed on some friends who live aboard a converted tug boat and know the coast very well. They also have two 6 month old pups so Rosie was in for a busy month! They were quite eager to be here so that took care of the house and the dog sitting! Next we had to get to Port Hardy, then to Vancouver, then on to the UK. We were going to take the boat to Port Hardy, fly to Vancouver and then on to the UK The flight to Vancouver was purchased, or should I say, exchanged for rewards points from our local supermarket. We spend enough money there so get 2 return flight to Vancouver each year. A value of approx $400. The boat idea had to be abandoned as the weather was not cooperating. That meant flying was also iffy, but a plane appeared on the last minute and we were off. Delays in Vancouver meant we started our journey in Port Hardy at 6.45am thursday and arrived in Manchester at 9.00pm friday!

Parents House. Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire During our stay in the UK we also traveled to southern France and Spain. An area we were not familiar with but loved it right from the start. Glorious sunshine, great scenery and wonderful hosts made for a very enjoyable 4 days. It is interesting to note that to get to France we used a discount airline used by many european travellers...Ryan Air! Now there are many horror stories to tell but we were well prepared and had no trouble. For 2 adults return to Barcelona Gerona was equivelant to $179.00. Our flight from home to Port Hardy cost $200.00 one way, one person! I have yet to work out how these airlines price their flights!!

Once back on this side of the Atlantic the holiday was over but we still had the spring shop to do! The 8 page grocery list alone was daunting but that did not include all the other sundry items which make it to the miscellaneous list! Home a week later to unloading and finding space for all the purchasers. The caretaking had gone well. No disasters and the dogs all got on fine. In fact there was a distinct sadness on Rosies face for a few days wondering where her two playmates had gone! We are now back home and rested (I think) from our vacation.The summer season is just around the corner so hope there will be more to post about soon.

Part 19. So what do you do all day?

Ever get asked this question and wonder! We are asked all the time.I am not sure what people think we do all day, sit around staring at the scenery perhaps, or just watching the ducks swimming across the bay!
Well apart from the fire wood chopping, boat maintanance, general house chores, baking,cooking, house work...need i go on?
We do have our hobbies too.
We all read a huge amount. Personally I keep a record of every book I read and at the end of each year see just how much I have read. It works out to approx a book a week. These are everything from romance novels to biographies to poetry to non fiction. We also read a news magazine called Macleans and any other mags that come our way.
We don't have tv but lots of dvd/video movies. There is something like 350 movies on the shelf...but never anything to watch!!!

One of my hobbies is knitting. I am producing hats right now which I sell in a local craft shop and at Dawsons Landing. Easy, colourful and practical I produce them during the winter months to sell during the summer.
Not a huge money maker but a nice little side line.
Charlotte has also done some nice work in the form of cross stitch.

The Eagle is one of mine. It took some time to do as it is 22 count which is very small but the end result was good.
This mornings chore was baking so as the wood stove was actually quite hot it was time for bread making.

Loks like toast is on the menu for the morning!
Of course all our hobbies get put aside when the weather is bad and we are all needed to help with the general running of the property. This last week or so has been VERY cold. Minus 12, the water went off and the bay froze! In the scheme of things minus 12 is not that bad but being on the water means it feels much colder and it is the kind of chill that gets right in the bones. We were listening to an interview with a guy from the BC/Yukon border where it was minus 57!! Coldest spot in the province.

I love the way the ice drapes over the rocks as the tide goes down. Also makes for some pretty pics of ice on the windows.

Here's hoping for some warmer weather to report about next time.

Part 16. A whole New Year!

Well we are now in 2012 and looking forward to all it has to offer.
The holiday season is pretty quiet for us. Time spent with close family and the few neighbours in the inlet.

Our Christmas tree expedition is an event we all look forward to. The boat loaded with mince pies, mulled wine and a chain saw!!
For those worried about safety, the person using the chain saw is not allowed the wine until the tree is in the boat!!

This years weather was very disturbed but we picked one of the good days and were successful in getting a nice tree, albeit a little on the bushy side.
Decorated and lit, it looked well and meant that Christmas was really here.

As I mentioned in a previous posting the latest equipment purchased was a Band Saw Mill. Transported first in the back of the mini van and then on the boat it is now installed on its float and working very well.
It can cut logs of 16 feet long and approx 20 inch diameter. These are not big logs but we have a large amount of junky logs that are not saleable and we always need lumber for general maintenance such as decking etc so this was a good investment and so far has certainly earned its keep.

The logs for cutting are rolled up from the far side of the float and across, up the ramp and onto the bed. Here they are secured and lined up ready for cutting. To get the most out of the logs you turn the log after each cut.
One of the side effects from cutting lumber are the slabs that accumulate. These are put on one side then cut in to smaller pieces and can be used as fire wood. We have been warned by many people that they can ' get away from you' as there always seems to be more slabs and ends than useable lumber, so that is the part of the operation we will be watching.
We are still learning the best ways but each log is different and some lend themselves to planks, others to 2x4's etc.
A great and very easy piece of equipment to use.

Many planks later.............