A Little of This and a Smidgin of That

Saturday
August 15th, 2015

I seem to be in for the long haul as far as longevity is concerned, - enjoy good health and the aches and pains of old age have not yet engulfed me.....  This fine weather allows me to leave my cane by the door,  ignoring the question that surrounds me as I prepare to depart - 'have you got your cane' - 
have you got your CANE?'

                   'No honey', I say, offhandedly ' not today.  The weather is good                                and  I'm feeling quite youngish - 

                    I will when it's icy and trouble lies waiting  under a skiff of snow. 

                    I promise'............








However, when it comes to day to day living moderation is my motto and it's a little of this and a smidgin of that, with a little breather in between. to keep me going.....

Today I am weaving and breathing, weaving and breathing, with an hour out at lunch time to go and relieve the cashier at the Bargain Centre so she can eat her lunch in peace.

I come home and have my own lunch, - examine the DVD's I brought from the library yesterday and decide to watch 'Tristram Shandy A Cock and Bull story' after the evening news tonight.

The news these days is full of wild fires -  blazing just over the hill in the South Okanagan, and off to the East a dreadful vociferous fire in the Rock Creek area that had campers fleeing to safety, some in their swimsuits and without shoes.

Douglas Drouin photo

My first-born drove me to Penticton yesterday to see the audiologist about cranking up my hearing aid a notch or two, and when we came back we were forced to detour through a neighbouring hamlet to avoid live wires and poles which had come down through a wildly forecast rain, wind and thunder storm.  Much wind, quite a bit of thunder, but alas, not enough rain to provide a great deal of relief for firefighters.  I came home to find Callie quivering at the sound of thunder, but not so frightened that she had sought refuge under the blankets on my bed.

As far as the audiologist was concerned it was a splendid visit, as she raised my hearing aid (only have one, - other ear completely gone) to 90% and told me of a wonderful device that I can wear on the silent side which will pick up the sound from the hearing aid in the good ear, so I will have hearing on both side!!!  Amazing and delightful - if I have anything to complain about it's the inability to hear in social conditions, which leads me to regretfully decline invitations which I would otherwise so enjoy....

I look wide-eyed at the small oblong my son wears around his neck which allows him to answer his phone, dial out on his phone and do his bidding at other wonderful commands.  Amazing!!  I, who once must have stared wide-eyed at the crystal set my father had down the basement which brought in squeaks and squiggles with music, faintly, in the background.

While I had breakfast this morning I was checking Gmail and Facebook on my Ipad, and happened to click on the 'BOOKS' icon.  Up came John O'Donahue's  'Eternal Echoes' and before me on the screen was 'Matins', part of which reads.....

I arise today

Blessed by all things,

Wings of breath,

Delight of eyes,

Wonder of whisper,

Intimacy of touch,

Eternity of soul,

Urgency of thought,

Miracle of health,

Embrace of God.

May I live this day

Compassionate of heart,

Gentle in word,

Gracious in awareness,

Courageous in thought,

Generous in love.

with all of This in mind I am off to do a bit of That on my loom -

 fifteen inches until the first towel is finished

just in time for supper......

E is for Egmont

ABC Wednesday
August 12th, 2015

The letter is E for Egmont

Egmont is a tiny waterfront village settled in Secret Bay under the shadow of Mount Churchill and near to the northern B.C. Ferry Terminal at Earls Cove, British Columbia's Sunshine Coast.

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It centres around two modern marinas set up for overnight moorage, and caters to a transient marine industry of visiting yachts, sailboats and floatplanes.  It is the gateway to Skookumchuk Narrows Provincial Park (Skookum is a Chinook word for strong, and chuk means water).

The Skookumchuk rapids surge through the narrows during a ten foot tide change twice a day, causing 200 billion gallons of water to explode upwards into standing waves, and to be sucked into bottomless whirlpools - an extreme destination for experienced kayakers.  As tidal waters are forced through the narrow shallow channel between Jervis and Sechelt Inlets the difference in water levels can exceed two metres, causing currents of more than 30 km per hour.

Egmont is named after the HMS Egmont which was helmed by Rear Adminral Sir John Jervis at the battle of St. Vincent in the 1700s.

If I still had a 'bucket' list I would surely place Egmont, and the adjoining Princess Louisa Inlet right near the top, as they say there is nothing like wandering through the countryside to give you a feel for old-time Sunshine Coast living, with its lack of car traffic, slow pace, friendly people and a sense of a place out of time.

I will leave the kayaking to the adventuresome!


The small community has few shops and services, but it is rich in scenic splendour.  Artists, B&B's and cottages, a post office, a general store, a pub, the two marinas and a government dock - and a new museum.

It is a tourist village and many, including divers and fishermen, are attracted to the abundant wildlife and waterfalls in the surrounding inlets.  It is possible to board a charter boat or a float plane to see the magnificent granite walled Princess Louisa Inlet......

or to visit Chatterbox or Fiel Falls, which tumbles down to the beach from Lake Fiel high above.

                      Chatterbox Falls

or to hike the trails in the coastal forest

Indian Pictographs

Just a mile past the turnoff to Egmont is Earls Cove which sits on Jervis Inlet at the end of the line on the lower Sunshine Coast and is the location of the BC Ferries terminal for sailings to Saltery Bay on the upper Sunshine Coast.  The spectacular scenery on this trip

has hardly changed from the days when Captain George Vancouver sailed Jervis Inlet and Agamemnon Channel in June of 1792.

How to get there - in case your bucket has room to add this wonderful experience

to your list......

For many other interesting E's visit here at ABC Wednesday

with thanks to Roger, Denise and their ever-loving helpers