Luckybeans

It's That Time of Year

As in, the last few weeks of term, and Simon is about to start traveling in earnest. I can't predict how often I will be able to check in with this space-- it is likely to be spotty at best until mid-June. Thanks for hanging in there.

Before I disappear beneath a pile of papers and projects, a recap of Asher's field trip:

We went to a local managed forest where the Tree Guy gave us a guided tour through different habitats, areas, etc. I have always been skeptical of logging practices (at best), so this tour helped me to feel a bit more reassured. This is a family owned company who want to be in this for the long term, so they need to maintain a sustainable approach in order to profit economically. While there were areas of clear cut, there were also protected areas and a degree of education and awareness regarding watersheds, habitat protection, etc that I appreciated. I especially noticed how much planting and managing techniques differed between plantings from even thirty years ago and those from the last few years. A lot of improvement, which is hopeful. 

Asher and his friend in the trees.

Can you identify these trees?

Oxalis, mossy trunks, a bumblebee in the salal, wet thimbleberry flowers.

Beautiful paths and canopy.

Mushrooms, newt, false solomon's seal, wild iris, snails.

Learning about animals tracks, wood beetles and how to identify mosses.

The day itself involved lots of running after hoards of children through beautiful forests with a very knowledgable guide and capable teacher. It was pretty great, actually. We had loads of fun, learned a lot and found oodles of newts. All we could ask for.

I also learned that we can show up at the office and get a permit to hike on these trails on our own. Guess where we'll be this summer...

Oh Happy Day

When my grandmother was happy, she would putter about the kitchen humming and occasionally breaking out into sweet, warbling songs. One of her standards was "Oh happy day! Oh love divine!" She never got much further than that, but it was a sound bite that signaled all was glorious with the world, and nothing sounded better to my ears than my Momo's tenuous tunes.

After a patchy start, yesterday afternoon eventually found me humming away, and I thought of her as we settled down to an afternoon hour or two by the creek.

We brought a picnic snack (because we always bring a picnic something-or-other) that turned out to be quite yellow and white and stripey. Hunh.

We followed the path through the woods, down to the creek that ran and sparkled in the sun. We passed the well-known swimming hole overly populated by sparsely clad, verbally expressive teenagers, and settled into our own spot around the bend. It has a deeper bit, but the water was too cold for us today. It also has rocks and sand, but Bella and Asher were mostly interested in the mud.

They churned up great slurping masses of it, jumped into it...

...and then proceeded to "get stuck" and "have to be hauled out." Oh, that's good fun.

One of the loveliest things about having children is watching them develop relationships with each other. Bella and Asher share a special tender goofiness that is all theirs and completely unique.

Ana was not into the mud pit. She sat and read the whole time, following a patch of sun as it progressed. Fair enough.

At one point Asher and Bella missed Simon, so they called him and shouted strange and incomprehensible things at him over the phone. 

After a bit of slapping the water with a long stick, it was time to head home.

Back along the path, fully doused in mud, water and sunshine, we returned from whence we came-- soggier, muddier, and a good bit happier.

 

 

 

 

We Could Get Used to This

Ken called us up and asked if we wanted to go fishing again. Um...yes! 

It was a much warmer experience this time. We were out in green fields with freshly shorn sheep, watching an osprey try his luck (not as good as ours) and the farmers repair a fence while their dogs bounded about. The fish were biting like nobody's business, so we weren't out there all that long.

But the rewards were pretty tasty. Ken even shared his recipe, too.

Perspective

I am so behind in posting this week. Well, the last ten days really. Perhaps I will catch up. Given my schedule these days, perhaps not. I was going to write so much, explain so many things. But then just before sunset, we all jumped into the car to run across the top of a beloved hill. The meadowlarks sang. The wind blew. We were simply, completely, thoroughly happy. The photos say enough. My words are not needed.

Spring Picnic

If Simon were writing this post, he would tell you about how we went tromping through lots of mud, he mooned the camera, Asher tried to squirt him with his toy whale and much drama ensued, and Asher and Ana touched the high point in the middle of the pagoda so he had to pay them five bucks.

Instead, I am going to tell you all about having tea and strawberries and chocolate biscuits while making daisy chains,

about light in the forest and running streams,

about flowers coming into bloom,

and maybe about the the mischievous children who worked together to relieve their father of five dollars.

 

Trust me. The pictures are better in my version.

(No bare bums. You're welcome.)

Spring Holiday: The Third (and final!) Installment

One of my favourite things about being on the Island is that not only do we have family, but we have extended family, and friends that have been so close for so long, through generations, that they have become family. It is so rich and varied, across generations and experiences, and something I doubt I will ever be able to express adequate gratitude for.

One morning, a dear family/friend guided us up the mountain he has been hiking for decades. Simon and I went with some of the older cousins and his Mum. It was splendid: the diversity of min-eco-habitats (obviously not a biologist here), the views, the inukshuk villages, the company, the nephew who wanted to fling himslef over the edge (well, perhaps not that part). I can see why Greg goes up Tzouhalem most days. I certainly would if I could.

Most of the rest of our time saw a regular flow of visits and visitors. I have not nearly captured all of them or everything, but still, enough to hopefully remember things by. There is something very dear about sitting under the cherry tree that Simon's parents planted at their wedding, that his cousin leaned against while in labour, that all of the cousins have climbed on and eaten from and swung from, too. It isn't that we did very much-- pulling down ivy and collecting golf balls and riding wagons in suicidal manners-- but that we got to do it together, in a lovely, meandering and relaxed sort of way.

We had a few outings, including to my favourite little beach that has flats and rocks and a large grassy spot and a playground and a good coffee shop near by. Pretty perfect, no?

Finally, the night before we left, one exceptional young man had a cake because he was turning 9 the next day. We do love him!

Even before we get on that ferry back home, we are already planning when we can return. Some people and places seem blessed, almost sacred in how much they hold onto your heart. It is a special gift to get a chance like we've had to spend some time there with them.

Spring Holiday: The Second Installment

On Monday, we went to explore the Kinsol Trestle. It was a short trail to the bridge, well-used on this warm, sunny day. Lots of bikes, ponies, dogs and children-- even a few people practicing free-falling with their harnesses off the edge of the bridge. It never felt crowded or less than peaceful, though (even in our group of seven children and four adults). The photos are pretty self-explanatory, really:

(Simon's sister took the first and fourth photos here, and Simon took the one of the ponies).

(Simon's sister took the second photo here, and Simon took the photo of his sister and her baby).

(Simon's sister also took the second, fourth and fifth photos here).

There is no better place to get out and about than a sunsoaked day in the Pacific Northwest.

Spring Holiday: The First Installment

We had a wonderful week on Vancouver Island, full of sunshine, time outside and visits with family and friends.

First things first: there were two cameras and three photographers (myself, Simon and his sister). I've done my best to use what I know to be shots I took, but I don't always remember who took which photos. I can only guarantee that I did not take any of the ones with a flash or with me in them. For example, these amusing ones of me taking photos were taken by my sister-in-law. I am particularly fond of the knees-down one.

Simon's parents live on an acre and a half with lots of places for children to roam. While everything from wrestling matches (note Asher's licking action-- busted) to haircuts to epic air hockey battles happened inside, outside saw most of the activity.

This is my artsy fartsy flare shot of Grandma and the youngest, and I am rather fond of it.

There was also LOTS of pushing a certain someone in the yellow swing, fort building, traipsing about, dragging things to the brush pile, throwing things for Sophie (the dog who lives next door but certainly doesn't stay there), boys carrying large sticks, etc, etc...

Every day we did something special. Our first full day with five out of six cousins coralled together, we went to Cowichan Bay.

We followed a wooded trail down to the beach, stopping now and then for shorter legs or for Ana to collect things for her nature journal.

There were swans in the bay, and seaweed to collect, and oysters to dissect, and crabs to discover and many many many rocks to throw and we were all VERY happy. 

After our adventure, we went to the tiny town and had a picnic snack where some of us swung on the swings (perhaps they were practising for when they are old and grey).

There is ever so much more to share, but I have hundreds and hundreds of photos to sort through, so I will have to do this in a bit of a piece-meal fashion. But more soon!

Spring Has Sprung

By the time you read this, we will be far away, visiting family and friends for a few days. I leave you with some lovely flowers and sheep and lambs to tide you over. xo

In Which There Is Frolicking in the Woods (again)

Have you noticed I'm catching up after my hiatus here? Hmmm. Sorry. It isn't over yet. It currently seems to be feast or famine in these parts. This is one of the points when I ask myself, "Who the heck reads this thing?" And also when I realise that a lot of my blogging is really just memory keeping and sharing with family. So that alleviates any social-media pressures right there. 

Ahem. Back to the frolicking.

We finally (finally!) got to visit my parents this weekend. My health has been so bad, we had a loooong break there for a while. After a wonderful time with my dad, we went for a walk on a late spring afternoon. This is a park we have been going to since the children were very wee indeed, and it is fun for them to remember hills that once exhausted them, or picnics enjoyed, or antics previously performed. There are also a lot of overlooks and ravines, which lead to some interesting camera angles. 

And we're off.

We found some funny (not so) little gnomes in their homes.

And a troll emerging from under the bridge.

The light was simply beautiful, streaming down through budding branches (and look at Ana's rainbow head!).

We wandered along, with plenty of time to stop and talk or look at the new flowers.

The children also went crashing down a ravine, on a "long" rather than a "short" cut.

My mum always tries to remove bit of ivy. It breaks my heart a bit to see how clogged these glorious old trees become...

Unrelated, but irresistable, I recently encountered this douglas squirrel doing any number of acrobatics in order to eat new maple buds. I can see why Asher loves them.

I will be back soon with more updates and filling in. Ha.