A wonderfully “normal” day

It’s been a pretty good week.

First, I found out that the local health authority is planning a mass vaccination next month of all the adults on the island to be carried out over two days at the community hall. The way things seemed to be rolling out in BC, I had thought I’d be lucky to see a vaccine before the end of the summer. Woo, hoo!

Then I had a day that was so sociable it almost felt as if the world was back to normal.

There was a walk with Georgie. (Oh, and Joe.)

This particular trail, which Joe introduced to me a couple of months ago, has become one of my favourites, not least because sometimes you encounter horses, as indeed we did this week towards the end of our walk.

At the end of the trail we heard whinnying and spotted this guy.

His owner explained that he was making a lot of noise because he was upset that he hadn’t been taken for a walk with his friends. Unfortunately for him, he’s a bit lame at the moment, so needs to rest up before he can hit the trails again.

The first job I ever had, back in my early-teens, involved spending my Saturdays  mucking out at a local stable and helping out with the pony rides for kids. I didn’t actually get paid for this, but I did get to go out on any trail ride that wasn’t fully booked and that was sufficient reward for me.

The last time I was on a horse was in my thirties, part of a dirty weekend at a country hotel which also included a failed (wrong weather) attempt at a hot air balloon ride. The time before that was this trail ride in the Rockies.

Alas and alack, although there are a number of people on the island who own horses, none are available to rent, so I suspect that dirty weekend really was the last time I will ever be on a horse.

After fun with Georgie (and Joe) it was time to head over to see Dave and Jan. Until Robin Hood stopped making my favourite flour, they were the ones who would pick me up a bag when they went to shop in town (which, unlike me, they fairly regularly do). There are a few items I have been waiting a long time for the island grocery store to restock – so long that I was practically out of them. One of these was powdered coriander (an essential ingredient in my favourite Thai curry recipe). When Jan mentioned she would be picking that up at the bulk store, a little bell began ringing in my head. After my complaint about the discontinuation of Robin Hood’s multigrain flour, my friend Jane informed me that Bulk Barn sells a twelve-grain flour which might be a suitable replacement. So I asked Jan if, by “bulk store”, she meant Bulk Barn. Indeed she did, so I added flour to my shopping list. Said shopping completed, I went over to pick it up and have a chat with “bubble” friends.

As I was leaving, I spotted a couple of items sitting on the deck as if they were awaiting disposal. I’d failed to notice them on my way in because I was too distracted by all the flowers coming out on Rhodo Dave’s rhododendrons. Unlike mine, most of which seem to have zero flowers. (Honestly, these people with properties that get so much sunshine.) A query confirmed that, yes, one of the items was indeed awaiting disposal. Right, I said, I’ll take it!

Home briefly before heading out once again for another social engagement. Time for my friend Jean and I to have a welcome home meal at the lodge with the recently-returned-to-the-island (now suitably quarantined) Cec and Joyce. Yes, Mr Fixit is back! (And his lovely wife, who’s already been roped into taking part in the other one-act play to be performed online this spring.) Dinner at 6pm, so it’s still light outside, but the star of the show will soon appear.

Okay, I didn’t actually take this photo, because I didn’t have my phone/camera with me, but this is what it looked like.

Six people (and one totally fabulous dog) all in one day! Even before the pandemic that would have been extraordinary. A sense, especially with the vaccination news, that “normal” life might actually resume.