Maybe better is too harsh a word.
Nicer?
I mean I love Ontario summers and all.
The green grass, sparkling lakes, the smell of a summer morning. It's all going to be missed.
Patrick Brown aside though, there are many reasons why The Island is a nice change from Ontario.
The Mister and I are coming up on 7 months here Island later this month.
I know...
Hard to believe for us too and we're living the dream!
We survived 4 1/2 months of delays in the building of our new home here in the Cowichan. We've been moved into our new Island home we call- Palm Villa, since December and have even started to move out into the community both by volunteering and going out to theatre. It takes some time to start to "live" here.
The weather- for Canada, is incredible as I have said many times before. Yes, we have damp days.
Today for instance as I write this blog is damp but I can't remember the last rainy day. The showers today are prompting me to get out and dig in the plants we bought two days ago at Dinter's Nursery just south of Duncan on the Island Highway.
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| Bees are busy on Plants. |
No, you won't see them in Ontario.
Two skimmia's. Not in Ontario either. These plants- a male and a female, produce fragrant flowers and red berries come December.
There's a salmon-pink Camelia which is flowering now and a trio of Heather's- two reddish purple and a vanilla white, also in flower. Heather is everywhere on the island.
We spoke to Mr. Dinter and he says the season is behind this year because of that arctic cold spell we had a few weeks ago.
Daffodils should have been out by now.
Some are blooming here and there but not masses of colour yet.
We have some double digit temperatures starting on the weekend and things will change quickly.
Dinter's was packed with folks when we shopped the greenhouses. The parking lot was full when we packed up our plants and left and it was only Tuesday- not a weekend!
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| Palms for Sale at Dinters. $1600 for this beauty |
It does seems unbelievable that while Ontario's ground is hard as a rock, the land here on the Island is ready for planting. I saw a photo yesterday of trees blooming in Victoria just 50 minutes down island.
In the next couple of weeks the outdoor painters will be back to touch up our house and start on homes that are now occupied next to us since we moved in almost four months ago. Today we are discussing plans for fencing in our back yard. It's not the yard we had back in Orillia though.
There, we had huge gardens and a lot that was becoming increasingly time-consuming to look after.
Here on Vancouver Island we have a postage-sized lot as compared to Orillia but a larger house.
Go figure.
We have exchanged constant garden upkeep in summer and snow removal in winter for dusting and vacuuming the extra floor space we have here in the Cowichan.
Oh, the deer have found us! A neighbour three doors away showed us deer tracks in her front garden as well as a partially eaten plant. Tom and I haven't seen a deer on our street yet but we are trying to be careful when we choose plants for our gardens by selecting species that deer don't especially like to munch on. Dinter's have a "deer list" one can peruse to educate oneself.
So, March on our Island and we are learning and doing new things.
Oh! Before I forget...
We attended a live theatre presentation at Brentwood College School- a private school about 20 minutes from the house. Amazing place and an amazing theatre. The students performed "Crazy for You". There were ample funds for this production judging by the sets, props and 25 piece orchestra down in the pit that included just two Brentwood students.
It was a huge undertaking on stage and they did a spectacular job.
I would hate to think what a parent would pay to send their kid to this school but what an education they would receive!
It makes we want to go back.
Not to school!!
Gawd no!
I mean back. On stage. Singing and dancing and doing dialogue.
All in good time Rob but for now the gardens await.
I must look for my garden gloves...
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| Planting on the Island |
