The other evening when visiting friends on Saltspring we all, en masse, watched an instructional video on swimming. I was surprised at how captivating it was. The audience of all kinds of ages were impassioned with views on the content, on the science, on the fashion and more.  The night before we had watched a BBC Sherlock Holmes film (filmed I swiftly noted in Dublin) so perhaps were in the mind of investigating every detail.

The farm we stayed on had a long history. I was particularly captivated by an older out building which had at one time and for a long time housed the farm workers (Japanese workers and orphans from Victoria according to a history book chapter our hosts gave me). I clambered into its rickety and collapsing lookin structure to explore. There were two buildings in fact and both of them were curious. You could see the pantry arrangement and some remnants of the bunks. There was a big old geysir in the bathroom of one house and a lovely looking old Stanley style range. That house had been habitable up until 1986. It bought home to me how quickly dwellings dilapidate when there’s no one to live in them and upkeep them and give them a reason to stand up. Also the small spaces groups of workers inhabited and I wondered how at the end of a hot day of intense physical labour how they kept their heads about them in such close proximity to each other.

My post box investigation has proved fruitful. I’ve discovered the post boxes have not been removed entirely, rather they’ve been relocated and it’s a matter of locating the relocation.

There does not seem to be a pattern, sequence or hint at information, but eyes open and they soon alight on the post boxes.

I am so glad I raised the issue because I have noticed new post boxes! And had many interesting conversations.

I am visiting friends on a 100 year old farm on Saltspring Island

Today I learnt to build a wall, which I really enjoyed. I like the slapping down of the cement and the slanted turning of the trowel.

We swam in a lake where they released a blue heron earlier that day. The lake is on the farm essentially or on the edge of the farm.

The garden is wonderful. One day I hope to have a garden like this one where the vegetables grow in entire gangs rather than lonely twos and threes.

Hauled & Shawled

The mystery of the postboxes is unravelling. Today I discovered talking to the shop owner where one of them has disappeared from that…. hark … it had moved across the road and gained an unsightly pattern around it like a shawl.

Another citizen I talked to suggested all post boxes where now moved to the right hand side of the roads.

The first shop owner told me to call the post office and give them some “boom boom” about the moving and disappearing postboxes, which made me chuckle.

I also learnt from my friend’s 16 year old son last night that there is a postbox just around the corner I had never ever sighted. If the topic of postboxes had never come up I would not have encountered these three snippets.

My friend’s 11 year old also improved my vocabulary by adding the term “trash talking” in news unrelated to post boxes.

Engrossed in Ernest Becker’s death-bed interview at VGH with Sam Keen, which I obtained from The Ernest Becker Foundation.

The man in his moment literally, contemplating living more than dying.

Ah the machine, the machine, it needs oiling.

It’s gone chilly. I briefly contemplated putting on the heat. The temp according to Environment Canada is 14 degrees. Overnight low will be 10 degrees.

er where can I post a letter?

OK Enough is enough. I am now collating the information about where the postboxes (mail box?) in Vancouver once were and are no more. I will record and ultimately google map ’em.

You can visit my new er where can I post a letter in Vancouver? blog at wherehaveallourmailboxesgone.wordpress.com

Canada Post is disappearing the postboxes. There are three gone from where they once were. Where are they going? Is there a postbox graveyard in Vancouver we can raid and replace them?

I am reappraising my opinion on the new swimming pool.

They’ve changed the depth in the shallow end.

It’s magnificent. An intelligent and progressive facility!

The small male agrees. Finally after molto pressure he conceded to visit it with me. Then he refused to go in. This was the second time we’d visited it and not gone in. I said we’d play football in there, then he agreed. It’s v odd playing CFL in a swimming pool that’s all I can say on that. Mainly you just get soaking eyes. Next time I will not be suggesting football.

There’s a great current thing in one of the pools that send you around in a circle. It’s like being trapped inside a massive clock.