Saturday, July 30, 2016

Summer Living on Vancouver Island


One pot worth of baby potatoes.  We planted our container potatoes back in early May.  They have now died off, all except one pot.  I think we put them in a too hot area and the siding scalded them so they died off a bit early.  I know potatoes normally die off when ready but the one that was on our back patio that gets a bit more shade still has green leaves.  It was a great experiment and I will grow them again, only next year we will put them in a shadier spot.  The tiniest ones are the size of a quarter.  The bigger ones could be called fingerlings.  This batch will be getting this treatment tonight on the BBQ, perfect for tiny tiny potatoes and a rosemary bush that thinks it is a fir tree:

Teeny tiny potatoes with rosemary from Skinnytaste.com

I am not going to dig up the rest until we are ready to eat them so from here on out we will have tiny potatoes that you pay big money for at the grocery store until mid-September.



Yes, we survived the reflooring.  The baseboards have been reattached and touched up, although not to our standard.  One of these days hubby will go around and bring it up to our standards.  It kind of makes us think we need to do a coat of paint on the walls though as when we bought the house four years ago we only touched up the existing paint.  The only place we painted was the three bedrooms to paint the pink out.  Our entire home is off-white.  I think we need some colour frankly but am kind of chicken to apply any real colour except maybe to our bedroom.  Time will tell and neither of us is in a rush to get that done.

Since the house is put back together and clean and we actually got some company work done after the workman left on Thursday evening we went for a kayak.  What started out as a liesurely kayak ended up being a 2 hour adventure leaving us both a bit tired and sore.  We usually kayak for about an hour.  Note to self - what appears close on the water can be very deceiving and once you kayak a distance you have to use manpower to kayak back.  It was a hot and beautiful evening though and it was nice to actually get out on the water.

We launched from Goose Spit and kayaked over to the military docks.  This is where they teach Sea cadets to sail.  There are also two Military ships parked there.  


We then kayaked over to the Comox Marina so I could get a good look at the seals.  We don't like to get too close as don't want to disturb them but as always they were lounging on the boom.


We saw lots of seals this trip, mostly Mom's and their babies but I got no good shots.  I accidentally came upon likely a day old seal not realizing what was floating in the water.  Mom came rushing up and I realized what it was so I quietly paddled away.  It wasn't moving very much but was definitely alive so I am guessing it was just a newborn.  Hopefully Mom will watch it better from here on out and move somewhere a little safer.

And that has been our week.  I survived the floor redo and am so freaking glad to have that behind us. I was completely dreading it but now can just enjoy the rest of our summer.  We will work this weekend even though it is the long weekend right through until Wednesday afternoon when my Stepson who is on leave from the military will arrive for some fun.  He is only staying a couple of days so we are not working while he is here and will hopefully do some touristy type Island stuff.

In other news my Stepdaughter asked if she could come here for Christmas.  Fortunately I just won a boatload of air miles and checked space.  Albeit crappy flight times with Scare Canada (Air Canada, not my favorite airline) but I was able to book a ticket.  It will be nice to have her here for Christmas.  Even better, we only had to pay the $105 taxes.  Although she has talked to her mother twice now (after 2 years of no communication) she does not want to rely on her flaky boyfriend or end up at her Mother's house for Christmas.  I always decorate the house right up and make a big deal about Christmas and apparently she loves that.  Nice to feel appreciated.

If you are in Canada - enjoy your long weekend everyone!


22 comments:

  1. So glad the re-remodeling is over for you.
    Your photos from your kayaking adventure are gorgeous! I envy your day!

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    1. I simply love the fact that any time we want to go kayaking we throw them on the truck and make it happen. It does actually take tide planning but besides that it is a beautiful free outing now that we own the kayaks. That is one thing I didn't think we would be doing when we moved here and yet one of our very favorite things to do.

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  2. We love kayaking and canning too but we're lucky if we see loans,turtles and maybe a beaver den. Hoping we see seals when we head your way in a few weeks.

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    1. Sam! Heading our way!!! So happy for you. If you end up in our beautiful valley please email me at islandbound2014@yahoo.ca. That is my regular email. I can tell you exactly where to see the seals from land :) If not coming to our town I can still give you a couple hints up island

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  3. Enjoy having life without remodeling, that's so stressful. I can feel the stress melt away just looking at those beautiful, watery scenes ;)

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    1. The ocean calms me every time. It felt like a bonus after a stressful week, I totally lose myself to it every time we go out.

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  4. Great crop. Mine are dying right now, but will wait to dig them up until later in August. When I want to save them, I don't wash them, just let them air dry for a day and then wipe them off with a dry paper towel. I wrap each potato in a small piece of newspaper and then store them in baskets with open mesh sides. I put them under the bed in my coolest room and they last until January or February without sprouting. I planted three barrels and a small plot up on the cliff. I will get enough potatoes to last us until spring and then save enough for my seed potatoes next year. - Margy

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    1. That is a great way to store them. If we had more I would consider doing that.

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  5. What stunning scenery. So glad the house is settled again.

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    1. We live in a very beautiful place. That marina is within 3 km of our house.

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  6. So happy that you got out for a paddle. I am curious how you carry your camera with you. I am so worried I might get mine wet.

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    1. It's an underwater camera. Canon Powershot D30. Hubby bought it for Christmas for me last year. Can't put lenses on it but really clear pictures, one of the highest rated underwater cameras for normal people. It can be used for diving as well. My last underwater camera could only go up to 12 ft underwater and a diver who was helping us take pictures of the sea turtles in Playa Del Carmen took it about 15 ft down and it was toast. This one you can go 80 feet down so great for snorkeling and kayaking. Yes, I get water all over myself. I had my regular glasses on and had all sorts of sea water spots on them when I got home :)

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    2. Meant to say it has a good strap that I can put it around my wrist. You can buy floatation devices for them but I haven't.

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    3. Oh, I was hoping for someway to keep my regular camera waterproof. I will have to think about an underwater camera. If the wind dies down we might head out in the canoe today.

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  7. My 90 year old neighbor is from Paris and calls the little ones 'pig potatoes'.

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    1. Most people would lol. The tiniest ones tasted just as good as the bigger ones though. After supper I emptied another pot and those potatoes were a little bigger and less tiny ones.

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  8. Loving your kayaking adventure photos ♥

    summerdaisy.net

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  9. I love that your stepdaughter calls you. You are a great mom and she knows who is there for her. It was a rough ride but she is getting it and it is because you were there for her.
    I'm glad that your house is back in order. I hate when one thing leads into another nad the house is trashed.

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    1. Still working on the house. Some days I want to set fire to it and go live in a tent :) Texting is a wonderful thing, kids these days are ok with texting although we do try and talk to her live once in a while. We can keep pretty close tabs on her by text which makes us feel better.

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  10. Love new potatoes with rosemary and sea salt. We've grown our own before but they're cheaper to buy ready grown on the market here. You're making me hungry! xxx

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    1. You are right, it is cheaper to buy local potatoes than to grow them. Not sure if we will do it again but was a good experiment. Next we are having them with dill and cream sauce (old Ukrainian recipe)

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  11. Just now catching up on all my favorite people - as in YOU!!! Sorry about your troubles but I know you will make the best of a difficult situation.....you always do as I have noticed through reading your life story here in your blog for some time now.....

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