2

September
2010

7:24 PM

tracing one warm tangential line

The headline I saw was Fuel tanker runs aground in Northwest Passage . Back when I first moved to Canada, some of my friends felt that my education needed expanding, to put it mildly. When at the end of an evening of supper and merriment our guest Judy began singing Northwest Passage, and Nola joined in, I knew I was missing something. What are you on about? I asked. Judy stared. Didn't I know? "The Northwest Passage is the whole reason Canada exists." Nola nodded. I set out to do a bit of reading, that culminated a year and half later with a new appreciation for the strange and wonderful echoes of human endeavour, and more particularly a fondness for the St Roch and her captain, Henry Larsen.

Which matters for why? Well, for why this: the Coast Guard ship detailed to deal with the errant tanker gone aground near Gjoa Haven is none other than the Henry Larsen.

3

August
2010

4:52 PM

babylon red

Last March I dug up a triangular space near the front deck, it was all weeds and moss, and filled it in with the good dirt that Nola's been saving for... I dunno what she was saving it for. I got some eight wheelbarrow loads of it, made a little perimeter fence out of small pine trees that hadn't a hope of bettering their lot, and filled it to the brim with flowers and bulbs.

I put the Babylon Red in the centre. It came with its own bag of Special Dirt. I hadn't a clue what it would look like, other than big and tall. Since then, I've been watching it poke up and spread leaves and put on height and heft, and then three weeks ago it came up with a bud, about the size of a third of a golf ball. Took several days to get to full bud size, and was closer to handball size by the time it started to open. That took another week, just opening. I guess when you look like that, you can take your time arriving to the party.

(Nola kindly took these pictures for me.)

celebrating my birthday in flowers along with Symphony No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 13, "Winter Daydreams": II. Adagio Cantabile Ma non Tanto (Land of Desolation, Land of Mists) from the album "Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1, "Winter Daydreams" and 6, "Pathetique"" by Vladimir Jurowski & London Philharmonic Orchestra

30

July
2010

6:53 PM

celebratory

My birthday is next week. I am on holiday till then. Let the games begin!

Tonight I am on the deck, enjoying late afternoon sun while Cardhu gnaws a bone just behind me. He's inside, I'm out. I am out here with an iPod and a book my mother gave me for my 19th birthday, back before there were computers.*

The book is Gnomes, a heavily illustrated bit of whimsy from a pair of Nederlanders who made rather a good thing of it. I do like the pictures.

Opening it a few minutes ago, I found tucked inside a handwritten note from my great-grandmother, wishing me a happy birthday. I can't remember what year it was from, so I'll just take it as an always-present wish.

Thanks, Peppy. I had a lovely time. I'm still having one. And thank you, Mama, it's a wonderful book. All your presents are. I hope your birthday's as nice as I'm sure mine will be.

* In any meaningful commons sense.

blasting out the speakers with Symphony No. 6 from the album "Beethoven Symphonies 1-9" by BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

29

July
2010

12:56 PM

speaking of flight

I'm having a red-letter day, I am. I was out on the back porch, and there was Orphan in the pond, looking a bit like he/she was having a fit. Suddenly, in a great flurry he flapped his wings and flew! It's true he almost immediately crashed into the gladioli, but still! It was like watching Orville and Wilbur. I was so proud.

As I applauded, he picked himself up, scrabbled out of the flowers and back into the pond, swam to the side and trundled off across the lawn. I suspect that whatever he thought he was trying to do, 'flight' came as a complete surprise.

cheering on the ducks to Charlie from the album "The Boy Bands Have Won" by Chumbawamba

29

July
2010

9:26 AM

flight of the turtle

I downloaded updates to a few of the apps on my iPod this morning. A note-taker, web browser, ebook reader, audiobook player... shakespeare... what else? Nothing that interesting really, my iPod could be lent to the nearest nun without a a qualm. So I was a bit taken aback with the dialogue box insisting I verify my age before iTunes would consent to the process. I scanned the list of apps again. "What," I thought, "could possibly be considered unfit for a child old enough to hold this device in its wee hands without sticking it in its very damp mouth?"

Turns out to have been the web browser, iCab Mobile. Rated 17+, for, apparently, carrying the sins of the internet within it. And yet, right there on the iPod, included since day 1, is Safari. Even if I wanted to, I can't erase Safari.

Do the AppStore censors think Safari accesses a different internet? Some sort of fluffy bunny sparkly unicorn internet?

listening without thinking to Agnus Dei from the album "Gregorian Chant" by Choir Of King's College, Cambridge & Stephen Cleobury

8

July
2010

12:22 PM

coping with heat

In a fit of uncharacteristic braininess, I suggested stringing a tarp over the deck outside our bedroom last week. This is the side of the house that gets afternoon sun, and at this time of year, gets depressingly hot. Nola dug out a tarp, we have lots, we used to go camping more often, and I ran some hooks under the eave, and there it was! Worked a treat till around five o'clock, when the sun peeped under and raygunned the windows again. This morning we replaced the blue with a new and larger white tarp, and I think that however the sun dips and weaves, she won't slip under its edge.

Also last week was inspired to go over my bicycle and see if anything could be done to clear up a nasty wobble it's had since we moved here. I thought the trouble was in the front wheel, but no, it's the back. I have a replacement wheel, and if I can shift the gear cassette from the old to the new, it should be ridable once more. Been combing this site for tips. It's not like I'm in a hurry; I'm not leaving shady spots till the temp dips below 30°C, but it's a nice distraction.

cranking up the volume on the tympani solos in Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55 from the album "Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 & 2" by Berliner Philharmoniker & Herbert von Karajan

5

July
2010

9:38 AM

canadian please!

A late but well worth waiting for Canada Day bit of fun...

28

June
2010

6:03 AM

enjay's got her own weblog!

Look for her at microfishing in the world pool, where she's now writing as skadhu.

As for here, well, guess I'll have to suck less.

24

June
2010

3:09 PM

The Sleeper Agent

Orphan is doing well, coming when called, scarfing up food. A clever, sneaky little bugger.

(I think, from the look of the fledging feathers, that he's likely to turn out to be a male. So from now on I'll call it "he.")

Ducky brought her Horde down the slough; Orphan was already there. I was out in the yard doing some work. I'd built up a pile of debis in the middle of the lawn between slough and pond in the process.

Ducky went after Orphan with great enthusiasm, probably because the Tall Moving Source of Food was there. She chased him right out of the slough, running with her head down and neck extended, at top speed, off behind the debris pile. Meanwhile, the Horde was waddling across the grass on the opposite side of the debris pile, a platoon of advancing bellies.

Orphan shot around the debris pile, collided with the advancing Horde, which had stopped….

And turned around.

Ducky came racing round the pile, and gosh, there was the Horde, all standing there looking at her. Oh. Okay. She herded all of them, including Orphan, to the pond, and stood guard as they ate the chickenscratch I brought out.

Heh.

PS: all those duck bellies waddling two by two across the lawn have left an impression.....

23

June
2010

4:03 PM

in care of who, again?

My new US passport came in the mail the other day. Addressed so:

• [my name]


• c/o CANADA


• [street, town, postal code]

It's kind of sweet, in a creepy sort of clueless way.