Blogs Archives - Lynne Pearl

Bickleigh Castle

We went to see Bickleigh castle a whole coach load of us, in a small coach that was full with twenty adults out for the day. Our kind driver drove us first of all to Bickleigh Mill, where there was a long stop for a leisurely lunch. It was a cloudy day with puddles everywhere but it was crowded and warm inside.

When everyone had eaten their fill, we set off again, this time to cross the river by that wonderful old stone bridge that inspired Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge over Troubled waters’ so evocative of faithfulness and loyalty. We weren’t going to explore the inside of the castle but roam the grounds.

Return from Savary Island: June ’25

From Powell River we drove to the ferry in Saltery Bay, this one is the smaller ferry, maybe half the size of the ferry that serves Vancover so I reckon there was maybe two hundred cars on board and we all fitted. We waited in the car park above the dock. Everything is mountainous here. It was hot so we got out of our cars and started to walk towards the little park with trees nearby for kids to play on. From there we could look down on the dock and watch for the ferry drawing in, from above. It drew in quietly from between two arms of the mountains falling into the sea.

Savary Island

Savary is unutterably gorgeous and I swim in a blue sea with pink star fish and mountains in the distance, dark under a blue blue sky. The beach is pale sand and the land is covered in deep green fir trees. Its still June so the water is cold but good.

Autumn: The Agricultural Show

We had the local agricultural show. There’s a showground on the edge of town, several big fields that are very nearly flat and we had nearly everything. There were the ancient tractors, a whole class in their own right. In fact, just yesterday I saw a notice for a tractor race of sorts hanging on a hedge in Somerset there was going to be a competition on a nice big flat field. It was all for charity and was this coming Sunday. All the old tractors can come out for that. In fact ,in some of the big agricultural shows they a have ploughing competitions and there are still chaps who hitch up a team of heavy horses to demonstrate how it’s done, with a team and very fine the horses look too and what a skill to be able to guide those horses and plough straight in a field. Wonderful to watch.

We also had brass bands and dancers and majorettes. There were the classes of prize bulls of the different breeds, wonderful animals, highland, small and sturdy, dark and with huge horns and the elegant white bull, a beautiful specimen. Then in the stalls outdoors waiting were the sheep, every kind of sheep you can imagine. Curly haired, smooth, black, highland, Dorset they go on and on, the breeds of sheep all specialists in their class.

Vancouver, cafes and restaurants

Then in the afternoon we went to a street in East Vancouver that had independent shops, organic food and little restaurants. We sat in a café and health food shop called something like ‘Ambrosia Cherub’ and I sat there looking at a showcase of desserts and am inspired to go home and make them myself. There was date square, oatmeal raisin cookies, mango dessert and a raw bar. My companion had a lovely mango lassi. I had golden turmeric tea. Everything was lovely.

Vancouver, to the mountains

The mountains are clouded right from the top down but they are still there watching and for a little while on the subway journey home I could see the feet peeping out from the whiteness of the low cloud.

Vancouver: Along the Seawall

We spend all afternoon just walking and looking at the mountains or the birds in the sea . I try the water by paddling and it is not as cold as the sea in the West. It is easy and full of bright green seaweed…

Vancouver: Gardens and Malls

Next morning the tips of the mountains were hidden by cloud, and I watched as the cloud very slowly descended down the mountainside until it had covered the mountain completely and then it felt smug. It was there but I couldn’t see it at all, it was if Vancouver was just this flat piece of land and there were no Rocky Mountains at all. And then we had a little rain, not much.

B.C., Vancouver, via Skytrain

There we were, I was going on the Skytrain because that way I could look at the mountains. It was busy but you could see the mountains from the commuter train that has no driver. It got busier. But we were through and finding the right station.

Orchard Diary Month 3

THE ORCHARD DIARY 3rd Month
May 9 25
Blog by Lynne Pearl

The trees are more awake in fact I think they are now just about fully awake. It’s quite exciting.
They have realised it’s time to wake up.