Canada – Page 7 – OldPlaidCamper

Garden

We went through these gates and found ourselves in a delightful planted garden. Given the day was getting warmer and warmer, it was quite a relief to be wandering shaded paths as we admired the semi-formal arrangements.

An open (well, unlocked) invitation – let’s go!

As mentioned last week, I don’t have much gardening knowledge, but this didn’t prevent my appreciation of the colours on display. Mrs. PC is better versed in plant stuff (that’s a technical term) and confirmed these were hollyhocks:

Some of the areas were a bit overdone for my tastes, and other spots were just right. This, to my mind, is just right:

Probably because it appeals to my lethargic side…

Some of the wider vistas reminded me of the gardens of stately homes I was dragged around as a cheerful child back in the UK. You’ve probably seen a few serving as picturesque backdrops to televised British costume dramas. There is always a line going “Mr. and Mrs. Whittenstall-Ponsonby-Wealthy-Slave-Trader-Landed-Gentry-Hyphenated-Jones kindly request the company of…” and then you fall asleep.

“…request the pleasure of your company for our summer ball. Please wear an uncomfortable frock and a powdered wig. The ladies too…”

I particularly enjoyed the small stream running through the gardens, and was very tempted to dip a toe in the water. Mrs. PC stopped me just in time, and took this one as a reminder I really should listen:

PC disrobing and ready for a dip. Agreed, I do look good for my age, but it isn’t my garden.

Must have been temporarily disoriented by the heat, but with cooler heads prevailing, we repaired to a shady bench and enjoyed a picnic lunch.

As you might have gathered, I’m not one to make regular visits to stately homes or formal grand gardens, at least no more than once or twice in a decade, but my lack of seriousness aside, I did enjoy these gardens. I can very much appreciate the skill, effort and passion necessary to produce such a lovely setting. Our new backyard requires a little landscaping, and now we’ve so many ideas. I think Mrs. PC is open to a tasteful statue or two or three…

I’ll finish by saying thanks for reading, I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and sign off with a few more photographs below!

Lavender

Almost every image included this week will be tinged with lavender. I’ve thrown in a misty-eyed recollection from around the time when Mrs. PC and I first began to be serious about each other. (I remain serious on this point, and I think Mrs. PC might be as well, although that’s for her to say…)

So, it’s on with the rose tinted, oops, I mean lavender tinted spectacles, and away we go all the way to the Île d’Orleans, a little gem found just outside Quebec City on the St. Laurence River.

I don’t know too much about plants, but one I recognize and really like is lavender (and yet some dare to say I’d be no good as a gardener?) for the look and the fragrance. If you read last week’s post – brave of you and much appreciated – you’ll be relieved that everything is far more pleasant smelling this week.

We parked in fast receding shade at La Seigneurie de L’Ile d’Orleans, a lavender farm located on the northeastern tip of the island. After we paid a small entrance fee, Mrs. PC pulled me away from my conversation with the ticket vendor (all I was asking was if they had plants in any other colours, which earned me withering looks – I wilted) and we set off up a slight incline to find the lavender field.

The morning was very warm, with a slight breeze providing some respite and transporting the unmistakable scent of lavender. Wonderful! We crested the rise and before us lay hundreds – thousands? – of lavender plants, row upon row.

What an amazing sight! We wandered up and down the rows, so happy to be immersed in such a colourful scene. It made me feel almost like a child, and if I’d been younger, I might have actually run up and down the rows, cackling and cavorting to express my joy. But I didn’t – how many stern looks can an oversized toddler handle in one morning?

No cackling then, but plenty of droning – the steady buzz of hundreds of bees floating from plant to plant. The sleepy buzz-drone of bees is summer in one sound, and without wanting to be waspish about other insects, so pleasant compared to, oh, I don’t know, wasps? (Any wasps reading this, yes I know you’ll be seeing me soon enough, likely late August, probably in a beer garden – I’ll set aside a small saucer of beer if you promise to be nice…)

I was going to leave it there, but goodness, how could I almost forget to relate the tale of young love, from a time when two young yet-to-be OldPlaidCampers were first dating? It’s probably why you’re still reading this, isn’t it? Honestly, stop now, particularly if you like music. I stand by the musical choices shared below, but to many, they may possibly represent crimes against culture.

One of the big album releases of that long ago summer was Misplaced Childhood by Marillion. I liked Marillion, but not many did until Misplaced Childhood was released. Then, for a little while, it was less mortifying to like them, probably because a few of the tunes seemed to strike a national chord. One was the saccharine and sentimental Lavender, and if you’ve clicked the link or know the song, you’ll know what I mean.

Anyway, Mrs. PC borrowed the album from me and pretended to like it, and I borrowed Bowie’s Let’s Dance from her and pretended to like that. On such wobbly foundations one of the greatest love stories of our ti… oh, never mind all that, we started dating. And here we are a few short years later, still dating. Why, we went to a lavender farm together just the other day…

“A penny for your thoughts, my dear?” Okay, definitely time to wind this one up. I will mention, it took me forever to think up a title this week. I think it’s accurate? Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

These gates again? That’s for next week…

A blast

Quebec City has been a blast – more about that to follow next week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Rainy day celebration

It will likely be a rainy day Canada Day tomorrow and we’re ok with that, as Scout has discovered some nearby forest trails that she’ll be happy to explore all weekend – we will too, provided there’s enough bug spray…

Many places are desperately needing significant rain to help douse wild fires, so fingers crossed for those locations, and a damp Canada Day would be very welcome.

Canada Day! I’ll repeat myself – now that’s never happened before on this blog, oh no – and say how much I love Canada and being a Canadian citizen. As a nation, it’s a work in progress, like anywhere, and there are faults and things to fix, but I mostly believe, to borrow a phrase or two, we’re paddling in the right direction, and the journey is the destination.

So, rain or shine, we’ll be wandering some eastern woodlands and delighting in the day. Might be too wet for outdoor eating, although the mosquitoes don’t seem to mind the rain and will doubtless have a bite or two, but when we reach beer o’clock, we’ll be happy to raise a glass and celebrate Canada!

Thanks for reading, and happy Canada Day tomorrow if you’re Canadian, almost Canadian or just like the idea of Canada! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Suspended – a tale of canine courage

Suspended? The blog? No, more of a brief blogging pause as we spend the next week or two with less certain internet availability. But before that, here’s a wobbly one featuring a brave dog:

On a recent very warm morning we visited Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière in search of some shade. There is a waterfall that’s used to generate electricity, and you can take great photos of the falls from a suspension bridge traversing the Chaudière River. You’ll need to be brave though…

A few steps in and we were aware of a slight bouncing sensation underfoot. A few more strides and the bouncing became quite pronounced. Scout stopped dead in her tracks and for a few moments it looked like she wouldn’t go forward or back. Hmm. Then Mrs. PC strode past and Scout clearly didn’t like the idea of not being in front, so off we wobbled at quite a pace. None of us wanted to spend too long on the bridge…

The views were great, mostly snatched glances from the bridge (we were not stopping, oh no) and the views are as good from just off the bridge – firmer footing and a more relaxed canine companion. We did find some leafy shade, and spent a few moments enjoying relief from the sun and pretending our heart rates were running at normal. We knew there was a return trip over the bridge but didn’t tell Scout.

As it turned out, Scout being Scout, the return over the bridge was not a problem. She shrugged, put one paw in front of the other, and without looking down (I did – not a good idea – my stomach lurched) trotted across as fast as her legs would carry her. Pretty fast, I can tell you!

If you have sturdy legs and a bold disposition, then a trip to the bridge and the falls is recommended.

Thanks for reading and we’ll leave it there for this week, with pulses steady and our little wobble behind us! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

If we have reliable wifi, we’ll aim to post something next week!

Can I come out now? Has he finished talking about the bridge?

Ontario north woods – fully completely

We left the Great Plains behind, (good song here) sad about that, nodded at the 100th meridian, and continued east (most of those nineteenth century settler wagons went the other way – ever the contrarians our wagon is a Tacoma – many horses carrying our camp kitchen loaded with various tinned and dried goods…) aiming for Ontario and the north woods. A land of lakes and trees. And lakes and trees. And lakes and trees.

Lakes and trees? Probably going the right way…(photo by Mrs PC)

For this stage of our trip, the cool and groovy mixtape DJ had spent ages curating an appropriate track list. Or he just downloaded a comprehensive Tragically Hip essentials playlist from Apple. Forget the details, it worked and that’s the main thing.

The wagon. Parked under trees. Near a lake.

The best Ontario driving day for me on this trip – and there were many days as Ontario is quite large – was the stretch east of Thunder Bay to Kapuskasing. Rolling hills covered with trees, lakes every three seconds, and if there wasn’t a lake, then a river or wetland, glimpsed through the trees. The entire day was one beautiful sight after another. The roads were pretty good, better than I’d expected, mostly empty and that made for a great drive. Gosh, that lake was pretty! Through the next bend and surprise, gosh this lake is pretty. And so on. Loved it! All in for this patch of Canada. Fully Completely.

Lakeside stop. Time to rest the horses, and water the livestock.

“Did you just call me livestock?!” Offended face.

If not for the destination further east in mind, we might have been tempted to slow down and hang out for longer in the Ontario north woods. We’re already planning some camping trips for another time – it really was spectacular country!

Near Kapuskasing, not long after sunrise

The road is calling, so we’ll leave it here – or back there, in lovely northern Ontario, with Gord and the boys on the radio. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Spring Break (free range)

Finally, after many false starts and disagreements, the calendar and weather decided to align and reach a decision – spring!

To check it was really so, we went down to Combers Beach for an earlyish walk, so Scout could run a few mad beach circles on near empty sands, and we could enjoy a second cup and feel the warm sunshine.

Combers is often a windswept space, but we could tell from the still treetops in the forest fringe that the morning was a calm one.

What a delight to be able to shed off a few late winter blues, let the shoulders drop and breathe in the new season.

There were a few families turning up to enjoy a coastal spring break, and we enjoyed watching one winter-wrapped family of four gradually peel off the unnecessary outer layers as the sun gently warmed them up.

The two children, no more than six or seven years old, were almost beside themselves with excitement at being on the beach. They beach combed and splashed and laughed their way up and down the sands, checking out the logs and streams. Playground or classroom? Both! Free range, a spring without end? (Slightly obscure music reference) Totally taken with where they were and what they were doing – wonderful to see!

We’ve fingers crossed that the last of the late winter weather is behind us, and we’re looking forward to more spring!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Incoming

The turn of the year has brought a fair number of blustery days, and these have been good for blowing away any cobwebs and waking us up.

We’ve stuck to the coastal trails after each storm, excited to see the waves and admire the churning waters. One of our favourite little beaches has been off limits due to high tides and strong surges. On a calm day you can sit beneath the rocks and look up at the enormous logs, marvelling at how big the weather must have been to wash them up there.

We’re looking forward to calm day so we can scramble down to the beach, see what’s been washed up – Scout is convinced there must be a decent chew twig or two – and we wouldn’t mind a few quiet minutes with a cup of coffee and waving at the resident bald eagles drying their feathers out (the two wet blobs in a couple of the photos this week are the said eagles – they are stoic!)

Looking at the forecast for the next couple of weeks, those calmer days are still a little while off, but it’s been pleasant to notice and enjoy an extra daylight minute or two as the days slowly lengthen…

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

January 2022 Down on that beach, on a calm day!

Happy New Year!

Power on, power off, power back on, snow, wind, freezing rain, heavy rain, and more rain. We’ve been enjoying some big and breezy weather the past few days, but haven’t been hammered as hard as other places. We hope all is well with you, wherever you might be. Keeping it brief, and wishing you all the best for the year ahead!

Hopefully a less turbulent year, perhaps drama free and a little more calm, be that politically, economically, environmentally and in all our interactions. I know, but it doesn’t hurt to hope…

Thanks for reading, always appreciated, and we hope you have a wonderful weekend!

“Let’s go out, let’s go out!”

OK, Scout, keep your hair on!

Why the big hurry from Scout? I think because she’s a snow dog, and the weather gods had heard my pathetic whining last week, so we were rewarded with a day of snow. I believe that’s how these things work? Snow? Hooray! First thing in the morning, it wasn’t all that much to get excited about – don’t tell Scout I said that – but we went down to the beach anyway. Light flurries, and the start of a biting wind, but that was it. Pretty enough.

As the day progressed, the wind got wilder and the snow got heavier, to the point where we got home and off the roads before other travellers also got off the road by sliding into verges and walking the rest of the way. Yes, there were a number of abandoned vehicles scattered at various points along the road the next day, but no serious incidents.

It turned into the sort of day best enjoyed from home – it really wasn’t a strolling in a winter wonderland kind of day due to the very blustery conditions. Scout indicated she wasn’t too happy about that, so I opened the front door for her to confirm that perhaps she didn’t really want to go out? She took one step – maybe not even as many as that – and promptly turned back indoors. Yes she’s a snow dog, but also a wise dog.

“Let’s stay in, let’s stay in! You’re going to the lighthouse? I’ll pass…”

Well, we did go down to the lighthouse, without Scout, to see how it looked in the snow, but it was so sideways and gusty, the snow wasn’t sticking and details were hard to find. We beat a tactical retreat and told Scout it was great…

I’ll leave it here for this week, happy enough that we had a pretty cool snow day or two, and wondering if the call for more snow before the weekend is accurate…

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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