It’s been a full on time recently, so this week the post will be a brief one. I was going to share a few beer photos, and do a little write up celebrating our new discoveries, but that can wait because I remembered this photo:
If you’ve the time and inclination, I’d love it if you would like to suggest a caption. No prizes, but I’ll share anything suggested. Yup, you’re writing my blog – man, I’m lazy!
Thanks, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
August already? Where did July go? Mostly in a blur for us, but it was a colourful one…
Colourful and damp! I read a report on The Weather Network noting that July in Quebec had been one of the wettest in recent times, with Montreal and Quebec City receiving more than 200% rainfall compared to the average. Sherbrooke, a small city to the southeast of Montreal, received over 301mm, the wettest month on record. Keep heading east, and the Maritimes was even wetter than QC, suffering floods and record breaking rainfall. Luckily, locally, we have an umbrella or two. Colourful ones at that.
What an ongoing worrying time, climate-wise, that this summer is proving to be. The floods mentioned above, the extreme heat in southern Europe, the wildfires in the north and west. Yikes!
There’ll still be plenty of desperate-for-power politicians pretending there’s nothing to see here, being bankrolled by insatiable-for-more-wealth billionaires, and often voted for by (gullible – maybe?) folks wishing it all away, but c’mon! What more do you need to see before accepting we’re in trouble?
Anyway, with July done, here’s hoping August isn’t too extreme (either way) for rain or heat. Selfishly, I’d settle for the low 20s, and lengthy periods of sunshine and blue skies after frequent (but not too frequent) rain showers. The days where a shaded pint seems like a good idea…
Keeping it brief. Youngest brother unexpectedly required and survived a lifesaving operation earlier this week. Mightily relieved is an understatement. Our plans to share a pint or two have been put on (temporary) hold. I’ve always told him no good ever comes of cider. Now beer, however…
Thanks for reading, and here’s wishing you comfortable conditions for a wonderful weekend ahead!
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.
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:
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.
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:
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!
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!
Quebec City has been a blast – more about that to follow next week.
Have a wonderful weekend!
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!
It’s been hot this week, and we’ve used that as an unnecessary excuse to conduct some important research. I’ve attached photographic evidence and some explanatory notes.
If the weather cools down and/or we can access better internet in the coming days, I’ll post something a little more detailed next week.
In the meantime, hello summer, thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
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!
We kept heading east, sad to see Ontario fall behind in the rear view mirror (already planning for a return trip – that beautiful backcountry) but what’s this ahead? Quebec? Why, yes, yes it is! Bienvenue à Quebec! For now we’re taking some time to slow down after quite a long road trip, for what we hope will be an extended stay. (We will continue east at some point in the future, part of our wooly notion that we should, as fairly new young Canadians, explore as much as we can…)
Road trips are great – I enjoy the planning almost as much as the actual trip – but stopping awhile is also good. Planning spontaneity isn’t easy…
A little cabin just outside Quebec City is set to be home for a few weeks. A base to unwind, unpack and head out to enjoy the museums, art galleries, and history – all the great culture of an amazing region. (Perhaps a warning here: what follows may not meet some cultural expectations…)
Let’s move on from history to some highbrow artwork:
Puerile?! Let’s pretend over excitement was the cause, and next time I’ll see if I can measure up to Scout’s higher standards. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
(But c’mon… allez pou-pou! Mrs PC laughed as well…)
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.
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 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.
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!
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!
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