Spooky!

Preparations for All Hallow's Eve this year included an elaborate (and frighteningly realistic) hoax of a pair of stuffed trouser legs suggesting a mangled corpse under the truck, in addition to the usual graveyard at the base of the driveway, ghosts in the yard, and seasonal lights on the front of the house (we got "champagne" colour this year, thinking they'd be sort of orange-y for Hallowe'en and OK to leave up for the winter!)... Our neighbourhood is always lots of fun on October 31st as kids come from many parts of the island to see the decorations in Deep Bay and attend the fireworks display at the lagoon afterwards. My Dad used to come over each Hallowe'en since we moved to Bowen, and we were aware of his absence this year but felt he was with us... in spirit!

Portrait of the Artist

Miranda loves to paint (among all manner of crafts) and spends many happy hours in front of her easel (a great find last summer at a local yard sale). Her favourite working attire (as seen here): PJs. She takes it all very seriously, as evidenced by her facial expression, regardless of the lightheartedness of her subject matter--flowers, fairies, and butterflies, etc. Move over Picasso!

Ever green...

Steve's garden is still flourishing as the fall season wears on! Mom came over today with her friend John; he kindly drove her over and stayed for dinner before he headed back into town. "Nana Lorna" is tired but generally feeling OK after her recent surgery: she even read a few books to Miranda before turning in for an early night! She will be staying with us; the spare room has never looked so good--I was inspired to do some "spring cleaning in October" (the best kind)! And so the autumn progresses apace!

Thanksgiving!

We had a great dinner with friends Jon, Claire, Anne, and Jada: a nice 17-pound bird from Alderwood Farm, and all the trimmings. It was a real treat for me to have a Monday at home (that's usually one of my in-town teaching days), and we happily cooked up a storm (not literally, of course--we still have some fine days despite the occasional more typical October BC weather)... Mom (recovering from surgery) is joining us next weekend, so we are looking forward to seeing her back on Bowen soon!

October is upon us...

'Tis the season to be spooky! Steve's been shootin' spiders (with a camera of course)... I've talked to several islanders about how many spiders Bowen has this year. Maybe we won't need to decorate for Hallowe'en (and you already knew we won't need costumes!--even Princess Miranda is geared to go in her Cinderella dress...) For me, each new month brings me closer to a long-awaited holiday break in January.

Oh, and some late-breaking news: Cousin Christina had her baby girl! The name is Oona. Now that's far-out!