Prawning!

The BC Spot Prawn season is open again. In December, our friends showed us how easy it is to catch them, and now we are hooked. We bought a trap, and plan to make more. In the meantime, we are baiting our trap with a punctured tin of seafood catfood, and hauling up the prawns. They are ridiculously huge and delicious. We caught 30 in our first trap, and figure that that haul alone paid for the trap and the line. The rest are free. We're trying to turn it into a zero carbon venture, and so Douglas dusted off the baidarka. This evening, Theo went to have dinner at a friend's house (!!), and we went on a little marine date.

All was quiet on the water. We saw an otter, a few seals, some brilliantly coloured ducks, and even a bald eagle perched in an arbutus. He was no doubt looking for dinner.

We caught just 6 prawns (and a giant sunflower seastar), but set a new can of cat food, and moved the trap to what we hope is a better spot. This is really the way to fish. Theo had a fun time at dinner, and was so tuckered out from all of his play that he only needed 2 stories before bed!

Chocolate Beach

When we hop in the zodiac, our favourite destination is Chocolate Beach on Third Sister, in Ganges Harbour. It's just 10 minutes away now, but feels like the back of beyond. Better than feeling remote, it feels almost tropical, with its white shell beach that extends out into the clear blue water. Theodore likes to serve 'tea' to the purple seastars there. Last weekend we went with our Dutch friends for a little picnic. The kids ran around in a mob, climbed cliffs, and tried to hijack the boat. The adults ate white chocolate currant scones and fished the kids out of the water before they got thoroughly soaked. A good time was had by all.

Boating

Our newest craze, post-renovation, is tooling around in our new-to-us zodiac (thanks, Bert!). We previously had an 8-foot fiberglass dinghy that wasn't really meant for either rowing or sailing, just for floating. It took ages to get out to the mooring ball where we keep the boat, and we didn't even consider making longer trips. Now, though, we're zipping all over the place, and Theo is learning to drive (in circles). Here are the boys in the boat, picking me up after the Saturday Market.



I swear, it's like getting a car after you've only ever had a bike.

Renovation madness

I promised to post some photos of the house, showing just how much work we have done on it. Here is one of the styrofoam insulation we put on the exterior. The house was previously painted with (badly flaking) lead paint, so last summer, I had some friends over (Douglas was lounging on a tropical beach somewhere, I believe), and we put a quick coat of primer on, to stick the flaking paint in place. Here's how it looked when we bought it:



This winter, we added the insulative styrofoam, and did some major lead paint cleanup. Douglas' handyman skills were in full swing. The result is a funky-looking house that is ridiculously warm and cozy. 8) Here's how it looks now, almost a year to the day later:



We'll get some siding on soon, after we trim the windows.



Discerning readers will notice that all of the windows are new, too!

Gardening

This afternoon we planted some more peas, added a last bit of compost to the raised bed, and transplanted the beets, kale, and collards. The little man was right there, helping (and getting into mischief).




On Bert's advice, I've been watching the Claire's allotment videos on YouTube, and they are fantastic. Week by week gardening advice! I am also hoping to find a gardening community here. I've heard of groups that meet once a month to chat about what should be going on in your garden, but haven't quite figured out how to join one yet. Hopefully soon! Last week I met a fellow vendor at the Saturday Market who is an avid gardener, so maybe we can form a tiny club of our own.

We have also been watching the rhubarb, grow, day by day. Each time Theo sees it, he says "And it will grow, and we will EAT it, and that will be GOOD."

First article

I have been doing some freelance writing, and this month my first article is out, in a glossy magazine! I even got a mention on the front cover. That's my article, in red, right under the pirate flag!

Semolina bread

I'm baking for the market again, and planning to sell Semolina Sesame bread alongside my multigrain.

Happy Hat

Thanks, Celine, for this great hat!