Fall in Logan Lake

Fall is coming a little earlier this year

The rain falls, steady and cold

And creates a white mist in the mountains

And the chill seeps into my bones

I close the windows and turn up

The thermostat for our fireplace

And it clicks on, flames shooting upwards

And sending out welcoming, radiant, heat

My old cat, Henry, moves to the rug

In front of the fireplace

And settles down for a comfortable snooze

Phoebe moves to the pet bed near the fireplace

And smiles as she snuggles

Into the warmth of the pet bedding

Encompassed in the radiant heat

Gradually the other cats come in to join us

Leaving the wet ground in the pet garden

And abandoning the mouse-watch area

In return for a snooze in our warm and cozy living room

The garage has been cleaned out

And the Jeep sleeps in there once more each night

The garden tools have been brought inside

And the watering hoses disconnected

Ready for their winter's hibernation

Stews and casseroles are now on the menu once again

To almost completely replace the salads and the quiches

Comfort food is called for

Warm, tasty, and satisfying to the body and the soul

Winter will soon be here, I can feel its approach

And we'll be ready for it when it comes

Snow shovel in the garage

Extension cord for the Jeep's block heater

Ready for its winter duties

But for now, we'll take Fall

With its rainy days and its trees shedding leaves

And we'll get ready for long evenings indoors

With good books

Old favourites and future favourites

The seasons come and go

My pet family and I are safe and snug

In our Logan Lake home

Our little home in the west.

The Lanes of Bratton Fleming, Devon

Photo by Bridget Moore, Devon (c)

Living in Bratton Fleming was a joy

A quiet, safe, community

With countryside views from our home

Green rolling hills, scattered with trees

And silver streams running across narrow lanes

It's there I spent hours walking my dog

My dear spaniel, Topsy

She was full of joy

And her happiness at simple things was contagious

She'd wag her tail and her whole body in an ecstacy of excitement

In the spring time

When the wild flowers bloomed

It was a feast for the eyes

And we'd pause on our walk, down the lanes

And gaze across fields and meadows

At the bobbing daffodils

Or snowdrops

Or bluebells

Each season presenting a different kaleidoscope of colour

We'd walk the lanes, my dog and I

And I thought I'd never leave my beloved Devon

Fate had a different life in store for me, for a while

But I will return

My spaniel has passed away

And I have another dog to walk

And I can hardly wait to introduce

My Toffee dog to an English country lane

I know she'll love it

And together, we'll create our own

Special walks and places

Somewhere in Devon

I'm not sure where

But its gentle, rolling countryside

And flower filled fields

Are calling me home.

Poor neglected feet!

Poor, neglected, feet
You take us miles every week
And we rarely pay you any attention

You're always there for us!
Surely you deserve a nice hot soak
Each night after a day of duty, carrying us around

How you'd love to be pampered
And cherished
And loved

I promise I'll pay you more attention from now on
After all, you're very hard-working
You deserve some soaking
And creaming
And massaging at night

See you later, then?
Well, how can I forget?
You'll remind me, right?
You'll ache and make me feel tired

But when I soak you in a warm bath
And rub you with foot moisturiser
You'll reward me with a feeling of contentment
As we fall asleep in our bed
My feet and I.

The Wonderful Devon Cream Tea

'Ooh, a Devon Cream Tea!
How Yummy!' my niece squeeled with delight
As we sat in the tea shop in Croyde and gave our order
With barely concealed excitement

We've been away, for a long time, you see
And England's ex-patriots
Tend to dream about these things
When they're far from home
Until the longing for the much loved
And very much missed
'English things'
Brings us home
Like magnets to a fridge door

We settle into our chairs and look around
At the quintessential 'Englishness' of the tea shop
And we smile at each other
As we gaze around us
Like water thirsty travellers in the desert
Drinking in the sights and the sounds
Of once familiar surroundings

And THEN the Devon Cream Tea arrives!
Two scones for each of us
Crisp on the outside
Buttery soft on the inside
Spread with strawberry jam whose berries fall over each other
To be covered in thick, rich, succulent, Devon clotted cream

And we take the first bite.......
Heaven
The flavours and textures of the scone, the jam and the cream
All blend together and make a perfect experience
Firm, soft, sweet, creamy
That wonderful, wonderful, Devon Cream Tea

And we sip our English tea
And eat our scones and we smile
The familiar is NOT to be taken for granted
Because, when the familiar is no longer available......
Well, we came 6,000 miles for this Devon Cream Tea!
How far would you go?

An Immigrant's Dilemma

How I long to walk my dog, down country lanes
With no fear of bears, or coyotes, or wolves, or cougers
Coming to attack my much loved pet

How I long to sit in a garden in the summer
Not plagued with mosquitoes
And without the smoke of distant forest fires
To cloud my sight and fill my throat

How I long to enjoy year-round walks
Without 5 months of snow and ice
And the fear of falling over
And hurting myself, again

And yet, and yet
I know that when I leave you, Canada
I will miss your wide open spaces
Your lakes and parks and evergreens
Your friendly, smiling people

I will miss seeing the bears
Climbing into the neighbours' apple trees
And the deer in the forest behind my home
And the first snowfall
That blankets our lakes and mountains
And makes everything clean and pure

Will I sit in my English garden
And dream of endless blue skies
Covering forests of fir
And clear lakes and canoes
And RVs heading for campsites and pastures new?

I will remember your spirit, Canada
I will remember your warm summers
And your snow covered winters
And I will smile

But I will walk and walk and walk with my dog
Without fear for her safety

I've had my adventure
I'm heading home - soon......

My Devon

Photo by Bridget Moore, Devon UK (c)

(I don't have a photo of bluebells)

Devon, my heart aches for you

Your sandy beaches

Your rocky cliffs

Your green fields and woodlands

How I long to visit your bluebell woods

And feast my eyes on those beautiful blue flowers

And smell the intoxicating scent of them

Delicate, bell-shaped, blue wonders

That I remember from days long past

To walk again

Along the twisty paths of Ilfracombe's Torrs

And see the sea

Waves breaking on the shore

And hear the seagulls calling to each other

To walk amongst your trees in autumn

And feel my feet gently crunching your leaves

Brown, and gold, and orange

And smell the sweet smell of leaves

Melting into the earth to replenish

The already rich soil

I'm coming home

I don't know when

But it will be soon

My Devon, my home.

Learning

Learning, learning, learning, still
Will it ever end?

"I don't think so" said my Guide
"I was on the earth a long time
And I've been in Heaven a long time
And I'm still learning"

Interested, I asked him
"What do you learn?"
"Everything" he said
"When?" I asked
"Always" he answered

"How much is there left to learn?" I asked
"How much do you want to learn?" he answered
"As much as I can" I said, smiling
"We'll learn together" he answered

Learning, learning, learning, still
May it never end!