Notes from the island

It has turned cold between a few mild days with 10 degrees. The temperatures are more in the low single digits now and the overnights often are below freezing. A week of rain is in the forecast with high winds early in the week. We can’t complain though when we compare our weather to the west coast of Canada. With the fires of the past season and now the rain, the west coast is suffering. People here can empathize with the farmers and their losses and the devastation on so many levels.

Christmas shopping is going well and I hope to finish next week. I am shopping locally as much as possible though it doesn’t help when a clerk comments, “No, we don’t carry that item. Have you tried on-line?”

Our daughter, a nurse, is working this Christmas. Therefore our Christmas celebration will be later that week, just before New Year’s. My husband and I will have a quiet Christmas Day.

Lately we’ve been walking between the raindrops in our warmest winter clothes. It takes time to acclimatize to the winter weather again. We haven’t given up on another picnic using our stove but it won’t be this week. I’ll be walking on the treadmill at home. We really miss our walks in nature though.   

I am having cataract surgery on the second eye tomorrow. This requires three days of a drop regimen in that eye. However on one occasion, I dosed the good eye with the drops. Six weeks of drops in that now good eye made it hard to remember to dose the other one. At least I caught the mistake.

I won’t be blogging for a few weeks though I will follow your posts. Take care everyone. To my American blogging friends, Happy Thanksgiving!

Notes from the island

Life is slowly beginning to return to something like normal for us. Three weeks after the bicycle accident, my mobility has improved, though not without pain. It is bearable to move a bit every day. My husband and I have missed the best of the autumn colour but we have been out for a few short walks, less than a kilometre, a few times. It feels so good to be outdoors after so much time in the house. Soon the bitter cold will set in and nature will be shrouded in white for the next number of months. Our outings will return to winter dress mode.

What a wonder it is to have such clear vision in my right eye after the cataract surgery! Mere minutes in the surgical suite, inside what appeared to be a bubble, listening to the doctor and nurse discuss recent family vacations, I knew and could see through a haze that work was being done on my eye, but I felt nothing. Now, the left eye, which was the better of the two, has blurred vision compared to the right but is scheduled for repair in a few weeks. In the end, I may need reading glasses but I am so thankful for this surgery.

We are using Vax passes to enter non essential businesses without any problems and masking is essential. There are currently two active cases of Covid on the island, both due to travel. There have been 317 cases of Covid since the outbreak of the pandemic and two short hospitalizations. We have had great guidance from our Public Health officials which the politicians supported. They have provided great guidance and people have followed it. With a double vaccination rate of almost 90%, Prince Edward Island has been fortunate thus far in the pandemic.

Yesterday, we had breakfast with our daughter and grandson at a local breakfast spot. It is always great to spend time with them and we had a tasty, leisurely breakfast. There were a few other people in the restaurant as well. When it came time to pay the bill, a gentleman from a nearby table approached and offered to pay our bill. What a wonderful gesture from two men visiting from London, Ontario, looking to invest on the island! They are enjoying the island, especially the friendly people and the relaxed atmosphere. We accepted their offer and will pass on the good deed in the near future.

These men and the couple from Montreal who stopped to help us after my bike accident, are evidence of the kind people there are in this world.

Notes from the island

The Delta variant of the Covid 19 virus caused a fourth wave in Atlantic Canada. All four provinces have seen an increase in infections with New Brunswick the hardest hit. Here on Prince Edward Island, we have a 94% first vaccination rate and 87% fully vaccinated. Our province has a Vax Pass as well, issued when one is fully vaccinated, which allows entry to non-essential businesses and services.

Shortly after school began, an outbreak in several schools east of us, caused a few anxious weeks but Public Health managed the situation and quickly contained the outbreak. Cases now are related to travel. Masks are in use again though I continued to use them at the stores. Children in school above Grade 3 must use a mask all day now. A children’s vaccine, ages 5-11, will be welcome here.

In September, we met our first Blogger friends, David and Miriam Gascoigne. I follow David’s blog, https://travelswithbirds.blogspot.com/ and enjoy his expertise on feathered friends and Miriam’s photography. It was wonderful to spend some time with them. 

If you follow my blog regularly, you know my husband and I have picnics as we walk and ride the beaches and trails on the island. Of course we had a picnic with David and Miriam and enjoyed every minute with them on a lovely September day. Blogging expands your world via computer and meeting fellow bloggers is an added bonus. 

I had another accident on my bike. This time I fell off my bike on a trail through the National Park at Brackley. I am not sure what happened but I went down hard and went to Emergency at the local hospital to be checked out. After some tests and X-rays, I was diagnosed with a cracked rib. Bruising on my right side is bad and I am sore. It is the worst injury I have ever had. I didn’t realize how much I rely on my abdominal muscles until they became sore.

We were helped at the accident scene by a wonderful couple from Montreal who was vacationing on the island. Several other people stopped and offered assistance. People are kind.

In other medical news, I am having cataract surgery tomorrow. I had an appointment with the ophthalmologist in late September and he evaluated my need for surgery as urgent. There is a huge difference between the vision loss in my right and left eyes which affects my sight tremendously. The doctor told me it could be a wait of two to three months but there was a cancellation and they are fitting me in tomorrow. I look forward to this surgery and who knows, maybe it will reduce my bike accidents too.

See you all in a month or so. Take care.