Notes from the isle

Yay! My husband and I rode our bicycles one more time. It was only 3 C but without a breath of wind, it was pleasant enough to take out the bikes. We drove around our area mid-morning so the traffic was light and we could stay close to home in case it was too cold. It was great to be back on the bike again.

Meanwhile we purchased a new recumbent bike so we can continue cycling on some level. Changing the tension on the bike really provides a good workout too.

People were curious about the thistle on the steeple of the Free Church of Scotland in my previous post. I am including a photo of the finial from the peiheritagebuildings.blogspot.com.

If we ever wondered why Jeff Bezos was the richest person in the world, the pandemic has resolved it. There are nine houses at the top of our street. With the Covid restrictions keeping us at home, my husband and I see the various delivery trucks stopping in our area. Purolator, FedEx and UPS stop at some of these houses every day, including weekends this time of year. You can almost set your clock by the various deliveries. If nine houses generate this number of deliveries and even if a fraction are from Amazon, no wonder the man has so much money.

One of these days, someone will invent a mask which doesn’t cause your glasses to steam up, especially if you are having a hot flash! Just wishing!

The Atlantic bubble burst after cases of Corona virus occurred which weren’t travel related. It means travel between the four Atlantic provinces requires two weeks isolation again. The outbreak on Prince Edward Island involved young people. The Chief Public Health Officer asked 20-29 year olds to be tested and brought in more restrictions until December 21st, such as take-out only from restaurants. The good news is we have been six days without any new cases and the response from the young people at the testing centres was overwhelming. The latest news is the restrictions may be lifted earlier than the 21st. Thank you to our young men and women for their response!  We live in a wonderful place!

Through the wildflowers

Looking out to the harbour at Summerside from the boardwalk, one must look through the wildflowers in a number of areas this month. It makes for a rare view of the harbour, filtered through the wild colours and beauty of nature. 

Queen Anne’s lace, whether in a meadow-like setting

or a few clumps here and there, 

always catch the eye. Spent blooms close into basket shapes as the seeds form. The baskets have their own intricacy. Could a human hand create such beauty?

Goldenrod adds some of the yellow of its August glory to the scenes 

as it pops up amid various coloured companions, including the purples of thistle.

Various grasses are tall and wave in the breeze, 

reaching over the heads of most of the passers-by. Their height and uniformity make me stop and look.

Insects love the various wild blooms too and occasionally I capture them with the lens. 

Meanwhile, the harbour has diamonds on its surface, the sun offering her best reflections as background.

Every time my husband and I visit the boardwalk, I photograph the same scenes. This month will bring much change to the area as the flowers set their seed. I am interested to see them.

Last rose

Our weather has been unseasonably warm, 20 degrees Celsius and sunny with warm breezes. We are not accustomed to Octobers with such weather. We are wearing summer clothes, though the fall and winter clothes are on stand-by. An October walk by the bay showed a mix of the last gasps of summer and the promise of autumn.

Wild mustard blooms are almost gone and the seed pods are visible.

Aster blooms are abundant although some have withered and gone to seed.

This type of thistle appears to partially bleach every autumn. Could this effect be due to an iron deficiency or sun scorch?

The winterberry holly has its characteristic berries now, a ready bird food for the winter months.

Grasses along the river which flows into the harbour are showing their age,  as they become more straw-like.

Bees are busy still and wasps are particularly aggressive.

This old tree trunk which we call the perch, is a resting place for a mourning dove on this day. Many species of birds use the perch but a number have already flown south.

And of course, some leaves are changed already.

The Last Rose of Summer, a poem by the Irish poet Thomas More, came to mind any time my husband and I came across the rare fading beauties.

The poem was set to a traditional Irish tune which I love. This version of the song, sung by Celtic Woman, brings back memories of piano lessons and school choir during elementary school. 

The Last Rose of Summer is here.