slowing down

I'm in Brigadoon - a magical place drifting in the mists. The air is so fresh, I'm always sleepy, my brain not used to all that oxygen. And then there's this house, a luxury log cabin with high speed wifi and high end kitchen equipment, fllled with exotic objets d'art from around the world and 4 high energy beasties, one of them two-legged.

He gets up at 4, sits at his computer for many hours, goes non-stop around his domain - cleaning, baking, doing. By the time other people would have begun to figure something out, Chris has done it and moved on. He has always been this way, with the energy of a teenager and the focus and drive of a genius, despite significant health issues and, now, being 70.

We've both had moments of wondering whether this pairing will work. He can be cranky and critical, and I - well, I am perfection itself, as you know, not neurotic at all. Here I'm dependent and stuck, with no car and little autonomy, especially in the rain, and he busy with his life and not inclined to waste time. However, so far so good, so very good, even on a day as miserable as Thursday, dark and glowering with incessant rain. We pottered in the morning, went to the village for supplies and lunch, and then home to read and compute and play with animals and watch an episode of Grantchester that we'd both seen. That was it, and it was heaven.

Yesterday, the sun came out and stayed out for most of the day. What a difference - a whole new playground opens up, the great outdoors, Chris's yard and the island itself. We took a tour in the Fiat, stopping at a couple of beaches, noting the mix of hippy longterm residents and wealthy weekenders whose homes line the shore. I took Sheba for a reluctant walk and chased her around the yard, her silken curls streaming behind as she races ecstatically with an old slipper in her mouth. I fashioned both lunch and dinner - one of the chores I can help my host with, and he made an incredible chocolate cake with fanciful piped-on icing. We watched birds and deer and a wild turkey, and in the evening, we watched a superb film: God's Own Country, a beautiful British film about the power of tenderness and kindness to transform lives. Also about gay love. Highly recommended.

No time to post pictures - Chris has posted some of mine in any case - time to get ready for an exciting day. Patsy is coming to get me to take me to the ferry, and we're going to Nanaimo. The big city. To look for an electric piano for me to rent while I'm here. Too much stimulation for this country lass.