I left the farm on Monday 1st and took the ferry back to Tsawwassen. The sky over Vancouver was dark with storm clouds by the time it docked, but the sun shone from the west onto the early-autumn trees creating a spectacular contrast I happily gazed out at through the bus windows. Apart from the clouds and the trees, though, I didn't like the journey between the ferry terminal and the house; it felt like being in London when I didn't want to be.
After three weeks on a farm, returning to a major city, via areas I haven't been before, after sunset, was rather disorienting. Well, I say "rather"... It felt exceedingly strange being back in Vancouver, and back in the house, on Monday night and Tuesday.
Two of my housemates, Anna and Hannes, a German couple who had moved in while I was in the Rockies, had asked if they could use my quiet bedroom at the top of the house as a work space while I was away, to which I readily agreed (their room was next to the busy kitchen so they were repeatedly disturbed, though they've now moved into the room opposite mine since the girl who was in it left). They sent me a long email when I was on the farm, asking how it was going and letting me know what was happening at the house, which was a pleasant surprise, and I got back to find a bar of chocolate on my pillow with a photo of most of the housemates, which had been taken at a house meeting the week before I went to the farm :)
The housemates I did see on Monday evening were very friendly and welcomed me back, asking how my time on the farm had been, what I'd done there, if I'd been elsewhere on the Island, etc. Arriving at dinnertime, I'd planned to have pasta with butter for dinner - having not much more than those two things - but Hannes kindly offered me some of the large amount of bolognese sauce he was cooking, and even heated up a slice of apple strudel for afterwards.
It was dark when I arrived back at the house, so when on Tuesday morning I opened the curtain to see the gorgeous blazing shades of red and gold on the deciduous tree out front, bright in the sunlight against the clear blue sky, I was thoroughly happy. (Actually, the curtain too had been a surprise, a new addition that Anna had thoughtfully put up while I was away: the skylight has a blind but the window next to my bed had nothing and I'd been using a blanket to cover it at night.) I spent a couple of days working on the blog, sitting in my room at the top of the house, listening to the rain on the roof, and glancing every now and then at that tree. Now, when I'm finishing this and posting it two weeks later, all the leaves are gone.
On Tuesday I went shopping. Knowing I would be away for two or three or maybe even four weeks, I'd used up all the perishable food I had before going to the farm, and finished most other store-cupboard basics. (Hence the pasta and butter.) I needed to restock. Fruit, veg, bread, eggs, milk, meat, cheese, pesto, tinned tomatoes and tuna... pretty much everything except peanut butter and pancake mix. I also bought some sardines, and had sardines on toast for lunch :)
I could tell from just a single glance at the apples in the grocery store that they were proper, seasonal, local ones. They were gorgeous. I love seasonal produce. For once they were that beautiful deep red colour, crisp and sweet. I even bought some pears, which I don't usually do. Kale and chard, which I hadn't seen in there before but of course I'd been handling at the farm, had also suddenly made an appearance.
Autumn! Yay!
October. Wow.
Happily, a slow cooker has been found and cleaned. There's not enough room in the freezer to make lots, but I'll be able to make stews! Hurrah. I've been wanting to use the barley on the 'Help Yourself' shelf in the kitchen for a long time.
On Thursday, for the first time ever, I bought clothes from a charity shop. I needed to buy some more warm clothes, but clothes shops here are of such great number and variety that I didn't know where to start. So I started at the charity shop opposite the supermarket, and came away feeling very pleased! I'd managed to buy several items for the same amount of money that would buy me two or three things in H&M, thus eliminating my need to go to said international big name shop. I am a convert, I will use charity shops more often. There were, however, two things I needed to get which weren't available in there, and I had to spend a lot of money on those - but they're much better quality than I've had before now and should last longer, so should be worth it.
I've spent some time considering whether to spend the winter in Vancouver or Victoria. Vancouver is very expensive (well, it is in Kitsilano, much cheaper in other areas further from Downtown and the beaches). The Downtown area is huge and daunting and I don't like it much. Victoria's Downtown is lovely, and much easier to navigate. Rent there is also cheaper.
On the farm and until I got back to the house in Vancouver, I was leaning towards choosing to move to Victoria. I know I would enjoy it there. However I really enjoyed being back at the house, with my housemates.
It was quite unsettled the week I was back: people had moved out, people were moving in, people were moving into different rooms, there was maintenance, redecorating and a thorough clear-out taking place. That's calmed down now, but there are still ten people in this house, which means it is hectic at times. Especially in the evening when five people want to make dinner at the same time, and there's only three working hobs, the oven and the microwave available. But I quite like it, they're nice people, there's a nice vibe to the place. I know I've been away on trips for half the time I've been here, but I'm only just starting to get to know them, get on well with them, and think that maybe if I stayed here long enough that proper friendships could be formed. If I went to Victoria I'd have to start from scratch.
I don't care much for Downtown Vancouver at the moment, but there's so much in Kitsilano that I wouldn't necessarily need to venture there often. The house is between two major retail streets, both with loads and loads of different types of shops and restaurants and cafes. I need to take time to walk around and explore and actually take notice. Next to the charity shop, there is a second-hand bookshop. Until Thursday, despite the fact that it's opposite the supermarket and I've walked past it a few times to the bank, I'd never realised it existed. There are bound to be more. There's an independent family-owned organic bakery that makes fruit pies by hand in the back of the store. There are probably antique shops. There are a few quirky stores selling crystals and incense and Buddha statues. I could try to find a job in any one of those sorts of places.
So I've decided to stay in Vancouver for the winter, and give the big city a chance.
Lastly... I'm working on a blog post just about food, and I'm not sure whether to include it in this Canada blog - it's related to my time on the farm - or start a new blog altogether, start a food blog. I don't know what I'd write about most of the time, or how often I'd post, but food is one of my passions. Also I find I quite enjoy writing, though it takes me a heck of a long time. Anyway, I'll decide within the next few days, I think.
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