By Holly Rowland

At the beginning of the second week of June I was still wearing my winter jacket and mighty glad to do so….and yet, oddly enough I received a bad sunburn on the 25th of May. The weather seems to get stranger and stranger as the weeks go by. Hopefully, when the Beacon comes out at the beginning of July our glorious summer will be in full swing.

Those two Canada Geese still fly by my window every day. I have seen them at the end of Goodacre Lake quite a distance away from a gaggle of geese that gather at the far end of the Lake. Do you think that geese form social circles and are snobbish, or is it just that my mind is being carried away by our cold, miserable, wet wind ? Nothing that a dose of warm weather won’t cure!

Something caught my eye the other day as I sat in a friend’s car outside our local Grocery Store. A dear little old lady was rubbing her hands with what looked like an alcohol swab, then the handle of her grocery cart, and then she handed the swab to her dear old husband who rubbed his hands and then disposed of it in the garbage can. What a sensible idea! Germs must be complete strangers to this couple, no wonder they have reached their great old age ! But, hey! Why don’t we all take medical wipes with us when we shop, (particularly for fruit and vegetables ) Just think of all germs we would neither catch nor spread around? Life would be safer for everyone.

My darling husband gave up his Driver’s License and his car. He explained that he no longer felt that his reactions were quick enough, and that he didn’t want to be responsible for an unfortunate accident. I think that it was laudable of him to have done this, as he has over 65 years of accident-free driving, and as we all know, “ a man and his car are inseparable”. I couldn’t go down to the garage for several days because I couldn’t stand the thought of seeing an empty space where our car had sat for 19 years. And the memories of our trip across the continent, plus all the wonderful trips Up Island and the Lower Mainland plus our amazing Islands. But life goes on, and people are so kind with offers of transportation. I have half-price taxi tickets and a scooter. My husband likes to walk and can ride the bus, so life goes on in a “closer to home” way.

Finally, after almost 70 years, I am having blood returned! I first started donating blood when I was 16, and continued doing so until I had to take hormones and that was the unfortunate end of my blood donations. I really missed those visits to the Blood Donor Clinic. I felt that someone would benefit from my O-Negative blood, (may be transfused by any blood type) and I always seemed to feel better, Maybe that’s because I felt that I was really helping someone, somewhere. Giving them something that money can’t buy. And to date, I have had 4 transfusions, and my heartfelt thanks go out to the blood donors. If you have never donated blood, why not give it a try. You’ll feel great and the recipient will, too.

Henry, the “free loader Heron, par excellence” is still begging for attention and food. He was seen marching back and forth on the edge Beacon Hill Park, looking up impatiently at one of the big white apartment buildings on Douglas Street. It must be home to his principal food supply lady. Evidently she feeds him every day. Someone saw her call “Henry” and the heron flew down from a tree! Now, that’s one wily bird.

My heartfelt thanks to all the blood donors, and those who relinquish their Driver’s Licenses before their poor Doctor has to advise them to do so. And my best wishes for a grand and glorious and sun drenched summer to one and all.

Photos by Barry Behnke