Deer 3 - 0 Bird feeder

Well, that didn't work!

Despite some spectacular successes - the American Goldfinch for one - all is not well in the match between deer and us!

What with putting up with th chipmunk - that shins up the pole as if it was a divided highway - the Bluejays that just bully everyone else out of the way and the black squirrel (honest) - we are not winning.

In fact, in the running battle between the deer and the bird-feeder, we are losing!

However!  Round four - copper wire!

He, he, he!


We went to a great supper at Marta and Norman's last evening.  Smoke meat - PLEASE can I have the recipe?!


And we have done quite a bit this year - here's the list so far!

No - we haven't even looked at the cabin - that's later this week - and the Barn door needs another coat of paint - that's now :-)  B-B-Q later.  Hooray!

Bits and Bats

No - we haven't seen the bats recently; funny, because there used to be a number around here...

Little stuff really.  We spent two days (dodging rain showers on Thursday, none to speak of yesterday) firstly "Log-washing" the outside of he cottage, and then adding a clear coat top layer.  Easy work really, but one that put us high up on ladders as before.  I seem to be better at ladders than I used to be; Ali is much better at them - better sense of balance and no fear of heights.

I went to M. Sauriol at the cedar deck makers.  I needed some beading to finish off the tunnel wall.  He has some of the most beautiful cedar logs and makes massive (3" thick) tables and benches from them.  He cheerfully cut me the bead to size and so that's one more job to tick off the list.

Supper in the Screen-room is just lovely.  The solar-powered chandelier is a bit dim, but at least you don't fall over by it.

Ali went riding Friday morning and hen stopped off to pay the council taxes. 

We have raised the bird-feeder to a height that should deter the biggest deer - but the chipmunk won't be happy.  (S)he's getting more confident, sitting at our feet on times, chewing peanuts.  (S)he seems to be storing them in the basement tunnel.






I've re-sealed the gap between the cottage outside wall and the basement tunnel roof.  Prior to that we had an inundation when we washed the wall!




Just opened the curtains - I spoke too soon about the bird-feeder!



Two men from Hydro-Quebec (the electricity company) came to test the integrity of our power-pole.  It's position is recorded by GPS and it is measure, tapped (Wheel-tappers and shunters!) to check its solidity before three holes are drilled down into the base and rot-stopper plugs are inserted.  They told me that it adds ten years to the life of the pole.  Elsewhere along the road they have been drastically cutting back trees from around the poles.  The resulting piles of logs are dwindling ;-)

Heard from P & N.  They're going to come up on Sunday for an overnight which should be fun.  Off to Norman and Marta's for Smoke meat supper this evening!

A mixed bag

Sunday - we went to a day at the riding school in Huberdeau.  It was really fun - and extremely hot (hooray, at last!).  People took things to barbecue and there was a huge boiler for sweet-corn.  We took the (soft) drinks.

Mark rode, as did Audrey.

There was a mix of Pony Club games and a cross-country.  Ali wished she could have ridden.










Monday we went to a charity supper for the local Hospital - held at the golf-club in Nominingue.  An almost endless raffle saw us - empty-handed.  Oh well - a good cause.

Here at home, we've been (as) busy (as ever!). 


Blue Room; new, Eastern Cedar tongue-and-groove for the basement tunnel; bolted down the screen-room; the flower-bed outside the down-stairs bathroom....


But sunshine (and showers) for a couple of days now.  Shirt-off weather ;-)

And so it goes!

Thursday, Friday - where did they go?

Oh!

Ali has been really busy continuing to paint the Blue room, the floor, herself.....  She has started a new fashion line in distressed Tee-shirts.  I painted the barn door "Fire red", and I peeled a bit of the fibre-glass off the Winter project canoe; looks as if it's going to be OK to do!

And we cleared and planted a patch with hydrangeas outside the downstairs bathroom window; and we had friends in for supper this evening - solar chandelier and all.


That's right; we saved up all our "spare" time to go to St Jovite yesterday evening; to shop at Rona, Canadian Tire and IGA for food for this evening, and to have  supper at Steak Frites - which we frankly enjoyed.

A busy morning today; to the village for a visit to the Municipal tip - getting rid of Claude's old stocks of paint - and for flowers and garden soil for the planting..

Supper; Lorne and Audrey, Karen ( a Cuenca / USA friend of theirs) Marta and Norman; nibbles, Moules marinieres (the French way!) with baguettes from the bakery; a course of yellow and green beans "du Jardin" with butter and parsely;  Chicken tarragon with a cream sauce, roast new potatoes, Swiss chard; Boodle, Apple crumble; cheeses.

Good chat, good company; what's not to like?

Back to 107

Well,

A lovely drive up from Ann's outside Kingston.  We came along the 401  and then up the 416 to Ottawa - to be lead by a most compliant Sat-Nav (Emily)  to the crossing at Mason.

This really is the most remarkable ferry.  It operates 24 hours a day and I think 365 days a year.  It's run by Traversiers Bourbonnais under the slogan "Five minutes of relaxation - to avoid the stress of the circulation (traffic)".

We were needing some lunch by now and Ali eschewed the offer of Chinese food for a "Casse croute" (literally "break crust").  A really nice but toothless gentleman who told us that he had recently bought the business ( a way-side shack) using a bequest his mother had left him.  He was proud of his own smoked-meat; his own sausages and his little business.  He waited gently whilst we said grace and wished us "God Bless" as we left.  We hope that he does well.  I'm sure that we shall find an opportunity to visit him again.

Home to wash the boat (the Station de lavage (essentially the local garage) declined the opportunity to wash if for us, saying that his jet-wash would undoubtedly blow a hole in the boat!)  But it's serious stuff.  There are zebra mussels and other invasive species in the Rideau - which former eat the beneficial plankton and let the mats of green stuff flourish.  We do not want those here, thank you!

We also cut the lawn - and continued that today.  A long time with our little mower :-(

We remedied the panel mounting on the Screen-room so that the eaves are now tightly protected.  And Ali painted some more of the Blue Room - readying for visitors.

A bit of a fractious day - delayed weariness I suspect........

Kingston to Upper Brewers'

Well - very tired now - 26 k today!




Couldn't have asked for better weather mind.  A light northerly to start with - on the nose - and then calmer and calmer through the day.  Sunshine and mild to warm; lovely countryside and a curry at the end.

More of of all that another time.

Right now - bed calls!

Sunday - yesterday in terms of the chronology of this account - we left Smiths Falls and the motel of Mr Patel and his lovely wife.

Last year  when we stayed there I asked him where I could get a good Indian meal in Smiths Falls - and he offered to dig a butter chicken out of the freezer for us!  I told him that he should start a restaurant instead!

We declined on that occasion but I reminded him of our chat when I rang to make the booking this time.  He said he still hadn't opened a restaurant, but would we like them to cook some Indian food for us when we came?

Well, the embarrassment  is that were out and about for most of the evening - but I asked him to make us a meal for four - to take on to Ann.  And he and his wife did just that! 

we wandered down via lunch at Newboro again and a bit of a trip down memory lane.  But the extraordinary part is that from the roads, you would never suspect the beauty and the scale of the lakes that are hidden "just over there"!

Monday morning early we went with Ann to be put in at Kingston, about 200 yards up from the bascule bridge which really marks the start of the Rideau.

Although we had a bit of a Northerly to start with, once through Kingston Mills locks (we arrived in perfect timing for this flight of three then one), the wind gradually eased and we had perfect paddling all the way up Colonel By lake and into the River Styx (originally Sticks because of all the flooded trees).  A long pull, and a little breather two thirds of the way up before meeting the famed apple trees growing wild beside the river and then Lower Brewers, Upper Brewers and the original put in.

 

Ann met us ten minutes after we arrived - and then home to that curry - with other friends of Ann from the USA and her original Newbury past, Walt and Patti.

 

Yum!

Absolutely shattered, we slept on our mats in the Sun-room (from choice; Ann offered other accommodation!)  We woke just once in the night, to be surrounded by stars shining through the windows.  Wonderful indeed,

This is the end of the Rideau for this year.  It would not have been possible in this way without Ann's help and Stevie's shared welcome.

Thank you both - and Rosie of course!  :-)

NOT what the forecast suggested!

Oh well; you don't want to know about more painting and decorating, do you?

Saturday we returned to Ontario, to Smiths Falls in fact, to watch some of the K2O - Kingston to Ottawa paddle race.

In the rain; torrential rain; and high wind.

Absolutely dreadful conditions for the first day; very strong winds and driving rain. By Narrows lock (4.00 pm from a staggered 06.00 to 10.00 start), about a third of the teams had dropped out - including two Stand-up paddles (think surfboards and long paddles....) (eh!?).

The two older guys at the bottom of the pictures were having a blast!  (And yes, that is an Osprey!)

By nightfall at Poonamalee lock, the lead team (relay) competitor coming off the water said the last lake (Lower Rideau) had been a white-out. There were some concerns about a 74 year old paddler - I spoke to him later, he had been blown off course and had to edge-hug.

Two seemingly very experienced guys in an open - no buoyancy bags, just the canoe - said that they had been surfing 1.5 foot waves (I think they actually said 1.5 metres - surely not?) and had at one point been slammed straight down after taking to the air.



I think that these were probably the open canoe leaders at the end of play.......

 So - the race was pulled at nightfall. Everyone accounted for. Lessons to be learned for sure but such fantastic spirit. All ages, both genders. Brilliant!

Rain, rain......

...go away!  The nursery rhyme says.

We woke in Aylmer on Tuesday - to rain!  And it came all the way here with us, right until the final turn north.  35 km later we arrived - and it caught us up.  Heavy rain.  Rain heavy enough to delay unloading the car until Wednesday, and recurrent enough to keep us inside until the end of today!

But Wednesday I  just had to go into the village for some decorating supplies and met a wonderful wood-worker who cut me timber to profile and length to replace the hinge-overlapping trim around the blue-room window, and promised me Cherry for the guwales on the Langford canoe - as we now believe it to be - in due course.

So now that's done.  And the QM work is done on the trip stores and kit - all stowed ready for Saturday when we intend to charge back to Smiths Falls to see the racers go through Narrows, Poonamalee and Smiths Falls.  After overnighting with Mr Patel again - he offered to make us Indian food when I rang to make the booking and reminded hi of our conversation last year - we shall return to Ann in Inverary to try to do Kingston to Upper Brewers - and there we shall leave it for this year I think.  Too long away from here and with this week's poor weather, no chance to catch up with friends or to do a few essential outside chores.

But it will be there next year!



Meanwhile- the guys are getting on with growing antlers for the rut!  These two were mutually grooming each other's neck and chasing off a third who obviously wanted to join in!

And then - amazement!  We looked up from our painting and window-framing to see this bird on the power line to the house!

One or twice it was "mobbed" by another hawk - I didn't manage to see just what; but definitely a hawk.

The bird stayed, looking at the ground as if searching for prey, for about 10 minutes and then, whilst I was busy setting my camera for repeat shots, it flew off - so I didn't get to see its wing shape or flight pattern.

But we've searched the book and the interweb and we think it's a Grey phase Gyrfalcon

Anyone any better ideas, please let us know.

It was certainly big enough for a Gyr!













We have noticed, since we got back, that there are far more birds of many varieties new to us around the house.  Or perhaps it's just the rain....

Still - ceiling and two walls of the "Bue Room" done today!  Looks nice :-)

On the road again!

Well, not right now, of course.  Right now we're settling down for a night's kip in a hot and humid Gatineau (Quebec side Ottawa) at Pam and Noel's house after a most welcome supper and evening.


But six hour's driving yesterday (Sunday) for Peter in to the heart of Ontario cottage country to purchase this:



as a winter project!









Meanwhile, Ali spent the morning with Guy as he skated - smooth as ever by all account

- and the afternoon with Lila and him at the park.

And Beckham sizes up the opposition.......

And then another six hour's driving today to get here, via Kaladar on the Seven (with supposedly the best chips in Ontario).

We had a good visit in Toronto - Lila still doesn't relate to me; but I do, so that's OK :-) - and look forward to seeing the tribe again.






Home tomorrow to 107 - we have been away a fortnight!

Time out with family and (old) friends

Thursday - Toronto - but not before a long and leisurely farewell to Ann...

The canoe will be staying with her and Stevie for a week or so - we're determined to have a further bash at the canal!


 The obvious route from Kingston to Toronto is via the 401 along the lake.  Well; you hardly ever see the lake but it's safe and not too busy.  Guy was at home working this afternoon so we went to meet Julie at Lila's nursery and then went shopping for supper.  Chicken on skewers and Caesar salad!

Friday:
A slow and lazy morning after the others had gone to work and then in to town on the metro (tube), getting off at the wrong station!  So we walked in the sun through the University district to the AGO.  I must admit, it is a charming and architecturally exciting University and I was quite jealous of the idea of a community of scholars - totally unlike what Dental Schools in the UK have become.

Ho hum.

AGO was as exciting as ever, with an exhibition of Anishinaabe artists work.  To crib from the programme, "For more than 12,000 years, the Great Lakes region has produced a distinct culture of Anishinaabe artists and storytellers. The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) celebrates those artists and stories this summer with Before and after the Horizon: Anishinaabe Artists of the Great Lakes, featuring artworks by leading modern and contemporary artists --"  A remarkable range of styles and technique, from rather Mayan, profoundly colourful images of people and spirits, to beautiful, point by point canvases, rather like the Australian Aboriginal tradition.  No photos permitted and no catalogue; a shame.

And, of course, some old friends! - and some new ones, too!

 Although fine art obviously doesn't do it for everyone!












Saturday.  Brunch at the Bristol!  A pub / restaurant with an emphasis on breakfasts. 








Then to a flower-market.









Guess who?

Sun and pagentry in southern Ontario

Apparently dry rice helps to dry out wet electronics.  Ali's kindle has come back to life anyway; I went to a wonderful local store to buy big bags of rice and zip-loc bags to try the trick.  The warm weather will have helped as well!

A warm and lazy day, writing up some of the trip blog and doing laundry.

We went to a Kingston pub for supper



and then on to Fort Henry to a wonderful "Tattoo" put on by the Fort Henry Guard, with marching and drill and a mock assault with bangs and flashes and bagpipes and the Last Post. 

Made you proud to be British - as the Canadians are obviously proud of their British past.

Off to Toronto tomorrow.

Back from the Wild

Tuesday.

More, much more later; but for now a quick message to say,  "Yes, we are safe",  "No, we didn't fall in".

But we lost our electronics yesterday evening when  thunderstorm (we were off the water, thankfully - but only just!) flooded all of our plastic-wrapped electronics with 4 inches of water in the bottom of the boat in just 20 minutes.

Great trip!

So - my notebook is not dry (the paper, not the ink!) but I thought that I'd get a few bare essentials down and continue to edit over the next few days....

This has been an extraordinary trip.   The rideau canal has loomed large in our imagination for over three years as the paddle route from 107 to Toronto!  One of these days we hope to join up all of the waterways in between but for now, the idea was to "nail" the Rideau. 

So I wrote briefly about day one and day two  and the rest day at Newboro.  This was a lovely stop, a chance to "potter" and read and bask in the sun-shine.

The wild-life was fun too; brightly coloured frogs and beautiful dragonflies.







Here we also met a couple paddling "the other way".  He was Belgian - very keen to chat; she was Quebecer, brought up in Woodstock USA - not so keen.


Friday.

In the morning, as we were packing up, two kayakers also came through, wonderful, open, Christian men who shared their faith and their love of what we were all doing.  This next day envisaged  our hardest challenge with large expanses of water and nowhere to "bail out".

So, up to Narrows lock where we again met Angus and his friend, shared blessings and laughter, and saw them off on a 50k day! Somehow, meeting these guys reminded us of God's loving care for us.  Everything seemed more certain from then on.

These upper lakes - Upper Rideau Lake, Big Rideau Lake, are crystal clear; there is little weed and the water goes down seemingly forever.  The plan was to keep to the Eastern shore of Upper - to shorten the line and keep out of the main channel - and then keep to the Western shore of Big - expecting wind from the west.

But in the end, although the route was pretty much what we intended, the wind never materialised and we paddled across a mirror for k after k. 

Newborro to Murphy's Point - 21k

I was still pretty nervous in the boat - I don't have Ali's sense of balance - but I had found room for my feet at last and was beginning to feel the movement in a far more relaxed fashion.  Added to which, some time around now, we decided to change navigator, from me to Ali.  This put the steering into the stern and the route-finding into the bow.  And now I began, slowly, to enjoy the physicality of the trip.  The speed-boat wakes still caused us to turn to take the head on, and big wind-shifts would have worried us - but where was everyone? 

This is cottage country in spades.  Canadian shield land with rounded, glaciated rock all the way to the shore and overhanging docks stocked by power-boats.  But the water was relatively quiet; we met one kayaker all day, no canoes.  The western shore of Big Rideau has a number of inlets - we took shelter in one or two to rest backs and bums!







By Murphy's point - announced in the guide-book as a camping opportunity - we really began to enjoy the following "sea" and the swoops and glides that came with it.  Close in to shore we saw a couple in one of the paddle in sites.  They told us that check in was three bays around to the west.





Half an hour later, tired and rather dispirited, we chose a camp-site at random - 411.  On a little island, close down to the water, it seemed a suitable spot and we were so tired.



 





We set up camp - a bit cross because there was such poor signage as to what else we should have done - and cooked our noodles and soup mixture.
The water filter came out for the first time and did a good job.  Certainly the water tasted better than the tap stuff from the last lock!  The boreholes in this area give the water a sulphurous taste.  A bit like Vichy!


 And then - big shock - not one but three canoes and couples turned up - looking for pitches 413, 412 and 414!  Apparently, we should have booked.  I tried to contact the Provincial Park by phone - a huge recorded message and poor reception (Surprise!!) and  finally through to an agent.  And then I got cut off - twice :-(




The couple on 412 sweetly offered us a place for our tent on their plot if anyone came for ours.  Mark (and Gerry) had booked two days ago and been told that his was the last space available.  So we sat around for a while - but no-one ever came.  I tell you - looked after.



Fireflies around the camp, flickering like tiny Christmas decorations; a noisome - or should that be noisy - privy.  But a good night's sleep and a beautiful dawn. 

Saturday.
Awake so early that we could take our time and still be away by nine.











And, as you see, the feared storms had yet to materialise.  So we headed off pretty much in a straight line!

Murphy's Point to Smiths Falls Detached via Rideau Ferry - 22k

At Rideau Ferry, we met up with a kindly elderly gentleman who had been a fishing guide and a paddle guide in the past.  He loved the boat - as have so many people!  We had great food at the "Snack Shack" and loaded up with more water in a 4 litre jug and some tins for supper - in case.













The last of the big water now - Lower Rideau Lake.  And more mill-pond, sunshine and lilies!

The channel  begins to take wide turns - not needed for the canoe!

In Lower Rideau Lake

And then I argued with the Navigator - and we missed the "Mud Cut" - a short cut through the sea of reeds with an entrance about 4 feet wide.  Instead, we tried the next, adjacent entry to what looked like a sea of waterlilies - as described to us by the Belgian - and ended up jammed into wild rice!

Oh dear; I am Sooooo sorry.  It was only a bit of a deviation; but it was a pity to have missed it.

Feeling strong, we pushed on to Poonamalie, a really pretty lock, and then on again to Smith's Falls Detached!

Long-time readers of this scribble may remember that we visited Smiths Falls last year on our way to Toronto.  And now here we are, camping at the very lock that we visited.





We had a very good Chinese take-away, including and excellent General Tso Chicken!  Yum!



And found ourselves to be sharing our camp with a troop of Boy Scouts from Pennsylvania!










They were awake and about at 06.00 and off on he water by 09.00.  With ice in their personal cooler boxes to keep their sandwiches cool........

Great guys - about to make it to Chaffeys ( against the wind!).  They were carrying all of their personal kit - but were to be met each night at their camp stop - and catered for.  This is their "Chuck Wagon".

Which reminds me, thinking of Scouts; not only have we been very blessed and fortunate in the weather and water conditions we have met, but we also had a good teacher at the outset.  Stephen - thanks very much indeed for the instruction, conversation and support throughout.  Anything that might go "wrong" from here on is entirely our fault and responsibility.  You did warn us about double-bagging!

So - the happily inevitable preparations for the departure!

Sun-tan cream!





The plan today was for a long day to Merrickville.  It didn't quite work out that way.

Smiths Falls to Kilmarnock.  9.7 k

Lots of locks today - through SF detached then SF combined (a very deep lock replacing an original flight of three), to Slys and Edmunds and onward to Kilmarnock.

We pulled on to the portage after the lock and were regaled by the dance music - of a very modern variety - emanating from the simply huge boat parked up on the other side.  Not only that, but they had disembarked a full sized barbecue, just for the two of them.  They eventually packed up and locked through - southbound.

We re-embarked and began the paddle north - and then turned around and came back to camp.



We were just tired, as the lock-master had mentioned when we first stopped.  And besides; we weren't aiming for the next lock, but the one after.  So pushing on feeling as we did would have been foolish.













As it was, we had a very pleasant evening eating up the left over Chinese meal - with no ill effects - and gathering strength for the next lap.








 At the end of the day, a Dad and his boys came down to fish; the Dad teaching them respect for the caught fish and responsibility for returning it to the water quickly and with a minimum of discomfort.

 This transfer of skills should be what this route is about.








Morning; a good night's sleep; an early start and some corner cutting saw us first on the blue line at Merrickville,

when the lockmaster asked us to move to let in the Kawartha Voyager.


So we moved over to the other side of the pool, behind these Voyageur copies.

And then more power-boats filled in the moorings and the lock-master forgot us.





And we had to wait two hours in full sun, not knowing what was going on, in order to start the lock down.

We were cross - and pretty complaining I'm afraid.  Still, the winding nature of the river from here meant that we kept catching up the rest of the boats - eventually gaining a "what kind of motor do you guys have in there?" from one of our fellow-lockers.

So we arrived at the second Nicholson's lock with the sky darkening ever more.  Once through the lock we pulled over to the dock to get our waterproofs on - and the heavens opened!  I mean really opened! 

We sheltered under the lock house overhang and then I went down to check on the boat - to find at least four inches of water in the bottom.

I bailed it out - another ten more minutes' worth topped it back up!  But the rain eventually stopped; we were safe and we paddled on under clearing skies to Burritts Rapids.

But when we pulled the gear out of the boat, we found much wet - including our electronics.

Despite most helpful lock-staff and a wonderful meal at the now-open Restaurant that we had last seen closed in September 2013, it was a rough and sleepless night, full of remorse and recriminations, although the stars were beautiful.






But the dawn  was misty, and wonderful Ann answered our call and drove all the way up to collect us.

Thanks again Ann - and Rosie of course.