(F)all gone!

Thursday, 12th September.

Woke to bright sunshine and the first frost of the year!

Away early and in to St Jovite to meet with Lorne Eason, the Deanery warden of Readers.

A good, long chat in a very nice coffee house called Cafe Couleurs.  Most memorable question?  "What do you find different between the Anglican Church in Canada and in the UK?"   I think it's the lack of stuffiness and hierarchy.  Most of the priests I've met here came to their vocations in their forties and fifties.  And they're so easy to see us all, ordained and lay, as equal partners in ministry.

The peak of the Fall colours today.







Home; Karen and Denis dropped by late lunchtime; they're dog-sitting Roxy.   Then Ali and I fitted the roof supports for the screen room.....  Winter's coming!

But not before I had to drive back in to the village to buy more screws - could NOT find the originals which I took off in the Spring!


Michel Rocher and his daughter (on holiday from France)  came in in the evening; we broached a bottle of  PEC wine from last year. We're going to buy his car - he's leaving for France, despite not having been able to sell his house here...




Friday, 13th October

Michel and I drove to St Jovite to transfer ownership of the car (a Ford Edge like this) and to arrange the insurance.  He will garage both of the cars over winter in his garage and we'll sell ours in the Spring.  Four hours of constant French was a challenge!

The leaves are falling fast and so the colours, so late to arrive, are already fading.  Such fleeting beauty.

The little rituals that mark the turning of the year; Ali was baking Nanaimo Bars for the Church Social on Saturday evening; I changed over the fly screens in the back doors for the glazed panes. 

In the evening, we went for supper with Denis and Karen at Mark's place where they're staying.  Scrumptious food, great chat; just a lovely evening.

Saturday, 14th October.




A gentle day of cooking for the Autumn Supper this evening at Grace, and preparing to lead the worship there for the first time!

It was a huge success, - the supper.  I have never seen so many deserts in one place!


And we chatted with the new priest - Rev Josee Lemoine.  She's great; later to the ministry, sensible, down to earth, Francophone / bilingual.  Very impressed.


 It was foggy as we left at about 8.30 to come home.  The engine light had been on for about ten minutes on the way there - but that's often the fuel cap not fitting well.  We joined the 117 at Tremblant and began the climb up past the turning to Montee Ryan  - when the gears just seemed to give up.

We turned off into the road for lac Duhamel and rang CAA.  And then we rang Denis.  And the very nice man from CAA turned up in about 25 minutes and Karen and Denis met us at SOS Meccano about 40 minutes later!

I tell you (as Denis is fond of saying),  that could have happened anywhere in the last 7 days and we would have been stuck, really stuck.

So Karen and Denis have it all planned out.  They will bring their car at 09.00 tomorrow for us to use until we leave; they will use Mark's truck.

I tell you - whether it is in terms of the timing of the breakdown, the friends we are blessed with, this country, whatever; we are looked after and cared for and loved in the most extraordinary way.

Thank you Father.