Progress

Progress is becoming evident at our little Workaway volunteer posting. What am I saying, little? No, no.
We just keep getting more and more things to work on, which is great! It's a really nice feeling to know that we are helping someone to realise their dreams of turning a forested piece of acreage into a beautifully landscaped home.

And it has to be deer proof, of course, because deer roaming wild means having all your plants munched. So that means fences, fences, and more fences. And then what would a newly cleared space in front of your soon to be renovated cottage be, without a perfectly levelled and smoothed lawn out the front to lounge around on in the summer? So, we've been tackling that one too. Two weeks of levelling with a digger, rock picking and raking by hand, and it's ready for seeding. But we're already on to the next job, digging in some steps and barrowing gravel to continue the landscaping to our wee caravan.

It never ends, but it's good. It feels really good. And it's exciting to see the results!

There are little strawberries, raspberries and blueberries appearing in the orchard, and all our transplanted plants are thriving and on the verge of flowering. The deer can't keep up with the clover which has turned a stunning, rich green colour, and is soft and springy to walk on in bare feet (dodging the deer poop on the way).

We have discovered a nest of baby squirrels in a nearby tree - they chase each other up and down the trunk, spiralling as they go. Unfortunately, the neighbours cat has discovered them too... bugger!

Still, all is well in our little piece of borrowed paradise on Salt Spring.

Volunteering - Salt Spring Island

At the start of the week we arrived on Salt Spring Island, a 3 hour ferry ride from Vancouver. This is where we are doing our first stint of volunteer work.

We are staying with a lovely pair of Canadians, Andre and Martin, helping them landscape and build a cottage on their newly purchased piece of land in the forest, overlooking the ocean on the island.
They bake us kiwifruit muffins and stream NZ news over the internet every day just so we feel a little more at home.

We are loving the cool weather, freshly cut firewood, our cosy campervan, all the deer and squirrels running around, the trips into the sleepy seaside village, and their deaf cat called Geek.

Who knows, we may be here for a while...