Yesterday Joe and myself had a 430 start to reach the ferry terminal to take us across to Vancouver Island. It was a day to spend in the company of enthusiastic and charismatic farmer. Joel Salatin of Polyface farm was the speaker at a one day convention, anyone not having heard of him will certainly benefit by doing a little research into his philosophy and progress on grass based farming. It was an opportunity to meet the man, albeit briefly, before Joe flies out to Virginia next week, to try out for an internship being offered next year.

Joel certainly has a vision and is committed to sharing his convictions. If more farmers had his passion and abilities the opportunities to buy locally produced foods would be a realistic viability!

H1N1- my whole week is being sent dealing with this and work time is being dedicated at the expense of everything else. Email me privately for some thoughts!!!!

Low Points:

1)trying to get the next plane back to UK after arriving, only to find belongings had already been shipped

2)Work, work, work (only counts for one though!) No vacation for 18months was an unexpected shock

3)Car insurance and unions! I could write an essay on each, but both appear criminal and set to serve the provider- both compulsory with no opportunity to look for better services!

4)Snow, the kids love it but why o why is there so much of the stuff

5)Beaurocracy and the word ‘awesome’, how can you get the same two words in a sentence together

High Points

1) Family: a new vision had been established and everything that entails (again an essay for another time). If the last 2 years have been awesome then I can’t wait for tomorrow. We have all grown together

2) Friends, we have been so, so blessed and encouraged in the way we have been cared for and looked after in ways we could never plan or hope for

3) A discovery of the Sufficiency of Scripture. BW has been an amazing teacher and part of a much bigger jigsaw that is being laid before us

4) Creation is just amazing. We have seen an absolute minute speck of creation- yet it blows me away on a daily basis. The geography here is breathtaking- except when it’s white and minus 15. From the foothills of the Rockies to the dunes of Oregon, such a speck but what a taste.

5)If i was to complete the list then something would be left off. The entries for the highlight will increase by the day- why limit it!

It is now November and we are still eating the produce of our efforts at growing vegetables. Lettuce is still being picked and the beet and broccoli is only just coming to an end. The kiddies have found an avenue for selling our walnuts through a local post office. rearing pigs was fun and given us an appetizer for what is possible with a bit of imagination and effort. I’m looking forward to planning for next year with eggs and even a goat or two, just need to find somewhere to enable us to act the Good Life.

mouth watering corn

Victoria did so much make me feel as though we had re-found the splendidness of England that I am missing. The city gave me emotions of remembering windows of time in the town of Brighton, and the cities of Bath and Cheltenham. But what was missing was the volumes of people busying away in their daily lives with no time or thought for the person racing along besides them on the footpath. Unlike Blighty everyone you come across has the both the manner and time to acknowledge your presence, from the Batisseriere at Starbucks to the guys travelling back on the ferry after weeks of being away from their family whilst workingWe stayed in a delightful suite in a central hotel and just enjoyed being with each other as a family.

The BC Parliamentary Buildings were a highlight of the trip and even impressed the boys so much they stayed on to witness their first parliamentary session which was informative and topical. The different sides of the House criticizing each other and ridiculing the opposition for apparent ignorance of issues in health care. I should have stayed with them- I would have loved to have been a heckler!! The brick buildings were as delightful as I remember but alas I never spotted the famous Red Telephone boxes.

Time with the family is always so enriching and quality time is always humbling.Neal<><

Well it’s like this, I was Salmon fishing on a  glorious Summer morning when this large grizzly approached stealthily from behind and totally surprised me- he started to grip me in a bear hug and pull me towards his den. From deep within me came a sense of power so I managed to grab a paw -this paw was like something I had never experienced, the size of a large dinner plate, and with an unreserved strength I released his grip. Wow was he mad then? He rose to his full standing height of about 12 foot and lunged. Quick as a flash I side stepped him and leapt onto his back-gripping for my life (are you still following me???) With a mighty roar he then headed for the hills- with yours truly hanging on with everything I had. Boy was I getting tired.

Then with no warning this beast turned to the left and leapt a gorge. This was a mistake on both of our parts as his leap was too short, we both plummeted to the bottom of a ravine which was fast flowing and ice cold. The impact as I hit the water may have caused the leg injury but my attention was soon taken elsewhere. The relief of seeing the awesome animal swimming in the opposite direction brought instant pleasure so I swam with the current looking for a safe place to climb from the river. As I was swept around one particular crevice I noticed a small dingy being hit by waves and like a paper boat was being pushed nearer and nearer the faster current. Then I realized the perils of my situation, the deafening noise which I had been oblivious to was in fact the crashing of water hurling itself from the waterfall ahead and gathering at the bottom. This could have been the end for me -I could sense that something incredible had to happen to save me. And it did. The dingy I had noticed earlier was now within arms reach- and the lip of the fall was less than 50 feet away. I felt out for the raft and managed to grip my fingers round the rope hanging from its bow. Unlike under normal circumstances I never gave a second thought to what had happened to the original occupiers of this dingy, I just reacted wanting to save my life. With the last bit of energy within me I pulled myself alongside the boat and just clung on. What happened next is just a blur but I shall recall it as best I feel I can

As I was spat from the mouth of the waterfall I pulled the limp rubber boat closer to me. As we fell towards the rock below and an inevitable gruesome finish my life flashed before me, my family, special friends, the songs within me, the book yet unwritten. With a sense of doom I closed my eyes and thought this is it. But things were about to change.

The rubber sheet which had once been a boat began to bellow in the current of air being forced sky bound from the waves below. The rubber began to fill out and take the form of a parachute which slowly broke my speed and gave me hope- perhaps I was going to survive after all! The wind at the bottom of the fall must have been strong as I was whisked southwards towards some treetops and unexplored bush. I recall thinking ‘I hope this is soft’ as I prepared for the imminent landing. But I never felt any impact, I was hanging from the top of a large cedar tree, the improvised parachute now resembled its former boat likeness and sat torn and limp in the branch of the tree above me.

I took a moment to gather my bearings (perhaps it was this that had caused my injury???) I was 50 foot up a tree and probably a long way from civilization, but after counting my limbs I realized that I was still in one piece. As I started to try and assemble which way was North, and the way to venture homeward bound, it was clear to me I was not alone. From above was the distinct noise of buzzing, the kind of buzzing a nest of bees might make if their home was being disturbed and hence needed defending. It did take a moment or two to fully grasp the severity of the situation. What I had originally thought was blurred vision due to the excitement  of the previous 20 minutes or so was in fact blurriness due to the mass of excited bees swarming above my head. Common sense told me it was time to extract myself from the tree. The first sting on my hand in fact rushed that feeling of expediency and it was the act of swatting the next approaching bee that caused me to let go of the branch that was in fact enabling me to balance precariously atop the green harness of branches and leaves. The fall wasn’t too bad and I did find time on the way down to think that had I been prepared I might have brought the boat down with me- you never know when you might need it again. Falling is never difficult or problematic. The majority of the time it is the sensation of stopping that causes problems, this fall was no different. Fortunately it wasn’t the hardened forest floor or the jagged rocks poking their heads from their resting place that met me and caused me to stop.

When I look back I can’t believe how this poor bear was unlucky enough to meet me twice in such a short period of time. I guess he had succumbed to the force of the current also, and I always believed the account told in natural history books of bears being such strong swimmers- obviously this bear hadn’t read the same books. I must have hit this furry creature with such gusto that he didn’t have time to respond or react; he was knocked out cold on impact. Just as well as I can’t imagine a bear with a sore head being  best of company. Brushing off my clothing and again trying to think straight I recalled briefly the happenings of the previous few moments or so.

It was the crack from above that made me look up- the next second I was in darkness and responded without thinking, fighting as someone might if they were suddenly thrown into a paper bag and told that to get out to save their life. I thrashed about not realizing that all that had happened was the dingy had followed my path downwards because I was still holding the boat cord whilst swatting annoying attacking bees. I should have realized a little earlier that it was in fact the dingy and not the swarm of crazy insects surrounding me that had caused the daylight to disappear, that way I may not have injured my wrist so readily as I wouldn’t have hit the tree that only a few minutes earlier had held me a loft.

With a sore wrist, a feeling of foolishness and acknowledging the need to be some considerable distance from the bear when he awoke I headed back towards the water. It did seem a great idea at the time but in hindsight was not so clever. The pack of wolves that dominate that particular spot of beautiful Canada were about ready for a drive through meal, and I was just about to drive through their resting zone. The first animal yelped as I placed my foot on his head thinking it was a large moss covered stone. This created a chain reaction which I have only ever seen in science labs before. The yelping animal ran forward tripping over and awakening his pack mate who in turn lashed out catching  the original surprised animal on the hind leg. The bite must have hurt! They were so surprised by each others supposed attack on themselves that it did take a moment or two for them to notice an unusual red, yellow and blue rubber sheet ( because that is all it was by now, didn’t resemble a one time floating mechanism at al!). This strange rainbow coloured being was racing away trying to put as much distance between itself and the animals as possible. One by one the somewhat upset creatures pulled themselves together and allowed natures instincts to return, chasing after me. I can imagine them thinking their next meal was getting away.

Diving back into the icy waters was the better option than deciding which course on their menu I was about to become. The ringing of the howls still resounds in my ears today, I can vividly recall their look of confusion and ultimate disappointment as the water current took me far from their reach. It was a floating log that served me well next. At least clinging to that I could conserve energy and start to look for a way out of this predicament.

It was not many minutes before I could sense the waters slowing to a manageable speed and almost instantly I could see a stretch of water with what looked like boats upon it. It was a great feeling believe me. With what strength was left in my battered body I kicked towards what I perceived to be shore, and hopefully safety.

The sand felt good as I lay there and it wasn’t long before I was surrounded by a number of onlookers perplexed at the vision before them. Still clinging to my favorite piece of rubber sheeting I lay exhausted not wanting to move and fearing the next twist of fate that by now I had come to expect. It was whilst laying there that I noticed the bewildered  looks of a particular set of onlookers. It turned out that only a short period of time previously (felt like an eternity to me) that they had been happily playing at a particular stretch of water letting their new dingy out onto the water and when the safety rope had reached it’s maximum length and become taut had then enthusiastically pulled it back again. Apparently after a few attempts at this they had tried to make it more interesting by placing in the boat their beloved pet dog that had enjoyed being centre of attention of the experience. That was until a strange man had been seen to swim from the other side of the river and grab hold of the boat throwing their beloved pet into the water. The boat, a birthday present for the youngest daughter, was thought to have been stolen and taken from their sight. Well that’s how they explained it to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer who they had reported it to just a few minutes earlier.

As I sat in the back of the police car trying to explain how I had come across the families boat I could sense the Officers disbelief, and the way he asked me about my recreational drug usage confirmed my feeling of being a criminal, albeit unintentionally. I did feel for the little girl who clearly thought I had tried to deliberately drown their family pet and the way she cried and clung to my little piece of rubber. I call it mine with fond memories but at that point I realized we had parted company. It was a lonely ride to the police station and the officer in the front of the car wasn’t particularly talkative. I was disappointed in his attitude towards me and when he asked for the name of my psychiatrist it did suggest a notion of lack of sympathy. Although I didn’t share it with him I did think that something does need to be changed within police training.

So you wanted to hear about how I hurt my leg and ended up in plaster. Take your pick as to the likely cause but like the officer I suspect you won’t believe me either.

There is unfortunately nothing deep and profound about this, I have just collected my new glasses and after I don’t know how long can actually see! I was oblivious as to how bad my previous lenses had become- not because my eyes had changed but just general, and not-so-general, use had made the lenses and frames ‘unfit for purpose!’. As the optician fitted me with new frames I looked around like a startled rabbit, ‘this is what everything really looks like?’ I had recollections of my first glasses (you know- the black rimmed NHS frames designed to make short ginger haired kids the butt of everyones jokes!) and how I had just sat in astonishment, peering and staring at everything and everyone because I could actually see them for the first time. Well I’m glad to say that the frames don’t represent my first optical experience- although it was tempting to get them again after seeing the reaction of Rachel and Rebekah when I tried some on for their amusement. Now I just need to be wise and not wear them whilst swimming, paintballing, skiing etc.

As I’m sitting here looking out over the fields there is an explosive wind hurtling through the garden- the walnuts from our 5 tress are falling like you would never believe. I can see the resident squirrel dancing with joy as he boldly skips across the garden to then drag a walnut to his hiding place. I can actually see him clearly now….that has to be why I’ve never been able to hit him. Now where’s the rifle?!

N<><

The evening was completed with a most delightful meal and Sense and Sensibility. There definitely is something very rewarding about spending the day with someone on their birthday and trying to make them feel special

Luke 10:41-42

Alice feeling the pinch!!!

Joseph is still walking on cloud 9 following an email from the Salatin family at Pollyface Farm- the story will have to be shared another time, and Alice is looking so much to her birthday tomorrow.

It is so good to be a father and to walk in Him

Neal<><

Mount Baker

Tomorrow we’re off to visit Mount Baker across the border in Washington. This amazing feature greets me daily on the horizon as I travel to work- perhaps this is where the Canadians have adopted ‘awesome’ from!

N<><