We are very busy here in town just now both personally and at work. Barb has taken on a couple of committee roles with a few associations in town – the Farmer’s Market and the Shelburne Historical Society and that is keeping her more than occupied, and my job in the town is finally getting to the point that I feel that the staff can see that the new CAO and myself are not like the former incumbents and that we are going to treat them with respect and in return will expect them to behave in a professional manner.

Add to that we have had a couple of events on at the town, a whirligig festival celebrating the ingenuity of the builders in getting the wind to power a little wind vane with a scene being acted out on it, everything from an old woman milking a cow to Marie Antoinette getting her head cut off; and some powerboat races. This had at least another 3000 people arriving into our small town which was great for business but did wind up causing a considerable amount of extra work for the Public Works staff. Great fun otherwise.

It is now at that time of year that we are looking for a spot to haul Nelleke out for the winter. There are a number of boatyards in town and the secret will be to find one that has space. Otherwise we will be bumbling down along the coast to find somewhere.

In a couple of weeks we will be heading into town so that Barb can visit the orthopedic surgeon fellow to get a date for her second new knee. That’ll be a huge step towards getting back on the boat.

On October 20th there will be a civic election here and I am waiting on pins and needles to see who will be elected. The incumbent is running along with the former mayor and two others. I am worried about the possibility that the former mayor might get back in as he is openly campaigning on the ticket that he will return the town to the Town Clerk and Committee system of governance which means that it will be back to the same old boy system of abuse and palm greasing. Keep your fingers crossed for me as if he gets in and does what he says he will I will probably be out of work. Not the end of the world for us as we have our two pensions but there is a lot more stuff that I want to do before we move back aboard.

Barb had her birthday on the 13th and we were able to take her out to Charlotte Lane for dinner as well as get her some high end wool from a sheep farm in the valley and some plants. I also cooked a dinner that was to her specifications as requested instead of to mine.