...to the end of the quarantine, and it won't come soon enough for us. I know the need for it but we are really looking forward to being able to end this isolation.

Last night was the first that we had the Christmas lights on the front of the house. I needed to make sure that the auto switch worked to turn them on at dusk and I will check them for them to turn off at dawn. They look pretty good if I do say so myself - moving multiple colours and patterns. Very Christmassy!

Last night we got a call from the RCMP who informed us that they wanted to come around to check that Barb was maintaining quarantine. Not the both of us. Just her. I feel left out but if you'll remember the note that I got upon return to Canada was from the province of Ontario, not from Nova Scotia. I suspect that the system is confused and thinks that I live in Shelburne Ontario, not here in Nova Scotia. I asked the constable to please note that I was here too, in case there is some issue in future. Ah bureaucracy! Nothing like it. Even the note they had for Barb had the wrong street address 14011 instead of 140. Fortunately the RCMP officer knew that our street simply wasn't that long so he telephoned for directions.

We have both reported in.

As for today, Barb spent the day decorating the tree and the rest of the house. Our place has second empire Victorian architecture. In other words it is very Victorian so it lends itself very well to traditional Christmas decorating and most of our decorations fit with that. We have combined that with some more modern touches: a very realistic appearing artificial tree, electric lights, as I mentioned previously laser outside lights, just to name a few. We have also been puttering about in the garden, Barb more so than myself, cleaning things up and getting the beds ready for next year.

As for me, I spent a lot of my time working on the Raspberry Pi. There is a lot of software that we had been using on the former ship's computer only it ran under a version Windows and the Pi is Linux so I have to see if the install disk has a Linux version. I am finding that many of them do not and those that do have an involved way of loading the Linux version onto the processor. OpenCpn has it's own version of AIS software in the form of a plugin that I have to download from the Pi internet library of free software so that should be one feature resolved. It will be interesting to see if it required connection to a VHF antenna.

At the risk of sounding like a real couch potato, the self-isolation has given us too much of an opportunity to binge watch some of our favourite TV shows, particularly the ones we have missed over the last couple of months. We have discovered several new shows that we have taken a shine to, especially ones from other countries and it beats the hell out of watching the news.

I am starting to think about things like getting the car ready for use again; putting the Westfalia under cover; getting into my exercise regimen again; etc. We are really looking forward to the end of the isolation. Tuesday is out first day out and Barb is already talking about going to the club for Happy Hour.

Two days left in quarantine. Two sleeps and a wakie.


Barb here - lest you think I haven’t been busy - while travelling home on the boat and when I actually do sit down at home my hands have been busy. I saw a term in a book by one of my favourite knitting designers, Kate Davies. She was saying that she is incapable of sitting “hand idle”. I feel the same way. If I don’t have something on the go - sewing or knitting or mending - I am pretty twitchy. In the end many folks benefit from my lack of hand idleness. I listen to a lot of audiobooks while I am at it and sometimes the TV is on in the background - if I pay too much attention to the news the tension in my knitting gets way too tight so I have to tune it out to stay calm and focussed. On the boat there are only two kinds of weather - “too cold or wet to knit on deck” and “warm enough to knit on deck”.
stay safe everyone - wear your mask, wash your hands and stay the blazes home.