Opening the cabin for the year

Here’s a turn-up for the books guys!
Suddenly I got the weekend totally free and so off to the cabin I went.

Two hundred km out of town to mile 120 on the railway. That’s where I was.

In the gloriously dry and warm Lillooet Country on our five acres beside this bubbling mineral stream.

Opening the cabin for the year is always such a special time.
First thing I do is fling the curtains wide open and take the shutters off the windows, open the doors and windows, and let the sun and fresh air in.

Everything is just as I left it last autumn.

Spring come a little later to this area, mainly because it’s in the Gates Valley and the sun doesn’t crest the mountains all winter, but also because the interior of BC is colder than the Pacific influenced coast.

But I was happy to see spring well and truly sprung.

So many lovely sights. There were butterflies everywhere mixing in the air with last autumn’s milkweed seeds.

Each time we get to the cabin, we pick a little bouquet of whatever is blooming at the moment. There’s very little blooming right now, but I did find some beautiful, fresh green aspen shoots and some blooming falsebox.

I started a cozy fire to warm up the cabin, put a pot of water on for some tea and a couple slices of bread for some toast.

Then I poured myself a glass of that cold mineral water from the stream and relaxed. At home I usually play free online slot machines at www.EasyMobileCasino.com but here it is so serene that I prefer to sit and just feel at peace.

Just outside the door of the cabin, right in the middle of the path in harm’s way, was this beautiful native fairy slipper orchid. I had to be so careful not to step on it.

And on the other side of the pond was a lovely tapestry of blue and green periwinkle courtesy of my grandmother, who planted it there 20 years ago. I love it there and love that it reminds me of her…but as I’ve had several friends over the years that were solicitors, a few in particular being Knotweed solicitors, I do know it’s an invasive plant and so am watchful how it spreads. So far, the country is so dry and arid, that this is kept beautifully in check only around that part of the pond and doesn’t spread into the meadow. .

On the other side of the meadow is the Gates river.

I did a little surveying of the land to see what’s changed. The beaver came around again this winter and cut down several trees, but only at the pond and not close to the cabin. I did a little tidying up of fallen branches and limbs…

And soon it was time for supper. Food just tastes so much better here.

I relaxed and read my book until the sun set.

Then, I chose candles over oil lamps and watched the last of the light fade away.

The only art supplies at the cabin are a bunch of old elementary school pencils from when the children were young, but they were perfect for drawing that fresh, green branch of aspen.

And after the light was well and truly gone, I played a little solitaire, (the way my grandmother used to play it and never lose)…

…and I watched the bats flying in the moonlight.

Sunday morning came much too early, and with it the need to return to the city.

But I had the most amazing and relaxing weekend.

Can’t wait to come back up again.