It’s the last day of August as I write this, a warm and humid day here on Prince Edward Island. The leaves on the poplar trees are starting to turn yellow, the rowan berries are full, and there is a sense of fall (autumn) in the air. Last night I stayed at my daughter’s place, chicken-, duck- and dog-sitting, while she and a friend had an ‘away-day’ to explore the delights of Halifax. It was cool enough that I lit the fire.

I have decided to try and focus on good news in this blog, so it will probably be quite short. 😊 We have had a lot of doom and gloom lately, and I think it’s time, in the immortal words of Eric Idle, as sung by Graham Chapman in The Life of Brian, to look on the bright side of life.

Hands up if you just said to yourself, “de-dum, de-diddly-dum-de-dum.”

Where to begin?

The robin who nests in the rafters of my StudioShed raised three clutches of eggs this summer. I have lost count of how many goldfish are in my pond, but they have been highly reproductive again this year.

Our borders have started to reopen and the tourists and summer residents to return, and we’ve seen friends who haven’t been able to visit for nearly two years. The Farmers’ Market has been incredibly busy and my Saturday morning job at the Charlottetown Cheese Company stall continues to keep me busy and amused. I think if I hadn’t decided to see the world, I could have had a good career at the Leeds Market.

My chapter on Leadership in education in challenging global times, which has been written for a forthcoming Handbook on Educational Leadership, is nearly finished. It was due today, so my timing is as brilliant as always. I’m planning on being ‘fashionably late’ with the submission, and hopefully the Editor will receive it early next week.

Our youngest daughter, Kate, and her husband, Andrew, are living the dream out on the west coast, just north of Vancouver. We have bought flight pass tickets and as soon as things calm down, will go out to visit. They can watch seals and porpoises from the dock at the edge of their property!

A friend came out to the StudioShed, and we installed a solar power system, so now I have lights, plus the ability to recharge my phone and my computer while I am working. All mod cons for off-grid working.

We’ve been to a couple of concerts recently and had the pleasure of seeing performances from both Lennie Gallant and Richard Wood. You can check out the wonderful singing and song writing of Lennie at https://www.youtube.com/user/lenniegallant or the manic fiddle playing of Richard at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5csbc-r_ZG_arUY3syJbtw

We also went to a couple of plays put on by a local theatre company. One was OK 😊

It said on the news that many of the fires in British Columbia are out, with just over 200 still active, down from the seasonal high of 750+.

I had an excellent harvest of gooseberries, tomatoes, garlic, and beans. The carrots, potatoes, celeriac, leeks and onions are all looking good and will be harvested soon. The pole beans are starting to dry on the vine.

CBC News has reported that the Americans and their allies airlifted 123,000 people from Kabul in the last 18 days. That means that Canada, who brought out 3700, was responsible for 3%. The group includes two of the 36 people with whom I worked during my time in Afghanistan, and the young man who in 2006 was the interpreter for my daughter, Nichola, and in the convoy when she was killed. I am delighted that he is safe.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/rocket-attack-kabul-1.6157938

A large bull moose stuck up to its neck in mud was rescued by two prospectors in the Canadian bush.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/timmins-moose-mud-rescue-1.6158057

In addition to running the Charlottetown Cheese Company, my daughter, Victoria, who posts this blog for me (which is why it seems to come from Victoria Scribens – that’s her username, not mine!), has had a very successful year of writing her novels, which fall into the genre of Literary Fantasy. If that is an area of interest for you, you can check out her books at www.victoriagoddard.ca.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are top of the Canadian Football League, three games into the season and still undefeated. Go Riders! I hope that my watermelons are ripe enough that I can pick one to make into a hat for the ‘prairie derby’ game against the Calgary Stampeders in early October. Don’t believe me? Go to your favourite search engine and enter [melon head Saskatchewan roughriders]

The United Nations has reported that highly polluting leaded petrol has now been eradicated worldwide.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-58388810

My nephew, Jack, has published his first video game. Full disclosure: I have never played a video game in my life. However, if any of you are so inclined, it was released on 31st May and is available here: MENOS: PSI-SHATTER on Steam According to the reviewers it was received well and is appropriately violent.

For the oenophiles among us, near-perfect growing conditions mean that the 2021 vintage of wines from both Australia and Chile, plus the 2020 vintage from Bordeaux, will all be excellent.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/jul/20/near-perfect-how-to-make-the-most-of-australias-bumper-wine-vintage

2021 will be a ‘historic’ vintage in Chile

https://vinous.com/articles/2020-bordeaux-en-primeur-almost-back-to-normal-jun-2021

And if you haven’t yet discovered the incredible wines from Portugal, look for the Douro Valley reds. From personal experience I would recommend any from Quinta de La Rosa, Quinta de Pacheca, Quinta das Carvalhas, or Quinta do Crasto. In truth, though, if it says ‘Douro’ you probably can’t go wrong.

A glass of wine from any of these places would be a perfect way to celebrate that my first novel has been published! Unlike the books written by Victoria, this is more of a mystery/thriller kind of story that is set in western Canada.

It is called TRACES and is available from Amazon and by ordering from your local bookstore (print isbn: 9781988908403 should find it).

Both print and ebook editions are now available. Kobo and the library ebook sites are still working through the listings but should be available soon.

If you buy it, and read it, then please let me know what you think. I’m in the middle of writing the sequel, so your ideas might be grist for the mill.

What are the good things happening in your world?

So, there you are, a blog full of good news, and lots of links to keep you amused if you happen to be bored one evening (and have finished reading Traces). Not a word about the fourth wave of COVID, the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Afghanistan, the hurricane devastating New Orleans (again), the unprecedented rainfall amounts in Greenland, the choreographed chaos of an unnecessary Canadian election, the ongoing conflagration of California, or the fact that Leeds United have not won a premier league game yet this season. Sigh.

I wish you all a bright, Sun Shiny kind of day.