It's Autumn. I haven't been in this part of the province for anything other than summer and the odd winter weekend since I was seventeen. On the Coast, you're immersed in the elements with few distractions and so far I think it's a great thing. The infamous rainforest downpours haven't started yet; we've been enjoying pretty mild and sunny days. Knowing it won't last, we've been spending as much time outside as we can. Alex works outside and travels to Keats Island on a tiny boat each morning. He's also never lived in a small town, so I'm especially interested in seeing how the winter is for him. The weather dictates our days but also local harvests. We've been getting as much food from the roadside stands at farms in the Henry Reed area of Gibsons. Every time I go there's something slightly different, depending on the growing week and the weather. Right now there's obviously a lot of squash, kale, chard and garlic. There's also peppers, hot and sweet, and broccoli. We've had bundles of apples from Keats and up the road and the Wilson Creek farms which we're getting through a bit too quickly. The biggest harvest right now though is mushrooms. Plywood signs advertise mushroom buyers for local pickers along the highway. There are big luscious chanterelles in our fridge. After the great garden massacre (our garden got weedwacked and ripped out by our landlord, but don't get me started...), we've had to rely a bit more on the farms. But we still have arugula, radishes and a bit of lettuce clinging on through these frosty mornings.  

A cameraless family does not make for good bloggers. We have a video camera but it takes poor photos. We've  been using it for months, hence the odd quality. But, it's better than nothing.