Everything is booked and paid for,...

I have been busy today. Booking, booking and more booking,... and now it's official. I am going back to BC. Last summer, despite that annoying little irritation of becoming homeless, I fell in love with Vancouver Island. I had been there a few times before. But last summer, I was really able to take in it's majestic beauty. The geography so very different from what I was used to. 

It had everything I loved. A culture very different from here in Ontario. The people in BC seemed much more layed back. The folk that I met seemed nicer,.. and life there was a bit more casual. I had dubed it the hippy place. Right down to the guy on the beach playing guitar and singing. I have always said I am just an old hippie myself.

I have said many times before how I love the water so much. It's definitely my element. When I am around it I seem to come alive. So the ocean seemed to call to me. I spent most of my time there by the rugged shores.

I don't know how much of ancestry is in our genes. But having done my family tree, I learned that most of my ancestors were from the coast of the UK. Most lived and worked on the water. So maybe it's not just a personal preference with me but instead, it's a deeply engrained trait. 

I also find it funny that both of my (birth) Ontario-born parents fled to BC and later passed away there. They too didn't like Ontario - and maybe for the same reason as me. My Mom has the same coastal ancestors I do,... so maybe she fled to BC as she, too, fell in love with the "vibe". I don't know what else to call it. But she came here quite young and never went back home. If I hadn't had that 'misfortune' last summer then I would have followed in her footsteps and left Ontario for good too,...

I have had a lot of time to reflect since my 'misfortune'. And I think you just have to learn from your mistakes and move on. I wasn't able to move there as I had hoped. But now, I have the opportunity to go there for a holiday. I'm just going to take that as a win. I always said if I had a life to live, I would live it,... but the past few years I haven't been able to have that life. Maybe now,... even if for just one week every year,... I can go back. My Nana always told me that a change is as good as a rest. That one week of heaven will sustain me for the reamining 51 weeks of the year. I can survive if I know that I can do this one week of oceans and salty air,... birds bigger than most pets I've ever had,... the grandness of the mountains,... it just feels like a place where I belong. But if I can only have it for a week a year? I'll take it.

And so it's all booked. The flights,... the hotel,... the car service to the airport,... all ready for me to enjoy this summer. Finally I have something to look forward to. I know it's only 4 days old but maybe 2026 will be a better year,...