Labour Day, and right on time the rain arrived. It rained most of last night and well into the morning, prompting us to light our first fire in aboiut four months. It cleared towards the evening as we headed down to Collins Hall for a potluck supper with the families in our homelearners group. But even with the late day sun, it got dark around 8:30 and the taste of fall was definitely in the air.



Aine and I went down to the ferry dock in time to send off the 9:05 ferry full of mainlanders heading home. There was little evidence of the traditional gathering of rogues who, in previous years, had been discouraged from mooning the cottagers as they departed their summer homes. Still, the occaision warranted a song, and so I wrote one:



Our island’s ours again

(Tune of “Rolling Down to Old Maui”)



On the first of May of every year

They come by boat and plane

The ferry starts to overload

And the traffic is a pain

All summer long down in the Cove

The shop doors open wide

The rest of us head for the hills

And find some place to hide



Chorus: Farewell to all you mainlanders

And welcome to the rain

So raise a cheer, the autumn’s here

Our island’s ours again!



Their money spent, the continent

Will accept them in its fold

The beaches are available

Though the water’s freezing cold

Once more we can find our favourite seats

On a barstool down at Docs

And the women who run VONIGO

Can replenish all their stock



Chorus



Now the nights are cool, the air is brisk

Mount Gardner wears a shroud

The wind has swung southeast again

And the Sound is full of cloud

For the next eight months we’ll hide away

And slowly go insane

But what care we, we’re finally free

Our island’s ours again!



Chorus



The Squamish winds will blow for days

And the breeze will chill our bones

But the firewood’s stacked and the pantry’s packed

And we’ve battened down our homes

We’re done with yard work, cleaned the eaves

And there’s nothing left to stain

Let winter send its best at us

Our island’s ours again!



Chorus