This is the traditional beginning of the summer season here in Canada, and typically on the west coast the weather varies from being quite summery to reminding us of the winter that has yet to entirely lose its grip on us. There is still a little snow on the mountaintops, and the temperatures are cool at night, but mostly we have just come through a week of lovely sunshine and shirtsleeves.

And then, yesterday around noon something cold rolled in and this morning it has been positively pissing rain. The fire is blazing away here and my efforts to find some moments to cut the grass have been dashed. That is the way May goes around here.

The salmonberries are plentiful this year although not yet ripe. Some of the bushes on our usual haunts seem to have twice as many berries on them as usual and there are a few down in the cove that are starting to develop some colour. It won't be long until we are cruising down the cove with containers in hand to harvest the bounty of the land.

In news around the house we have been making a few changes here. The front deck fell off the fascia board it was flimsily nailed to, a result of water damage and poor construction and so we are getting that redone, looking to build a new deck along to front of the house that opens on to the bottom of our lot. Aine had the idea to put a small patio down there which might be nice, among the salal and the blackberries. At the same time we are strengthening the support for the house, which could use a seismic upgrade. Also, we are going to build some supports into the back deck to be able to hold a hot tub, which should arrive this summer. And to complete our outdoor work, we bought a trampoline for the kids and built a firepit in the back of our place which already has proven to be a nice spot for late night conversation in the chill air of spring.