After a delightful tour of the cabin and our surroundings, we were left to settle in our room in the basement.The additional room next to ours, contained Benedict and Charlène, two French gals.Upstairs, in the main cabin, was a our communal bathroom, kitchen and the second lounge area. 
John and Janine slept above this on the second floor.
Outside was an additional three story cabin which held the two ‘guest rooms’ for paying guests at the retreat.A hot tub sat on the middle floor and overlooked the lake which was behind the main cabin.A wild beach, three pontoons and a selection of canoes, kayaks and a row boat were at our disposal.
Janine had a dodgy eye when we arrived. She thinks she got something in it and it had scratched it. She told us about it a lot.Two golden Retrievers, Lucca (3) and Fred (8)manned the property. Now I don’t usually warm especially well to retrievers on account of them being smelly and boring, but these two, and especially old man Fred, were particularly wonderful.
Fred and Lucca
‘Kit Kat’, who we renamed ‘Rachel’ due to it amusing us greatly, stole my attention immediately and continuously. She’d just been shaved before we arrived. I’m not sure why.
After a couple of days settling in to the ever changing routine, we ascertained that we aren’t needed for an early start. Snakes and I spent most mornings kayaking out to the far pontoon and completing a ‘circuit’ of exercises which she created utilising the features about us. It was a most magnificent way to begin the day.Janine’s eye was still sore.5 hours ish a day of work was expected of us, in exchange for board and lodging. Though sometimes this became 2 hours or even 1.Janine went to the doctors to get her eye checked out.The work initially centered around preparing for the winter snow and ranged from wood chopping, clearing the leaves off the grass and beach, cutting back the herbs and plants ready for a dump of snow, ensuring any fragile or breakable garden furnishings were secure or under cover, sweeping patios, preparing guest rooms, and making a weird shelving unit for snow gear.
Janine had some medicine for her eye but it wasn’t working.In the evenings we cooked together. Janine initially had a very hard time wrapping her head around my veganism and Snakes’ vegetarianism, not because she didn’t understand the principles morally, but because she didn’t understand the principles actually.On day three she announced we would be having fish for dinner, and looked to me to say “you’ll eat that right?” I explained, again, that I never eat meat, not even on Wednesdays. She nodded in confused agreement.Later, she made biscuits (scones) to go with soup for lunch. She proudly informed us that they were vegetarian and vegan, because they only had lard in them.I like a bit of lard.Her eye was still bothering her.
Most mornings John and Janine were in the hot tub with coffee and baileys. I approved of this as their way of starting the day, but her eye still hurt, did you know about her eye?Our first day off was Friday. John was preparing to leave for work which would see him away from home for 2 weeks, before he’d return home for 7 days and leave for 2 weeks again ect. He would come with us to the hot springs, then leave for his 7 hour drive to work.The hot springs were an hour from the cabin and the last 12km were up a dirt track. We descended the side of the mountain on a single track path and arrived at the river, which was surrounded by a selection of hot springs ranging from end-your-life hot to the minus 13 degree river.
Janine didn’t come in the hot springs because of her eye. Which was hurting. Had you heard?
We spent a good while at the river dipping in and out. I’ve always like hot springs, but I can usually handle sitting in them for 23 minutes then I’m hot and bored and in need of entertainment. Unless there is beer, then I’m entertained for at least 36 minutes. There was no beer at this one, but it was particularly nice given the sunny day, the cool air and the beautiful setting.
We managed over an hour before I felt like passing out and decided to get out and change. John had left and Janine was waiting for us back at the truck. Probably rubbing her eye.
We reunited at the vehicle and Janine drove us to Neksup, the nearest town, where she would return to the doctor so he could re visit her eye issue .We would amuse ourselves in town while Janine amused herself at the doctors.Snakes and I offered to cook curry so stopped at the grocers for key ingredients, which naturally they didn’t have because curry comes in jars. From here we rewarded ourselves with a single 8% beer which we absolutely earned by not having had one in at least 4 days.The charity shop had a very exciting deal on, in which one could fill a plastic bag for $5. While I purchased coffee for us, Snakes lost herself in the over-excitement bred out of this “incredible” offer. Regardless of how little we needed or how little we had room for or how much everything smelt of classic charity shop sour milk smell, Snakes was going to fill that bag.
In fact it was already filled when I arrived with the coffee as but she insisted we could fit more in it. I amused her, until I found an Agatha Christie book, then I was more than amused, I was involved.
We had ourselves a skipping rope, two, 3 pound weights, a resistance band and a workout DVD thrown in for good measure. She also acquired a jacket fresh out of the 1980’s, a hat for Charlene and a belt for me as I am suffering from having not yet regained all the fat I misplaced on the hike.Very pleased with ourselves we returned to the coffee shop where we met Janine, (her eye is fixed but don’t ask her about it) delivered Charlene her hat and departed for home.The french gals made dairy free crepes and pancakes (on different breakfast occasions) . I must say, they tasted exactly like crepes and pancakes.Over the next few days we completed our winter clean up of the garden, I burned a lot of garden material and we began a deep clean of the two cabin rooms Janine rents out, which she likes to do twice a year. It wasn’t unpleasant, as the rooms were already pretty clean, and Snakes and I had much to discuss. As we always seem to.
After a couple of days the deep clean was competed. The smell of vinegar subsided and it looked pretty much the same as it did before. Clean.
.Just as we finished some guests came and mucked all the rooms up.One night we had a fire (Janine calls it a “camp fire” but I object to this because its just a fire) we cooked sausages on sticks by the lake. It was thoroughly enjoyable.
Snakes baked some wonderful carrot cakes, which remained wonderful even after she forgot to put the carrot in them. I made some flapjacks and successfully remembered both the flap and the jack in them. Well done me.
Our second ‘day off’ came on the following Wednesday after our arrival. Janine left for town early and wouldn’t be back until late. We had the day to ourselves. Snakes and I left for my morning PT session, meanwhile Charlene made crepes and they were terrific. I wish crepes were a fruit. I ate three. Three fruits.
We meggled around for a while, mainly building future plans and drinking coffee. Then, to digest such plans we went out in the row boat and made a big square with our boat around the lake.
We took it in turns to row and as the pins were missing from the oars, Snakes couldn’t row without them popping out of their allotted compartments. She quickly decided she hated the boat and rowing in it.Eventually she realised this was a placid activity and softened her strokes allowing the oars to remain in place. After our big lake square (BLS) we returned to the cabin, for it was now the hour of luncheon. We ate in the sun on the deck. It was now time for afternoon meggles.The day folded in on itself rather quickly. After a good few chapters of my book I manged to gather myself and arrive at the hot tub in time for dark. Which is the best time for the hot tub.
The day ended with yet another romantic comedy which is Benedicts favourite. And as she is French, and the films are English we allow her the right to select a genre she can understand. Charlène English isn’t as good as Bennedict so she doesn’t figure in the equation. Poor Charlène.
The next day was also a day off. Janine took us to Ainsworth Hot springs 2.5 hrs away. 2.5 hours is close enough to pop out for milk for country dwellers in Canaidia.We made a few pleasant view stops along the way, including the head of the lake and a marble cave.
Janine used to be a tour guide in Banff. So she spoke to us on journeys like this as if she still resided in that position. This was great for learning a little something about the area. Until of course, one asked a question which would send her off-script and unable to answer. Ainsworth is a village on Kooteney Lake and has a population of 20.Since time immortal the Ktunaxa people (pronounced K-too-na-ha) have used the healing spirit waters, to heal wounds sustained in battle trying to defend their territory.Like all the stories of claimed native land, some white men found gold in the hills and began to mine, and develop the area for minders to live. Hotels, brothels, stores and saloons all soon followed.Some guy called George Ainsworth bought the territory and as such, named the town ‘Ainsworth’. After the decline of the mining, and therefore the town, the hot springs passed through ownership of many different people, before eventually in 2015, the Ktunaxa people bought back the land and continue to operate the springs as a retreat for tourists. The return of the Ktunaxa peoples to this important site in their traditional homeland is significant to them.
The hot springs burrow surprisingly deep inside old cave in which you can swim about and do your damnedest to make it out before you pass out. The next few days didn’t amount to much, work wise. Snakes and I were out in the kayaks every morning as became usual.
Even though Janine rarely went a half hour without letting us all know how busy she was, we had to ask for work. Every morning. The jobs she gave, she struggled to come up with and maybe lasted 40 minutes. We were all left a little frustrated with, not just the lack of work, but the continuous glorification of ‘busy’ by Janine when she spent most of the day ‘busily’ sitting in her pyjamas smoking on the veranda and chatting on the phone.’Busy’ has become something that many strive to continuously be. Why is it not OK not to be busy? Why is our self worth measured by how busy we pretend to be? I’m really happy to not be busy right now.One morning she seemed very pleased with the pre-thought she’d given to her assignment of chores for us four. She briefed the ‘Little French Girls’ (as she now calls them-which they love) that they would be working with her for about an hour in the garage (hanging a curtain over a rope) and that Shelley and I would sort the recycling (a 4 minute job) and take the dogs for a walk. After lunch, we’d all go to the forest and walk the dogs…. She then realised the dogs would be having two walks, and so rearranged the day so that we’d all go to the forest this morning together, which left the grand total of our afternoon work as the 4 minute recycling sort. The walk was pleasant.
On the return journey home, we drove through Ferguson a once booming gold mining town (in 1897) and now ghost town. Once there was a population of 800, now only 2.
Pascal, a French patisserie chef moved here 25 years ago, buying two plots of land for $300 (£175.51) each. His special skills lay only in that which related to pastry, yet, with the help of a few books, a chainsaw and a broken tape measure, he built himself a cabin.
Pascal was home when we visited and invited us in for a nose around. He mentioned his latest project, building a chicken coop and we (Snakes and I) leaped at the opportunity to help.
We returned the following day and were presented with the task of lifting 5 large wet pre-peeled tree trunks onto metal stakes, already cemented into the ground. These would act as the peripheral beams to the elaborate and most swanky chicken House.
After the labour was successfully completed Pascal cooked us lunch and fed us beer. We chatted freely about his life out here, pastry work (which he still does in winter if he finds a good offer) and how possible it would be for anyone to build their own house and how I’m now desperate to do such a thing.
After lunch Snakes and I began digging a trench down the side of the mountain which would bury and insulate the water pipe to the tree house he’s built.
Janine had invited Pascal for dinner, or ‘camp fire’. On arrival home we had enough time to dip in the hot tub before Snakes prepared the dinner and took it all outside, while I lit a fire on the beach on which we all cooked sausages. While Janine spent most of the time on her phone. What a host. She just about managed to prepare her own sausage though did remark that “John normally does this for me”.
We then cleaned up and took everything back to the house, while Janine sat by the fire, resting her busy bones.
Snakes suggested to her that we could go back to Pascal’s tomorrow if there was nothing for us to do here…. Janine couldn’t commit to there being anything to do so, the following day all four of us went to Pascal’s, its was the Frenchies last day and we’d woken to snow. After a partially unpleasant and partially very pleasant run in the driving snow, we breakfasted on pancakes, which I’ve decided are the same as crepes and waffles, just different shapes.
We landed at Pascal’s after a hairy drive up the mountain through the still accumulating snow. We got to work right away. Benedicte and Snakes went to work dismantling the suspension bridge before the snow collapses it, while Charlene and I peeled the newly acquired logs which Pascal had hunted for that morning.
I’d never skinned a tree before, but with the help of the handy peeler before too long my shoulders were screaming and the trees were peeled of all the bark. This will prolong their lives as chicken coop struts.
I’d come out into the cold weather with 4 layers, a buff and a hat, and with my accumulating sweat, I was soon wishing it was appropriate to peel trees naked.
Snakes made lunch and I made coffee, we sat about gassing for some time in the cosy living room before Pascal returned us home to dog sit while Janine went to town.
Janine assured us that when John was back from work, he would be presented with a list of chores and our workload would increase. The days that followed after the French gals left us, and after John returned, were the least arduous yet. They were both content with us preparing meals and walking the dogs.
We did assist John with the erection of some more disgusting LED lights around the cabin, which absolutely required a maximum of one person to do. My job though, was to hand John the bracket and the screws, brackets and screws which could have all happily been stored in his pocket while I did something more useful.
John is a sweetheart and never fails to do exactly what he’s told. Including wearing the correct clothes when they go to town, in case any of Janine’s old school friends see him.
We sewed up some sofa cushions in the suits which were on the brink of ripping and I must say, my sewing skills are much better than you think they are. I did get an ‘A’ grade in textiles at GCSE, or, my mum got me an ‘A’, one of the two.
Snakes spent a lot of time sketching, when Janine saw the picture of the lounge in the cabin that Snakes had made, she insisted on having a copy framed for herself. Snakes knocked her up a fresh one in a matter of minutes.
We went with John and Janine to town one day and filled it quite nicely.
I’m really really enjoying trips to libraries. I think they are just wonderful places that I hope we never lose. Another go on the Thrift Store and Snakes found a frame appropriate for her sketch for Janine. We drank coffee, posted cards and letters and ended up in the bar. We enjoyed cards and wine until dark, before we were collected by our hosts and driven home.
We made good use of our time on the hole, with the reducing work load we increased our morning exercise routine, I read multiple books in which I’d been out to the Zaharah in the 19th century and survived a horrific capture after shipwreck, we walked a lot and Snakes filled and began another sketch book. One of my jobs was to plug two extension cords into a socket in each of the two suits. This took all of 46 seconds. Janine remarked that it had taken her 5 years to get that job done. It’s nice to feel useful.
The hot tub remained the reward after a hard day not doing very much. A few days before our planned departure an 18 year old German girl arrived, her English was perfect but she didn’t say very much at all. snakes spent an admirable amount of time (unsuccessfully) trying to get her to engage, while I remained fully engaged with Rachel. After we leave she’ll be here alone until January. We walked the dogs daily and shoveled a bit of snow after it had stopped falling. One more clean of the suits (making it only our third clean) and we were looking towards our departure.
On the morning of the 27th of November we had one more blast on John’s weights and a final few lengths up and down the hot tub before piling into the truck with Fred and Janine, to reverse the journey of 4 weeks ago, back to Revelstoke. Rachel the cat was clearly too emotional at my leaving as she was absent when I left.
Onward to Toronto!
SONDER 