Monday, July 8th - it seems the heat has finally broken a bit

It's been a very hot few days, making sleeping at night really difficult. Even with fans going in the bedroom it's still been very unpleasant. This morning it's finally a little cooler and you can feel the difference in the air. Right now, at 5:15 am it's 16' that actually feels like 16' and we should reach a high of 23' later that will feel like a much more comfortable 26'.

It was a fairly quiet weekend. I worked on Saturday morning and we were expecting some friends to arrive by motorcycle at some point from the ferry, but we really weren't sure when. Lloyd called me around 2:15 to advise that he was at the boat with the guys and they were on their way home for a BBQ. I was still in town, and made a quick stop to pick up some steaks, new potatoes and some romaine for a Caesar Salad. I arrived home just a few minutes before they did.

There were six on bikes, in total. I set about preparing the potatoes and the lettuce while they sat outside around the picnic table and had a cold drink. I was rushing to get as much done as possible as there was a wedding at the Rec Centre I was needed to work at. I had everything ready so that all Lloyd had to do was cook the steaks and put dressing on the salad.

I left them a little after 5:00 and went over to Fort Augustus. I'd been rushing around to get as much done as possible before leaving and when I got there, everyone was just standing around - they had everything done that they could do and were taking a little break. I told them that was a good thing as I was ready for a break. I had 8 hungry guys at my house who had just arrived by ferry and had been really busy before I left. They told me to go home as they had lots of help. I said I could do that but to call if they needed me later. They apparently had more people coming in than they expected. That was a surprise being as it was a busy weekend on the island with lots of other things going on, including the Cavendish Music Festival.

I left and got home just as they guys were eating. I guess I really didn't need to come back after all. Instead I pulled out another steak, put it on the BBQ and made my own supper.  When everyone was done, they got back on their bikes and departed for Souris. They had planned to take in some of the Rollo Bay fiddle gathering and were staying in Souris over night.

When the guys first arrived, Lloyd had called Bernie to see what he was up to. He was just finished hauling hay and welcomed to prospect of a cold beer and a BBQ steak. He had arrived very soon after the others so he stayed after supper and had tea with Lloyd and I.

Sunday morning was again hot and sunny. The plan was for Lloyd, Bernie and Raymond to drive up to Souris and meet the guys for breakfast. They departed here around 8:15 and I got a phone call from one of the bikers at 8:30 that they were heading straight for the boat, as they heard there were thunderstorms expected on the other side so they wanted to get away as early as possible.  Of course our guys were on the road and Lloyd's phone was here on the counter. I called Bernie's phone and when they stopped for breakfast he could see that I'd called. I gave them the message and they carried on by themselves and had a lovely breakfast and must have toured around a bit because Lloyd didn't make it home until about 12:30. It was way too hot to be biking.

The rest of the day was pretty lazy. He had a long nap, I had a short nap, and just did a couple of things around the house - reading a book, some laundry, reading a book, some tidying, reading a book...
altogether a very relaxing day.

Brenda and the girls are finishing up their tour of western Canada. By all accounts they've been having a wonderful time. I've gotten some pictures from Brenda and Bernie's been getting text messages and of course updates by phone as well.  She gets back home tomorrow and I'm looking forward to hearing all about her adventures and seeing the pictures.

The chickens are getting bigger. We had to remove the covering from the sides of their cage because it was just too hot for them last week. They were really feeling the heat and needed more air circulation. They will soon be big enough to put into their new pen outside. I think they'll really enjoy that.