That was the the year that was
2021 IN REVIEW
Much of the world has shared a similar year - confronting Covid-19, comparing how the pandemic has impacted on them, lamenting the lack of in-person gatherings, live events, cancelled travel plans, learning a new vocabulary: [bubble, social distancing, rolling average, mRNA, PCR test, flatten the curve etc.], comparing lock-down measures and how we rate in the intra-national and international stakes. Covid has proven to expose fractures in society that we didn’t know existed - the number of ant-vaxxers is much greater than we ever anticipated, what they lack for in numbers, they make ups for in volume, and that they feel it is acceptable to protest outside hospitals is beyond our comprehension. The pandemic has prevented us from travelling and hosting friends and family - two things we love to do. That’s all I’m going to say about Covid-19.
On the home front it’s been a year of renovation disruption. Our strata was due for a 20 year maintenance check up and face-lift. The buildings are getting a fresh coat of paint, new doors onto the patios, new caulking around doors, checks on windows, flashing, balconies etc. To do this , scaffolding was erected around the buildings then a blue netting around that - resulting in a permanent blue haze and prison bars!! The scaffolding went up at the beginning of February with a scheduled completion date of July, which became August, which became…..…. The scaffolding and “scafnet” finally came down in front of our unit in mid-November. There are still the 2 units to the east of us waiting for the scaffolding to come down! While we recognize the work is necessary, we would rather they had under-promised and over delivered than the converse! During what was the best summer in a long time, we were not able to access our balconies and enjoy a glass of wine looking out over the Straight of Juan de Fuca with the snow covered Olympic Mountains in the background!
We had also planned to do some renovations of our own to the bathrooms and front entry hallway. Those too were deferred because of the delays with the building maintenance program. I won’t bore you with the details, except to say, we had everything set up to start in July and be finished in under 3 weeks. Instead, they started in October, but still with some loose ends to finish off in January 2022!!!!
The fabulous summer, did allow us to take full advantage of our e-bikes. Typically Norm was cycling 140km/week; while Sheila was doing 70km, in addition to two walks with her walking groups. When we first got the bikes, we thought that we would do a whole bunch of different rides, but as it turned out, we landed up doing the same one more often than not - following the shoreline from home, around the harbour, then heading east and north to Cadboro’ Bay. The route provides us with stunning views, plus some hill-work. We do, however, have to keep an eye open for deer that frequently stray on to the road. There is also one spot along the route where there are two bottlebrush bushes - plants native to Western Australia. We have no idea how they got there; it just so happens we have a water stop right beside the bottle brush, and smile!
With travel restrictions in effect since March 2020, we have only left Greater Victoria on 3 occasions, and only on 1 of them did we go to the mainland. Fortunately, we live in a beautiful part of the world - with sunny, dry summers, lots of clean air, tall trees and endless coastline.
Between April and October the City of Victoria is normally abuzz with tourists - the last two summers have been very different. The harbour, normally a hive of activity - cruise ships, ferries to Seattle, Port Angeles and Vancouver, whale watching boats, paddlers and float planes - has been eerily quiet. The passenger ferry to Seattle re-started in late October, but ceased operations two weeks later, the vehicle ferry re-started at the beginning of November, and is still operating. The passenger ferry to Vancouver [designed for tourists] is up for sale. The float planes are back flying, but on a greatly reduced scale. That left lots of room for paddlers, kayakers, seals, otters, eagles and herons.
Perhaps the worst aspect of the year was the on-going lack of in-person social interaction, which becomes much more difficult in the months of November, December, January when the days are short and wet! Meeting in parks is a non-starter in winter, except if you are a Canada goose! In normal times, we would meet with groups of friends either in someone’s home or in a pub; when cycling or walking, we could sit around a table and enjoy a coffee. There have been no live symphony, jazz or movie events. No public meetings. In the last 18 months we have been in three friends homes, with only them and us on a total of 8 times. We will have to re-learn how to converse in person, shake hands and hug. Fortunately, Sheila and I are quite compatible and enjoy each other’s company!! On the other hand we have learned new skills - how to conduct and participate in on-line meetings - whether it be for book clubs or strata council meetings!
Although summer here on the Island was very good, the same can’t be said for the rest of British Columbia. There have been 3 major events that have seriously impacted the Province - first, there were extensive forest fires in the interior. Then there was the “heat dome” with temperatures reaching 49.6C in Lytton - this was the same area that had the worst of the forest fires. Thirdly, we had a series of “atmospheric rivers” - these are intense storms with very heavy rains accompanied by strong winds. Think cyclone, but with a different meteorological origin; not quite as intense as a cyclone, but definitely longer lasting - one of them lasted for 3 days! On The Island. we were on the fringes of these storms - with slightly less rain and lower winds, but more significantly with much less collateral damage. The worst effected areas on the mainland, were the same ones that experienced the fires and intense heat. These atmospheric rivers resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of livestock - poultry and dairy cattle mostly, farm land flooded and many acres of land that will take years to recover. Homes washed away, roads and railways washed out. The only “good” news is that there were “only” a few deaths. In addition to the impact on those in the eye of the storm was the impact of wash outs on many road and rail lines. Major rail connections with the rest of Canada were severely disrupted as was the Coquihalla - the primary road connection with the rest of the country. Imagine if the A9 were to be closed between Perth and Inverness [for Scottish readers], or the road across the Nullarbor were closed [for Aussie readers] For the better part of a month we could only buy $30/fuel at the pump, but that was no hardship - in the last 20 months, we’ve put fewer than 3,000km on the odometer!! Supply chains were already disrupted, these events only made deliveries yet more difficult. Canada Post and courier companies were not accepting parcels for over 2 weeks. There was some damage to the Malahat - the road connecting Victoria with the rest of The Island; the road was closed completely for a time, then open to single lane traffic. With Herculean efforts, the major highways and railways on the mainland are now back in limited operation. The crews working on the Coquihalla have worked wonders - it was originally not going to re-open before mid-January, but on Monday it was opened to commercial traffic. The cost to the BC economy has been enormous - and we will feel that for some time. The loss of very productive farmland for 2 or 3 years is going to impact on food costs; the repair costs to road, rail and dykes is not insignificant. The insurance companies are crying the blues, so insurance premiums are destined to increase. To quote Betty, it has been an annus horribilis.
We continue to enjoy good health, remain active and enjoy good food and wine. We are fortunate to have good friends and family - if only we could get to meet you in person. So while the last two years have been daunting, we have little reason to complain, although if we are honest, we are envious of the travelling our West Australian friends have done, all without leaving the State!
We wish you all the very best over the holiday season and that you find ways to celebrate despite the restrictions. We hope that 2022 brings relief from pandemic restrictions, but recognize it may be 2023 before we can meet you in person.
