Domestic revival

Once every two weeks we rejoice to the revitalization of our digs by our long-time friend and very accomplished housekeeper. We have the courtesy to remove ourselves from the immediate environment throughout the 2½ hour expedition following which we return home to an immaculate apartment. The little I know about productive housekeeping leads me cheerfully to the conclusion that it is an undertaking best left to the professional advisor.

We surmount the bi-weekly undertaking by engaging ourselves off-camera in a jaunt almost anywhere in Eastern Ontario – whether northward towards to the Village of Burnstown in Renfrew County or southward to the Ivy Lea Parkway along the St. Lawrence River or westward to Kingston. Today however we consumed our entire time of absenteeism by shopping at Beddington, Grace in the Kitchen and Bayshore Shopping Centre. We had varied success. Our bedclothes search at Beddington produced a silk mattress cover and a patterned shower curtain (but not the kind with the grommet attachments). The Lampe Berger fragrance refills from Grace in the Kitchen were more precise. At Bayshore we left empty-handed because the Hudson’s Bay Company was closed. Though the possibility of on-line ordering is an alternative I prefer at this time to await the re-opening of the retail outlet.

The trek through the inevitable social changes wrought by the pandemic continued today with a letter from our international medical insurers who curiously reported that coverage had been extended “free of charge” for two months until the end of November. The magnanimity is peculiar given that no one is able to travel across borders. It does at least reaffirm my view of the sole purpose of the insurance industry – namely, little to do with payment of loss.

Delta airline is reporting that it will be a minimum of two or three years before travel returns to normal. I have preserved my preference for automobile travel.  It is something I do not intend to forego until necessary because of health or age. As well we have talked repeatedly about returning to Hilton Head Island, SC instead of Longboat Key, FL primarily because of the wonderful cycling opportunities throughout the island and on the panoramic beach.

In the meantime we’re acclimatizing ourselves to the prospect of a Canadian winter.  Recently I spoke with a friend in Nova Scotia and enquired about rental cottages overlooking the sea. I have no idea whether this will open a new avenue of exploration but the possibility exists.