West Coast Sunshine

This post is from November 15, 2015. 

The cold rains have settled in most days here in Victoria. Today is bright and sunny (for the moment anyhow) so Nash and I have taken off for the beach at Clover Point. I open all the curtains and drink in the ocean views on all sides. Nash loves looking out all the windows and today someone parked near us and took out some bread, so immediately, before she even had the bag open, more than 100 birds flocked to the space beside the RV. Some of them fly within inches of the tableside window. 

I'm happy to see he enjoys the scene as much as I do. I brought my cousin here yesterday and we saw some seals fishing nearby, swimming fast and breaching the water regularly. Awesome. I love you dear Mother Nature for providing me with such natural beauty to enjoy. 

I have to work later today at 4:45pm  for 4 hours. All of my shifts are 4 hours long, which suits me well enough. I had a job interview this past week at an organization that works with sex trade workers. It too is a 4 hour shift, which I have to say, really has been working for me. I should hear from the job interview in the coming week. It's only casual on-call so I hope I at least get on their list. It's more money than my current job and a way to test out the waters for social work jobs. I never know how I do on a job interview and I have to say most have been over the phone or video, with just a handful in person, well, two actually that were social work jobs, including this one. It was different to be sitting in front of a panel of workers that sat on three sides of the table, which I found to be rather intimidating.  So who knows. In the meantime I will keep applying for part-time jobs that interest me as the current job has only 6 weeks to go. 

Nash continues to grow like a weed. He is going to be a big kitty I reckon. he is only 4.5 months old and look how big he is...wow. And such an awesome kitty at that, so good with the kids, friendly with everyone, and cuddly with me, loves to play. What more could I ask for? 

So I think I will snuggle seaside with the kitten and read the afternoon away until it's time to head off to work. 

Battening down the hatches

I have 4 skylight vents in the RV and three of them are hooded and screened, and seem to be pretty draught free, however the fourth one is a different story. It does not have a hood, which I actually like so I can see clear to the skies when it's open, and it had been screened when I bought it but due to a malfunction of the crank to bring it back down one day when it started spilling rain, I had to bust through the screen to get at the lid to reattach it to the crank. The wind had caught it and pulled it off the track. Easy fix but that was when I realized what else was going on. But the screen was ruined, as was part of the screen frame too as it was brittle as hell. So I will have to replace the whole window when I get some extra cash. 

Remember the solar panels that took forever to get someone to help me install them? Well my friend who installed them did not take into consideration the closure of that particular lid - it was a nice sunny day when we were at it, so the lid was up. Now the lid will not close all the way because the solar panel is mounted just a couple of inches from the opening, and the lid is flared. 

So with all of this going on in a rainy windy Victorian autumn, it has become rather draughty and it is close to where the furnace is, so the furnace kept cutting in all the time, running the house battery down. I happened to see some quilted inserts for these types of skylights at Wal-mart but did not have the cash to spare on them at the time, so I improvised with my own solution - a pillow case filled with stuffing, just enough to keep it wedged up there. I chose a light yellow pillowcase so it wouldn't take away all of the light as well. The other three skylights are in the other spaces I am not using during the day. There's one in the bedroom, bathroom, and in the over the cab bed chamber. They let in light all the time, closed or open, which is nice. The lids are all white as are the hoods. I fear some may become damaged though, with all the trees I happen to park under/near. So I have to keep an eye on that. 

I have also purchased some dollar store foam mat puzzle pieces to provide a bit of cheap insulation under the table as my feet were cold all the time. The floor is covered in a nasty worn vinyl that is so cold to the touch now. I plan to replace it all with hardwood floors this winter but for now the foam is a start. I'll pick up more now that I know they help and do the rest of the floor under the table and beside the couch. The rest is okay for now. I have a floor mat in the kitchen in front of the sink/stove, and a mat in the bathroom. 

The last bit I want to do is some of that shrink plastic over all of the windows that I won't be opening until spring. I really only open the one above the table now, to get a bit of fresh air. The windows are single paned, so the plastic will help a great deal. The temps have been staying above 0C and below 10C most of the time which is not usual for this time of year in Victoria. I am hoping we will get a warm wind for a few days. My solar panels have been keeping up though, regardless of the temperature. As long as it isn't raining, they charge, even when it's cloudy. The sun is out now, so they are soaking it all in. 

Nash continues to grow, and is evident he will be a very large kitty. He is already as big as Dundee and he is just 5 months old. Still as charming as ever. Except when the little bastard decides 6am is time to play...if he would just play up in his room, I wouldn't mind, but he comes right onto the bed to play and the worst is when he climbs inside of the curtains above my head (they are attached at the top AND bottom) and pokes his paws out of the middle and grabs at my hair, ears, eyelids, whatever is handy...it does not go over well at that time of day. Yes, he has a room. Or even an apartment..as it is two stories. I keep some of his things up in the loft bed which is also my storage. He plays up there all the time and sleeps sometimes in a bed next to the window. He has also taken over the cab of the RV as I curtain it off for privacy and heat conservation. His litter box is up there and he plays on the dash all the time, often standing on the steering wheel and freaking people out as they walk or drive by. I hear them  now and then, talking about the cat in the RV but they don't see me as the curtains are often closed when I'm curbside, depending on the sun. Hilarious. He also enjoys sleeping on the driver's seat, and on the carpeted floor of the cab. He plays in the doorwells with his toys that inevitably end up there. 

So I am still acclimatizing to the weather here at home after four years in Australia. The summer was lovely and I wasn't cold at all but now I find it cold to sit around outside at these temps. Layers have become the key as most peoples homes are quite warm, often too warm for me, so I have to take a few layers off. So today, the temperature outside is 6C and sunny. I had the furnace on, but it ran the battery down quite quickly, so I turned the oven on instead. It doesn't require any electricity. Then I stogged that barn door in the roof and now it's quite toasty in here. I still have on woolen tights, a long skirt, a long sleeved tshirt, and a short sleeved cotton top over that, and my boots. Normally I have a sweater on as well, but since I stogged that damn hole up, I don't think I'll need to at the moment.

It's quite warm at work so I always have to peel off layers there, but if I am biking or taking the bus, I need to dress for the outside as well, with several layers. I have to work later today, and have a few things to get done before then, so must scat, root the cat awake (if I don't get to sleep, neither does he) and frost the cake I made last night, then head over to a friend's house to help her recover her sofa for her luau birthday party this weekend. Fun times!

Fall in the RV

I have finally returned to the workforce, albeit in a very different capacity than in recent years. I've been applying for mostly non-social work jobs, and part-time at that. I'm not ready to return to full-time social work and I'm not sure at this point if or when I will return. It wasn't easy as I had to totally refocus my cv and turn it into a short resume. I had been required in Australia to provide a detailed cv listing certificates, training, workshops, facilitation, volunteer, yada yada. It added up toabout 9 pages which is way too long for a non-social work job. It's probably what screened me out of everything I've applied to up until now. I was able to condense and reorganize it down to two pages plus references. And about 2 hours after I sent it out, I had a call for a job, and was hired over the phone. I started work about 2 hours after that! Keeping in mind that I was really looking for something simple with very small learning curve and no one's life was at stake. As of last night I began work for the Heart and Stroke Foundation as a recruiter of volunteer canvassers for the February campaign. It's only for a couple of months but that was all I was really looking to commit to until I see how things go. I haven't been working since my birthday last year. Things have been rough and I didn't know if/when I could return to work at all. Turns out this job was exactly what I needed to transition myself back into the workforce, part time at least. I'll be working 4 hours per day, 5 days per week for $13.50/hr. I sit on my butt and cold call people from 4:30pm-8:30pm S-T with Friday and Saturdays off - awesome! The new boss is totally cool and positive and easy to work with. The office is just a short bus ride away. I may even take my bike on sunny days. It is a far cry from being a child protection social worker making more like $40/hr+ but I am certain I will be happier and will be able to leave the job at the office. There is very little by way of paperwork, and no computer use at all. Simply tally sheets and phone lists. It's like being on a work vacation after so many years killing forests for the government. Ahhhhh...that is the smell of the forest thanking me. 

Autumn has arrived in Victoria and November rains launch us towards the grey skies of winter. I remember it well. Rains nearly every day, but not all day and sunny at least 3 times a week. I can handle that. The temps have fallen below 10C at night, so things are getting a bit chillier in the RV. I need to work out some ways to insulate things against the damp ocean airs this winter. While it may not snow more than once all year, sitting around in single digits seaside (say that five times fast) can get a bit chilly. My wardrobe has been getting an overhaul since arriving back in Canada, as I prepare for the very different climate of home. I didn't own much warm weather clothing, having shed that either before I went to Australia, or while I was there. I returned to Canada without a warm jacket, one pair of boots, and one pair of sneakers. I had no long sleeved tops, no warm socks, no pyjamas (having slept in boxers and a tank top for years) and no warm sweaters. Thin cardigans were quite popular and useful in Australia but aren't much help to me here in the coastal chill of the night. Many of my friends smoke, sometimes only when they drink, so we tend to spend a lot of time outside on covered verandahs. There are plenty in this city, so many older homes, tons of character and back then everyone had a big front covered verandah, not a backyard deck. And because it doesn't snow here, many homes have regular furniture outside on them, and we get quite comfy. I do miss having my own outdoor space here in the RV, but that's only when I'm camping curbside. When I'm camping in the bush, I can just throw my camp chair out and voila..

Nash is growing like a bloody weed. He is so gorgeous too, just fuzzy thick fur and loves to be cuddled. So nice. He has also been naughty at times, but usual kitten naughtiness, like eating plants, knocking shit off the table, chewing on things, etc. He is such a gannet though when it comes to mooching off me while I eat, no matter what I'm eating. Popcorn, chips, muffin, pizza, toast, whatever, he wants it and is often rather persistent so requires a bit of disciplining. 

I've been housesitting this past week or so, with a few days left to go. It's for a friend who lives a few blocks from where I usually park. She has a hot tub, and I can park in front of her house, plugged in. Awesome. I really needed a break from all the packing up, moving around for spaces, and tryng to sort out power issues. The solar panels are working well enough but with rainy days, it doesn't collect as much, and it rains often for days at a time. The hot tub is AMAZING and feels so damn good when I slip in. She's happy for me to have friends over too as she knows them all as well, so I've had a couple of friends over earlier this week and two coming tonight for some drinks and hot tub. With the weather cooling down, the hot tub feels sooo nice. I have a couple of kitties to look after as well, but they're easy as they go out most of the day and come in at night. One of them brought in a dead bird a few days ago and left a hell of a mess of feathers and blood...gross. So I had to clean that up. I'm not sure where the kill occurred, possibly in the house...

Halloween was fun enough as I joined my friends as they took their children around. Seems to be the thing to do here - load up the stroller with a few drinks and take the kids out. Groups of parents, friends, relatives all over Fernwood. We ended the night at the Fernwood Community Centre where they had a party and bonfire. I had a couple of parties I could have gone to but ended up just going home after that. Wasn't in the mood really. I had already been out the night before and babysat for my friends, and two nights before that I went to Evil Acres with my friends and went through a blackout maze and a haunted house - both were pretty cool I have to say. I had more fun than thrill, particularly when I got ahead of my friends and told one of the ghouls to call out my friend's name - she freaked! It was awesome...lol. 

So I think I might color for the afternoon, since I have managed to secure an income, small and short time as it is, it does take the pressure off. Coloring is great therapy!