Well, I had finally caved and bought a mask, because you can't ride the bus or go into most stores without some kind of face covering, and because it was getting too warm to use a woolen or cashmere scarf.
And then today happened. Polar vortex, as they called it. I actually saw snowflakes in the air this morning. In May. So on one of my two trips out, picking up breakfast, I wore both a scarf and a winter coat. Grocery shopping I wore a lighter jacket because it involves walking up hills and tends to build up heat, but I still had a scarf on me and anyway that turned out to be borderline.
One thing I've noticed is that the heat hasn't kicked on. It's still okay if you wear a sweater, but I've definitely heard and felt the radiator going on days this cold in April and beforehand. Which makes me think the landlords get to a certain point in the year and say, "Fuck it, we're not buying any more oil." Which might make them sound callous, but in an ordinary year no one would even notice.
And then today happened. Polar vortex, as they called it. I actually saw snowflakes in the air this morning. In May. So on one of my two trips out, picking up breakfast, I wore both a scarf and a winter coat. Grocery shopping I wore a lighter jacket because it involves walking up hills and tends to build up heat, but I still had a scarf on me and anyway that turned out to be borderline.
One thing I've noticed is that the heat hasn't kicked on. It's still okay if you wear a sweater, but I've definitely heard and felt the radiator going on days this cold in April and beforehand. Which makes me think the landlords get to a certain point in the year and say, "Fuck it, we're not buying any more oil." Which might make them sound callous, but in an ordinary year no one would even notice.
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Around here there are lots of flowers in bloom in gardens as well as in the park where there are wildflowers and the flowering bushes and trees. The odd thing, though, is that the formal gardens have been left with all the now dying and drying spring stuff. The grass is cut but otherwise it looks as though the gardeners have been declared non-essential since few or no tourists are expected this year. I saw yesterday that all the cruises to Alaska have been cancelled which means Victoria will be getting bypassed for the forseeable future. Strange indeed.
Anyhow, as we sat on a bench the other day we saw a man, a big man but kind of flabby with it like the old time circus strongmen, who must have been doing some weight lifting before we sat. He was putting barbells and various weights into a large rucksack - quite a few of them were left on the grass and all looked heavier than anything I could manage to pick up easily. It was funny to see him wrestle the zipper closed and then pick the whole thing up and walk away.
It was weird you got a cold spell so late as May, but you're probably right that the landlords turned off the heat because of the date. They're always thinking, aren't they?
It's weird that the gardeners seem to have been furloughed for this season. Having one or two of them work on a plot at a time doesn't seem especially risky. Of course there are a lot of things that don't seem particularly risky to me but which have been banned or something like it for the present time. If you don't assume that every restriction is justified it can be hard to determine which are and which aren't. In any case it's nice to hear that the wildflowers are out in force in the park. Sounds like it would liven up the walks.
So I guess the bodybuilder was lifting weights in the park. Well, why not? I'm guessing the gyms are closed up there too. And again, you get a nice view to work out with. Not sure the rucksack is the best way to carry all those weights, since they'll cause a lot of wear and tear on the bag itself. Then again maybe that's just going to be the case with any kind of bag you pack them in.
The cold spell has passed now, it seems. It was cool when I went out because of the wind, but I started feeling a little balmy as my walk went on. What's pretty nice is that the nights are still cool, which is better for sleeping.
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