Hello from the Red Cardinal nest, Dear Readers.
Thank you to all who have left messages, and apologies that I did not find them until today...
After our wonderful trip to Canada, we have both been ill.
Mr Red Cardinal caught Covid in transit, and for a couple of weeks we had to isolate from each other in our own nest.
Then I came down with a difficult seasonal virus which lasts for weeks - one common in small children and which was apparently passed onby our sweet grandchildren...
Then I lost the blog for a while, along with the energy to write it anyway..
However, blog is now found again and here we are.
Winter has been freezing our fingers and toes, and the garden is getting ready for Spring.
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A highlight of our Canadian holiday was a visit to Parc Omega, a large free-range Zoo in Quebec.
We enjoyed an overnight experience: 'Sleeping with the Wolves'.
Accommodation was a beautiful log cabin with a wall of glass:
This is the entry side...
A comfortable lounge area looked out onto:
Arriving in the late afternoon (after seeing the remainder of the Zoo), we watched these fascinating animals going through their Pack rituals.
The leader soon became obvious, and there is much jostling and pushing to establish seniority.
One hapless old wolf was rejected, and spent his time isolated near our glass wall. Occasionally another wolf would come over and tease him briefly. It is a tough society.
At any unusual noise, they assembled into a long line, ears and tails up and alert until the 'danger' had passed.
The wolves have quite a large territory, probably quite a few acres, in which to roam and came and went while we were there. There were a small number of similar cabins dotted about.
Just before dusk, we went along a raised boardwalk to see both the wolves and black bears being fed.
At 1.30 am I awoke to hear wolves howling - what an amazing sound! It lasted a few minutes. Then again at 4.30 I was roused to hear them again. Just like in the movies...
We found the wolves to be beautiful, fascinating and interesting animals, quite different from domestic dogs or the Australian Dingo, or wild dog.
As for the black bears, which fortunately were not in the area of our cabin, I found them terrifying! They look so enormous and dangerous, and much scarier than our deadly Aussie snakes....
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Well, that's enough of my chatter for now.
How are you all?
Hope all is well, and you are planning a nice weekend.
XXXXX
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Dearest Patricia,
ReplyDeleteWelcome back!
Glad you enjoyed your Canada trip and sleeping with wolves must have been incredible.
Don't think you can say that your virus infection derived from your sweet grandchildren... As microbiologists we know (and we always taught) that EVERYTHING IS EVERYWHERE—ONLY THE ENVIRONMENT SELECTS. The environment also includes stress levels, age and condition.
Glad you nursed yourself back to health!
Meanwhile I've been three times in the hospital, 2nd time I got transported by Air Evac Lifeteam to Savannah where they have thoracic and vascular surgeons.
I'm only recently reading some blogs and caught up on 2 months of emails etc.
Hugs,
Mariette
Thank you dear Mariette. So sorry you have been in hospital, and by Air Evac sounds very serious indeed. All the best, and glad to read you are back looking at blogs.
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DeleteWelcome back Patricia…sorry to hear about your recent illness.
ReplyDeleteI have had some health struggles too…I mentioned them on my blogposts.
Good to know that you restored your blogging energies and found your blog after it was lost in cyberspace.
The Canadian wolf experience sounds quite exciting!
Take care,
Leslie
Hostess of The Humble Bungalow
Thank you Hostess. I will read back through your blogposts, and trust you are feeling better. The wolves were indeed exciting - much more interesting than I thought it would be :)
DeleteReally sorry to learn of your illness after the Canada trip Hope all good now for Mr. Red Cardinal and that he doesn't experience the long version of COVID. As for yourself dear Trish, I'm thinking your illness was RSV, correct? We are currently awaiting the vaccine availability for that virus. Despite usually found in young children it is recommended for elderly also (sorry but there's no getting away from it, we are in the oldies group now!). Hope so much you are all over that now and feeling good again.
ReplyDeleteLove that you had 'the wolves at the door' experience - like you, the bears would be more scary to me!
So happy to see you here - and thanks again for the comment on the passing of my blog friend.
Take care - take it easy - be well.
Mary and Bob XX
Thank you Mary. Mr Cardinal recovered very well from Covid, thankfully, with no lingering effects. Yes, I think I had RSV again (I had it last year). The University of Qld is working on a vaccine, and no doubt other places are too. I hope it arrives soon! I only became aware of it last year when our tiny granddaughter was hospitalised a number of times with RSV and we were quite worried about her. Once again, this year she and I have succumbed to it. Hard to resist her tiny cuddles... We look forward to Spring: flowers, sunshine and healthy times! xxx
DeletePrayers for everyone's health
ReplyDeleteSorry y'all were sick.
Scary animals even through a fence.
Thank you Salty. It was an old folks adventure seeing those animals, and others as well: bison, arctic foxes, etc. I was glad to know that the glass window of the cabin was electrified outside on the wolves' side, and they have learnt not to come too close.
DeleteI'm so glad you're back, Patricia, but very sorry you've been ill. That was not such a nice homecoming, especially with the cold. Your photos and story of the period you spent with the wolves were fascinating. It is indeed a tough society, but wonderful to see. I hope spring will see a full return to health for you and your husband. Sending hugs and all my very best wishes, Val. xx
ReplyDeleteThank you Val. We did so well on our holiday, for which we are most thankful. At least we could recover safely in our own home and not spoil the trip. I think the Covid was caught in Vancouver. The Sleeping with Wolves was amazing, and a surprise planned by our daughter. Hugs to you too. xx
DeletePatricia, Hello! First, I'm so sorry your husband got the virus, and that you had a seasonal virus too. I hope all of you are feeling better, along with your dear grandchildren. The free-range zoo sounds really neat. It sounds like they are roaming in the wild. The call of the wolf would be interesting to hear. And those bears! We used to have many bears up here in this area roaming. Sometimes, we'll hear of one being spotted. The cabin you stayed at looks charming. There is so many neat things to see in the wild.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're back home safely, and wishing you happy August days, Patricia.
~Sheri
Hi dear Sheri, We are feeling better, and trying to avoid the grandchildren when they are unwell. The zoo is amazing and covers many acres. The wolves have their own area, and another part is drive-through where you see bison, lots of deer, moose, foxes, and other assorted Canadian animals. Also lakes with waterbirds and beavers. The wolf howling is unique, and spine-chilling! I do enjoy an outdoor adventure, safely organised. Apparently there are bears in the woods near our daughter's place, but they do not seem to worry anyone. Happy August Sheri.
DeleteIt's so wonderful having you back dear Trish! And I'm so happy to hear you folks are feeling better. Health issues aside, it sounds like it was an amazing trip. And precious time with family. What a cool experience getting to observe wolves on such a close level! And I laughed at your black bear comment. Grizzlies would be scary to me. But our black bears around here are very docile (as you've seen I have them in my yard often and I'm not concerned). Your snakes, however, would give me nightmares! Your spiders too! Lol 😱
ReplyDeleteThank you Carrie. We had the best trip, and it is most likely our last trip to Canada. So precious to be with the family and our daughter arranged so many good times. I confess I do not know the difference between one bear and another - but they were Big! I don't worry about spiders at all, but we get the house sprayed to deter them because we no not want their webs. Snakes are another issue, and we always are careful to keep the house securely screened at all times. We use snake deterrents in the garden, small devices the size of carrots you push into the ground. They emit a vibration for about 40 metres around them, and while not perfect, we seem to be working. Lovely to see you face pop up again too. xx
DeleteSorry to hear that you both have been sick. I was wondering why "no blog". Everyone says RSV is a very difficult virus that "hangs around". Your wolf experience sounds amazing! Clever daughter to have organised it. Great photos, it would have been easy to sit and watch and forget to grab the camera/phone.
ReplyDeleteThank you for popping by. The weeks fly by when you have RSV. I am still coughing on and off, after many weeks, and like last year, it has damaged my vocal chords. The wolf experience was so interesting - I kept thinking of the film Dr Zhivago when they were driving through the snow and you heard the wolves howl. Eerie. My camera is not working so well, and I would have liked better photos, but we did our best with the dull evening light. We are so grateful K organised many special activities for our probably last visit.
DeleteGlad you had such a great time during your visit to Canada. Our bears seem a whole lot less scary than your snakes. At least the bears are big and visible, and bear/human incidents are quite rare, though nonetheless tragic when they occur.
ReplyDeleteWe do love our visits to Canada, which have continued over 25 years. Perhaps we hear too many bad bear stories - our daughter seems unperturbed by them, although they are reported in the woods not far away. The beauty of Ontario in Spring and Autumn never fails to captivate us. Thank you for popping by.
DeleteI am really pleased to see you back again Patricia following your adventures in Canada, but sorry to learn that Mr. Cardinal picked up Covid and you a horrible bug. It's a long, long, flight to Canada and I am sure that these things take it out of you, especially as we get older. I have also heard that the senior generation have been more affected by bugs and viruses than young people. The fact that we strictly isolated ourselves for such a long period, unlike the young, has resulted in our immune system being compromised. Still onwards and upwards, soon Spring will be knocking at your door.
ReplyDeleteThank you dear Rosemary. Yes, Brisbane to Vancouver takes about 14 hours, or even a bit more, so one of the longest. Then another 5 hours to Ottawa. It does wear us out! I agree, we have isolated a long time, and I have been quite an enthusiast of the practice. It has kept us safe, but my immunity has clearly dropped. The grandchildren have been constantly ill, so sad, and we have to be so careful. Spring is heralded by a couple of Iris, and yesterday, one solitary daffodil. :)
DeleteI don't think I'd like to be anywhere near bears. I mentioned to you in my last comment that I was commissioned to go to Canada a few times, and one of those times I had to go into the redwood forests to a camp. We had to wear bells while walking along to warn the bears of our presence. Apparently they don't like to attack people just for the fun of it - phew - that was a relief! But they can get aggressive if taken by surprise.
ReplyDeleteWolves and bears in such a natural habitat zoo, it's fun to watch them. Sorry to hear that you and Mr. C got ill after your trip and am happy you are well again. After going overseas, I usually caught a bad cold or virus also. I suppose with the change in one's routine and running around, one's body can't fight viruses off as well, plus in a different country, (or area of your own country) you may not have the immunities to the foreign viruses in the air.
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