yyt

bright and sunny but the radio was warning of thunderstorms, the walk got to me a bit as i awoke at 8am. after making coffee sat in the window to make a dent on the website. was pleased that - unbeknownst to me - i had finished a section but when i went to move it something went wrong and i had to rebuild it.

walked down to the library to see if they were open so that i could check my e-mail. they weren't opening until 7pm. leaving number 14 saw russell langmead's wife at the door . returned to get the partridge berry loaf and gave it to her wishing her a belated happy anniversary. russell came around from the back he was mowing hoping to beat the thunderstorms that wee due at dinner time. thanked him for the suggestion about the toad - but complained that there was a shorter way
- a yeah just by st.agnes.
ran into luke again and again mentioned that he didn't tell me that there was a less stressful way to make it to the toad.

on the way back from the library i climbed noseworthy's hill as i wanted to photograph the skateboard that said "not a crime". it was gone - kicked myself for not returning earlier but things tend to stay on the sideof the road for ever here - like the bike not 10 feet from where the skateboard was.

unlike the other houses around here the windows to the sea are almost floor to ceiling watched the play of light through the room. also kept staring as a fish table next door with rocks on it. the rocks are to hold it down in the wind here. have been making a snap of it since i got here, but didn't want to walk on the person's property he is usually there in the shed during the day, with his mates. to-day he was mowing and moving his boat out of the shed with his atv. headed over to ask his permission
- you can come over and take anything you want including me.
- you'll be sorry . i raced back to get joãozão.
he said that he would take the rocks of the table - it was a table to gut fish he showed me the the sink where they would be kept and what the different bumps on the table wee for. ted was a fisherman who stopped when the cod ended. he lives behind me and now drives a school bus. this explains the school bus that was parked on the loop in the winter during the blizzard year.

he was watching two dogs for a neighbour and had a "100 year old" beagle. in truth the dog was 20. took me into the shed where i again i was gobsmacked. there was the boat that he was building leaning against the far wall he was in the process of planing it.

shocked for i'm used to people watching television, mowing lawns and driving s.u.v.'s as hobbies and here was this person who doesn't fish anymore building a boat.

mentioned the proclivity of u.s. flags at henry langmead's place. ted said that it is a way of protesting the canadian government. why not the pink white and green of the republic? another set of issues. he thinking that i knew nothing of the province also brought up the union jack. it was then i mentioned good government and joey smallwood and history stopped and politics started.

calmed down enough to work again finish two parts and decided to conquer cape st. francis via the east coast trail. proper shoes, joãozão and a diana and a bottle of gatorade that malcom left. the sign said 5,9km. i reckoned two hours. passed the ball park north of town where there was a game going on.

i was expecting a rough trail but a trail none the less. it was nothing like those manicured trails that one finds in state parks, it wasn't cleared at times i was climbing over rocks going from one striped post to the next. at times the growth would be over the trail so that i couldn't see what i was walking on. but the views. turning the corner from pouch i could see conception bay and the next peninsula. climbing i saw all of pouch again this time from the north. the part of the trail was more like yesterday's walk - low scrub, rocks.

looking at the sky, dark clouds were moving in quite quickly saw the telegraph poles for the road to the cape and kept that in mind. then i heard thunder in the distance and decided to make for the road if i could find a way through. two attempts failed. finally saw a trail that broke off from the main one and took it as it looked like it headed to a rock quarry that i remember.

was in luck found the road - and luke with two friends one in a 4x4 the other with an atv. talked about the threat of rain. headed back they said that if it did storm they'd pick me up. it took me an hour to make it that far and 15 minutes to get back. back at the edge of town, stopped and look at the sky couldn't tell if the rain was coming or not. it would be frustrating if the rain bypassed the area. turning back would have been a mistake. kept staring - great cloud formations the forward group looked like a roger brown painting. then the hills started to disappear. then a band of white would separate the clouds from the hills. started walking home thinking that i would eat and start out again. this time joining the path where i met luke and friends. turned around once more to see this grey to black cloud not 500metres from me and decided to walk quickly. the rain had come big drops by the time i made it to the top of sulllivan's loop - a man in his window nodded as i passed.

the thunderstorm started a couple of minutes later.

more work on the website. until i hit a part that looked daunting and quit. headed to the library mistaken that the opening time was at 4pm. it still being early decided to conquer cape st. francis fully realising that it would be wet out. reckoned that i had done about a kilometre. figured that it would take about an hour.

the trail while beautiful was the hardest trail i have ever walked. i was constantly doubling back on myself using rocks to cross streams, going straight up only to come straight back down again. one moment i was on the shore the next far from it. as i had to go around a cove. the scenes were beautiful though. not the scrub and rock but now forested, was slipping on moose shit and hail - at first thought that it had been so cold here that some ice hadn't melted but came across a pile of golf ball sized ice and realised. later i spoke with a couple on a atv who said that it had hailed in the topsail road in mount pearl. thankfully no hail in pouch a dented car rental would be all that i needed.

i didn't feel like i was getting any closer to the goal. every time i was afforded a view to the north i saw nothing of biscayan bay. here there was no way to get to the road nor did i want to the sky was clear although it was about 10 degrees after the storm i was sweating. if there was any doubt on whether the merrills will be brought back there wasn't any more. merrills don't do well on the island in three years i had ruined three pairs of shoes.

the walk along the cliffs wasn't as treacherous as the walk in the wooded area. the roots that were hidden by low growth at one point the trail was the width of a foot on sphagnum that was sliding down the hill. i wondered how moose could negotiate the path. they are prolific little shitters though. finally gave up trying to dodge the scat and simply ploughed ahead.

finally saw a post for biscayan bay and felt better. a mistake as i then went on a climb to the highest point on the trail and back to rocks heading down there were switchbacks but finally. the trail was barely marked thought it intelligent that limbs had coloured ribbons on it. only later talking to a family on a atv did i realise that they were placed there by other walkers so they could find their way back. the father had mentioned another walk where i could see belle island and conception bay but it was boggy i should wear boots and take ribbons to find my way back.

came to the trail head walked down to the bay to photograph and "conquer" it. am astounded by the houses out here. the road is rocky and pitted - although greatly improved and the houses are in the woods not on the shore.

at the bay i looked up and the sky was low and grey - a mild panic. it was south of me but didn't know where. looked for a shanty that was open just in case and found two.

it was then when i met the family and asked if it were raining in pouch - no he said maybe bauline. it was decision time.

as it was getting cold i reckoned that the low clouds were more fog than rain. climbed out of biscayan cove and headed back on the road. stopped twice to make snaps. one of a couple on an atv who were looking for fox that came out each evening at the spot that they were - except to-night. the walk back took all of one hour even with the stops and the chats.

elke and inge are weeding and weed wacking the garden - pretty fruitless if you ask me.

headed over to the library but both internet spots were taken was too hungry to wait around headed over to bruce's to buy heinz tomato soup to finish off the rice and headed back.