Labour Day, and right on time the rain arrived. It rained most of last night and well into the morning, prompting us to light our first fire in aboiut four months. It cleared towards the evening as we headed down to Collins Hall for a potluck supper with the families in our homelearners group. But even with the late day sun, it got dark around 8:30 and the taste of fall was definitely in the air.

Aine and I went down to the ferry dock in time to send off the 9:05 ferry full of mainlanders heading home. There was little evidence of the traditional gathering of rogues who, in previous years, had been discouraged from mooning the cottagers as they departed their summer homes. Still, the occaision warranted a song, and so I wrote one:

Our island’s ours again
(Tune of “Rolling Down to Old Maui”)

On the first of May of every year
They come by boat and plane
The ferry starts to overload
And the traffic is a pain
All summer long down in the Cove
The shop doors open wide
The rest of us head for the hills
And find some place to hide

Chorus: Farewell to all you mainlanders
And welcome to the rain
So raise a cheer, the autumn’s here
Our island’s ours again!

Their money spent, the continent
Will accept them in its fold
The beaches are available
Though the water’s freezing cold
Once more we can find our favourite seats
On a barstool down at Docs
And the women who run VONIGO
Can replenish all their stock

Chorus

Now the nights are cool, the air is brisk
Mount Gardner wears a shroud
The wind has swung southeast again
And the Sound is full of cloud
For the next eight months we’ll hide away
And slowly go insane
But what care we, we’re finally free
Our island’s ours again!

Chorus

The Squamish winds will blow for days
And the breeze will chill our bones
But the firewood’s stacked and the pantry’s packed
And we’ve battened down our homes
We’re done with yard work, cleaned the eaves
And there’s nothing left to stain
Let winter send its best at us
Our island’s ours again!

Chorus



posted by Chris at 12:05 AM | |