This is the hermit crab effect of housing. Except with hermit crabs you can watch it in real-time. No, I can't afford the fancy new shell but maybe I can afford the fifth shell down the line and then another crab can afford my shell. And any shell is better than no shell.

This is an amazing program. Something like this would be a great way to strengthen Canadian culture - and could even be a net positive to the economy.

The challenge with being a vendor is the money I spend on everyone else's fantastic things! 😂

Every day! Science is amazing - and apparently funny.

I love this artwork - the colours and texture are gorgeous - but also the timelapse in the comments is mesmerizing.

I'm always amazed at how far we've come in the last century since Pluto was discovered... but apparently I only need to go back 30 years.

And here's the non-traditional kimchi after steps 2 through 6. I experimented with adding apple this time. I had to refer to my old blog post for instructions creneastle.com/2019/10/20/g...

My non-traditional baechu kimchi step 1 ... quartering and salting the cabbage. As a veggivore, I omit the fishy ingredients but it's still tasty. Next it sits, having the water drawn out then I vigorously massage the paste into it, pack it in a crock and let it ferment.

This one was tricky indeed. I solved the daily Clues by Sam (Oct 2nd 2025) in less than 12 minutes 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟠 🟩🟩🟠🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟡🟩 cluesbysam.com

This is brilliant.

I love this painting - I want to go there.

I love a good archaeology story ... and a good quiz.

There was a lot more orange and yellow yesterday. I solved the daily Clues by Sam (Sep 29th 2025) in less than 8 minutes 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 cluesbysam.com

I'm sure this is not traditional at all (given the nooch and vegan butter) but colcannon with store bought potato but garden rutabaga root and greens.

Some autumn hydrangeas from the local garden.

The latest newsletter, where I talk about ferments, snakes and book recommendations. open.substack.com/pub/reneastl...

Can I line up at a special line to have my passport stamped? I love the stamps in my passport.

Snakes are cool! This one especially so.

I love "the farm" but this time of year can be exhausting. Feet hurt, back hurts, hands hurt. And I have no more room in my freezer but so much more food to process 🥴 ... maybe I need to get a bar fridge so I have more room to store ferments.

Looking for your next sci-fi adventure?

I love the library - so many free books! You can just take them, read them then exchange them for another! Bonkers! And I've been using GVPL a lot more for DVDs in recent weeks.

And also DVDs. Probably Blu-rays too but what would I know about newfangled technology - I just recentlt resurrected my 20 year old DVD player.

Library books are very shiny - but excited to pick this up today. I might need to put aside the Eating to Extinction re-read to get started on this.

Does anyone remember that show Beast War (I think) Well, here's a new one - jaguar vs anaconda! I think anaconda would win.

How about a good news story? www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

It's amazing the amount of work goes into creating these images. I thought it was just "throw some filters on" (which can also be work to get it right) but it's not - you can read more in the alt text.

I don't talk about it often but my mom chose MAID after a valiant battle against cancer. One of her reasons was so she could be surrounded by her spread out family. She was also in a lot of pain at the end and shadow of herself. I'm so thankful she could make that choice. www.cbc.ca/player/play/...

This was the overflow bike rack at the rec centre tonight. It doesn’t show the kid who rolled up at the end, telling his mom the best way to attach a helmet to the bike. 😄 #yyj

You know you're old when you go to put on your good glasses, only to realize you're already wearing your bad glasses. Heck, the fact that I have good glasses....

If you need a little break sometimes (and you subscribe to Kobo Plus), check out these sci-fi and, fantasy books. I think I'll need a break about my current re-read on how homogeneity is endangering our food supply. books.bookfunnel.com/koboplus-sci...

This is fantastic. I hope it brings a smile to your face as well.

What a lovely story. It's so nice to see in my feed.

Took some visitors to the local garden attraction. It's a bit pricey, and I was worried there wouldn't be much to see this time of year. I was wrong.

Wow, a whole 3 days.

If I want to buy a game that's all about getting the most tentacle naughties, I should be able to! Y'all know I love octopuses 😄 But in all seriousness, one of my big concerns is who decides what is "adult"? Does it become anything LGBTQ+ because some group decides "that's adult"?

Throwing some awesome stuff in the timeline. I have a copy of this ... though I still need to hang it on my wall.

I'm so excited by this! I expected I'd have to head to Langford to try an ebike. It's nice to have locations near me. I'll still probably take my acoustic bike (thanks @jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social for the term) most places. But sometimes I'm tired or it's far. #yyj www.bcaa.com/media-centre...

In the latest newsletter I talk about Shiny New Thing I and II ... and III and ... no, just 3. But Shiny New Thing III is an audio version of A Hangman Comes to Tyche, read by yours truly. Turns out creating an audio version is a great way to catch typos 😒 reneastle.substack.com/p/shiny-new-...

Beans, beans, everywhere beans... The harvest continues. I might have a problem.

This month's serialized story over on Armchair Alien comes with a surprise - an audio version read by yours truly. It's a bit of an experiment to see if people are interested - check it out and let me know what you think. open.substack.com/pub/armchair... #audiobooks #scifi

Managed to get a couple of milk crates home. Would have been a lot easier if the bike lane-to-cross street transitions along the Shelboure lanes weren't so jarring (or, better yet, the lanes were continuous sidewalk style). @saanichbc.bsky.social

Oh no! What a loss. And apparently I need to watch Clearcut.

I wasn't expecting the dynamic effects in this article, but they really reinforce the point. Wow.

My second favourite season - after the bean harvest - has begun: molasses kiss season. But they must be Kerr's.

I would love this for BC - maybe I could power the portable AC I need in my west facing condo with the solar panel on my west facing balcony. www.cbc.ca/news/climate...

It's fascinating to consider all the long chain of events that had to happen for us to be here today.

A grab bag for this week's newsletter - shiny new things, science, and a couple of stories to read when you have a few minutes ... oh, and the bean harvest has started 😁 reneastle.substack.com/p/august-whe...

The ONE time I want zoom to mute me automatically it does not.

Even though it's almost 30 (?!) years old, imo The Fifth Element stands the test of time. Watched it again this weekend and it still on of my favourites.

I'd love to see a right to repair law like Europe has come to Canada for one. www.cbc.ca/radio/whaton...