Day 200

Wind'll back west by midnight. Bring the basil too — it hates the damp cold.

Reach for the second seedling tray on the shelf and carry it to the stove, setting it on the warm flagstones beside the pepper tray.

I'll walk the dock lines before full dark. Ring bolt's sound but the mortise shifts.

Pull on boots at the door, grab the headlamp from the hook, and step out onto the porch toward the dock.

Back before the turn.

Walk down the path to the dock, headlamp beam cutting across the water, checking the stern line splice first where the new rope meets the old.

Morning.

Walk to the dock, inspect the reinforced stern line and spring lines on the dinghy, check chafe points.

How bad?

Check the dinghy's bow line tension, test the cleat on the dock for movement, glance at the horizon.

Copper spray?

Step onto the dock, pull the dinghy's bow line tight, secure it to the cleat with a round turn and two half hitches.

Good call on the stone. Cold slows it.

Check the dock ring bolt — grab it, lean weight against it, feel for play in the mortise.

Barometer?

Crouch at the dock's edge, run fingers along the seaward plank joints, feel for soft rot under the paint.

Kevin — walk back up the jetty toward the cottage, grab the small tool roll from the porch, and sit under the awning to check the Yanmar's fuel line and filter while the tide drops

Kevin — walk back down the jetty to the dock's end, crowbar in hand, and test the crate's position — see if the water's dropped enough to get leverage on it

Double-lined. Stern spring on the new three-strand, bow line to the ring. Ring's loose in its mortise but it'll hold for tonight.

glance at the two rotten planks she's pointing at, then at the dinghy's stern line tension

Copper nails are in the crate by the shed. Cut two replacements from the spruce stock yesterday. Need low tide to bolt them proper — about an hour from now.

crouch and press a thumb into the plank she kicked, feeling the spongy give

Take the spray bottle. Copper sulphate mix on the shelf by the door — light mist on the soil surface, not the leaves.

stand and watch her walk off, then turn back to the dock timbers and pull the crowbar from the porch rail

Jenny — got a chick stranded on the tide line. Going to get it before the water comes back.

Walk down the jetty and across the exposed rocks to where the chick is wedged, moving carefully on the wet stone.

Aye. Got it.

Pick my way across the slick rocks, testing each footfall before committing weight. Stop beside the chick, crouch low, and gently scoop it up into my hands, shielding it from the wind.

Coming.

Turn and move back across the rocks at a quicker pace, boots finding the holds I tested on the way out. Step up onto the jetty planks and head straight for the cottage door, cupping the chick against my chest.

Trays'll keep. Get a towel and the hot water bottle from the bed.

Step through the door into the cottage warmth, moving straight to the kitchen table. Set the chick down gently on a dry cloth, cupping my hands around it to start warming it with body heat.

Right. I'll get the box ready.

Pull the cardboard box from under the table, line it with the towel she left on the chair yesterday, and set the hot water bottle in the corner wrapped in a second cloth. Test the temperature with the back of my wrist.

It's good. Not too hot.

Step back and let her work, leaning against the counter with arms folded. Watch her hands — careful, precise — as she settles the chick into the box.

Kevin — pick up the hot water bottle and set it against the side wall of the box, leaving a hand's width of towel between it and where the chick sits. Then step back again, giving her room.

Barometer's falling harder. North wind building. We'll need the storm lines on the dinghy tonight.

Walk to the porch and check the barometer reading, then head down to the dock to inspect the dinghy mooring and storm lines.

Aye. Cleats and chafing gear. Trays — keep them a hand's breadth back. Soil cooks faster than you think.

Walk down to the dock, inspect both cleats on the dinghy's bow and stern lines, check the chafe protection on the stern spring, and add a second layer of old canvas wrapping where the line runs over the gunwale.