All posts by Paul Cipywnyk

Hopper, Heron at Fraser Foreshore Park

Hopper ‘n Heron at Fraser Foreshore Park in Burnaby, BC, this afternoon. I heard a Kingfisher, but didn’t spot it.

And that was all — too bloody hot. Not even a Mallard to be seen in the pond. . .

I lasted all of half an hour and packed it in, having done a longer walk in the morning before Mother Nature hit the Broil – High setting.

hopper fraser foreshore pakr burnaby bc

great blue heron fraser foreshore park burnaby bc

Burgeoning Borshch

It began innocently and within reason when I saw a huge beet about the size of a small cantaloupe in the fridge. Hey, how about borshch?

But it quickly became enough to feed us for several days 🙂.

I started by simmering about a cup of dry split peas with a diced yellow onion in a medium pot. Once the peas were starting to soften, I added the huge beet, chopped into tablespoon-sized portions.
And then things began to get away from me, so I transfered the borshch in progess into a larger pot.

A couple of diced yellow potatoes and and couple of chopped carrots. Half a cup of chopped celery, and about a quarter of a large cabbage. . .

And another transfer into an even larger pot.

Whew, done! And it works out well because we’re expecting another heat wave coming this week, and borshch goes down just fine cold, eh?

And. . . no debate on how to spell borshch, OK? That’s how Ukrainians pronounce it, so there you go. 🙂

borshch

CBC Early Edition Appearance on Heat Wave, Creeks, Salmon

I was interviewed live on the CBC Early Edition this morning on the topic of the heat wave in BC and the impact on local creeks and salmon.

Volunteer streamkeepers have recorded temperatures as high as 20.5 C in Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, which is higher than is healthy for salmonids.

Water temperatures surpassing the upper teens mean less oxygen in the water, and also stress salmon, leaving them more vulnerable to diseases and pararasites.

I don’t know how long CBC Radio leaves links up, but here it is:

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-91-the-early-edition/clip/15858921-this-hot-summer-drying-creeks