Monday 7 – The technician that was supposed to come and restore our collapsed internet connection never turned up.  The Abbot was on the phone to Xplornet three times in the course of the day and made no headway.  The connection has been down since last Wednesday.  Because of the lack internet connection, which he does not need for the purpose, Fr. Adrien was unable to do his chronicle for last week.  But the main event, in addition to the internet collapse, was that the Abbot spent most of the week in bed with flu.  Marc, the pre-postulant also had it on Friday and Saturday.  Because of Fr. Adrien’s difficulties with the chronicle this is a poor imitation by the Abbot.  Today Br. Stephen went to look at a recently constructed barn in the Miramichi area in order to get ideas on which way to go to replace the heifer barn whose roof collapsed under the snow.  This evening in chapter we finalized our house report for the General Chapter due to be held in Assisi in September. 

Tuesday 8 – Our internet connection which had been off for a week was finally repaired.  It had taken Xplornet all of a week to get a technician out here, and the problem was only that the hi-speed satellite dish had moved under the pressure of ice and snow.

Wednesday 9 – Last week’s Mistassini chronicle appeared on our notice-board, delayed by our internet outage.  Since the fax now comes through the computer, there was a backlog of faxes as well.  There has been an extraordinary amount of snow this winter.  Happily this is now melting.  The abbot had a lot to share with us in chapter, all backlog from the Internet being down.

First of all the Abbot presented the Pope’s Wednesday Audience discourse on St. Benedict which he found impressive.  A letter from a young man from Ohio who is due to come for a monastic experience, underlined his determination.  The Abbot had also had an e-mail from Father Graham.  He is assiduously following his course and having some interesting sideline experiences.

Friday 11 – Fr. Maurice went to Moncton to have an echocardiogram.  Myself I went to see an eye specialist.

Sunday 13 – Currently we have few guests.  In fact, the lone one left today.

Monday 14 – We have heard that Fr. Graham’s brother, Fr. Jason Touchie has been appointed to a position in the Vatican, in the Congregation for the Education of the Clergy.  Congratulations!

Thursday 17 – The Abbot went to Moncton with Br. Stephan for an interview in connection with his application for Canadian citizenship.  It won’t be long now.

Friday 18 – We are having a difficult spring.  We thought that the problem of the guest-house chapel getting flooded at snowmelt was a thing of the past, but it’s with us again today!  This evening the Abbot gathered the community in council.

Saturday 19 – Br. Stephan sold a number of heifers at excellent prices.  The market has taken off again because the U.S. borders have been opened.

Sunday 20 – Lately there have been fewer people at our Sunday Mass, but this morning the chapel was nearly full.

Monday 21 – A work crew started waxing the floors in the guest house this morning.  The whole wing will be closed until Friday.  The Abbot went this morning, with Marc Côté as driver, to collect a hospital bed that somebody had given us.  A useful piece of equipment in the context of caring for any chronically sick brethren we might have in the future.  This evening, a meeting of the community in Council.

Tuesday 22 – A new, faster and cheaper, internet connection was installed this morning.  It is a fixed wireless service that a lot of people in the neighbourhood are going over to because the are out of range for having hi-speed from the telephone companies.

Thursday 24 – This afternoon I went to Moncton about my eyes.  I have to have tinted glasses.  It remains to be seen what effect that will have.

Friday 25 – Rémi Martin and Roger Gallant are cutting wood with a view to replacing the heifer barn that the snow caused to collapse.

Saturday 26 – We finished planting 100 tomato plants in the greenhouse.

Sunday 27 – There were not many people at Mass this morning.

Monday 28 – As you get older the more you go running to the doctors, at least that’s the way it is for me.

Tuesday 29 – We learned that Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky had held and abbatial election and Fr. Elias had been elected the 10^th Abbot.  He is currently the Abbot General’s secretary.