Archives for posts with tag: Chinatown Victoria BC

After our big February snow last year, spring came in swiftly as it does on this wet, west coast. Here are some photos of highlights from Spring 2017:

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From snow to snowdrops, an early sign of spring.

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Lots of spring-time walks, urban, rural. This one with J in some lovely woodland in Royal Oak.

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The city comes alive with cherry and plum blossoms from late February until early April. This beautiful tree is in the Gardens at Government House.

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Continued love affair with our beautiful neighbourhood.

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In May, dear friends visit from Colorado.

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Made time for a treat at my favourite coffee establishments. Hey Happy on Johnson Street (left), and Hide + Seek on Oak Bay Avenue.

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As always, we spend time with the cats! Miss Bunny Drummond really loves GJ.

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One of my favourite designers opened a new shop on Johnson Street in June. No stranger to Victoria, John Fluevog opened an early store here in 1972. I’m happy he’s back!

I love our neighbourhood! Chinatown, the oldest in Canada and second oldest in North America, is beautiful and magical – and never more so than with snow! After hanging out with our visiting family, I spent the afternoon walking in a sparkling blizzard.

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We have been having some beautiful days this month, almost verging on spring. Last week, while I was running errands as the sun was setting, I took some photos of the sky around the downtown Victoria area. Today it’s sunny again, just lovely!

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A tea shop I visit once in a while in Oak Bay, Just Matcha, has just opened a new shop in my neighbourhood. They have a lovely little spot in a newly renovated space near the entrance to history Fan Tan Alley. Our matcha lattes were delicious. Their menu is extensive and varied, something for every taste. They also offer some baked treats and locally-made chocolates – plus, beautiful tea ware, supplies and different grades of matcha to make at home. A really nice place to relax with some healthy matcha tea!

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This morning, just behind our apartment building, a tree was filled with Cedar Waxwings. Such pretty birds!

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It is with reluctance that I write about anything that is not happy, beautiful, or inspiring. We are, however, about to see some changes to our beautiful Chinatown neighbourhood, and that is making me sad. The extent of these changes I do not know, but for me the word “gentrification” means the end of affordable rental accommodation in a city where anything under $1000 per month is almost impossible to find. So many artists, students, and local small businesses call this neighbourhood home. These renovations are to a set of buildings which back-to-back face Fisgard Street and Pandora Avenue. They are beside a brand new condo building which was just completed in a space that was a parking lot. A building on the west side of historic Fan Tan Alley was just recently gutted. The facades were kept intact, but a taller addition was added inside the original walls. This one seems to be advertising rental units, but the cost?

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As they are just coming to an end, here are some pics of the fluffiest and pinkest blooms this season.

Fluffy pink, Chinese Public School, Chinatown, Victoria BC.

Fluffy pink, Chinese Public School, Chinatown, Victoria BC.

Fluffy pink, Chinese Public School, Chinatown, Victoria BC.

Fluffy pink, Chinese Public School, Chinatown, Victoria BC.

Dark pink, behind the Legislative Assembly buildings, Victoria BC.

Dark pink, behind the Legislative Assembly buildings, Victoria BC.

Our weather lately has been ridiculously lovely. Here are a few random pictures from Victoria BC.

Sunset from Dallas Road in James Bay.

Sunset from Dallas Road in James Bay.

My favourite, grape hyacinth.

My favourite, grape hyacinth.

Beautiful white-blossomed Magnolia trees in Chinatown.

Beautiful white-blossomed magnolia trees in Chinatown.

A misty view of Mt Baker in Washington State, taken from Summit Park.

A misty view of Mt Baker in Washington State, taken from Summit Park.

Pink on blue in the neighbourhood of Fairfield.

Pink on blue in the neighbourhood of Fairfield.