Archives for posts with tag: Victoria BC

2017 in Review: Summer

January 17, 2018 //

The summer of 2017 was perfect in Victoria! Lovely weather, and the city was alive with events and festivals of all kinds. Work life kept me very busy, but I made some time to enjoy the season.

We were honoured to be invited a second year to join friends for a big birthday party on Saturna Island. We had an amazing time! We rode our bikes again this year which was definitely part of the fun. Breezy Bay BnB is amazing!

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On the next weekend we had a quick day trip to Vancouver followed by the Victoria Pride Parade, which was so joyous and colourful.

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Of course, there were many long walks and some beach time with Annie. Another high fire season again this year in British Columbia, and more locally on Vancouver Island, brought some smokey days and eerie sunsets.

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And, of course, we rode our bikes! We had a few rides with friends which always includes a packed snack of tea and cake, and participated in the Tweed Ride which raises funds for Bicycles for Humanity.

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Tags beach, bicycles, bike ride, Pride Parade, Saturna Island, summer, summer time, sunset, Victoria BC, west coast

Categories Travel, Uncategorized

Snow! Part 3

February 14, 2017 //

My long, snowy walk took me through Beacon Hill Park. I wandered along all the paths beside the ponds, until I began to feel the cold.

View of the Legislature Buildings on my way to the park.

Entering Beacon Hill Park from Douglas Street. The Garry Oak meadow is an outline of lacy texture against the snow sky.

View to the stone bridge. I love the subtle shades of green, yellow and blue amongst the grey and white.

Autumn leaves which never fell.

A small iron bridge over a tiny stream.

Walking back home to Chinatown in the snowy dusk light. The trees which line Government Street are now illuminated with red and pink lights for Valentine’s Day.

Tags Beacon Hill Park, ducks, fallingsnow, Snowday, texture, Victoria BC, WestcoastWinter

Categories Travel, Uncategorized

Snow! Part 2

February 12, 2017 //

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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Tags Chinatown, Chinatown gate, Chinatown Victoria BC, Snowday, Victoria BC, Victoria BC attractions, west coast winter

Categories Travel, Uncategorized

Snow! Part 1

February 12, 2017 //

We had a few lovely days of snow last week, a rarity for February on the Canadian west coast. Monday was the best day. We spent the morning with family who were visiting from up island.

Breakfast at Mo:Lé, watching the snow.

Such a pretty pup! Lovely Lana.

Still life with snow.

All snow smiles for M, her pup Lana, and Uncle GJ!

M builds a tiny snow person.

Tags Cutepup, MoleRestaurantVictoria, Snowday, Victoria BC, WestcoastWinter

Categories Travel, Uncategorized

2017

January 1, 2017 //

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Tags Chinatown Victoria BC, HappyNewYear, lanterns, Victoria BC

Categories Uncategorized

Autumn rides

November 16, 2016 //

Another perfect autumn day, this time for a bicycle ride. We are so fortunate to have a wonderful cycling trail system. I took the Galloping Goose trail out of town, and then turned onto the Lochside Trail heading north. About 20 minutes out, I turned right onto the Blenkinsop Greenway which took me to Blenkinsop Road and my shopping destination, The Rootcellar. It was a crisp and cold day, but bright, and so very autumnal.

Heading home along the Blenkinsop Greenway. There is farmland on either side of this section of the trail.

Many starlings.

From the trestle bridge approaching Swan Lake.

Swan Lake in Saanich.

Another view of Swan Lake through copper-coloured leaves.

Tags autumn, autumn ride, bicycle trails, farmland, GallopingGoose, Lochside Trail, Victoria BC

Categories Travel, Uncategorized

New direction: embroidery and ribbon

November 16, 2016 //

I’ve been working on a new series of neck pieces lately. Here are the first few…

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Tags embroidery, Firehorse Designs, jewellery, jewellery design, jewelry, jewelry design, ribbon, Victoria BC

Categories Art, Uncategorized

Autumn rambles

November 12, 2016 //

A lovely warm day last week enticed us out for a long walk. We just took our usual route along the harbour and waterfront, and through Beacon Hill Park – plus coffee with a friend. A perfect autumn day.

We were on the walkway along Dallas Road, very near Odgen Point, when we saw a small crowd watching something in the water below. The tide was high, so conditions were perfect for this pair of harbour seals (adult and juvenile) to feed on a school of tiny fish they had boxed in against the wall of the road/walkway. The younger one seemed to get bored once in a while and dart out to sea before coming back to help with the hunt. Perhaps it was actually rounding up escapees!

Bobbing upside down to watch the prey and decide her next move…

A beautiful bald eagle sits atop the Totem Pole in Beacon Hill Park. Once the tallest in the world, this majestic pole was restored in 2011. Read more here.

Bright colour, dark sky – Beacon Hill Park, Victoria BC.

A yellowing ginkgo tree at the edge of a reflecting pond in Beacon Hill Park.

Coffee, cappuccino, and hot chocolate while sitting outside in the sun at the new location of Discovery Coffee.

Back home to Chinatown underneath this beautiful sky.

Tags autumn, autumn colour, bald eagle, BeaconHillPark, Harbour Seals, Victoria BC

Categories Travel, Uncategorized

Our new vintage bike club’s inaugural ride

August 28, 2016 //

We’ve just started a new club for fellow vintage bicycle enthusiasts in Victoria. In spite of the only rainy day of the summer, a few of us braved the moisture, and had a quick ride in Fairfield. We stopped in Beacon Hill Park for a leisurely repast of tea and cake, plus lemon currant shortbread cookies delivered to our starting point by a member who didn’t want to ride in the rain, but still wanted us to enjoy the cookies! We ended at The Drake Eatery for a drink. A very lovely day and nice to meet new friends and connect with a dear friend we don’t see enough of!

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I must recommend this recipe for French Apple Cake…

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Tags rainyday, summer, summerbikeride, Victoria BC, vintagebikes

Categories Food, Travel, Uncategorized

Victoria artist Liz Dempsey

August 4, 2016 //

Our friend Liz Dempsey creates the most beautiful drawings and paintings. For the last year, four large works have been displayed in the Commercial Alley Public Art Gallery, a collaboration by Open Space Gallery and the City of Victoria. The show runs until August 15, 2016.

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