Lovely autumn evening for a walk a few nights ago. Sauntered around the harbour and through the garden at The Empress Hotel before treating ourselves to dessert at Clay Pigeon. Such fun!
Chocolate Spoon Bread; yummy.
I had The Fresa, prosecco and berry compote and GJ had a glass of just prosecco. Clay Pigeon has it on tap!
The Fernwood neighbourhood is just on the outskirts of downtown Victoria. I had a work errand to run to the hospital so we decided to make it our walk outing for the day. Fernwood is an eclectic mix of homes with every decade represented from the last 120 years. The small Fernwood Square shopping area includes interesting shops and services as well as a variety of dining experiences from take out Caribbean fare to a pub to a wine bar. The beautiful Belfry Theatre is located here as well. This is a neighbourhood with a real feel of community. We sat out side and shared a stuffed Roti from Stir It Up and watched the evening bike commuters returning home and the sidewalk tables in front of the Cornerstone Cafe full.
A beautifully painted concrete fence with a glimpse of the new addition to Vic High in the background.
Almost all the electric polls are painted from the ground to about 6 feet up. Each is different and they add to the colour of the neighbourhood!
In a lovely garden along the walk.
Our stuffed roti was amazing!
Some of the shops across from The Belfry.
The historic Belfry Theatre.
We popped out to the last night market of the year after dinner yesterday evening. I’ve been trying to figure out what setting on my point and shoot works for night time shots, but I cannot seem to get a non-blurry photo. But that’s OK as it produced these blurry photos last night that kind of set the right mood!
Lots of people out for the market, eating and shopping.
So much going on in our pretty little neighbourhood! I love that so many people live in these old historic buildings, including us!
Originally designed by Isaburo Kishida in 1907 and left to decay after Japanese internment in the 40s, this beautiful Japanese Garden at Esquimalt Gorge Park has been brought back to life by the vision of the Township of Esquimalt and the expertise of Greenfield Design of Victoria. Tomorrow, Saturday 8 September, Esquimalt holds its Centennial Community Celebration at the park. Michael and Sean Greenfield will be there to talk about the garden. There will be no parking on sight so walk, bus, ride or harbour ferry to this fun community event.
Went for one of our great long walks the other day and took photos of some fun things that we saw along the way!
Purple starfish!
Yum, wild blackberries!
Fun planter lush with colour.
Couldn’t resist taking a pic of this little well-worn beauty! The roof-rack full of vintage cases and baskets was the best!
Met this little chap, a Chihuahua/Boston Terrier cross apparently. He was very cute!
The wild sweet peas are still blooming creating a lovely pink tone along the cliffs on Dallas Road.
Before we moved downtown, we lived on a two-acre wild place. There were too many outside expectations to tame it, make it fit into some convention. So we left and moved into our beautiful downtown space. Luckily, we can still find a bit of wild here and there. At Beacon Hill Park, 200 acres in the middle of the city, there seems to be a growing trend to leave some parts of the park wild and the grasses long. Native wildflowers are left to go to seed in some areas before partial mowing takes place. Blue Herons have been roosting in one section of the park for many years as well as at least one pair of Bald Eagles. A small forested area near the waterfront is being refurbished with native plants. We walk through this park often and delight in all its beauty, manicured or wild.
Long grass, deciduous trees and dappled sunlight.
If not for the little red car in the background, you can imagine you are in the middle of nowhere.
Altho summer is not really over, the general mood seems to be that autumn is here. Perhaps it’s more pronounced in a town where large numbers of tourists flock in the summer months. The last few days have definitely been quieter. I’m including here some of the highlights for us this summer. We had the joy of two visits from my sister, a rare treat in the summer when work usually keeps her very busy. The weather was lovely and we stuck close to home.
Ah Victoria, all a-bloom is summer splendour.
Lots of visitors this year. My cousin and her family were here. This pic is her two little boys enjoying the playground at Fisherman’s Wharf. Also had a fun day the Beacon Hill Park with an old dear friend and her little boy visiting from the interior. And GJ’ sister and her daughter were here from up island and joined us at the petting zoo.
We attended the 26th annual Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival; saw 10 plays. It was an excellent festival this year!
One of our favourite spots in the city: the fish pond at The Parkside.
A sunning turtle in a pond at Government House.
Our walks in the summer usually focus me on plants and gardens. These are two of the beautiful flowering plants we saw.
We’ve been missing Cabin 12 since they moved away from the downtown core. Their bennies are amazing. Finally yesterday we made our way to their new location and had an amazing summer-time burger feast. I had the Harl’s Burger, customized with veggie patty and no bacon and GJ had the Poutine Burger. (Find all the burger descriptions on the Dinner menu on their website.) We gobbled them down before I remembered that I should have taken pictures! We also tried their lemonade with a hint of fresh mint and basil. It was amazing. We were so happy to see how busy they were, the new location working out really well. I think the best thing about Cabin 12 is the service. You feel like you’re just hanging out with friends while they bring you delicious food.
Great daily specials on top of an extensive menu.
Mmmm, cinnamon buns.
A few fresh herbs and plants growing out back.
A few nights ago we spent the evening with a lovely friend. She laid out the most exquisite assortment of snacks and delicious sangria. The weather was fine so we were able to sit outside on her shady back patio and soak in the summer ambiance.
Roasted red pepper spread with pita and an amazing lemony boursin cheese and goat cheese spread with blueberries.
A delicious spicy dip with fresh summer vegetables.
Baked bacon-wrapped dates, a sweet and salty extravaganza!
Our delightful hostess, Annie.
An innocent walk-about and shop-poking-in turned to impulsive shoe purchase yesterday, and I couldn’t be more pleased. My dreams of owning Fluevog shoes were realized at a lovely store called Heart & Sole on Cook Street in Victoria. I was so inspired, that when I got home, I ordered a different pair from the Sale section of the Fluevog website! Naughty naughty, wonderfully naughty!
Fluevog Mini Zaza in Red, pink and gray
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