February on the south tip of Vancouver Island brings the promise of spring with early flowers. The snowdrops have been out for weeks now, and more blooms are bursting every day. Yesterday I spied this beautiful witch hazel:
Archives for posts with tag: west coast
Morning walk with low dark clouds, and satisfying maccha tea…
A heavy sky on a dark, west coast January day.
The Blackball Ferry Line MV Coho arriving from Port Angeles with the hills of Metchosin and Sooke in the background.
So amazing maple maccha lattes at JagaSilk.
We never cease to be overwhelmed (in a good way) by the bounty of our west-coast environment and the appreciation in our community of this bounty and those who grow and produce it. As food lovers, we know how lucky we are to live here. So many neighbourhoods in Victoria have weekly farmer’s markets, like Fairfield’s completely organic Moss Street Market, now in its 26th year. And now, right in our own downtown neighbourhood, a permanent Public Market is about to open. So, an idea for a new blog feature emerged: what is the most bountiful right now in our gardens and farms, and what will I cook with it? This week, in the next post, I will feature zucchini and garlic. I hope this will be a fun new focus for this blog I love. Happy eating and growing!
After many years of planning, the Downtown Public Market Society finally has a space. It should be open in the next few weeks at The Hudson building on Douglas Street between Fisgard and Herald streets.
Until then, once a week the merchants gather to sell there bounty along the walkway behind the building. Bread, honey, cheese, donuts…
… and lots of produce!
Zucchini and pattypan at Moss Street Market last Saturday. Summer squash comes in so many shapes and sizes, and colours!
The farmers at Moss Street Market grow many different varieties of garlic.
Beautiful garlic braids.
Such a beautiful morning at the Dallas Road waterfront. The ocean was calm and the Olympic Mountains were glimmering in the morning sun. Just after I took this, I met Fred the west-highland terrier and his human. Fred sat by my feet while I spoke with his human; I wish I had remembered to take his picture as he was so very sweet.
My lovely sister was in town last weekend. We took a break from organizing family paperwork to hike at one of Victoria and area’s beautiful Regional Parks, Witty’s Lagoon in Metchosin. I’ve been visiting this park since I was very small; it’s a wonderful place to hike. At this time of year, there are a lot of small streams and the Sitting Lady Falls was magnificent.
The first stream we came across, pouring and pooling over the rocky outcrops in the forest.
Sunbeams and spiderwebs.
Skunk cabbage pushing its way through the winter debris.
The trickle of streams through the forest.
A tiny forest fairy door.
Stream running beside the path.
Sitting Lady Falls.
Magnificent spring greens.
A twisty Arbutus tree.
A large growth of skunk cabbage at the edge of the mud flats.
Shorebirds, possibly Greater Yellowlegs.
Another twisty tree.
Glorious sunshine and a biting, but refreshing, wind for today’s walk. Lots to see – flowers, birds, waves, dogs – all our favourites! Here are some pics:
The air is heavy with the scent of cherry and plum blossoms.
It’s definitely the height of daffodil season; they are everywhere and abundant this year!
A trio of darling Hooded Mergansers.
A Great Blue Heron waits patiently for a meal.
Big waves and the water was a magnificent colour. A tiny bit of Ogden Point and the Sooke Hills in the background.
A big brown dog enjoys the beach with his human. Lots of frolicking canines of all shapes and sizes in the off-leash area too.
The cherry blossom spring is in full swing in our little west coast town. All the early cherry and plum trees are open, and the fluffy showy large blossom ones should be blessing us soon. Happy days.
Some pretty blossoms near our home.
Last year I made a bunch of needle-felted wool blossoms to adorn some bare branches; bringing the spring in! They were eventually turned into hair clips.
Denisekathleen's Weblog 