Victoria Pub Crawl

On Thursday and Friday we stayed in Victoria at the James Bay Inn, and for the first time in around 18 months or more we enjoyed a beer at "The Churchill" a bar that has been particularly challenged during covid due to it's narrow shape.  

Here in British Columbia we need to carry proof that we have been vaccinated and bars like this can now serve, as long as their customers have had the jabs.

A large selection of local draft beers available, we both enjoyed a Bomber brewery ESB before moving on to the next venue. 

Thursday crawl was Churchills, Yate's Taphouse, Swans Brewery, Herald Street Brewery, Phillips Brewery and then we ended up in the Local Pub. 

Well, that's what I rememeber....

Sunday Brunch

We were up very early on Sunday, off to the Western Speedway for their "swap and shop" and some great times, bargaining, talking to people, being normal, remember all that?

It was to be a simple lunch, or brunch based on the time we got back to the ranch, some chopped, cooked vegetables fried up in a pan and a couple of chuckie eggs dropped in and poached under a lid. 

In the tradition of old people taking pictures of their food and posting them on the interweb, here it be :

   

Progress, Slow, but Steady

The front garden progress continues, slow but steady, and if you have been a watcher of the blog you will maybe remember the very first steps of the 'to the right" part of the front garden, which we now consider to be finished.

Here is a photo of that part :

When we first moved in, that was just a patch of dormant grass, a sad piece of lawn, and our efforts over almost five years have resulted in the above.

The other side of the front garden is also a long term project, and again, if you followed our progress, 100% grass became 90% grass, then 60% and here we are, years later, continuing in developing a mature piece of garden, and in September, we are focused on the path project.

The shade change of the newer pathway will fade as we get rainfall, a lot of the lighter colour is dust, and the path should be all the same shade at some point. The right hand side of the photo is another patch that needs to be developed, so there are many years to go. 

We discussed this today, and 2019 was not a good year for progress for a number of reasons, and 2020, the first covid year, gave us more reason to attempt to socialize, than garden. The progress has been slow, but it is worth it, and we think this month, and next month, will be very good for the new garden.

Good Morning Deer....

This young lady, who we think might be pregnant, took a rest in front of our window this morning :

We have seen many young deer lately, including some babies, and in addition to them we have noticed a couple of rabbits hanging around in the garden, and Karen is a little concerned about them, because thems pesky little varmints eat our plants and of course, they breed like rabbits.

Todd Creek Trestle returns

It was a lovely walk, that potentially could have continued long past Todd Creek Trestle, but we stopped there, to take it all in, marvelling at the rebuilt wonder. It has been quite a wait for the Galloping Goose Trail to be repaired, but it was worth it.

After seeing all this wonderful woodwork, I have an urge to make a coffee table or something.

Moving Muck

There has been a lot of activity in the front garden since the rocks arrived, moving and turning grass, planning where rocks are dragged to, ordering more muck.....

Five cubic yards of top quality garden soil from Sooke Soil and Landscape.

The rocks at the front are being used to create a divider between the upper and lower beds, so five or six square yards are now devoid of any trace of what was used to be called lawn, in fact seventy-five percent of the front is now one large canvas to install shrubs.

"We demand a shrubbery"

Around the corner, more grass has been removed for what will become an extended path into the back yard, we have researched what type of compactible gravel we are going to use, however, one major step at a time and we will order that in August.

The path will be completed by using heavy landscape fabric and a parallel line of large rocks that will alter the existing flower beds on both sides.

Cedar Waxwing

Karen shouted me and said her long-time favourite (and rare) bird was on our tree, she thinks this is a female of the species, and we saw a pair of them. A rare sighting in this neck of the woods....

Note, this is on full 14x zoom, Canon SX220, through our bedroom window.