Mountains

I love mountains, especially covered in evergreens and lots of whispy clouds. I'm partial to a touch of snow as well. These are pictures from the Rocky Mountain drive I did with my mum and dad.

A weekend on Vancouver Island

Mum, Dad and I caught a Friday afternoon ferry to Nanaimo, where we picked up a hire (rental) car, and had a few hours to spare before Joshua arrived on a later ferry. The Crow and Gate, a neighbourhood pub (on acreage in the countryside rather than on a busy urban street) was recommended to us by a friendly chef from Victoria, who we met in a cab as we raced to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal after our connecting bus never showed up. It was a gorgeous little place, and gorgeous is not usually an adjective that goes with pub. The three of us lazed in deck chairs in the sunny, rosey garden and were delighted by hummingbirds, sparrows and good food and drink. If you're in Nanaimo, I recommend the scenic 15 minute drive to see this lovely spot in Cedar. Saturday morning we explored a little of Victoria: the local beach and markets and mum and dad were thrilled to see raccoons climbing up the vines of the Empress Hotel (a posh, English style hotel, that serves a high tea, recommended by Her Majesty herself(!) in the heart of Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Joshua and I went to a beautiful wedding in the afternoon of a good friend of his - Justin, whom he met at Regent and has enjoyed many long discussions with over fine beer. Interestingly, most of Josh's best school friends are larger-than-life, vivacious characters who are outgoing and lively, not necessarily words I'd use to describe my thoughtful Prince Charming, but somehow they make a great team! (On a side note, I'm pretty sure Justin is a part of the Pipe Smoking Club at Regent (what a theology college hey?) and he nearly unfriended Josh when he shaved his beard. He came to his sense on the latter matter). Raccoon and Empress Hotel photos snapped by my father dearest. On Sunday, after a leisurely morning at our cosy Bed and Breakfast the boys headed off whale watching (and saw lots of Orca's and seals!) while Mum and I visited the Butchart Gardens. I also visited last year with Lisa, but could easily make this a yearly pilgrimmage. Mum and I both agreed that if we had bajillions of dollars one of our priorities would be to ensure the house was always full of lavish bouquets of fresh flowers. What a difficult weekend we had.

tree tops

Had a lovely visit to Vancouver Island with Josh's mum and dad over the weekend. One of the highlights was the rugged west coast along the Juan de Fuca Strait and thee beautiful trees as we wandered down to the beach. It was great to see the open Pacific Ocean again.

It's strawberry season

Have not long ago arrived back from exploring the Rocky mountains with Lisa and Catherine so it's taking some time to trawl through the photos but do expect to see some very soon. In the meantime here are some strawberries I drew on our camping trip as we relaxed one afternoon in a little camp ground in Enderby not far outside Kelowna with a glass of crisp, local, pear cider to match. These are my first berries of the season, purchased from the Revelstoke farmers market on the way through. There have been berries in the shops for... well actually, non-stop since we arrived but they are all from South America and California. As this area is perfect for berry growing (IN THE PROPER SEASON) I have been trying to hold out. These strawberries were a true reward and I have been finding more in the shops ever since. Really looking forward to picking our very own blackberries which are growing down the side of the garage - we hear August is the month!

On the topic of eating locally I have found two books particularly useful. My darling mother gave me Animal, Vegetable, Miracle to read on the plane trip over here which was excellent and I have since read the 100 Mile Diet written by Vancouverites so particularly pertinent (though I must say not quite as thorough or enjoyable as the aforementioned in my humble opinion - it's all the rage here though).