Whenever we head up island to Duncan or Nanaimo – to visit friends and/or family – I take with me a camera of some variety with a mind to capturing all manner of fascinating images. As our modus operandi is normally to catch the Mill Bay ferry (thus avoiding the drive over the Malahat) we head first for a favourite spot of mine – Brentwood Bay. The result is that I usually end up with some nice photos of Brentwood Bay itself… and then nothing further!
Here are some of this last weekend’s pictures of Brentwood Bay – (double click for the full effect!)…
Down in Sidney-by-the-Sea today was a somewhat blustery day. As may be deduced from a quick look at the accompanying map:
…the Saanich peninsula (on which Sidney occupies a small but growing area near the top and to the eastern side) is fairly well protected from any of the worst of the wild winter winds that might wreak havoc out in the Georgia Strait by the archipelago that comprises the Gulf Islands (Canada) to the north and the San Juan Islands (USA) to the south. As a result the seas in the Haro Strait and particularly in Bazan Bay tend to be placid and even millpond-like on balmy summer days.
There are days however – in winter – when the wind comes directly off the water and the clouds scud in from the open sea. Then – even in the early afternoon – it looks more like this:
Sunrises at this time of the year here on the west coast of Canada can be particularly vivid, though the weather seems to veer wildly between days on which one cannot see the closest of the Gulf Islands (a mere couple of miles away) and those on which one can see forever… or at least as far as Mount Baker (a little over seventy miles distant).
It never was much fun getting up in the dark to go to work and it still isn’t, though as I have only to do so twice a week I really shouldn’t grumble. In any case I only have these early starts for another five weeks or so and my January timetable looks a whole lot more friendly. Anyway, dragging ourselves out of bed to be faced by this sort of sunrise really does take the edge off the shock.
It is hard to remain stony faced in the light of such splendour.
Yesterday Canada went to the polls for the second general (federal) election since we arrived back on these shores in 2015; the first – that same year- having been won by pretty-boy Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.
The consensus here seems to be that the campaign that preceded this vote was one of the most bitter in memory. All I can say is that compared to UK politics – and of course to those in the US – the whole affair here has been relatively brief, painless and without any of the sort of rancour to which we have sadly become accustomed elsewhere in the world.
Some of that is because Canadians are such darned nice people whose instincts – in the main – seem to be slightly liberal (just left of centre). Maybe that’s just a west coast thing though; one does hear stories about Alberta!…
Anyhow – I am very happy to report that not only was the whole thing over in no time at all (the BBC helpfully points out that the entire Canadian general election campaign took about the same time as the gap between the third and fourth (of 12!) Democratic primary debates in the US) but also the now somewhat tarnished Liberals finally limped back over the line, albeit without their previous majority.
No matter! Given that the alternative would have been the rebarbative Tories we consider that we have had a very lucky escape (and there are those in the UK who would say an envious ‘amen’ to that).
And – of course – here on the peninsula we still have a Green MP, the redoubtable Elizabeth May. The leader of the Green party now has two companions from across Canada to keep her company, which will also be nice!
To the Belfry last weekend for the first production in the new season – English playwright, Lucy Kirkwood’s, 2016 piece – ‘The Children‘.
The original production’s website contains this teaser:
“In a remote cottage on the lonely British coast, a couple of retired nuclear engineers are living a very quiet life. Outside, the world is in utter chaos following a devastating series of events. When an old friend turns up at their door, they’re shocked to discover the real reason for her visit.”
I think that it is fair to say the heart of the play turns out to be about something other than that which seems obvious from the get-go. Whilst not being perfect (what is?) The Girl and I both found the production engaging, rewarding and thought provoking and I strongly recommend it should you yet be able to get a ticket.
It seems a little harsh to say that it was good to see a ‘proper’ play again, though regulars of these musings will doubtless have heard my plaintive little cries on the subject before. Nonetheless we greatly enjoyed watching believably three-dimensional characters engaging with each other in a work which is strongly about ideas.
One of Kirkwood’s previous plays – ‘Chimerica‘ – was in the news quite a bit in London in 2014, before – of course – we moved across the pond, but I had rather lost track of what she was doing since and that turns out to be a little embarrassing. ‘The Children‘ is a three-hander – with two good female parts and one male. In the Belfry’s production we felt that the latter was the weaker of the performances.
Reading up on the play beforehand – however – we realised that in the original Royal Court production this part had been played by a friend of ours – to very good reviews. Furthermore he subsequently transferred with the piece for a successful run in New York. The embarrassment arises because whilst in London earlier this year I had lunch with him and we talked about all the various things that he had been doing over the last few years. He probably mentioned ‘The Children‘ but I clearly did not later make the connection. The trouble is that – though he is a fair bit older than I am – he is still working furiously and successfully on stage and on the screen. It is hard work keeping up!
Now – of course – I wish that I had seen him in the production. Apart from anything else I know that he would have been splendid in the role.
The Girl swears blind that the hummingbirds in our front garden (yard!) are diabetics. This is based on their slavish predeliction for the nectar that I lavish upon them at infeasibly frequent intervals. Being made by combining four parts boiled water to one part granulated sugar these must provide a healthy (or un-healthy) kick whenever they sock it back.
Now – for sure these gorgeous little friends burn off a fair bit of energy and because they are so tiny they don’t have much room to store same – but I am beginning to wonder what is going on. Our feeder at the front is suspended next to a hanging basket that is lavish with unctuous blooms – all containing stacks of that yummy nectar. But do the birds bother with that? Nope! They head straight for the feeder.
“The stage is a magic circle where only the most real things happen, a neutral territory outside the jurisdiction of Fate where stars may be crossed with impunity. A truer and more real place does not exist in all the universe.”
P.S. Baber – ‘Cassie Draws the Universe’
Our relief at discovering – subsequent to our arrival four years ago from London (arguably the theatre capital of the world) – that Victoria is consistently able to offer a rich bill of fare in thespian terms… was palpable! As I have written before in these pages, we routinely hold season tickets for The Belfry and one of the reasons that I was keen to sit on the Board of Intrepid Theatre was my admiration for the work that they do in bringing adventurous theatre to the provincial capital.
I have waxed lyrical before within these musings on the subject of the Victoria Fringe Festival (for those seeking proof posts may be found here, here and here). Of the three festivals operated by Intrepid Theatre the Fringe is perhaps closest to my heart, my healthy love of fringe theatre having been nurtured over many years at the Edinburgh Fringe.
The posts referenced above extol the delights of the shows from the past three fringe festivals with which we were particularly impressed and this post will do likewise for 2019 – but I do wish first to make a brief observation concerning the changing nature of fringe theatre.
When I first visited the Edinburgh Fringe in 1976 I am very sure that there was on offer more drama than there is now and certainly less comedy. Now, I have nothing against comedy – whether as stand-up or as comedy plays – but it is good to have a balance. Likewise in the field of drama the trend over recent decades has been towards small cast shows – presumably as much as anything on grounds of cost – with the emphasis often on solo shows based on personal experience. Again – nothing wrong with that as a form, but I do find myself longing for a ‘proper’ script, preferably containing subtle and thoughtful dialogue and (please god!) subtext!
Is that too much to ask?
So – the production that I enjoyed most this year was “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Theatre Alive Productions. Mitch Alborn’s play dates from 2002 and is a sensitive and profound text that was beautifully and movingly performed by the company. I love to see new work but I also greatly enjoy a piece that has been properly honed over a number of years and through numerous rewrites.
Elsewhere Englishman Charles Adrian’s “Dear Samantha” was as funny and delightful as when we first encountered him/her two years ago and the frankly bizarre – but also very funny – “Ballad of Frank Allen” by the Australian company Weeping Spoon Productions rounded off our fringe viewing on a high. The premise of this latter – featuring a janitor who has been been accidentally shrunk to microscopic proportions and who is living in the beard of another man – pretty much embodies the sense of the unexpected that one hopes to find in fringe theatre.
I thought I would post some images (before it was too late) of the relatively few remaining plants in our garden that have not been savaged by deer…
They are contrary ba**ards, these creatures. One year they are picky customers – turning their noses up at all manner of succulence. The next – they will (and do!) eat anything. If it’s green and has leaves – it’s lunch!
This makes planning a deer-proof garden almost impossible. If one is unable – as are we – to circle one’s little plot with a rugged deer-proof fence of some variety then one has little choice but to search out plants that deer don’t care to eat. That would be a good sight easier if they didn’t change their minds from season to season.
Purveyors of plants like to advertise particular combinations of perennials as being deer-proof. I think the deer just see this as a challenge.
“Doesn’t matter if I don’t much care for this – I am going to choke it down anyway just to make a point! Hah!”
Once one has reached the point of imagining deer internal monologues it is probably time to stop, though…
…and talking of the Brentwood bay ‘Music in the Park’ (see last post)…
One of the things that has impressed us most since our arrival in Greater Victoria is the strength, variety and high standard of the local music scene. These posts have already been sprinkled generously with glowing reports of musical experiences that we have enjoyed hereabouts.
Our local ‘Music in the Park’ has played a healthy role in the provision of such new experiences, which – considering that it is an entirely free event that runs weekly throughout July and August each year – is a truly wonderful blessing. Yet again we acknowledge that we are extremely lucky folks.
The gentle reader – being no slouch – will by now have figured out that I am about to wax lyrical concerning some new musical ‘combo’ hitherforeto unknown outside these parts…
…and he or she would not be wrong!
On Wednesday a couple of weeks back I observed that that night’s entertainment was to be provided by an outfit called ‘The Fugitives’. The InterWebNet informed me that they are:
“…a Canadian Folk music group formed in 2004 in Vancouver….
…Fans and critics find the group difficult to classify—they have been categorized as slam folk, folk hop, and spoken word cabaret. The Georgia Straight called The Fugitives “wildly talented spoken-word artists”.“
This all sounded interesting, as did the description of their last album as being:
“…an album of dedications – the majority of which were written for people the band has never said a word to.”
Eager now to hear this fascinating music I followed a link to a live recording of their song – ‘No Words‘ – dedicated after his death to Leonard Cohen. This proved to be a mighty song and I was instantly hooked. In the belief that others might feel the same I do recommend having a look. Listen all the way through…
If the vocal breakout doesn’t send shivers up your spine then I fear for your medical condition!
It hardly need be said that the group – playing as a four piece that night – were excellent and that their harmony work was exceptional. The two leaders – Adrian Glynn and Brendan McLeod – are both gifted songwriters and I for one was grateful all over again for having been introduced to another as yet unknown (to me, anyway!) talent.
Should the gentle reader also be interested here be their website:
Well – I have posted a good number of missives since we returned to Canada in June – most of which concerned our recent trip to Europe. As a result I have been somewhat guilty of late of neglecting to keep the gentle reader up to date with the summer’s going on here at the southern end of Vancouver Island.
Time to catch up!
Weather-wise this has been a mixed summer thus far. There have been good days and there have been overcast, chilly days. There has not been much rain, however, so the garden has needed help.
I really liked this ‘end of the rainbow’…
Nothing has deterred us from lunching at ‘The Farmer’s Daughter’ – where they do a splendid plate of charcuterie and a decent variety of wine flights:
…or indeed from walking in Centennial Park:
We have also been regular attendees – as ever – at the Brentwood Bay ‘Music in the Park’ on Wednesday evenings and – though the temperatures have occasionally been on the nippy side and the winds blustered more than strictly necessary – we have enjoyed ourselves.
Note the detail from above. No sense in wasting good spinning time!
Recent Comments