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A downside of disappearing to the UK (and to elsewhere in Europe) in the middle of springtime is – of course – that one’s little acreage here on Vancouver Island is still only just getting into its stride when it comes to the Glories of the Garden. We will vanish across the ocean and by the time we get back some of these beautiful shrubs and flowers will have been and gone for another year.
As least I got to take pictures of these ones:
Though not – of course – the (non-fruiting) cherry tree!
…more Canadian – or what?!
OK – now I know in reality that the mere acquisition of power tools is no signifier of national characteristics, but I think I can safely say that – had we remained in the UK instead of crossing an ocean and a continent to come to this delightful spot – I probably would not now be the proud part-owner of a gas (petrol) power washer.
I can further safely say that the thought of (part) owning such a thing would never have crossed my mind. Nor – in all probability – would I have known what to do with such a beast.
Out here on the wild west coast, however, there is apparently sufficient use for such a thing (for cleaning one’s deck – getting the crud off one’s patio and pavers – cleaning the stucco or sidings with which one’s house is most likely clad) that it is worth forming a partnership (in our case with a dear friend from Saanichton also in possession of deck, pavers, stucco etc) to jointly invest in same.
And of course, if one is going to do such a thing it makes no sense at all to go with a namby-pambly, wussy electric version (for pussies only!). No – the only real option is to go for the all-Canadian, hard as nails, tough as you like gas model – preferably with a Honda power unit (like the one here!). I have to say, it made short work of cleaning two year’s worth of gunk off our deck.
Though we and our dear friend will be taking turns at having fun with it, for the moment the machine is sitting in our shop alongside our gas mower, our gas weed-whacker (strimmer!) and our unfortunately girly electric leaf blower (ooops!).
Oh well – there’s always next year!
Tags: Canadians, Friends, Gardens, power tools
Following on from my last post – which featured some beautiful photographs of this beautiful part of the world by a most welcome guest contributor – here is the promised second batch. For many of these images photos of natural sources have been used as the basis for further creative expression. It is easy to see why this part of the planet draws to it artists of all persuasions from far and wide.
Many thanks once again to The Chanteuse.
Tags: British Columbia, nature, Photo
This online journal has once before featured a guest poster (none other than the Kickass Canada Girl herself) but now – in another first – it offers a collection of images of this west coast paradise kindly donated to the cause by one who shall (temporarily at least) go by the soubriquet – The Chanteuse! In the perhaps unlikely event that gentle readers have not yet been persuaded of the many beauties of this part of the world – contemplate this two part series and become so!
As ever, double-click for the full effect:
Tags: British Columbia, nature, Photo
Paddy and Mick are out walking on a logging road in the depths of British Columbia. They see a sign nailed to a big Douglas Fir. It reads:
‘Tree Fellers Wanted’
“Ah!”, says Mick – “‘Tis a pity that Seamus isn’t with us. We could have gone for that job!”
I’ll probably get into trouble for that! Oh well…!
We have had the tree fellers in and they have been felling a tree (and lopping some branches). The tree was a little cherry tree at the back of our (croquet) lawn. It didn’t fruit but it did blossom gloriously each spring for all of a couple of days. The main problem can be seen in this photo of the view from our new deck:
That picture was taken at about this time of year two years ago. The tree had grown considerably in the interim and was seriously impacting our view toward Mount Baker.
As can be seen from this comparable shot – taken just this morning – we also had the experts nip out a few of the lower branches from one of those big Doug Firs:
The next step is to persuade our neighbours down the hill to trim back the cedars at the back of their garden, to give our lovely vista another couple of years of unimpeded viewing pleasure.
Since virtually every house in our neighbourhood has views that are not dissimilar to ours this sort of negotiation is quite common. One usually offers to pay the costs and since it makes little difference to the residence further down the slope, those concerned tend to be co-operative.
Let’s hope we also get lucky!
It is my habit, at this time of year, to post to this journal selected images of verdurous nature – in particular in that form which it takes in our garden. I do this, of course, to show off just how splendid is life in this balmy coastal paradise at the time of year at which spring bursts forth in all its glory.
The absence of such images this year is telling… telling mostly of the near six weeks for which parts of our estate were buried under a foot or two of snow.
Now, nature is no mug – having been around this loop any number of times in the past – and simply slammed on the brakes, burying its head (in a hideous clashing of metaphors) until such time as things warmed up again on the climate front.
Well – that time is now and all is thus once again kicking off as per usual – but it is, of course, now late, late, late…
…and not only late: there is the distinct air of all of our growing things having taken a bit of a battering during that icy sojourn. No doubt all will recover in time but we really do need some nice sunshine to help things on their way, in place of the current cloudy/rainy/chilly weather that seems to have become a fixture here in recent days.
Ah well – ‘tis only April and these things often don’t pick up properly until May, the which they will doubtless do just in time for us to head for Europe. Ah well…
The dogwood and magnolia trees at least are in bloom and looking good!
“The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining”
John F. Kennedy
I don’t recall ever having had to think much about roofing. Now – I know that those in the UK (and elsewhere) who own older homes – particularly those with complex roofs – may find such things to be a constant source of anguish, but apart from a few relatively minor incidents my six decades in the British Isles were largely free of roof related concerns.
This was doubtless greatly helped by living in the sort of houses that were furnished with tile or slate roofs – the which have a life expectancy of anywhere between sixty and two hundred years, depending on climate and construction.
It was thus a bit of a shock on coming to the west coast of Canada to discover that the shingle roofs common here have a very much shorter expectancy, and that our roof would probably not live much beyond twenty five years – if well looked after. Ours was already about ten years old when we acquired it!
The problem on the west coast is that the moisture-laden climate rapidly leads to roofs that once looked like this:
…looking instead like this:
Naturally there are companies in BC who will strip back all of the moss and detritus and spray the shingles with an inhibitor to discourage further growth. Such services are not cheap but help to extend the life of the roof and thus ultimately to save money.
It need hardly be said – given the very fact of this post – that this we have just had done. Our roof now looks like this:
Spiffing!
Tags: Home, House, Renovation
We had – the gentle reader may recall – our first smattering of snow here in Victoria this year on around February 6th. This was just a taster for what was to come over the following period and by February 12th we had experienced what was confidently declared a ‘once every half decade’ level of snowfall.
Should the aforesaid benign bibliomaniac wish to refresh his or her memory as to what that all looked like – then you need go no further than this snow covered post.
And that was pretty much that – at least with regards to the descent of frozen precipitation.
The temperature – however – remained rooted on the lower part of the scale and, as far as the snow that had already fallen was concerned, it stayed pretty much where it had landed.
Now as of today – March 10th – we hear that this week (finally!) – the temperature is likely to rise for the first time since the start of February into double digits!… which means that the remains of the snowdrifts should finally disappear. The small patch of snow in the accompanying image is the very last that remains on our little estate here in North Saanich and I confidently predict that it will be gone within a day or so.
Unfortunately this will mean that I must needs get out and start clearing up the debris that the winter storms have left behind. I spent a couple of hours in our back garden yesterday and it was a far from painless experience.
Ouch!
A couple of weekends ago we were fortunate enough to be invited by splendid friends of ours to dine with them at The Union Club in Victoria.
Those native to Victoria will – of course – know of The Union Club. It is – as their website describes it:
“A landmark institution in the heart of downtown Victoria, with an imposing neo-Georgian design inspired by the classic clubs of London.”
The club’s position adjacent to The Empress hotel facing the Inner Harbour is a prime location and – as you can see from the photo galleries that grace the club’s website – the building and facilities do not let it down. Those who know The Girl and I will not be the slightest bit surprised that the whole ambience appeals to us enormously.
Much as I have cast envious glances in its direction many times, however, I have always felt somewhat guilty about my attraction to the place. The whole institution feels somehow redolent of privilege and entitlement, which sits rather uncomfortably with my left of centre inclinations. Friends and acquaintances will scoff at these sudden scruples, pointing out that I worked at several extremely ‘posh’ boys schools in the UK and lived in a Georgian Manor (part-of anyway).
I suppose that a component of this ambivalence comes down to the belief that to belong to such an organisation requires contacts in the right places and a fair bit of cash. Except that it doesn’t! Union Club membership is surprisingly good value, the restaurant is by no means expensive and staying in the club’s most pleasant rooms is considerably cheaper than doing so at The Empress next door. Membership of the club also rewards one with significant benefits such as attractive rates at affiliate clubs in other countries – such as the RAC in London, or Stoke Park in our old stamping ground in Buckinghamshire.
Not that I am thinking about applying for membership…
…well – maybe not anytime soon! Hmmm!
Still – it was a very good dinner and a splendid evening with our dear friends. After dinner they gave us a tour of the club and it’s facilities. We were heartily impressed…
…as you may have gathered.
Tags: Celebration, Dining, Friends, Victoria
It is two weeks now since the snows started to fall and the winds started to howl…
Whereas we have certainly had clear and reasonably pleasant days since that belated and unwanted burst of winter, the temperatures have remained low enough that we are still waiting for the last of the snows to melt and/or wash away.
It is fair to say that this quantity of snow is unusual on the island – or at least at this end of it – and that if we have to wait for another seven years or more for a repeat performance that would be no bad thing.
Because the winds came early and were pretty ferocious when they did so a fair amount of detritus was blown from the trees. When the serious snows started two weekends ago they not only covered up the considerable debris field that had by then formed beneath them but the weight of snow on the taller trees brought down a number of larger branches, the which were themselves then buried in the drifts.
To this point there they have remained, since there is little incentive to try to get things properly cleared up whist there is still a great deal of wet snow around.
Foliage aside we seem to have made it through the winter storms relatively unscathed – with one somewhat sorry exception.
The good ship ‘Dignity’ is in most respects well enough designed to be able to brave all that the elements can throw at her. Sadly her canvas top – which has of late in any case been looking as though it were nearing the end of its useful life – was clearly not up to having a foot and a half of snow dumped on top of it. After holding out for a couple of days a seam split and dumped what was by then a fairly serious snowdrift into her cockpit.
I got thoroughly cold and wet cleaning her insides out and now ‘Dignity’ must suffer the ‘in-dignity’ of having to be protected by a somewhat ropey green tarpaulin until such point that I can get a replacement top made.
I suspect that she has seen worse!
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