Tuesday, August 30, 2022

We had a lovely weekend in Victoria. We were in no rush to get there so we took the scenic route down the island. We were right on time to check into our B & B and then we headed out to do a little shopping. The mall that was closest to our accommodation had both a music store and a Michaels so we were set. Pat found a guitar that he really liked and I hope he doesn’t regret not bringing it home with him. I went into Michaels and pretty much turned right around and walked out; the store was messy and cluttered and I just didn’t want to spend any time in it. There was, however, a Fabricland right next door and I was able to pick up a metre of fabric (on sale) for a project I’m working on. When I walked back to the music shop I found a Cobb’s Bread, a wine shop and a market.

After dinner at Milestones (in the same mall) we went shopping again. Cobb’s Bread was disappointing; it was the end of the day and they were sold out of a lot of things. We picked up a few things in the market before Pat did a thorough walk-about in the wine store. He came home with what he says is a great bottle of wine.

More shopping on Saturday – Costco, Lee Valley and new shoes for both Pat and I. There were also bags of tea and books that came home with us. We had a good dinner at one of the restaurants we like but we both agreed that we weren’t as happy this time as we have been in the past. It was still good, but we’ll likely give it a miss the next time.

Sunday morning we went out to Butchart Gardens. Of course everything was absolutely beautiful and even though there was a large crowd we didn’t feel cramped. We were able to find lots of shady spots where we could just sit and enjoy the environment. We had an early dinner at another of our favourite restaurants and this time we were not disappointed. I had a really nice drink before dinner and I’m going to try and recreate it at home – cranberry lemonade with limoncello. In the evening, Pat performed at the Victoria Folk Music Society’s weekly Open Mic and he was very well received.

It was another long drive home on Monday but again we did the scenic route most of the way. We decided to drive to Campbell River for lunch but were disappointed that the fish and chip spot on the pier was closed on Mondays. We found a White Spot and had lunch but we were worried we were cutting it close for the 3:15 ferry. We had no trouble getting on the ferry, unlike the half-dozen cars that were left behind.

I did my unpacking this morning and headed out to the Guild sewing bee a bit late. Since I was only doing some hand sewing I decided to walk. It isn’t far but it is a hot day and I was ready to sit at both ends of the trip.

This afternoon, between answering and sending e-mails and telephone calls I’ve managed to get one set of borders onto the project I worked on at our Thursday session. The extra fabric I purchased is for this one so there is no excuse not to get it done right away.