A response in avoidance of the Daily Post’s Writing Prompt https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/memory-menu/

Yesterday I had to take care of some business at our house in Esquimalt – the sewer line was backing up into the basement toilet, and our tenants couldn’t shower or do laundry.  So, we needed to get that taken care of right away.  That’s what vacations are for, right?  Taking care of stuff that comes up?

Anyway, then I took mom and dad out for lunch for their anniversary – no pics, sorry.  Not even of empty plates!  I wasn’t thinking…

So, my walk yesterday was later in the day, and I decided to walk out to the breakwater.

So, down the path from South Turner,

and down to the water side

A little crumbling sidewalk action happening down there.

It was windy, so there was a lot of wave crashing going on.

Lots of things blooming on the hillsides.

And views galore…as usual.

Then I headed out the breakwater.  There was only one cruise ship in dock, although there had been at least two earlier in the day.

Tugboats docked

More waves

Lots of planes landing and taking off.

I sat for a bit on this bench at the end of the breakwater.  It felt lazy, but it was nice just enjoying the gale-force winds.

Still more waves…

A ship in the distance.

Kelp – this is the tangled, swirling view on the exposed side of the breakwater…

And this is the weird, alien-like view on the quiet side of the breakwater.

And thus endeth the walk for Thursday.  I am about to take my Friday walk this morning.  I think I’ll head down to fisherman’s wharf and pick up something for lunch.  Then, it’s figure out what to do this afternoon time!

A response in avoidance of the Daily Post’s Writing Prompt https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/futures-past/

So yesterday, in addition to washing a wall in the spare room, doing a bit of cleaning, and starting to sand the tub in our backyard that’s been sitting there for 2 years (Kevin loves buying old clawfoot tubs to paint and put in the garden) so I can paint it sometime and put it in the garden with raspberries and strawberries in it, I went for a walk.

I decided to walk to Clover Point and back, but when I got to Clover Point, I thought, hey, why not walk back down along the water instead of up along the regular walking path.  So I did.

Here is me up on the walking path heading to Clover Point (that point of land at the top of the photo).  Well, to be clear, you can’t see me – I’m the one taking the picture (and I DON’T do selfies).

Here is me at Clover Point heading down the path to the water, ready to walk back.

Looking down the beach to Clover Point

The path along the water

Blackberries ripening along the path – yes.  Already ripening.

Looking up towards where I was walking originally down to Clover Point.

Here, the path disappears and turns to “sand”, which is actually rock.  My shadow in the “sand” (rock)

The beach.

This is where I decided to go back up.  The “sand” becomes buried in driftwood at this point, and while you can keep walking along the water, I wasn’t feeling like navigating my way over rocks and driftwood anymore.  So, up I went.

The view from the top of the stairs

One more path from the lookout to the main walkway.

Random shots of things along the way home.

Bad, bad, bad morning glory.

Don’t know what these berries are…

And I should know what these are, but I can’t remember.  I think they are cool though…

I don’t know if I will get in a walk today.  I have to get a drain person out to our rental house as there is likely a collapsed line causing backup into the house, and I am also hoping to have lunch with mom and dad today, but perhaps later…we’ll see.  I am on Vacation, after all.

A response in avoidance of the Daily Post’s Writing Prompt https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/clean-slate/

Yesterday:

I walked.  Here are some of the things I saw on my walk

Little ducklings

Dry, like prairie

Roses in the park

Fountain Lake

Assorted other flowers

A big tree

After my walk, I saw Nicholas up close and personal

Then I washed walls (well, one wall) in the spare room (that is going to take FOREVER – have you ever had to wash walls – in preparation for painting – after they had wallpaper on them?  FOREVER!)  I have no pictures of this.  It doesn’t look any different from afar than it did yesterday.

Then I cleaned the house.  I also do not have pictures of this, although it does look a LOT better now.

Finally, I weeded and worked in the back yard.  Here are some things about to pop.

That is all.  Seems like there should have been more… I wonder what excitement is in store for me today??

A response in avoidance of the Daily Post’s Writing Prompt https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/revisionist-history/

So, yesterday I promised to let y’all (or is it all y’all?  I’m Canadian, eh…so maybe it’s you’s y’all) know what I did yesterday on the first day of my first full week of staycay.  So, here goes.

In the morning I sat around and waited for the guy with the truck to come and take away Kevin’s old Subaru.  We have upgraded to a VW SportWagon, and he sold the old Sub in a couple of days (much to my relief, seeing as we don’t need 3 cars parked on the street when painting commences on the house – 2 is quite enough).  The Guy did not come until 11:30.  Here he is taking the Sub away, and there is our VW in front…yes, it’s a pretty blue.

So, there was the morning.  Not a complete waste – I read a book, so it was all good.

After lunch, I trundled upstairs to the spare room and finally (it only took me 3 years) finished stripping the wallpaper off the walls.  Now the walls are ready to be washed, and then primed, before painting.  Here is what it looks like now…

See that little patch of green below between the curtains and the picture?  That’s the colour it’s going to be…soon…

After those few hours, I decided to trundle into the basement and do some cleaning.  I don’t like our basement.  No, it isn’t spooky, just full of crap and needing to be gutted.  It could be quite  a nice basement – it’s next on the list after the painting of the house.  Someday…  I didn’t take any pictures.  You don’t need to see that.  There is still much cleaning to be done down there…sigh…

After that, it was into the yard to water and plant a few things that have been sitting patiently waiting to be planted for a few weeks.  I’ll take pics of those later today.

Then, after Kev got home, we dropped the BMW at BMW for service (an airbag recall) and when we got home, I shot this – the sun setting in the haze of smoke from the many forest fires up island.  The sky has been quite spooky the past couple of days.

Then it was chop every veggie in the house up to create a roasted veggie medley for dinner (which was served with BBQ pork because, well, BBQ).

That was my day.  And, of course, no day is complete without a couple of kitty pics.  Stay tuned for more excitement in tomorrow’s post!

A response in avoidance of the Daily Post’s Writing Prompt https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/dont-you-forget-about-me/

Since the focus of my last 3 Daily Posts avoidances has been the Butterfly Gardens, it’s time to catch up on kitty and garden pics!  Enjoy – BTW, the first full week of the Vacation starts today.  I’ll let you know tomorrow what all I accomplished today…

First, kitties

Now, the garden (the back garden – someday I’ll be able to post pictures of the front garden, once there is a front garden)

Echinecea about to pop

Hosta a’bloomin

Dahlia (thanks Jude!) about to pop as well

Lupins coming out slowly

More itty bitty tomatoes

Peppers finally ripening!

Bee balm – another one about to pop.  I just have to note how excited I’ve been to see how all the plants I planted last summer are flowering across the seasons.  I can hardly wait until next year when there’s even more!  I should also note that the bee balm appears to have spread like mad since last year – unless I just am not remembering how much I actually planted, which is, of course, entirely possible.  I should really do more reading about this gardening thing…

Enjoy Monday!

A response in avoidance of the Daily Post’s Writing Prompt https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/she-said/

And now, for the grand finale of the trip to the Butterfly Gardens:  Butterflies!

Well, first a caterpillar (this was a BIG one)

And then some chrysalides (note that one of them is in the process of opening – I stood there for 20 minutes and then had to move on out of the heat and humidity)

These guys were still in the chrysalide cage, so they were pretty new.

These are some shots of the feeding table they had set up

According to the Butterfly Gardens Reference Chart, (at least, these are my best guesses from matching on the Chart):

I don’t know what this one is – it doesn’t match any of the ones in the Chart…sigh…

Nor this one – come on now!

Try to find this one…

Pink Cattleheart

White Tree Nymph

Tailed Jay

Giant Owl Butterfly.  People stand next to these for, well, for minutes waiting for them to open their wings because…

They’re BLUE!

Don’t know…

And, finally, the Atlas Moth (in a cage – these are the size of one of my kitties!  Not Dexter, but easily Elliot!)

Sorry there aren’t more pics.  Do you know how hard it is to take pictures of butterflies?? They fly around, you know…

A response in avoidance of the Daily Post’s Writing Prompt https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/familial-feasts/

And today:  pretty things that don’t move!  And maybe a few kitties at the end…

So, the butterfly Gardens is a tropical paradise in the middle of Saanich.  According to the website, they keep the Gardens at a steady 25C and 80% humidity – good for the butterflies, and good for the many tropical plants they keep there.  It’s not a big place, but there is lots to see.

Here are some of the plants and sights.  Don’t ask me for any flower or plant names.  I’m the one who doesn’t always know what’s in my own backyard.

And “scenery”

Tomorrow, the moment you’ve been waiting for:  Butterflies!!

And I said I would add a couple of kitties to round out the post, so here they are!

A response in avoidance of the Daily Post’s Writing Prompt https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/going-obsolete/

Welcome to day 1 of the Vacation!  Today is the day I take stock of what I want to do during the next few weeks, as well as do a few things I have to do today, even though I’m on vacation.  Like, trying to find a carpenter to fix our fascia board before painting commences (long story…painting prep starts on Monday…I can hardly wait!!) and getting some food for supper, and taking the garbage out.   There’s always something, right?

Anyway, yesterday was Canada Day, as I mentioned in yesterday’s post, so of course, there were fireworks.  So, here they are!  And tomorrow I promise – butterflies!

It begins

Here we go!

This picture was taken on our walk home looking out at the endless lineup of cars trying to get out of downtown.  Looked more impressive in person…

Finally, who can resist taking a picture of the full moon over the ocean…