March 8 to 14, 2026 ; Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

 Sunday ; Sunny, +10° C.

Started the day with resetting all clocks and watches to daylight savings time. Then cleared and reconfigured our suite’s dinette table, converting it from my office back into what it really is ; our suite’s dinette table ! HA HA HA ! That included going to the Robin Hood Inn’s front desk and requesting a fourth dinette chair. Our suite had only three dinette chairs, and we needed a fourth to accommodate Lorraine and Grant for supper tonight. (This afternoon, actually !) They are back from their adventure to Tofino on the other side of Vancouver Island.

As Lorraine and Grant are departing for home in Winnipeg early tomorrow morning ... (middle of the night, actually !) ... and we won’t have any further need to accommodate passengers in our minivan, this afternoon I reconfigured the seating in our minivan, “stowing and going” the two middle row bucket seats.

At 3:30 PM Joanne phoned a take-out order into Syriana Restaurant. I immediately left to go pick up the order at 4 PM, stopping on the way to refill the minivan with fuel at Esso. I picked up the order at Syriana at 4 PM and was back home at Robin Hood Inn by 4:15 PM. Lorraine and Grant had already arrived. We chatted and ate supper and chatted more, until they were ready to leave around 6:30 PM to return to their B&B room to prepare for departure and sleep for a few hours.

<waving> Bye !

Monday ; Overcast, windy and cold, +7° C.

BRRRRR ... winter seems to have returned to Victoria. And this cold spell is forecast to last all week. Maybe even snow ! Which has not happened (yet !) this winter in Victoria.

This afternoon I finished reconciling our February investment statements, did a bit of work on our income tax returns, and trimmed my beard. I have gone almost as far as possible in preparing our income tax returns until I receive some additional tax information slips which are not due until the end of March. HMPH !

Tuesday ; Overcast, windy and cold, +7° C.

This morning I paid the final monthly “rent” payment on our one bedroom suite at Robin Hood Inn & Suites. After lunch Apollo and I napped while Joanne went shopping at Country Grocer. Later I did some fitness program planning and car purchase planning. Fitness program starts upon our return home in another month. Car purchase likely about a year from now.

Wednesday ; Raining, cold, +5° C.

BRRR ... winter has arrived in Victoria ! HA HA HA !

While I napped with Apollo after lunch Joanne went out to run errands at Dollarama and Fairway Market. Upon her return we went to Burnside Boutique, a local thrift store, to drop off some clothing donations and browse. We didn’t buy anything. Apollo enjoyed going for a “drivey”.

I spent probably too much time today watching a series of videos about a female social media “influencer” and incompetent private pilot in Tennessee who killed herself and her father when she crashed her airplane. (Thanks, Doug)

We had dinner tonight while watching Survivor 50.

Today was the first monthly payment of our (complicated) annuity pension benefits administered by our new financial advisor in Winnipeg. Flawless ! Thank you !

Thursday ; Raining, cold, +4° C.

We had an early supper tonight, then left at 6:30 PM heading downtown to attend a special performance of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Theatre at 7 PM. We parked in the parkade underneath the library and walked half a block to the Royal Theatre in the cold rain. BRRR ... just like winter !

Tonight’s concert was a live performance of the soundtrack to the 1985 movie Back To The Future starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd while the movie played on a giant screen above the orchestra. We thought it was a great movie in 1985. And it was even better 41 years later, with live orchestral accompaniment ! BRAVO ! Well done, VSO !

It was a great “date night”.

Apollo stayed alone in our suite for 3½ hours and was sleeping peacefully on the bed when we returned home at 10 PM. Very good dog, Apollo !

Friday ; Overcast, +6° C.

When Housekeeping showed up at 12:30 PM (while we were eating lunch !) to service our room we left to go Wal-Martin’ at Uptown (mall). Later in the afternoon we gave Apollo a partial haircut ; face and feet.

Saturday ; Sunny (finally !), +8° C.

After an early lunch we left our suite at 12:30 PM (without Apollo) and headed north on the Saanich Peninsula to Sidney, on the northern tip of the peninsula, where the airport and ferry terminal are located. Our destination was the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea, an aquarium.

We arrived about 1:15 PM, parked in their parkade, then spent about an hour and a half exploring the aquarium, including many huge glass tanks filled with sea creatures, and large touch tanks, where one can reach into and gently touch the many different sea creatures within. OH, BOY ... I felt like an eleven year old ! ! ! HA HA HA !

The aquarium was fascinating !

We left the aquarium’s parkade and found a parking spot on the street a short distance away in downtown Sidney, near the thrift stores Joanne wanted to visit. She thought there were five thrift stores in close proximity. I found a sixth ! We browsed each store, each of us buying a pair of pants at the last one, a thrift store operated by a local animal rescue organization. That was the one I found, the sixth one, and the one where I was most pleased to leave some money behind.

We arrived back home at 4:30 PM. We found Apollo asleep on the bed. He had been alone for 4½ hours. Very good dog, Apollo !

DSK

March 1 to 7, 2026 ; Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

 Sunday ; Sunny, +11° C. What a beautiful spring day !

This morning I did month end / new month bill paying, investment and budget updating, etc. After lunch Apollo and I napped while Joanne went to run errands. When she returned around 4 PM we took Apollo for a long walk, mostly so that I could get a healthy dose of sunshine.

Monday ; Sunny, +12 C, another beautiful spring day.

Joanne’s sister Lorraine and her partner Grant arrived this morning from Winnipeg. We met them downtown at 11 AM. We met in front of the Royal Scot Hotel & Suites, our “home” for two months earlier this winter, walked by Confederation Fountain, crossed the street to the Inner Harbour, walked slowly around the Inner Harbour Pathway, then crossed the street to the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Joanne, Lorraine and Grant went into the Empress to check out their tea shop. I walked with Apollo to Thunderbird (Totem) Park and waited briefly for them there.

When they arrived we walked past the BC Museum, then across the street to the BC Legislature Building, across the Legislature Building Grounds, and back to where I had parked our car in front of the Royal Scot. We drove a short distance to Fisherman’s Wharf, parked, and explored for about an hour or so.

We took a leisurely sightseeing drive on Dallas Road from Fisherman’s Wharf all the way to Clover Point Park, then drove back downtown to where I had been parked in front of the Royal Scot, parked there again, leaving Apollo in the car, then walked the half block back to the BC Legislature for our 1:45 PM reservation in the Parliamentary Dining Room. Joanne and I had been there once before, last winter season, and were hoping that today, with our visitors, would be as exquisite an experience as a year ago.

It was !

Lorraine was falling asleep (they had a very early morning flight from Winnipeg) by the time we left the Parliamentary Dining Room about 3:30 PM. Lorraine and Grant returned to their rental car parked nearby, and left for their AirBnB rental. We returned to our car and returned home to the Robin Hood Inn.

Tuesday ; Overcast, a few drops of rain in the afternoon, +10° C.

Lorraine and Grant came over at 12:30 PM in their rental car to pick us up for an afternoon of exploring Victoria’s Chinatown, the oldest in Canada. We parked at the Centennial Square parkade on Fisgard Street, then spent a couple of hours walking around exploring. We started by purchasing some exquisite pastries at a bakery on Fan Tan Alley, munching them as we browsed interesting shops on Fan Tan Alley. Joanne bought me a pair of lovely leather mitts, lined with sheepskin, from the $5 Bargain Bin at Vintage After Death, a second hand store. I guess Victoria residents don’t have much need for heavy leather, sheepskin lined winter mitts. HA HA HA ... us Winnipeg residents do ! Didn’t even have to pay five bucks for them. 10% discount for seniors ! HA HA HA HA HA ! Joanne and I shared a large bubble tea from The Bubble Tea Place before leaving Chinatown.

After we finished our Chinatown exploring we went to have lunch at Smile Chicken, a Korean Fried Chicken restaurant that Joanne and I have been to before, once last winter, and once earlier this winter. We quite like it.

Lorraine and Grant dropped us off back home at Robin Hood Inn around 4 PM.

Wednesday ; Victoria, Vancouver Island to Salt Spring Island & return

Overcast for most of the day, clearing slightly late in the afternoon, light rain early in the day, +11 C.

Lorraine and Grant arrived at Robin Hood Inn this morning at 9:30 AM. We treated them to breakfast in the Robin Hood Inn’s Great Room, then we all piled into our minivan, Apollo included, at 10 AM, and headed north towards the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal at the north end of the Saanich Peninsula, to catch the 11 AM ferry to Salt Spring Island.

Upon arriving on Salt Spring Island at 11:40 AM we headed to Salt Spring Cheese Factory, a goat farm and cheese manufacturing facility. It’s pretty quiet there on a winter Wednesday morning, goats are “put away” for the winter season, only chickens wandering around. We were the only tourists / customers there at that time, and we got the sample room employee all to ourselves. We all sampled what cheeses we wanted to try, Joanne and I bought four cheeses, Lorraine and Grant purchased at least that many, and some specialty jams and mustards, etc.

We drove to the island’s main village, Ganges, and went for lunch at Buzzy’s Luncheonette, “the only Jewish deli on an island with more bears than Jews”. HA HA HA HA HA ! Stupendous lunch !

After lunch Joanne and Lorraine wandered off to browse in the village’s many tourist shops. Grant, Apollo and I wandered around the harbour area, eventually finding a patio table and chairs where we sat and rested, contemplating life’s great mysteries as we sat there looking out over the ocean until Joanne and Lorraine finally returned. HA HA HA !

It was 3 PM. Joanne and I had planned to catch the 6 PM ferry back to Vancouver Island, leaving us a couple more hours to explore other parts of the island before we headed back to the ferry terminal. Apparently Lorraine and Grant had had enough of Salt Spring Island and wanted to return to the ferry terminal in time to catch the 4 PM ferry back.

<shrug> Okay ! We caught the 4 PM ferry, were back on Vancouver Island by 4:45 PM, back at the Robin Hood inn by 5:30 PM. Bye ! <waving>

Thursday ; Sunny, +11° C.

This morning Lorraine and Grant left Victoria heading to Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island. They’ll be back in Victoria Saturday evening.

This morning I was returning to our suite from the breakfast room a minute or two before Joanne. In my left hand was a lidded cup of coffee. In my right hand was a cup containing two peeled, hard boiled eggs. When I reached our suite door I balanced the cup with eggs on top of the cup of coffee in my left hand to reach into my pocket to get the key to our room. As I entered the suite ... the cup with eggs fell off the cup of coffee.

DARN ! One egg rolled rapidly across the living room towards the kitchen. Apollo was snoozing in his bed under the coffee table. ZOOM ... CHOMP ! ! !

Apollo currently lives his life in extreme slow motion due to age. But ... roll a boiled egg across the floor ... ! He has few teeth left due to age, but ... ! He turned his head towards me, gumming the boiled egg as fast as was possible, hard boiled egg fragments falling out of the sides of his mouth, with a really smug look on his face ! HA HA HA ... good dog, Apollo !

My next concern, as I placed the cup of coffee down was ... can I get this mess cleaned off the living room carpet before Joanne returns ? ! ? HA HA HA HA HA ... no need ! After quickly swallowing what was in his mouth, Apollo licked the carpet clean, not a trace of anything left ! HA HA HA HA HA ... very good dog, Apollo ! ! !

The weather was so lovely that we both took Apollo out for his noon time walk, all of us enjoying the lovely warm sunshine. After lunch Apollo and I went to nap while Joanne went to Country Grocer.

When Joanne began preparing supper, she discovered ... HMPH ... one of our two purple yams was soft, with sprouts beginning to grow out of it ! She threw it in our compost pail. I suggested she go outside and plant it in the large flower garden surrounding the 220 year old, huge Sequoia tree in front of the building. Maybe we could come back late next fall and harvest the results. HA HA HA <SNORT> HA HA !

Friday ; Overcast, intermittent light rain, +9° C.

When Housekeeping arrived at 1 PM to service our suite we left to go run errands at Tillicum Centre. Apollo waited in the car while Joanne and I shopped at Dollar Tree first, then Save-On-Foods. The trip to Save-On-Foods was a waste of time and effort, we left without buying anything. Perhaps grocery chains should stop “playing games” with advertised specials ! If it were up to me ... but it isn’t ... we would not shop at Save-On-Foods !

Saturday ; Sunny only in the morning, cloudy in the afternoon, ugly grey overcast by dusk, +13° C.

Mostly a day of routine chores. Joanne went to Fairway Market for a couple of grocery items. I continued plodding my way through our income tax returns this afternoon. And in the evening I worked on reconciling our February investment statements.

DSK

February 22 to 28, 2026 ; Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

 Sunday ; Mostly overcast, very windy, occasional light rain, chilly, except ... for a brief (less than two hours) period of sunshine, no wind, +11° C.

We had been looking forward to attending today’s Lunar New Year’s parade in Victoria’s Chinatown at noon today. But the morning was so chilly, and exceptionally windy, that we sadly decided not to go. Then ... at 11:30 AM ... the sky cleared, the wind stopped, and the temperature rose quickly. So ... <blink blink> ... we walked the dog, fed him his buttermilk and kibble lunch, and while he was scarfing that down we snuck out of our suite and headed downtown. HA HA HA ... good dog, Apollo !

Finding a parking spot near Chinatown was a bit difficult. We walked a couple of blocks to Chinatown and found a good spot to watch the parade. Some parade marshalls came along, pushing people off the edge of the roadway and back onto the curbs. One of them advised us of an alternative and superior viewing spot about a block away, so we walked there. He was right !

We waited in front of the Victoria Public Chinese School for the parade to pass. Many elders and dignitaries of the Chinese community were perched on the stairway leading up to the school’s elaborate entry doors, and by design, the dancing lions in the parade spent a long time performing in front of the school, a few feet from where we were standing.

It was a fascinating performance. We’re really glad we attended the parade, and that the weather was briefly so wonderful. We returned back to Robin Hood Inn to have lunch, and ... the weather turned to shit again !

Monday ; Overcast, +8° C.

After a late and slow start to the day we left our suite around noon and headed to Wal-Mart at Uptown Mall. On the way we stopped at a BMO to withdraw some cash.

Back at home, we had lunch, I napped with Apollo, then processed photos and videos from yesterday’s Lunar New Year Parade in Chinatown.

Tuesday ; Sunny, +9° C.

SLAVA UKRAINI

The weather was so nice this morning we decided to go and explore some local beaches, then have lunch out. We left our suite about 11:30 AM and drove to Gonzales Beach on Gonzales Bay. Gonzales Bay is a fairly small bay, surrounded by mega-million dollar monster homes, a “high rent” district, for sure. There are two public access points to Gonzales Beach. The first one was a narrow set of concrete steps down to the beach ... almost. At the base of the steps was a barricade of huge, cedar driftwood logs thrown onto the beach by winter storms (I guess). Apollo and I did not find that to be an insurmountable impediment to getting onto the beach, but Joanne did.

Apollo and I stepped carefully onto and over the driftwood logs, then went for a walk on the hard packed sand beach until we came to the second public access point a block or two from the first one where Joanne waited at the bottom of the steps for us to return. I could see that the second set of steps had a small but clear path through the driftwood logs at the bottom. And a little further past that, a concrete sloped wheelchair ramp. I was confident that Joanne could safely access the beach from either one.

Apollo and I walked back to the first staircase, we all trudged back up to the street ... OW ... hard on the knees ... and drove to the second access point, which had a small parking lot, and a washroom building. Near the first access point we had just parked on the street.

Joanne was able to step carefully around and through the driftwood logs at the bottom of the second staircase. We wandered down the beach, around the bay to the rocky area where Apollo and I stepped gingerly over the slippery, wet rocks and explored tidal pools. I’m always fascinated by tidal pools, searching for anemones and starfish and oysters and whatever. Joanne waited on the sand. She’s lost her confidence and ability to navigate challenging terrain. Apollo and I still have enough ability and stupidity to do that, but ... mountain goats we’re not ! We returned up to the parking lot using the sloped concrete wheelchair ramp. Much easier than the stairs !

We drove along Dallas Road until we reached Clover Point Park, a point of land jutting out into the ocean (Salish Sea), with a parking lot, and washrooms, and walkways, and some access stairs down to the beach. I persuaded Joanne that she could reach the beach with my assistance. And she did ! We walked along the beach, Apollo and I exploring tidal pools in the rocky areas. There were a lot of dogs playing on the beach, some even fetching large sticks thrown into the ocean for them. Getting Joanne onto and off the beach was challenging for both her and me.

We drove to a small shopping mall nearby to have lunch in a Thai restaurant Joanne had selected. HMPH ! Closed for two weeks ! So that the owners could attend a sister’s wedding ! <shrug> In Thailand, we surmised !

We decided to just return to our suite for a late lunch. As soon as we began driving, Apollo fell deeply asleep on Joanne’s nap. Then napped with me after lunch. Then spent most of the rest of the day napping on the sofa, wrapped in his blankie, occasionally opening his eyes and looking plaintively at us ... “I’m too OLD for that hiking on the beach kind of shit”. Yeah ... you and us both, pal. HA HA HA !

Late in the afternoon I worked on our 2025 income tax returns.

Wednesday ; Mix of sun and clouds, intermittent light rain, +8° C.

This afternoon Joanne went by herself to run errands, mostly grocery replenishment. I worked on income taxes. The sections dealing with renters’ tax credits (Dugald Estates condo), homeowners’ tax credits, and seniors’ school tax credits (Winslow House / Tuxedo condo) are complicated !

At Apollo’s 6:30 PM walk, while peeing against a tree with his hind leg lifted, his feet slipped on the slippery roots (due to rain) of the large tree, he lost his balance, and ... he sort of fell on his face. He came up limping ! Poor old dog ! Our family seems to do more than their fair share of “face plants”, n’est-ce pas ? <sigh>

In the evening we watched the long awaited season premiere of Survivor season 50. WOO-HOO !

Thursday ; Mix of sun and clouds, windy, +11° C.

Late this morning we went out to replenish Apollo’s dog food. We drove to Bosley’s in Esquimalt Plaza. <sputter> CLOSED ! Due to power outage ! As were all the other stores in the mall. EXCEPT ... Esquimalt Bake Shop ! Front door propped open to allow some light in. Cash only. Doughnuts galore ! ! ! Line-up of customers. HA HA HA ! You can always tell which businesses are Mom & Pop independents !

Boston Cream doughnuts today ! WOO-HOO ! Joanne was ecstatic !

I (not so) fondly remember the incidents of operating our pet food & supply stores in Ottawa during power outages, using flashlights to escort customers throughout the store to get what they needed, calculating costs and taxes using a calculator, payments by cash only. AH, yes ... those were the days. HA HA HA HA HA ! Did that for four days following the 1998 ice storm in Ottawa ! Competitors remained closed, we made a fortune ! ! !

We drove to the next nearest Bosley’s on Admirals Road and bought Apollo’s “GO Solutions” large bag of dog food. Hundred bucks ! Ten percent discount for monthly seniors’ day. Enough discount to pay for the Boston Cream doughnut for Joanne and the apple fritter for me, with two bucks still left over. Thanks, Apollo ! HA HA HA !

More income tax work this afternoon. Ran into a road block. Need some property tax data. Don’t have a copy of our Tuxedo condo’s 2025 property tax document. Not sure I ever got one in the batch of purchase documents from lawyer. Even if I did ... it would be filed in my office at home in Winnipeg. HMPH ! Will have to phone City of Winnipeg tomorrow and see if I can obtain a copy. I wonder how much phone drama that will entail ?

Friday ; Mix of sun and clouds, +9° C.

Well ! I phoned the City of Winnipeg this morning regarding my need for a copy of last year’s property tax bill for our Tuxedo condo. No drama ... just a quick and efficient bureaucracy ! What a pleasant surprise !

At noon when Housekeeping arrived to service our suite we left to run some errands and buy lunch. First stop was nearby Fairway Market to refill our five gallon water jug and buy some produce. On the way to the restaurant that Joanne had chosen I stopped at an Esso station and refilled the minivan with fuel.

Joanne’s choice for lunch was Kwao Thai Restaurant on Esquimalt Road. We ordered two lunch specials to take home. <blink blink> WOW ! Excellent Thai food !

Apollo is ill today, lethargic and won’t eat. Second time in the last few weeks ! Poor old fellow.

Saturday ; Sunny, +9° C.

Apollo was very ill overnight, with multiple bouts of vomiting, both outdoors and indoors ! Poor old fellow. However, he began to improve this morning, and continued throughout the day so that by suppertime he was once again healthy. He has a history of illness caused by pancreatic “malfunctions”. As a result of being up with him multiple times overnight, we slept very late this morning, then began the day very slowly ... and tired.

Joanne did laundry today. Lots of it ! I reconfigured the car seating this afternoon, from seating for two to seating for four, in preparation for a visit next week by Joanne’s sister and her partner. Our Chrysler minivan has three rows of seating, the middle and rear rows being “stow & go”. Yeah ... right ... a lot easier said than done ! The rear row is relatively easy to “stow & go”, the middle row two bucket seats much less so. And both rows ease of “stow & go” is significantly impacted by how much “stuff” is in the car. And in our car ... there’s a lot of “stuff” ! <shrug> We’re “on the road” for more than five and a half months, what would you expect ? !

DSK