February 20 to 26, 2025 ; Cobble Hill, B.C.

 Thursday ; Thin overcast, sun trying to peek through, +8° C, feels and smells like spring is coming, wildflowers coming up on the forest floor.

Late this morning, before having lunch, we took Apollo for his regular noon time walk in the woods then drove into Mill Bay to replenish groceries at Thrifty Foods.

In the afternoon I continued working on our income tax returns. As an old man I can afford to simply putter around with preparation of income tax returns for an hour (or less) per day. And I paid some bills. And I posted my blog entry.

Every second day for the three weeks we have been here our landlady advises us that the washer and dryer for guests will be repaired and functional “in two days”. Yeah ... NOT !

Friday ; Raining all day, +5° C during the day ... +7° C in the evening. That’s odd !

We went out late this morning to do some exploring. We drove north almost to Duncan, then turned west and followed scenic back roads to the village of Cowichan Station, then a bit beyond found our way to Cowichan Station Creamery to buy some fresh (today !) cheese curds. Joanne had found on their website that they make cheese curds every Friday morning. We had purchased some of their Shawnigan cheese at the Duncan Farmers’ Market a couple of weeks ago. Because ... their Shawnigan cheese is probiotic fortified.

Cowichan Station Creamery is a Mom & Pop owned and operated small dairy farm and cheese maker. At the Duncan Farmers’ Market we had been served by Pop. Today on the farm we were served by Mom. She and I chatted for quite awhile about their different cheeses, and the heavy emphasis she and her husband place on the complex science of dairy farming (and cow breeding) and cheese making. I was very impressed.

And ... HA HA HA ... I was impressed, intrigued, and amused that while she was serving and chatting with me, she kept one eye on the large screen closed circuit TV screen, which monitors a variety of strategically placed CCTV cameras around their farm and barns to allow them to monitor their cows at the same time as they work on other things. Their herd is small, and they are meticulous records keepers, in accordance with the “science” of their farming. They can identify which of their cows produced which batch of milk which was then processed into which “type” and batch of cheese.

“Want gouda produced from “Old Bessie’s” milk ? Here it is ! Her milk has always produced very fine gouda !” HA HA HA !

Want to see their live cow cams ? https://cowichancream.ca/live/

After buying squeaky fresh curds and other cheeses too good to resist ... we sampled all their cheeses ... we headed off to find lunch in the village of Glenora. It was a series of back roads through lovely farm and forest land, filled with small farms and large homes, to the village of Glenora where we found our way to Glenora Store & Café, a very small café serving superb home made food for lunch every day from noon to 2 PM. Another Mom & Pop business. Mom was in the kitchen, Pop was out front serving customers. This area seems to be filled with small home based businesses / artisinal businesses / hobby farms / side hustles / rich old hippy run businesses, etc. <sigh> <thinking> Too bad we’re not twenty years younger !

As I said, lunch was excellent ! We shared a bowl of extremely hot (as I requested) chicken noodle soup, a potato and vegetable samosa served with a side of apple chutney, a beef sausage roll, and a roast chicken (pieces, not slices) with Havarti cheese panini sandwich with sprouts / micro-greens and a flavourful mayonnaise based sauce of some sort. MMMMM ... yummy ! OH ... and a large hot chocolate with whipped cream on top.

From Glenora our GPS took us along the rising, fast running Cowichan River back to the highway, then home to Xanadu Estate. I guess the recent heavy snow fall, melted now, has all found its way downhill into the Cowichan River.

I cooked an egg and cheese (cottage and shredded) pie for supper tonight, the second time I have made this new recipe. MMMMM ... even better than the first time. Well done, Daniel. I lit a fire in the fireplace and we had another movie date, watching Downton Abbey : A New Era. It was great, we’ve been Downton Abbey fans for many years.

Oh, yeah ... and the curds are really good, although slightly different than the cheese curds from Bothwell Cheese in Manitoba. Or the cheese curds from the northern Okanagan region of BC. Or the cheese curds from Ottawa and Quebec. Cowichan Station’s curds are lighter in colour, more moist, milder flavour. Great for snacking on with crackers, probably not quite right for making poutine.

Oh, yeah ... again ... (poor memory) ... as we drove down back roads there were a lot of small farm fields filled with snow geese and (wild) white swans, neither of which we see back home in Manitoba.

Saturday ; Overcast, light drizzle, +7° C.

Another lazy day, mostly because of the weather. I worked on income taxes for awhile. I read a lot. Joanne did a lot of TV “research”. We have only streaming TV services here at Xanadu Estate, something we’re neither familiar with nor fond of. We took Apollo out for a couple of meandering walks around the grounds. Smells like spring in the forest here.

Once again, the “laundry repairs” scheduled completion deadline has passed ! ! ! ! ! It has now been out of order for at least the last twenty-three days ! We are out of clean socks and underwear. Looks like it will be another laundry day in Duncan tomorrow. We will be expressing our displeasure with this issue and others (such as the icy driveway for two weeks) with our wallets. We WON’T be back here next year !

Sunday ; Heavy rain starting around noon, +8° C.

When I took Apollo out this morning around 8:30 AM, the dryer was still not functional. So ... as I walked him around noon, Joanne was loading our laundry into the car, preparing to go to the laundromat in Duncan. As I was returning from walking Apollo she was sitting in the car, engine running, as she was setting the GPS for directions to the laundromat. I peeked into the laundry room attached to the garage, and ... <sputter> ... the dryer was finally fixed ! I stopped Joanne just as she was driving away !

So, with only one washer and dryer here, she spent from noon until 6 PM doing our large load of soiled laundry. At least she didn’t have to drive to Duncan and back, and sit around in the laundromat.

I spent the afternoon working on our income tax returns and reconciling our large January MasterCard statement. And paying it. And ... well ... you know ... <whispering> ... napping ! HA HA HA !

And listening to ... and fuming about ... CBC’s Cross Country Checkup show about what both Canadians and Americans think about the “51^st state” bullshit ! Do better, CBC !

Monday ; Rain, +6° C.

SLAVA UKRAINI

We got a late start ... around noon ... on running errands in Duncan. I dropped Joanne off at Dollar Tree, went to Superstore’s Mobil fuel bar, refilled the minivan with fuel, and returned to Dollar Tree to pick up Joanne. Then we replenished groceries at Superstore. We arrived back at home for a very late lunch at 2:30 PM.

In the evening we had another movie date, watching The Grand Budapest Hotel. Captivating, very quirky, a bit difficult to follow, very amusing.

Tuesday ; Mostly cloudy, sun peeking through occasionally, +10° C.

Late this morning we went out to run some errands. After lunch Joanne went out again, by herself, to run some errands in Duncan.

This morning we drove to Country Grocer and did some shopping, mostly to check out and buy some advertised items. Then to Old Farm Market to replenish fruits and vegetables. On the way back home we made a stop at the dog park. Yes, yes ... he did ! Twice in about two minutes, then he was ready to go home. <shrug> Good dog, Apollo ... I guess.

After lunch Apollo and I went to nap and Joanne drove into Duncan to shop at Dollarama and Wal-Mart. While she was gone our landlady came over to discuss an issue, and to visit and chat. She has difficulty remembering Apollo’s name and persists in calling him Pluto, so ... <snicker> ... I have also begun addressing him as Pluto. I should stop ! Every time I call him Pluto he looks over his shoulder to see who am I talking to ? HA HA HA ! Much like us ... he might be old but he ain’t stupid !

This evening we watched the English language debate of the Liberal leadership candidates. Although I concede that Mark Carney will likely win the leadership, I’m still a huge fan of Chrystia Freeland. They are personal friends before political rivals and I suspect there may already have been a backroom deal made for Freeland to become Carney’s “second in command”. As she was for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

We bought some tomatilloes (tomaTEEyos) at Country Grocer today. Joanne made chicken chile verde (CHILLay VAIRday) for supper tonight, one of my favourite Mexican recipes. Just before supper was ready I lit a firelog in the fireplace and we spent an evening in front of the fire.

Wednesday ; Mix of mostly cloudy, brief periods of sunshine, +10° C.

We spent the day exploring. We left home before noon, and returned at 6 PM as it became dusk. We made a large “loop” route with Shawnigan Lake being the primary destination.

We found our way to the village of Shawnigan Lake where Joanne had chosen a Nepalese restaurant for lunch. Because ... we had never eaten Nepalese food before. When we arrived at the village and found the restaurant we decided we weren’t quite ready for lunch yet, so we explored the lakeshore drive along the east side of Shawnigan Lake. WOW ... pretty nice ! Very pricey looking real estate ! ! ! One of the things we found on the eastern side of the lake was a private boarding school, offering grades 4 through 12, for very rich families’ children, both domestic and international. Costs for Canadian students, for tuition, room and board, is well in excess of $80,000 per year ! For international / foreign students ... <sputter> ... well in excess of $120,000 per year ! <blink blink>

We returned to Shawnigan Lake village and had lunch at Momoville Restaurant, a very small Mom & Pop Nepalese restaurant, with seating for a total of fourteen people. Pop was out front, Mom was in the kitchen. Very interesting, good food ! Pop was friendly and interesting to chat with. We were the only customers.

After lunch we drove to the Kinsol Trestle trailhead, parked, and hiked about 1.25 km. / 0.75 mile to the trestle, now part of the Cowichan Valley (hiking) Trail, but built over a century ago for trains to cross the Koksilah River. See / click on the following link ; Kinsol_Fact_Sheet_Final.

The 2.5 km. / 1.5 mile round trip hike left Joanne and I tired, but it left 13 year old Apollo exhausted ! All he did for the rest of the day was snooze, awaiting bedtime. HA HA HA ... poor little old guy ! By the way, on a hike that long, probably the longest hike we’ve been on with him since getting him nine months ago ... <whispering> ... he defecated three times ! HA HA HA ... a “hat trick” ... a three shit hike !

From the Kinsol Trestle we drove along the west side of Shawnigan Lake, then back to the Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 / the Malahat Highway at the Malahat Summit, then turned north heading back towards home at Xanadu Estate. On the way back home we explored Spectacle Creek Provincial Park and Bamberton Provincial Park.

I asked Joanne why we were exploring these two provincial parks when our camping days are clearly behind us ? <shrug> Old habits die hard !

DSK

February 13 to 19, 2025 ; Cobble Hill, B.C.

Thursday ; Cloudy, +1° C.

By design, another lazy day of rest. We both have considerably less stamina, due to age, I suppose. <sigh>

I again made another excellent Eggs Benedict concoction for supper tonight. On a focaccia loaf, smoked Chinook salmon for me, sliced ham for Joanne, avocado slices, fried eggs, topped with Hollandaise sauce. Baked beans on the side. Pretty darn good !

After supper I made another fire in the fireplace, using the last few pieces of natural firewood we had. With the new fireplace door gasket installed, and some tips I learned from the man (store owner ?) who served me and repaired the fireplace door, I got the fireplace functioning extremely well. We had a lovely, warming fire while watching another couple of episodes of My Mum, Your Dad.

Friday ; Valentine’s Day

Thin overcast, +4° C. The heavy snowfall of a couple of weeks ago has begun to melt, but with the thick forest surrounding us preventing sunlight from getting through, and the thick formation of ice on the entire driveway, there’s a long way to go !

Again we had a very slow, lazy start to our day. And the day continued in that vein. We continue to feel somewhat trapped indoors by the icy driveway that is impossible to walk on, and impossible to drive on. We’re old, we don’t feel safe either walking or driving on it. Although ... as a Manitoban who learned to drive and got a driver’s license in Winnipeg in the winter of 1970 / 1971 I am more successful at driving back up the driveway than others who live here.

This afternoon I worked on reconciling my January investment statements, and continued slowly plodding my way through the early stages of preparing our income tax returns.

Saturday ; Low overcast / fog, light rain all day, +2° C.

The driveway ice here at Xanadu Estate has melted quite a bit, but still quite a bit more to go. It was slightly less dangerous to walk on today. And this afternoon when we went out I used a shovel to try to break up all the thick ice on the (five car) parking area surrounding our car in its parking spot. I broke some of it up but ... it was about three inches thick ! ! ! I had to stop when my little wifey became angry at me. <whispering> Because my shovelling efforts were resulting in angina !

This afternoon we went out to run a few errands and do a small amount of exploring. First stop was Country Grocer to refill our five gallon water jug. Next stop was Old Farm Market to buy some fruits and vegetables. Then we explored two nearby butcher shops, a coffee and ice cream shop, and a small clothing consignment shop. We were just about to head back home when I realized we needed fuel since we’re headed into Victoria tomorrow, so we continued a short distance into Duncan to refill fuel at Superstore’s Mobil fuel bar.

On the way back home we stopped at the local dog park. Uh-huh ... yes he did. Three times in about five minutes. Go figure !

Before returning to Xanadu Estate we explored the Arbutus Ridge residential neighbourhood that we live adjacent to. Monster homes surrounding a golf course. <shrug> Not what we find appealing.

Sunday ; Light rain all day, +2° C. in Cobble Hill, +7° C. in Victoria.

Much like shutting the barn door after the horse has left ... my recent research ... a year too late ... of the temperature variance between Cobble Hill and Victoria ... confirmed today ... is that Cobble Hill is 5° C. colder than Victoria every day !

We left our suite at noon today, dog and picnic lunch in tow, heading for a play at the beautiful Belfry Theatre in downtown Victoria at 2 PM. At the higher elevations of the Malahat Highway, both heading to Victoria between noon and 1 PM, and returning to Cobble Hill between 4 PM and 5 PM, the driving conditions in cloud / thick fog plus rain were less than ideal. It was quite a bit warmer in Victoria, and there was no snow left. As opposed to the ice still coating Xanadu Estate’s driveway and parking area.

Parking is scarce around the Belfry Theatre. We arrived early enough in Victoria (about 1 PM) to be able to get one of the few parking spots available at a high school near the theatre. We ate our picnic lunch in the car, I walked Apollo, and at 1:30 PM we left him in the car and walked the short distance to the theatre.

Today’s performance was a play entitled Behind The Moon, a story with three characters, all of whom are immigrants from India in Canada. One is young, perhaps around thirty, one is middle aged, perhaps mid-forties, and one is older, perhaps around sixty. The play is over the top dramatic, and most of the audience seemed to love it. We certainly didn’t !

Apollo was alone in the car for over 2½ hours. Very good dog, Apollo !

We did a teensy bit of exploring on our way home. We detoured off the highway shortly before reaching Mill Bay onto back roads to find the ferry terminal for the Mill Bay to Brentwood Bay ferry across Saanich Inlet. Brentwood Bay is on the Saanich peninsula about halfway between Victoria and the Swartz Bay ferry terminal to Vancouver. We will take that ferry if and when we visit Butchart Gardens near Brentwood Bay. Then we drove a short distance beyond Xanadu Estate to find Hatch Point, which turned out to be nothing more than a closed entrance to a closed wildlife preservation area.

We spent the evening reminiscing. HMPH ... like “old folks” do ! HA HA HA !

Monday ; Overcast, intermittent light rain, +4° C.

We left home after an early lunch heading into Duncan to attend a CPR / AED training course.

We first had CPR training about forty years ago. Then again about twenty years ago, in Yuma, Arizona, a new course taught by doctors and professors from the University of Tucson who had recently “invented” the concept of chest compression only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CCO CPR), now the CPR standard in the United States. Apparently not so in Canada !

The instructors were two young (high school age) women. They were not very good ! One had such a soft voice she was impossible to hear above the other noises going on around us. After a few minutes of us struggling to hear her, her partner took over. The second instructor was very pleasant, and easy to hear , but ... her knowledge and skills of CPR were ... poor. She made mistakes about positioning of hands on patient’s chest that Joanne corrected. And she made mistakes about cadence that I corrected. And she seemed to completely misunderstand the rationale behind CCO (chest compression only) CPR, believing that it existed simply to avoid transfer of germs during mouth to mouth resuscitation.

Last spring I enrolled us in a CPR / AED training course in Lac du Bonnet (Manitoba). It was cancelled due to insufficient enrolment. I enrolled again in a course scheduled last fall. It also was cancelled due to lack of enrolment. We live in a condominium community filled with elderly people. Prime candidates for heart attacks. And our condominium building has an AED (automated electronic defibrillator) mounted in the “community room”. We aren’t sure whether anybody in the building really knows how to operate it. And since our suite is closest to the community room, and ... I certainly would hate to lose my life because Joanne doesn’t know how to operate an AED ... it struck me as prudent that she and I learn how to use an AED machine. While a neighbour or spouse is lying on the floor dying of a heart attack might not be the best time to start reading the AED’s instructions for the first time and figuring out how to use the AED.

After the training course we stopped at Superstore to replenish a few groceries. Then we stopped at the Cobble Hill dog park on the way home. Yes, yes ... he did. The first time within about ten seconds of entering the gate, while he was still being greeted (sniffed) by all the other dogs. And again about two minutes later. At which point he was ready to leave and go home because it was raining lightly. What a pussy ! HA HA HA !

In the evening I lit a fire in the fireplace and we watched the Saturday Night Live 50^th anniversary special.

Tuesday ; Overcast, +4° C. in Cobble Hill. HMPH ... +9° C. in Duncan !

About 3 PM we left our suite to head a few km. down backroads to explore the nearby seaside touristy village of Cowichan Bay. Joanne had some places she wanted to check out ; restaurants, museums, bakery, etc. It was a lovely and interesting town. Probably a very busy tourist area in the summer. Joanne bought a loaf of rye bread in the “all natural” bakery. We stopped at a waterfront park to wander around. There was a skateboard park / BMX bicycle course on the waterfront. It reminded me of the many “Bo-gility” parks that we visited all over North America, taking our previous dog Bo for “agility” play sessions. I thought today we could have an “Apollogility” play session. Yeah ... NO ... Apollo thought that was stupid. HA HA HA ... chacun à son goût, je suppose.

We continued on backroads until reaching the highway, then continued a short distance into Duncan where we did some “Wal-Martin’”. <sigh>

AND ... <sputter> ... nineteen days after arriving here at Xanadu Estate the guests’ laundry facility remains out of order ! We’re not pleased ! ! !

Wednesday ; Thin overcast, sun trying to peek through, +7° C.

Late this morning, before having lunch, we took all our recyclables to a local recycling depot. On the day that we arrived here another guest had advised us that there was no “on site” collection of recycling, and if we were “recyclers” we would have to collect and sort our own, and take it to the local recycling depot. DONE ! On the way back home we stopped at the nearby RONA (home and hardware) store and I went in to do some price checking / comparison.

This afternoon I loaded nine versions of “buy Canadian” apps to our cellphone, Joanne and I tested each one, and selected the one that worked best and easiest for us, deleting the rest. <rolling eyes> Just because someone knows how to “write code” doesn’t make them an effective software designer.

DSK

February 6 to 12, 2025 ; Cobble Hill, Cowichan Valley, B.C.

 Thursday ; (Still) gloomy, +1° C.

This afternoon we went out to do a bit of local exploring, in and around our small village of Cobble Hill, and the nearby small town of Mill Bay. First stop was the local dog park on the edge of Cobble Hill village. Joanne is nervous about allowing Apollo into dog parks. I’m not.

Apollo and I approached the gate into the dog park which had about ten or so large dogs romping around inside. We entered the park, a few dogs came over and sniffed Apollo, then left to resume their playing. By the time I had managed to get the gate closed ... Apollo had defecated. <shrug> OK ! We entered the park, I walked over to the picnic shelter where other dog owners were congregated, Apollo interacted nicely with other dogs for about two minutes, then ... defecated again ! WTF, Apollo ? Maybe if you hadn’t been anal retentive for the last few days, refusing to defecate anywhere around the grounds of Xanadu Estate (Apollo ; “EWWW ... snow ! ! !”). I chatted with other dog owners for a few more minutes, Apollo wandered off and ... had another shit ! ! ! ! ! GEEEEEZZZ, Apollo ! ! ! After he was finished his third dump, he was like ... “OK, I’m done, let’s go now”. OK ... we left !

We drove around exploring the almost non-existent village of Cobble Hill. We stopped at the local pub. Joanne wanted to inquire about the ready to serve home cooked meals to go advertised on their website. The server in the pub advised us that they were next door, at the liquor store. We walked over to the liquor store and checked them out. Not to our liking. And those two businesses seemed to define the commercial elements of the village. A pub, a liquor store, and large expensive homes. OH ... and a dog park !

We drove a few km. to the small town of Mill Bay and explored. Mill Bay actually has a thriving small shopping mall with many small businesses, anchored by Thrifty Foods. We drove to the town’s harbour front, which looks across the Saanich Inlet to the north end of the Saanich Peninsula on the other side. We crossed the highway to check out some other small commercial areas, including a small mall with a Salvation Army Thrift Store. We went inside to browse. I bought a cheese slicer.

We found a couple of restaurants in Mill Bay that we are interested in trying. We returned to Xanadu Estate about 5:30 PM as it was becoming dark outside.

As Joanne prepared supper I made another excellent fire in our fireplace, again using about a third of the small pile of unsplit firewood on our front landing.

Friday ; Mostly cloudy, sun trying to peek through, +2° C.

This afternoon we went to a local business, Merridale Cidery & Winery, for their special event, Sip & Shop. They are nearby, and we had to drive past the local dog park to get there. So ... we stopped at the dog park for a brief visit. And ... <sputter>... give Apollo another opportunity to take a shit within moments of our arrival. I don’t understand what inspires him to defecate the moment we arrive at the dog park , but ... no point arguing with success, I suppose.

The cidery and distillery is an interesting place. Probably does a booming business in the summer tourist season. Joanne sampled a couple of their apple cider products, then bought a glass of the apple and honey blend to sip. I sampled one of their distillery products (spiced rum). <blink blink shudder> YUK ! Think I’ll stick to the Gimli, Manitoba produced Crown Royal rye whiskey, my (very infrequent) drink of choice since I’ve been ... <thinking> ... about 16 years old. HA HA HA !

We wandered around their sales area, showcasing their ciders and their distillery products and locally produced jams and jellies and chutneys and scented candles and essential oils and herbal products and ... that kind of stuff. Then we wandered around another area where many local vendors had set up tables and displays to sell their wares, more of the same kind of horrendously overpriced, tourist trapping, “woo-woo” stuff. Obviously nothing appealed to us enough to inspire us to purchase anything.

But ... it was great to get out and do something other than remain cooped up in our apartment waiting for either our health or the weather to get better.

Now that we have figured out this suite’s Apple TV we got caught up this evening on one of the CBC series that we have watched in the past ; My Mum, Your Dad

Saturday ; Mostly cloudy, sun trying to peek through, +2° C. (again ... same as yesterday)

We left our suite around 11:15 AM heading into Duncan for the large, weekly “farmers’ market”, although at this time of year there’s no fresh produce, but there were a lot of specialty food vendors selling a large variety of exotic and gourmet food products. We bought a lot, well over a hundred dollars ! Saskatoon berry cinnamon buns. Frozen Saskatoon berries to mix with my kefir yogurt. Pea shoots. Joanne bought those, I don’t even know what the hell that is ! Local Shawnigan cheese. Beef jerky. Smoked Chinook (King) Salmon ! Frozen Beef Pho. Packages of meal preparation spice mixes. Beef chorizo sausage meat (no casing). Duck pâté de foie gras. (yes, yes ... I know !)

The farmers’ market is dog friendly, so Apollo got to interact with a large number of dogs, small and large. Including a large contingent of people and dogs from a nearby dog training academy out on a “field trip” to the farmers’ market.

After the farmers’ market we went for lunch to Fresh Tandoori Flavour Indian Bistro, the best Indian restaurant I’ve ever been to, and we’ve been to a lot ! This restaurant has a lunch buffet, which allowed us to have some of our favourites, and try some new dishes. All were excellent, as was the service. Mom is the “front of house”, greeting, seating, serving customers, and making the best Tandoori fired Naan bread I’ve ever tasted, Pop is in the kitchen making excellent Tandoori food, (somewhat dozey) teenage Son is the bus boy, clearing and (poorly) cleaning tables ... while staring out the windows and day dreaming. Dream on, son, real life will be biting you in the ass in just a few more years !

Have I just turned into my father ? ! ? HA HA HA !

After lunch we went to a couple of thrift stores, trying to find Joanne some “temporary” winter boots to accommodate her new orthotic insoles. Her “old” winter boots, which we brought along, primarily to accommodate the trip (in “winter” conditions) from Dugald / Winnipeg to Victoria and back, won’t accommodate her orthotic insoles, and those boots are really irritating her Achilles tendonitis problem. At the second thrift store we found a pair of boots that fit well, with the orthotic insoles inserted.

It appears as if this week’s large dump of snow is not going to disappear quickly, and wearing winter boots will be required for awhile yet. A couple of weeks ? A month ? ? ? Let’s hope not that long !

On the way back home we stopped again at the local dog park. Yes, yes ... he did ! Within a minute or so ! HA HA HA HA HA ! These dog park visits continue to improve his social skills. He now plays well with young, goofy St. Bernards. He doesn’t seem to recognize the size difference. HA HA HA !

We were back home around 4:45 PM, about an hour before it now turns dark here.

Sunday ; Mostly cloudy, sun trying to peek through, +3° C.

By design, today was a slow day. Around noon we took Apollo for a long walk through the woods, partially made possible by Joanne’s new winter boots. Xanadu Estate is a lovely, large, old growth forest wooded property. Lot of big, old Western Red Cedar trees and Douglas Fir trees.

This afternoon we trimmed his nails, and gave him a haircut around the eyes, nose, and mouth. WOW ... what a lovely face you have under that mess, Apollo ! HA HA HA ! And I trimmed my beard. Joanne cleaned dog and husband hair. HA HA HA ... thank you, dear.

We had a movie date night tonight. I lit a fire in the fireplace, and we watched A Man Called Otto. What a tearjerker ! One of the strange cognitive side effects of 5 ½ hours of being on a perfusion (blood and oxygen pumping) machine while heart stopped during triple bypass surgery is ... I cry easily during sad movies. <shrug> ... Could be worse, at least I’m still alive 7 ½ years later !

Monday ; Mostly sunny, cold, +3° C.

Sunshine was nice, but clear skies and light wind made it feel quite cold today.

This afternoon we went to Mill Bay to give Apollo a bath at Bosley’s Pet Foods. On the way to Mill Bay we stopped at Sweet Meadows (farm market) and I bought more of their lovely heirloom cherry tomatoes. At Mill Bay Shopping Centre Joanne went into Thrifty Foods to buy a few grocery items before we took Apollo into Bosley’s and gave him a bath at their dog wash station. He endured it well, good dog, Apollo. We also needed to buy him some dog food, but the Mill Bay Bosley’s doesn’t carry the specific formula of dog food that we want. We arranged for a small bag of it to be put aside for us at the Bosley’s in Duncan. We’ll pick it up in a couple of days when we go to Duncan to run errands, probably on Wednesday.

Well ... HMPH ... and as I take a brief break to go to the bathroom after typing the above paragraph, I find Apollo in the bathroom ... eating toilet paper. HEY ... BAD DOG ! ! ! I wonder if he has an upset stomach from ingesting water and/or shampoo during the bath ?

Tuesday ; Sunny and cold, -3° C. HMPH ! I think we’ll probably spend all of next winter at the lower elevation and warmer temperatures of Victoria !

The laundry facilities for guests here at Xanadu Estate are currently out of order, so this afternoon Joanne drove into Duncan by herself to use a laundromat, and buy a few items at Superstore and Dollar Tree. This was the first time she has driven the car since we left home in late November.

When she arrived back here at Xanadu Estate she was unable to drive up the long, winding, ascending, ice coated driveway. She phoned me to come down to the road and drive the minivan up the driveway. With difficulty, both walking down, and driving up, I did that ! The snow has not been cleared from the driveway, and now, more than a week after the heavy snowfall, the entire driveway is a skating rink ! ! ! And will remain that way for a few more days until the temperature rises enough for melting to begin.

This afternoon I started working on our income tax returns.

Wednesday ; Sunny, temperature not above freezing all day at Cobble Hill, all the way up to +5° C. in Duncan this afternoon. HMPH ! Didn’t realize when I made the booking here at Xanadu Estate a year ago how much higher and colder it is than surrounding areas / communities.

We spent the afternoon exploring, shopping, and running errands. We left home at 11:30 AM and returned home at 5:30 PM. Before leaving home this morning I prepared an excellent brunch of Saskatoon berry pancakes. Made with kefir yogurt. And cinnamon sugar. Well done, Daniel ! On the way back home in the afternoon we stopped at the local dog park in lieu of Apollo’s late afternoon walk. Yes, yes, he did defecate within a minute or two of arriving, as he always does. I don’t get it, but ... que será, será.

On the way into Duncan we stopped at Country Grocer, a local supermarket to check it out. It’s actually the closest supermarket to us, slightly closer than Thrifty Foods in Mill Bay. I like Country Grocer to the north of us better than Thrifty Foods in Mill Bay to the south, and I would prefer to shop at Country Grocer, but there are other reasons to go to Mill Bay, so ... <shrug>.

Next stop was Great Greens Farm Market, on the southern edge of the city of Duncan, another greengrocer / farm market Joanne wanted to check out. Then we stopped at Kal Tire to have tire pressures adjusted ... again ! I had checked the car’s tire pressures yesterday morning, and they all seemed to be about five pounds below where they should be. When Kal Tire’s service technician went to adjust the tire pressures, he found each and every tire was about one pound above where they should be. HUH ? ! ? With poorly disguised contempt, he suggested I replace my tire pressure guage. Very good idea, pal. Thanks for the advice, and the service.

Next stop was South Island Fireplace & Spas. The gasket on the fireplace door in our suite was becoming detached. I brought it to the attention of our landlady, and offered to remove the fireplace door, take it in for repair, then reinstall it. She accepted my offer. I asked to be allowed into the service workshop to watch (learn) how the fireplace door gasket was removed and replaced. It needed to stay lying flat in a warm place for a few hours to allow the special adhesive putty to dry, and since the back of our car didn’t really meet that criteria I left the door there and arranged to pick it up a few hours later when we were returning home.

Next was the very large shopping mall Cowichan Commons. While Joanne went into Dollarama to shop I went into Canadian Tire and bought a new tire pressure guage. Then I retrieved Apollo from inside the car and we walked across the mall to Bosley’s where a bag of his dog food was waiting for us. As I returned him to the car Joanne arrived having finished at Dollarama. Then ... <sigh> ... it was time to go to Wal-Mart, in the same large mall. <deep breath>

After Wal-Mart, on the way back to pick up the fireplace door at South Island Fireplace & Spas we made one last stop at yet another greengrocer, Community Farm Store. What a joke ! Horrendously overpriced “woo-woo” products, mostly “organic”, obnoxious and pretentious customer base, all seeming to have a “me first, I (and my obnoxious little child) are important” nose in the air attitude. We spent forty-four cents buying four parsnips from a “clearance” rack outside the front door of the store. Joanne had to get into a slight shoving match with the really old lady who was trying to buy every last parsnip on the rack, and trying to prevent Joanne from reaching around her and grabbing four of them. HA HA HA HA HA ... there were hundreds of parsnips and the old lady was trying to stuff them all into a large paper bag.

Hey, abuela, don’t get in the way of the Arizona Coupon Queen at a clearance rack ! HA HA HA <SNORT> HA HA !

Lastly we picked up the fireplace door and headed for home, stopping at the dog park on the way. I had a hell of a time making it up the steep, winding, ice covered driveway at home. HMPH !

DSK