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

February 15 to 21, 2026 ; Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

 Sunday ; Sunny, +7° C.

Joanne was ill again (still ?) today. I initiated a lengthy discussion about that.

Late this morning I drove to the Shoppers Drug Mart at Tillicum Plaza to buy a stamp at the Post Office. “Due to unforeseen circumstances the Post Office is closed today” ! <fume>

This afternoon I cleaned dog nose prints off the car windows, a frequent task (! ! !), did some weekly investment updates, posted my weekly blog entry ... miscellaneous routine tasks and chores.

I acknowledge being in a REALLY BAD MOOD right now ! While walking Apollo, I had to pull an item away from him that he was very interested in sniffing. It turned out to be a tampon inserter. WHO THE FUCK TOSSES A TAMPON INSERTER ONTO THE LAWN OF A MOTEL ? ? ? ? ? ! ! ! ! ! Was it a motel guest ? Was it one of the many women who gather across the street, smoking marijuana (and coughing their lungs out) every morning at 8:30 AM outside the Indigenous Supportive Housing complex ?

Monday ; Occasional light rain, chilly, sky clearing at dusk, +5° C. BRRRRR ... the forecast is for the return of “winter” this week.

At noon we went out to run some errands, to give Housekeeping a chance to service our suite. Of course, the Housekeeping lady who has been assigned to our suite for the last few weeks did not show up around noon as she is scheduled to, but showed up around 2 PM, after we had returned from running errands and were having lunch in our suite. She’s surly, speaks little English, and does a poor job of servicing our suite, always missing something ; replace shampoo, provide fresh face cloths, replace toilet paper, empty garbages ... always something missed !

That’s okay ... the many hundreds of dollars that I had allocated as tips for Housekeeping can remain in my pocket when we depart in early April.

Our first errands stop was Esso on Burnside to refill the minivan with fuel. Then to Gorge Plaza ; I went into Shoppers Drug Mart to buy a postage stamp while Joanne went to Dollarama. After Dollarama we did some grocery shopping at Fairway Market. Apollo was a good dog, waiting quietly in the car.

I made an Udon noodle stir fry for supper tonight. I don’t do much of our meal cooking, as I have a limited repertoire, but... what I do, I do very well !

Tuesday ; Mix of sun and clouds, chilly again, +5° C.

It rained overnight and the temperature was below freezing, so apparently there was snow mixed with the rain, but when I walked Apollo at 8:30 AM, there was no evidence of that, just wet ground.

I woke up this morning profoundly depressed as a result of bad dreams. It took me half the day to shake that off.

Around noon we left to run some errands and buy take-out lunch at a Syrian restaurant Joanne wants to try. First we drove to Second Hand Hope, a local thrift store. We browsed, but didn’t buy anything. Mostly because we have a policy, formulated by Joanne, following the Covid pandemic, that if a thrift store refuses to have a change room, which (maybe) made sense during the pandemic, but not afterwards, we won’t buy any clothing there. By the way ... I have just remembered, there is another thrift store policy we have, formulated by me. If a thrift store refuses to make a bathroom available for customer use, we won’t buy anything there ! HMPH ! ! !

Next we drove to Esquimalt Plaza. Joanne instructed me to go into Esquimalt Bake Shop and buy her a Boston cream doughnut while she went into Country Grocer and began shopping for groceries. Well ... I failed ... on two counts ! And I only had one job ! HA HA HA ! Firstly, I bought a vanilla cream doughnut, which apparently is NOT a Boston cream doughnut, because ... a vanilla cream doughnut is not chocolate dipped on one side. WELL ... pardon me for living ! Then ... I bought a bag of five, day old vegetable rolls, (sort of like miniature strombolis) when I had NOT been instructed to buy ANY vegetable rolls. HA HA HA !

So ... HMPH again ... now that SOMEBODY had purchased a bag of five, day old vegetable rolls, we might as well go home and eat some of them for lunch, and postpone the trip to the Syrian restaurant. WELL ... HMPH ! ! ! HA HA HA !

Wednesday ; Cloudy, +5° C.

This afternoon we decided to go to a local thrift store followed by a quick stop at a local grocery store. At 3 PM we left our suite, I dropped off a read book at a nearby Little Free Library, and a few minutes later arrived at the thrift store, Burnside Boutique. Scheduled to be open until 4 PM, closed at 3:15 PM. <fume> I am way too much an OCD rigid thinker to be accepting of that ! We dropped into Fairway Market at Gorge Plaza to buy milk and lettuce before returning “home”.

Back in our suite I finished the batch of buttermilk I started yesterday, then started a batch of sour cream. I’m kind of having fun with my newly acquired “cultured dairy” skills. And Apollo is VERY appreciative ! HA HA HA !

Early in the evening, before we had supper, we watched “Won’t You Be My Neighbour ?”, the Mr. Fred Rogers bio-pic. Joanne had seen it before, I had not. It’s a powerful film.

For tonight’s dinner salad Joanne used some of my freshly made buttermilk as a base to make a salad dressing. It was very good !

Thursday ; Sunny, cold, +3° C.

Due to the lovely sunshine, and despite the cold snap, we went for a long (time, not distance !) walk with Apollo around noon. It takes him twenty to thirty minutes to complete one lap around the Robin Hood Inn building !

This afternoon we had a lengthy (1.5 hours) telephone meeting with our new financial advisor’s assistant. She needed a lot of information from us in order to set up our six transferred investment accounts to conform with her firm’s files.

Joanne did laundry. I got a couple of books to read from the Robin Hood Inn’s exchange library. I finished making my newest batch of sour cream. It looks and smells good ! I hope it tastes good !

Friday ; Overcast, cold, +5° C.

When Housekeeping showed up at noon (an hour early !) today to provide weekly (full) service to our suite we left with Apollo to go buy take-out lunch at Syriana Restaurant. To the best of our recollection, this is the first time that we have had Syrian food. It was GREAT ! Although ... <whispering> ... a little heavy handed on the garlic !

Saturday ; Overcast, very windy, +6° C.

This morning over breakfast in the Great Room (Robin Hood Inn’s breakfast room and communal lounge) we chatted with a couple about our age, from Winnipeg, here for a couple of weeks of winter vacation.

This afternoon I paid some bills and ... <insert drum roll here> ... started working on our 2025 income tax returns. While I napped with Apollo after lunch Joanne went to buy some advertised specials at Thrifty Foods.

DSK

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

 Sunday ; Sunny, +8° C.

Every morning for the last month we have left Apollo alone in our suite for about half an hour while we go to have breakfast in the Robin Hood Inn’s “Great Room”. A few days ago we left him in the suite while we went out for about an hour to run some quick errands. Today we tested his willingness to stay alone and quiet in the suite by leaving him for 3 ¼ hours while we went to see a play. He was asleep on the bed when we returned home.

VERY GOOD DOG, APOLLO !

This morning I paid for the second of our three months here at Robin Hood Inn. After an early for us lunch we left our suite at 1:30 PM heading to Langham Court Theatre for a 2 PM performance of the musical play “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”. This was our first time at Langham Court Theatre. Probably the last ! The seating was very cramped and uncomfortable ! Today’s outing was a birthday gift for Joanne from me. She rated the play a 6.5 out of 10. <shrug> Well ... not every musical play can be Jesus Christ Superstar ! HA HA HA !

I created an egg and sour cream baked concoction for supper tonight. I wanted to incorporate some of my recent batch of excellent home made sour cream into an egg recipe. Four slices of toast on a baking sheet. Slathered with my sour cream. A slice of thin cooked lamb on top of each slice of sour cream slathered toast. Break an egg on top of that. Sprinkle lots of shredded cheese on top. Bake for half an hour !

It did not turn out as well as I had hoped and expected !

Before Christmas we found, in the Asian section of a supermarket, thinly sliced “rolls” of beef, intended for use in Asian “hot pot” recipes. We used them in a variety of ways, and liked them. Last week we bought a package of lamb “rolls”. Today’s recipe was the first time we have tried the lamb version of the thinly sliced “hot pot rolls” of meat.

Monday ; Overcast, +10° C.

Joanne phoned Deer Lodge Hospital in Winnipeg this morning to check on the scheduling of her “swallow test”, requisitioned nine months ago. They are now projecting that she will be scheduled in about five months ! HMPH ... wait time of approximately fourteen months ! ! ! For a simple test that her doctor expected a wait time of perhaps six weeks !

While trimming my beard this afternoon I knocked my Oster A5 clipper off the counter, onto the floor, braking the #3 blade guard that I was using. DARN DARN DARN ! ! ! It was only about a year ago that I purchased an expensive set of four different sized blade guards, just to get the #3 size that I use. DARN DARN DARN ! ! ! And I only bought that set because I had broken the previous #3 blade guard that I had for many years. DARN DARN F*** ! ! ! ! !

Joanne went shopping by herself this afternoon to Country Grocer. I stayed “home” and reconciled our January investment statements. And did some menu planning. And napped with the dog ! Of course, that’s a daily “task”. HA HA HA !

Tuesday ; Sunny, +10° C.

We had plans to go to a local waterfront park with Apollo today, then take him to Bosley’s for a bath. But ... I felt mildly ill today, and Apollo seemed to have a minor problem today. He was limping on his right front leg, and upon examination it seemed as if his knee and/or shoulder were hurting, maybe an injury, maybe just arthritis. In any case, we postponed park visit and bath.

I started a new batch of buttermilk today. And attempted a Super Glue repair of the clipper blade guard I broke yesterday. It seems to have worked, I’ll know better tomorrow after the glue cures.

Wednesday ; Sunny, +9° C. ANOTHER nice spring day !

We got a very late start to our day, having spent the entire morning learning more information about, and discussing yesterday’s tragedy in Tumbler Ridge, BC. I don’t know if it’s due to my age, my chronic low grade depression, or ... just current realities, but I am feeling more and more overwhelmed lately (the last year ?) by the bad news of the world.

To take advantage of the fine weather, this afternoon we went to visit a couple of local parks. First was Esquimalt Gorge Park & Pavilion, a local park on the Gorge waterway that includes Japanese gardens developed over a century ago by Victoria’s Japanese community. We walked around a grassy meadow like area where many people were walking and playing with their dogs, many of them off leash, which I believe is permitted from November to May. Then we meandered through the extensive Japanese gardens, a calming activity whether here or anywhere else we have walked through Japanese gardens. Lastly we lazily (thanks to Apollo’s current pace !) walked alongside the Gorge waterway. We sat for awhile on a park bench in the sun, watching a pair of Mallrd Ducks scouting out a nesting area on the edges of the waterway.

After about an hour in that park we drove to Saxe Point Park, a lovely park with views across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Again ... many dogs. Apollo made friends with Chester and Ben. Good dog, Apollo ! We spent about half an hour wandering around Saxe Point Park before heading home to Robin Hood Inn.

We left for our park visits right after having a late lunch, depriving me and Apollo of our regular after lunch nap. So ... HA HA HA ... Apollo was very tired, and unable to stay awake on our drive back home. Poor, old, tired Apollo. He and I napped briefly after returning home, before we trimmed his nails. Well ... starting that certainly woke him up quickly ! HA HA HA ! Bath day for Apollo tomorrow !

Thursday ; Overcast, +8° C.

Right after lunch we headed out to give Apollo a bath at Bosley’s in Esquimalt Plaza. But first ... we bought some baking at Esquimalt Bake Shop in the same mall. Then did a bit of grocery replenishment at Country Grocer in that mall.

After we returned home to Robin Hood Inn we plucked and cleaned his ears. Nails, bath, ears ... all done ! Good dog, Apollo. Well ... not necessarily good, but ... at least groomed. HA HA HA !

Friday ; Raining, +7° C.

At noon when Housekeeping showed up to service our suite we took Apollo for a walk then went to run some errands at Tillicum Centre. First of two stops was Dollar Tree, followed by Save-On-Foods. Back at home by 1:30 PM, we had a late lunch ; beef sausage rolls from Esquimalt Bake Shop (yesterday) for Joanne, sushi from Country Grocer (yesterday) for me. Finished off with cookies from Save-On-Foods (today) ; double chocolate for Joanne, oatmeal raisin cinnamon for me. AHHHHH ... that lunch was worthy of a looooong afternoon nap for me and Apollo. HA HA HA ! Inspiration for long nap also provided by rainy weather !

This afternoon I entered our mid-month annuity benefit payment fund sales data. Wednesday’s monthly annuity payments will have been the last investment activity performed by our Penticton based now former financial advisor. Our investment accounts should now have been transferred to our new financial advisor in Winnipeg.

Saturday ; Valentine’s Day ; Sunny, +8° C.

Such a nice, sunny day that we both took Apollo for his noon walk. Victoria’s winter temperatures are certainly far more appealing than Winnipeg’s, but ... sunshine is scarce ! And I need sunshine ! ! !

Recently I purchased a bubble tea making kit as a Valentine’s Day treat for Joanne. This afternoon I made two large bubble teas / boba teas. Joanne loved it. That’s great, because ... <whispering> ... I didn’t ! I thought the tea mix was a bit bitter.

While having lunch we watched some Olympics coverage for the first time. Neither of us is particularly interested in the Olympics this season. <shrug> Perhaps there’s too much other shit going on in the world ? Much of it too close to home ! Some of it very close to home ! Thinking of Tumbler Ridge, an area we’re familiar with, and fond of.

Joanne made my favourite recipe for dinner tonight. Thank you, my dear. After supper we binge watched the first three episodes of the new series Memory Of A Killer.

DSK

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

 Sunday ; Raining, +11° C.

Our twice weekly housekeeping service schedule (Fridays at 1 PM and Mondays at noon) seems to have changed. Today Housekeeping showed up unexpectedly at 11:45 AM. I suggested she return tomorrow. Her disdain was really obvious ! A few seconds later, Joanne’s was also. <shrug> Two to one, I surrender ! I opened our suite door and hollered for the Housekeeping lady to return. More exhibition of contempt from the Housekeeping lady. GEEEZ ... mea culpa !

We took Apollo for a walk. Within a few minutes it began to rain heavily. We were soaked quickly. Apollo was shivering. We went to sit in our car with the engine running and the heater on. Oh, well ... <shrug> ... at least it’s not forty below !

Late in the afternoon we had a lengthy FaceTime chat with Joanne’s sister in Winnipeg, who has just returned from a vacation in Mexico. Afterwards Joanne did a load of laundry, I uploaded my weekly journal to my blog, and did some monthly financial and budget work.

Monday ; Light rain, +9° C.

Joanne went grocery shopping by herself to Country Grocer this afternoon. I am so glad that she is comfortable driving from Robin Hood Inn. She wasn’t comfortable driving anywhere from Royal Scot, because of downtown traffic congestion, and downtown Victoria’s very goofy configuration of vehicle lanes, bicycle lanes, pedestrian crosswalks, one-way streets, lanes that “spontaneously” disappear to accommodate bicycles, pedestrians, busses, etc.

I made a fresh batch of buttermilk today. I stopped the fermentation process a bit sooner than my last batch, hoping that it won’t be quite as “tart”. In a few days I think I’ll try making a batch of sour cream. Intentionally this time, as opposed to my recent, small, “inadvertent” batch !

And on that note ... at the recent “cultured dairy” workshop that I attended I received small batches of buttermilk and yogurt “cultures”. I have neither the right equipment nor the inclination to make yogurt here, so I have been procrastinating about what to do with the small jar of yogurt culture. I decided to simply discard it. When I took it out of the fridge where I have been keeping it “dormant” and examined it ... <blink blink> ... it had very slowly further fermented / developed into a superb looking and tasting small batch of creamy yogurt. WOO-HOO ... bonus ! I allocated it to Apollo’s lunch “enhancement”. He was appreciative ! HA HA HA !

Tuesday ; Overcast, +10° C.

I either have a mild cold, or allergies. Late last night I sneezed hard, and was left with the sensation of having a cold. Today I’ve had a mild sore throat, and sore, “itchy” sinuses. This is worrisome because ... every year for the last three years, about this time of year, I get a cold or some other mystery respiratory illness. Before it runs its course with me, I generously <sarcasm> pass it on to Joanne. She gets a much worse cold / respiratory infection, gets very ill, and eventually gets pneumonia.

Wednesday ; Overcast, +12° C. Daffodils are blooming !

This morning we left our suite at 11:30 AM, Apollo in tow, heading for a Seniors’ Expo at Tillicum Centre (shopping mall). It was crowded, and most of the exhibitors were not really of interest to us. We were stunned to learn that assisted living facilities in Victoria cost between $10,000 and $13,000 per month <sputter> ! I’m sort of interested in trying out “Heart To Home Meals” for seniors.

We returned to our suite in time for our scheduled 1:30 PM ZOOM meeting with a financial advisor in Winnipeg. During this meeting (our second with this advisor) we made the decision to transfer our investment portfolios to his wealth management firm near our Winnipeg / Tuxedo home. I advised our current financial advisor in Penticton, BC of this decision later in the afternoon. We moved from the Okanagan region of BC back to Manitoba 4½ years ago, so I doubt that our decision came as a surprise to her.

Thank you to Kelly and Ashley for the many years of excellent service you have provided to us.

Joanne was feeling slightly ill today, so she joined me and Apollo for an afternoon nap, rare for her. After napping she felt better.

Thursday ; Sunny, +10° C.

Joanne was feeling ill again today, very weak and tired. We slept late, had a late breakfast from the Robin Hood Inn’s “Great Room” where breakfast is served daily. Had pancakes today from the interesting automatic pancake making machine.

Around noon we took Apollo for a walk in the brilliant sunshine, then piled into the car and headed to Wal-Mart at Uptown Mall nearby. We have a favourite parking spot in their indoor parkade, behind a wall, to reduce Apollo’s vision of us and others coming and going. To reduce, as Joanne has put it, his “Wal-barking”. HA HA HA !

When Apollo and I went to nap after our very late lunch Joanne again joined us. After sleeping overnight for 11 hours, she happily napped this afternoon for 3 ½ hours. I’m a bit concerned about her health, but she assures me that her bouts of extreme fatigue are no cause for concern. <whispering> I disagree !

Friday ; Foggy in the morning, mix of sun and clouds during the day, foggy in the evening, +8° C.

I took Apollo for a very slow, long walk this morning, from 11:45 AM until 12:45 PM while Housekeeping serviced our room. Joanne waited in the car, doing sudokus on the phone, she didn’t feel like taking a long walk.

Late in the afternoon she went shopping by herself, to Fairway Market and Dollarama. I finished a batch of buttermilk, then began making a batch of sour cream. Wish me luck ... it’s my first intentional batch of sour cream. HA HA HA !

Saturday ; Foggy again in the morning, raining, +9° C.

Cherry blossoms are blooming all around our neighbourhood, the Robin Hood Inn’s rose bushes are producing lovely red roses. Daffodils and wildflowers are all over the Robin Hood’s lawns. Maybe winter is over ? HA HA HA <SNORT> HA HA !

We went out for lunch at a nearby Indian restaurant. Joanne wanted to try their weekend lunch buffet. It was excellent !

And ... so is my first batch of sour cream ! Except ... <whispering> ... I may have made a bit too large a batch. Oh, well, not really a problem, since ... Apollo LOOOOOVES it on his kibble ! HA HA HA ! And like me, he benefits greatly from fermented dairy’s probiotic value.

In the evening, after supper, we binge watched some episodes of Call The Midwife.

DSK

January 25 to 31, 2026 ; Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

 Sunday ; Sunny, cold, +5° C.

I was up very late last night, upset by the bullshit in Minneapolis. So I slept very late this morning. Joanne generously walked the dog early this morning, my responsibility. Thank you, my dear.

After lunch we drove the short distance to Gorge Plaza. On the way there we stopped at a local “Little Free Library” and I dropped off a book I finished reading. While Joanne went into Fairway Market to pick up some fresh produce, I went to Dollarama and bought a birthday card for her upcoming 72^nd birthday.

Back at home I paid and reconciled bills, posted my weekly blog entry, updated investment data, did routine “desk work”. And, of course, had a long nap with Apollo. And let’s not forget, I walked all the way to the Robin Hood Inn’s “Great Room” (maybe a hundred feet) and got Joanne her nightly “double chocolate” hot chocolate from the fancy (and free for guests) hot beverage machine. And a cup of Earl Grey tea for me. <shrug> A tough life, but somebody’s got to do it. HA HA HA !

As always on Sunday evenings, we had supper while watching Death in Paradise and All Creatures Great & Small on TV. HMPH ... got another “45 to 50 below zero” weather alert for our Tuxedo neighbourhood in Winnipeg. Pity ! <choking back snicker again>

This evening I began to review the program guide of the upcoming Victoria International Film Festival. We have enjoyed other film festivals we have attended, particularly the Palm Springs International Film Festival which we attended a few times. I expect we will be viewing some films here during the upcoming festival in a few weeks.

Monday ; Overcast, chilly, +4° C.

At 12:30 PM I left our suite to take our minivan to Canadian Tire for a 1 PM appointment for fluids service. I dropped the car off and walked to the mall next door to have lunch and get a haircut. I had an excellent Greek fast food lunch at Gyrosa, then went next door to First Choice Haircutters and got an excellent haircut from the same stylist as two months ago. I was back at Canadian Tire at 2 PM.

Canadian Tire finished flushing and refilling the coolant, power steering fluid, and brake fluid at 3 PM. <blink blink ... choke> Almost six hundred bucks ? ! ? YIKES ! Oh, well ... proactive preventive maintenance costs are better than reactive repair costs.

I returned home and ... napped with Apollo, of course. HA HA HA !

Tuesday ; Overcast, +8° C.

This morning we had a video meeting with a financial advisor at Steinbach Credit Union in Winnipeg. We were exploring whether they could meet our investment advisor requirements. They can’t.

This afternoon Joanne went grocery shopping to Thrifty Foods and Country Grocer. Apollo and I napped.

We had perogies for supper tonight. Because ... I inadvertently fermented kefir into sour cream. HA HA HA ... who knew ? During and after supper we watched another couple of episodes of THE PITT.

That accidental sour cream was very good !

Wednesday ; JOANNE’S 72^nd BIRTHDAY

Overcast, intermittent light rain, +8° C.

Unfortunately for both of us, we both had an extremely poor “mental health” day. Our bad moods and negativity and self-pity were contagious, and ruined the day for both of us. HMPH ... folie à deux ! We struggled to get ourselves “normal” enough to go out to Old Spaghetti Factory for Joanne’s 72^nd birthday dinner.

This afternoon we had a telephone consultation with our family doctor in Winnipeg. I needed refills for all my prescriptions. Joanne needed to review and discuss her blood pressure and related medications. Changes were required.

I am glad that we found the strength to go out for dinner. It helped us. Dinner was good. The evening was ... therapeutic.

Thursday ; Overcast, intermittent drizzle, +10° C.

I did some minor maintenance on the car this afternoon. I had a phone meeting with a financial advisor in Winnipeg that was productive and promising. I finished reviewing the upcoming Victoria Film Festival program guide, then Joanne joined me in deciding what to see, when and where.

Friday ; Raining, +10° C.

“Highlight” of the day was a whole lot of prescription refill drama ! Even after multiple phone calls between me and our family doctor in Winnipeg, and me and the local Shoppers Drug Mart, and between the pharmacy and doctor, when I went in the evening to pick up my seven prescriptions and Joanne’s three prescriptions, one of hers was wrong ! Are doctors and pharmacists not able to do grade three arithmetic in their heads ? ! ? You know ... 1/2 pill per day for 100 days DOES NOT EQUAL 25 PILLS ! ! !

Saturday ; Intermittent light rain, +10° C.

Not surprisingly, I spent quite a bit of time this afternoon setting up 2026 medical expense records and prescription refill records related to yesterday’s purchase of ten prescriptions. I paid bills due today and tomorrow. I am uncomfortable with, and do not allow, “automatic” payments / pre-authorized debits. They are very easy to set up, and sometimes near impossible to cancel.

DSK