Thursday ; Mix of sun and clouds, +10° C.
Late this morning we drove to Mill Bay to buy dog food and treats at Bosley’s on their monthly seniors’ discount day. And to buy some advertised specials at Thrifty Foods.
This afternoon I downloaded from the i-Phone and processed in the laptop a lot of photos from yesterday’s outing. Then posted my weekly journal including photos to my online blog. And ... of course ... napped !
In the evening I cooked supper, Udon noodle stir fry using Korean marinated beef ribs. We watched (streamed) the season premiere (from yesterday) of Survivor (season 48).
You know, when Ontarians re-elected Doug Ford for a second term a few years ago, I thought ... “well, if you’re that stupid ... you deserve him” ! And tonight ... <sigh> ... yet again ! ! !
Friday ; Mostly sunny, +10° C.
Today was a lazy day again, by design. I spent two hours on the phone trying to resolve an issue with our phone service provider Telus. I finally gave up, telling the third and final agent that I dealt with that I had spent all the time that I was going to today on the phone with them, and she could continue to work on it, then call me back. Not surprisingly, there was no subsequent call back. I think I may have figured out a way around that problem. It will require a visit to the Telus store in Duncan in a few days. If that doesn’t solve my problem ... there are “many fish in the sea” of phone service providers ! ! !
Much of our afternoon was spent staring agog at today’s Zelensky / Trump “meeting” in the White House, and its aftershocks. As I said before, and always ...
SLAVA UKRAINI / Слава Україні
And for what it’s worth ... to readers of my blog ;
Stand up for what you believe in ! Get off the fence ! Pick a lane ! Take a stand ! ! !
<taking deep breath ... calming down>
In the evening I lit a fire and we watched multiple episodes of an Australian TV series Better Date Than Never.
Saturday ; Mix of sun and clouds, +10° C.
We headed out around 11:30 AM for a day of exploring the town of Cowichan Bay. On the way there we stopped at Cherry Point Nature Park (oceanfront beach) to wander the mudflats at low tide and “beachcomb”. It was pretty, and peaceful, and interesting. Most of the “beachcombing” was done by Apollo, although I did find an intact butter clam. The large expanse of estuary mudflats (Garnett Creek empties into the ocean there) had many off leash dogs romping, although we kept Apollo on his leash.
Once we arrived at Cowichan Bay we went for lunch at Rob’s Lighthouse Eatery, a very small, takeout seafood restaurant with a very small patio (in a large tent with plastic windows and a fireplace to warm the inside) out front. We shared a bowl of excellent seafood chowder, and a fish & chips platter with cole slaw and fries. All excellent ! Having seafood chowder, and fish and chips, in an ocean side town is the aquatic “bay to table” equivalent to the inland “farm to table” dining concept. The seafood chowder in particular was much better than any I’ve had before, with a variety of “seafood” that was probably swimming in the bay a day or two earlier.
After lunch we wandered over to the Maritime Museum. It’s quite large, and is dedicated to local ship and boat building history, as well as exhibits of a variety of small boats and Indigenous cedar dugout canoes, etc., and excellent displays of outboard boat motors from fifty to a hundred years ago. Part of the museum is the very long, restored dock / wharf that extends a long way out into the bay behind the museum building. It was originally an Esso refueling wharf for ships.
We returned to where we had left our car parked, with Apollo patiently (?) awaiting our return, and drove a short distance through town to a waterfront park area. We took Apollo for another long, relaxing “beachcombing” walk.
We returned back home to Xanadu Estate around 4 PM, Apollo and I ready for a nap.
I cooked a new recipe for supper tonight, an eggs, cheese and spaghetti frittata concoction. <shrug> It was okay, but ... not really a “keeper” recipe.
HA HA HA HA HA ... as Joanne got into bed, and Apollo snuggled up against her, she complained that after an afternoon of beachcombing on tidal mudflats, Apollo’s feet smell like seafood chowder.
Sunday ; Mostly cloudy, a bit of sun, 11° C.
Late this morning we headed to Mill Bay to buy a few items at Pharmasave and Thrifty Foods. On the way I stopped at Sweet Meadows Farm Market and bought some of their nice heirloom cherry tomatoes. As we left Sweet Meadows I saw a nearby sign for “firewood by donation”. I filled a small tote box with scraps for kindling. On the way back home I stopped at a “Little Free Library” box beside a bus stop and picked up a couple of books to read.
This afternoon while Joanne washed our bedding I processed yesterday’s photos, did some updating of investments data, and dealt with the changes made to our upcoming Harbour Air float plane flights from Nanaimo to Vancouver and back the same day.
In the evening I lit a fire in the fireplace and we watched yesterday’s episode of Saturday Night Live. And a few more episodes of the addictive Better Date Than Never.
Monday ; Mostly cloudy, a few minutes of light rain this afternoon as we were driving home from Duncan, +10° C.
After an early lunch we headed to Duncan to shop at Wal-Mart. While Joanne started the Wal-Martin’ I went to the nearby Telus store to check on something. HMPH !
On the way back home we stopped at the local dog park. Yes, yes, he did. I timed it. Eleven seconds after arrival ! HA HA HA ! You do you, Apollo. Good dog !
Tuesday ; Raining all day, +8° C.
Late this morning we headed out to run some errands. First stop was nearby Rona to buy some firelogs and kindling on their monthly seniors’ discount day. Then Country Grocer to replenish a few groceries, mostly advertised specials. And finally, Old Farm Market, to replenish fruits and vegetables.
This afternoon we watched, on and off, news about the tariffs drama. I hope that Canadian readers of my blog have realized that if you haven’t already done so, it’s time to overcome your apathy and appreciate that our country’s economy and sovereignty are threatened. Figure out what contribution you can make to resist / defend against that ... then do it ! ! ! ! !
Yes, yes ... it will require a teensy bit of commitment and effort !
Wednesday ; Cobble Hill to Victoria & return
WOO-HOO ... sunny ! Not a cloud in the sky ! +8° C. in Cobble Hill, +13° C. in Victoria. We left home this morning at 11 AM to head into Victoria. We returned home to Cobble Hill at 4 PM.
A few days ago I spent two hours on the phone with three different Telus agents trying to switch my phone service to a different plan. “No, no ... can’t be done !” So ... I went to a Telus store in Duncan. “No, no ... can’t be done !” So ... this morning before we left home I phoned the Telus store in the Bay Centre in Victoria to ask if they could sell me a new SIM card. The agent asked why I wanted a new SIM card. I explained what I was trying to do, and the only way I saw to achieve that was to cancel my Telus account, and start over as a new customer. “No, no ... no need to do that ... I can work around the constraints of the system, come in and ask for me, I can get done what you want in about fifteen minutes !” <blink blink> WTF, Telus ? ! ?
We drove to Victoria, I parked in the Bay Centre’s underground parkade, found the Telus store in the shopping centre, and the agent did what I wanted, took about twenty minutes, cost ten bucks less than I was expecting. <blink ... blink> Thank you very much Telus agent Thiek ! This is not the first time I have run up against “no, no ... can’t be done” cell phone drama ... UNTIL ... serendipitously finding the right nerd/geek/tech bro who says “sure ... I can do that !”
From Telus we left the Bay Centre and crossed the street to Lugaro Jewellers where I picked up my Rolex watch. I brought it to Lugaro Jewellers on December 3, two days after we arrived in Victoria, to have it overhauled / rebuilt. I bought my Rolex new in 1987, in Thunder Bay while I was there on a Canada Post project management assignment. I have had it serviced at a Rolex service centre every seven years or so since then, most often at Watch Hospital in Yuma, Arizona. But now, at 38 years of age, it was ready for a Rolex factory overhaul / rebuild. And a very fine job Lugaro Jewellers and the Rolex factory did ! Took a long time. And ... uhhhhh ... <whispering> ... cost an obscene amount of money. But ... <shrug>
As we left Lugaro Jewellers Joanne pointed out to me that Murchie’s Tea store was next door to Lugaro’s. She asked if I wanted to buy any of Murchie’s exquisite teas for myself. Well ... no ... BUT ... I would like to buy some as a gift for someone. AND ... lucky day ... today was Murchie’s monthly seniors’ discount day. Excellent !
We crossed the street back into the Bay Centre and went to Owly Café, the restaurant where Joanne wanted to have lunch. It was pretty good. We returned to the car in the parkade where Apollo was patiently (?) waiting for us to return. Two hours alone in the car in the parkade ... good dog, Apollo !
We drove out of downtown Victoria and headed west on the Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 into Langford. I refilled the minivan with fuel at Superstore’s Mobil fuel bar then we went into Superstore to buy something I needed to make tonight’s supper.
Coming out of Langford we headed north on the Malahat Highway heading back to Cobble Hill. But when we arrived at Cobble Hill, instead of turning right off the Malahat to return to Xanadu Estate, we turned left and headed to ... WOO-HOO ... the dog park. A treat for Apollo for being a good dog. He romped around briefly with three other dogs, but when a four month old puppy arrived, he found the puppy’s antics irritating. He’s a cranky old man. HEY ... I can relate, Apollo. Let’s head home ! HA HA HA !
A few weeks ago at the Duncan Farmers’ Market we bought a frozen package of beef pho made by a local restaurant. Tonight we had that to start supper, then I made a couple of Monte Cristo Melt sandwiches to follow the pho. Well done, Daniel !
DSK
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