This was a very eventful week and one that deserves more recording. But it's also been a busy week, so here I sit on Monday, wondering what I did for the last seven days.
Quite a lot.
The front part of the week was full with work. Calls on Monday, podcast prep on Tuesday, but the weather was fine so I got out for an extended errand walk each day. First to James Bay and later up Government. The city is filling with tourists, so the trip up Government street is getting slower and slower. But the tulips at the Empress are in their full glory and the third flush of cherry trees are at their peak, so it's worth it. I end up in the background of a lot of TikToks though.
Peak Tulips at the Empress
Wednesday got proper active. I walked out to Cedar Hill in the morning. Cool, sunny and fresh. I left by 8AM so the city felt like it was waking up as folks slowly set off for work and school. I made a detour to the Kings Road "walking street project" which was beautiful and extremely hilly. The street angle made the Olympic Mountains look as big as I've ever seen them, completely towering over Victoria below us.
not sure of their name, but this is the 'third phase' of blooming trees
Thursday was my trek out to the brewery a day early, as this is Easter weekend and Cindy had four days off and we needed our snacks. Another lovely, sunny day and another crowd downtown.
nice composition in this spring garden, Oak Bay
Good Friday was hiking day. We took the bus out to Thetis Lake and walked around both upper and lower lakes. It was nice to get out to a proper forest, even in the middle of the city. I spotted a new bird to add to my list (the Pine Siskin) and we saw a huge bald eagle circling overhead on our walk back to the bus.
These beauties were blooming right beside the tree trunks
One of the best things about hiking is there are lots of elevation changes and uneven surfaces, so you really have to be on your toes. We did a lot of climbing and descending and my legs and butt were sore in completely different places by the time we got home.
Saturday was a little cooler and cloudier, so we decided to get cracking on our balcony garden. We took a car out to the big Gardenworks in the morning and loaded up on flowers, compost and veggie starts. Our big splurge was a big potted bamboo, which we want to use as a windbreak. Of course, the wind picked up as soon as we got home, so the poor plant was whipped around mercilessly. I think it's going to work well although it might take a year or two to establish and grow a bit.
our new bamboo
With all the new plants, Easter Sunday was spent almost entirely on the windy balcony. I got lettuce planted, flowers planted in the small beds and built two pea trellises. Then we hiked out to Quadra Village for some groceries. My glutes and quads are screaming, but the garden is taking shape and we are fully stocked on paper products, so good day overall.
pea trellises are ready
The season is picking up, so I will strive to get back to daily reports. There is a lot going on every day now.