A Hike through Harewood Plains

 Hullo! Today we are headed off to the Harewood Plains to see the spring flowers... I love this area!

See! What's not to love about this colour palette... purple camas, pink sea blush, yellow spring gold and monkey flowers... gorgeous!

They've put some signs up... wonder how they knew I would be coming?

These are helpful signs, for people who might not know the flowers in the area...

We spotted a white camas flower!!

The sad thing here... is the Scotch Broom is starting to invade these meadows... you can see it enroaching with it's yellow flowers.

Broombusters was in doing one area, and we really noticed the difference there...

Did I mention I love this trail?

We found a late patch of violets!

This was the big meadow with no scotch broom... well-done Broombusters!

We saw this little flower everywhere... 

We looked it up and it's Western Starflower... beary cute!

Some strawberry plants are blooming too...

And the wild roses!

Don't even talk to me about the broom along the power lines. Ugh!! Who do we have to thanks for this invasive scourge... Captain Walter Colquhoun Grant... that's who... First non-Hudson's Bay Company "settler" of Vancouver Island, who planted some seeds to remind him of his native Scotland. Stupid eedjit...

Anyhow... we are here to check on the rarest of the rare... the Lotus pinnatus flowers... also known as bog bird's-foot trefoil...

This little area is the one we know where it regularly grows and... there's some!!

They are just starting to open up... little cuties...

Although even here, the broom is threatening...

We might need a category for Environmental Criminals... mister Captain Walter Coloquon Grant would be top of the list. Hmph!!

Let's continue with the hike!

I do have to say... this is a beary pretty area...

With a nice view... I hope it never gets developed for housing.

You know humans and their desire for "views"...

We had hoped to spot some chocolate lilies but... they are done now. 

That's OK... we'll have to come a titch earlier next year!

This split rail fence is designed to reminder ATV'ers not to drive all over these meadows...

A little bear would never do that...

Hope you enjoyed the trek!

April Showers brought Spring Flowers

 Hullo! We are off on an early morning hike today...

Love this view as the sun comes up.

The purple camas are blooming!!

And this stuff which is... Death Camas...

A perfect spot from which to view the lake.

Although this spot has its merits as well...

Let's see what else is out and blooming...

Of course we have Salmon Berry!

The Vanilla Leaf is beary pretty but their flower spikes comea bit later.

A found a patch of yellow Wood Violets! Earlier in April, we saw purple violets and pink violets too. Beary cute!

The Pacific Bleeding Heart is just starting to open up.

And the sword ferns are in the middle of unfurling.

They look so funny when they are like this.

The Trillium are out too!

They are also beary pretty. Sometimes we see ones that shade into pink.

This is NOT a flower!! It's a black slug... which is an invasive European slug.

That was a nice walk... and we'll have to go to the Harewood Plains and check out the wildflower display there... if the camas is blooming, it's time!

Adventure in Victoria

 Hullo!! Today we are going on a day-trip adventure to Victoria!!!

And, of course, we got our first real skiff of snow but the roads are bare and wet, so we are good to go. The Malahat is always interesting in the winter, but it was no problem...

Righto... we are in Victoria and of course... they are a couple of weeks ahead of us sooo....

Cherry blossoms are out!!!!

And the daffodils...

This is the BC Legislature, the provincial government's building...

You can't go in unless you are on a tour... so phooie...

It's pretty though.

That's the Empress Hotel in the background!

Here's an unfuzzy shot... and the flags are at half-mast because of the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting... so sad.

Alright... let's adventure!

This is where the Seattle Clipper somes in... one day... one day... we will make that trip!

The harbour is beary pretty and... 

You know... they serve high tea at the Empress... probably with real clotted cream and not whipped cream... let's go and see what it costs...

Oooh... flowers!!!!!

We had to walk by Emily Carr with her little dog and...

Can you guess what is on her shoulder??

The dog is pretty fixated on it...

It's a monkey!! Where she got a monkey from... who knows...

She was a beary famous BC painter... who studied in England and later France. Do you know her work? Let me grab an example...

She traveled all over BC painting indigenous communities. Later, she got mentored by Lawren Harris, one of the Group of Seven who told her "you are one of us"... Beary cool.

That's one of her paintings on an old stamp!

Alright... let's head into the Empress Hotel....

Ooohh.. ahhh... lots of dark wood paneling...

And a fancy tea shop...

We didn't even go in... the dollar signs were flashing!

Hmmm... that's a nice painting....

Yep, it's beary expensive...

We also had a look at the high tea menu and... it was on sale for Vancouver Island residents for $100 per person!! And an extra $25 if you wanted champagne... although it does look beary good... And our local place charged $85/person... and gave us whipped cream instead of clotted cream. But... the Empress Tea place has a dress code too... sigh... Maybe another time!

This is the menu... and yes... they do have house-made clotted cream and it actually looks quite yum...

And the dress code is not... excessive... 

"Please refrain from wearing hats. Exceptions are fascinators and fancy tea hats.

• No tank tops, beach wear, or athleisure wear permitted.

• No flip-flops or bare feet permitted. Exceptions are elegant sandals.

• No clothing with explicit or offensive wording or graphics permitted."

But... it's only for Afternoon Tea and it was only 10 am!!! Next time!!

Right then... where to next???