Our flight here was uneventful except Air Canada misplaced one of our suitcases. I had divided the presents between the two cases so all was not lost but it proved to be an upsetting way to begin our vacation. We tried to forget about it while buying groceries and visiting the butcher. We always eat at Christies the first night in Victoria so off we went to enjoy wings, fish and chips, and Island beer. Partway through the meal, Glen's phone rang (doesn't everyone hate that). It was the courier with our luggage. He brought it to the restaurant so that final beer was much sweeter than the ones proceeding it.
Heavy rain changed our driving range plans the next day but we replaced them with a movie. The Hobbit lived up to the hype and we enjoyed a hot dog and popcorn lunch before seeing the film. I had read Tolkien's book when I was 15 so I think of myself as a lifelong friend of hobbits.
In the meantime, we decorated the tree and organized our social life. First, we met our friends from Buffalo, New York for lunch at Pescatores. Iain loves raw oysters as much as we do so we joined him in a feed of Kusshi, Satori, and Village Bay oysters. I also had Sooke trout of which I am fond and Glen had a seafood pot pie. We walked to the restaurant so did some Christmas shopping on the way home. Glen requested a couple of cigars as a Xmas present so we stopped at his favour shop, The Cuban Cigar Store. Meg had made him a fancy humidor for Father's Day and it's perfect for keeping the cigars fresh. I ended up wrapping the empty cigar tubes and stuffing them in his stocking.
Our next visit was with Tony and Diane at Penny Farthing in Oak Bay. I had been up most the night with a stomach flu but felt well enough to walk down to the village. After having just a piece of toast for breakfast, I dug into a lovely shepherd's pie while Glen had a lamb burger. I had planned lamb for supper so he ate it twice that day.
Sunday, we finally walked down to a beach. We had to pick up our goose from the butcher so went via Willows Beach. The tide was very high so we never did walk on the beach although I stepped in the sand to take some photos.
Over the weekend, I had done some preparations for our dinners but Xmas Eve was devoted to cooking. First though, we went to our favourite fishmonger, Finest at Sea for Fanny Bay oysters for my soup and Sea Angel oysters from Quadra Island (appetizer) and Salt Spring Island mussels (main course) for our traditional Xmas Eve feast. We began with smoked salmon on crackers, spread with goat cheese and a shrimp ring and ended with mincemeat tarts.
Meg called us at 7:00am as that has been her traditional time to begin opening presents. She was with Mike's family in Edmonton so had been up for an hour before calling. I was glad she remembered the time change. Santa was very good to us - we are truly blessed. Lunch was created using the oyster soup as a base and adding extras like mussels peas, and shrimp. I also made two chip dips for our 'floor' party.
Our neighbours, Cynthia, Carolyn and Ray invited us for pre-dinner drinks at Carolyn's condo so armed with dips, chips, and beer we joined them celebrating the day. As Glen monitored the cooking goose, I enjoyed chatting with good friends. Carolyn's apartment was beautifully decorated and I felt we sat in a place worthy of a Western Living magazine feature.
Our goose dinner was excellent with all the traditional foods we love at Christmas. I assumed the duty of making Christmas pudding when Glen's mom passed away so I always remember her as we eat it on Christmas day. I make two puddings so Geoff's family also enjoys this annual treat. This year, Melissa's cousin, Kelly, joined them so I feel I have truly spread the love of the Christmas 'Pud'.
Boxing Day, we went to the driving range to sweep away the cobwebs and work off some of the food. We were back using our old clubs so needed to get a feel for them again. The next day we tackled our favourite par 3 course, The Ridge. Little did I know I had so much power in my swing. At the first tee, I chose my 'usual' club and when I hit, the ball went over the green and onto the next tee box. I worked my way down to using my pitching wedge off the tee. We both had one par although I destroyed a perfectly good birdie attempt by 3 putting it.
Tony and Diane had invited us to dinner on Friday evening which allowed us the time to walk to Gonzales Beach. Again the tide was high so we didn't actually walk on the sand. That's when we realized we never made it to this beach last summer. It hardly seems possible but perhaps our laying-on-the-beach-reading days are over.
Diane cooked a lovely salmon dinner and we enjoyed a couple of bottles of red wine. They showed us how their old fireplaces had been redone with gas inserts. Lo and behold, they used beach stones instead of logs which I'd been telling Glen would be perfect for our fireplace in Calgary. I guess great minds think alike but only some act upon their ideas. Coco, their cat, adopted my lap for most of the evening. The warmth of the fire made her mellow and she had the same affect on me.
Saturday, we were off to Langford to get pull carts at Golf Town. We use these in Victoria more than Calgary so felt we could indulge in new ones. Glen usually rents his while I struggle with an old hand-me-down that never held my bag properly. These new carts remind me of pushing a baby carriage but at least the clubs don't cry. Glen also bought a 60ยบ wedge to help with his short game.
Sunday, we met Iain at Cedar Hill Golf Course. It was cold so Janet, who suffers from arthritis, did not join us. After playing nine holes in wet, boggy conditions, we finally learned what the term 'winter golf' means. My feet stayed dry thanks to my Footjoys but my pants wicked up the water and quickly became splattered with mud as I whacked with my three wood on the fairways (not fair this day). I did do well on the putting green which was like golfing on a quilt so very challenging.
After throwing our wet clothes into the wash and tidying up, we met Iain and Janet for supper at The Snug, a pub in the new Oak Bay Beach Hotel. Originally a hang-out for university students, this pub has gone uptown. All the features were carefully stored when the hotel underwent its recent renovations and brought out again to decorate the new place. It is very small so if you go, go early. They don't take reservations and Sunday night is very popular. The menu is limited but they do have a buffet. We ordered deep fried dill pickles and fish and chips.
I decided to do Hogmanay proud by having haggis for supper. Slaters Meats makes a good haggis and with sweet potatoes and ham, and excellent New Year's Eve dinner. For the first time, my haggis survived the cooking process and didn't 'blow' up. It was so substantial that I never did eat my ham. We toasted in the new year, chatted with Geoff and Melissa (the boys lasted until 11pm before going to bed) then headed for bed.
New years' day we took down all the Christmas decorations and the tree. Suddenly the condo seemed larger. We enjoyed a tourtiere for dinner and the second half of the Christmas 'Pud'.
Wednesday we had errands downtown but stopped first at Don Mee's to do dim sum. It has become a tradition. We ordered enough for supper, too. We shopped at MEC for rain pants that we plan to use 'winter golfing'.
Thursday, we headed 'up island' to to meet Glen's friend, Murray, his wife Yvonne, and daughter, Rebecca. First though, we stopped at Duncan to do a letterbox in a community park. Duncan is famous for its totem poles and this Third Street park had a lovely one. Our next stop was Transfer Beach Park in Ladysmith which was originally the port where James Dunsmuir shipped coal from his mines. The photo above shows the foggy view from the park.
Just south of Nanaimo, there is a country style English pub called The Crow and Gate where we were to meet Murray for lunch. It's nestled in dairy farmland beside the Nanaimo airport. We drove down the country roads wondering where a pub might be and how Murray had discovered it. He wasn't the only one who knew of this fascinating place, though, as it was packed. The day was cold and damp so entering the warmth of a tudor style building with two wood fires and gregarious patrons was wonderful. Being a country pub, you order both your beer and your meal at the bar. Glen had the steak and kidney pie and was thrilled with the chunks of kidney. Usually there is a tiny piece in amongst the beefsteak or more often than not, just a bit of kidney broth used so it can be called a steak and kidney pie. I had a thick shrimp sandwich with a side salad (both potato and tossed). The prices were reasonable and the ploughman's lunch looked substantial.
Jack Nash, an ex-Sussex, England man, built the pub in 1972 when the laws changed to allow neighbourhood pubs in British Columbia. A stickler for detail, he used pegged beam and plaster construction with open stone fireplaces and wood trestle tables. Fifteen years later, the Olsons, Bryce and Linda, took over.
We did a quick tour of the grounds with its duck pond and fields. In the summer, there's an extensive garden edging the pub's outdoor patio. We couldn't linger, though, as we wanted to cross the Malahat before night fall. This stretch of highway can get treacherous when the temperature dips. On Christmas day, the highway was closed due to snow and ice causing many accidents.
Friday was decidedly damp. We planned playing golf in the afternoon as Glen had to work in the morning. However, we ended up working at home the entire day. I did some creative writing which was a surprise as I was stalled at a fight scene and couldn't figure how to write it. Now the words should come easier.
My birthday dawned cloudy but much warmer. We met Iain at The Ridge to introduce him to our favourite 9 hole course. He is not a fan of par 3s but when he saw the signature hole #6, he changed his mind. It messes with your mind. After our round, we returned to his condo and had a wonderful Navarin that Janet had prepared. Their view of the Olympic mountains was spectacular.
It's become a tradition to go to The Marina for my birthday supper but imagine our surprise when the server recognized us and welcomed us back. We had a delightful seafood meal of scallops and steelhead trout (me) and Satori/Zen oysters and sole (Glen). We washed this down with a lovely Pinot Noir from Stoneboat Vineyards in the Okanagan. Glen had a fancy ice cream sandwich to finish which looked very sweet.
Sunday, we planned on playing golf but had not decided where. In the end, we returned to the Ridge as it was dry. We ended up playing 18 holes because the day was fine. Glen did very well hitting his second birdie ever. The fact we both parred #6, was icing on the cake.
Monday, we headed downtown to meet Diane and Tony for lunch at The Swans. After a lovely lunch of shepherd's pie (Glen) and lobster bisque and chicken chipotle sandwich (me), we said our goodbyes until we see them again in the summer. It feels like forever away but I know the time will pass quickly and we'll be back on the West Coast again.
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