Gardens

Victoria is a city of gardens and in April, spring flowers abound. Our condo now boasts one of the best gardens in the neighbourhood with tulips, daffodils, pansies, and rhododendrons. A pink magnolia stands in one corner and is beautiful to behold.

Yesterday, after spending the morning in the kitchen making Italian Easter bread, we walked to our other favourite gardens at Government House in search of early rhododendrons. I had been there once in May and had enjoyed the profusion of colour but this time, there were very few rhodos in bloom.

Each time we walk the serene gardens of Government House, we enjoy a different aspect of these lush gardens. They are maintained by a core of volunteers so each season offers a different type flora. We especially like to sit on the benches of the Terraces which Iona Campagnolo created while lieutenant-governor. Here, we have a spectacular view of the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains of Washington state.

The daffodils and narcissa grow in profusion among the Terrace's granite outcrops and tulips also dot the landscape. Daffodils always remind us of Glen's mother, Bessie, as she was very fond of them. Her favourite poem was William Wordsworth's Daffodils:

I wander'd lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

As I usually do when in the gardens, I photographed as many flowers as I could. I love using flower pictures as wallpaper for my computer and to capture the beauty of nature with the click of my shutter, excites me. Some flowers are so delicate one can almost feel their velvety softness in a photograph.

As we walked north along the Terrace with Government House to our right and the 'Wilderness' to our left, we came upon the fragrant herb garden. Well, in the summer it is fragrant but yesterday, it was still in its winter mode. The bushes of rosemary, sage, and thyme tamed within the confines of the classic English garden motif. I almost felt them defying the gardener's attempts to prune them as the spring sun encouraged their growth.

Beyond the herbs, the rose garden's bushes were skeletons of future glory. The fountain frothed at its centre but few visitors spent their time there since only a few scraggly black tulips brightened the area.

The duck pond, usually teaming with Mallards, was almost empty but a male's iridescent green head brightened the lonely place. On the meadow beyond the water's edge, we discovered mated pairs snoozing on the grass. They had no fear of us disturbing them.

We left the gardens to walk past Craigdarroch Castle and finally to Fort Street. Our destination being the Cuban Cigar Store where Glen wanted to buy a couple of cigars. His favourites are Cohibas and I must say they are a lovely, smooth-smoking cigar.

Saturday night is our traditional time for Easter dinner so Glen barbecued a standing rib roast and baked potatoes. I steamed some asparagus and we broached a bottle of Malbec to enjoy with the meal. We finished the wine after supper while Glen smoked his cigar. It was a perfect ending to the day.