If you're hoppy and you know it...

No such thing...

...as too much beer.

Here we had a few pints at the fantastic Canoe Brewpub. Karen enjoyed a Siren's Song Pale Ale (5.0% alc/vol), followed by a Red Canoe Lager (5.2% alc/vol) while I settled in with a couple of pints of their seasonal Bavarian Copper Bock (6.5% alc/vol).

No such thing...

...as just a sparrow.

Oak Bay

We strolled around Oak Bay, watching what seemed like an endless parade of dogs retrieving balls and sticks. This chap seemed unphased by it all, until a particularly enthusiastic golden retriever arrived.

Fat Tug IPA

Beer was consumed...

Fat Tug IPA is a northwest style India Pale Ale. Very hoppy and around 7% alc/vol.

Legislative Breakfast

This was an unplanned event, as we walked past the building on Friday morning, the security man invited us in and we surrendered our driving licences for a tour and passes to the Legislative Dining Room.

It was a great breakfast and reasonably priced, very posh but very welcoming.

Legislative Assembly

Thursday evening stroll around the harbor. This is the Legislative Assembly building all lit up like Blackpool.

Our hotel was about five minutes walk from the building, we both agreed that Spring is a fantastic time to visit Victoria, the flowers and bulbs were "full on" along with all the blossom.

Whale Watching

I can genuinely say that I took this picture on the ferry over to Vancouver Island.

Karen has told me that I have to say that the original was on the wall in the VIP lounge.  

Women and Children first

As April seemed to be Titanic party month, we made sure that we had enough lifeboats during the second trip, these things don't fill you with confidence though.

Vancouver Island

Thursday we sailed away, with the car this time, to Horseshoe Bay and then a drive through Vancouver down to the Tswassenn ferry terminal. It was a longer ferry over to the Island and the start of our "break" from all this exhausting retirement stuff.

The end of the Path

At the garden center today we both honed in on a concrete cat, I talked to one of the girls there who distracted Karen while I bought it and placed it on the passenger seat of the car. Karen opened the car door and jumped a mile.

I think she may have thought it was a raccoon.

We spent an hour today extending a short path in the garden to the area where we buried Bill, placed our little marker there, something to stir up all those memories of the little guy amongst the daffodils and the lupins.

It was nine weeks ago today.

The April Bed 2012

A week or so has gone by and we have planted the new bed, here it is, almost fully mulched today.

As usual, there are more weeds to eradicate, and those pesky dandelions, which we try and leave for the bees until they decide to become little seed explosion thingamajigs.

The Blackfish was almost our second home last week, Thursday afternoon, Friday lunch with the paddle club and Sunday evening when the hockey game was on. The management have started giving away little tempting bar treats which are difficult to resist.

It looks like we may have trouble shedding those winter pounds...

Ben

This guy is still a little soldier, he's quite thin nowadays and actually is starting to look a lot like his brother. Absolutely stone deaf, he can maybe "hear" us coming through vibration or high pitched noises, but most of the time he is surprised to see us.

 

Making our Bed

April has been a feature packed month, things have picked up with the paddle club and the garden so it's time to destroy our joints once again. Late last year we planted a few things by the fire hydrant, just to remind us to do something with it this year. So, a morning was spent collecting rocks up on Reed Road (the council have dug the culverts) and clear some grass for one of the 2012 projects.

Reliable Pair

A buddy of mine, Jim Collins, had a pair of boots that I admired, they were made by Sorel, so in 1993 I bought a pair, and here they still are, 19 years later. In addition, another buddy of mine, Graeme Wright, taught me how to look after a lawn mower, and here it is. I bought this mower in May 2000 and it is still chugging away almost a dozen years later.

Homeward Bound

After four or five miles walking in great weather, all that tiresome beer and flatbread, we decided it was time to head home. Fortunately, there was a ferry available.

Vanvouver Water Taxi

A trip to Granville Island usually ends in a water taxi ride, under the bridge and back to the Aquarium.

Dockside Brewing Company

It is a nonsense that Granville Island Brewing only allow a single beer, however, a five minute walk away is the Dockside Brewing Company, where ridiculous quantities of beer may be consumed without anyone raising an eyebrow. The Dockside Restaurant is in the heart of the Granville Island Hotel. This is the Railspur IPA, a robust and very well hopped creation. As responsible pedestrians we enjoyed an amazing pesto based flatbread with panko breaded goat's cheese, tomatoes and a balsamic reduction.

Granville Island Brewing Company

The first stop is in the ideal place, Granville Island Brewing. We both drank the IPA and watched all the people crushing into the place. Of course, as it is a brewery, local bylaws mean we could only have one (without donning a disguise that is).

Journey to Granville Island

After stopping off at what is arguably the best cake shop in the world (Notte's Bon Ton Pastry and Confectionary) we reached Granville Street again, our early afternoon destination was to be Granville Island. On this particularly busy Saturday it was obvious that being on foot was by far the best option. Granville Street was not busy, but down at the entrance to the "Island" it was motoring chaos.

Vancouver Saturday

An early breakfast beer (well, technically it was afternoon) at the Wolf and Hound down in Kitsilano. This was a nice hoppy "Fat Tug" IPA which was closely followed by delicious flat bread with goats cheese, roasted garlic and balsamic salsa. I highly recommend this pub, excellent atmosphere and great selection of interesting beers.

Welcome

A welcome busy little bee on an unwelcome dandelion...

Nesting

We have some crows who are making a nest outside of our window, it is that time of year again with the swings and roundabouts of nature, nests full of crunchy little birdies and lots of predators seeking them out.

Heather

Easter Sunday and we will be planting a couple of winter blooming heather, also uprooting our plum tree and placing it out of the path of the deer who have shown no mercy to the poor thing over the last few years.

Digestion

Karen said "What are you taking a picture of that for?" and I had to admit, like the bear poo photo, it is one of the more obscure things to blog about. However, it is part of nature, crows and seagulls on the pier regurgitate this sort of stuff all the time, it's a natural part of their digestive process.

Kiwi Birds

It was another mammoth Skype session the other week, I was a bit sneaky and took some pictures of the elusive Kiwi birds from our secret hide. There was a vast amount of wine consumed on both sides of the planet and rightly so..

On the left, Greg (pronounced Grig)  and to the right, young Sue who apparently will be 39 this year...

Conversation topics included house prices, the cost of wine, invasive medical procedures and of course Bovril .

Benjamin Blanket

The guy is still a sweetheart, ancient yes, but a little darling.