Christmas Day - Finale

Merry Christmas

I at least share a win in this challenge.  My plan of making Andrea super tired by playing boardgames failed, so I suspect she'll be around to congratulate me soon.  As do I her when she posts.  I mean, she won't fail on the last day, will she? (evil grin)

What I have learned:

1. Blogging everyday is hard.
2. Writing good content on a limited subject is even harder, made just about doable with a backlog of items to write about.
3. Some people won't quit
4. I should try writing once a week to keep my hand in.
5. Proof reading is important.
6. Shrimp Scrambled Eggs are awesome.

Have a grand day and rest of the season.  I'm signing off until the New Year.

Day 24 - Christmas Day, planned around food and drink,

Just done the final shopping at the Root Cellar.  I started in Planet Organic, and realized that I could get everything I wanted for less just down the road.  So packed the veg back on the shelf, jumped in the car and headed to a surprisingly quiet shop.

So here's my plans for tomorrow (eating and drinking wise).  It might well change, as it's a solo Christmas this year, and the bonus of that is I can change my mind on a whim.

Breakfast

1 Mount Royal Bagel, toasted with butter
3 Free range eggs Scrambled with shrimp, pepper.
Dad's West Coast Wildfire Awesome Sauce on the side (thanks to an early Christmas present from the Brunnette of my aquainttance)
A Large Coffee and a skype home to the family in the UK, who'll be thinking about Christmas Dinner

Christmas Dinner

A bottle of Driftwood's Lustrum Sour Ale.

Christmas Dinner, part two

A roast free range Chicken from the Village Butcher (see Day 21)
The last of the home grown potatoes, roasted
The last of the home grown kale, butter cooked with leeks
Rainbow carrots
A jug of gravy

Christmas Mid-afternoon Drink

A Winter Ale from Lighthouse, from the beer advent calendar.

Christmas Supper

Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.
Snack on left over chicken
Start making Chicken Soup.

Christmas Late Night

Either a glass of AnCnoc Whiskey or a big mug of Horlicks.

In between eating and cooking and drinking and cooking, there will be several episodes of TV shows I've not watched yet and a couple of hours noodling around on computer games that I've not touched in a while.  A nicely wasted day, I feel.

Day 23 - Urbanspoon

According to UrbanSpoon, I am the 10th most read blogger on their site for Vancouver Island (see : http://www.urbanspoon.com/bgs/317/Vancouver-Island), which means I can proudly add this badge:

You can see all the blog posts I crossed link into UrbanSpoon.com on this handy map:

You know, in case you want to recreate and tour the places that I have been, in some sort of strange pilgrimage through my past endeavours. I wouldn't suggest it, I suspect a few of those places have closed, and some that are still open don't deserve your business.

I use Urbanspoon myself to look up likely places to go for brunch with my friends, or to suss out whether a new place is worth a shot. Or just to see what people are saying about the places I love (or hate).  I also follow a couple of the other bloggers from there.  Not least the Victoria Food Blog, which is the best source I know of for getting information on what is out there.

'Your restaurant sucks' stopped back in 2012, but it's still worth going back to, as the writing is incisive and funny.  And also good tips to owners and operators on how to do better service.  It also seems that 'Katie is a Teacher' has disappeared, which is a shame.  It was more about Calgary and teaching, but I did enjoy her take on Victoria food.

Urbanspoon's micro reviews and diner entries are interesting, though you will often get a very short angry review when something went wrong, with little else from that poster, which raises the eyebrows.  Still if a place has 100+ review thumbs, and scores under 60%, it generally seems to be a good idea to miss it.  If it's well over 80%, it's worth trying.  But don't always trust the wisdom of the crowds.

Day 22 - Bard and Banker, Victoria

Last night was my traditional 'Beers Before Christmas' where I go drink lots of beer with good friends in a bar.  Finding a place for a dozen or so people is always hard around Christmas time, so this year I used OpenTable one month in advance to book a space at the Bard and Banker.

The Bard is Robert Service, the poet of the Yukon, who worked in the Canadian Bank of Commerce that once ran out of the same building the pub is in.  It's a huge sprawling place, filled with little nooks, side rooms and alcoves.  Which is good for smaller groups, but larger parties tend to get crammed into spaces that they all can't quite fit and mingle around in.

Still it worked for the dozen or so of us, and one very over worked server.  I ordered a pint of Innis and Gunn, which is one of my favourite beers. It oaky with a sweet malty taste that's not sickly like a Scottish Extra Special bitter.  It's dry sweetness that makes it perfect with food. This was the oak aged beer.  There is one rum casked version, that you can put against wine for depth and complexity of flavour, and for enhancing a meal.

I ordered the spicy tropical pizza.  This is a spiced up version of a Hawaiian pizza.  Well cooked, well spiced, very enjoyable. Thin crust, cooked so the cheese was melting into the crisp pork meat.  Went down a treat before the real business of drinking and socializing began.

Which is did in earnest, and I got to 'visit' with a lot of good friends, new and old.  And this made the whole evening very enjoyable, and the multiple pints of Innis and Gunn well received, to keep the throat lubricated for talking, you know.

The server didn't visit us quite often enough, and everyone seemed to be left looking lost when they went to pay the bill. Receipts were left, but no sign of the server for 15 minutes or so when they wanted to get going.  Bit of a miss, I reckon, but they were busy on the last weekend before Christmas.

The band started, playing unnecessary covers.  I don't need to hear versions of badly done Neil Diamond songs.  It's not a selling point to have loud music every night, to me.  There's plenty of atmosphere in a place like this without it being forced, and conversation drowned out.  It just makes people stop communicating in person and more likely to do the unsociable thing of playing with their cell phones.  Or distracted by the TVs showing late night poker or hockey highlights.

That's were the Bard fails for me as a place to go regularly.  It's not about interactive drinking, or social chatting. It's a loud, maze of a pub with too much forced about the experience and not enough allow to build naturally.

Day 20 - Snow Days

The snow has arrived.  Thus the city goes crazy.  How will they cope with 2 centimetres of snow and the icy conditions?  What if people can't get to the shops for 24 hours?  Who will clear the driveway and walkways?  Shouldn't that be the council's job?  More importantly, to some at least, they want to know why the car park at their apartment block has not been cleared -immediately- on the snow starting to fall.

Relax, Victoria.  It'll be gone in a couple of days.  Temperatures will rise, the snow will melt and we will be back to damp, wet winters.  Stay home if you can't drive in the snow, slow down if you are out and don't stress it.  Wear those winter boots you brought, and grab the shovel yourself.  It's not hard to sweep away an inch of snow and slush.  And scatter out a few handfuls of gravel/salt to keep it from icing up.

It IS the home owners job to clear side walks.  It's not a full on emergency.  This isn't Alberta, so on the down side, the city isn't designed for dealing with snow, but on the upside, it'll be a couple of days a year. We don't have feet of snow piling up. We don't have to plug our cars in to drive in the morning. Okay, actually, the electric car owners do, but that's another story.

Stock up before winter on food and candles in case of power outages. Enjoy the white scenery, and the sense of peace of staring out at big flakes floating down and coating the hills and trees. Get a large cup of loose tea, or massive jug of your favourite locally roasted coffee.  It's Christmas soon and most of us can put our feet up, and leave the hurry to those who have to be out there.

Day 19 - Little Jumbo, Victoria

Shawn Soole used to run Clive's Cocktail Bar, the second best cocktail and fine booze joint in Victoria. The best, Solomon's closed years ago, but I still have many fond memories of time spent in there drinking high grade alcohol in many forms.  And Clive's has been the scene of many great nights, with great friends and excellent drinks and service.

Clive's is still going, but Shawn has moved onto his own place, 'Little Jumbo', serving food, top quality liquor and wines.  And some beer.  More on that later.

Myself and a gorgeous brunette of my acquaintance went there a few weeks ago for food and drink. I apologize if some of my descriptions are not spot on from memory. I'll try to give an idea of the place and style.

It's a walk in and get seated place, no reservations. No queues but the place was almost full on a Friday night.  We settled into a two person table along one wall opposite a bar.  Patrons could sit at the bar as well, and gaze at the HUGE array of bottles.  The drink menu is a tome, with many different types of alcohol: gins, whiskies, bourbons, apertifs and digestifs of all sorts that I had never heard off, rums and vodkas.  The cocktail list is short, but the staff assured us they could make any of the classics. Shawn's reputation ensures that you know they'll be proud of anything they do serve.

The menu is simple and based around local ingredients, sourced from the market.  Each dish is small packing a huge flavour punch.  Nothing overly fussy. No multi-layered piles of leaves and meats and sauces.  A Cauliflower Gratin was served in a small jar, as I recall, and creamy, crunchy and great.  The duck rillette was also served in a jar, with toasted bread. The bread was a little oily, which was a shame as the fat of the duck was all you needed to go with the crunch of the toast. The rillette itself was beautiful. Intense duck flavours, coarse texture and that beautiful mouth feel of duck grease.

The lamb shank was fall of the bone goodness, and with the honey roasted fennel it was joyous.  I love how the small plates can be ordered in any combination, but you can create your own combinations and discover new matches yourself.  I wouldn't have ordered a lamb and fennel dish, maybe you would. But mix and match, and we got a winner.

The staff were extremely knowledgeable, answering questions about the drinks and food.  Explaining how the kitchen prepares stuff from the market selections, how they have their own in house herb garden, how they take stuff off the menu if it's not working given what they have in that day.  The details here are taken care of. Not in a fussy, obsequious way, but just by paying attention and creating an environment where the experience is relaxing and the tastes shine forward.

We finished with a selection of continental cheeses.  A small slice of Lambs Milk Blue from the French Basque country was the out and out highlight of the experience.  So much flavour in each bite.  It was creamy, with a lot of bite and plenty of the savoury sharpness. Each little piece was conversation stopping good.  Eat, chew, enjoy for a few moments.  The rest of the meal was great, but this was beyond great to a level which I have only tasted a few times in my life.

Yes, all that praise for some cheese.

The dried crackers/bread was perfect for such a strong flavour, and I recall saying the rillette would have been enhanced being served with this bread.

I can't recall much about the drinks, except we were offered a small cup of the house blend tea as a pallatte cleanser, while the cocktails and wine went down well. I do recall the beer menu was... disappointing. There's no big flavours on the beer list.  There's nothing that will challenge you, that enhances the food experience, not like the cocktail and wine menu does.  It just accompanies it.

I went for the Hoyner Pilsner, as it was a crisp subtle flavour.  But I wanted to have a choice of an over the top hoppy Bomb of a beer, or a rich, complex malty ale.  Something like the Innis&Gunn Rum Cask would have been perfect to compliment the duck, or the Green Flash IPA from San Diego.  Okay, neither are local, but there are equivalents that are more forward. Just for the choice.  The Hoyner Pilsner is a damn fine beer to be dining out with, and may be other choices wouldn't fit as well as I think they would.

Overall, a great night out, great company, great service, great food and great environment.  Going in for a drink and sharing plate with friends can work just as well, I'm told.  But it worked for us as a date night meal too.

Day 18 - A little garden of my own

If you ever have the opportunity to serve on your apartment buildings Strata Council... think very, very carefully if you want to have a part in running a business that has an asset of millions of dollars and many people who want your unpaid time and energy.

On the upside, my condo unit has a balcony, and on that balcony I have grown things.  This year I spread out from the handful of herb boxes and strawberry plants, and tried to grow a whole variety of things.

The balcony faces north, so doesn't get too much sun.  But it seems, plenty of the leafy greens like shade and damp.  Kale especially.  It's December, and the Kale plant is still alive and growing.  I strip of a few outer leaves every so often and it keeps sprouting up.  I planted a few more seeds in September and the winter Kale is alive, if not ready to harvest... the sharp cold has knocked it back, but not out.

I had some success with runner beans. It was great to see how quickly they grew, swarming over the railings, some days shooting about by a centimetre or so.  The potato plants also grew amazingly well, along with the raspberry bush, covering my deck in greenery.

Other things failed (blackcurrant, lettuce and beets), and the swiss chard and spinach only just about kept up.  Experimentation seems to be the key, and growing from seed was far better value for money.  So next year I'll be trying the winners more and seeing if we can get decent amounts of potatoes at home.

My equipment was a dozen 12 inch plastic pots, 3 troughs, a lot of Seasoil and potting soil.  Mixed the Seasoil with the potting soil to make it lighter and slightly sandy.  Also mixed in some fertiliser.  Planted in May, and kept watered when it got hot.

The beans thrived once the weather got into the warm and damp part of the year.  They didn't need much apart from a stake to climb up, and the occasional nudge back on the balcony railings rather searching out the rest of the building.  Once established, they flowered and I got a few handfuls of beans.  I cooked them fresh with a little butter and a little kale.

The potatoes took a while.  The pots needed to be well drained, and I'd drill some extra holes in enxt year.  When I got sprouts, I'd cover them up with more soil, until the pots were almost full.  They plants grew really strong after that, and I had three huge bushes growing away.  I cut them down a little early as they started to die back, but I think that was from lack of water rather than beginning to seed.  I got 3 pounds of small new potatoes, and would leave them a bit longer next year.  Tasty though.

The second planting of the chard went well, and will grow again from seed.  Just scattered and raked over a pot and kept well watered (and well drained).  And the miracle of growing happened.  There's something really interesting from seeing a small seed swell, break and grow into green stuff.  I know there's the carbon dioxide being taken from the air and made into carbon structures that make up the leaves and stalks. But think about that.  A gas and some water and some minerals are used to make a living growing thing.  That matures and makes something tasty for this living growing thing to eat.

Plus, it keeps me entertained and some dirt under the fingernails is good for the soul.

Day 17 - The Hash Brown Controversy

(My lovely girlfriend has asked me to post this, to explain why I get worked up about hash browns at Breakfast joints)

When a menu says 'hash browns' what do you expect to come with your bacon, eggs and sausage?

It depends it seems.  In some places, it means finely chopped potatoes, fried into little golden cubes.  Other places it's bigger lumps of tuber, sort of par boiled and then fried.  Or it might just mean boiled potatoes, roughed up and shoved into a skillet for a few minutes, with some onion and maybe some cheese.  Or it might be scalloped potatoes, lightly fried. Or just whatever slimy potato the diner wants to get rid of that weekend.

All of these places are lying to you when they say they are serving you hash browns.  It's like asking for a poached egg and getting them fried.  Both are still eggs, but I'd be miffed to get one if I ordered the other.

'True' Hash Browns (according to me) are shredded or riced potatoes, either formed into discs or just cooked straight away so that the starch binds them parts together.  It's the starchiness that makes them clump together into something perfect for breakfast.  Frozen hash browns are acceptable to bear the name, the little wafer thing you get with a Tim Horton's breakfast or the larger, greasy chunk from MacDonalds.  I may not want to eat them, but at least I get what I expect if order them.

Cubed potatoes that are then fried should be called 'country fried potatoes' or 'home fries'. Parboiled and mixed in with onions and other things... that's a hash.  And these things are good, and most welcome on my plate when done well and ordered by name.  Just call them what they are, not some other thing.

Latkes are advance on the concept, with added egg and milk and flour to make the potato pancake. Served with apple sauce, and you got energy for the day.  The Spanish Tortilla takes this even further, with much more eggs in the dish, slower cooked.  So good served by the slice with a little spicy meat and fresh cold beer, over looking the sea somewhere.

Rostis are the Swiss contribution to potato/fry world.  Grated tatties, with a little butter, salt and pepper. Formed into patty's, they look a bit like a shredded hash brown.  Works great with Schnitzel.  And the Brits created Bubble and Squeak... mashed potato, mixed with cabbage and then fried till it's golden.  Creamy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, with the cabbage (or other greens) providing the squeak.  Was a common leftovers dish in the UK.

None of these are hash browns.  Potato waffles, tater tots and croquette potatoes are not hash browns either. Don't call them that on a menu, and I'll be happy.

It seems, though, that not everyone shares my misplaced rage.  Many are happy to be served any sort of potato under the name 'hash browns'. Some think only of the country fried cubes are hash browns, and what I describe as a 'potato patty'. Some think I should get a hobby and a life.

I'd really just like to get Hash Browns when I order them.

Day 16 - The Guild, Victoria

The Guild started doing a Brunch recently, so my weekly Breakfast crew met up there for their take on Breakfast. The Guild is going for British Style pub food with an extensive beer list, social atmosphere and classy service. In the evenings, you can get such delights as a glass of Bacon, curry and chips, or an anchovy mixed green salad.  I'm not sure the latter is very British, but it is damn good.  The beer list is extensive, and excellent, with all sorts of good solid regulars and odder, harder to find beer by the glass.  After the Garrick's Head, I'd say they have the best beer list in Victoria. A little pricey, but extensive and not just by having 27 different versions of fizzy lager and local pale ales.

But sod the beer, what about brunch?  Well it was quiet.  I think they had four other covers while we were in there.  The main bar area is all high tables and stools, good for a social evening, less suitable for a slouching morning meal.  So we tucked ourselves in the back, just the three of us.  It gets like that around Christmas, folks head off for various Christmas trips, exchanging presents, seeing family, shopping trips...

A nice wooden table, plenty of space on a bench seat and a view of the bar and the kitchen pass.  Perfect.  Coffee came, hot, tasty and effective.  Could do with a large cup to really caffineate effectively, but on the other hand, I probably would have been bouncing of the ceiling with large mugs of the brown stuff.

The menu is about a dozen items long, and ranges from the full English Fry Up to a New Yorker Benny. Most of the ingredients are locally sourced, so the meat products are 'artisan' (read: not mass produced) and the veggies are fresh and low on food miles.  There's also a Cod with eggs and shrimp butter... poached fish being the selection of the tender headed Edwardian gentleman if you believe PG Wodehouse.  I was tempted, but went for the full fry up.  It sounds like a huge amount, but the Guild goes for a sensible portion size to make it just large... a spoonful of beans, one sausage, two smaller rashers of bacon, two eggs a small pile of potatoes... and huge slice of Black Pudding. And grilled tomato that looks like it came from fruit the size of a softball.

It was excellent.  Eggs were scrambled just past still runny so they gleamed. The bacon was crispy without being ruined, the sausage tasty - juicy and rough ground filling with good seasoning. The black pudding was delicious and mingled with the eggs and beans just right.

I know some people think of dried blood food as akin to eating scabs, the idea of eating congealing blood turning their stomachs.  Mixing what people see as a 'waste product' now, with carbs and fat to makes something greater than the parts. Savoury, earthy and filling.  It's a food stuff born out of the waste nothing culture of my grandparents youth.  Where offal and off cuts had to been eaten to get by.

One of my friends went with the Bubble and Squeak, made with fresh kale and island potatoes. Creamy, smooth and just 'a hint of that kale taste'.  Topped with eggs, it made a great comfort food style dish.  Certainly might consider it on my next visit.

Which will probably happen.  The service was good, with our server happy to chat away with us, and asked about the Interactivity Board Game Cafe as he heard us talking about it.  Told us about the upstairs function rooms too (there was a lot of girlish laughing and stomping... turns out there was a young girls birthday party on upstairs).  The bill was reasonable for what you got, and I always like not queueing.

Day 15 - numinous

numinous (adj.) having a strong religious or spiritual quality; indicating or suggesting the presence of a divinity: the strange, numinous beauty of this ancient landmark.


My fellow Advent Challengee came up with this as a word of the day to write about, to muse upon.

I write about food, drink and going out in Victoria.  I love Victoria. I think at least once a week how happy and lucky I am that I moved to this corner of Canada, out just before the edge of nowhere.  This blog is sort of a love letter to the Pacific Northwest.  An occasionally bad tempered, rambling, on and off again epistle to the area, but none-the-less, meant to be sharing what I like about being out here. And the things I would like to see change (bad brunch places and the definition of Hash Browns).

It's not a spiritual connection, though being on Dallas road at sun rise on a day when the mists are just lifting from the Olympics is inspiring and brings a smile to my face.  Drinking a local beer I love, like the Flanders Sour Red from Driftwood, or the Double Dragon from Phillips.  When you sit and stare at the beer, the flavour, the smell floods your brain.  The moment when conversation ceases over dinner, and eating takes over.  Eating slowing and relishing what's been given to you, like the entire meal I once had at Ulla (a future post if I can do it justice).

Seeing Orca's on active pass, or running into old friends down town, or fantastic meal with the girlfriend at Little Jumbo. Walking around Fort Rodd Hill, sitting in front room of a friends house talking about the week, shouting at the Royal's hockey team, or enjoying a concert at the Alix Goolden.

Those are awe inspiring moments that make me glad to be alive, to be able to experience them, to savour them with friends and family.

I never used to meditate, but have found recently it's a great tool to relax, reflect and just get a good nights sleep.  I use an image of climbing Mount Tolmie, each step dropping away a little baggage from the day, each turn handing off a knot or strain in my muscles.  Till, when I reach the peak, with that view I can conjure up, all that's in my mind is that image.  Quiet, serene, and ready to examine reflectively.

So, if I was to call something numinous, it's that little rocky part of Saanich I can go to when I need to.

Day 14 - Stewart Mountain

I'm told the view from the top of Stewart Mountain is beautiful. Today it was foggy and damp up there, and given I'd left my glasses in the car, the sweat was running into my eyes and I was more appreciative of the apple sauce energy pack I was sucking down, the view wasn't why I was there.

I ran the Prairie Inn Harriers 10 mile cross country challenge today. I finished last of the runners in a time of 2h18m57s, 4 seconds behind the next two runners. But what was important to me was finishing, with no major injuries, passing out or puking my guts up. It was just about the toughest physical thing I have ever done, and was under trained for it... the main hill run was steeper and longer than I remembered when hiking it in September, the mud was deeper, the creeks I had to run through were cold and in places covered in ice. And the number of climbs and down hills on rocky trail far harder to keep a rhythm up than my training on the pristine slopes of Mount Tolmie.

But, I felt good that I had done it. And was already thinking by the end that I should try to do it again next year, stronger and better prepared.

The post race beer, steak and eggs tasted oh-so-good though.

The potatoes were home grown. The beef and eggs were not. The beer, a good IPA from Tap-it California, courtesy of the beer advent calendar. Hoppy, with out being over bittered, lovely golden colour and just a hint of the malts left on the nose and taste.

I am off to recover some more...

Day 13 - IMax Victoria

This year I brought myself a year long pass to the IMax at the BC museum.  At six storeys high, it's the largest cinema screen in Western Canada. As they tell me every time I visit.

Which is every couple of months, either for Hollywood film or a documentary.  The pass gets you into the latter for free, and the former for only $4 ($5 if you book a seat online).

The Hollywood flicks are variable.  There is something awesome about seeing a good fight and chase scene in HUGE techni-colour vision.  But if the action moves too fast, the eye can't follow it across the screen properly.  It needs to be centred and stuff in periphery there for 'effect'.  Which would make it look a little strange on a normal screen.  But that's how they make the documentaries look so great.  If you do look away from the centre, you'll see the images are distorted slightly, but also it's a frame, just to pull you into the action (be it wildlife, or racing cars, or adventure).

The flip side of Hollywood is the slower dialogue parts.  Having Captain Kirk's head with 10 foot high nose just shows off every single pore and hair follicle.  It's a little disconcerting.  It's TOO clear.  The films that work better have a little more fuzz in the static scenes, and lose the hyper reality of the image.

Still, I enjoyed 'Pacific Rim' for it's stupidity of robots versus Cthulhu. Star Trek: The Edge of Darkness looked great when we had action.  The Hobbit Part one was great for some scenes, but the fight through the Mines of Moria was almost impossible to follow and blurred into one chaotic mess.  Which was a shame, as it looked like it should have been the set piece money shot of the movie.

As for documentaries, if you didn't see Shackleton's adventure, you missed out.  Incredible story of two years on the ice and sea of Antarctica.  Grainy movie footage from the expedition itself made my jaw drop. The recreations of the story of getting back alive were hugely compelling, and I had to check that it was all true. It was, of course.

The one on Sharks, however, was terribly twee. Dumbed down to a level that made no sense.  It was neither aimed at kids (even with the stupid turtle narration) or adults (with the savagery and majesty of Sharks pushed to one side).  Glad it was free.

But with a free pass, a miss or two is fine as long as you get value.  And I did, and this year I'm told Santa brought me a renewal.

Day 10 - Leaving Victoria

I think I've taken most of the major ways you can leave Victoria and arrive on the mainland of North America.

I've flown from Victoria Airport to Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Seattle, Toronto, San Francisco and Las Vegas.  It's a good place to start a journey from, as long as you can find a friend to drop you off at the airport.  Getting their by cab is a ridiculous $50 fee, and the minibus from downtown is not always convenient.  I am not sure why there isn't a hourly bus from downtown to the airport and back again.  I guess that would just be too sensible for a city to link up to it's airport.

But once there, it's an easy check, an easy place to wait with a Tim Hortons with lots of light, space and never seems too busy.  Even the day the US decided to frisk us dangerous foreigners before flying to Seattle was stress free.  Complete difference to the hassles of going through Heathrow or Las Vegas.

I've taken the BC ferries to Tsawwassen from Swartz Bay.  I am sure that's not unusual.  The journey through Active Passage is still something that stirs me.  A narrow, but perfectly formed channel, with forests and hikers and seals and the occasional kayaker on the way.  I'm normally out on deck when the ferry goes through, unless it's dark or raining.  And even then, it's not unusual.  It feels like I'm coming home when I head back from Vancouver.  It wasn't long after I moved here before I felt that way, and the feeling of coming back is always a marker in my heart that I'm in the place I should be living.

I've taken the Coho to Port Angeles.  I left a temporary worker, and came back a permanent resident of Canada.  The Coho rolls and wallows over to Juan De Fuca, looking every year of its 40 plus service life. But it goes with regularity (when not taking out ferry docks in Victoria's Inner Harbour) and keeps bringing in people and supplies to downtown Victoria.

I've taken the Washington State Ferry to Anacortes from Sidney.  These look like a car park mated with a Mississippi Paddle steamer.  Squat, green, rust streaked and smelling lightly of fried potatoes on all decks, they can get you to Washington much easier than having to take the BC Ferry and then queueing with the Vancouver traffic to get across the border. And about the same price.

I've also taken the Clipper from Victoria to Seattle, on more than one occasion.  The trick is to not take stowed luggage, as waiting for the boxes to be unloaded at each end is a operation in tedium.  Every single box and container has to be lifted off by crane, an operation that seems to take an age.  And no-one can leave with luggage until it's ALL off. Do carry on, and it's simplicity, and your into downtown Seattle in about three hours from leaving Victoria.  Journey is mostly calm and quiet and comfortable.  We don't talk about the time over New Years with the high seas and vomiting.

I've float planed to Vancouver several times.  Very agreeable. Super fast, but sadly more expensive than an occasional treat.  Flying low over the islands and downtown Vancouver is fantastic.  The float journey to Seattle isn't quite as exciting, and they are much more strict about the weight limit for your luggage.  But if you need to get to Seattle quickly, there's no better way.  Customs and immigration is easy at both ends, and you carry off your own luggage.  Time it right and you can have breakfast in the Space Needle and mid-day beer in Garricks Head.  

I have taken the Prince of Whales trip from Victoria to Vancouver, which was fantastic, seeing as we followed some Orcas from the stretch up from Victoria to Sidney.

Which is a pretty damn fine day.

Ways I haven't left Victoria - The passenger ferry to Port Angeles.  The Heli-Jet to Vancouver (I refuse to go on helicopters).  I think that's it for commercial transport. I have probably missed something.

I've also not gone from Nanaimo to Duke Point, or from Port Hardy to the distant north.  Nor have I taken a cruise ship anywhere.  Maybe one day.

Day 9 - Sealand of the Pacific

I find change interesting.  Change that I didn't see, especially.  Like, how a city once had a roller coaster down the side of a small mount that no-one seems to know about these days.  The Mount Tolmie roller coaster burnt down in 1896, and I can't seem to find any pictures of it.  But I wonder what it would have looked like when I stare up the side of the hill.  Less so when gasping my way up on a morning run. Though glad it's gone, the view wouldn't been as great up there with a big wooden structure on top.  I know the Shelbourne Valley was mostly arable land and orchards, and it's fun to try and picture what would have been where my apartment is now.

Other vanished landmarks of Victoria are much more recent.  Sealand of the Pacific closed in 1992, after the tragic death of one the part time keepers.  Sealand opened in the late 1960's and had several captive orcas during it's existent, including a very rare albino whale, Chimo, and the famous 'Blackfish' Tillikum. I believe they also had some seals, and the three very fat, friendly seals you might spot in the Oak Bay marina today are ex-captive seals that stick around for fish and scraps from visitors and locals.

Tillikum is the star of the documentary 'Blackfish', which details another tragic death by a keeper in 2010 in Orlando's sea world, where he was moved to after the Oak Bay venue closed down.  It questions Sea World's claims that keeping orca's in captivity is helpful for their well being or man's knowledge of these huge mammals. It also details some of the disturbing ways that the animals are kept, with broken teeth and little or no space to exercise like they would in the wild.  So I don't exactly shed a tear for Sealand's closing.

While watching sea mammals is thrilling in close quarters, it's even more so when out on a boat in the waters of Vancouver Island.  I've been on tours with the Mackie's of Port McNeill and the Prince of Whales of Victoria. Saw itinerant pods both times (as well as some humpbacks), with the Mackie's trip being especially amazing with the number of times we saw the Orca's breach and hop out of the water in pursuit of a dolphin for their lunch.

I've been around Oak Bay marina a few times, and as far as I can tell, no sign of the sea animal pens are left.  A search on the internet only finds a few photos, and some very grainy video, mostly linked to the aforementioned deaths.  I can't quite picture where the attraction would have been, and how much of a draw to Oak Bay and Victoria would it have been.  Victoria always seems to be a quieter tourist town, with old history... not aquariums and roller coasters.  With Underworld Gardens now closed, that's another of the quirky (and cruel) attractions gone.

Day 8 - Cecelia Creek Eatery, Victoria

Breakfast this morning was provided by the Cecelia Creek eatery, and in part for by a Groupon.  I've spent too much on Groupon's so I know only use them when I KNOW I'll be at that venue in the next two weeks. Which really defeats the object of Groupon, to create sales, but I'll leave the business world to work out if Groupon is a good idea, and if it's a sustainable business model to provide services at 25% normal cost (Groupon takes about 50% of the voucher price).

The Eatery is good and doesn't need Groupons to keep driving business long term if Victorian can wise up and make the trip there. Based out on the Gorge in the Ramada there (which is also home to Hecklers comedy bar).  They've been doing a lot of promotion on the Zone FM about their unusual combos, like Butter Chicken Benny's and Perogy breakfasts.  I looked around the table today with my friends, and part from the eggs and toast, I had buyers regret on them all.  And the toast and eggs gets thumbs up as well, it's just not -unusual-.

I had a cod fish cake eggs benedict.  Lovely poached eggs, a light Hollandaise and little cakes of cod, with a little bit of a pepper based dressing.  The eggs were ordered medium, but I'd claim they were more hard than medium... or I should have ordered softer eggs.  No matter, they were delicious.  All the fruit cup got eaten as well.  I like the fact they also offer fresh ground pepper and Siracha sauce on the table.  I like hot sauce with eggs, and dislike having to wait as they grow cold for the server to bring some over.  I know, waiting for hot sauce is such a terrible thing to happen to me.

On other plates were the Scotch Egg with sausage gravy on french bread.  Or protein and fat, wrapped in protein and far, friend and smothered in a fatty, protein sauce.  It defeated the eater, but he did promise to come back for round two and another tilt at it some time.  It looked incredibly heavy and but also incredibly tasty.  The Egg was 'scotched' in ground beef, rather than a more Scottish tradition of pork.

I would like to point out Scotch Eggs are not made with whisky. Not that anyone though that. But that's why Scottish Whisky should be called 'Whisky' and not 'Scotch'.  Scotch is what you do to eggs and rumours.  Not the national drink of the Northern half of the British Isles.

The perogy breakfast looked like a big pile of awesome perogies, and the pancakes an even bigger pile of fluffiness with syrup.  There was a garlic omelette that had a cleaned plate as well.  Coffee was served and served until I was caffeinated till next Tuesday.  Excellent service, lovely big kitchen table for the seven of us. Not too busy (great to walk in and not wait).  Nice environment, they hit all the right notes for a Breakfast joint in Victoria.  A twist on traditional menu, well executed and well run.

The ONLY downside I will mention is their policy for groups.  They don't split the bill for over six people, and try to encourage it to be split X ways.  That doesn't really work for a casual breakfast crowd meeting up to pick over their weekends.  One person might only have a coffee and slice of toast as they nurse a hangover, while the next has gone for the full on steak and eggs special, with a bacon Cesar and hot chocolate.  Not exactly fair to split that bill six ways.   But apparently it's the policy to do it that way (and tack on an automatic service charge).  That probably cheated our server out of a buck or two, as she was excellent, and I'd probably have tipped on the upper side of the 15% mark they put down by default (from the menu).

A small black mark on what for me is one of the top five breakfast places in Victoria right now.

Day 7 - Taxi, Taxi

Victoria seems well served by taxi companies, with Blue Bird, Yellow Cab and Victoria Taxis.  Plus two or three other smaller companies like AAA who seems to have one huge American cruiser car that wanders around downtown at night looking for fares.

I have my own rule that I never drive after drinking, not even after a single beer.  That can mean a beer at a friends house can be an expensive drink when you couple in the taxi fare.  But I'd prefer to pay it (or go without drinking) than the real expense of hurting someone in an accident that might have happened due to a slightly slower reaction time.  My friends know I have a rather puritanical approach to drinking and driving.  I don't mind if they want a pint and then drive home a bit later. They can even drive me, if they offer. I just don't, and dealing in an absolute here serves me fine.  It doesn't have to work for you.

I use Victoria Taxi pretty much exclusively when trying to get home after a beer or three downtown (or at a friends house).  Their new aqua green cars and 'modern' logo look out of place to me, and would be more at home in Seattle or Victoria.  But I don't get cabs for their aesthetic appeal, and the drivers have always gone the little bit extra when needed.

A few years back, I broke my ankle in the snow.  This idiot Brit, unused to the peril of Canadian weather went out in inappropriate footwear after a couple of inches of snow fell.  Stepped on some ice, turned my ankle, and fractured the very lower end of my fibula (or tibia, I forget which, but one of those two bones in the lower leg).  Left with a plaster cast after eventually going to ER, I got BlueBird to pick me up from the Royal Jubilee for the 4 block drive home.

Driver was annoyed it was such a short fare.  Didn't help me in or out of the car, not even opening the door as I struggled with new crutches.  Sorry mate, I know short fares suck, but that's part of the business.  If I could have walked home, I would have.

Four weeks later, downtown enjoying my birthday and still in a cast, though a modern plastic walking cast. I'm off the crutches but still walking with a stick, and limping.  Finish at the bar and call Yellow Cab from the reception desk at the Bedford Regency.  I let the dispatcher know I'll be outside, and the guy with a cast on.  Thirty minutes later, I call back and the dispatcher claims they couldn't find me.  Sends another cab, but fifteen minutes later, its the same story 'sorry, he couldn't find you'.  It's not like I was running around downtown.

I finally call Victoria Taxi.  Driver calls one minute out to check I'm still there.  He gets out of the car, and opens the door.  Makes sure I have enough room.  I'm fine, but it's nice that he paid attention.  And I've used them ever since.  The driver's are always friendly, and always will take a minute or two if they can't find you ready and waiting.  They don't like taking a different fare if theirs is not there yet.  Add in the very nifty online Booking App, and I continue to use them for my drinking-related chauffeur service home.

Day 6 - Interactivity Board Game Cafe

There is no chance that this review is objective.  My friends Jak and Bill opened this place recently, and the old Board Game store on Fort Street has many good memories. Not least because 90% of my social life when I moved to Canada came out of the store and playing board games there.  So, if your looking for a reasoned, independent review, I am sure one will be along soon.

In the mean time, there's this.

I love this place.  I love their decent fresh coffee, their range of loose leaf teas from Silk Road.  I love meeting people over a board game, sitting there until midnight playing games.  I like the atmosphere of openness they promote.  Paying $5 to borrow a board game and drink it over a reasonably priced cup of tea with friends, or strangers is a wonderful experience.  They also serve fresh made ice cream and milkshakes (that I've been told are the best ever by at least one ten year old, which is a fine recommendation).

I like the fresh sandwiches.  The Salmon is my favourite. Salmon, with Arugula, Chipotle Sauce and Brie, smooshed into bread and toasted in a panini iron. Occasionally it needs a little longer in the heater, but it's a solid winner for me.  It gets a blend of gooey cheese, smoking fish and tangy bite. Served fast, with a few chips.  $8.  Jobs perfect.

The Mediterranean is a close second.  Piles of humus, tomato and feta cheese with olives.  Toasted just long enough to warm the bread up, and I'm sure it's far too healthy.  Shouldn't they be serving high fructose corn syrup drinks and deep fried lard balls?

Well, yes, if you want the stereotypes.  But the mix of people in the cafe is not all your stereotypical gaming geeks arguing over the rules (that's just me) and socially awkward guys hiding behind comic books.  It's all sorts. The college kids trying out a game for a beer-free night out, the family of four playing Mouse Trap, the game nerds digging into the latest mega release from Essen, the pre-club crowd looking to hang out somewhere before down town clubs open.  Don't judge, the (game) play is the thing.

Day 5 - Liquor Licensing, BC style

The BC government is currently doing a review of the Liquor Licensing in BC.  The laws in BC are old, and designed to restrict and control drink sales, rather than promote sensible drinking and responsible service.  Drinking is seen as a 'bad thing' and shouldn't be encouraged, or if possible, allowed.  Read the BC Liquor Act some time, and you'll see how narrow and restrictive the right to buy and enjoy alcohol is in the province.

While I don't think it should be a free for all, I don't think the current system serves us well.  Premises can either by liquor primary (serving booze with food) or food primary (selling food, with no more than 50% of income can come from liquor sales).  These leaves a whole set of problems.  Liquor Primary Licences are hard to come by and are not freely available.  This restricts trade and restricts businesses from opening up and serving the public.  It protects bad pubs from competition.

Food primary licenses are easier to obtain, but still restrictive to businesses.  If you wanted to run a cocktail and food bar, serving high wine and hard liquor... you run a foul of the 50% rule quickly.  If you buy  $160 bottle of wine to enjoy, you have to spend $160 on food to meet the rules.  The venue can balance some of that with patrons spending more on food than their wine bills, but it does restrict the service they can provide.  More over a food primary licence still means you have to be in the business of mainly selling food and drink.  You can't branch out and offer space for meetings.  Or private karaoke booths.  Or sell board games.  Or have special music events.

There's no flexibility, and this leads to again to restriction in competition, on innovative business ideas and makes alcohol the bogey man.  All ills are from the demon drink.  Instead of encouraging responsible drinking, it's made to be a special privilege.  In my view, that licence should be removed where it's not used appropriately.  The board should indeed be able to close down badly run establishments, ensure liquor is not sold to minors, and patrons are not 'over served', that the police have the power to control places which are causing disturbances. 

The board also control special event licensing.  As written, the rules restrict those licences to non-profit organizations to sell at community events (with a loose definition of what that really means) or private parties where the drinks have to be given away. You, as a private citizen, are supposed to apply for one (at a cost of $25 plus $25 for the police check in Victoria) if you want to have a party outside your home where alcohol will be served.  If you want to run a small bar for a one-off event... no chance at all.  But if you own a food venue, you can run an event with beer and wine for sales on a regular basis.. effectively making a it a temporary bar, with none of the controls a licensed venue has to have. Something the Victoria Police are concerned about.

Licences can not be given to event managers, who might be the best people to run one off events, and easier to train and over view.  You can't get one easily if your a licensed bar managed wanting to run a bar for a wedding.  The board will restrict you from drinking in front of minors.  The board will make it hard for you to move drinks from the service area to the dance floor at your wedding.  Just in case a child might see you enjoy a glass of wine.  Something they've seen you do many times at home.  

This just makes drinking seen as 'special' and 'taboo', when it should be seen as anything but.  I don't want a province full of people drinking every day, causing trouble.  But I do think we should be allowed to enjoy a drink responsibly, in many circumstances where it's a way of celebrating, relaxing and just every day life.

Day 4 - The 3rd Street Cafe, Sidney

One Sunday morning, back in March, me and my friends rocked up to Sidney for breakfast. I got there an hour early to see the end of the Bazan Bay 5km run.  A run I had hoped to do, but after doing damage to my right calf two weeks before hand, walking without a limp was about the best I could manage for 100 yards.  But I went to cheer on friends who were doing the run, and all managed to hit their targets.  So apart from a faint tinge of jealousy, it was a good start to the day.

That got better.  The Third Street Cafe does a busy trade it seems, and deals out standard breakfast favourites, with piles of well prepared fruit (in contrast to Cora's) and good sides.

I went with the Perogy Breakfast, which was on special that day.  A big fat sausage, eggs scrambled with sour cream, spring onion and potatoes and cheese.  The sausage was just the right side of spicy, the eggs done perfectly and the rest made it all up to be just like perogy had exploded and left it's contents behind as  breakfast behind. Tasty, gorgeous breakfast.  The coffee was fresh and served fast, the service was good.  It did all the things a cafe should do, very well.

We got a bar seat along one window, which made it harder to discuss the events of the week, but we could on the other hand gaze out at the parking antics of the locals.  Apparently parallel parking is harder even than I make it.  We did congratulate one of our friends who turned up after the run and awards at the finish line.  Very pleased with her 5km time, as I recall.

So, a short and quick review.  If in Sidney, go there for breakfast.  Flight out of the airport? Might be worth the side track.  It'll be better than the White Spot.

Day 3 - Thetis Lake

In about 12 days I am taking my woefully ill-prepared body on a 16km trail run around Thetis lake, over Stewart Mountain and back again.  Given the last time I was up there I agreed to write a blog post every day for Advent, I wonder if my sanity will be adversely affected.  

More seriously, since I started running, trails haven't been something I've done much with.  I have been an off and on again hiker, though, and run around Elk Lake plenty of times.  Nothing as fast as to set any records on fire, but it's the getting out there that I like.  The runners high does exist. It took me at least a year to find it. It's a peacefulness when your brain goes into a zone, the rhythm of your feet allows you to sweat out the worries you may have and let stress glide away and you get this -awareness- of yourself and the surroundings.  

It doesn't always last very long, but when it's there, it's a joy to be in the moment. Just to be -there- and alive.  Then comes along a hill or a traffic crossing or a stitch and it goes again. So you run again to try and find it again.  To improve yourself, to try and stay there a little bit longer, and because you like what the scales says.  Because you know you should be able to get up that hill near your house without sounding like a wounded deer, because dammit, other people do.  You've seen them.  And being on top of a hill in Victoria, looking across the city and the sea, that just worth it.  And it's worth more when you walk up than drive up.  

Anyway, Thetis Lake.  I've hiked most of the Stewart Mountain trail in August, to see what I was up against. A series of twisty paths, lake views, fallen trees and a steep gravel hill.  I went back last week with my friend Andrea (and fellow challengee) to see that those nice dry twisty paths can turn into a mud bath in the winter.  And the last stretch has three short but oh-so-sharp climbs along the cliffs above Thetis Lake.  

But never mind the rain... there's something glorious about walking and running in the rain... in a rain forest. The path always changing kept my mind going,  no long stretches of the boring tarmac.  There's possibility of a diversion down a deer trail (going up the hill twice through undergrowth was an extra lower body work out), or slipping into the mud (good for the skin).  Once you get going, the mud and wet isn't a real problem.  You only notice it when you stop.  And that hot shower feels good. There's no great views, but there's a creeks, the lake and greenery.  Lots and lots of green.  Proper, awkward growing green, that sticks out at odd angles, tangles your feet up and sticks in your hair.  The good stuff.

More sensibly, you can paddle board or swim in the Lake in the summer.  It's great dog walking country (if you want to led me your dog, I'll take it next time I go), and only a stone's throw for the six mile (good pub food and a decent pint) and a quick drive up to Loghouse, so you can do buffet breakfast before (or after, if you are an early bird) your adventures up there.

Victorians are lucky to have so much wild close to the home.  You can get away from it all for a short time in a short time.  As a Londoner, that sort of solitude with nature was much harder to find (though parts of Hampstead Heath and Muswell Hill were substitute).  It's worth keeping.