10 Things on the 10th

Well hello there! Welcome back! I guess I'm saying that more to myself after such a loooong absence. What is it, two months, more? Did you miss me? I'm sure you had a good break from my rants like I did with those two months. So, I thought I'd take this opportunity to let you in on the 10 most important things I've done during those silent times, IF I can come up with 10. Hmmm, let me see.... are you ready?
1. Spring has Sprung
Spring + nature = perfect marriage for photography ( in my opinion of my "humble" photo gallery). Whoever invented the first external hard drive, I can't thank you enough! I've heard of horror stories about people loosing their photos and that is something I can't handle if..... The joy that it gives me just flipping photos after photos over the years, and the satisfaction of seeing better photography as I compare the past from the present, is like for me, rearing my own child (granted we have no kids of our own)... Unfortunately, I had to give my Nikon a rest. After one repair, I resolved that it's time to give him a well deserved recognition. Thank you, E995. You were such a loyal friend, working hard till you dropped! Off you go to the display counter, together with a few of my collection..

2. Celebration of Life
Loss of a good companion is hard to accept but the loss of a good friend, a loving brother, cousin, is out of this world. We had our share of sad moments like everyone else and loosing our dear Don touched our hearts so much so that it's hard to believe he's gone. His departure was such a beautiful separate story altogether, but as my honey would put it, typical Don who loves people, he was the only one who partied at his own funeral. We miss him so and sitting on the deck today, with the sun beaming, we were thinking that we could be enjoying his presence right where we set up his own bar stool, whenever he came over to visit around this time of year..... We miss you, Don!

3. Bringing home the Mainland
The most of April and May was gorgeous: lots of sunny days! Surprisingly, we had our first house guests earlier this year. Would you agree if I say that there are house guests that make you feel home with them and there are those that make you uneasy? Unfortunately, for the latter, there's no home to go to because you are the host! We are very lucky that this 2 groups of guests we had these past weeks were the type who make you feel au'natural. No pretensions, no uneasy feelings, just letting you be the good host, and simply enjoy their visit with good food, stories, singing and laughter. To our dear families and friends in the Mainland, thank you again for filling our home with beautiful memories every year!


4. The Visitor
Another special visitor we had this spring, unexpectedly was this little dog-like hopping with joy while we were outside the garden 3 Sundays ago. He started out shying away towards my little flowers which he devoured with gusto, then hopped away under the camper until finally, he let us pet him, at least an hour. Honestly, I've never touched a cute bunny rabbit in my life and the rabbits I'm used to seeing are the ones that eat our garden with their ears always raised in the air. They hop and hop and I don't think they stop at all! Anyhow, I called this cute one, Fluffy and since that day, he/she would come and visit for petting and some. He hates being carried by the way and eventually, he started socializing with the other 2. The consensus in the neighborhood was not pleasant so as sad as it was, we had to put Fluffy in a safe and better care home. One reason why we have no pets, we put so much love that it would be an unbearable pain to let them go when the time comes. Maybe one day when we muster enough courage, we've been thinking of getting a puppy I can go for a walk everyday... ;). Then maybe, we won't be seeing rabbits, birds and deer anymore! Hmmmm....

5. Sidney Getaway
So I finally took a week off from the stressworld of so-called work in May and the only wish I had was to have at least a day of adventurous story to tell, aside from the purging I've been gradually doing in my closet. My honey is the type who would just go in an instant and I am the total opposite. I am like a turtle who would think it over and need a lot of preparation in advance. But this one was like a speedy pack and go kind of thing. We headed out to Sidney, Victoria (Capital of BC) and revisited the place we've been to last year. I might give you details of each story here later on but in summary, if you love the water, the marina, good food, good scenery, homemade bread and pastries, head on towards Beacon drive till you hit the point, and spoil yourself at The Sidney Pier hotel and spa. I'd say it's the best short holiday we had ever!


6. The Butchard Garden
After all the food we had in two days, we needed at least a walk before heading home so on our way, we stopped by Butchart Garden. Wow! You won't believe the walking we did and we didn't even have time to explore the whole 55 acreage of this floral garden! We packed a cooler of sandwiches (homemade bread from Sidney bakery) and right at the entrance at the parking lot, they had a small picnic garden, complete with water source. I was impressed already and another note, if you want shady area for your vehicle, it won't hurt to ask. They were so friendly and accommodating there.... The colors and variants of florals were just magical! But I think if you love tulips, it's best to visit early in May when tulips are in full bloom. Come first thing in the morning to make your money's worth and give you plenty of time to head home and catch the ferry. Thank you Victoria. Every visit we make, you just blow me away!


7. Revisiting the Goats on the Roof
Another fun thing to do on the island, and a must for first time visitors, is to head out to Coombs with empty tummies and shopping bags. The Coombs market is well known for its goats on the roof, literally and you can enjoy watching this family any time of the day since they live there, right on the roof. Inside is a market full of delicacies and things from all over the world so it's one stop grocery shopping. Have a glance until you reach the end where they serve fresh cooked meal but be early. They do get busy esp at lunch and make sure you have room for ice-cream after. Next door is a wide selection of Island Farms ice-cream, enjoy while watching the goats eating on the roof. Because you would want to take a stroll around the area for souvenirs, do your grocery shopping later once you're ready to head home. If that big breakfast was not enough, there's a hidden fancy Italian restaurant next to the parking lot behind the market. Haven't tried but I heard pizza is baked the old fashioned wood burning stove way.... Remember to bring your wallet and cameras!


8. Spot Prawns and 365 Days of Dining in Richmond with Lindsay
Spring also means the season for spot prawns. The closest market in town to get the fresh live ones here is the French Creek seafood market. Boy, was it ever good but you gotta know what you're doing with jumping prawns over a hot stove to make your money's worth. Would you have good recipes to share? I simply sautéed lots of chopped garlic (we heart garlic here at home) in a hot pan of olive oil, carefully dump those bad boys staring at me, salt, quick mix then poured with good white wine, wait till alcohol evaporates, cover for a minute or two till they all turn pink then sprinkle garnish like chopped parsley and butter to bring it altogether. Quick and easy and eat while they're hot. Don't wait too long coz they get tough with the heat. I also want to share with you this blog I've been following since the blogger was chosen officially last week. For you who would love to explore BC, please check it out and I hope this will make your journey a more enjoyable one...


9. The Farmer's Market
Back to the island, there are at least three famous neighboring street markets being held starting mid-spring. The best part of my day off this Saturday was to see what they had to offer down at the Qualicum Farmer's Market: seasonal fruits, vegetables and garden plants were the staples. But they also incorporate handmade goods from kitchen to personal use. They have samples of cheese, bread and coffee beans but the one my honey and I really like is the food truck owned by this young couple. The husband is native of Mexico and he makes the tortilla and tamales from scratch and so happy to know that they will be at the Tuesday night market here in Parksville starting July. Check his youtube version here at lavidavegantv for tutorial. We missed the tamales but we definitely love his homemade tortillas.


10. Our Garden
This year we are slowing down on vegetables because we never eat all our harvests. The beauty of this neighborhood is we know each other and it's always a pleasure to share the fruits of our labor aside from mom and friends. We still end up with lots in the end and not enough time to dedicate for re-production so this year, we are limiting our tomatoes to four pots, parsley and basil on another pot, 2 cucumbers and the rest of the garden have been flourishing like spring! To my surprise, I've only seen the deer once the other night and shooed him right away. It's just a matter of time when they get really hungry and eat all they can whether it's slimy or woody or thorny! So far, we're so grateful to see our flowers in full bloom this year- and this time with leaves ;)...


Well, folks, I could have blogged this topic by topic each day and more, but I would definitely get back to it and share you some fun photos. Deal? So what ten things are you enjoying this season?

Hugs!