The Drrons shoot a killer and other delights.

[drron]

There is a large rock in the middle of the sunken garden.good views from the top.

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[drron]

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Just after I had taken the photo of the next bush a Chinese woman came and sat in it to take a selfie with her face next to the yellow flower.A gardener was nearby so I got her straight over and she gave the woman a bit of a tongue lashing.

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[drron]

As you may be able to tell Japanese maples are a particular favourite of mine.

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[drron]

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Next was the gift store.Some truisms there.

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[drron]

The hot house.

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And now Mrs Butchart's private garden from the cafe.

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Lunch is next.

 

[drron]

We had booked lunch at the restaurant.This is definitely recommended if you want to eat there.Many were turned away whilst we were enjoying lunch.A small menu and wine list.

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I admit to being tempted to order the Big Bang Theory blend but I went for the pinot noir.It was excellent.Mrsdrron had the noble blend and enjoyed it.now to the meal.

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Mrsdrron had the seafood for mains and I the pasta.Mrsdrron thought her meal was excellent.mine OK and could have had more of the halibut.

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For desserts mrsdrron had the creme brulee which was superb.I can never pass up a tart and it was very good and sublimely tarty.

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Another benefit of booking early-you get a window seat.

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[drron]

Some more time was spent in the gift shops-yes more than one.finally time to go as the wind was starting to blow and we were exhausted.So some pics on the way out.First the window display in the main gift shop.

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The peonies were on the exit road which was mainly in full sun so they were more advanced than those in the gardens proper.
Back to Bear Mountain.We didn't feel like a big meal so had dinner in the bar.Mrsdrron had a burger and I a beef and mushroom pie which was very nice.

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[drron]

The next day was our last day in Victoria so we decided to just wander around.Our first stop was Beacon Hill Park.It is worth a visit despite thw day being overcast with strong winds and freezing there were only the occasional drops of rain.Where we entered was one of the water parks in summer with sprays from the spout,handle and various leaks.

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Once again a very good showing of rhododendrons.

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The ducks were obviously very used to being fed by visitors.Even the very young were not afraid of us.

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[drron]

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[drron]

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We saw a vacant seat along this path and we felt like a little rest and refreshment.

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[drron]

In front of the seat was this.

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I didn't notice that this little fellow had his eyes on me.

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Well actually on the open packet of Miss vicki's chips I had in my hand.

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He wasn't the only one.Ducks and geese.

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That one got rather insistent.And of course a gull turned up.

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[drron]

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We were walking back to the car.

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Now we drove around the shoreline of Victoria.

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We then went back into the park from the other side.

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[drron]

The ducks here also had no fear.

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[drron]

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[drron]

The last of Beacon hill park.

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Then it was off to lunch.I had picked out a few seafood restaurants to consider.Picked the Blue Crab at the Coast hotel mainly because you could park for free.turned out to be a very good choice.We shared a plate of scallops and then a very fresh Dungeness crab.

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Washed down with a glass of SB for mrsdrron and a pint of Granville island amber ale for me.

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Desserts were very good.A creme brulee for mrsdrron and a cake with caramel sauce and candied pecans for me.

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Worth a try and possibly worth considering the Coast hotel.Some of the whale watching cruises go from the wharf in front.
And they do have this.

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[drron]

We then drove up the Eat Coast.Not a great day for it as it was getting colder and the wind was gusty.

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Those Canadians were trying to mess with my head.

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We decided to call it a day and headed for the Four Points for our last night on Vancouver Island.

 

[drron]

The four points was much quieter than our previous stay even though there was an indian wedding party and a Chinese bus group.We were upgraded to a spa suite on the quiet side of the hotel.

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An ordinary bathroom as well as the spa.

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And a more relaxing view.

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[Pushka]

I really don’t understand spas in bedrooms.

 

[drron]

Off to SFO today.Now mrsdrron is a Type A personality.You cant be late to an airport .So I really had to work hard to get her to leave as late as 0930 for our 1346 flight.So we arrived at the airport at 1015 and of course checkin not open.it opens 2 hours before departure.So we had a coffee and used our computers.Around 1055 I looked at the departures board and made the comment that there have been no delayed departures today.On cue the board ticks over and our flight is delayed an hour.Finally checkin opens at 1230.Immigration was a fellow looking at your passport before you checked in.
Naturally the first 2 to checkin take an age.We took 2 minutes at most.Security was efficient.I was wanded,patted down and had a secondary explosives screen before my bags came through.Helped by the fact that the bag before us contained a couple of bottles of water.The incoming plane arrived at 1415 but immediately an announcement that due to the weather in SFO boarding wouldn't commence until 1500.now this is not our plane but I liked the look of it.

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UA 5195. YYJ-SFO. ETD-1346. Push back-1544. Take off 1552. CRJ200. Seats 4A,B
ETA-1603. Landed-1742. at Gate-1758.
Interesting that I was in group 3 for boarding and mrsdrron in 4 although we were on the same PNR and both were using our no status avianca numbers.
On boarding the Captain came to the front of the cabin and explained why the plane was late and our earliest departure time was 1548.she said this was under instructions from SFO due to strong winds and cloud at 1300 feet..Sacramento was to be our alternate.Well done UA.
So the pics.YYJ is a good place to be by the window on take off or landing.

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I wondered how many orcas I was flying over.then someone took my mind off orcas.

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Soon over the cascades with some good views.

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[Deleted member 29185]

You should know better than to utter the word "delays" whilst awaiting an aircraft!