An older man travels over sea and land in quest of new adventures
A Constant Gardening
No comments are necessary here. These photographs were all taken within a couple of hours at the official residence
Ho Hum, just another rose garden. Let’s get out of here. The aroma of these roses brought back childhood memories of a English gardener father, languid Sunday afternoons in the park and a brass band playing on a huge gazebo. I was bored stiff!A concrete bird and rose petal soup. The devil is in the details.Bad boys raiding cherry trees. Hmmmm…cherry-grazed venison.BUT IT’S BAMBI! The enduring legend of the urban deer.Fading beauty. My Iris eyes weren’t shining.No balcony, but what a view it must be. This gable is a familiar landmark from out at sea.Flowers everywhere, and they all have a name…and one in latin.Martian Asters?
of British Columbia’s Governor General. Nice work if you can get it! The grounds are open to the public, and believe it or not, there is no admission charge!
The ocean view from this property is fabulous and the gardens are indescribably beautiful. The gardens change with the seasons and are well worth the visit, even if you’re not interested in some incredible flora, and surprising fauna. They are not far from the bustle of downtown Victoria and have been a well-kept secret for a very long time. That is changing and they are being discovered by the tourists but the aura of peace and order has not been diminished. This garden may not have anything, or it may have everything, to do with sailing. Without destinations, the voyage between is meaningless.
Stems are red, petals are green, bassakwards, know what I mean?Bee down collateral damage and the nectar overdose.Bzzzzz, incoming honey dipper.The DancerAll natural colour everywhere Danged purty, whatever they’re calledIt’s real!An ocean glimpse, through the trees. Hard to believe this is a few blocks from a city’s core.ORCA O’CLOCKGriffon and rosesA painter’s blissNo fish, no coins, but a beautiful fountain among the bloomsLady bug, lucky bugLa Vie En RoseOne starts to not see it allTranslated it means “No milk today.”Hey you, get offa ma rock!”Stunning to the bitter endLook up, way up. A redwood blocks the sun.The ubiquitous and rare bronze tap flowera hidden gateway to the magic gardenStunning glasswork on someone’s front lawnWOW!One more for the road
“The world laughs in flowers.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Fred is a slightly-past middle age sailor / writer / photographer with plenty of eclectic hands-on skills and experiences. Some would describe him as the old hippy who doesn't know the war is over. He is certainly reluctant to grow up and readily admits to being the eternal dreamer.
He has written several books including two novels, 'The Keeper' and 'Storm Ecstasy,' as well as 'The Water Rushing By', 'Sins Of The Fathers', 'The Magic Stick', as well as an extensive inventory of poetry, essays, short stories, anecdotes and photographs.
His first passion is the ocean, sailboats, voyaging and all those people who are similarly drawn to the sea. He lives aboard 'Seafire' the boat he is refitting to go voyaging, exploring new horizons both inner and outer. This blog is about that voyage and the preparations for it. In spite of the odds against it, the plan is to sail away this fall and lay a course southward. If you follow this blog your interest may provide some of the energy that helps fuel the journey.
Namaste
Contact him at svpaxboat@gmail.com
View all posts by Fred Bailey
Nice! I once had the honour and pleasure of being seated beside then Lt.-Gov. David Lam at an awards dinner in Victoria. It was under his watch that the public gardens were developed at Gov. House and volunteers were welcomed in to create and maintain them. He told me about how and why he did this, a story which was a delight to hear. I haven’t been to the gardens (though have been meaning to ever since I heard his story) – so appreciate your photos and comments. A very special place indeed.
You are outdoing yourself in each post.
Thanks so much Justine.
Nice! I once had the honour and pleasure of being seated beside then Lt.-Gov. David Lam at an awards dinner in Victoria. It was under his watch that the public gardens were developed at Gov. House and volunteers were welcomed in to create and maintain them. He told me about how and why he did this, a story which was a delight to hear. I haven’t been to the gardens (though have been meaning to ever since I heard his story) – so appreciate your photos and comments. A very special place indeed.
Yep, there’s great Karma there, an oasis of sanity. always worth visitng any time of year. Fred