Canada Part 2

Saturday we awoke in our very luxurious room, in our giant king size bed, with Fiona in her little travel crib. We tried to stick to our usual morning routine. John got up and dressed her and played with her for a while and then I nursed her.

Then all three of us headed downstairs to the dining room for a delicious breakfast. At this point, I do not remember what we ate but I know it was heavenly. The chef at Prior House is amazing. We took turns feeding Fiona parts of our breakfasts and walking around the lush gardens with her. Then it was a little more play time and we discovered that she knows how to climb stairs. We live in a one story house, so I am not sure how she learned it. I am guessing it is instinctual.

And might I add, she is really fast!

After stair climbing Fiona tired out and took at two hour nap. We brought the monitor with us so we could leave the room during her naps, but as it happened, we fell asleep as well. It was refreshing. Added bonus, we got to watch her sleep a little bit.

Upon waking from our naps, we joined the family (Cathy, Ron, Grandpa Don, Bruce, Craig, Emily, and Heather) at Swiss Chalet for lunch. Fiona ate chicken tenders and steamed veggies, and even got a little toy. I love that she loves to eat vegetables right now. After lunch, everyone returned to Prior House for a little visit. Thank you Cathy and Ron for taking photos.

  

 

Fiona is not the most social of babies and she takes a long time to warm up to people, so she mostly stayed on my lap or on the floor.

Eventually Fiona tired from all the stimulation of new places and new people and needed another nap. Everyone said goodbye and we took her upstairs, where she refused to fall sleep in her crib. I carried her in the Ergo downstairs, where a concert was happening. A woman with a very lovely voice sang Edith Piaf and Cole Porter songs.

We put Fiona in the car and went for a drive. She immediately fell asleep and slept for about two hours. We tried to find a dinner place and found ourselves at Passero’s, a Greek and Italian restaurant that welcomed us with open arms. It was a nice relief after we attempted to eat at Ross Bay Pub. The waitress immediately told us we had to leave because Fiona was not 19 years old. In the U.S. the word pub doesn’t really mean a lot. Mostly, it signifies the type of food served and that there will be beer on tap. Apparently in Canada, it means no one under the legal drinking age is allowed.

Unfortunately, even though she had a long nap, Fiona was not up to sitting in a restaurant again, so we got our food in take out boxes and returned to the inn. I forgot my camera in the restaurant, so John went back to retrieve it and stopped by his friend Iain’s house on the way back.

Sunday morning began much as Saturday had, but after breakfast we had a visit from Ruth. She gave Fiona a beautiful quilt she made. Ruth is also the person that made the pink and purple blanket that you sometimes see Fiona sitting on, and the bear that hangs above Fiona’s dresser. Ruth chatted with us for a while and showed us Craig, Emily, and Heather’s baby photos. It was a pleasant visit. Fiona got tired and we parted ways so she could nap.

Later, we went for a nice drive out near where John grew up. I took a photo of his house, which I think looks like a chalet. He said he never thought of it that way growing up.

We then attended the birthday party of Doug, the son of Mike and Jennifer. Mike and Jennifer loaned their stroller to us so that we did not have to bring ours. Fiona ate water melon and grapes and Mike’s homemade smoked salmon. I ate a most delicious chocolate cupcake (or two).

Still later, we picked up Don and headed to Miriam and Reg’s beautiful and comfortable house for a very yummy dinner. Miriam procured a high chair for Fiona and I was very grateful because Fiona has been in my lap for most meals. There were other family members as well, Christine and Ross and Ian and Judy. There was a lot of good food and Fiona ate avocado. I used tortilla chips as a spoon for her. For dinner she enjoyed a plum, tomatoes, and potatoes. Sadly, this is the only photo of the night.

We were having so much fun that time got away from us and we had to leave just as dessert was being served. As it was, Fiona made it to bed about two hours later than usual. It’s really hard on her, but I think it was worth it. We did bring two slices home with us though. Miriam is joining the rest of Victoria in conspiring to make sure I do not fit into my work clothes. She made THE BEST flourless chocolate cake EVER! Oh my! I ate some when we returned to the inn, and then again before breakfast. Yes, before breakfast I ate chocolate cake. It made me happy. :)

Monday saw us enjoying more breakfast at Prior House and after we went for a walk around Rockland. I love the Rockland area of Victoria. There are so many interesting old houses and yards to look at. There are many, many heritage houses and little hidden parks and streets everywhere. As we passed a driveway of a newer development, a man approached us and invited us in. He told us the history of the property (it used to be an estate with an old manor house. The manor house is now split into two homes and there are matching townhomes built in a similar style all around). The man’s name is Scotty Gardiner and he used to work for the RCMP as an investigator. He wrote a book that we want to read. He retired and now repairs antique furniture. His real passion is restoring clocks. He let us into his home and showed us the many clocks he repaired, told us their histories, and showed us their special stylistic features. It was really interesting and neat. I took a picture of one clock in particular:

This clock is very rare. It doesn’t give any indication of who made it or when, and the only information Scotty found was a picture of a clock with the exact same shape and ornaments but that is painted in a Japanese style. The book he has doesn’t mention the other clock’s origin, just makes fun of some of the decorations. It’s a mystery!

The little round plate says “Tempus Fugit” – Time Flies!

After our walk around and clock side trip, we headed over to Don’s and picked him up for a ride. We drove around toward Ross Bay and Beacon Hill park, then headed downtown and then back to the park. Fiona was asleep the whole time and we did not want to wake her. I must say she slept well in the car.

We went to Moxie’s for dinner. They have really cool high chairs that have trays attached to them, like at home. Fiona didn’t make a mess at all. She ate bread, tomatoes, pasta, chicken, bell pepper, and beets. I think she likes the red fruits and vegetables. We spent the evening packing and dreading our ridiculously early wake up time for the 6:15am flight the next day.