Peppers, Park, Birds

Most of you know that I love spicy foods so, naturally I try to grow hot peppers in my garden.  So far I have had mixed results: a few jalapeno and cherry peppers in the past that didn't produce much.  The garden is just a few blocks away from the ocean so gets cold winds and is always cooler than the rest of town.  Not the best pepper growing conditions.  But last year I got my hands on a chocolate habañero plant and tried again.  I discovered this strain of habañero a few years ago and it is now my favourite pepper.  "Chocolate" refers to the colour, not the flavour.  They taste like habañeros but more so, that characteristic fruity flavour..... and lots of heat.  And they're brown, hence the "chocolate". 

In any case, I put that plant in my garden last year and it did very well....... sort of.  Lots of blossoms and good leaf growth.  But no fruit.  It didn't seem to be getting pollinated.  Having learned that pepper plants are perennials, I whacked it down to it's central stem, dug it up and brought it home for the winter.  There, in my north facing apartment, that little plant has been flourishing ever since.  Now there are 10 fruit on it.  Well, actually there are only 8 peppers on it now since I harvested two.  Very tasty and very hot.

So I got some friends for it: another chocolate habañero and two red habañeros.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=uzd9n8yzEYM&feature=emb_logo

Meanwhile, on the roof next door:

A constant flow of herons passes by my windows every year at this time on their way to and to and from their rookery to their fishing grounds.
 

They bring back their catch and regurgitate it for their young.  There's constant chatter and squawking up in the treetops.  

 There is some feeding action here that starts at around 1:50.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JfC9btG1zo&feature=emb_logo 

In Beacon Hill Park

 I'll be chronicling the development of the peppers so stay tuned...............

Flowers etc

What first got me into photography was flowers.  Seeing flowers through the camera lens somehow opened up the intricacies and complexities and symmetries of flowers for me.  Not to mention the sheer beauty.  Endless permutations of colours and patterns and shapes and shades and sizes.  
These were taken at Government House, the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, "the Ceremonial Home of all British Columbians". 

 A  grand place with sweeping views over the Straits.  

I'd been to the house on several occasions but had never taken the time to stroll through the grounds and the flower gardens.  So it was a revelation to me to see how lovely they are.  An outstanding rose garden and paths that wound around the hillside through the gardens, interspersed with benches to sit and admire the views.   A colourful, quiet oasis.  The property encompasses 36 acres and contains a number of different gardens tended by different volunteer organizations.   For more:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_House_(British_Columbia)

Sights from the saddle

I got an electric bike recently and have been riding a lot more.  Most of my riding was utilitarian, shopping and so forth before the ebike.  Not much recreational.  Now I'm drawn to go out exploring on the bike like I used to be able to do.  Here are some images along the way. 

Victorians have been advocating for years to restrict cars on Government St, the touristy street downtown, where the cruise ship people go and shop.  There's no parking on that street anyway but the business owners have always been opposed to closing it to cars.  So it took a pandemic for that to happen. 

 Now, on several blocks of Government St traffic has been confined to one lane in the middle where pedestrians have right of way as well and the lanes on either side are pedestrian only.

 One block is closed to car traffic so Government St is no longer a through street.

  Only problem now is that there are no tourists in town and not enough locals go downtown, especially if driving and parking are more difficult.

 (The mall parking lots are full)

This is a coal stacker reclaimer. 

They've been assembling this machine at the Point Hope Shipyards for some time now.  It will be sent to the mainland and used to stockpile coal, fed by a conveyor. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=_P9Zhal9otI&feature=emb_title

The Galloping Goose Trail, our long, multi-purpose trail goes right past this shipyard so I see the progress on their projects regularly.  

On this day I was on my way to hike up Mt Douglas, a hike I like to do occasionally that has wonderful views over the whole southern tip of the island.  On the way up:  

 Along the way at Willows Beach

 And in my garden, the artichoke that was among the best I've ever eaten..

First Paddle of the Year etc.

All spring I've been keeping an eye on the weather with an eye to kayaking, just waiting for the right opportunity to get out on the water.  I've become quite selective about the conditions when I paddle and am pretty much a fair weather paddler any more.  I've had my share of excitement.  At my age, going solo at all is probably not a great idea but the lure of solitude outweighs prudence.  In any case, a day came along with sunny skies and moderate winds so I headed off for my usual destination, Discovery Island, an hours paddle away.  

It's a very pretty island half of which is Provincial Park with camping facilities and the other half is the property of First Nations.  

The land that the park is on was formerly owned by an E.G. Beaumont who bought the property in 1918, lived there with his wife for almost half a century and left it to the province when he died.  The apple trees they cultivated still blossom and bear fruit and you occasionally encounter other evidence of the homestead.  

Some day the scotch broom and ivy that were introduced will overwhelm everything.

In my garden, the first artichokes.  Early this year.
 

On Beacon Hill 

Portland #3

The principal exhibit at the Portland Art Museum was of the Exposition Universelle, the 1900 Paris Exhibition, a worlds fair that served to celebrate the accomplishments of the past century as well as pave the way for development in the new century.  It was also intended as a showcase for France's burgeoning power in Europe.  Of particular note to me was the prominent role played by bicycles.

And a few other objects that caught my eye in this most strangely laid out museum.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Portland largely by virtue of having great hosts:  Cynthia and Ed and Lily.   With their excellent tour guiding services, I think I got to see the best of Portland

Portland continued

One afternoon Lily took me on a walk to Washington Park where we explored the Japanese gardens. 

 This is a 500yr old tree.

Portland is know as the Rose City and these rose gardens are emblematic.