Life on Salt Spring

Day 281 - February 16th 2009

Flying Visits - Ferry Trauma!

Well, I got invited to a previous client's baby shower in Vancouver! I credit these two amazing women with (nearly 4 years ago now) giving me the boost I needed to believe in myself as a lifecoach! And I was supposed to suprise the mom-to-be!

So, I really wanted to go to the baby shower and celebrate with them. It was on a Sunday, so I consulted the ferry timetables - and although it would be a long day - I realised I could get the 7.30am and return on the 9.35pm - to get home around midnight. Hurrah! And because the ferries are quite pricey (would have been about $150 for a daytrip!) I decided to try being a foot passenger - a new experience!

WELL, WHY I though the ferry was 7.30am I have no idea! We arrived at about 7.12am only to discover the ferry was at 7.15am and was about to leave. Damn damn damn. There wasn't another ferry until 3pm - too late for me! I was SCREWED and pretty mad at myself!

Duncan (hubbie) calls this my "Timetable Dyslexia". Even after double or even triple-checking I can still get the wrong day mix up am/pm and basically make a complete mess of travel plans.

Well, as it turned out, I noticed the ferry wasn't moving and was about to head back into the terminal to PLEAD to be let on when I noticed the lady behind the counter urgently motioning me in! I raced in breathless, to discover they were waiting for one of the crew members and I could go aboard!

WHAT A RELIEF! The nice lady suggested I buy a lottery ticket as it appeared to be my lucky day... I sped down the ramp, gave the attendant my credit card receipt (instead of the boarding pass) and headed to the lounge to eat my (very Salt Spring) healthy homemade Bircher muesli and a cup of tea.

Boy did I feel great - and very stupid - all at the same time!

I was later told by some regular ferry-goers that it's often the Captain that's late - although there aren't exactly any traffic problems on Salt Spring. That might explain why the ferry was waiting...

AND, true to form, living in a small community - I recognized one of the ferry staff - a lovely lady from the women's writing group I belong to! So she came and found me for a quick chat later on.

Taking the ferry early in the morning means you get to watch the amazing sunrise as you cruise through the various islands to Vancouver. Beautiful. For once, the ferry being late was a good thing! Thank-you BC Ferries.

I (CONTINUE TO) LOVE ISLAND LIFE!

A 'City' Break to Victoria...

So, we took a 'city' break for a couple of days, setting off Wednesday and returning Saturday morning.

I know I know. But Victoria IS a city-break if you live on Salt Spring - and it IS the capital of BC...

So, why do so many people in Victoria wear hats (that aren't baseball hats)?I know it's getting chillier out there and Fall is on the way. But I really don't think I've seen so many people wearing (non-baseball)hats in one place before! Maybe it's all the students in Victoria? Or maybe it's all the funky (as in cool and hip - not smelly!) little places we kept finding - maybe 'hat-people' hang out in funky places?

And WHO ARE all the people hanging around in coffee shops mid-morning and mid-afternoon? Before becoming a life-coach and running my own business I used to work 9-5 (and sometimes 8-7!) rarely leaving the office. Sad but true. So, on our Victoria visit, whenever we stopped for coffee or had brunch (we did that every day!) places were packed full of people relaxing, chatting. It wasn't lunchtime. It wasn't the weekend. And they weren't all students.

I can only surmise that as an office-worker I led a very boring and sheltered life. And all those people hanging around in the middle of the day in coffee shops are much more interesting (and relaxed) than I used to be. Or maybe it's just a West Coast thing versus London thing?

All in we had a fabulous time eating, drinking, strolling around, visiting the castle, fisherman's wharf (being startled by a seal and enjoying the floating houses there), hanging out in coffee shops, walking the sea wall and checking out various funky and eclectic clothes, gift and furniture shops!

Our personal Victoria awards go to:
Best Brunch: Mo:Le on 554 Pandora Avenue
Best Dinner: Brasserie l'Ecole on 1715 Government St
Best Live Music: Tom Hooper (formerly of Grapes of Wrath) at new pub Bard & Banker
Most likely to be repeated wrongly Pub name: The Bard & Banker (ask a Brit to explain this) 1022 Government St