Island Time
The regular Monday lunch blog was bumped due to an afternoon studio workshop.
Right away our facilitator asked what we’d be doing if we weren’t there in the meeting. I said I’d be writing my lunch blog, which is true, though it occurred to me later that if I didn’t have to work I’d still be on Vancouver Island with my folks.
Possibly the shortest trip I’ve ever made to the Island, I begged my parents to bring me along to visit some extended family and friends. It sure was a surprise to see how gorgeous the area is this time of year. All the fall colours were out in glorious, rich tones that we seldom see here, whether because of the different types of trees or even just the climate. (Victoria is generally warmer and drier than Vancouver; our leaves seem to mostly turn brown and sludgey.) The sun even popped out for a visit yesterday evening.
Great food, lots of laughs and a relaxing walk to enjoy nature and spectacular views highlighted the 2-day trip that felt like a week when I returned by myself.
My longing for summer disappeared pretty quickly when I realised how exciting a bleakish, wet, chilly, windy (even stormy) day by the ocean is. Mind you, it’s not nearly as exciting here but I’m sure if we had more nature in the city and suburbs, like Sidney and Greater Victoria, autumn would feel much more pleasant for us S.A.D.-afflicted Vancouverites.
Actually, I’m kind of looking forward to the darkness. Seeing the city at night is exciting and I always found darkness at school to be kind of neat. I’m looking forward to seeing what my studio at work will look like when it’s dark outside in the evening. (We let out at 5:30 so there will be at least an hour of darkness at the end of the day.) Our mood lighting plus a hot cup of tea should be pleasant. Hopefully Mother Nature gets some sunshine in edgewise.
I wish I’d taken advantage of all the time I had off in the last year to get over to the Island but the cost is a big hurdle. I hope the long weekend in November will allow us to get away — along with everybody else, which makes it stressful but good planning and timing helps. The 90-minute ferry ride feels much shorter than it used to. That place is so relaxing and beautiful, but I’d forgotten. Let’s go again soon.