Saturday, November 10, 2012
A few days ago .. I treated myself to a long long walk outside in the sun.  It had been quite awhile since I’d indulged in this type of activity and so I was quite looking forward to what I would see, what types of dogs and how many times I could just stop awhile and enjoy the scenery.

A lovely long walk with a few intended stops along the way and the rest … well, I was just going to “wing it” as it were.

Well .. to start off with .. not too long into my walk –  I got lost!  One of my intended stops along the way was going to be a local shopping mall.  Normally I would drive there or follow the long and winding walkway that was on the other  side of the highway.

I’d stopped off at a building supply warehouse to inquire about some building materials.  Enjoyed a good chat with one of the sales reps.  Told him that I was taking a new route to the mall .. so  – to save me about 20 minutes, he unlocked  the back gates of the large service area so that I could take advantage of a short cut.

And here my little adventure began.  Amazing how different the city appears when suddenly a new street appears out of the blue.   I ventured along a peaceful quiet  neighbourhood.
In a few minutes – I happened upon this lovely little dog, named Dougal .. so gentle and kind:

and then, continuing along  .. I noticed a playground nearby …

I kept looking up skywards …  lots of cloud formations, birds flying … such a beautiful expanse of blue and white ..

And then I came upon the most delightful home and yard, loved the whimsical artwork & everything looked so creative and carefree .. a very happy place to be!

Lizards abounded in various places and they were a myriad of colours!

I stopped to gaze at these two magnificent totems …

And I will return for another walk on a sunny morning so that I can capture the top of this totem … this is where a viewfinder would greatly help me.

And now I realized that I wasn’t really lost after all!  My sense of direction had righted itself and I knew where I was.  And very happy that I’d discovered a new route to the mall.  A very relaxing and pretty route.

I finally reached the mall …and stopped for a few minutes to look at the brightly painted furniture for sale .. how cheerful these are ..

I began my walk back home … stopping at a local little strip mall.  Which contains some very lovely shops, cafes and this most accommodating laundromat:

I then ventured into a little cafe…. and took come photos of the signage .. yum yum!  If you look closely, you can see a reflection of me taking the photo .. I’m still wearing my summer straw hat .. this is Victoria, you know!  We don’t conform to seasonal dressing .. anything goes here.  Even (shiver) shorts ..

I’d ordered lunch to go, for DH and myself .. so I really enjoyed looking at these very colourful posters, all well framed:

I’d always wanted to try one of these Naanwiches .. so decided now was the time .. one for DH & me … lunchtime was approaching & I was hungry.

And tonight is Diwali, the Festival of Light  …and there will be a big show at UVic!  The young server in the cafe is going to dance in the show .. she is so happy!!

I tucked the delicious, warm, freshly made & well wrapped  Naanwiches (packed in colourful little cardboard boxes)  into my carry bag and headed for home!  Looking forward to surprising my DH with this scrumptious meal.

Well .. I hope that you enjoyed my walk which included getting lost!  These walks are always treasures that I love.  New places, new streets, new adventures!