Walkabout....Victoria's Chinatown.

Your sensitive and thoughtful comments and emails continue to surprise and amaze me...

I am grateful and truly humbled.

Now moving forward after that anonymous rant and getting back to the business of blogging.
Blogging in the manner to which I am accustomed.

My Volvo was in being serviced at the dealership and so I had a few hours in town to do some exploring.
My first stop was Value Village as I do love to peruse the books and china tea cups...I found myself looking at handbags and found a vintage Furla leather bag in chestnut brown leather.

It's a bit of a monster in size but I do like a bag with lots of room for a book and a bottle of water.

I like the tied handle details...

I've been looking for a bargain bag in brown to go with my watch strap for several years.

Our local Value Village is a vast warehouse full to the brim with all kinds of goods.

I find it an amazing place to find everyday basics and clothing.

You'd be surprised at the quality of some of the items...

I think a lot of people, myself included, declutter and are too lazy to have garage sales!

I am on maintenance at WW and went to their new location in Royal Oak for my monthly weigh in and was down half a pound...so far I have not fallen off the wagon!

Salads are so satisfying especially when they have some protein added like the blue cheese and nuts here.

This combination was delicious...apples, blue cheese and nuts atop of baby romaine lettuce.

A simple vinaigrette which I sparingly drizzled over top.

I ordered a decaf Americano coffee to go with the salad from The Grindstone across the street from Value Village.

Lunch out is a treat and I don't mind dining alone.

After lunch I decided to take a walk in Chinatown.

There are guided tours of chinatown which are really interesting.

 On the tours you visit the Mah Jong parlour and go inside the temples and some of the buildings and the shops.

I highly recommend going on a tour if you are visiting Victoria.

The Gate of Harmonious Interest

the entrance to Victoria's Historic Chinatown.

Fisgard Street is chock full of shops, cafes, markets, temples and buildings.

One of my favourite spots to browse...

there is a resident cat that frequently snoozes in the window but he was not there this afternoon or I would have taken a picture of him as he is quite a handsome and very large feline.

There is a sweet little garden out through those french doors...

if they had been open I would have stepped out and taken a picture.

I popped into Silk Road Tea Company on Government Street which is around the corner from Fisgard.

They were serving Lullaby Tea a new blend which is a sleep tea.

The roller ball of aromatherapy oils is reported to induce sleep as well.

It smells lovely!

It seems that many women suffer from sleep issues.

I do not want to rely on any pharmaceuticals so I am experimenting with these.

I also picked up a tin of Japanese Sour Cherry tea...it is a particularly refreshing tea served over ice in the hot weather.

It's another glorious day here and I must close for now as I am going to take a walk.

I'll see what I can find to share with you as I wander about in the neighbourhood.

Do something nice for someone today...

you'll feel better for it.