Shaken and stirred...

Last week I had a very unsettling experienced and it has stayed with me...
I am still trying to make sense of it.

It's something that has completely blind sided me

and left me quaking...

I was driving in my car...a Volvo estate, along a quiet street in Oak Bay.

 In case you are not familiar with these cars they are a very sturdy and heavy vehicle.

Anyway...

I was driving at 40 km, which is the new speed limit in our residential areas of town, 

when and I passed a cyclist.

The next thing I heard was shouting and swearing.

 When I looked back in my rear view mirror and saw the cyclist racing up to my window.

He was shouting and swearing saying I had clipped the mirror on his handle bar.

I said "oh my goodness I am So Sorry if I hit you I am SO very sorry."

"Are you OK?"

(I felt and heard nothing inside the car even though the windows were wide open)

He said "You are NOT SORRY"

"You are a terrible driver!"

"You were going too fast and passed me between two parked cars!"

I said "I am Sorry if I clipped your mirror."

"I didn't think I had passed that close to you."

By this time he was red in the face, and still yelling so I suggested that we call the police.

He was having none of this and yelled at me as he sped off...

"Respect the bike, Respect the bike!"

He then rode right through the stop sign and swerved onto the road ahead...

my heart was pounding and I was shaken.

I looked around for witnesses and saw no one.

I slowly drove away looking to see if he was in sight.

He was nowhere to be seen.

As soon as I got home I got on the phone to the police and made a full report...

I explained how shaken up I was by this event.

It was all the yelling and swearing that had me so upset.

I was not even sure that my car came in contact with his mirror but if it did I wanted them to know.

(I looked at the passenger side of my car and could find no evidence of any marks or scratches)

The report was filed and within the hour I received a call from the Police...

The previous week there was a report exactly like mine...

a driver reported a cyclist who intimated that his bike had been hit 

the driver had no idea or evidence to that effect

an apology was forthcoming ~ despite lots of shouting from the cyclist.

The driver had filed a report with the station and the cyclist had not.

The officer assured me that I was right to report the event and counselled me not to lose any sleep.

I consider myself a very careful driver and I look for cyclists.

I obey the speed limits and am very aware of pedestrians.

I drive defensively...

Now I am left uncertain, shaken and wondering...

and I'll never know for sure.

Sitting with a mug of Lapsang Souchong Tea

on my wee patio

by the back door

listening to the birds

watching the bees flit from flower to flower

trying to make sense of this event.

What have I learned from this?

I'll never know if my car clipped his mirror...

but one thing for sure is that I'll be on the look out for this same cyclist

in case it happens again.

Life is full of unanswered questions...

Thank goodness for the roses...

they are such a cheerful tonic and I hope in time this feeling of unease will fade.

Hope you enjoy your weekend.

Hostess

XO

Sea Ray Adventures...and wildfires.

We went out on our SeaRay this past weekend and left the cats at home with a friend.
 The forecast was for record high temperatures...and records were broken, we were glad that we didn't take them along as they would have been miserable in the heat.

OPI : "This colour is making waves."

Polka dot PJ's and our new nautical mat.

A trio of blues...

Breakfast is blue too.

Our wee Galley.

Ah...

it's Dusk at the Maple Bay Marina...

and we are finally cool.

Keeping hydrated was tough and we had to seek out shade from the mid day sun.

Taconite is the lovely Fantail Cruiser from the 1920's that you can see in the middle of this image
and to the right a tug that has been converted into a live aboard vessel.

Metal wall art on a house boat at the Marina.

In the afternoon...

the water was calm so we went out in our dingy for a ride to explore the cove.

Pretty orange Nasturtiums

I love the variegated leaves.

A wee bit of whimsy...

some one has been busy carving.

We had asparagus with our BBQ steaks, mushrooms and salad.

We went to bed early and had a sound sleep.

When we woke up there was a fire red sun, smoke in the air and ashes all over our boat.

There are quite a few wildfires burning out of control in our province and the wind has carried the ash and spread it all over the lower mainland and the south of Vancouver Island.

It feels very eerie...

there is a red glow in the sky and you can smell the smoke.

We stopped on the way home at Mill Bay Marina and had a bite of lunch.

This family of Canada Geese and a lone seagull greeted us...

you can see the strange colour of the sky.

Ferocious Forest fires have displaced many people who have had to flee from their homes...

it's very alarming and I can imagine how upset they must feel.

Many brave fire fighters are risking their lives to help get these wildfires under control.

Alaska and the Yukon have dispatched experienced firemen to help our Province.

Hope that you are safe and sound where ever you are...

Snapshots and tidbits...from Paris to Victoria.

Snapshots are such a great way to capture everyday life...
with an Iphone in my pocket I am at liberty to snap away to my hearts content, which I do.

The Seine River at dusk...

This image of Paris looks reminds me of an impressionist painting from The Musee D'Orsay.

At Versailles we wandered along the path under a canopy of trees.

In Marie Antoinette's "small home" on the grounds of Versailles.

I loved her quaint "farmhouse" and the working farm.

The Place des Vosges in The Marais area of Paris.

It is the oldest planned square and features a fountain, park and lots of shops.

A wee plant growing in a crack of pavement...

Mr. Peacock in Beacon Hill Park ~ Victoria, B.C.

Chester relaxing in the dappled sunshine of our Humble Bungalow.

My latest book...Kate Atkinson weaves a great tale.

Jacob's Coat Rose floating in our birdbath...

I love how the leaves are reflected in the water, they almost look surreal.

Foxgloves thrive in our clay soil.

Bees love to fly up inside these flowers and buzzing is heard loud and clear.

The wee Vintage French jug I purchased at the Market in Vallence D'Agen.

A reader requested that I share the jug as well as the flowers.

White Iceberg roses and Lady's Mantle.

Which make a striking combination...would you agree?

So delicate...

I wore my Jones of NY wrap summer dress to The Bengal Room at The Empress Hotel 

for Mother's 88th birthday celebration.

I dragged out the sapphire and diamond ring because of the blue in the dress...

I'm hoping that I will not get a citation from the Fashion Police for being too "matchy matchy!"

A decorative door knocker ~ Moissac France.

Our red geraniums are putting on a spectacular show.

I love geraniums for planters and pots as they are relatively inexpensive and bloom all summer long.

Cheap and cheerful.

The weather is perfect for gardening and walking.

This weekend I plan to do both...

and I'll be taking more photos.

Hope that you all have a great weekend!

XO

OOTD....French class

Madame, our French instructor, is a Parisian.
She grew up in the 6th arrondissement of Paris and her father lives in the home where she grew up...
she is planning to go back and visit for several months later this Spring and Summer.

Madame dresses in a style that is very chic. I like to study how she puts things together.
Her accessories are minimal ~ earrings, a watch or perhaps a scarf.
She has a keen eye for fabrics and shapes that flatter and fit...
ballet flats and a pair of leather loafers alternate depending on whether she is wearing a dress or black pants.
Yes indeed black pants...Madame wears lots of black.

Madame smiles a lot...she laughs and winks at her students which are a mixture of middle aged women and men.
She is a gifted teacher and although I am "struggling" to learn the language she is very encouraging and supportive.

I don't fuss too much about what I wear to French class but for fun I thought I'd show you what I wore last week..

Hermes scarf and a cardigan over top a simple black tank top.

Easy Peasy Scarf tie...

I don't like fussing.

Socks with dots...

no one would see these as they were worn inside my Clarks short black leather booties.

I wore Tulip by Fresh Sugar on my lips...

and my diamond studs.

My walking buddy gave me two books to read...

not sure which one I'll start next.

I've never read Elizabeth George but it comes highly recommended.

I read Rachel Joyce's previous novel and found it to be a delightfully entertaining light read...

this might be one to take on the plane.

It's been a drizzly couple of days but then the sun came out and shone down upon us late in the day.

Which made my heart soar...

 then as if I was not happy enough walking along in the peace and quiet

an eagle flew overhead and I could hear the rush of its wings....

Fly like an Eagle.

I am still weighing in over my goal weight but I am determined to keep walking and tracking my points.

Never give up.

Hope things are looking bright in your neck of the woods...

Hostess

XO

Obsessed with the IPhone (camera)

The IPhone camera makes it easy to spontaneously capture and chronicle events.
I take pictures randomly to post on the blog and Instagram and look at scenes with an eye for a possible photo op...
When I look around I see so many things worthy of recording, so many things of beauty.

I am aware that when I am behind the camera lens that I might not be totally "present" in any given situation.
So I am careful not to let this habit prevent me from fully engaging in the "moment."

Having said that...
I have many images on my camera roll.

An early morning visitor.

If you look closely you can see two grey haired gals in this photo and we are both wearing glasses!

taken from the overhead walkway at the entrance to Holt Renfrew

Mosaic tiled pool at The Vancouver Art Gallery...such a lovely shade of cobalt blue.

We did a lot of walking on our recent visit to Vancouver.

One of the most picturesque walks was False Creek to The Olympic Village and around the Science Centre and over The Granville Street Bridge and back to False Creek.

Public art on a grassy space along the walkway along False Creek

you can see the reflection of the ocean and skyline if you look closely.

Gigantic Jelly Beans perhaps?

Bird sculptures at The Olympic Village

This young child was having a wonderful time sliding down the bird's' tail feathers.

The utilitarian manhole covers were intricately detailed...

they are really quite beautiful.

All this walking gave us an appetite.

We lined up early for the first seating of dinner at the iconic Vij's.

Vikram Vij's Indian Fusion restaurant is located in the South Granville neighbourhood.

It is very popular and is always packed with eager diners.

The food is amazing!

It was a lovely evening and you can see the line up along the sidewalk.

Rangoli is next to Vij's and serves up the same delicious Indian fusion cuisine and they offer take away if you don't want to stand in line.

I did not take any pictures of the food as it was too dark.

The flowers in the ladies washroom were artfully arranged.

The next morning we met our friends for a tasty brunch at Abigail's Party in Kits.

We arrived early and put our name on the list for a table.

This spot is popular and there was a line up...

I opted for the Californian...

Dungeness crab cakes topped with avocado with poached eggs on top.

They were yummy...

we had a great holiday in Vancouver and although there was a lot of walking there was even more eating!

I hopped on the scale this morning and this is how I felt!

It's time to start counting my points again!

I went on a 10K walk this morning and ate a salad for dinner.

 Another instalment in The Ugly Truth series is in the works...

Hope your week is off to a great start...

Be Well and Be Kind.