My Flog for April 2 - 4 (or thereabouts) - Spring Lovely Spring, Totem Poles, and Foody Stuff

Even though it's just a balmy 7 degrees Celsius here this morning (44F for my American friend), spring has definitely arrived in BC. At least in the lower mainland part.

Holland Park is ablaze, with lots of Tulips for Tomorrow pots on the steps. 

Plus of course, all the beautiful bulbs a'bloom - these hyacinths (hyacinthes? hyacinthi?) have such a beautiful smell as you walk by. Sometimes you wish some bus riders were carrying a bunch of them. Or at least, I do.

The trees beside King George Boulevard are getting into the spring of things too.

And there's lots of Forsythia shrubs - why are some spring flowers so hard to spell?

And then of course, there's the absolutely gorgeous Easter Lilly my friend Dolly brought me - the scent is so amazing. Which led to a discussion of why flowers go to both funerals and weddings - to funerals to mask the smell of a decaying body, and to weddings to mask the smell of an unwashed bride. Of course these are years old (as in centuries) customs, and don't necessary explain why Dolly gave me some. I hope.

Blogs are made by fools like me
But only God can make a lily ....

While Dolly, who is Nikkie's mom, and Noel, who is her dad, were here (for Easter) we all piled into her car and headed to the Musqueam Reserve in Vancouver -

where we were welcomed by these totem poles.

The bottom one is a bit scary. I can only imagine what he thought when the bear popped out.

And this energetic fellow ....

Later in the morning, Dolly dropped Nikkie and I off at a sky train station (oh goody!) and we transitted to New Westminster. After a quick visit to the Salvation Army Thrift Store, we climbed the many steps to Westminster Quay for a bite to eat. I chose ReUp BBQ, but decided once again not to go for the pulled pork sandwich - that will come from their food truck some hot summer day. Instead I ordered the Black Bean and Corn Chili with Southern Biscuit, and house-made Strawberry Soda.

The Chili was .... okay. For me, perfectly spiced, which means it wasn't very hot. It went down easy, and a few seconds after a swallow, a nice little warmth started flowing. Maybe I'm just used to chili with a meat base, because this one didn't seem very ... deep. However, this is the first (yes, absolutely, believe it or not) I've had guacamole. Probably the last. Maybe it's an acquired taste. I just stirred in all together and that helped. The Southern Biscuit was so delicious, I was going to order half a dozen to take home, until I saw that was $9. So I figured I could find a recipe and make my own. So far I haven't tried. And the soda? Very strawberry, very sweet and would be so refreshing on a summer's day. (Maybe a tad less sweet would be better, though.)

If you live nearby, you might like to try this - sounds yummy!

Nikkie chose to order fromWally's Burgers, although of course she didn't order a burger - chicken strips and fries, which the fussy eater found to be very good indeed. For once, she finished her lunch.

Well, by now I suppose you've realized I'm not posting every day. It's a busy month, as we're once again moving, so a house to pack and clean and all that. I just got back from another trip with Neil, and that post will come ... soon .... I promise. It's not spring everywhere in BC, believe me!