A Weekend Away

I turned 55 this weekend. I could have sunk further into the aging blues I was heading into; but Gray and the Universe had other plans for me.

I had envisioned a weekend lying around with the Heating Pad, which has formed a close attachment with my posterior. This would have led to a fair amount of negative behavior...and that's putting it mildly.

But, as a surprise, Graham had made reservations in Victoria, way back in January. When my hip gave out again, he had to decide whether or not to cancel. But then he saw me rally after the second visit for massage therapy; and thought he'd spring the surprise on Wednesday night, for departure on Friday. A change of scene was just what I needed, I thought, but how would I do it? I could not walk far...

And then, I formed the intent that I would do whatever was required in order to go on this trip. I asked my guides for guidance and strength. I asked Abundantia's help in seeing the joy and feeling the positive emotions and focussing on them, rather than the negative. I used the tools I had been taught.

It takes a couple of hours to get to Victoria. We stopped along the way at a White Spot...I had a hankering for a mushroom Burger. We arrived at the Laurel Point Inn at around 8:30. It was indeed a challenge for me to wait, check in, and begin the long trek to our room, only to find when we arrived there that it was the wrong room.

But Abundantia had this in mind all along! When Gray went back to the desk, explained he had requested a king-sized bed when he made the reservations, he discovered there were no rooms like this left. So the hotel upgraded our room to a suite, at no extra cost! Even though it required another hobbling trek through long hallways and elevators to get to this room, it was well worth it. We had a wonderful view of the Inner Harbour; we could see what the passengers were eating on the ferries. The first ferry was a little surprising; I learned to keep the sheer drapes closed.

And the staff brought me a birthday card and chocolates.

We felt much more ourselves the next morning. It was heaven to sleep in and have absolutely nothing to do until our reservations that evening at the Old English Inn for dinner at The Rosemeade Dining Room. Gray had listened to the new chef being interviewed on the radio about six months ago, and liked what he had to say about using only fresh, local ingredients.

But our culinary adventure was not until 7:30; we had a whole day to explore. Because I could not walk, we decided to take a driving tour of Victoria, a place that Gray is not that familiar with. We drove along Dallas Street, on to Beach Drive and into The Uplands, taking a tour around The Oak Bay Marina. The weather was stormy and cold...seeing the sights from a vehicle was not a bad choice.

We stopped at Peppers Organic Foods. I was happy to see my friend Jean's Bread on display from her bakery La Boulange in Qualicum Beach...it was a little reminder of the amazing artisans that produce such wonderful, fresh foods right in my own town. Peppers arranges their vegetables as if it was a painting; I will explore their stores in more detail when I am mobile again.

A little weary now, we found Planet Organics. I remember this store as a bulk herbal/organic store years back, and was surprised to find the new store. But I got over that quickly as I explored the array of goods that were displayed...I bought more Celadrin and CleanseSmart., a thirty day cleansing program And I found big bags of dried Chervil, one of my favourite herbs that is difficult to find in large quantities.

We had had enough sight seeing at this point and travelled back to our hotel, and the heating pad. For the remainder of the day, I rested on the bed, watching the harbour traffic, and marvelling at the pellets of ice that hit the floor length window...a visit outside on the balcony required a woolen blanket wrapped over heavy outerwear.

We were cozy and warm, though, in our zen-like hotel room. There were no pictures or anything that distracted from the clean Japanese-style decor. It was truly peaceful and rejuvenating.

And we still had dinner to look forward to...

Continued next post.