Four years ago I met Keira-Anne through a mutual friend and it wasn’t until about a year later that we sparked up a friendship of our own. We didn’t know each other had a blog and our first play-date was a trip out to the Kwik-E-Mart in Coquitlam. Little did either of us realize that what began with Slushees would turn us into the definition of “BFF”s just a short time later.
Despite our gratuitous self portraits posted to Flickr of the years, Keira-Anne is one of the most down to earth people you’ll meet. We can sit in our pajamas eating cereal in her mom’s living room, bake crudely-shaped Christmas cookies, drink wine from a box, or get dressed to the nines for a night out on the town in Manhattan.
Keira is a beautiful soul who has so much love for her family and is always there for John and I. I have no doubt that my life is far better knowing Keira than it would be if we had never met on a warm August evening back in 2006. Happy Birthday, Keira.
Note: If there’s anything you ever wanted to know about Vancouver Island, it can be found on Keira’s blog.
The CBC broadcast centre will open its doors this Friday, December 3rd for its 24th annual Open House and Food Bank Day.
The public are invited to bring in a donation for the Food Bank and enjoy newsroom tours, live broadcasts, and performances. Donations will be accepted in person from 8:00am until 7:00pm or online through Vancity Credit Union.
You can also meet CBC personalities throughout the day including George Stroumboulopoulos, Peter Mansbridge, Jim Treliving and more. A full meet and greet schedule is posted online.
If you are in attendance be sure to check in on Foursquare and tag your Twitter updates with #cbcopenhouse. There will also be a Tweetup with George Stroumboulopoulos at 11:30am however, you will need to contact the CBC to book your spot. You can also win your way into a live taping of Q through the CBC’s community blog, Twitter, or Facebook.
I will be on CBC Radio for the BC Almanac with Mark Forsythe at 2:30pm that day as well. Food Bank Day broadcasts will begin at 5:30am with the Early Edition.
At last night’s Vancouver Blogger Meetup I was on a panel with Robert Ballantyne who is a resident of Bowen Island. Just 20 minutes away by ferry, this Island community has been a recreation destination for decades making it a perfect feature for this week’s ‘Archives Photo‘ collection.
Year: 1917
In this photo: The S.S. “Bowena” ferry in Snug Cove, Bowen Island
Archives Item#: SGN 1562
Photographer: C. Bradbury
Year: 1920s
In this photo: Rocks on Bowen, looking out at Howe Sound
Archives Item #: CVA 677-560
Photographer: Philip T. Timms
Year: 1940s
In this photo: People sunbathing on the dock
Archives Item #: CVA 1184-3572
Photographer: Jack Lindsay
Year: 1946
In this photo: Boats across from the Bowen Island Inn
Archives Item #: CVA 586-4601
Photographer: Don Coltman
Year: 1946
In this photo: The Bowen Island Inn
Archives Item #: CVA 586-4626
Photographer: Don Coltman
Should you have a theme you would like to see me feature using historic photographs, please feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments.
For nearly one hundred years the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria has been a regal monument of elegance and luxury. The most popular activity at the historic hotel would have to be its world-famous Afternoon Tea, enjoyed by tourists, locals, globetrotters and celebrities alike.
Thanks to an invitation to tea by the Empress on Twitter, Keira and I made our way over to enjoy this legendary experience.
Mimosas featuring Sumac Ridge Steller’s Jay Brut were delivered by our smiling server as we took our seats in wooden arm chairs near a majestic fireplace in the Empress Room. A 3-tiered serving tower followed with a layer of sandwiches (mushroom & truffle, egg salad, smoked salmon, carrot) topped with a tier of scones (with English preserves and heavy cream), and crowned with a plate of pastries, cookies, and cakes prepared by Chef D’Oyen Christie.
The Empress Blend tea was delicious and one couldn’t help but sit and marvel at the beauty of the room’s architecture and furnishings. Children sipped from china tea cups, couples indulged in cream-topped strawberries, and families posed for photos after handing cameras to their server. Tones were hushed, the fire crackled, and warmth from the rich fabrics, wood-carved ceilings, and hospitality of the staff surrounded us.
Afternoon Tea is served daily from 12:00pm and reservations are highly recommended. The dress code is “casual elegance” and there’s no need to fear any pretentiousness in this relaxed and comfortable environment. Starting at $44 (and including a box of tea) this has been on many “must do” lists for visitors to Victoria — and now I truly understand why.
Follow all posts from our Girls Getaway on Vancouver Island & check out Keira’s post about the Empress on her blog.
Disclosure: cmp.ly/2
Last Saturday the Westin Whistler hosted the annual Indulge Gala, benefitting the Whistler Health Foundation. Through a special arrangement, John and I were given a behind the scenes tour of gala preparations by Executive Chef Brad Cumming.
Chef Cumming paired up with chefs from four other Westins including Chef JP Fillion from the Westin Grand, Chef Robert Uy from the Westin Bayshore, Chef Iain Rennie of the Westin Bear Mountain, and Executive Chef Hamid Salimian from the Westin Wall Centre in Richmond. Each prepared one of the five courses with wine pairings for the 170 guests that evening.
Having seen one too many reality cooking shows, it was interesting to see how calm everyone was during the preparations. Eyes were focused, the meal was mapped out, and everyone from the restaurant manager to the events planner for the Westin was on hand to make sure everything went smoothly. Dietary restrictions were noted on whiteboards and menus were written in Sharpie on giant sheets of paper pinned up in the hallway behind the banquet room.
After sharing his kitchen with other Westin chefs for the event, Chef Cumming said that no matter how busy or hectic the preparation might be, all hard work is validated when a diner takes their very first bite and goes back for a second with a smile.
Last year $42,000 was raised for the Whistler Health Foundation and hopefully attendees were as generous this year, especially after enjoying colourful culinary creations such as these.
All photos in this post were taken by John Bollwitt for Miss604.com
