I have a massive post here for you - this weekend did not go as planned for us, in practically every single way, but I still have a ton of pictures and a couple of outfits for you to enjoy.
"And don't forget the cat pictures."
And yes, there are loads of cat pictures. Grab a mug of something hot, and get settled, folks.
"Happy what?"
Merry Christmas! It's our annual, Sheila, L and Vizzini pic. We're ready to head off to Powell River to visit L's mom (and boyfriend) and his brother for Christmas. We haven't visited them together in close to two years, and it was important to us both that we made it up this year.
Travel, weather and style - that's my modus operandi.
My gigantic mohair skirt only comes out when the weather is REALLY cold.
- Sweater - Maison Scotch, consignment; last worn here (3rd outfit) in November for Book Club
- Skirt - Joy Nilsson, vintage 70s, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in February for a snowy brunch
- Boots - 1883 Lucchesse, thrifted; last worn here a week ago for brunch
- Coat (below) - Mallia, consignment; last seen here a week ago
Powell River is a long, 3-hour drive up-Island (I live on a huge island, remember? all links 'cause I love!), followed by a ferry ride to the mainland of BC.
Nice blue skies behind the Castle on Christmas Eve/Friday. Nothing to worry about!
Of course, L and I pay very close attention to the weather this time of year. We rented a car (Vlad doesn't travel in the winter) and booked our hotel. We are ready!
I'm a very efficient traveler. I am wearing my Tool concert tee as a layer under my wooly sweater, and planned to sleep in it. I took 2 other tees for wearing/sleeping in, changes of underwear and socks, and that's it, aside from toiletries.
The skirt is the warmest thing I own - it weighs a ton and is 100% pure mohair. It's like wearing a giant thick blanket.
I am an anxious traveler and this would be the farthest from home I've traveled in two years.
I had anxiety dreams of having to sleep in the car on the side of the road in a snowbank, so I prepared.
I'll be visible in this bright pink! They can find my body in the snow easily!
*ahem*
I'm wearing wool leggings, plus thick socks and my most weather-y boots.
Masked up in case we are allowed out of our cars on the ferry.
We brought a pile of blankets with us - it's not just me with the anxiety dreams!
I also took my computer/picnic poncho, with plans of sitting around on Christmas in it working on my Peacock Jacket, which I packed so that I'd have something to do.
I hate just sitting around. My hands need busywork.
- Poncho - Ralph Lauren, thrifted; not tracked
Outerwear - the longest, thickest, warmest coat.
Plus my pink stuff - style AND warmth!
Accoutrements:
A mask for every day, plus fingerless gloves in case my hands got cold indoors (I can still draw with them on).
- Fur boa - thrifted
- Gloves - consignment
- Cashmere beret - Club Monaco, thrifted
- Masks - all by Mom
- Fingerless gloves - Parkhurst
The stuff:
I Woly'd up my boots for extra waterproofery.
Brutalist bling:
Like I would skip jewelry! Pshaw!
- Cuff, bracelet and necklace - Robert Larin, vintage 70s, all gifts from L
- Brutalist ring - thrifted
- Silver/onyx ring - Toccara, vintage fair
- Earrings - Glee
All our gear by the front door, ready to go.
One last look back at our little furry boy.
"What, you're going somewhere? Is Uncle Ross coming?"
We did indeed book Ross and Cat to come over and feed our little monster while we were gone. Fortunately, they live close, so coming over twice on Christmas Day isn't a complete hardship for them. We are always grateful to have such caring cat-friends.
A quick 20th look at the weather forecast (cold, snow, cold, snow), followed by checking the news, which was full of crazy amounts of Omicron cases, noting that anyone exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID should just assumed they've been infected and to isolate for a week. Our case-tracing and testing is overwhelmed - Omicron is ravaging our province.
...and then we head for the Malahat. For those of you who saw our floods, mudslides and landslides in the news in BC last month...yeah, that's where we are headed. Good times!
No problem! Look at those blue skies! All will be well!
Very little traffic - this is around 10:30am on Friday.
Only a little bit of snow at higher elevations, totally typical this time of year.
We're making good time.
A little bit of rain.
Entering Goldstream National Park.
This is the start of the scary, winding, side-of-a-cliff route - aka the Malahat Drive. This is the only main road to travel up-Island.
The Goldstream River is looking rather swollen.
This river has a major salmon run every year.
Which is why this inlet is called Salmon Arm (an arm is an inlet).
That's Mount Finlayson swathed in low clouds.
Looking across Salmon Arm - that's Central and North Saanich over there.
Still not too bad. A little cloudy.
A bit of rain.
Not a lot of traffic. We had tunes and were singing along.
More rain, but pffft, we're both from the we(s)t coast.
A little rain is nothing.
Look at that view down on North Saanich!
Sidney and the ferry over to Vancouver are down there.
Ooh, isn't this pretty?
There was very little wind, and the trees are all covered in snow.
La la la la, winter wonderland.
There's not even any slush on the highway.
Oh, now we are higher...
And that is snow coming down!
But it quickly passed.
That's the summit of the Malahat Drive section of our route. We are 1,165 feet above sea level here.
Ah, we made it!
Those clouds look totally fine!
Nothing to worry about, now that we are in Mill Bay.
Wave to the folks over in North Saanich!
It's practically sunny as we drive towards Duncan.
The farms around here are just starting to recover from the flooding.
And here are the bridges going over the Cowichan River as we enter Duncan.
Lots of trucks.
And a gorilla!
Oh, Duncan, never change.
We zipped through the city, and kept going north.
Look at all that lovely blue sky!
Hello, Mister Snowman!
Enjoy the sunshine!
The summit of Mount Prevost (pronounced "pruh-VOH") is shrouded in clouds.
You can see the snow line.
The Cowichan Valley is lovely.
A very fine place to pass through.
More bridges!
This is a very wet part of the world.
More farms.
Looking south back down-Island as we pass through the city of Ladysmith. I spy a tanker in the distance on the water.
Oyster Bay is not as friendly, weather-wise.
I'm not a fan of this sleet.
Getting close to the city of Nanaimo...
"It takes time to..." WHAT? What does it take time to, sign? I need to know!
We're nearing the Nanaimo airport (which is a little airport in the middle of a field).
Not a good day for flying.
And now it is fully snowing.
Another bridge.
And some very pretty fields.
But this weather sucks.
I'm amazed that the ferries from Duke Point/Nanaimo are still running, but it wasn't windy.
Those connect to the mainland. If you want to get off Vancouver Island by car, your choice is a ferry or nothing.
The highway was in good shape.
We saw many snowplows out doing their job.
I see Nanaimo!
It's way in the distance, behind that big cloud of...
SNOW.
Lots and lots of snow.
Did I mention the snow?
It was very snowy around Nanaimo.
Pretty, though.
I take pictures to distract myself.
Nothing scary, nothing scary.
Very scary, very scary...
The road was really icy, and we hydroplaned a few times.
Finally, the signs for our destination: Courtenay/Comox, where the ferry will take us to Powell River.
Long stretches of highway await.
It's incredibly lovely.
But also really terrifying in parts.
We drove this - many years ago - in our first teeny little Miata, with snow and wind. I remember feeling the car lifting off the road. This drive was nowhere near that scary, but still rather a white-knuckle ride in parts.
Finally! We made it!
We're in Comox! Woo!
We drove into the tiny town, and pulled into a Subway to use the washroom and get ourselves lunch. This was a three-hour drive from home.
When L checked his phone, we discovered that one of our friends had tested positive for COVID a few days prior...and he'd been at our party. Which meant we needed to isolate for at least a week...and as we'd been exposed, we could not risk exposing L's mom or her boyfriend (both 80+).
We made the heart-breaking decision to turn around and go home. I called and cancelled our hotel, and L broke the news to his mom. She was hugely disappointed, as were we.
"I felt a disturbance in the force...plans have changed."
We could not be the people to bring COVID to Powell River. We headed back down-Island.
Back into the snowstorm.
Our biggest concern at this point was getting home before dark.
"Expect Winter Driving Conditions."
YA THINK?
The weather system was headed south, and we entered it and followed it onto the Malahat.
Totally safe driving, not scary at all.
Lies!
How happy am I to see the sun?
We can do this.
The Malahat will not have a landslide.
I see blue sky at the summit!
We were briefly slowed here, as the workers had some of the road blocked off, still dealing with the previous landslides.
And we arrived home around 4pm, just in time to get the rental car back before they closed for the holidays.
"Oh, were you gone?"
We broke the news to our friends, called my mom and L's mom, and hunkered down for a hibernation - we're under isolation until Tuesday, which will be 10 days since our party.
"What's this? What's this?"
We played boardgames and watched It's A Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve.
"And then we all play on the bed!"
L and I did our stockings in bed together on Christmas morning, and Vizzini bounded around after the tissue paper.
"Where is my present?"
When we plan on being home for Christmas, Vizzini gets his own stocking full of catnip and a few toys, but since we hadn't planned on it, we just threw tissues at him.
"I need to know what's going on! What is all this?"
He went after my bag where I put all my little chocolate Lindt balls.
"This one is for me!"
He prowled around inspecting everything.
"None of this is edible."
A Christmas morning selfie. L was up and showered (and making coffee for his Little Dragon - that's me). I'm barely awake.
We always stuff the toes of our stockings with an Irn-Bru!
I'm very lucky - Santa L was generous!
"I still feel that I should have gotten more..."
What I got:
- British Vogue
- A bunch of books
- A "forgotten English words" desk calendar
- Loads of chocolate (mostly all eaten)
- Some jewelry
- Gift cards (Fluevog, Turnabout)
This is my jewelry - I had spotted it when we were out last month at Good Things Consignment.
L paid $125.00 for both the earrings and bracelet, which are by Alexis Bittar.
I love the personal touch for my Fluevog gift card.
Aw, I like that better than the plastic gift card. Thank you, love!
I showered and got dressed in an appropriately Christmassy outfit.
L is in a vintage shirt, with a Fluevog belt buckle (a second-hand gift from me this year), with consignment trousers.
Since we weren't going to be able to see any of my family (who mostly live in Victoria) either, I dressed for a Zoom call with Mom later in the afternoon.
Another once-a-year piece gets its annual outing, this embroidered vintage velvet skirt.
We woke up to snow on Christmas Day, as the system had worked its way down to Victoria overnight.
Only on the rooftops - most of it was gone already by the time we were up.
I wore this all day.
I made us breakfast, cobbled together out of the few groceries we had left.
As we had not planned on being home until late Sunday, we hadn't stocked up.
Much holiday love to you all.
I felt especially cheery with my gold crocheted collar on.
I have wings!
A close-up - I wore my new-to-me Christmas gift jewelry from L.
The stuff:
Getting dressed helped me deal with the disappointment of our plans gone awry. I only had the shoes on for pictures - thick socks and wooly sheepskin slippers were the order of the day.
- Crocheted collar - made by me from vintage, thrifted wool
Black and gold bling:
The metal/stone floral brooch helped keep my collar in place.
- Fang bangle - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Sidney
- Bangle and earrings - Alexis Bittar, consignment; gift from L
- Brutalist brass ring - vintage, vintage mall
- Silver/onyx ring - Toccara, vintage fair
- Brooch - vintage 60s, Mom's
I have a small collection of Alexis Bittar jewelry - I love the clean lines and attention to detail in his stuff.
Both are stamped.
The gold on these is 14K.
The inset stone on the earring tips is Labradorite. The bracelet is called the "Mirrored Pyramid Brake Hinge Bracelet" and retails for $353.00 new (it's still current, here, on their site). I couldn't find any similar earrings, but for a pair this complicated, they are likely in the $300 range as well. Gotta love second-hand shopping! L saved over $500!
L and I only do stockings for each other, but we'd both wrapped gifts for putting under the tree to avoid awkwardness as everyone opens gifts but us. This was my "tree present."
I have been eyeing this at the Velvet Crease for about a month, but at $62.00 it was a bit on the pricey side for me. When L said he wanted one more gift for me, I suggested this. Yay! I love it!
It's by Bodybag by Jude, a company I'm familiar with - I used to have a cowgirl dress (this one, last seen in October 2015) and an "origami" dress (this one, last seen in August 2015) by them.
Made in Canada and it's a very snuggly blanket fabric.
I had to model it!
It's a cape and is from 2014 (I found pictures here on a blogger's site). It likely would have been around $200 new.
Capes are a pain in the arse to wear functionally, but they are very stylish if you are able to swan about in them.
This belt goes around my back (inside the cape), through two holes in the front, and ties at the waist.
Hmmm, where is the other hole?
Even though I'd tried this on - twice! - at the Velvet Crease, I had never noticed the pouch inside!
I've got pockets! Or A pocket, at least.
Vizzini, aren't you excited? We're home for Christmas!
"I'm as thrilled as can be, Woman."
He really was happy to have us home.
"Well, you're warm and okay to sit on, I guess."
In the afternoon, I chatted with my brother briefly from Courtenay, and during the day Mom visited my ex-sister-in-law and our two eldest nieces, Zoe and Hannah, then drove home before dark. We joined her for a Zoom call, where she opened her presents from us...
And she sent us our gift cards (Fluevog for both, plus art supplies for me) by email while we chatted. Merry Christmas, Mom! We'll see you soon!
Fortunately I had enough food to make us Christmas dinner.
Roast beef with onion gravy, roasted potato wedges, cauliflower and honey-dijon carrots. We were stuffed! And I had enough roast left over to make both stew and chili. We won't starve!
Vizzini got a special treat: catnip! Vizzini, are you high?
Then he started rolling around like a silly kitten.
"No, I'm not feeling anythi---"
"This carpet is like, so psychedelic, man..."
L and I watched football games and then played Arkham Horror and listened to music until the wee hours.
"I'm helping."
In the morning on Sunday, the temps had dropped dramatically. My brother Dave cancelled his trip down-Island as they had -17 and sheets of ice on the roads. No afternoon Zoom call from Mom's place in the afternoon, as we'd planned.
We had more snow here overnight, and it's -7 as I work on this blog entry on Sunday afternoon.
The snow is still coming down, although it's lighter.
The wind is keeping it off our sidewalks, so at least we don't have to shovel it.
Brrr, it rarely gets this cold here.
That's -4 on the deck this morning. Fetch me some hot tea!
I can see a lot more kitty cuddling in my future.
"Oh yes, there will be cuddles."
And that's how the best laid plans...go awry. But we will see L's family - maybe later in January, but better late than never - and we'll see Mom again soon.
"But for now, you have me."
Aw, thanks, Vizzini!
We have two more days of isolation before we can go back out in public, but we'll manage - no one else who went to our party has tested positive for COVID, so we are lucky. It could have been much worse!
And how was YOUR Christmas??
Thank goodness you all are okay! 4 out of 5 of my immediate family members had Covid right before Christmas... thankfully, we all had mild symptoms but still! 2021 can go ahead and end now, lol
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for all that scary driving for no get together. You are caring people- many apparently are taking chances and not isolating. You look fabulous of course.
ReplyDeleteI took your advice, made a hot drink (morning coffee) and settled down to read your blog. What a thoroughly inspiring and enjoyable read it was too!
ReplyDeleteI had a bit of a Google on The Cowichan Valley, now that really looks a staggering location, hiking and fishing spring to mind although being what's known in The UK as a southern softy it'd have to be during the summer;)
I'm sorry to read of the disappointing outcome, we're still waiting for further guidance and instruction regarding COVID in England, we'll just have to wait and see what the new year has in store.
Paul
I enjoyed this long post Shiela; how disappointing though that after a long drive you had to about turn!
ReplyDeleteBetter safe than sorry, Covid is once again rife in so many areas, it’s a very worrying time once more!
Your pink skirt is such a statement, super cosy and thee most gorgeous colour.
I loved how you styled it in your flashback post, blue jumper and flower necklace; that is one fab outfit!
Great detail on your Christmas skirt and love the gold shoes too.
Nice to see pics of you and L.
Sounds that despite the setback you enjoyed a great day and lovely gifts.
Stay safe. xx
Oh, no! I'm sorry you had to turn around and cancel your trip. That's sad, but Omicron is everywhere. I'd like to ride a motorcycle up to Comox in the future; a friend who bikes near you says the trip is nice. And I love your skirt/blanket.
ReplyDeleteOh, how fortunate/unfortunate L checked his phone. Fortunate because you had forewarning (and good human behavior) to know to turn around. Unfortunate because you had to turn around. It looks as if you had a lovely Christmas anyway, but the disappointment must have been fierce. We were able to gather with two of the three kids and do a meal and open gifts. I truly wish my family got me as well as L gets you when it comes to gifts…nuff said there. Happy Holidays, Sheila!
ReplyDeletehttp://marshainthemiddle.com/
What a horrible thing to have your Christmas plans thwarted by Covid, in particular after having driven all that way in wintry circumstances! I bet Vizzini didn't mind having you both all to himself though! In spite of it all, your Christmas day sounds a lot more festive than ours, but that's because we don't really do Christmas, of course. L. has certainly made sure to spoil you with all those delectable presents. Loving your Christmas dress, and the fuzzy pink skirt you wore for you trip. That certainly was a most hair raising journey! I'm glad to hear you are both OK and I'm sure you're counting down to Tuesday! xxx
ReplyDeleteThe journey sounded and at times looked nightmarish! I detest driving in snow and sleet so I am so glad we don't get snow that often. Such a disappointment to have to turn around but very sensible and thoughtful.
ReplyDeleteLoved the outfits;especially the velvet embroidered skirt - what a beauty! I loved your tree present from L. A poncho with a pocket; why didn't somebody think of that sooner? A totally brilliant idea. You received some fab presents; the jewellery was lovely.
I'm so glad you have enough provisions to last you. Not having provisions in would not be a problem for us. There are lots of Asian owned shops locally and as they don't celebrate or close for Christmas are nearly always open when the supermarkets are shut.
Happy New Year!
xxx
Ah, what a shame, after a 3 hours drive and haven't seen each other for 2 years. The disappointment on both sides must have been huge. But I would have taken the same decision.
ReplyDeleteAt least you don't have to go out now that it is so cold and snowy.
I love your new jewellery. Well done L.
Vizzini will love having you both to himself for such a long time.
Hang in there guys.
Greetje
I love your maxi pink skirt. It looks great with that cropped sweater...and it sure looks warm.
ReplyDeleteThe velvet maxi skirt is a beauty. I thought it was a dress, it matches the sweater perfectly. That's a cute tartan cape as well.
Happy remaining holidays!
We didn't get to see any of my husband's family this Christmas, everyone is sick...:( I hope we'll get to see someone by NYE!
Sweet Sheila, I am sorry beyond sorry that your holiday season plans came to a screeching halt quite literally on the way to coming to fruition. I can just imagine what a difficult thing that must have been for both you and L, as well as the loved ones your were en route to visit.
ReplyDeleteIt was with the biggest possible sigh of relief that I got to the end of the post and read that (knock wood!) you're not exhibiting signs of Covid thus far. Thank every star in the universe for that - and may your friend who did fall ill make a swift and complete recovery.
Wishing you both a tranquil, curveball free final four days of a year that clearly is not going down without a hefty fight.
Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life
PS: As a fellow British Columbian, your phonetic spelling of Mt. Prevost made me smile. :)
Oh my gosh Sheila such a long drive, but at least you arrived back home to a happy Kitty! We are getting ready at work for a potential surge of covid cases. I hope and pray that this will be over in 2022, not too sure how much more the healthcare system can take. Your Christmas was wonky, but looks like you made the best of it and kitty had his peeps home. I love your pink mohair skirt it looks so comfy! We are sticking close to home & keeping our bubble small. Our little dog however is refusing to go out in the snow.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Dar
Ah, Vancouver Island! So beautiful, so...snowy! What a winter we're having! It's raining like mad here in California (the other "CA") and we're all happy about that. I love your travel shots. Haven't been to BC in two decades, sadly. Had planned a trip last year but this damned bug screwed everything up.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry for your canceled trip but happy you and L remain healthy! (I hope your friend recovered well too!) You will make the journey in better weather, no doubt. (I get bad weather travel anxiety too. My comfort list includes a shovel so if we get stranded I can keep snow off the tailpipe, extra food and water, extra cell batteries/power bank, and a subzero sleeping bag so that no matter what happens I won't freeze! Oh, and flares.)
LOVE your Christmas outfit, such a beautiful skirt! and L's gift certificate is the most charming thing ever...right up there with Vizzini's bedroom eyes LOL. I laughed for real at that fang and whisker pic with the Lindt balls. My fuzzy friends have been saving my sanity in these rough times. Please tell Vizzini for me that he is the most handsome tuxie I've ever seen. <3
I want to thank you for keeping your blog going all these years. It's always so nice, and so comforting, to see you're still out there, keeping on, enjoying life with your wonderful family, kitty, friends and wardrobe! Your blog is one of a collection of internet lodestones, if you will, that I can reach out and touch when life feels heavy and hopeless. I wish you and yours the merriest of holiday seasons! Have a wonderful New Year's Eve, and prayers up for a happier and easier next year for all of us. :-)
Bloody Covid!! We felt a bit hard done to 'cos Adrian went down with it on Xmas Eve and we couldn't go for a beer (thanksfully not poorly, just testing positive) but it's nothing compared with your disapointment after that long drive and two years apart. Bravo for doing the right thing. I bet Mr Vizzini was happy!
ReplyDeleteFabulous outfits and a super douper poncho with added pocket.
xxx
As someone who sweats it out driving in snowy/inclement weather I can sympathize with your anxiety. So sorry you were unable to have the Christmas you had planned, but it seems you really did make lemonade out of lemons. I hope your friend who did test positive isn't too terribly ill.
ReplyDeleteI love the cosy pink maxi skirt outfit and of course your glittery golden Christmas one, but I'm so sorry your plans were derailed! How sad you couldn't spend Christmas with family! We are the same here, our testing centres are overwhelmed, especially at Christmas. Because we opened up before Christmas the other states with 6,000+ cases a day can come here whenever they want and now we are up to 1,500+ cases yesterday which is more than we have ever had in one day - may even be more than we ever had in Queensland in the whole of 2020! I'm being really cautious now as the kids can't get vaccinated until after 10th Jan. It's good you are still symptom free and you were able to have a cosy Christmas at home - stay safe and warm!
ReplyDeleteI was on tenterhooks reading this!!! I was really quite scared for you with that treacherous drive!!! And then to have to go back after all That! You are very sensible and noble to do that.
ReplyDeleteThe pink blanket skirt is epic! I adore it. I also have a blanket skirt but it's only 3/4 length as opposed to maxi. I saw a full length Sheila coat in the charity shop the other day and was tempted. It was by a nice designer like Gharani Strok or something nice like that.
Vizzini must have been so pleased. Your presents are gorgeous and I love L's 'gift card placeholder.
Well done for having some supplies in!!!
So sorry to hear you had to turn back after travelling all that way, but at least you made the best of a not-great situation. Dai's family all tested positive the week before Christmas too so it was just us and my mum this year.
ReplyDeleteI too love the pink blanket skirt. It almost has a fan club!
I'm so sorry that your plans fell through for Christmas, but given how Omicron has been spreading like proverbial wildfire, it's for the best you didn't get to L's Mom's. I bet Vizzini was thrilled to have his people home with him. I had a quiet day with dinner and a movie at a friend's house, as we have been "bubbled" since the beginning of the pandemic.
ReplyDeleteI used to have a piece from "Bodybag by Jude" that I bought at least 10 years ago. They made some really interesting pieces. You did very well this year with regard to gifts. L always gets you things you really like (which is likely because you tell him what you want - always a good play).