Mom-Day Adventure: Back to Blenkinsop, and Kitty Caged

Today was our first Mom-Day Adventure of 2023! 

I so treasure these days that Mom and I have together. I hadn't seen her for two weeks, so an extra-long hug happened right before I took our Mom-daughter selfie. 

We went back to Blenkinsop Lake (last visited here in July 2022, if you want to see it with blue skies and green flora) and had a lovely stroll in the pouring rain, followed by brunch. Vizzini had an ophthalmologist appointment in the late afternoon as well (thumbs up, went well). 

But first - my outfit. 

I knew that I needed some Colour Therapy.

• Sweater - Ralph Lauren, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here in October 2022 with dragonscale
• Trousers - H&M, consignment; first seen here in December 2022 with a black silk tunic
• Shoes - 5yMedio; last seen here in October 2022 with some familiar accessories
• Coat - Tadmor, vintage 70s, vintage mall; last worn here in May 2022

I actually planned my outfit around my coat, considering that's how most people would see me. I only looked like this briefly at the Monkey Tree Pub after our walk. 

I love this bright sunny cotton sweater/jumper - I have a cami underneath for smoothing and warmth. 

I adore this red tartan, and Mom approved. 

They go with everything! 

See? Blue coat. 

I also do the "hanger trick" with my coats when I do a major swap-over of my warm/cool weather coats, and this vintage suede coat has been languishing unworn. 

Masked up. 

I added loads of red. 

Back view - it's such a cool coat. 

It performed very well in the rain - it got soaked and heavy with water in places, but dried out quickly. I never worry about suede or leather in the rain - it's skin! 

Ready to walk in the rain. 

I ended up tucking all of my hair except for my fringe under the beret. I felt like a shampoo commercial when I shook out my dry hair from under my wet hat at lunch! 

Accoutrements:

All natural materials, all good in the rain. Everything got soaked. 

• Purse - Rebecca Minkoff, thrifted
• Beret - Parkhurst, consignment
• Gloves - Echo, consignment
• Scarf - Halston, vintage 70s, thrifted
• Mask - Lazy Susan's

The stuff: 

These shoes are incredibly comfy - I walked to the bus stop to get back to town and then walked several blocks home. 

Bold bling: 

So far, the Bowie brooch and the balsa wood lightning bolt earrings have been worn together every time - and with these shoes! 

• Crystal heart cuff - Juicy Couture, consignment
• Malachite/silver bangle - Mexican, thrifted
• Kyanite ring - consignment
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
• Crystal/silver ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop
• Bowie brooch - vintage fair
• Earrings - consignment, Sidney

Mom's joined a new art group - they meet every week or so and paint together. 

She's done a new version of her Pacific Horticultural Centre Japanese Gardens picture. I love this one, Mom! The colours are so vibrant! 

We arrived to a slight pitter-patter of rain. 

We're both born on the We(s)t Coast, so a little rain never bothers us. 

Due to the lack of leaves, I had a great view of Howard the Gnome at Galey Farms on the east side of the path. 

He's so posh compared to when I met him (here). 

My favourite park sculpture. 

Lots of moss growing around and inside of it. 

We need the rain, since we had on and off drought periods in the autumn. 

Good to see the creek on the sides of the path was full. 

There were very few people on the path.

Which was good, as it got very puddled on our way back and we had to take up most of the path to keep our feet relatively dry. 

My favourite section - the boardwalk. 

I love the rich, warm thump of walking on wood. 

It winds all the way out to a narrow section of the lake, way up ahead. 

Mom was tired today, so we didn't walk quite as far as we normally would. Also, it really started pouring around this time and we were sopping wet! 

Hey, who's that up there? 

Mom, I see your boyfriend, Roy! 

"Hey, Helen, long time no see. You're as foxy as ever."

"Thanks, Roy, I know." 

I like this wider section, where you can roam back and forth, looking for ducks (DUCKS!) and other wildlife. 

Where are the ducks? I want ducks! 

There they are! 

A bunch of them had been hiding in the cat-tails/bullrushes on the far side of the lake. 

I spied these two just below the trestle. 

"Bug off, Lady!"

Cat-tails. 

You can see the rain splooshing down. 

What's that dark spot way up in the tree? 

Better zoom in! 

It's a bald eagle! 

"Miserable."

Yeah, you look wet. 

As we walked back to the car, we heard a cacophony of birds. 

They burst through these trees in a flurry of tiny blurs. 

Ominous, moss-covered branches. 

Look how puddly the path is! 

Mom and I fixed her dripping hair at the pub. She wore her cotton sweater too! See the wet shoulders and neck? 

You look beautiful here, Mom, love the new haircut. Thanks so much for the lovely rainy afternoon - I love you! 

I rushed home to cage Vizzini up in his Pet Taxi to go see the kitty ophthalmologist to check on his retinas. 

"LET ME OUT OF HERE NOW."

There was a lot of yowling. Great news from the Doctor - both of his retinas have fully reattached, although he has a few tiny blind spots from scarring. His night vision and detail/mousing vision is slightly reduced, but other than that, his vision is good. We'll take him back in 6 months to monitor his eyes - there is still a risk that the retinas could detach again if his kidney disease/high blood pressure changes. 

And now, I had better go give some cuddle time to my little monster or he'll destroy something I care about! I'll be back on Sunday with tales of adventure - I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Thank you so much for stopping by!