Mom-Day Adventure: Return to Bowker Creek in Blue and Orange, and a Wee Shop

Mom-Day Adventures resume! Welcome back, my friends! I missed you, Mom! 

Mom went shopping and bought herself this lovely abstract/organic printed soft green and white viscose top, which shows off her gorgeous Brutalist necklace. I've coveted this necklace my whole life - there are matching clip-on earrings - swoon!  

Mom and I returned to Bowker Creek in the heart of Oak Bay, last visited at the same time of September back here in 2021, two years ago. Today, we only did the end portion of Bowker Creek, as seen in that post. I was surprised when I relived our last visit that Mom wasn't using her walking sticks then. 

What to wear? The weather is so erratic this time of year. It could be sunny, but it also might be chilly in the shade. 

Layers! We're back to Light Coat season. 

• Coat - Desigual by Christian Lacroix, consignment; last worn here in April with the same skirt and belt
• Top - Tatum & Olivia, consignment; last seen here in May with a Darth duster
• Skirt - Compania Fantastica, consignment, Vancouver; last worn here in April (shocker)
• Shoes - Sole Talk Lenora, Fluevog; last seen here in July with all the sunset colours

And yes, I did cut my hair - I was getting bored of the long tresses, which felt heavy. 

I told Kaitlyn to do whatever she wanted - I always trust my hairdressers (plus, it's just hair). 

Isn't the coat lovely? I wanted to sneak in another wearing of it. 

I've had it for 8 years - and yet this is only the second time I've worn it with this skirt. 

I'm fond of my "Creamsicle" skirt. 

Elastic waistband! It's getting packed away soon.

Without the jacket. I love this ruffled top - why have a plain top when you can have ruffles?

I took my coat off briefly while Mom and I had lunch. 

Incognito. 

I walked home along Oak Bay Avenue, popping into a bunch of my favourite places. 

This is how most people saw me. 

Just a person in blue and orange, nothing to see here, move along. 

The stuff: 

The ladies at House of Savoy admired my purse, but it's just a knock-off of a swanky brand. The shoes were shockingly comfy for a 1.5 hour browse/walk home. 

Circular bling: 

I wore the brooch on the coat lapel. 

• Purse - no label, consignment
• Plastic/metal chain belt - vintage 70s, Mom's
• Plastic orange cuff/ring - Italian, vintage 60s, vintage mall
• Gold bangle - thrifted
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
• Earrings - vintage, vintage fair
• Brooch - vintage fair

Mom and I drove to Oak Bay Rec Centre and parked near the track.

Mom and Dad both competed here years ago - my dad was a record-holding ultramarathoner, a World Masters race-walker, and Mom was both a World Masters race-walker and a certified racewalk official.

Hey, Mom, you match the colours of Oak Bay High School. 

It was quiet on the paths for a while, and then school let out for lunch. Teenagers everywhere! 

There were many crows on the field. 

This one watched us from the top of the fence. 

Ducks! 

They were splashing and diving and swimming around excitedly. 

We had a hot and sunny day, but it was just right under the trees. 

I loved that dappled sunlight. 

A very attractive bridge.

Mom and I found ourselves a bench to sit on. 

This is a good view. 

The creek gurgled along behind us as we looked through an envelope of photos Mom had dug up, and her latest project, a book of mixed photos grouped not by date but by topic, like "pets" or "snow" or "smiles." It was really fun to see all our generations mushed together - we all have impish grins! 

She had gone through her photo albums to finish up her book, but since then she's found more photos - boxes of them! Check out this awesome family portrait from around 1975.

My dad in back, with me, my brother Dave, and Mom holding Schultz, our schnauzer. I loved that blue dress! Hey, I now have the same haircut again, ha! 

We turned around and headed back. 

I love this tunnel for the creek to go under the road. Spooky! 

So pretty.

There's that bridge again. 

And here's our crow friend. 

Such blue skies! 

We had a yummy lunch at the Windsor Cafe. 

Cheers, Mom! What a wonderful day. I love you! 

I strolled through the Oak Bay neighbourhoods till I got back to the Ave. 

What a groovy Stingray! I love the golden yellow. 

I popped into Lazy Susan's for a browse and a chat with the lovely owner. 

I couldn't resist this giant chunky green cuff. It's metal and the stones are plastic.

It's a spring-hinge/clamp style. Love the emerald green colour.

It's not vintage, but it's got personality. It was $30.00.

I had a browse and gabbed with everyone in House of Savoy. 

I loved this sparkly sweater. It's a good neutral in my closet. 

Sparkles are neutral, everyone knows that. 

It's by Levi's and is a wool blend. It was $44.00 (they generously gave me a 10% discount). 

I also fell hard for this acid-wash denim embroidered and studded pencil skirt. 

Wow!

What does the back look like? 

Whomp-whomp. At least it has seaming detail. 

Real pockets. All those studs are individually mounted. 

Note the elastic waist on the sides - love that. 

Each one of the gold-embroidered flowers has a different colour stone in the centre. 

There are beads and sequins all over, and the white petals are leather. 

It's by Jaz...

...zino! 

It's by Jazzino, a vintage brand - this is probably from the late 80s/early 90s, that high-waisted era. This was made in Thailand, and was $53.00. I can't wait to wear it. 

My last stop was Pocket, which used to be Leche's, once my favourite shop (going back 15+ years). I stopped going there because they were too crowded and mostly carried cheap stuff, but they've recently expanded and owner Annie has always had a good eye. 

I found this lined burgundy lace dress in the $2.00 bin out front. 

Two dollars! 

It's by H&M - and it's still on their website (although out of stock). It retailed for $59.99. 

I didn't have coins to pay for it, so I grabbed this brooch that I'd been eyeing, which was $8.00.

It's not vintage, but it is all metal and it's about 5 inches long. It'll be cool on a coat. 

And now, Gentle Readers, I'm off for the weekend. Wishing you all a lovely few days until we meet again - I'll be back on Sunday with tales of adventure! Thank you so much for stopping by.