Journey Journal

[miladycarol]

We began the day in Chinatown – the oldest Chinatown in Canada – for dim sum. Sadly, the dim sun was only okay, not spectacular like in Richmond. The tea was a bit sour. We had a grand time with the families at the tables nearest us, though. A gentleman from Tennessee was experiencing dim sum for the first time with his 13 yo son and 10 yo daughter. I helped them order as the first cart to come by was pushed by an older woman with very little English. Apparently, I know just enough to order my favourite nibbly bits.

We walked purposefully from there to a tea shop we stumbled upon yesterday to cleanse our palates and redeem the previous tea experience.

We wandered a bit longer then hopped in the car to explore Craigdarroch Castle.

The tour was really awesome because of the employees. The building itself is really fascinating but the best parts were the conversations with the historians who know about the period, the family, history and the daily implements in it. It’s all the little details that bring history to life for me. I love looking at the craftsmanship of the stir rails and the parquet borders of the floors. I love trying to figure out the odd device on the sideboard of the morning room only to be told later it isn’t a serving ladle but a pan into which crumbs are whisked between courses. I like noticing the odd framed sculptural wreath is made of hair and finding the history behind it. That excites me. I can whisk back in time and hear the quiet bustle of the servants as they move about their duties. I can smell the tea being brought from the dumbwaiter to a sitting room. I can feel the heat of the fireplace and the radiator as the snow falls on the tennis court outside (where another house stands today). I hear the crunch of starched fabric as the lady adjusts herself to receive the afternoon tea by the window, the delicate rattle of the cup against the saucer and the spoon against the tray while the maid carries the tea across the soft carpet and sets it on the marble. Amazing.

On our way to dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant, I found another tea shop. The owners are from Germany and they blend all their own flavours in their shop.

We drove up to Butchart Garden for a late day stroll and stayed to re-walk the gardens after the sun set. It’s an amazing play by day and night... and very romantic! *wink wink, nudge nudge*

Comments

[gwyd.livejournal.com]

Was it a mourning wreath?

[miladycarol.livejournal.com]

No. It was a wreath of all the women in the family. They all worked on it together. The one there even had the hair of a favourite family horse woven into the mix. It was more a celebration of life.

[gwyd.livejournal.com]

That really is interesting. Thanks.

[miladycarol.livejournal.com]

I agree. Imagine my reaction. I saw the box frame with the intricate wreath on the wall. I stepped up to take a closer look and realized it was made of a thin fiber... HAIR?!? There was no one to ask at the time, so I had to sit on my burning question until the very end when I accosted a wonderfully knowledgeable lady in the gift shop. She ended up speaking to us for around 20-30 minutes.

The hair varied in colour because it was from different women in the family. Some was gray, different shades of browns and dark blondes, plus the horse's tail hair. It was not as colourful as a flower wreath, but, once I realized what the medium was, it seemed much more deeply colourful and meaningful.