Dance to the Music

In the courtyard of the Greater Victoria Public Library's central branch.

100 Years of Light

This genuine old English gas lantern was in service on the streets of the County Borough of Walsall, near Birmingham, England, for over 50 years. Presented to the City of Victoria 1960.

Thus reads the plaque at the base of this lamp (right foreground) on the walkway above the Inner Harbour. It's not a gaslight any longer but it still brightens the night. (I'd be interested to know if any of my local readers knows why this lamp was presented to the city.) The gray art deco tower in the background rises above the Victoria Visitors Information Centre.

Break in the Clouds

Wild weather today - rain and great black clouds interspersed with brilliant sunlight and blue sky. One of the breaks in the cloud today caught the first flowering cherry of the year.

More Telephone Booths

A couple of days ago I posted a photo of the special Chinatown edition of our local phone booths. Above is one of the more normal designs. This quartet is located on the Inner Harbour Causeway where it is probably of particular convenience to tourists. While our winter weather definitely seems to be breaking up, today was cold and windy. You can get some idea of the temperature by looking at the stylishly dressed pedestrian on the right.

Herring Gulls

A couple of posts ago there was some discussion of seagulls and methods used to discourage them from roosting (defecating) on window ledges/street lamps and other places where their droppings may cause a problem. Apparently droppings on the exterior of the space shuttle survived a journey into space, although they were destroyed during the burn-out return.

However much people may dislike their presence, in Canada they are a federally protected species. It seems that about a hundred years ago they were actually a threatened species on the east coast due to people hunting them and eating the young and eggs. However, they are currently thriving and are not considered endangered. The trio above are probably Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus), two adults and a juvenile. I write probably because the taxonomy of gulls is controversial. They are called four year gulls because it takes them 4 years to mature. Gulls have not had very good press but I like their sturdy independence and their mournful querulous cries are as much a part of our shorelines as is the sound of waves.