Time Marches On

On yet another lovely September afternoon I took a walk through Vic West and couldn't deny any longer that the leaves are beginning to change, the air is cooler and the days shorter. We have been enjoying such a fantastic September that I have been firmly in denial. Anyone else? - Fern

Mahatma Gandhi and I

This is a "Somewhere Saturday" post when I take a break from Victoria and look at some of the other places where I have dwelt or visited. One of the highlights of my visit to India in the spring was to have lunch at the Imperial Hotel in Delhi. Above is the imposing entrance to the hotel and to the left is one of the marble-floored hallways in this most luxurious of 5 star hotels. The dining room was superb and the lunch was a memorable meal. As we were leaving the maitre d' approached me and asked if I was aware of the history of the table where we had dined. When I said no he went on to tell me that discussions for the partition of India between Gandhi, Nehru, Jinnah and Mountbatten were held at this hotel. After the day's negotiations the men often sat in the chairs and dined around the very table where we had just lunched. It still gives me a little thrill to think I sat in a chair that once may have held Mahatma Gandhi.

Lonely Tomatillo

Here's an attractive plant from our backyard garden this year. It's especially popular in Mexico and Mexican cooking and is called a Tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica). Ours grew into a large healthy plant and bloomed profusely but inside those lovely lantern-like pods there are very few fruit. Now I discover from Wikipedia that the tomatillo is very "self-incompatible", meaning that it doesn't like to pollinate itself so there should be at least two plants for it to set fruit properly.

The Garden

Fern planted a vegetable garden this year and whether it is the long hot spell we had or the generous layer of compost she used I don't know, but the tomato plants are gigantic and loaded with tomatoes so delicious that there is no comparison with the tasteless red styrofoamy things that go by the same name in the supermarkets.

New Mosque Nearing Completion

This interesting looking new building nearing completion will soon be Victoria's mosque, the Masjid Al-Iman. The city has a small (about 1,200) but growing population of Muslims. Until the construction began here the Muslim community was meeting for prayers in two adjacent houses that formerly occupied this site on Quadra Street directly opposite Crystal Pool. The new building has separate prayer areas for males and females and a large basement area that will be used for other activities. You can find out more about the Masjid Al-Iman Project by clicking HERE.