Hatley Castle 2

Here we see Hatley Castle from the Croquet Court, a sunken lawn area below the Italian Garden that is adjacent to the castle building. The bystanders so picturesquely posed were engaged in planning a wedding scheduled for the following day. As well as providing a backdrop for numerous Hollywood films, the castle, like other Victoria scenic locations such as Saxe Point Park, is often a venue for wedding ceremonies.

Hatley Castle

This magnificent edifice, Hatley Castle, lies on the rising ground overlooking Esquimalt Lagoon. As well as being an intriguing building in itself it is set amongst some splendid gardens - an Italian Garden, a Bog Garden, a Japanese Garden and a Rose Garden. Since I'm looking at Landscape photography lately I thought it would be fitting to examine some formal landscaping such as is found in classical gardens. We'll have a look at some of the gardens later in the week. Hatley Castle has an interesting history - it was built by James Dunsmuir, a son of the man who built Craigdarroch Castle, Victoria's other castle, and because it is so photogenic it has been used in numerous films and television shows such as X-Men and Smallville. In its day job it now is a part of Royal Roads University. Wikipedia has a good short article on the Hatley Park National Historic Site.

Going through photographs this morning it struck me that this one that I had taken a few weeks back suddenly reminded me of yesterdays post of the summer grass. The shapes share a resemblance and a certain whimsy although this structure is much more solid and unmoving! Its a sculpture built in the central courtyard of the Library Building on Broughton Street. It's known as Dynamic Mobile Steel Sculpture by George Norris. - Fern

Golden Light

Strolling through the tall summer grass early in the morning is a delicious treat. - Fern

Hands of Time 7 - Tying a Rope to a Mooring Ring

Here's another in the Hands of Time sculpture series by Crystal Przybille. This one references Victoria's long relationship with ships and the sea. It shows hands tying a rope to a mooring ring set into the bedrock very near to where ships visiting Victoria used to moor. This sculpture is located below Wharf Street just north of the old Customs House. The fish & chips stand of Red Fish/Blue Fish is visible on the right side in the photo to the left.