The Last Day

Today feels quite sad as we prepare to say farewell to Victoria again.  I honestly don't feel ready to say goodbye just yet but the time has come.

We were out of the house earlier today.  Thomas woke up with a hacking cough, he had coughed a lot during the night.  Sounded a bit like croupe so we were imagining all sorts of doctor visits today but he improved through the day.  He is snoring here beside me now, so is much better.  Hasn't coughed for a while.

Nicky Kew and I

Our first job this morning was to return to Mayfair to exchange Ellen's shoes for bigger ones.  We were meant to be there because as we were leaving, we ran into my fourth host mum Nicky Kew!  We stopped for a chat and it was lovely to see her and to hear what all the kids were up to.

We went for a long drive today, up to China Beach which is on the west coast of the Island and quite remote.  You have to park your car and walk down through lush forest to the beach.  The trail is great although quite steep which is okay going down!

The beach is dark sand, lots of rocks and shells and logs which have washed up over the years.  We had made a picnic thanks to Jane and enjoyed rolls with egg salad and meat, and we enjoyed watching Thomas building and creating all sorts of masterpieces using driftwood and rocks.  It was a beautiful place and we were blessed with a bit of sunshine while we were there too.

After the drive home, we went via the Marina at Oak Bay to see the seals.  I'm so glad we did.  They are amazing.  We bought two little bags of fish and as soon as we appeared, so did they.  They were a bit like seagulls at the beach, you feed one and heaps arrive.  Before we knew it we had 6 seals swimming around waiting to be fed.  Each one had a different approach: one lay around on his back with his whiskery chin in the air, another stayed just below the surface looking up at us.  Another one was really bold, slapping the water impatiently waiting for food.  It was so great to see them but as soon as we ran out of food, they took off.  Smart creatures!

Tomorrow we leave Tim and Jane's and we are all very sad about that.  They have been the most amazing hosts, from cappucinos first thing in the morning, to special dinners, helping with laundry, providing internet, use of their basement and I could go on forever.  Tonight Jane even mended Ellen's jumper that she noticed needed a few stitches. We cannot express how grateful we are for their generosity and hospitality and this will forever be a highlight of our trip.  I feel quite emotional about leaving here tomorrow, partly because I'm leaving Victoria, and the Gurney's and Taddy/Noble family, but also leaving a place where I and we as a family, feel so at home.  Thank you to you both.  This has been very, very special!

Well, we are mostly packed up.  I spent the last part of this afternoon organising flights from Seattle to LA- we've decided that we absolutely CANNOT drive that again, especially as we would be doubling up in a lot of places.  So we are dropping the hire car in Seattle and will be carless from then on.  I think we'll do okay!

Love to everyonexxxxx