Rhodo's, Victoria Highland Games and the Buchanan Clan - May 12th - 20th

This morning, since the sun's out, I decided to go for a walk down Point Ideal to the Rhododendron Memorial Garden. We've driven by it for 7 years and never walked it. lol All of it is in bloom currently and is absolutely gorgeous.

Then my Rhodo's and Azaleas.

Wednesday night we went to Chemainus Theatre for their performance, The Hounds of Baskerville. A Sherlock Holmes play. It's hilarious. We started with a great dinner buffet at the theatre beforehand too. 

Here is a picture of the front of the Theatre's garden I took at intermission.

Thursday I went to Nanaimo to get my stitch out of my nose. lol I arranged ahead of time to pick Amelia early up from daycare to spend a couple of hours with her, before heading home.

Amelia and I went to the Mcdonalds at Rutherford Mall as there's a play space, but first snack time.

A much faster slide than the Mcdonalds in Duncan lol.

We stayed for about an hour, until I saw a couple of kids arrive with runny noses ..... we are outta there! Back to their house and a short visit with Kristi before I headed home to the lake.

Friday is a quiet day. We waited for Steve and Dianne to stop by, dropping off their things for their stay next week after Dianne's surgery. We hunkered down as the weather not so great.

Another puzzle done by Ray.

Saturday and another wet day, so we postponed going to the Highland Games in Victoria until Sunday, which has a better weather report. Cool at 14C but sun with clouds. The only downside is winds of 34Km  It's a rare day it isn't windy in Victoria.

Sunday morning we left the house at 5:50 am for our trip down to Victoria. We wanted to get parked close to the venue, then walk 15 minutes to Spoons Diner for breakfast. They certainly give you a big plate for $15-$20. Great value. 

After breakfast, we put our many layers of clothes back on to brace against the wind and hiked back to the venue and to our car. Back at the car, we picked up our wagon and our chairs so we can sit anywhere. It definitely is a cold wind. I'm glad we dressed appropriately, as many people weren't and complained about being cold.

We wandered around viewing the events. Here are the Highland Dancers. So cute. I remember learning that when I was about 10 years old too.

This little one did the best, practicing right beside us, while her sister's on stage. lol

My maiden name .... truly Scottish, is McCormack, derived from the Buchanan Clan.

The Clan Buchanan is a Highland Scottish clan with a history dating back to at least 1016 on the banks of Loch Lomond. They have a long and rich history, with links to the Picts and supporting King Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence. The clan is known for its strength, loyalty, and pride, and continues to thrive with descendants around the world. Key aspects of the Clan Buchanan:

Origins:
The clan's origins are linked to a grant of lands near Loch Lomond in 1225.

Traditional Lands:
Their traditional lands are on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond and extend eastward into Stirlingshire, including areas around Drymen, Balmaha, and Ben Lomond.

Cormack Sept:

The MacCormacks are a branch of the Buchanan clan, and their history is intertwined with the Buchanan clan's.

Origins of the Name:

The name MacCormack is believed to have origins in the Gaelic word "Cormag," meaning "charioteer," which is a name that dates back to the 1100s.(Chariot driver)

We walked around the booths trying to find my tartan.

Ray missed the picture. The one to the right reads "Buchanon of That Ilk"

I remember my mom bringing back a kilt from Scotland in the Buchanan tartan years ago.

This is the Ancient Tartan

Monja's Minute on Clan Buchanan

Heavyweight events in Highland Games are strength and power-based competitions that test athletes' abilities with various implements and techniques. They include events like the stone put, hammer throw, weight for height, and caber toss.

I talked with another spectator whose friend competes. Apparently they train 3 times a week with weight lifting.

Caber tossing:

This young lady in the red kilt, tried her best to get the pole to flip over, but she's the shortest competitor and just couldn't do it. She came all the way from Alberta to compete. 

Hammer Throw:

Good thing they have the fence up as one of the competitors lost control and the hammer flew into the fence instead of the spectators. They spin it around 3 times before letting it go.

Next up, the weight for height, where competitors must throw a 25 pound kettle bell over a bar above their head. The bar is set at 2.4m/8' to start. The winner managed 3.66m/12' over her head.

They swing the weight back and forth to gain momentum first.

After watching the various events, we headed up to the Celtic Music Tent.

I sat and listened for awhile and Ray headed back down to the vendors to get some more pictures. I saved our spots so we have a good seat for the Mass Band performance at noon.

The Opening Ceremony started and shortly after the music . Amazing sound with all the pipes. Looking at the results of the pipe band competitions, it looks like Simon Fraser University Band came in 1st place again. I noticed their drummer towards the back, in the middle, at the end of the video.

It was still cold and windy, so we called it a day after this and drove back home arriving just before 2 pm. Another thing off our bucket list lol

Another week gone by ... hopefully the weather improves for my garden flowers.