Detailed and affectionate descriptions of the pastoral landscape, flora and fauna of the Burnside region make this article classic Connell. For him, farms and agricultural scenes were direct connections with a much older past than those of the individual farms themselves. It is also important to remember (a fact of which Connell was keenly aware)Continue reading “Old Paths My Feet Have Trod”
Category Archives: Spring
Telegraph Road to Cowichan Head
From the Victoria Daily Colonist, April 28th, 1940- Across the highway from Keating Hall a road runs downhill to the east and an elderly signboard still bears the inscription: “Telegraph Road”. This is the way to the seashore at Island View Park. It drops rather steeply from the long gravelly ridge followed by the highwayContinue reading “Telegraph Road to Cowichan Head”
Cordova’s Wooded Cliffs
Originally called “Tseleethch” by the Indigenous inhabitants, in this article Connell visits Cordova Bay’s stunning coastline and muses upon some of its geographic, as well as more recent, histories. From the Victoria Times Colonist, April 2, 1932- Cordova Bay is one of the few places in the vicinity of Victoria with a Spanish name. Yet,Continue reading “Cordova’s Wooded Cliffs”
Esquimalt’s Natural Park
Connell takes a ramble across some undeveloped parts of Esquimalt and to the top of High Rock Park. From the Victoria Times Colonist, March 28, 1931- Everyone knows the charm of Esquimalt’s waterfront. Fortunately the golf-links have preserved a large portion of it to which the public has access. With but the narrow harbor entranceContinue reading “Esquimalt’s Natural Park”
At Woodside by the Sea
“Some homes are destined for happy occasions, for large house parties and banquets, and any excuse at all for social entertainment with every guest entering into the festive spirit to ensure a jolly good time for all concerned”. Follow Rev. Connell to the historic farmhouse in Sooke, thus described by a contemporary writer, and thruContinue reading “At Woodside by the Sea”
Buttercup Time at the Uplands
From the Victoria Daily Colonist, May 10, 1942. Every Victorian knows the spring display at the Uplands when the camas and the buttercups are out in full bloom and all of that still wild part is an almost unbroken sheet of gold and purple-blue. There you have a precious bit of the past, for longContinue reading “Buttercup Time at the Uplands”
By A Nameless Stream
In March of 1943 Reverend Connell went for a ramble along what was for him a “nameless stream”- now known as Blenkinsop Creek- on what was then the edge of town. In this article he gives us a glimpse of the recent history of the area between Blenkinsop and Swan Lakes, as well as someContinue reading “By A Nameless Stream”
A New Year is Born
Rev. Connell considers the signs of early spring in the natural world in and around Victoria including the song of the skylarks and the opening of some of the first flowers. From the Victoria Daily Colonist, March 13, 1938. If we were to arrange our year according to the phenomena of Nature, it seems certainContinue reading “A New Year is Born”
“Sweetest of All Things”
This article is Connell’s ode to springtime in Victoria and to the botanical realm in particular. Strongly reflecting Connell’s own cultural roots, it is also a nod to one of his biggest literary inspirations, English nature writer Richard Jefferies (1848-87). From the Victoria Daily Colonist, March 7th, 1937. I am going to write today aboutContinue reading ““Sweetest of All Things””
By Willows Beach at Ebb-Tide
In this article Connell reminisces about his early visits to Willows Beach in Oak Bay and how the area has changed since those days. He then takes a close look at some of the wildlife encountered there, concluding with a short walk through Uplands Park. From the Victoria Daily Colonist, March 12th, 1939. As IContinue reading “By Willows Beach at Ebb-Tide”