COMPASS MAGAZINE VANCOUVER ISLAND | WINTER 24/25 | WINTER WELLNESS
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Get away with non-stop flights until April 26th.
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WE ARE ART
Comox Valley Songwriter's Circle
Kristina Campbell 10
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
A Harvest In The Wild
Catherine M. Gilbert
GROWING UP COASTAL
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20
22
John Macko: Upholding ‘Namgis Food Traditions
Catherine M. Gilbert
FEATURE ARTIST
KC Hall | Making History
Kealy Donaldson
ISLAND CHRONICLES
The Blue Fjord
Catherine M. Gilbert
WELLNESS FEATURE
Laughter as Medicine - Access your Inner Child
J.P. Bailey 28
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Warm Winter Recipes from HABIT Cookbook
Ryan Stuart and Josie Boulding
STAY WELL
The Power of Rituals During the Holidays
Dana Mahon Sharing the Direction of Vancouver Island Communities
Publisher's Note
Winter Wellness
One kind word can warm three winter months – Japanese Proverb
As we cycle into the darker months and colder weather becomes a constant presence in our daily lives, take a moment to reflect on your well-being during the winter time. With or without family and friends, the holiday time is coming and it is important to ensure that those around you feel valued and acknowledged.
By honouring ourselves and those around us, kindness can produce a better life – with special moments and special days throughout the course of the season. Time continues to bring turmoil to our world and now more than ever, people struggle just to get through each day. Step up and add positive content to those around you. Bring a little joy along the way, even if you aren't with your favourite people or in your favourite place.
PUBLISHER
Kealy Donaldson
DESIGN + LAYOUT
Jessie Stones
The Compass Magazine is produced on Vancouver Island, printed on the West Coast of British Columbia and published on Vancouver Island paper by:
You can still deliver happiness with the smallest of compliments or the smallest of smiles.
So if Auntie or Uncle are being meddlesome or something isn't going your way in your day, remember that all it takes to turn your thoughts around are kind words – towards yourself and towards others. Practice your kindness and I think you will find a huge pocket of wellness in these acts. It's not always easy and effort is needed, but to make the world a better place, you must put one word in front of the other, to walk the walk, of Winter Wellness in 2025.
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WE ARE ART
The Comox Valley Songwriters'Circle
KRISTINA CAMPBELL
THE COMOX VALLEY SONGWRITERS CIRCLE (CVSC), organized by Helen Austin in the early 2000s, has met through the years in a variety of locations; private living rooms (thanks Matt Maxwell and Glen Mitchell!), the Muir Gallery, and the Cumberland Photography Studio.
Early in 2020 singer/songwriter Ashley Sykes felt the desire to revive the circles. She was experiencing a dry patch in her songwriting and remembered the inspiration they had provided. Ashley hosted the circle in her living room on March 7, 2020. The newly revived CVSC was immediately faced with the challenge of shifting to Zoom and as the pandemic wore on, enthusiasm waned.
In the fall of 2022, Ashley began again, and now each month 8 to 12 folks gather to share their tunes at Artful : The Gallery. The range of abilities, experience and genres welcomes musicians who appreciate the challenge (and the deadline!) of creating a new song each month. The circle provides a place to be inspired, seek feedback and to hear what other creatives are working
on. Most musicians bring along their guitars or ukuleles, although some sing a capella or use the piano for accompaniment.
Host Ashley Sykes’s love of connecting with other artists provides motivation to write and perform in the supportive group. She notes with wonder the times the performances synchronistically coalesce around a theme, reinforcing the idea that humanity needs hopeful spaces and places to create together.
The circle does not provide instruction; it provides an opportunity to perform your song, and to be impacted by others doing the same. Ashley describes it as, “… sharing our personal stories in the form of song.”
Attendance is by donation ($10 or pwyc). The group welcomes newcomers, and the only criteria is that the songs performed are original.
For more information: @ashleysykesmusic on Instagram
WALKING IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS
A Place Called Cumberland
CUMBERLAND MUSEUM & ARCHIVES
From railway disasters and robberies to mycology and mountain biking, twelve authors tell true stories of Cumberland, BC, that highlight the diverse and eclectic history of the vibrant village.
Dive into Cumberland's storied past and vibrant present through the voices of twelve authors in A Place Called Cumberland, edited by Rhonda Bailey, a newly published collection that delves into everything from legendary railway disasters and coal mining struggles to tales of mountain biking and mycology. The accompanying exhibition, A Place Called Cumberland: A Publication Exhibition, amplifies these stories with interactive displays and multimedia installations that immerse you in the layers of Cumberland's history.
Established as a coal mining camp in the late nineteenth century and now reborn as a centre of arts, culture, and outdoor recreation in Vancouver Island’s
Comox Valley, Cumberland has long fostered a strong sense of community that has attracted residents from all over the world. In this collection of riveting historical accounts, touching personal memoirs, and engaging creative non-fiction essays—complemented by more than two dozen historical and contemporary photos—writers with ties to Cumberland and the Comox Valley reveal lesser-known aspects of the region’s colourful past.
We hear about Joe Naylor, the unsung mentor to celebrated labour activist Ginger Goodwin, and the immigrants from countries like China and Italy who crossed oceans to work in the mines and build a new life. The story of the Ogaki family, active in the logging industry until their forced relocation to internment camps during World War II, demystifies the origins of the Japanese-Canadian comfort dish Cumberland Chow Mein. Biographies of Diana Bruce, the first hotelier in Cumberland, and Dr. Irene Mounce, a pioneering mycologist raised in the village, illustrate the challenges faced—and overcome—by women of the era. Closer to the present, we hear of the grassroots trailbuilding work that put Cumberland on the mountain biking map, and how efforts at building affordable housing in the community led to the carving and installation of two welcome poles by local First Nations carvers, to help make more visible the long history and continued presence of the K’ómoks people in the area.
Contributors:
Traci Skuce
Lynne Bowen
Kim Bannerman
Rod Mickleburgh
Dave Flawse
Bevin Clempson
Dr. Tom L. Q. Wong
Dawn Copeman
Russell Sakauye
Matthew Rader
Andrew Findlay
Grant Shilling
This December, the Cumberland Museum and Archives invites you to experience A Place Called Cumberland: A Publication Exhibition, a multidimensional project that brings the village’s dynamic history and present-day vibrancy to life. Through our latest Collaboration Studio project, explore the transformative power of shared space as a gallery, an artist incubator, and a platform where diverse voices converge.
A Place Called Cumberland published by Figure 1 Publishing is available in bookstores now and at the Cumberland Museum & Archives.
JUDY CADRIN IS KNOWN around Alert Bay on Cormorant Island as the lady with the tea. Judy has spent over twenty years perfecting her teas and recipes, blending herbs to acquire just the right formula for healing specific ailments. Her quest began in Montana where while staying on a ranch with friends, she began to scout around the area looking for edible and medicinal plants with the help of a booklet she had acquired.
As she had no one to teach her plant idenfication, she had to teach herself. She now has numerous books on the topics as well as a wealth of first hand knowledge. Judy was born in Saskatchewan and is Metis of French and Cree parentage. She eventually moved to Alberta, and it was while she was in Calgary that she met someone who told her about the wonderful island place in BC called Alert Bay. When she was in Nanaimo in 2002 for an aunt’s birthday celebration, she decided to explore Vancouver Island. Heading north, she spotted the sign for Alert Bay and thought “I’ll go see.” She was planning to stay for a day but ended up staying for ten days, crying as she left because she had fallen in love with the place and the people. A year and a half later Judy moved to Cormorant Island.
Intending to carry on with harvesting plants for teas, Judy explored Cormorant Island and north Vancouver Island and was surprised to discover that there was only one plant she couldn’t find that had been available to her on the prairies. She has always been drawn to the outdoors and at one time she attended Mount Royal in Calgary taking outdoor courses, although will never forget getting caught in severe weather in the Rockies while on an outtrip where it became so dangerous it seemed the participants might not survive. She found a safe but uninteresting job in a bank that fortunately took her to small communities where she felt most at home. A dream told her she wouldn’t be ‘stuck’ in the job for too long.
Teas With Native Plants
A Harvest In The Wild – Creating Healthful
CATHERINE M. GILBERT
Once arriving in Alert Bay she briefly worked as a bank teller and took various other jobs while building up her tea business by attending farmers markets up and down Vancouver Island. Her business is appropriately named Wild Harvest Native Teas and harvesting fresh and local plants is critical to what Judy does to ensure optimum quality and effectiveness. She has learned that there are very specific times in the day in which to pick but says that the west coast climate offers a long period in which she can harvest from March to
October. Picking in the right places is crucial too – for example away from roads, logging roads and power lines.
Once she has her plants back home, she readies them for drying. She has a designated room set aside that keeps plants at the correct temperature, roughly room temperature but no higher than 40 degrees centigrade and out of the sun. An important note to use of her teas is to use just one quarter of a teaspoon – much less than suggested for commercial brand herbal teas.
Judy holds workshops on how to process plants for teas and offers plant identification walks, and she is interested in taking this knowledge to the schools as a next step in passing on this critical traditional knowledge. In the meantime, she has produced an informative brochure that describes her products and contains testimonials from people who have benefited from the medicinal properties derived from these very local plants.
Judy can be reached at wildharvest@hotmail.com and 250-974-2505 and can send tealeaves through the mail. Who knows, she might just have the tea for whatever ails you!
“I’VE GOT BLISTERS ON MY HANDS from digging clams” John told me. He’d been at Turner Island, about an hour and a half boat ride northeast of where he lives in Alert Bay and gathered so many his hands hurt. He once harvested clams all up and down the coast from Savary Island north to Smiths Inlet.
Retired now, John continues to be a busy man occupied with his passion to provide his many friends, acquaintances and relatives with the food that has always been traditional to the ‘Namgis nation residing on Cormorant Island. John was born in Alert Bay on Cormorant and is descended from great-grandparents who came from the Prince Rupert area. His grandmother on his mother’s side was a Provost from Wakeman Sound and owned three chief seats, which have been passed down to him. Kotoko is John’s chief’s name. His family members, he said, were all traditional food harvesters and he has carried on. Not
only does he gather clams, but he harvests seaweed, catches fish and processes ooligan (spellings vary) oil. “If it swims, crawls or moves in the ocean, I’ll eat it,” he tells me with a laugh.
He is currently busy with smoking fish – it has been a very good year for Chum salmon with returns in the thousands, and now in November, they are swimming up the Nimpkish River to spawn. People who catch their own salmon bring it to him for smoking, but John also processes the community’s food fish, the unrestricted catch intended for consumption by First Nations peoples in British Columbia. The ‘Namgis Band had purchased a 62 foot double decked fishing seiner called the Western Brave equipped to catch both halibut and salmon that is distributed throughout the community, supplying those who don’t have the resources to fish on their own. John sees fhe fishing boat as “a statement for our people, to
show what we can do”. This year the boat brought in about 60,000 pounds of Chum. Of that fish, John had 200 to smoke, and has around another 100 to go, the most fish he’s ever had to do.
I went to John’s place on the main street of Alert Bay that overlooks Johnstone Strait and the mountains on Vancouver Island on an exceptionally clear and warm October day to take photos of him at work preparing the salmon for smoking. In front of his house John had a crew of five to help filet and prepare the Chum under his careful direction. He wanted to make sure that those fileting the fish made a hole about an inch from the end of the filet for hanging, and cut away the fatty part of the fish’s belly for K’awas that is considered to be a nice snack for children and is either dehydrated or smoked along with the rest of the fish. The remainder of the filet becomes Xa’mas.
Once the filets were ready, they were placed into tubs of brine – one part salt and two parts brown sugar, and soaked overnight. I joined in the following day, and we helped John slide the filets onto prepared cedar sticks, about eight to a stick so that they could be hung in the smokehouse. The smokehouse has been in the neighbourhood for years and sits at the north end of Fir Street near U’mista Cultural Centre. John remembers being shown how to smoke fish in the traditional way by his uncles, using this very same smokehouse.
As we were at our tasks, a group of about 15 tourists from a National Geographic ship docked at the government wharf wandered by on their way to the U’mista Centre and many were keenly interested in what we were doing. John enjoys engaging with the tourists and was ready with a few keen quips. “This is much better for you,” he told them, “than the porkchops and mashed potatoes they’re serving you on that ship.”
It was decided to complete the work right at the smokehouse, and two vehicles were packed with the tubs for the short trip down the street. As the sticks were loaded with filets, they were passed to John, who was on a ladder inside the smokehouse so that he could hang them at a specific distance apart for even smoking. He says that he likes to use Alder logs to get the fire inside going, but supplements with Alder chips that give it the desired flavour. Once the
fish is hung, he is busy maintaining the fire to ensure a heavy smoke and checks it usually around 6am and 10pm. “Keeping it constant,” he reveals, “is the trick.” After hanging for two days, the fish is ready to come off the sticks, get packaged and delivered to members of the community.
John is concerned that the food traditions he practises will not be carried on and laments, “the old guys who taught us, are passing away.” Fortunately, John is a willing teacher and gets out to schools all around the North Island to pass on his knowledge to young students.
Always ready with a smile and generous with his time and resources, John Macko is a popular man around the community. So many who are unable to do so themselves are able to enjoy the gifts from the sea that he brings and preserves on their behalf.
KC HALL WAS BORN IN BELLA BELLA ON THE EAST COAST OF CAMPBELL ISLAND AND BELONGS TO THE HEILTSUK NATION. HE IS THE GRANDSON OF HEREDITARY CHIEF IRENE (WAKAS) BROWN.
He only spent the first two years of his life in Bella Bella before moving to Vancouver. Hall soon developed an interest in illustration and graffiti, and after finishing high school, he began his professional career as an Artist. Hall enrolled in the Native Education College in Vancouver, where he was introduced to Northwest Coast form line.
Today KC is making art that is unique and freespirited. He is successfully combining traditional Northwest coast design elements with his own distinctive style. In doing so he is breaking new artistic ground. When asked about his approach, Hall notes “What inspires me most I think is embracing the change that is constantly happening around us. The change that is forever happening with me every day. Having a mind set that never stays in one place for very long."
Hall represents a new generation of Native artists. He is combining graffiti with traditional form line. In the process he is reaching a whole new group of art enthusiasts. The thought that he might be ruffling the feathers of traditionalists along the way is of no concern to him. “Native art is nothing like it was 10 years ago," he says. "At one point everything was changing except for the form itself….and now people are adding to it and making it a newer version of itself, while sticking true to the foundation that it was built upon.”
He doesn’t stick with one contemporary style either. Instead, he constantly wants to switch things up and do something different. In that sense, he is very much a product of our dynamic and rapidly changing world. When asked about his preferred medium, Hall explains that it “is a mix of spray paint and acrylic on canvas or wood panels. The mix of using spray paint to create the background to lay colour and form line
is what I most enjoy. I also enjoy painting bentwood boxes and skateboard decks. Basically, a mixture of my street art background with the traditional style I am still studying.” In addition to canvases, wood panels, bentwood boxes and skateboard decks, Hall has completed many wall murals throughout Vancouver and now the West Coast.
Hall's commercial work speaks for itself as he continues to deliver incredible new installations and pieces. In 2016, KC designed and presented a blanket to Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge while the royals were on a visit to BC. In 2017, Lattimer Gallery hosted an exhibition titled Hálúł (Fresh) which featured the work of KC and fellow Heiltsuk artist Dean Hunt. 2018 brought Hall excellent recognition as the recipient of the Crabtree McLennan Emerging Artist Award presented by the BC Achievement Foundation, which was founded by the Province of British Columbia. In 2020, KC was commissioned by Foot Locker to create a lightbox installation titled House of Hoops for locations across Western Canada. In 2022, in collaboration with three other
artists, KC designed The Runners mural, commissioned to celebrate the Niagara Canada Summer Games. It was painted on the Canada Steamship Lines Welland bulk carrier ship. At Ceremonial / Art Gallery, Hall exhibited LKVLO with numerous original works through 2023.
Native art is nothing like it was 10 years ago. (People) are making it a newer version of itself.
2024 has been an exceptional year for Hall. On September 5, 2024, Pacific Coastal Airlines unveiled a new tail art in partnership with the Artist, depicting an eagle and a wolf on one side, and a raven and whale on the other side, representing the four crests of the Heiltsuk Nation. In October, Hall returned to him hometown of Bella Bella to design and paint two important buildings in traditional Heiltsuk formline – The Heiltsuk Language Revitalization Centre and Heiltsuk Women's Centre; with assistance from Artists Charles Brown and Ben Humchitt. These projects brought much pride and cultural revitalization to the Heiltsuk Nation. To top off Hall's accomplishments this year, his Indigenous fashion line – a partnership with Charles Brown, HSTRY MKRS, rocked the runway at Vancouver's 2024 Indigenous Fashion Week.
Hall continues to reside in Vancouver with his partner, Sylvia and daughter. You can follow him on Facebook and Instagram and check out his latest works at www.kchallart.com
Margaret and Alf Bayne
ISLAND CHRONICLES
The Blue Fjord – A Legendary Vessel on BC’s Coast
CATHERINE M. GILBERT
THE BLUE FJORD WAS ONCE one of the ‘grand dames of the sea’ according to a 1997 article in the Westcoast Mariner (now Western Mariner) magazine, and took her place next to the Columbia III, the Clavella and the Gikumi; all classic wooden vessels that became engaged in forms of tourism along the spectacular British Columbia coast.
The last owners of the Blue Fjord are the delightful Mike and Judy Durban of Ladysmith, who operated the vessel for almost 20 years until sadly, it went under in the Toba Inlet. The 62 foot Blue Fjord was built in Vancouver in 1939 of yellow and red cedar, fir and teak and trimmed with quality brass. It operated as a police motor launch for the British Columbia Provincial police and once served as a floating courthouse cruising between Victoria and Haida Gwaii. Mike and his first wife Michelle saw her potential as a cruising vessel for passengers interested in whale watching and wildlife viewing. Mike’s inspiration came from working for
four years as a naturalist guide in the Galapagos, and upon his return to Canada, he thought, “Why can’t I do the same here?’ He purchased the lovely vessel in 1987 from whale researcher Alexandra Morton with several partners who gradually pulled out from ownership.
Judy and Mike met when they were both separted from their respective spouses and were eventually married onboard the Blue Fjord. When her venture into tourism with Mike began in 1991, Judy was teaching elementary school for the Cowichan region and worked on the boat seasonally. The Blue Fjord could accommodate ten guests, and Judy managed to cook gourmet meals in the small galley, producing about 1000 meals over the two month season. Captain Mike was the skipper and off season worked for the Department of Fisheries where he had gradually garnered his sea credentials, however, his boating experience had began years earlier when as a youngster he worked for his grandfather at the Yellow Point Lodge in Cedar.
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The Durbans would charter cruises from 10 to 14 days travelling as far north as Glacier Bay, Alaska and their flexibile itinerary allowed them to anchor when they wished in picturesque sheltered bays as well as stop at remote small coastal communities where their guests could disembark from the boat and wander about. To Mike, one of the most interesting jobs they engaged in was travelling the coast in the Blue Fjord for the David Suzuki Foundation taking samples from trees. The samples were used in a study of how salmon carcasses degenerate and become part of forest growth, and can tell a story of how many salmon were in streams in specific years near where a particular tree was growing by checking the presence of salmon ‘signatures’ in the tree rings.
They met many interesting people over the years including other operators such as Jim Borrowman and Bill MacKay, the original owners of Stubbs Island Whale Watching at Telegraph Cove, and Dave and Maureen Towers who operated Seasmoke Whale Watching on a sailboat out of Alert Bay. Maureen recalled fun times on the water when they would fire muffins at each other from their boats. In fact all were present when a report came in on September 23, 1994 about a Humpback in distress that was tangled in ropes. Mooring the Blue Fjord at Paul Spong’s Orcalab research centre at Hanson Island, Mike rendezvoused with Dave after donning his diving gear and they went after the whale in a zodiac. They found the Humpback but would lose sight of her each time she submerged. However, a group of about 20 Whitesided dolphins surrounded the spot where the whale had been seen, seeming to assist the rescuers with their efforts. Mike jumped into the water and was able to approach the Humpback and cut her free of the ropes, saying later that the whale’s willingness to be helped demonstrated to him how complex these creatures can be.
The Durbans became accustomed to observing all manner of wildlife over the years, but on one occasion, they took guests on a cruise and had no encounters with Orcas. Their dog Shadow, a half Lab, half Norwegian Elkhound that accompanied them on their trips was staring intently at one point on the surface of the water and started to bark. Then much to everyone’s surprise, Orcas appeared in the very spot Shadow was looking. As Judy says, “Shadow was the original ‘Orca Lab’.”
On December 3, 2006 Judy was on her way to Campbell River to catch a flight back to Toba Inlet to meet Mike on the Blue Fjord that had been chartered by a group of engineers. However, by the time she, the pilot and passengers had flown to the meeting spot, the boat was nowhere to be seen. They immediately returned to Campbell River where Search and Rescue was contacted. The vessel had struck a hemlock log and had sunk by the time they arrived, however Mike and Shadow had managed to get off safely and were floating in a skiff in the inlet, with Mike doing his best to keep them warm. After spending 13 hours out on the open water, they were spotted by the Search and Rescue floatplane and rescued. Mike was treated for mild hypothermia in the hospital, then he and Shadow went home.
Many souvenirs of the Durban’s trips went down with the boat, but many memories live on in the wonderful pictures and stories they have to tell.
WHEN WE THINK OF WELLNESS, we often consider our state of health, our fitness levels, our food intake, diets, exercise or meditation. Maybe forest bathing, or meandering along the beach. Maybe considering some forms of yoga, pilates, or perhaps getting our chakras aligned. We could consider choking down a chalky kale drink after our 14 hour fast. …or we might weigh our donut-to-dosha ratio. But have you ever considered how laughter, or even just smiling, can be part of your wellness regime?
Now, sure, you can buy a book about why laughter is good medicine, such as “Laughter, a Scientific Investigation” by Dr. Robert Provine, and you can even buy a book actually entitled “Laughter is the Best Medicine”. You can probably find several works with similar titles, on quips and jokes and funny stories. You could read numerous literary health journals from various institutes
on why and how laughter and being amused can help you physiologically, but why not by-pass all that? I recommend going straight to the fun. I recommend getting your amusement by reading children’s books.
As a writer, I find that the children’s section is woefully under-represented in the literature of most writer’s groups (or at the workshops at writers’ festivals) . Open the newspaper, what you do see? Another author has penned their latest adventures on The Trail, or the memoirs of a well -travelled sloth veterinarian. Yes, all good, but what about the children’s books? What about the make-believe world? I submit, NOT just for children. The world is filled with entertaining books, written for the wee ones, that can and should be enjoyed by all. We need a good chuckle, even a tiny smile, each and every day as part of our wellness journey, and you can get that from children’s books.
Recently comedian and elementary teacher Chris Duffy spoke at Ted Talks about how we should start thinking ‘like a kid” (he means a child – no goat thoughts, please). He postulates that children are regularly presenting their honest, creative, and idiosyncratic thoughts in an uninhibited way. That kind of thinking is my kind of thinking, and while it has often gotten me in trouble, it makes for interesting takes on mundane and ordinary things.
There are thousands of titles out there that will make you smile. One of my all-time favourites is, “Gilbert de al Frogponde” by Jennifer Rae. This is a hilarious tale of a robust frog who can hardly move, and who must convince two chefs who wander into Gilbert’s swamp that bugs are more desirable for eating in haute cuisine than fat frogs. The illustrations by Rose Cowles are to die for as well, or in Gilbert’s case, to nearly die for.
For classic amusement, I recommend Dr. Seuss. If you have not read about Diffendorfer Day, you really should, and “Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are” is a smile-inducing classic. “You are Only Old Once” is filled with amusing things that “obsolete children” can identify with and chuckle about. But, hey, why am I tooting Seuss’s horn when I can toot my own Tuba?
I myself, having been compared to Seuss in my writing style, have written five children’s books in amusing rhyme that can touch your funny bone in a way that does not require you to do anything. You don’t have to analyze, you don’t have to compare, you don’t have to weigh or measure, you are not required to take sides or enter into debate, you don’t have to trek, you don’t need to be able to put your feet behind your head, and there is absolutely no blood loss involved, in fact, no discomfort
in any form…you simply read and enjoy. You do not have to have a child present to enjoy a good children’s book. I am constantly telling older people this who insist they cannot buy my books because they have no grandchildren. Pish Posh!
My titles are for your enjoyment are:
• Baboons with Bassoons, a rhyme about an unusual animal & an unusual instrument.
• Patrick’s Pickles, about a guy (Patrick) who finds himself with too many pickles and how he deals with it.
• Oh Fiddle, Oh Faddle, a tongue-in-cheek treatise about how NOT to treat a violin.
• There’s a Tuba in my Kitchen, based on real events.
• There’s a Trombone in my Toolshed, a story about a trombone who gets into the toolshed, and its interactions with the tools and machines it finds in there.
J. P. Bailey is a Courtenay-based author who finds humour both in the obscure and in the everyday things as well. You will find ALL of her works available for purchase at Compass Gifts at the Comox Airport or online at www.hwilsonbooks.com. Three of J.P.’s books are in the Vancouver Island Library system.
SHIFT HAPPENS
Intuition
CAMERON EZZY
HOLISTIC SOUND PRACTITIONER
TIMING, SYNCHRONICITIES, MESSAGES and knowing. It is all part of our paths. We sit until we become aware that the thoughts and choices we make are the variables within creating life.
Follow your intuition without fear! When it says Now!, do it now!, do it!
Trust in who you are!, that you are worthy and this is right for me!
Send It, say it, sing it and allow life to bring it to you! If anyone else feels your now, your light!
They are in the same energetic field as you. Yours paths have aligned within the celestial realms to grow, to shine, to lead, to love and to create life with, what will be! Will it be for a reason,a season or a lifetime? Life will let you know!
Will our mortal bodies allow this light to flow, or will our minds and fear stop us from allowing this path of light to lead? Will the past stop us from embracing the present?
Will the present seed grow into the tree of life?, or will the life you wish for, have to wait for the next time around? We can see the board we are playing the game of life on!
We didn't miss The start, we were too busy looking at all the glitter shining ahead of us, and we started without care! Can you recognize past thoughts manifesting into present life?
Life has moments where electro magnetic celestial power touches two with the one light.
Where a green heart, yellow soul and white being of
Cameron Ezzy
one, lights the red root, purple eye and orange glow of another. Where both voices carry over the depths of blue, raising the roof with lyrics, rhythm, hums and hhhhhhhhmmmmmmm. It happens!!
The words spoken, the colors seen, the time and places where events take place.
Yes, we can know why this happens in life. We create it without being limited to 5 senses.
We chose to use our wisdom and not rely on education or knowledge. We dared to trust in our unspoken power! We embraced our power of being God, we create life! No permission is needed to live your best life!
You will never know how good life can be if you don't know what you wish to create! Know that if it exists within you, it exists outside of you. Your thoughts will create it as it is meant to be.
Your emotions are what defines the depth and length you are willing to go to achieve
Your intuition is the timing, it is the universe saying NOW! DO IT NOW! This is a necessary step, Do it!
The universe has your back!, do you? You will also never know who else wishes to share in your light, if you don't show it? Who wishes you to know the power in NOW? If you said, Yes I do!
Go to the mirror and tell yourself. I love you!, again and again until you own it!
Smile at your inner child, love them and invite them into you daily life.
They are your intuition!, your spirit and the more you love yourself the more your inner child talks through you. Go on!,say it, sing it, send it to yourself first and embrace what it brings within you. When you feel the NOW! let life bless you with it by sharing it.
Or don't!, it's your life!
Match Energy, Frequency and Vibrations, with Posivity, intention and mindfulness and you have. Vibrational Therapy/sound baths. Heal yourself! Meridian Vibrational Therapy meridianvibrationaltherapy@ gmail.com Cameron Ezzy 250 792 5605
January 17,
• Opening Night: 7:00 – 8:30 pm NIC Stan Hagen Theatre
• Keynote Speaker: Award-winning author, Ian Ferguson – How to be a Humour Being
• Free and open to the public
Special Event: 2025 Youth Writing Contest on Saturday - with prizes! Details at cvwriterssoiety.ca/conference
January 18, Saturday
• Ian Ferguson – Whodunits and Punchlines: What Goes into a Comedic Mystery
• Larry Bambrick – So, You Want to Write a Movie?
• Luncheon session – Kim Letson – Lunch on the Road with a Travel Writer
• Cornelia Hoogland – Travel Guide to the Heart Through the Prose Poem
• Robert Hilles – The Art of Writing a Short Story
• Blue Pencil Café – Dave Flawse Questions: info@cvwriterssociety.ca
19,
• Judy LeBlanc – From Whose Voice & From What Distance: POV – Narrative Story
• Jo-Anne (JP) McLean – Writing Deeper Dialogue
• Joy Gugeler – Get a (Shelf) Life: Bespoke Marketing Strategies to Get You Booked
• Luncheon session - Diane Kolpak - Electric Elocution: Breathe Life into your Readings
• Blue Pencil Café – Dave Flawse
Food for Thought
RYAN STUART AND JOSIE BOULDING
Miso Mushroom Gravy
Serves: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Often making a favourite food a little healthier means sacrificing flavour. This is not one of those recipes. This vegan gravy is better than any meat-based one we’ve tried. The wine-soaked mushrooms explode with juiciness and the liquid combines the best of a rich ramen broth with the satisfying depth of homemade turkey gravy. It’s a perfect festive alternative when you need to serve gravy but you also have to please vegans, vegetarians and meat lovers.
1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
¼ cup red wine or 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons agar agar powder or cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Start with our Miso Base: add water to a pot set to medium heat and mix in miso paste. Whisk until dissolved and then add tamari, honey, garlic and chilies. Turn the heat off.
Warm a frying pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and onions and cook, stirring regularly, until they start to turn translucent. Add the rosemary and poultry seasoning and stir well. Add the mushrooms and stir some more.
Once the mushrooms get soft and wet looking, add the Miso Base to the frying pan. Stir well.
To thicken the sauce, whisk in the agar agar or cornstarch in ½ tablespoon portions until it reaches your desired consistency.
Bring to a boil, add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
Caesar Brussels Sprouts
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
There are two types of people in the world. Those who love Brussels sprouts any way they come and those who hate them until they try them like this: roasted and coated in Caesar dressing. The light char from a hot oven brings out a popcorn-like nuttiness that’s far superior to boiled cabbage. The Caesar dressing adds a rich creaminess. It’s a combo that has flipped more than one hater. You may want to double the recipe.
Ingredients
1 pound Brussels sprouts, cut in half
1 tablespoon avocado oil (or other high heat, neutral oil)
1 tablespoon balsamic reduction
2 tablespoons Caesar Dressing
2 strips cooked bacon, cut into chunks (optional)
2 tablespoons of dried cranberries (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss cleaned and cut Brussels sprouts in a big bowl with oil and vinegar. Transfer to the baking sheet, spreading Brussels sprouts into one layer.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. (Air fry is even better.) Flip the Brussels sprouts and return to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes more, until their outer leaves just start to char and turn brown.
Return the sprouts to the big bowl. Pour on the Caesar dressing and add the cooked bacon and cranberries. Toss together and serve.
STAY WELL
Routine Routine Routine: The Power of Rituals During the Holidays
DANA MAHON
AS I SAT AT THE AIRPORT last week, and now in a hospital room at my dad’s side as he begins a long journey of recovery following an accident and major operation, I was reminded of how powerful routines, habits and daily rituals are, amidst life’s changes. They can be the difference between feeling healthy and grounded, or frazzled, discombobulated and uncentred. My routine was thrown off without much warning but it was no reason for panic.
I packed my greens, vitamin powders, teas, matcha, essential oils, journal, my favourite robe and comfies, and a few other sacred things that bring me comfort and ease. Whether it is a family emergency or a holiday celebration, when we are presented with a change in routine, there is still an opportunity to maintain our wellness. Whether it is stress, excess stimuli, excess food, interaction, parties or social gatherings, less structure, change in sleep patterns and a general “interruption” to all that is steady and normal, it is important to be mindful of what sets us off so that we don’t lose our way, making it more challenging to maintain our wellness routine.
Unless we have formed strong healthy habits over the course of our lives it can be tempting or just plain fun (at the time) to indulge in temptations. Though some indulgences feel (or taste) good in the moment, they are often not what we actually need in order to feel well.
A few things you can do to feel healthy over the holidays:
• Maintain your regular sleep schedule. As tempting as it can be to sleep in and stay up late, it's often accompanied by snacking, which can throw our metabolic state way off, resulting in sugar cravings, spikes and crashes, and overall dis-ease.
• Keep up a regular exercise or activity schedule. We all need rest and deserve to enjoy it!
• Just remember to keep moving. Our bodies and minds love consistency.
• Start and end your day with grounding practices such as meditation, breathing exercises,
• gentle stretching or other activity that feels soothing to the nervous system.
• Consider skipping the alcohol and extra sugar and instead fuelling your body with adequate nourishment, hydration and nutrition.
Nourishing the body over the holidays is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Blessings for a safe and healthy season!
Trail
Blazers
Aron and
Nicole
Welsh are more than entrepreneurs; they are a dynamic duo committed to excellence, family, and community.
Raised on Vancouver Island—Aron in the bustling town of Nanaimo and Nicole in the scenic Duncan—their love for the island and dedication to its people has become the heartbeat of their journey. Together, they’ve built a flourishing business and a life rooted in values that reflect a deep love for their community and each other.
Aron’s entry into the automotive world started with a leap of faith at just 20 years old. After moving to Campbell River at 17 and graduating from Carihi Secondary School, he spent two years at Vancouver Island University before embarking on a career that would become his calling. Meanwhile, Nicole, a graduate of Cowichan Secondary School, had her own dreams, bringing her warmth and vision to their shared path.
