Gabriola Island Lifestyle Blog

Groundhog’s Day

February 2nd, 2012

February 2nd is an exciting day in our house as the girls race around waiting to hear if we are set for an early spring. This year the results seem to be mixed with the Canadian groundhog’s calling for an early spring and the American claiming 6 more weeks of winter. I took a look at the forecast for the next 5 days and it appears that we may be having an early spring! Sun and mild temperatures are in the forecast and the blue sky tonight as the sun was going down is a testament to that forecast.

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Garden Raiding in January

January 23rd, 2012

We just had a cold snap on Gabriola Island with a good dump of snow, heavy wind and rain, and today sun with seasonable temperatures! I decided to see what greens and herbs survived the nasty weather of the past 10 days and was pleasantly surprised to find beets, kale, parsley, rosemary, chard, kale, cabbage and a rather small cauliflower. It is the best feeling when you can wander out into the patch of semi-frozen soil and find in amongst the winter weeds a good cache of nutritious and fresh veggies. It is a great reminder that spring is just around the corner and that I really need to get on placing my seed orders sooner than later.
And with all that I found in the garden we are having lentil soup chock full of all the greens I harvested this evening with warm cornbread, perfect for a west coast winters night!

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Mt. Washington day trip

December 29th, 2011

One of the wonderful things about Gabriola being so close to Vancouver Island is the ease at which we can make a day trip up to Mt. Washington. Yesterday for a treat we took the family, including my sister-in-law visiting from Toronto, up to the mountain to go snow tubing for the afternoon. What a treat for the girls, the snow was falling and they felt as though they were in heaven.  Our 4 year old was a bit scared and decided she would tube down with me which was a blast for both of us. The eldest whom loves roller coasters was vibrating with excitement and after whipping down the hill the first time decided that she could do this forever. It was quite reasonably priced at $49 for the family for 2 hours which is plenty of time for the adults of the group (I think the kids could have gone all day). Next time up there the girls have expressed interest in skiing (I think the idea of hurtling down the hill at breakneck speed appeals to them), I on the other hand would love to try cross-country skiing.

Posted in Daytripping on Vancouver Island, family life, fitness, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, People, west coast, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Happy Holidays to all

December 24th, 2011

Wishing you a Happy Holidays and wonderful 2012 from our family to yours. May you be surrounded by love, warmth and light this holiday season!

All the best,

Carly, Robyn, and Lesley McMahon

Posted in family life, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, People, west coast, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Gift Giving Gabriola Style

November 28th, 2011

This year I have made a pact that the majority of my Christmas gifts will be locally bought from our incredible selection of local merchants and artists. You may ask “How do you decide where to go as they are all so fantastic?” and you would be right! I usually start at the craft fairs in the hopes of finding locally crafted items to send to Ontario, sending them a little “Gabriola Style” every year. This year was fun (as usual) as I picked up items at “Crafted Booty” and the Rollo Center Christmas Craft Fair. As for my own family members here on Island I tend to shop around for them until I find the right thing that is just for them. The Gabriola Island Elementary School Christmas Craft Fair is this coming Saturday at the school and as well as the craft fair there is the Silent Auction where you can pick-up a plethora of local good and gift certificates to local merchants.

For your ease of shopping I will list some of my favorites for gifts big and small and some great ideas for stocking stuffers!

North Road Sports – Great clothing, shoes, and accessories for anybody in your life

Slice of Life Gallery – Local artists as well as imported items, bright colors and great atmosphere

Mad Rona’s – Gift certificates, apparel, and to-go cups

Woodfire Restaurant – Gift certificates and specialty foods

Village Liquor Store – Great selection of wines, beers, and scotch among others

Raspberries Cafe – Gift certificates

Artworks – Local artists, home decor, gift certificates, apparel, and so much more

Wooden Hanger – Lovely boutique clothing and accessories

IDA Pharmacy – Home wares, decorations, children’s toys, cards etc.

Village Foods – Specialty Foods and gift certificates

Robert’s Place Restaurant- Gift Certificates

Harvest Thyme Restaurant – Gift Certificates, books, and some gift wares

Colleen’s Home Center – Housewares, apparel, baby clothes and toys, shoes

Madd Art – Hemp clothing, giftwares

Silva Bay Pub and Restaurant – Gift Certificates

Gabriola Arts Council – list of all the artists that belong to GAC www.gabriolaartscouncil.org

And check out the Gabriola Chamber of Commerce webpage for more links to local businesses.

Have fun shopping…I know I will!

Posted in Buy Local, family life, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Healthy Living, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, People, Shopping on Gabriola, The Arts, west coast, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Wild Weather on Gabriola

November 12th, 2011

What started out as a beautiful day yesterday here on Gabriola turned into an intense yet short storm unlike what we have seen in recent years. From out of no where the atmospheric pressure dropped quickly, and 100 km/hr wind came up blowing and chaos ensued.  30 minutes later the power was out to the entire island (still many without power this morning) and the worst of the weather had passed.

Posted in At the Sea, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Weather, west coast, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Zombies Attack…

October 30th, 2011

Gabriola survived a zombie attack on the village area yesterday, albeit we now have a slightly lower population of living but a higher number of undead! At 1:45 pm on Saturday October 29th a small but terrifying group of  zombies descended on the downtown of Gabriola Island searching for good eats.  Thankfully they were slow moving so we got some good pictures before retreating to the safety of our office in Folklife Village. Photos courtesy of Carly McMahon or Siki McIvor

Posted in Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, People, The Arts, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Biggie Tomato

October 24th, 2011

Our gardening is just about done for the year, the beds have been tidied and only the cold hardy vegetables are left to browse from. We had an abundance of really big tomatos and made a lot of tomato sauce!

Posted in Cooking, Food, Gardening on Gabriola | No Comments »

Fargo in the Park

October 18th, 2011

Robyn’s little Boston Terrier, Fargo, loves to accompany us on our walks in the park. Today was decidedly beautiful, warm and sunny.

Posted in Gabriola Living, Recreation on Gabriola, Weather | No Comments »

Foraging on Gabriola

October 12th, 2011

There are quite a number of plants that can be foraged for food on Gabriola. The spring and summer months offer a multitude of berries, oregon grape, young stinging nettle,  and tender greens; in the fall find rose hips and mushrooms. It is very satisfying to walk along mossy forest trails and spy a chanterelle mushroom, and where there is one there are usually more. Our favorite are the golden chanterelle but the white ones are good as well. Take them home, clean off the forest debris, leave them to dry for a couple of days, then fry them up with onions and olive oil – delicious!

Posted in Cooking, Flora and Fauna, Food, Healthy Living | No Comments »

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