Gabriola Island Lifestyle Blog

Archive for the ‘Gardening on Gabriola’ Category

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A Gardening Day

Monday, May 24th, 2010

It has been pretty cool this spring and our garden is coming along slowly so we thought we should give it bit of a boost. We grabbed the older two kids and the wagon and set off for the Wild Rose Nursery which is just down the path from where we live. We raided the greenhouse for bedding plants and selected cucumbers, squashes, zuchinni and some tomatoes, added a few flowers, then browsed the seeds for more beans, carrots and chard. I bought some more tomatoe cages and we were set – good thing we brought the wagon!

Posted in family life, Gabriola Living, Gardening on Gabriola, Weather | No Comments »

What a year!

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009



Well the year is winding down and it is time to look back and remember all the days sunny or rainy, happy or sad. The girls are another year older and our oldest will be registered for Kindergarten in the coming months. The younger will be starting pre-school this year and so begins the yearly adventure of another grade, another teacher and so much to learn for both them and us. We added a new member to our family by finally getting a dog! Dexter is a 5 month old Bichon and is greatly loved by all, especially the girls. This year also came with the addition of 15 chickens of which 12 are still around and kicking, 2 of the 3 roosters became dinner this past summer and were quite tasty. Our garden was fantastic with beautiful tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash and beans, we are still eating greens, herbs and squash that we grew this year. Hopefully we will expand the garden next year and try growing new things such as some ancient grains.

I joined the board at People for a Healthy Community and look forward to working with the other amazing board members to give back something to the community that made me who I am today. Dave’s business has taken off and Sleepdeprived Computer Tech’s have helped keep many people’s computers running smoothly. He also has spent a fair amount of his time volunteering with the Gabriola Co-op Radio. Through all of this we still manage sometime for each other and the kids and have really enjoyed the past year watching them grow while laughing at all the goofy things they say and do.

We always tried to keep Real Estate out of this blog but I am breaking the rules just for a moment. Business was slow in the beginning of the year but then took off at an incredible speed, so much for the “Quiet Year” perhaps that is still to come. Okay so know that the rule has been broken I will endeavor never to do it again and keep this an island lifestyle blog.

Thanks so much to all who have made this such a great year we really appreciate all your support.

The McMahon’s/Vincent’s/Wishinski’s

Posted in Causes, Food, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gardening on Gabriola, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Healthy Eating, Healthy Living, Holidays and Special Events, Kids | No Comments »

Flowers for Sale

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Earl’s Dahlia Garden, where you can buy a bunch of Dahlias for $3, is located right next to the little boat launch in Descanso Bay. Sitting on the bench in this picturesque setting you have a good view of the ferry coming into the Dock on Gabriola.

Posted in At the Sea, Gabriola Living, Gardening on Gabriola, Shopping on Gabriola | No Comments »

Apple Time

Sunday, October 4th, 2009

Most of the apple trees have been producing well this year and these century old Kings are no exception. There are half a dozen old trees on this property and we were invited to pick. 100 lbs of apples later and the trees looked the same as when we started. Now it is time to preserve them. We will dehydrate some, can the apple sauce, freeze some for pies, make juice and apple jelly, and the best we will save for munching on – lots of fun!

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

Ancient Grains

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009


Since we started ordering our groceries through Spud we have been trying to buy food grown as close to home as possible. The difficult part is ordering local breads and such due to the fact that nobody is growing grains on Vancouver Island…so I thought. Upon reading a local food magazine I discovered that a hand full of Vancouver Island farmers such as Sharon Rempel are growing heritage grains like spelt, “Utrecht Blue” bread wheat, and red fife wheat to mention a few. This piqued my curiosity and next year in our (hopefully) expanded garden I am looking forward to growing and eating some of these, if nothing else they are beautiful to look at.
(photo credit Terry Chapelas)

Posted in Buy Local, Food, Gabriola Living, Gardening on Gabriola, Healthy Eating | No Comments »

Fall Fair Day

Sunday, September 20th, 2009



It was Fall Fair day today and my sister and I took the oldest of the four girls and walked the short distance down to the Gabriola Commons. From noon until 3 pm today many Gabriolans spent the day listening to music, watching squash races, looking at beautiful fruit, veggie and flower displays and eating ice cream. The 4-H club served cotton candy and popcorn while the proceeds from the fresh corn on the cob and the ice cream went to the Hot Lunch program at the elementary school. There was a silent auction, face painting and plenty of good company, if you missed it this year make a point of coming next year!

Posted in Gabriola Living, Gardening on Gabriola, Healthy Eating, Healthy Living, Holidays and Special Events | No Comments »

Celebrate Summer and Welcome Fall!

Thursday, September 17th, 2009


It is that time of year again when the Gabriola Commons hosts the Fall Fair. It is a fun filled day full of animals and cotton candy, games, contests, demonstrations and more. It is wonderful way to spend the last day of summer, we hope to see you there!

For more info visit the Gabriola Commons website.

Posted in Gabriola Living, Gardening on Gabriola, greener living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Healthy Living, Holidays and Special Events, Shopping on Gabriola | 1 Comment »

Shed Chic

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009



A couple of days ago I was visiting with a friend who turned their 8 x 10 electical shed into an animation studio. It is a fantastic little space with insulation and drywall and even a cute little window. There is a fair amount of room and it functions as a great space for him to escape and get work done. On an island such as this where so many people work from home it is a cost effective way to turn a small outbuilding into a usable space. Outbuildings under 107 square feet can be built without obtaining a permit. If you decide to turn them into work spaces with electricity or a sink you will need the appropriate permit for either plumbing or electrical. Recently we have been looking into the idea of a workshop space outside for me and are having a great time looking at all the ideas for very nice “sheds”. Books such as Shed Chic give great design ideas for outbuildings such a gypsy caravan or barn style while keeping it small. Take a look at some of the pictures and form your own ideas but be warned that it will be hard to decide what to build!
ps There are also pre-fab versions, check out Modern Shed for some ideas

Posted in Gabriola Living, Gardening on Gabriola, greener living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Healthy Living, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Quick Pickles

Friday, August 28th, 2009

This is the time of year for pickling, when the garden has an abundance of cucumbers, carrots and beets. This was Carly’s first try at pickles and she was impressed with how easy it can be. Pour a boiling mixture (1 part water, 1 part vinegar and 1 tablespoon coarse salt per cup) of liquid into hot sterile jars that have been filled with raw carrots and cucumbers or green beans, fresh dill and garlic, and screw the cap on tight. The jars will seal and in a few weeks you will have pickles.

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

The Morning Harvest

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

This heat wave has caused an explosion of produce in our garden, each morning we pick enough vegetables to feed our extended family plus give some away!

Posted in Food, Gardening on Gabriola, Healthy Living | No Comments »

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