seaside times

WEST COAST CULTUREOCTOBER 2009

Olympic Torch RelayComing to Sidney!

See pg. 35

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The First Word .............................4

Body & Soul ..............................10

Island Dish...............................................20

What’s Happening ..........22

Wrenderings ..............................24

Sudoku ................................................27

Smell the Coffee ................28

Zais Astrology .........................32

Footprints ........................................36

The Last Word ........................38* Cover by Anne Fearon-Wood – Ruckle Provincial Park, Salt Spring Island

CO N T E N TSOCTOBER 2009Established in 2005

The Regulars5 The Green Future

6 British Columbia’s Rainforest Wolves

8 Thinking Lifestyle Change? “Leaf” Old Excuses Behind You

12 I Remember When…Thoughts on Poker

16 Jack O’Lantern Pie

18 The Saanich Sky Larks

23 Sidney Fine Art Show Features Island Talent

30 Slip Sliding Away!

34 Failed Communications – The Conclusion

37 Seaside Times Advertiser Index

Seaside Times • PO Box 2173 • Sidney, B.C. V8L 3S6Publisher, Advertising: Tim Flater • 250-686-1144 • [email protected] • [email protected]

Editor-in-Chief: Allison Smith • 250-544-4022 • [email protected] • [email protected]: Tige Johnson • Mosaic Internet Designs • [email protected] Printed by: International Web Express – Island Office 888-364-2500No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the permission of the publisher or editor. Views of contributors do not necessarily reflect the policy or views of the publisher and editor.

66 20 28

SEASIDE TIMES www.seasidetimes.ca4

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Do you like change? It’s a question that makes me take pause a lot of the time. I’m not sure why I’m refl ect-ing on it right now; it could be because of the change in the seasons. It could also be because there has been a lot of change in my life this year and I may be yearning for less change!

This much I know: there are people who embrace it, others who live with it and many who would rath-er that things stay pretty constant. I’ve learned that I’m definitely in the first category.

This year we changed the magazine’s name, the paper we print it on, the font size (to make it easier to read) and added many

THE FIRST WORD

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Change is in the Airnew writers.

Allison Smith joined the team as editor-in-chief and brought brightness and creativity to the ads and the editing.

We changed the way you get the magazine – having it deliv-ered right to your door in the Sunday edition of the Times Colonist.

We changed the number of magazines we print each month – increasing distribution to 10,000 for the Peninsula and Gulf Islands and making Sea-side Times the largest magazine dedicated to the Peninsula.

We changed the website (www.seasidetimes.ca) so you have the option of reading the magazine online. Visitors to the site can easily fi nd out where they can pick up the magazine or how to contact us.

There is one more big change coming to the magazine in November; I’m not going to reveal it yet but you will cer-tainly notice it as soon as you see the next issue!

I have a love/hate feeling for the change of seasons from summer to autumn. I love the summers, especially this one – wasn’t it great? However, there is something refresh-ing about the routine of the fall; the crisp air, the comfort of our favourite sweater and the warm glow of a fire. The season of kids going back to school, Thanksgiving, Hallow-een and raking leafs.

Sometimes when things change they really stay the same.

I hope you enjoy this issue and I can’t wait for you to see the change in November!

PublisherTim Flater

OCTOBER 2009www.seasidetimes.ca 5

Going green is the new buzzword of our times. How easy to mount the hobby horse of banning plastic bags, or spout the righteousness of cycling to work, or crow about one’s com-post box.

Without an emotional connection to the land it is all empty rhetoric, to be swept away and forgotten when the next crisis is upon us.

It is dusk, the light a creamy gold-en glow, and the deer are in our oak meadow, browsing. A plump rac-coon hunkers along over the lawn, stopping once in a while to look around, as if it knows I am watching, then melts into the meadow like a fi gment of the imagination. Gros-beaks fi ght over the birdbath and splash in the pond before heading off in ragged formation to roost at the top of the fi r tree. Soon they will be on their way up north, following a path I cannot see but that is part of their genetic heritage.

The meadow’s fl owery glory lasts two weeks at best, with great swathes of blue from the camas and bluebells and rich ribbons of golden yellow

from the buttercups. Then, simultan-eously, the oak leaves burst forth and the meadow grass thrusts itself up in search of the sun, swallowing up the fl owers in a haze of green. Within the world of the meadow are small secret furry things such as voles and little mice, while on the fringes cavort the nutmeg-coloured cottontail rabbits.

I am the steward of this mead-ow, the keeper of the seeds. If the meadow were to be cut before the seed pods had set and burst their promise, in a few years there would be no more wild fl owers, no more oak meadow.

The chocolate lilies, purple satin fl owers, shooting stars, wild orchids, camas lilies and bluebells would fade into memory. There would be no shelter for the wild things, no place for them to rear their young in peace and privacy.

The stewardship of wilderness connects me with the earth. I walk through the forest of Mount Doug-las Park down to the sea, soothed by the suck of waves on sand, my hair blowing wild and free in the wind.

The ancient shell midden in the bank where the stream fl ows into the sea tells me there have been other stewards here, other keepers of the wilderness. The frantic pace of our lives, the sheer “busy-ness” of our days, can keep us from feeling that close affi nity with the wild places. Yet, without this connection what are we but empty vessels, yearning to be fi lled with something quite profound, something that reminds us of our insignifi cance in the vast universe teeming with stars and the promise of undiscovered worlds.

To embrace the green movement is to recognize that we are con-nected to the earth, our habitation is the fi elds and mountains, lakes and streams, woods and ocean that make up Vancouver Island. Only through connecting can we understand our profound relationship with the land and what it means for us and for our future. So plant a vegetable garden, keep a wild patch of meadow, walk along the seashore and feel the rhythm of the waves beat in your own heart. You will become a stew-ard of the green future.

Th e Green FutureTh e Green Futureby Linda M. Langwithby Linda M. Langwith

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SEASIDE TIMES www.seasidetimes.ca 6

Fall was in the air and Raincoast Conservation Foundation’s wolf project team was conducting a 10-day expedition on our research vessel Achiever to collect genetic samples from areas on B.C.’s north coast in the vast area known as the Great Bear Rainforest. Arriving after sunset, we anchored in a system known to us to be a wolf hot spot. I slept on deck up in the observation platform that was still attached to Achiever from our marine mammal surveys that had recently conclud-ed for the season.

It was still dark when the howl

of a single wolf woke me up. I got up with my sleeping bag draped around me and crouched behind the blind of the observation plat-form, listening intently.

A cacophony of other voices then suddenly reverberated through the valley, almost as if in an echo cham-ber. Just as quickly, the howling came to a halt. In anticipation I grabbed my binoculars. Then, in the slowly advancing light of day, the wolf family began to appear on the beach, one by one, then a pair at a time. The play and roughhousing of its younger members went on for a good part of

British Columbia’s Rainforest WolvesBritish Columbia’s Rainforest Wolves

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the sun-drenched morning.

After the wolves had fi nished their romp I waited until they had retreated into the bush, then hiked quickly up the system to where the salmon stopped spawning. All along the banks of the stream were headless pinks, the missing heads a telltale sign of wolf predation. I watched as sea-gulls, ravens, and insects descended on the leftovers. It was another reminder of how wolves serve as pro-viders to the larger ecosystem.

Soon it was time to get back to Achiever as tides and schedules dic-tated. As my jog back to the beach turned into a sprint, I marveled at the surgical-like precision the wolves exhibited in chomping the heads off of so many fi sh.

Coastal B.C. provides a landscape which facilitates a truly unique way of life for Canis lupus. Where else on the planet do wolves take to the sea, swim-ming among forested islands to feed themselves?

Where else can wolves make more than 75 percent of their living from marine resources like salmon, beached whales and seals? Where else can we learn how these magnifi cent animals used to live, before the planet suff ered extensive loss of wild wolves in most other places?

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totheir wild ways amidst an uncertain future marked by challenges against which they have no evolved defenses – climate change, industrial forestry, fi sh-eries, trophy hunting, increasing marine traffi c, exotic diseases, and others. We must consider carefully what wolves require in the face of these threats.

To that end, we continue to gain scientifi c understand-ing about the Great Bear Rainforest’s wolf population. Our research uncovers essential information, such as details of the evolutionary history of coastal wolves, that until recently had not been documented. peer-review process, ensuring that our conservation

recommendations are well grounded and defensible. We call this unique blend of academia and outreach as “informed advocacy.”

Did You Know?Along with humans, wolves were once the most wide-

spread land animal on earth, but relentless persecution and the continuous loss of habitat now restrict wolves to only a small portion of their original range.

Wolves cannot curl their tails like dogs.

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photo courtesy Doug Brown

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Autumn has traditionally been a time for re-evaluating goals: the season ushers in many reminders to renew, recharge and reconsider.

Schedules for work and school get back on track after summer vacations; activity programs resume in com-munities, churches and neighbourhoods and life shifts into high gear.

All of this purposeful activity makes autumn a good time to re-evaluate your goals for a healthy lifestyle. Maybe you’ve been meaning to exercise more regularly, eat a healthier diet and/or lose weight. But as we know, intentions are one thing…actually accomplishing them is something else.

Has life been getting in the way of your health goals? This is the season to “leaf” your excuses behind. Typical obstacles include:

• fear of change; • hectic schedule; • uncertainty over how to begin; • eating in response to emotion rather than hunger; • lack of organization in meal planning;

Th inking Lifestyle Change?Th inking Lifestyle Change? “Leaf” Old Excuses Behindby Dianne Connerly


• previous failures; • not enough information; and • high-fat food too easily available

The key to leaving behind excuses is to see them for what they are: excuses, not insurmountable obstacles. If your goal is important enough, you will find some way around the problems. Think about how you spend your time and energy; your actions reveal your current priorities.

While you’re at it, take a few moments to think about your goal-setting history. In the past, how successful have you been in setting and reaching goals? A bit of thought may reveal patterns that work well for you, or

it may show problems that crop up repeatedly (so you’ll know how to avoid them next time).

Which of the following qualities apply to your history of setting and reaching goals?

Starting: start off with a bang, need prodding from someone else, begin impulsively, begin after long, care-ful deliberation.

Persisting: like to overcome challenge, feel intimidat-ed by challenge, must fi nish no matter what, lose steam in the middle of a project, get lost in details, keep track of everything, appreciate visual reminders.

Bonding: do better when others are involved, prefer working alone, need compliments and praise, get dis-couraged comparing yourself to others, get excited see-ing others succeed.

As you leave those excuses behind and get your goal-setting priorities in order, the key lies in determining what you want and what you’re willing to do to get it.

Remember the old saying: “If it is to be, it’s up to me!”

Author Dianne Connerly is a member of a local Take Off Pounds Sensibly TOPS chapter. Visit the TOPS website at www.tops.org for more information. Photo this page courtesy TOPS Club, Inc. Photo opposite page by Dianne Connerly.

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So Much More Th an Turkey to be Th ankful ForSo Much More Th an Turkey to be Th ankful For

by Cathy HananThis year, like many Canadians, when you sit down for

your annual Thanksgiving dinner, you will probably take a moment to refl ect on what you are thankful for – good health, family, friendship and a safe place to live. I too, will be thankful for these things. However, this year I will remember back to where I was in 2008 – in the glowing heart of one of the poorest parts of South Africa.

Gwexintaba village is situated on South Africa’s Wild Coast and perched on the edge of an ancient fault line

that forms the Magwa River gorge. At the bottom of the canyon the earth literally cracks in two and ancient foot-paths criss-cross the valley connecting distant villages.

While visually stunning, life in Gwexintaba is hardly idyllic by Western standards. There is no running water or electricity so the women of the village make a daily trek to the edge of the 144-metre Magwa Falls to collect water. Entire families live in a round mud hut about the size of a single-car garage. There is no furniture except a single shelf that stores everything the family owns. Sleep-ing mats are placed on the fl oor at night and moved away during the day to make room for the cooking fi re.

The village school has six dark classrooms with a leaky tin roof and fi ve outhouses across the main dirt road. Four outhouses are designated for students and don’t have doors, the fi fth, designated for teachers, does have a door.

The school building sits about 200 metres from the edge of the giant fault but there are no fences or barriers to protect the children from the massive drop.

The fi rst morning in the village our group of four vol-unteers stopped by the school to see if we could help.

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Assuming we would be asked to help with maintenance or painting, we were a bit surprised when we were asked to “teach” while the teachers held a staff meeting. Turns out if we hadn’t shown up that day, the teachers would have left the students unattended in their classrooms for more than two hours.

Given that the village is Xhosa speaking (that’s one of the clicking lan-guages) and our Xhosa was limited to very basic formalities, it was a chal-lenge to say the least.

We had very few school supplies, even fewer resources and a couple of hours to fi ll. It didn’t take us long to fi gure out that games are the international lan-guage of children!

Most of the students wore tattered clothes and only some had shoes, but they were just like kids anywhere in the world – endless energy and smiles from ear to ear. Even with the language barrier, it didn’t take long to fi gure out the steady procession of students running across the road to the bathroom were

just taking advantage of the “substitute teachers.”

We stayed with the children until lunchtime where we watched them line up for their government-supported school meal consisting of a chunk of bread with a scoop of strawberry jam. Lunch in hand, they wandered the

gravel schoolyard, each employing a slightly diff erent technique to make their scoop of jam last as long as pos-sible.

While most children in Canada would hardly consider this lunch, the children in Gwexintaba were truly thankful for their meal – for many, it was the only meal they would eat that day.

So as you are finish-ing off your Thanks-giving leftovers and

making a final turkey sandwich, take a moment to consider just how lucky we are to live in one of the most prosperous and safe countries on earth. This year I will thank the children of Gwexintaba village for showing me what it means to be truly thankful.

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It wasn’t that long ago that my husband Jim and I stopped at the Waddling Dog to investigate the sign: “Texas Holdem – Mondays at 7:00 p.m.” We had watched a couple of games on TV and thought it might be interesting to try playing.

I’ve played cards all my life – from the time I was a small child. Some of my favourite games were Canasta, Bid Hearts, Bridge and of course, Rummy and Crazy 8s. We tried every card craze there was including Bus Stop and Between the Sheets. My mother was also an avid card player. Many a Friday night, as a teenager, friends would come over to play a game or two before going out on the town. It was always a happy time; a gathering of friends; a time to learn to win or lose gracefully and an all-around fun time.

As the years went by, our interests expanded to include diff erent sports: skiing, training horses, curling, golf

and hiking. The camaraderie in all the events was a drawing point and it was no diff erent with the cards.

The first night I joined the game at the Waddling Dog, I entered the room with no experience at Poker.

I had made myself a “cheat sheet” – a recipe card with the order of the winning hands – and referred to it often throughout the night.

Limit Hold’em was the game at that time. I found that it was great learning experience because one couldn’t put all their chips in right away. This way I was able to stay in the game longer and I actually won a few hands!

In the hand of the night, every-one folded their hands except three players including me. I was fi rst to play, Sharon was second and Al fol-lowed. Back then, I knew nothing of position and of course, only played my cards and not the people. I didn’t know enough to anticipate what others might have and had what I call “tunnel vision.”

I held a pair of Kings, which even at this early stage I knew was a pretty good hand. In Limit Hold’em the fi rst bet is equal to the big blind, and I made it. To my surprise, Shar-on raised and Al re-raised. Well, I thought I was sitting pretty with a pair of Kings so I called.

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The fl op comes down as middle cards: 6, 10 and 5, nothing interesting to any of us. Now, because I had Kings, and not paying attention to any possible straight or fl ush draw, I bet again. Again a raise and re-raise from Al, then calls all around.

On the turn came a Queen. Not afraid of it, I bet. Raise and re-raise from Sharon and Al again! What’s going on? I asked myself. Don’t they know I have Kings? I raise Al’s raise, thinking I will just rake in the chips at the end of this hand. Everyone calls. Remember, I am the newbie; Sharon and Al were regulars at “The Dog.”

The River brings down a 3. Hey, no problem for me right, so I bet. Sharon and Al announce a raise and a re-raise respectively. Well, I know I have a better hand, so I raise again. Calls all around.

It was time to show our hands. I was fi rst and proudly turned over my Kings. Sharon held a pair of Queens

and Al a pair of Aces. The best hand was held by Sharon with three Queens! Yes, the best starting hands, or so I thought at the time, were cracked by the trip Queens. We had drawn a crowd around our table. When I left that night, I felt part of the group and couldn’t stop talking about the excitement of the night.

The format has changed at the Dog. It is now No Limit Hold’em and is part of the B.C. Amateur Poker League. Other venues around the Victoria area were added to the League and are noted on the website, http://www.bcap.ca/index.php. If you ever want to increase your circle of friends, come to the Waddling Dog one Mon-day or Tuesday night at 7 p.m. and join us in a friendly game of poker. Everyone is always quick to help a new player learn the rules of the game. It’s free to play, and the friendships formed there often seem to matter more than the points you might gain by playing.

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“What’s going on? Don’t they know I have Kings?”

~ Patricia Zimmel


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“It’s my hospital.” That’s what former patients say about this centre for care and compassion on the Saanich Peninsula. The Saanich Peninsula Hospital fi rst opened as an Extended Care facility in 1974, but it wasn’t long before its role was expanded. Today, the hospital provides essential health care services to more than 30,000 people a year through extended care, acute care, surgery, emergency, diagnostic and treatment services.

Unique in its rural setting, the hospital has a 144-bed extended care unit, 48 acute care beds for med-ical and surgical, 24-hour emergency care, a 10-bed palliative care unit and outpatient services including laboratory, radiology, ultrasound, physiotherapy and nutrition counseling.

The hospital provides services to over 39,000 people who reside on the Saanich Peninsula. With a population demographic that is signifi cantly older than the provincial norm, there are specifi c impacts that are felt at the hospital with respect to both patient visits and medical conditions. The Emer-gency department sees over 22,000 patients per year, many of them older patients with multiple, complex conditions.

In 1985, a group of concerned citizens came together to raise funds for equipment at the young hospital. These caring members of our commun-ity created an independent registered charity and have worked tirelessly to support the best care for residents of the Saanich Peninsula at our commun-ity hospital. Board members have raised almost $22 million since 1985.

The Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation has provided funds for an expansion of the Emergency Room, the building of a Palliative Care Unit, renova-tions to the Extended Care Unit, the creation of gar-dens in Extended and Palliative Care, the purchase of a new CT Scanner and heart monitoring equip-ment, along with the purchase of many smaller pieces of equipment.

The Foundation has just completed its most ambi-tious project ever, raising $4 million to renovate the operating rooms at the hospital. Construction is set to begin soon, and the Foundation has now turned its sights to raising funds to equip what will be a state-of-the-art facility.

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The not-quite-symmetrical pumpkin was placed square on the kitchen counter. Carving implements were gathered. Jack O’Lantern faces were sketched, rejected, negotiated and fi nalized. As with most joint kitchen projects a chef (this time my husband) and a scullery maid (me) were decided by the toss of a penny. All was in readiness for the fi rst cut.

Now, you must understand that my husband can kindly be described as a “tool geek.” He has the phone number for Lee Valley Tools listed in his cell phone as speed dial #1. Carving the pumpkin, he announced, was an opportunity to try out his new, high velocity revers-ing drill with multiple sharp attachments.

The scullery maid had doubts about the sanity of the chef; however, we commenced.

The agreed-upon design was rendered onto the pump-kin by the chef, the scullery maid scooped out the fruit’s seedy innards and the chef applied a carefully selected drill bit to the small orange orb and gave it the gas.

Lesson #1: A pumpkin is not a piece of wood; however, comparable safety provisions apply.

Corollary #1.1: Don’t hold the back of the pumpkin with your left hand while drilling the front of the pumpkin with your right hand.

An electric drill, one luscious ripe pumpkin and a small quantity of fresh blood. Sounds a bit like the teaser for a foreign film that you don’t want your chil-dren to see. I wouldn’t want children to witness what actually happened with a drill and a pumpkin on the fateful day my husband and I decided to carve our first ever Jack O’Lantern. We are both of an age when wisdom should prevail, but wisdom flew the coop on Jack O’Lantern Day.

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The scullery maid artfully bandaged the left hand of the chef and cleaned up most of the blood from the kitchen counter and pumpkin. She declined to hold the pumpkin for a second drilling attempt. The chef, grumpy with pain, determinedly revved his drill again, this time bracing the pumpkin against the corner of the kitchen counter.

Lesson #2: Heed Lesson #1.

Corollary #2.1: A large hole in the kitchen counter lamin-ate cannot be considered a fresh design feature.

“Okay,” the chef announced with a sigh. “We’ll just do this the traditional way. We’ll use knives.” The blood pressure of the scullery maid raised a notch as the chef brought forth his case of surgical steel woodcarving implements, edges glinting and lined up with preci-sion. By this time the pumpkin was slippery with pump-kin ooze and…well, let’s just say you’ve probably never before seen a three-eyed Jack O’Lantern, but we did.

At this point the scullery maid, using enticements of fresh baked pie, invited the chef to retire his drill and knives and bring out his electric mini-hacksaw. The chef, with bloodless precision, fl ayed the remains of the pumpkin. The orange fl esh was steamed, mashed, spiced, mixed and poured into a buttery crust. Our anticipation of a luscious slice of pie exceeded our now-retired anticipation of a Halloween Jack O’Lantern.

Lesson #3: Jack O’Lantern wanna-bes make great pie.

Corollary #3.1: Lee Valley Tools sells can openers, too.

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Whether you want to increase employee motivation, improve your businesses adaptability to market changes or reduce employee turnover, ASPECT’s Small Business Employee Training Program can help. The program is focused on helping small businesses maximize the poten-tial of their growth employees by providing them access to funded training courses that are tailored to the needs of small businesses and their employees. Find out more online at http://www.aspect.bc.ca/about/asbetp.php.

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Why do birdwatchers from all over North America fl ock to the Saanich Peninsula? No, it’s not just for the nat-ural beauty or relaxed atmosphere

the Saanich Peninsula.

By the 1960s, the population rose to over 1,000 birds and overflowed to Cowichan and the San Juan Islands. Unfortu-nately, with commercial and residential development and changing agricultural practi-ces, sky lark habitat quickly dis-appeared and the population plummeted to the current esti-mate of about 200 birds.

For example, the undevel-oped lands around the Univer-sity of Victoria were once filled with the sky lark song, but now houses, paved streets and mowed lawns are not suitable for sky lark habitat. Increased predation from domestic cats and crows also contributed to the demise. In fact, on the San Juan Islands the sky lark was eradicated by introduced foxes and feral cats.

The only remaining popula-tions on the Saanich Peninsula are on the grasslands around the airport, the Martindale flats farmlands and the Vantreight bulb fields. How long will it be before Saanich sky larks are history on Vancouver Island? It all depends on how quickly the suitable habitat disappears and whether there is a will to invoke conservation measures to protect the only population in North America.

It is ironic that one of our more desirable avian imports is on the brink of extinction while less desirable imports like the starling and house sparrows are running rampant. Some prog-nosticators have estimated 20 years for the sky lark but no one knows for sure.

Perhaps the best advice is to go out and enjoy them now while you still can. The best place to look is the bulb fi elds on Central Saanich Road. Just stop and listen for the song to begin!

by Mike Yip

(although they may be reasons to stay a little longer). It’s a bird – the sky lark. The only breeding population in North America of this amazing bird just hap-pens to be on the Saanich Peninsula.

The sky lark is a plain-looking, spar-row-sized, brown-streaked bird that calls the grasslands and farm fi elds of the the Peninsula home. It spends most of its time meandering on the ground foraging for seeds and insects. But, like the unassuming Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent, the sky lark blos-soms from obscurity to a superstar as it gradually rises from the ground in a symphony of joyous twittering, circling higher and higher until it dis-appears high in the sky before gliding quietly back to earth.

Sky larks are native to Europe and Asia and were first introduced to British Columbia in 1903. Attempts were made to establish populations on the lower mainland and southern Vancouver Island. The program failed on the mainland but succeeded on

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Autumn is the absolute ideal sur-rounding for comfort food. Just smell the crispness of the fall air, the ever-so-slight chill that kisses your cheek as you crunch along the path, your eyes drinking in fiery reds, tempestuous oranges and tranquil browns that only fall can bestow.

Now, you can’t deny the natural draw into your kitchen, almost as if Mother Nature herself is guid-ing you into her fi elds to pluck from her bountiful crops of hearty pumpkins and sweet crispy corn. Slide into your oversized sweater, settle in with easy music, stoke the fi re and say hello to your kitchen again.

Summer is over, your barbecue says “until next time” and your stove is just waiting for your return to its warmth and friendship. OK, so perhaps “friendship” is a bit steep. We all know we are guilty of weaving a tapestry of obscenities on some occasions at it, and even the shiny new models get the occa-sional “slammed door” treatment. Ah, but I digress. Back to seren-ity, back to my kitchen and back to creating some of the most tummy-warming dishes yet to be had.

This month I have included two of my fall favourites. They are easy to prepare, fi lling and truly delectable. Just remember, recipes are never in stone! If you like a spicy curry, add more heat! Not a fan of chicken? You

can swap in ground beef, ground turkey or even a hearty white fi sh like halibut or cod! Just let the dish guide you, it will never send you astray!

Pumpkin Chicken Curry

3 tbsp. oil or ghee (clarifi ed butter)

1 medium yellow onion, fi nely diced

3 cloves garlic – minced

1 tsp. ginger – minced

2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts – cut into 1/2” cubes

1 red bell pepper – seeded and sliced into strips

1 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. crushed chili fl akes

1/2 cup crushed tomato

1 can coconut milk

2 tsp. curry powder

2 cups pumpkin – seeded and cut into 1” pieces

Heat a small amount of oil or ghee in a large pot over medium-high heat.

Sauté onion for 2-3 minutes until cooked and browning. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 1 more minute. Add the chicken pieces to the oil and cook until colour is uniform. Add the red pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the remaining season-ings except the curry powder and cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour

in the crushed tomato and coconut milk and stir until uniformly com-bined. Stir in the curry powder and bring to a simmer. Add the pumpkin pieces and simmer until tender – about 7-8 minutes – season with salt to taste and top with a fresh bunch of chopped coriander.

Serve over basmati rice and top with your favourite chutney, shaved coconut, rasins, banana slices or all of the above!

Ambling Autumn by Jennifer Bowles

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The Freshest Coffee & Local Music !

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Mark’s Harvest Corn Chowder

8 Strips good quality bacon – chopped

1 yellow onion – diced to 1/4”

2 stalks celery – diced to 1/4”

1 medium baking potato – diced to 1/4”

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups 2% milk

2 cups fresh corn kernels

2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

1/4 cup chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Fry the chopped bacon in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until almost crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Spoon out bacon fat until only 2 tsp. remain in pot; add onion, celery and potato. Cook until the onion and cel-ery are tender and almost browned. Stir in the cream and then the milk and reduce heat to low. Stir in corn, thyme, parsley and most of the bacon and season with salt and pepper. Let the chowder cook over low heat for 10 minutes to heat through and thicken. Serve garnished with remaining bacon and a toasted warm wedge of corn bread!! Enjoy!

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Until October 18Saanich Peninsula Arts and Crafts Printmakers ShowCommunity Arts Centre, 9565 5th. St. (at Weiler) Tulista Park, SidneyOpen daily 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., 250-656-7400Free admission.

October 1Senior Driver Refresher Course St. Paul’s United Church, Sidney, 1 to 4:30 p.m.250-656-3213 to register$60 per person, taxes included.

October 411th Annual Salt Spring Island Apple Festival Mary Winspear Centre, 2 - 4 p.m.250-653-2007, www.saltspringmarket.comA farm-based unique organic apple fes-tival celebrating heritage apples. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and free for children under twelve. Tickets are only available on festival day at Fulford Hall and outside the Ganges tourist info centre.

October 4Victoria Riding for the Disabled 20thAnnual “Ride A Thon” Pledge EventMetchosin Municipal Ring, 4450 Happy Valley Road, 9 a.m.250-479-1988, [email protected] a pledge form from your local feed & tack shops or online at www.members.shaw.ca/vrda; collect pledges and bring to the ride a thon. All pledge forms must be in by 12 noon to be eligible for prizes. Enjoy refresh-ments before you start and return for lunch and the prize ceremony at 2 p.m.

October 16-18Sidney Fine Art ShowMary Winspear Centre, Sidney Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.250-656-7412, www.sidney� neartshow.comThe Sidney Fine Art Show is a world-class art show featuring work by mostly B.C. artists.

October 23Sidney Reading SeriesRed Brick Café, 2423 Beacon Ave., 7:30 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.)www.sidneybusiness.comEnjoy an evening of readings by authors Katherine Gordon and Timothy Taylor. Au-thors’ books for sale. Admission is $5.

October 24 & 25 Studio Tour www.sidneybusiness.comThe Community Arts Council of the Saanich Peninsula presents the bi-annual studio tour showcasing many local artists who open their studios for free to the public. Printed brochures/maps are available at the Com-munity Arts Council of� ce in Tulista Park, Tanners bookstore and local coffee shops.

October 24Central Saanich Police Community Ball Saanich Fairgrounds, 6:30 cocktails, 7 p.m. dinner The Timebenders will be offering an evening of unforgettable entertainment. There will be a fabulous buffet dinner and all proceeds will go to the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation. Tickets $50. Call 250-652-4111 for more info.

October 10Seed SafariFrancis/King Regional Park, Saanich, 1 p.m. Ages 6+, wheelchair accessible250-478-3344, www.crd.bc.ca/parksMother Nature is now planting her garden for next year. Join us as we check out the different ways plants scatter their seeds. Meet at the Nature Centre off Munn Road.

October 7Saanichton Village Association AGM Saanichton Bible Fellowship, 7 p.m.Guest speaker will be Richard LeBlanc from Woodwynn Farm. For more informa-tion call Jan at 250-544-0636.

www.seasidetimes.ca 23OCTOBER 2009SEASIDE TIMES

Comedy Night Featuring

Jon Dore

Saturday, October 24th at 8 p.m.

With a selection of the funniest local talent!

18+

Mary Winspear Centre250-656-0275

www.marywinspear.ca

All Tickets $30Cabaret-style tables,refreshments served

throughout the evening

Open Monday - Saturday 9:30-5:00

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Sidney Fine Art Show to Showcase Island Talent

The jurors for the 2009 Sidney Fine Art Show – one of the largest and most anticipated shows in British Col-umbia – have selected 372 diverse and exciting pieces of excellent art from the 1,272 pieces that were brought in for adjudication on September 13th. Over two days, jurors Donna Baspaly, Brent Lynch and Catherine Moff at each saw and evaluated all the pieces individually. They then reviewed many pieces again collectively to fi nalize their selection and choose the prizewinners. The jurors were very impressed with the quality of the work and the sheer size and organization of the show.

Donna Baspaly commented on the amazing talent that we have here on the island, while Brent Lynch was impressed with both the level of technique and craft, saying “the extent to which the artists’ commitment to subject matter showed in the work.” Catherine Moff at expressed the feelings of all three jurors who felt that “the quality of the work was such that we would have liked to be able to select more wonderful pieces and wished that all the artists could have heard our appre-ciation of their work.”

All the jurors lavished praise on the organization of the adjudication process and the quality of the volunteers that worked with them.

The show opens on October 15th with opening cele-brations for invited guests. The celebrations start with a reception for sponsors and patrons, who have the fi rst opportunity to view and purchase the excellent art chosen for the show at very reasonable prices. This is followed by an awards ceremony in the Charlie White Theatre at the Mary Winspear Centre with guest speaker Arthur Vickers, after which there is a preview and reception for sponsors, patrons, artists and volunteers. If you are not yet a patron, there is still time for you to become one.

The show is open to the public from Friday October 16th to Sunday October 18th at Sidney’s Mary Winspear Centre. It is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the 16th and 17th, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the 18th. Saturday evening, from 7 to 9 p.m., is “Meet the Artists” night with many artists in attendance, a number of whom will be demon-strating their art.

This year, the Show is especially important to the local art community. Not only do artists receive 85 percent of their sales revenue, but any surplus from the show goes directly back to the Community Arts Council of the Saanich Peninsula to support its many diverse programs. With anticipated cuts in arts fund-ing, this contribution will be even more important this year. For more information, visit the show website at www.sidneyfineartshow.com.


For many of us, it seems October has appeared out of the blue, but one only has to look at the birds at the feeder to realize that winter is fast approaching.

While human “snowbirds” are planning trips to get away from the cold, avian “snowbirds” are returning to the Penin-sula to bask in the “heat.” My regular cold-weather visitors, a pair of pileated woodpeckers and a family of fl ickers, are devouring the suet I’ve put out and I have even seen a Steller’s Jay at the peanut feeder.

I am often asked how to attract specifi c birds to one’s backyard. Two basic factors need to be con-sidered: where the bird likes to eat and what the bird likes to eat. In terms of loca-tion, birds can be divided into two groups: perching feeders (those that prefer to feed off the ground at a feeder of some type) and ground feeders (those that pre-fer to either forage on the ground for food or to eat from a tray feeder raised off the ground).

In terms of food preferences, there

are three major groups: seed eaters, suet/nut eaters, and fruit/nectar eat-ers. Within the seed eating group, there are the birds that need a high calorie diet (those birds that fl y from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, such as the chickadee) and those

that eat a low calorie diet (the birds that basically live in one area, such as your backyard, and because they don’t fl y much they don’t need as much “fuel” to fi re their engine; tow-hees and juncos are good examples). The black oil sunfl ower seeds and nyjer are high-calorie seeds; millet is

Introduction to Bird Feedingby Jennifer Hill

The Victorian Bird House

2428 Beacon Avenue, Sidney

Sidney’s Only Wild Bird Store

We only sell bird

seed that is:

Specializing in Gifts for Backyard Birders and Gardeners

a low-calorie seed.

You might think you have only to mix the various seeds together to concoct the “ultimate” blend. However, that’s not the case. Most birds have a pre-ferred seed and will hunt for it – scat-tering everything else in the search. Those inexpensive bags of seeds, often

sold in “Big Box” and some hardware stores, usually contain such a hodgepodge of seeds.

Typically there are a few good seeds (i.e. nutritious seeds) along with a lot of fi ller seeds (seeds that add weight to the bag) and it is those fi ller seeds, such as milo, wheat, and proso that are “chucked” to the ground, only to attract squirrels (and, heaven forbid, rats).

If you are going to put out a mix, be sure that you

not only purchase a high-quality mix but that you buy seeds that are prop-erly stored in an airtight bag to ensure their freshness. Remember, there is a big diff erence between the various types of sunfl ower seeds. Most birds that will visit your backyard prefer the smaller black oil sunfl ower seeds. They have twice the calories per pound more than the big striped ones and their thin-ner shells are easier to crack open than the thicker, harder seeds that only birds with large seed-cracking bills can eat.

The charts on the following page show the preferred diet of our most common birds. I put out those foods with the most number of check marks – in winter I put out sunfl owers (both in the shell and shelled), suet, millet and nuts, and in the summer I add nectar for the humming-birds and nyjer for the American gold-fi nch. And of course, I always have fresh water out both for drinking and bathing. What do you put out?

Jennifer Hill owns The Victorian Bird House and she loves to hear from other avid bird feeders. She can be reached at [email protected]. Photo cour-tesy Stuart Clarke.


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It’s a science centre, gift shop, bookstore and kids’ playzone combined.

Search for gemstones, pan for gold, collect seashells, discovery unique rock and fossil specimens and learn fun facts about earth

science, all while enjoying the beautiful waterfront at Sidney-by-the-Sea.

Open 364 days a year!


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Worry free wine making!Your wine making experience will

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Open House October 10th – 10 to 4 pmCome help us celebrate our 11th anniversary!

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Tickets $10 Each – Buy 10 before Oct. 20th to GET ONE FREE and a RESERVED TABLE

Tickets for sale at Genesis, Bay Cottage Winery & Fresh Cup Saanichton

All Proceeds to:


Keep Your Brain HealthyThe Alzheimer’s Association recommends doing puzzles like Sudoku to strengthen brain cells and the connections between them.

InstructionsEach Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing. Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square.

* Sudoku Solutions can be found on page 31.

Easy BreezySudoku PuzzlesOctober 2009

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Halloween Fun Facts1. Orange & black are Halloween colours because orange is associated with the fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.

2. Jack O’Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.

3. Pumpkins also come in white, blue and green – great for unique monster carvings!

4. Halloween is the second most successful commercial holiday, after Christmas.

5. Tootsie rolls were the � rst wrapped penny candy in America.


Our love aff air with coff ee con-tinues over the ages, centuries in fact, but our understanding of this almost daily beverage for many of us is still founded in countless myths.

The mysteries (or confusion for many) that surround coff ee could originate from the properties of cof-fee still undiscovered…if you can imagine! There’s a lot more to your daily cup than the crude fi bre, ash, Albuminoids and 60 or so benzenoid compounds, including 16 phenols.

There are many myths, medicinal claims and even various tales of how this succulent beverage can even be harmful to your performance in the bedroom. No matter what is said, there’s always an explanation that is founded in science, (well, maybe not the ones about the bedroom).

The most common myths of cof-fee are the ones we share over the counter with our favorite barista each morning as we jitter away

patiently in anticipation. Hopefully if you’ve men-tioned one or two in cas-ual discussion, your bar-ista has taken the time to dispel the myth…if not, get a new barista because their knowledge of basic coff ee isn’t good enough!

By far the most com-mon myth that baristas come across daily is that “dark roast has more caf-

feine than medium roast.” The short answer is NO dark roast coff ee has less caff eine than medium roast. The reason: caff eine is a water soluble element, therefore as the coff ee is roasted longer the moisture leaving the bean is greater and with it goes more of the caff eine.

This myth completely originated from people’s association of how the stronger taste of a dark roast cof-fee must equal more caff eine, but in the end is a simple case of mistaken identity.

The second most common myth from my barista experience is “espresso has more caff eine than drip coff ee.” This myth is once again founded out of the same association that a more intense coff ee taste must equal more caff eine…some people just won’t give up on this one!

The real truth comes from the total amount of time that water spends with the coff ee grinds, and because, as mentioned above, caff eine is a water soluble element, there is more

caff eine in drip coff ee than espresso because in making drip coff ee the water spends more time in the bas-ket above the pot during the brewing process. Hopefully now people might abandon this all-too-common myth about taste and caff eine, and as a last note on caff eine and taste…caff eine is virtually tasteless; can you imagine!

Another common myth about cof-fee is that it’s a potent diuretic. Once again “NO.” It’s true the stimulant eff ect of coff ee can act as a slight diuretic, however the overall volume of water you consume while enjoy-ing your cup of coff ee will more than make up for the small amount lost in a trip to the washroom.

Myth or fact: “Coff ee helps retain memory.” The answer to that one is yes. Austrian researchers confi rmed that caff einated coff ee can tempor-arily sharpen your focus and mem-ory. After giving volunteers the caff eine equivalent of about two cups of coff ee, their brain activity was increased in two locations – the memory-rich frontal lobe and the attention-controlling anterior cingulum. Results were observed using MRI technology.

We know Sudoku is good for the memory, but I have to say, I have a lot more fun drinking coff ee with a friend and have no problem fi nish-ing a tasty cup, unlike many Sudoku puzzles I’ve tried!

If you’ve got questions or ideas for Steve Sheppard, email him c/o [email protected].

Dispelling Common Coff ee Myths

by Steve Sheppard


The

A Passionate Farm Experience

October 17th & 18th

GIANT PUMPKIN CONTEST!

Your Chance to WIN $1000!Weigh-in @ 3:30pm

SundayStories with Mr.Organic, 1pm Sat & SunGarden Centre Sale!

250 655 0075 9100 East Saanich Rd 250 65250 6

Mouth-watering Specialty Pies

Call us for more information!

Pumpkin Carving Contest

As the pump-kin fi elds become orange with this year’s crop, the air gets crisp, the leaves fall from the trees and the annual ritual of rak-ing them up begins, I started to hear about a 700-pound pumpkin and how competitive it is to grow these large beasts.

Intrigued, I head-ed to The Roost, on the corner of McTavish and East Saanich Roads, where Hamish Crawford grows his award-winning pumpkins. I walked into the greenhouse behind The Roost and there it was; the giant, resting under a nondescript black cover in what had to be at least 40 C.

As I gently pulled the cover away to reveal Hamish’s latest baby, I screamed out: “How many pumpkin pies will it make?” Dal-las Bohl (pictured with daughter Mackenzie), one of the owners of The Roost, quickly replied: “At least four hundred!” With all the joking aside, I wanted to know the secret to growing these large gourds.

Dallas, guarding the family secret like McDonald’s does the recipe for its sauce, would only admit to a combination of sheep and chicken manure and Miracle-Gro. To a guy who can kill plastic plants, learning the trick behind creating this monster was vital, but all Dallas would reveal was that watering is very important, as is not keeping the pumpkin on the ground where it can rot. He uses gravel to solve this problem.

When asked how long the pump-kin takes to get to this size, Dallas

told me that Hamish started this one in late April and that he got the seeds from a pumpkin grown in Port Alberni by Jake Van Kooten, who holds the Canadian

record (2008) for the largest pump-kin in Canada – a whopping 1,536.5 pounds.

The current world record is 1,689 pounds.

The offi cial weigh-in will be on Sunday, October 18 at The Roost. Come see how they will weigh it and wheth-er Hamish has another winner, because size really does matter!

Growing these massive pump-

kins is nothing new for Hamish, whose specimens have won fi rst place at the Saanich Fair for the past four years.

When Size Really Does Matterby Tim Flater


Join us for the official

Aquatic Complex Grand Opening

October 24th, 2009 @ 10:30am

ww.panoramarecreation.ca 1885 Forest Park Dr. North Saanich, BC 250.656.7271

10:30 - 11:15am Opening Speeches

and Celebrations

11:15am - 12pm Pool Tours, Open House,

Refreshments

12:15 – 2:30pm FREE Public Swim*

3 – 3:30pm Pool Tours


6 – 6:30pm Pool Tour


*Space is limited. Pick up your tickets in advance

from Panorama Reception. Max 5 tickets/family.

Hig

hest &

Longest Waterslide in Greater Victoria!

Min 42” to ride

the slide.

It’s been a long, dry year at Pan-orama Recreation, but that’s about to change!

At 10:30 a.m. on October 24th, the public is invited to the Grand Opening of the renovated and expanded Aquatic Centre on For-est Park Drive in North Saanich. There will be pool tours, free pub-lic swims and a video demonstra-tion of assisted double riding down North America’s first waterslide accessible by an elevator and lifts.

Viewed from outside, the water-slide resembles a twisting green snake looped around the side of the building. It is 10.8 metres high and 100 metres long; the highest water-slide south of Nanaimo.

“Access to the waterslide is four stories up. It’s a pretty good workout by the time you get to the top of the stairs,” advised Aquatic Coordinator Dustin Ray-Wilks with a grin. “There’s an amazing view of Sidney and the airport from up there.”

The elevator is available for those with mobility issues, along with transfer lifts at the slide entrance and at the deceleration chute at the bottom. Everyone can ride the slide!

The waterslide is only one of many new additions and fun fea-tures that have been included in this $12.46-million project, funded by the three Peninsula municipal-ities and a $2 million Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund grant, among others. Those who frequented the

Slip Sliding Away!Slip Sliding Away!by Arlene Antonikby Arlene Antonik


pool area in the past will see big changes.

The aquatic centre now features over 7,000 square feet of pool space which includes the existing 25-metre, six-lane pool, a new leisure pool with two length lanes, a swirl pool, a tots pool, a sauna and steam room, a party room and a viewing terrace at swim deck level. This means par-ents can now come into the pool area to watch swim les-sons without having to remove their shoes!

Another change due to the extra pool space is that length swimming will be avail-able during lesson times. Sorry, parents, but there goes your excuse for slacking off while the kids are working it out in the pool! Mind you, the sauna and swirl pool will be open too.

The leisure pool is full of fun stuff . In one area, the Lazy River fl ows around a circular bench and a bubble pit. Sit on the bench and relax or walk against the current for stamina and core-strength-ening exercise.

In the middle of the leisure pool are the kiddie car wash and a tea cup suspended 12 feet above the water with eight spouting waterfalls. Nearby, the water shooting out of three colourful overhead pipes can be controlled by turning a wheel valve. Think you can preserve your hairstyle in this water world? Fuhgettaboutit!

Care has been taken to assure everyone has access to the facilities. A zero-depth entry ramp allows a water wheelchair – a stainless-steel chair meant for a water environment – to go right into the pool. The user can then fl oat free to enjoy the water and derive the thera-peutic benefi ts of water exercises, if desired. There are benches and pull-up bars along the edges of the pools.

Another transfer lift is available at pool-deck level which runs on an overhead track and gives access to the two main pools and the swirl pool.

Panorama Recreation has a joint use agreement with School District #63. Under this arrangement, schools in the district are able to book six-week swim lesson ses-sions or fun swims for their classes. Rental fees are waived and only staff time is charged. Kelset Elementary School has the great advantage of being right across the street.

“We are excited to have all our programs back,” Ray-Wilks said enthusiastically.

“Most of our aquatic staff from a year ago are returning and we’ve added 30 new positions to meet the need for additional lifeguards, swim and fi tness instructors.”

He noted that the recreation centre’s programs are inter-con-nected and one area spills over into another.

“Without the full circle of ser-vices,” he explained, “it’s been like a broken wheel. But now we are back and it’s a full circle again. We’re look-ing forward to welcoming the public on October 24th. We’re going to open with a splash!”

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Easy Breezy

Sudoku SolutionsMiddle of the Road

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Zais AstrologyOctober 2009by Heather Zais ([email protected])

Aries march 21 - april 19The full moon in your sign highlights

your energy and a t t r a c t i v e n e s s .

Personal position will be aff ected by

relationships. Important connections can be made

or renewed to the benefi t of both or all. Travel for you or the

others is part of the process. Merge – marry or partner up with success. Venus will add warmth to relationships and bring you closer together. Your urge to conquer rises the second half of the month.Taurus april 20 - may 20Your plans for the future are subject to alteration or change of direction under the infl uence of others. This is all for your future good, so don’t fi ght it. Health and diet will be part of the focus; pace yourself. A long-term plan looks fi ne, but be willing to give it the necessary time to gel. Be organized and pay attention to details. You feel pressure inside from the full moon.Gemini may 21 - june 20Love, creativity and romance are in focus this month. Attend events related to these areas. Speculation is favoured as well. Take your holidays now it you can. One way or another it’s time to relax a little or participate in sports or entertainment etc. Relationships can be enhanced or repaired, so make the call. Your focus becomes stronger mid-month. Study, prepare or otherwise “get the show on the road.” Guard information.Cancer june 21 - july 22You see doors closing in one area and opening in another. Look at your choices carefully. Give yourself enough time to clear things up before making changes or you will have to take the time out to do it anyway. Your priority in all this should be your security. You also have to consider your reputation when taking action. Decisions about home or base of operations aff ect you and others.Leo july 23 - august 22Plan to attend special gatherings or events – social/community activity is favoured. You can also entertain or assist others to do so. Take the reins of any project if it is off ered to you. Take care of secret or confi dential matters, especially relationships that need more time to develop. A lot of short travel or commuting will keep you on your toes, but you like to be busy anyway. Avoid gossip.

Virgo august 23 - september 22Look at ways to increase your fi nances. There are alternate sources available. Sometimes it’s hard to see them when you worry. You can mix business with pleasure once you decide how to play it out. Don’t get stalled by too much detail. No

matter what, avoid any get-rich-quick schemes, it will not be as expected. Consider what you really value; it will infl uence your choices for the future.

Libra september 23 - october 22Relationships peak or come to a head for you under the full moon. Be careful how you handle the circumstances and it should all work out OK. Having the right team player or mate is very important to you. Take the lead in making certain decisions. At least you will know what others really want by the way they respond. Put your best foot forward if making a presentation or creating something.

Scorpio october 23 - november 21Take a look at how much farther you want to go on your present path. There may be health issues or some other limitations that will aff ect your choices. The full moon brings this to a head. The shift of Saturn moving into the sign of Libra at the end of the month will cause you to do some soul-searching. Confi dential matters will be on your mind. Some of this will be related to the past.

Sagittarius november 22 - december 21Your hopes and wishes will be linked to people of power or position. The infl uence of the full moon adds a romantic note as well. Look at the larger picture fi nancially. Expand or make other positive changes. A harmonious link between Venus and Jupiter will see some of you considering “marriage” or other long term arrangements by the end of the month. Make solid decisions or choices then.

Capricorn december 22 - january 19Your career or status gets a boost from new or renewed opportunity. Look at what and who you really know; it could be helpful. It’s time to be sure of your future direction. Weigh experience against education. The tide is with you. Discussions regarding fi nances or what you want are fruitful. Home and family matters will need some attention as well. Matters over distance take longer than expected.

Aquarius january 20 - february 18You dream of far away places or taking a holiday. This could come to pass suddenly or under unusual circumstances. Learning or teaching may be connected. Your mind is open to new or creative ideas or projects. Follow your intuition if you have choices or selections to make. Trips can lead to plans to move or relocate. This can be permanent or temporary depending on requirements. Strength grows.

Pisces february 19 - march 20 Look at joint fi nances or property shared with others. Decisions will need to be made by you or them. Make sure all paperwork is in order to avoid problems down the road. New sources of income will need your attention. This could involve buying or selling. You experience changes in relationships. Making a commitment is fi ne as long as you keep your individuality. The right mate will love you as you are.

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www.seasidetimes.ca 33OCTOBER 2009SEASIDE TIMES

Sidney’s Pet Centre & Aquatics

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PROFESSIONAL DOG & CAT GROOMING AVAILABLE

��Looking for a friendly place to

have a coffee in Saanichton? How about trying Spelt’s Coffee Shop? You might not have been to Spelt’s lately (a fixture in Saanichton for 38 years), so let us remind you!

The family-run Spelt’s is so much more than a clean and convenient Shell gas station and fully stocked convenience store; there is also a great coffee shop on the south side of the building with friendly staff (and some second and third generation Spelts) ready to serve you with whatever you hunger for. They happily pour “Direct Fair Trade” coffee that directly helps the cof-fee pickers and their families. It’s roasted right here in Saanichton!

Looking for good old-fashioned big fresh donuts? Well, we have them at Spelt’s and they’re baked fresh daily. But Spelt’s Coffee Shop is more than coffee and donuts, they also have great food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Did we mention the big muffins, creamy soft ice cream and pie? So why don’t you come

on in and see what everyone is talking about and what’s new since you were here last – you’ll be glad you did!

at the corner of

Wallace Drive & East Saanich Rd.

www.seasidetimes.ca 34 SEASIDE TIMES OCTOBER 2009

It took only a day to coordinate the linkage, but several more before the activities of the Canadian side could be arranged to appear as normal as possible. When the day and time arrived, Ian chose to stay home, as there was no comfortable place for him to lie down in his tiny offi ce. He lay down, relaxed through a time-tested series of meditations on the colour blue, and drifted into a recep-tive state for what dreams may come.

First, a feeling of warmth covered him, then he was awake under a star-fi lled evening sky, and fi nally he knew and saw that dawn was not far off . Then scenes of tribal and village life came before him, but of life as it had been before the West invaded Afghan-istan. The people were poor, true, but their faith and tribal culture sustained them through the seasons, and life was as good as it could be. The great city, Kabul, was once again fi lled with fountains and public gardens, and its bazaars were a colourful display of all the best Afghani work and arts.

An Afghan expatriate who had made a multi-million-dollar fortune in Edmonton from real estate and truck-ing lines was stricken with a rare form of lymph system cancer. As good as the Canadian medical system and its care of him was, all the doctors he saw told him the same conclusion: go home, see to your fi nal aff airs and die in six months, perhaps less.

Having nothing left to lose, he fl ew back to his family’s village, which he had not seen since he was 12 years old; 44 years before. There he was received

by relatives and friends with immense warmth and celebration, day and night. Finally, when he told them of his condition and its prognosis, they insisted he see a medical shaman who lived on a remote hillside that took 20 hours travel from Kabul. Once there, he was treated to a series of odourous and vile-tasting medications and put into a coma-like state. After two weeks of this, he was awakened and told to

go home; he would be well.

He did as he was told, and was welcomed in Edmonton by jubilant family and friends. Within a week of his return, he decided to devote the rest of his life and fortune to bring-ing his healer’s knowledge and plants to Canada, and set about doing that with the same diligence he’d used to build his fortune. In the fi rst few weeks Canada’s medical community and government were sceptically toler-ant of his near-manic activities, but as terminally-diagnosed patients began

to recover, wary disbelief turned to joy and celebration of medical break-through after breakthrough.

In a few months teams of botan-ists, doctors and alternative medi-cine people had brought the plants back to Canada and began to grow them on a large scale for export. They were banned from the U.S., of course, when the FDA announced that years’ more testing was needed and forbid U.S. citizens from buying anything related to this from Canada.

* * * * *Here the manuscript for Failed

Communications breaks off . We have only this statement from the auth-or’s wife, Victoria Josephine Ross:

“We were rudely awakened this morning at 3 a.m. by two large men in plain black suits. They took Joseph into custody, saying only that what he had written was a very grave breach of national security. They questioned me as to what I knew, but even though I told them this was all fi ction, they refused to believe me. Joseph will be charged under some kind of national security laws, but when and where wasn’t given. They said that if I cooperate he might be home in a few months, but I know nothing at all of his writing. I’m home alone, except for our friends who come by to visit. Joseph’s adult children live far from Saanichton, and can do nothing for him, nor can I. We don’t even know where he’s being held. I’m sorry, I have nothing more to say, and no idea how this will end.”

Failed Communications – Th e Conclusionby Joseph Fasciani

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For more than 40 years, the Wood-ward family owned farmland on the Saanich Peninsula. William (“Billy”) Culham Woodward was the son of Charles Woodward, the founder of the Woodward retail chain.

Billy Woodward was born on April 24, 1885 in Gore Bay, Ontario. He joined his father and brothers in the family business in 1907 as a book keeper, but his retail career was interrupted when he served over-seas with the First Canadian Heavy Artillery during the First World War.

After his return home, Billy Wood-ward married Ruth Wynn Johnson in 1921. Her family owned Chil-cotin’s Alkali Lake Ranch, the oldest cattle ranch in B.C. Charles Namby Wynn Johnson, Ruth’s father, had purchased the ranch in 1909.

Growing up on a cattle ranch gave Ruth Wynn Woodward the interest and expertise to raise cattle on the 192-acre (78-hectare) farm she and her husband acquired in the early

1940s. They named the property “Woodwynn,” a combination of the names ”Woodward” and “Wynn.”

After his father died on June 2nd, 1937, Billy Woodward took over the role of president of Woodward’s stores. In 1941, he was appointed to the role of B.C.’s lieutenant gov-ernor and was sworn in on Sep-tember 5th, 1941.

Towards the end of his term, in 1946, he was off ered a second term but Woodward turned it down, wanting to spend more time on the Woodwynn Farm. Billy and Ruth Woodward and their three children lived in a understated but comfort-able house nestled among the trees on the shore of Saanich Inlet.

Billy Woodward continued as the president of Woodward’s until 1956 when he retired and turned store operations over to his son, Charles Namby (“Chunky”) Woodward.

Woodwynn Farm: Th e Woodward Home For 40 YearsWoodwynn Farm: Th e Woodward Home For 40 Years

by Carole Pearson Unfortunately, the senior Woodward passed away only a short time later in Hawaii on February 24th, 1957.

Initially, Ruth Woodward raised Jer-sey cows on the Woodwynn Farm but in later years switched to Angus Aberdeen cattle, says Olive McHattie. McHattie’s family also raised and sold cattle in the area and her mother got to know Ruth Woodward quite well.

“She was very outgoing and really down-to-earth,” McHattie said about Ruth. “During the Fair, you would see her there taking care of her cattle and the stalls herself. I remember she always wore a skirt, even when she was working in the stables.”

Ruth Wynn Woodward died on April 17th, 1972. Local church historian Beth Haugen Dekkers recalls hearing that Mrs. Woodward had requested just a simple pine coffi n. “The funeral was held at Christ Church Cathedral,” Dekkers recalls, “and there were all these dignitaries who showed up in their fancy robes. They were surprised when this plain wooden coffi n was carried in.”

During her life, Ruth Woodward was actively involved in running both Woodward’s stores and Woodwynn Farm. She also gave time to charitable events and was a founding director of the Junior League of Vancouver.

In 1984, the Ruth Wynn Woodward professorship in Women’s Studies was established at fi ve universities, includ-ing Simon Fraser University, in recog-nition of her accomplishments.

In 1988, John Arnaud purchased the historic Woodwynn Farm from the Woodward family. Ten years later, it was back on the market for $6 million. It was sold earlier this year to the Creating Homefullness Society which intends to use the property as a Therapeutic Com-munity for the homeless.

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Seaside Times Advertiser Index

www.seasidetimes.ca38 SEASIDE TIMES OCTOBER 2009

THE LAST WORD

Editor-in-Chief

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Two Weddings and a FuneralAs our readers know,

there have been a lot of changes to the maga-zine over the last few months, which trans-lates into a lot of work for Tim and I! However, we do have lives outside of the Seaside Times, so I thought I’d share with you some of the big events that have taken place in my life over the past month or so.

First was the saddest event; the death and subsequent funeral of my great uncle, Ron Baldwin. Ron was my grandfather’s sister’s husband, and he has been a constant at every family event, making everyone laugh with his wit and quirky personality. His funeral was a sad event, but it brought together

the family that I’m so happy to be a part of to celebrate his life.

The second event was the marriage of my cousin Graeme Hobbs to San-

dra Oishi. Graeme is a new R.C.M.P. offi cer, stationed in Russell, Manitoba, and his wedding provided a wonderful opportun-ity for our family to get together to celebrate.

The fi nal event and, I have to admit, my favourite (although I may be biased), was the wedding of my mom Sandy to her new husband Jim Galloway. Those of you who’ve been following my “Last Words” over the last few months may remember me announ-cing their engagement

back in the July issue – a whirlwind engagement for sure! But, I fi gure, when it’s right it’s right.

My mom and Jim’s wedding took place at Sidney’s beautiful Miraloma on the Cove. My sister, brother and I made up my mom’s wedding party, while Jim’s three daughters and his best friend stood up for him. It was a gor-geous day for a wedding and the wonderful setting combined with 65 of our closest friends and family made this weekend one I’ll never forget. As a bonus, I got to welcome three stepsisters into my life: Coral, Shelley and Sandi, and I really look forward to getting to know them. My brother is maybe a little more hesitant, as he’s real-ized he now has FIVE older sisters!

* * * * *In last month’s Last Word I mis-

takenly noted that our new writer Valerie Green wrote for the Pen-insula News Review. In fact, she wrote for the Saanich News as a history columnist for 18 years.

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