December 1st - Countdown to the Holidays...

Living on Gabriola, known as the Island of the Arts there is never any shortage of great local gift giving ideas... With the holiday season approaching so quickly, here are a few more of our favorites...

Music CD’s – the Kerplunks http://www.thekerplunks.com/
Kerplunks: If you have kids on your list then the kerplunks CD is a great gift… The Kerplunks play fun and educational kids' music focusing on all the different musical instruments. Toot your horn and strum that bass, The Kerplunks really get you groovin'. The Kerplunks were recently Canadian Folk Music “Children’s Album of the Year”. You can visit their website online to hear a sampling of the cheerful and upbeat music of Dinah D and Tina Jones.


Jewellery @ Artworks
On display & sale currently at Artworks you’ll find a spectacular jewellery shoe featuring some of the islands most popular artists including; Paprika, Moonshine Studio, Yuma Designs, Kate Woods, Lindsey Godfrey & Maureen O’Connor. The stunning creations are sure to light up the face of your loved ones on Christmas morning!


Merrell Shoes @ Colleen’s located at: 580 North Road
Since the island is so full of places to explore a good pair of walking shoes are always appreciated… “MERRELL is dedicated to the outdoor journey of discovery -the search for self-knowledge, meaning, friendship, and fulfillment that links the world's people who enjoy the outdoors. Whether born on the mountain or raised in the city, enjoyment of the outdoor is independent of age, income, occupation or culture.” On the island where we love our time outdoors this may be the perfect gift of comfort & Colleen’s has lots of styles to choose from, in addition to her family fashions & home furnishings…


A Gift of Relaxation Registered Massage Therapist: 250-247-7667
How about an hour or a half hour massage from one of our islands registered massage therapist, Tammy Birch. Melt away your stress. Feel the tension just slip away as you experience a blissfully luxurious session…


Gabriola Elementary School Craft Fair December 6 @ Gabriola Elementary
This is an exciting opportunity featuring a variety of island artists so you can do your shopping all in one place! In addition to the craft fair the famous cookie walk is a great way to support school activities, while avoiding the Christmas baking – but be early the cookies disappear quickly & the doors open at 10:00 am. There is also the very popular silent auction table with all sorts of some of the best the island has to offer, and because the money is going to such a worthy cause, you can feel good about your Christmas shopping!

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Life's treasures & simple pleasures on the beach!

We've recently been working away on renovations to our home and had a local stone masonry suggest that we send the kids on a treasure hunt to find some old spikes to use around the mantle piece.

The exact location for this treasure hunt, the beach in front of Degnen Bay Road, on Gabriola. The kids were in search of long rusty spikes that once were used to hold together a boat, while they aren't something we'd like to see on our shores it's something that can be taken & reclaimed as long as your careful. For us the transformation of these spikes was from garbage on the ocean floor to hooks for our kids Christmas stockings. Submitted by: Tina Lynch

Gabriola Players presents "Rumpelstiltskin"

The Gabriola Players are set to present “Rumpelstiltskin” at the Gabriola Community Hall. Last year, they did an amazing performance of Cinderella that entertained a very pleased audience, at the end of the performance the Fairy God Mother in true style handed over her wand to a very delighted child, proving that dreams do come true!

Tickets are at Artworks and are $12 for adults, $5 for youths and children 5 and under are free with a food donation that will go to the People for a Healthy Community. Evening performances on Thursday Nov 27 & Sat Nov 29 at 7pm, Matinee will be on Sat Nov 29 & Sun Nov 30 at 1:30.

A boat seems to sit perfectly with the Island Life.

You’ll find a variety of options for boaters when you arrive on Gabriola, BC offers one of the best coastlines to explore. Courses are offered for novices and those wanting to learn a bit more, you’ll often see a Boat Safe course or Power Squadrons course advertised in one of the local papers. You may want to moore your boat at Silva Bay Resort & Marina or Pages Marina, or put a mooring buoy in Degnen Bay to make your boat excursions a little easier. You’ll need to ensure that your mooring buoy is properly marked and maintained, to ensure that you are in compliance with the Private Buoy Regulations in the Canada Shipping Act2001, this information can be found on Transport Canada’s website @ http://www.tc.gc.ca/actsregulations/GENERAL/C/csa/regulations/050/csa053/csa53.html.

If your interested in sea-going adventures, you may consider joining the Silva Bay Yacht Club http://www.silvabayyachtclub.com/ , a great place to meet other Islanders that share the same love of the sea.

Free Range Eggs

These eggs come from a charming hobby farm in the south end of Gabriola, located at the corner of Islands South Road & Islands View. They make great omelets, waffles and most of the baking. One of the great things about them is they didn’t have to travel far, about 75 feet from the chicken coop to the stand.

I notice that they have a light on in the stand now, a great way to take advantage of the shorter day light hours and extend the shopping hours for neighbors & tourists alike. You’ll find a variety of road side stands on Gabriola, giving you lots of choices & opportunities to support the people in the community and appreciating local food.

It’s blue skies today!

Gabriola is fortunate to have a climate with moderate temperatures, with dry summers and wet winters. The average summer temperature on the island is about 20-25°C, and although our winters may be wet at times they seldom go below freezing. The average annual rainfall is about 34.5 inches, giving Islanders the perfect opportunity to stay by the fire and read a novel. For now, it looks like more sunshine heading our way. To view the 14 day trend visit the Weather Network http://www.theweathernetwork.com/fourteenday/cabc0108 .

Gabriola Island - Holiday Shopping Continued

With the holiday season upon us, we wanted to continue sharing some of “island ideas” & showcase some island businesses, to help make your holiday shop easier.…

Gabriola Island Winery http://www.gabriolawinery.com/
This new family based business, has just released a Merlot & Port this year, we are very excited to support the islands first production vineyard. There is a limited quantity, so you’ll want to get your hands on a bottle or two! They opened a tasting room in Summer 2008.

These are only a sampling of what is available. On an island with so many talented artisans, musicians, popular Bed & breakfasts, retreats, health & fitness opportunities, local merchants & entrepreneurs - there are no shortage of gift giving ideas, and how better to support the community than by buying local.

Gabriola Shale www.gabriolamuseum.org/shale.html#To_Buy
How about a subscription to SHALE, the journal that celebrates and records the rich ecology, history, and pre-history of Gabriola, Mudge, and De Courcy Islands, and the surrounding area of the Strait of Georgia, on the northwest coast of North America. These are a very interesting read, and give lots of history about the island and surrounding areas.

The last one isn’t from the island, but makes a wonderful gift…

Eco-friendly reusable bags. Billions of plastic bags end up in our landfills each year. There are a variety of different bags to suit individual tastes. One
of the website that sell these bags are: http://www.reusablebags.com/store/shopping-bags-c-2.html

Happy Holiday Shopping!