New Shiatsu Studio on Gabriola

A new Shiatsu Studio has opened on Gabriola... I was very excited to receive a gift certificate to a full hour of relaxation - what a treat!

By gentle manipulation and pressure of certain acu-points and stretching, Olirach was able to re-establish a smooth flow of energy - so much so that I drifted off in a light sleep. The techniques used by Olirach are based on Chinese medicine and tailors the treatment to the unique individual needs of the client.

There website at http://www.olirach.com/ has lots of additional information including a free upcoming workshop on Introduction to Mind & Body Well-Being: tools for living. As well as information on how to book their Valentine's Day February special: where during February only they are offering 'Buy one Shiatsu get one Free' specially for couples.

Discover the benefits of a relaxing, rejuvenating Shiatsu Massage. Submitted by: Randi Lynch.

Gabriola │Social Media

I have just returned from Banff Western Connections Real Estate conference which centered around new trends & technology. During one of the sessions I started thinking about Gabriola and the many forms of social media that we use in our community.

Facebook is a wonderful platform to keep up to date with friends, as well as events that are happening on the island. Gabriola Artworks, if you haven’t made them a friend yet, is a great way to find out what’s happening with the arts & the upcoming events. Many other groups continue to emerge with things such as the Gabriola Swap & Shop (yep! online with your neighbors), and more recently we’ve been seeing local organizations joining with their members to keep everyone apprised at what’s going on…

Blogging is a gaining in popularity on the island with daily contributors from everything Gabriola to beautiful scenic photos taken of the island.

Searching the Flickr website and just searching a simple Gabriola generates over 6200 photos – most of the stunning scenic photos taken from around the island.

Of course, for those not online, there are still the old bulletin boards at the mailboxes that grace the island, and being a gulf island of course there’s always the rumor mill – a good source of information (reliable – well that might depend).

Say "cheese"

On a Tuesday night, Harvest Thyme drew in a group of over 20 Gabriola “foodies” to learn how to make cheese. The setting was very easy going and the instructors Robyn Klaassen and Tammy Waybull were interactive and a pleasure to learn from, sharing some of the minor mishaps that can occur in the kitchen, which seemed to just transform the cheese into another form. The key ingredient for both the Mozzarella and the Indian Paneer Cheese was a 4 litre jug of Milk, and a few minor supplies that are available at Harvest Thyme Whole Foods for a nominal cost. In just under 2 hours, we learned to make two types of cheeses, an impressive accomplishment that I’m sure I’ll be praised for at future dinner parties.

The new owners of Harvest Thyme and their staff seem to be taking off with a lot of energy and farm fresh ideas, to keep informed on what they have going on, you can subscribe to their newsletter at

Gabriola Garden Homes

The Gabriola Garden Homes provide an opportunity for seniors to continue living on the island without the up keep of a home & yard,a condominium style of living and a real sense of family.

It was a wonderful home for our Great Aunt Gudrun, who moved to the island at 90 years of age. She was so glad to have called this home, and wondered why she had waited so long to make the move!

Yesterday, we wanted to go and visit our old time neighbor who moved into the Garden Homes shortly after it opened in August of 2000. Hilda was one of the first occupants in this seniors housing project which has 24 units and some great common rooms.

We wanted to find out what some of the residents liked best about the Garden Homes, "there is still lots to keep you busy here, with soup lunches from Suzy’s, Saturday night movies, a workshop, garden areas and even an exercise group that meets three times a week." At 90 years old, Hilda sees her neighbours as family, they celebrate together, grieve together and support each other.

The building is wheel chair accessible and has a generator to keep a few lights on and the fridges plugged in if there is a power outage. The complex is situated on almost 10 acres, surrounded with trees, ponds, trails and beautiful gardens.

They have companionship here and a lot of laughs, the only catch is that one of you needs to be 60 to live here (that means I have 27 years to go).

Gabriola Library…

On a recent trip down the board walk I made a detour into our library, of course this 5 minute escape out of the office lasted a little longer as I meandered through looking at the books available!

With “Valentines” being around the corner I settled on a small selection of books featuring the upcoming celebration. Love Ruby Valentine was among the girls & my favorites, it’s inspiring us to start making our Valentines cards already!

Over the years, I’ve enjoyed the friendly reception at Gabriola’s library, with lots of chit-chat especially over the books I’ve ordered – especially of the knitting variety. The librarians are great, holding me accountable for actually doing some of the projects in the books I’ve ordered by making me come and show the final results…

The Gabriola branch of the Vancouver Island Library has many events offered throughout the year, from kids story time to literacy contests! Next time your in the Village take a look in the window of the library to find out a bit more about some of the upcoming events...

The Silver Lining

In the midst of a sunny Sunday afternoon feathers flutter as a flock of 29 homing pigeons leave their loft with wings that dance across the sky, replicating the silver lining of a cloud.

After witnessing this event several times with the kids in the car, I wanted to take a closer look, so I headed out with the kids and some friends to visit Kelly Waugh & Laura Marino at Island Ceremonial White Dove Releases (www.islanddoves.com) at 1970 South Road, Gabriola. This is home to 130 beautiful birds that are well cared for and fed. The owners make a special feed for the birds by combining hard red wheat, peas, popcorn, safflower, milo, flax seed and barley. A tour around the property gives more insight, there are the white racer homing pigeons (a descendent of the rock dove) which can be taken to special events and released, getting home in incredible timing and creating a spectacular memory at weddings, memorials & special celebrations. The beautiful and alluring Indian fan tail pigeons, which can make a fantastic sight in the white heart shaped display case. The Birmingham rollers were fun to watch, the just seemed to fall from the sky spinning backward somersaults with amazing control and then in an instant they were back to regular flight. They also have Donek pigeons (a greek diving, spinning bird) and Oriental Rollers from Persia and Asia minor.

We learned quite a bit & have been busy since, my daughter was allowed to take an egg home so she's busy since making a nest and putting one of her stuffies on to see if it will hatch, Kelly of course knows it isn't possible but being mom I need to play along. Sumbitted by: Tina Lynch

Gabriola Island Studio Tour

The Gabriola Island Studio Tour is a yearly event held over three days on the Thanksgiving Weekend. In 2008 the tour had 60 artists working with various mediums open their homes & studios from 10-4 for the three consecutive days. You'll find a chest full of treasure and talent inside the doors of these homes with a wide range of media including : chalk, fibre arts, metalwork, mixed media, painting, photography, pottery, and glasswork. For a glimpse of the temptations you may see on the tour visit http://www.gabriolaartscouncil.org/.

If you've recently moved to the Island or would like the chance to put your home on the tour, you have just a few days left to pick up your form from Artworks and hand it in as the deadline for the 2009 tour is on January 21st. It's been 5 years since I've had my home on the tour and I really enjoyed the experience, at that time I had about 500 people come through during the three day event and enjoyed meeting the guests (& having a few sales too!). I am just in the process of filling out my studio tour application and would love to invite you to come to my home during the 2009 tour. Hope to see you on Thanksgiving!

Submitted by: Tina LYNCH