There was so much going on for Valentines Day this year that I didn’t have time to think about chocolates and roses. Instead, I was thinking about joining in the celebrations to welcome in the Year of the Tiger and eager to get to Chinatown before the whole show was over since rumors said the festivities would be closed down early due to the Olympics. In fact, our bus couldn’t get through downtown, as soon as we realised this we headed for the nearest skytrain station and squeezed ourselves in among the throngs of people and headed for the Chinatown/Stadium stop.

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I first broke ground in Vancouver BC, on June 7th, 2009. For me this was a very symbolic act. This was the day I finally got the stamp in my passport that said I was an official resident of Canada. Living in an apartment I didn’t have a piece of ground of my own, but I had been scouting out the nearby possibilities for about a year and a half while waiting for my residency to come through.

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As some of you may know from my snail mail New Years letter in December, I had a scheme to work for the winter Olympics and make a ton of money in a short time period. I used to work large sporting events (catered for the APGA golf tournament in 2000 and the NZ V-8 car races in 2004) and had found that huge sports events usually pay the best money. So I was pretty shocked to discover that to work for the Molson Canadian Hockey House, and provide the food for Concord Place during the 2010 Winter Olympics would only be an hourly rate of $15.

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In December I had a hair analysis test done which showed high levels of pesticides in my body that are helping to overload my detox systems. I did the test because I thought I would find high levels of flouride or pharmaceutical drugs from drinking tap water, but instead found high levels of Advent and Tordon 50 among other things (like Cyanazine and Eraicaine). As a result I have gotten interested in the issue of pesticide use in British Columbia. It seems that most other provinces have some sort of guidelines and restrictions but BC doesn’t. At the moment the Integrated Pest Management group is asking for discussion, comments and suggestions, please get involved in the discussion here.

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I discovered this really well written letter by Corky Evans on the site EdibleLandscapes.ca. I will repost some of it here, to read the whole letter please go to www.ediblelandscapes.ca and click on the button that says “Be Subversive”. What Corky Evans speaks of as happening in Canada has and is happening all over the world. As we all know, governments are selling off earth and nature as plunder, corporations have the control, in this letter he makes very good points as to how we all need to come together to get rid of these greedy systems. The left and right are on the same side in this one….

The Campbell Government has taken away the right! Subject: Letter from Corky Evans

The following letter was written by Corky on November 4, 2007.

Dear Friends: Back a few years, before the election of 2005, I was working in the town of Nakusp. Walking down the street one day, I ran into a guy I used to know who has served many years as a Social Credit Cabinet Minister.

It was winter and, in winter in Nakusp, pretty much everyone you meet on the street is someone who lives there. The unlikely meeting of two historical political combatants on the streets of a little town on the Arrow Lakes made for a sense that we were on neutral turf. We struck up a conversation more personal than public. He asked me if I would run for office again and then, surprisingly, he almost begged me to re-enter politics. I knew this fellow by virtue of our mutual years as enemies, so I asked him why he cared.

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After reading Anna’s positive experiences with the GAPs diet I ordered the book and have just finished reading it, I have tried a lot of diets over the years especially after living in a moldy apartment in Wellington, NZ which has resulted in problems with my digestive tract ever since. November last year was a month of non-stop rain here in Vancouver, BC and with the temperature change, was the perfect breeding ground for mushrooms, mold and yeasts. As a result our health problems reared their ugly heads again and showed us that we still have an overgrowth of harmful yeast in our systems. In some ways this is good because we at least know that we need to deal with it.

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MindSpice is a specially created spice mix that is designed to uplift the spirits and refresh the mind. It includes cardamom, clove, rosemary and cinnamon. On sniff will clear the mind during an afternoon mind-fog and will raise the spirits or assist with memory.

Cardamom has restoring and balancing abilities and is good for lifting depression and clearing the mind. Rosemary is well known for memory, as well as being a gentle stimulant. Clove is a powerful antiseptic and kills bacteria, viruses and fungus, it reassures the body and also raises the spirits. Cinnamon is energizing as well as warming and also is useful against unfriendly micro-organisms.

The boxes are made with photos of the cherry blossoms that they are stuffed with. They fit into any purse and can be helpful to sniff when on public transport during flu season. They make fun and trippy treats for a rave or as an aromatic and unique party treat.

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I was given a special treat this year for my birthday–lunch out at the Sha Lin Noodle House in Vancouver, BC. They don’t take reservations so we crowded into the doorway to get out of the rain and hovered hungrily over the nearest table, the wait wasn’t long and we were soon seated with a great view of the glass-enclosed kitchen where noodles were being tossed, cut, pulled and cooked. We ordered noodles in various states as well as cucumbers in a toasted sesame dressing which was fantastic. The helpings were huge, even though we were stuffed we walked out the door with some hefty doggy-bags.

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FOOD FIGHT was the message we got in our mailboxes as an invitation from Libby Davies and NDP Agriculture Critic, MP Alex Atamanenko to attend the Food Security Forum on July 9th, 2009 at St. Patrick Parish Hall, 2881 Main Street, Vancouver BC.

I was very glad to go and hear about this issue, I recently got residency so I can finally let my roots down into this rich Canadian soil, and get involved in my new community.

Alex Atamanenko is on a Food Security Tour to hear concerns and to look into the gaps in Canada’s food systems, he will put together a proposal for a long-term food security strategy to deal with climate change, global energy insecurity and the world economic crisis. The sooner we see more systems for this being put into place the better we will all be and the more hope our children have. If you have anything you would like to add to this report please go to his website and submit your comments.

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Vancouver City Council passed a motion in 2006 to encourage 2,010 new gardens by 2010. Now there are more than 40 community or resident-shared gardens with more than 1,700 garden plots and more on the way. There is a great brochure that the City of Vancouver has put out with a good map that shows great walking and bicycle tours of the various community gardens around the town. As it says on the back of the brochure:

Community gardens in Canada peaked during the World Wars. In 1943, there were over 50,000 Victory Garden plots in Greater Vancouver.

So we still have a ways to go to get back to that level of garden plots in the city, but there is tons of land available, and plenty of support for people to get out there and get gardening. More information can be found here.

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