Women’s Enterprise Centre
Supporting every stage of your small business journey. January 2022. Women’s Enterprise Centre Newsletter.
Read MoreSupport Island Farmers
During 2021 we witnessed floods and fire of biblical proportions and a world plagued by Covid. One of many issues it exposed, yet again, is how fragile our food and power supply is. The most current figures I could find regarding how much of the food we consume is actually produced here on the Island can be found on the Food ECO District Victoria on their web site – https://www.get-fed.ca They stated (March 3rd 2019) “Up until the 1950s, 85 percent of our food supply was grown locally here on the island (1). Today in 2019, our local food supply has dwindled to roughly 10...
Read MoreBeef Wellington with Au jus
This is the perfect dish for entertaining as almost everything can be done in advance leaving the host/ess relaxed and ready to enjoy their company Beef Wellington with Au jus . To get this meal to the table all at the same time: Prepare the mushroom duxelle up to a day in advance Prep the beef up to a day in advance. Refrigerate until ready to go into the oven. Assemble the beef wellington earlier in the day and then held refrigerated until ready to bake. Pull it out of the refrigerator about 1 hour before placing in the oven. The beans can be cooked and refreshed up to a day in advance....
Read MoreA few days ago I was taking a walk on a beautiful sunny afternoon when I met a lady pruning a potted plant by the sidewalk
We had a lovely conversation and I learnt that she was Julia Sage that had just opened a massage therapy practice right here in Chemainus I was very impressed by her gentle manner and her reassuring approach to her profession. Welcome to Chemainus Julia. Best regards, Trish Summerhayes. Publisher Island Woman Magazine.. ********************************************* I graduated from the Canadian College of Massage and Hydrotherapy in 1990, and have since studied numerous assessment and hands-on techniques, many of which I’ve integrated into my...
Read MoreThe Fours Secrets of Successful Soil Building
This year many of us went back to our gardens to grow more food in the face of an uncertain future. Since plants constantly remove nutrients from the soil, if these nutrients are not replenished, plant health in your future crops will be jeopardized. Your garden will never be as good as it was the year before. So here are my four secrets of successful soil building. Secret Number One: Compost is the gardeners’ version of humus, but it is produced much more quickly. The quality of compost as an organic soil additive depends on the residues from which it is made, as well as the extent to...
Read MoreDespite internal turmoil, Green Party is needed in Canada.
A commentary by the former leader of the Green Party, originally published in the Toronto Star. The nature of leadership is at the core of how democracies function when they function well — or when they function badly. With Greens, leadership is markedly different from other parties. It is deep in the bones of Greens around the world. Leaders of parties are necessary to compete in the world of politics, but our wiring is anti-hierarchical. Until the recent experience with Annamie Paul, the leader had no power. No party staff reported to him or her. The leader could not set policy, but...
Read MoreDownsizing
“I am not my stuff: we are more than our possessions. Our memories are within us, not within our things. Holding onto stuff imprisons us; letting go is freeing.” Joshua Fields Millburn In our North American Culture we tend to collect value and put a lot of emphasis on material things, the “stuff” in our lives. This really came to the fore front for me when I made frequent visits to Africa. I saw how simply the people in our village lived and though life was challenging there was a joy for life and a deep connectivity with each other that was not the norm in my...
Read MoreIn praise of the Women’s Institute (W.I.}
I want to remind us, as we struggle to stay relevant in today’s fast paced world, where we have come from. I started to read the 2013 ‘Eat B.C. cook book published by the South Island membership and I found the following mission statement and the Eat B.C. introduction very thought provoking. Trish Summerhayes. A member of the Cedar W.I. ************************************ British Columbia Women’s Institute Mission Statement: British Columbia Women’s Institute is an organization that focuses on agricultural awareness and education, community action, the family and personal...
Read MoreThis is a great way to entertain especially when you are not sure what all of your guests like to eat or how they like things cooked.
This is also perfect to share on a bright sunny day on chairs in your backyard or on your deck. Mini Beef Skewers ½ pound sirloin steak cut into bite size pieces 1 clove garlic crushed 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil Mix all of the ingredients together well and marinate overnight, refrigerated. Remove the beef from the refrigerator and skewer one eight of the meat onto each of 8 skewers. Discard the marinade and allow the meat to sit at room temperature for 1 hour before grilling. Lamb Kebobs ½ pound lamb chops, meat removed from the bone and cut into bite size...
Read MoreMarinated steaks, sauté of mushrooms, Caesar salad, garlic bread,
ice cream sundaes with summer fruit coulee Marinated steaks 1 kg sirloin steak Remove any moisture from the steak using a paper towel and place the steak in a non reactive bowl just large enough to hold the steak. (You can also marinate the steak in a sealable zip lock bag.) 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon Kikkoman reduced salt soy sauce ½ tsp hot sauce or more if you like 1 tablespoon olive oil Combine the above together well and pour over the steak. Let the steak sit in the marinade, refrigerated for a minimum of 4 hours or up to 24 hours....
Read MoreBack to Eden
For years I have been pondering the scenario of what would happen to seed supplies if the whole world suddenly became food insecure and people all around the globe started to grow food. I could not imagine what would cause such an unlikelihood, yet today here we are seeing an unprecedented reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a return to the land and expansion of food gardening not seen since the Victory Gardens of World War 2. This has caused sweeping demands in seed sales and food starts as folk who have never grown food plant food gardens, and others switch their gardens to grow...
Read MoreExciting News
Haley Healy’s second book following the success of her first “On their own terms” is now available Once again she features some of the amazing women that help to create the Vancouver Island that we now enjoy and cherish. Thank you Haley for portraying these women such a graphic way for us to enjoy. Trish Summerhayes. Publisher Island Woman Magazine. ***************************************** Flourishing and Free: More Stories of Trailblazing Women of Vancouver Island is an inspiring and eye-opening collection of true stories about sixteen women who blazed their own trails in...
Read MoreA Rediscovered article from a dear friend.
30 years later it means so much more. What it Feels Like to be Old The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that is was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let her know. Old age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometimes despair over my body, the cellulite, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, the jiggly thighs, and the sagging butt....
Read MoreHeartbreak, Healing and Happiness
Megan Edge Master Healer, Author, Educator, Public Speaker & International Radio Host Megan Edge Master Healer, Author, Educator, Public Speaker & International Radio Host MeganEdge.ca LinkedIn or FaceBook Listen to Megan on Transformation Talk Radio Read Megan in Island Woman...
Read MoreStill I Rise
You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I’ll rise. Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops, Weakened by my soulful cries? Does my haughtiness offend you? Don’t you take it awful hard Cause I laugh like...
Read MoreConstruction set to begin on new supportive housing building in Nanaimo
New building getting underway next week will provide secure homes with wraparound services for people in need Construction will get underway next week on a new 59-unit supportive housing building at 702 Nicol St. in South Nanaimo. The four-storey building features 52 studio suites for people experiencing homelessness in the community. In addition to the studio units, one floor will feature seven units with two beds each that will be available exclusively to vulnerable women — a service previously provided by Samaritan House at 355 Nicol St., which has been demolished in preparation for...
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