Nettle is Starting to Sprout!
Foraging in nature feeds my soul, we are so fortunate to be surrounded by such abundance My research of native plants has taught me that Stinging Nettle is a superstar! Drinking the herb tea or eating the cooked fresh leaves builds the blood; strengthens the lungs, hair, nails. It has been used to relieve seasonal allergies, who knew?! So I’ve been out harvesting nettle VERY CAREFULLY! It probably goes without saying to wear gloves, the sting can be painful. Snip nettle stem about an inch above ground to as not to destroy the plant and always leave a few, we want to continue to...
Read MoreThis Year’s First Trunk Show with Joseph Ribkoff
Ladies mark your calendars for PatrYka Designs’ Joseph Ribkoff’s Trunk Show on Saturday, April 17th from 10 am – 5:30 pm. Classic, chic, elegant, timeless, and luxurious are the words customers use to describe Joseph Ribkoff’s statement pieces and PatrYka Designs in Mill Bay is proud to carry the uniquely Canadian line. Trunk show attendees will view the most popular spring 2021 styles and enjoy a first peek at the 2021 fall collection featuring warm tones and drawing inspiration from the 70s. Joseph Ribkoff’s fashion specialist Mark Saint James will be in attendance also!...
Read MoreCoq Au Vin and Bananas Foster
To get this meal to the table all at the same time: Cut up the chicken and make the stock the day before. Chill the stock over night. Chop the pancetta ealier in the day and set aside. Prep the finishing veggies earlier in the day and cook them during the last cooking time for the chicken. The pecans can be candied several days in advance. Store them in an air tight sealed container until you finish the dessert. Prepare the sauce for the dessert up to just before adding the bananas but finish the dssert just before serving. Coq Au Vin Serves 4 1 chicken Salt and pepper as...
Read MoreAncient Healing Wisdom – Home Energy Clearing
Do you love the energy in your home? Is your home a place of refuge for you? Does the energy in your home feel nourishing and supportive? Your home should be a sacred space for you and your family. If it isn’t, a full Home Energy Clearing may be just the thing to help your household get back on track! Space holds energy! Have you ever walked into someone’s home and felt instantly better, welcomed and embraced? That’s some good energy! But even the most welcoming home needs a good energy cleaning every once and a while. With so many of us now working from home there’s a lot more energy...
Read MoreOur sister site Seniors 101 has just extended it’s reach and scope.
It has produced a Nanaimo Seniors Directory which is available not only on-line but also in PRINT!!! This is huge. Until now our 3 magazines have been strictly of the web variety. The article below was printed in our local newspaper gives a good overview of what we have done. The on-line version of the Directory can be opened from the Home page of Seniors 101 via this link https://seniors101.ca We would really appreciate any comments you might have. Thank you. Trish Summerhayes Owner/Publisher island Woman Magazine. *********************************** Printed product proves popular...
Read MoreLast year at this time I was speaking about gaining mastery over ourselves,
so that no person, no government, no idea could keep us boxed up and unable to guide ourselves as individuals and communities.This was almost prescient beyond belief when you consider how this last year has unfolded, and what has been presented to us. We also emphasized that there is a way to be master of the guidance system that will keep us on track. What is this ‘track’ ? In bearing witness to the global confusion which has erupted all over the globe this last year, it often feels like any kind of ‘mastery’ is a rough and impossible notion. Merely a speculation or a hope of the...
Read MoreComfrey
It’s everywhere, taking over gardens and impossible to get rid of and I think I know why. I think it’s the universe knocking us up side of the head saying “for Pete’s sake, notice this plant, it is amazing!” It has been used for over 2000 years for ulcers, wounds, muscle soreness, bruises, rheumatoid arthritis, varicous veins, gout and fractures, rashes, scars and the list goes on and on. This past Fall my Aunt Joanne shared that she had Comfrey taking over her garden and I was welcome to take as much as I liked. Yay! So I decided to start with an Herbal Infusion. This is made by...
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 MoreCovid and me made for a very strange year
The happenings of 2020 will forever be a period in time that will be with all of us forever. No one escaped from the world wild mayhem that was created by Covid-19, obviously some more than others.I am so fortunate, that to date I, and those that I care about, have not become a victim and thereby a statistic of this disease. I live in Chemainus which has become my cocoon from the daily horror stories being faced by the rest of the world. Being a mother, a grandmother and the publisher of Island Woman Magazine.ca has caused me to experience the mental stress and pain caused by Covid-19 ...
Read MoreThis is a twist on a classic Christmas dinner.
I love it because most of the prep can be done in advance and carving the galantine is a snap. So easy and so festive. You can serve the galantine with cranberry sauce if you like. Galantine of Chicken This recipe sounds complicated and it is certainly not for the faint of heart. However, the final results are sensational and look very impressive. While complicated to make, the final cooking and carving are very simple. 2 large whole chicken breasts, keel bone removed, skin attached, trimmed of any excess fat Salt and pepper Place the 2 breasts on 1 large piece of plastic wrap and then cover...
Read MoreAncient Healing Wisdom – Energy Space Clearing
Did you know that your energy, the energy of others and of events can settle into your home, office, even the earth? As we move through these days of Covid and so many of us are staying in our homes, our energy is collecting and pooling around us, with the potential to become stagnant, blocked and even emotionally toxic. Living in close proximity to each other over long periods of time can strain even the healthiest relationships. If you’re finding yourself feeling overwhelmed, despondent, touchy, irritable or under the weather, the solution could be to move those blues with a vigorous...
Read MoreNational child-care system
Liberals have promised to make a long-term spending commitment to create a national child-care system A new report estimates that hundreds of thousands of women could get back into the labour force if the Liberals follow through on a pledge to create a national child care system. The paper to be released Wednesday makes the case that federal spending to create a national program would “pay for itself” in the form of extra income tax, extra spending and reduced social costs as more parents entered the workforce. There is also the potential for tens of thousands of construction jobs as new...
Read MoreFinding Commonality In the Big Picture
In my last contribution to Island Woman I wrote the following: “This is a unique time on planet Earth where the people of the earth are sequestered in their homes. This is creating an extremely powerful field of commonality which is conducive to opening our hearts to one another and to the planet. The transformation is meant to be uplifting …” Usually I flow through the moments of distancing, and mask wearing with ease and acceptance, following the way things are unfolding. Then occasionally I find myself slipping into a sort of contraction, where the events occurring in the world...
Read MoreCelebrate B.C. Women Entrepreneurs with #WEcreateBC
Online campaign will run until Women’s Entrepreneurship Day VANCOUVER, OCTOBER 28, 2020 – The inaugural #WEcreateBC campaign launched this week to celebrate the impact that women entrepreneurs have in creating businesses, jobs, connections, and communities in British Columbia. The campaign is a joint effort between Women’s Enterprise Centre (WEC) and Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FEW) and will culminate in a virtual toast on Women’s Entrepreneurship Day on Thursday, November 19. “Women entrepreneurs play a key role in the economic success and recovery of our province, and they...
Read MoreSlow roasted duck legs,
quinoa, glazed carrots, pear and ginger upside cake I love duck. It is so rich and flavourful and this is the perfect dish for fall. Full of great flavours and hearty enough to warm the soul when the weather starts to turn cooler. This is also a great dish to cook on a workday as you can start the cooking first thing in the morning and leave the duck cooking all day. When you get home, you just need to finish the sauce and the side dishes. If you don’t want to leave your oven on all day, you can reduce the cooking time and increase the temperature – say 350°F for 2...
Read MoreHello Everyone, It’s been far too long
So Covid hit and I was layed off from my job for 4 months. I found this to be a very creative time for me as I used it to pursue my passion, formulating natural skincare products and blending essential oils. Creating natural skincare takes a lot of time, in particular, researching natural ingredients and their benefits for your skin. I found two fantastic books. ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’ by Robin Wall Kimmerer – This book of Indiginous Wisdom gave me a newfound respect for plants, I will never take the nature around me for granted again. Also, ‘Pacific Northwest...
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