Blog, Thoughts & Market Musings

by Li Read, 2024

December welcomes us to celebrations and traditions...a magical season that says hello to Winter.

Full of lights, displays, seasonal music, visits from Santa, craft fairs, special menus at restaurants and coffee stops, treasured family customs and new ones that are inspired by change...a time to enjoy and to share.

Light-Up, Winter Wander late shopping, Glowtini, choral presentations, Santa's arrival, seasonal menus and special baking, retail windows shimmering a welcome, light up tour of farmgate stands...meander Ganges and Fulford Villages at dusk...lights sparkling their magic...the beauty of this season is with us.

Not sure what to do this year? Sometimes, it's illuminating to borrow customs...what about following England's Twelve Days of Christmas? The tree goes up on the 24th Eve and comes down on January 6th (Twelfth Night). Try your hand at baking. It's always a discovery to try a different celebration.

It's December...whether with children, with extended family, with friends, or on one's own...it is a time to be at ease, to remember, to think in forward gear...and to enjoy.

November is the beginning of the agricultural pause. It allows those rural options to rest from Spring's seeding and Summer's growing and early Fall's harvest moments...the fallow field time is with us.

A cooling is underway, even on a sunny day. Deciduous trees spark gold and red, ribbons of colour embedded in the cedar and fir and hemlock forests. This simplicity of form is an introduction to the sparseness of the coming winter season.

November: Daylight Saving Time ends (yes, Fall back), shorter days, early darkness, star-watching clarity, rain squalls (yes, it is the "wet coast"), the Remembrance Day ceremonies at cenotaphs (wear the poppy), the beginning of craft fairs, the candles and the soup recipes and the hiking on trails suddenly easier to navigate (bracken no longer obscuring pathways).

November: remember the message of the fallow field. It looks sere, but it's busy at the roots. It will be ready to erupt when Spring turns up. A thought for all of us? Calm on surface and creating next steps, just out of sight.

November: "take five", as the great Dave Brubeck played. The pause that allows the imagineers to be ready. Speaking of which: What about the impacts of AI? Hmmm.....

Think on.....it's November.

October is the harvest month on the great Pacific Northwest Coast. A perfect time to enjoy the lifestyle charms of Salt Spring Island/Southern Gulf Islands.

Farmers Markets, farmgate stands, special seasonal menus at restaurants and coffee stops, plus invitations for restorative spa treatments, hiking/walking trails discoveries, and gallery openings/receptions. Feed the soul and the body.

Enjoy the Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend celebrations in mid-month.

Catch the ferries, enjoy the voyages between the islands, appreciate again the beauty of this area.

And it's still true, those words by John Keats, a Romantic Poet, centuries ago: "season of mists and mellow fruitfulness".

It's October...Fall's signature month. Enjoy!

The calendar says summer rolls on till the 20th, but meteorological fall started on September 1st.

As soon as school starts up (on September 3rd this year), we all recognize the season has changed.

For many people, there is something magical about September... perhaps it's to do with the harvest season. The 10K diet is alive and well on Salt Spring Island. Farmgate stands, farmers markets, fall fairs, restaurant menus that showcase local farmers, and the promise of the annual Apple Fest (at the very beginning of October).

Orchards (apples, pears, cherries), vineyards (amazing and authentically award-winning wines are created by local wineries), cideries (both apples from local island orchards and also a "terroir" cidery using only the apples from its own orchard), vegetables thrive on local farms, olive orchard offers up an amazing oil, craft brewery (yes, it’s the water) all combine to create the materials for succulent meals, delicious baking... it’s true: Salt Spring is a foodie paradise.

Cooler mornings and evenings, warm afternoons, the sky with the paler blue of fall, leaves beginning to turn golden on maples and alders, the star watching that invites one to contemplate our universe... the trails that allure us, the galleries showcasing artists, the evening classes that ignite our minds to consider lifelong learning. September allows a slow easing away from summer’s lazier days and into the sharpening of our fall selves.

September... find a view to inspire and enjoy the softer season. Smile.

August is a blend of Summer ease and a reminder that Fall is nigh.

The fruition time is part of rural Fall Fairs (held in late August), and Farmers Markets (Tuesday afternoons on Salt Spring), and farmgate stands around the islands. Fruit, berries, veggies, grapes, olives...the 10K diet is alive and well on Salt Spring and the Gulf Islands.

BC Day holiday weekend invites us to enjoy early August. Catch the special events held on this loved summer vacation weekend.

Swimming in lakes and oceans, hiking park trails, enjoying specialty shops in Ganges Village, dining al fresco at our great restaurants, checking out tastings at wineries, cideries, craft brewery, being inspired by gallery openings, ArtSpring, ArtCraft, restorative spa treatments, sailing, kayaking...the pleasures of summer-summer invite us to enjoy these Island gems.

Back to school ads remind us that meteorological Fall begins on September 1st.

August is perfect for star-watching. Shorter days are underway. The annual Perseus Meteor Shower arrives on August 11-13.

Swimming in the Milky Way, the comets trailing across the night sky, the warmth of summer still with us, this August transition time smiles its welcome.

It's summer! July begins the pleasures of the season.

Salt Spring (its west facing side is on the horizon of this photo) and the Southern Gulf Islands are in the heart of some of the best protected boating waters in the world.

Sailing, power boating, kayaking, paddle boarding...however you enjoy the ocean, this is the area to indulge.

This photo is of nearby Maple Bay on Vancouver Island...Salt Spring and the Southern Gulf Islands are nestled in the rain shadow of the much larger Vancouver Island...this is what delivers the "cool Mediterranean" micro-climate of the Gulf Islands.

Vineyards, cideries, olives, orchards...the 10K diet is alive and well on Salt Spring.

July invites us to indulge in all that Summer promises. RSVP and enjoy!

June smiles hello. It begins with meteorological Summer on the 1st.

It is the month of roses, in gardens and parks, and wild ones along road edges and threading hedges.

Blossoms have spun off branches and orchards are showing buds. Apples, pears, plums, hazelnuts, walnuts, grapes, olives...veggies...yes! The Tuesday Farmers Market is ready to present, along with the treasured Saturday Market.

ArtCraft at Mahon Hall, Ganges Galleries showcasing their artists, studios on the tour saying "welcome".

Summer invites us to ease up, to take time, to pay attention to the natural beauty that dazzles Salt Spring and the Gulf Islands...to beachcomb and sunset watch...to hike the trails (Ruckle Park?)...to dine al fresco with a view...to meander bays and coves by kayak or sail....to be glad we get real reality here.

June. The message of warm...it's Summer! Enjoy.

Welcome to May on Salt Spring Island and the Gulf Islands

May erupts into full-blown Spring, year after year. There is something comforting in our time of constant shift and profound change, to know that the underpinning of the natural world just gets on with its annual message of new beginnings. Welcome to green splendour, blossom beauty, birdsong welcomes, and ever longer days. Time to clean those windows and say hello to the light. Time to feed the mind and the body.

Salt Spring and the Gulf Islands share this annual resurgence of life...time for a visit! Enjoy:

• Restorative spa opportunities
• Farmgate stands with early veggies
• Gallery openings to inspire
• Park hiking/walking trails to limber up
• Restaurants and coffee stops to savour delicious dining with a view
• Kayak adventures
• Sailing races
• Special events to celebrate ArtSpring's important anniversary
• Famed Saturday-Market-in-the-Park (the original!)
• Wine and cider tastings
• Live music venues

And everywhere the amazing gift of Spring in our local Pacific Northwest Coast region. Lucky Saltspringers to enjoy this effervescent beauty.

Hello, May!

Lovely April smiles hello. This chameleon month starts with late March weather and ends with May's largesse. Lighter everyday, by 8 seconds daily, and Nature is busy frothing leaves and blossoms forward. The fullness of total Spring is almost here.

Mid-April to mid-September are often considered as the premier months on the great Pacific Northwest Coast, and that includes on delectable Salt Spring Island and the Southern Gulf Islands.

On Salt Spring? Check out the anniversary offerings at ArtSpring, discover new works at the Ganges Galleries, be sure to check out the studio tour artists, enjoy the trail systems around the island (walk or hike), picnic on a beach or at a park, take part in spa retreats and wellness expositions, sailing and kayaking are ready for us, discover vineyards, cideries, craft brewery, olive groves, enjoy tastings, catch lunch or dinner at our great restaurants, and follow the lead of early April...clean those windows and let the light in.

April...it invites one to welcome softer days and to be a part of our natural world. Lucky islanders to experience the real reality of the wake-up call of real Spring. Enjoy!

March...in like a lion and out like a lamb...or vice versa. A mixed month weather-wise, but definitely singing the song of Spring.

Longer days remind us that we are heading into the most beautiful time on the Pacific Northwest Coast: mid-March to mid-October. I think that describes early Spring to early Fall. Time now to shake off winter’s cocoon and follow Nature’s lead. It's called wake-up time.

ArtSpring and the Ganges Galleries are showcasing new works...the Arts are alive and well and inspiring Salt Spring and the Gulf Islands.

Hastings House re-opens for the season (Easter Dinner at end of the month). Windsor showcases the Home and Garden Weekend...time to build that patio? Check out the latest designs. Live music venues (don’t forget St Patrick's Day), special menus at our great restaurants and coffee stops, hiking/walking trails remind us to get moving, spa retreats to restore, and bulbs and shrubs are flowering forward. Activity!

March...it’s welcoming Spring. Enjoy!

February is the early messenger of Spring...warm days mixed with cold, early flowering bushes and bulbs pop up and threats of snow bursts are still possible. A mixed month as it begins, but every day is eight seconds longer and already we are experiencing the gift of light.

Valentine's Day reminds us of romance and our local restaurants offer special menus. Time to dine...and to enjoy.

The annual Family Day holiday weekend takes place in mid-month...plus, this is a Leap Year (yes, there is a February 29th).

The Asian Lunar New Year arrives on February 10...the Year of the Wood Dragon is ushered in. Hmmm...a dragon...do they all breathe fire?

The earth is waking from its winter sleep, and the promise of real Spring is in the air.

It's a lovely month to be a visitor in your own backyard. Re-investigate our beaches and park hiking/walking trails. Treat yourself to lunch at one of our super restaurants...some new ones to discover. Meander the galleries, check out ArtSpring’s theatre and music offerings, catch the live music venues around the town, wash the windows and let in the light of longer almost-Spring days. Pop into the eclectic shops in the villages and see new elements for a new season.

Restless? Time for day trips to our sister Southern Gulf Islands...a sea voyage and new discoveries. Back on delectable Salt Spring? A spa day is perfect. This month is a wake-up call and a time to freshen up.

February smiles hello.

January 2, 2024


It's true...every day is eight seconds longer...the slow march to Spring is underway.

January offers that Winter mix of weather outcomes...lots to enjoy on Salt Spring and the Southern Gulf Islands, no matter the pattern.

ArtSpring showcases theatre presentations, the Ganges Galleries continue to present their talented rosters, the restaurants and coffee shops welcome your presence, hiking/walking trails are there to enjoy.

Fun to take part in day trips off Salt Spring: Victoria, Vancouver Island, Vancouver...three ferries and floatplanes, too. Easy-peasy! Also good to take part in webinars and seminars that seek to discover viable economic projections...so many changes, and it’s helpful to listen.

January gives the gift of time...time to consider lifestyle choices, to be thoughtful about decisions, to consider next steps...the best kind of New Year opportunity.

And your thoughts are? Always welcome!

---

Contact Li Read:

Sea to Sky Premier Properties (Salt Spring)
4 - 105 Rainbow Road, Salt Spring Island, BC, V8K 2V5

Direct Tel: 1-250-537-7647