Storytime at Beans and Greens on Sunday

Date: Sunday May 31st
Time: 10am - 11am.
Cost: Free!
Coffee: Delicious!

I'll be telling stories, singing songs and hosting some fun for you and your teddy bear!

This week the theme will be Hospitals/X-rays and Casts. If you bring a stuffed animal or doll (one that you don't mind getting dirty) I will put a cast on it for you and give it a little "check up"

Before politics, before my new wonderful job, before having children actually....I was a Child Life Specialist. It is always with joy that I get a chance to play with kids again and talk about going to the hospital. Child Life is an incredible career and you can find out more about it here: www.childlife.org

See you at Beans and Greens! Don't forget your dolly!
Admirals rd, across from the Tudor House, in beautiful sunny Esquimalt!

Secondary Suite Review

I hope to see many of you out at the Open House tonight on Secondary Suites! The Advisory Planning Commission discussed issue in depth and there was great info and feedback collected on Tuesday night. I crept in the gallery and watched from the back for a bit. It is absolutely fantastic to see such passion and intelligence! Thanks for volunteering and contributing to Esquimalt with your time and energy!

Below is the press release for info about tonight:

Secondary Suites Open House

On Thursday, May 28, 2009 an Open House is scheduled from 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm which will allow further opportunity for public input into the proposed new regulations. The meeting will be held in Council Chambers, Municipal Hall (1229 Esquimalt Road).

If you are unable to attend either of these meetings, information will be posted on the municipal website at www.esquimalt.ca.

Town Hall Meeting on Policing in Esquimalt

The Township will be holding a Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, June 2, in Council Chambers, from 7-9 pm. Police Chief Jamie Graham will be in attendance. It is an opportunity for the community to voice concerns!

Secondary Suites Open House

Secondary Suites are an important issue that this Council is examining in the coming weeks. Please take the time to give us your thoughts and feedback!

On Tuesday, May 26, 2009 the Advisory Planning Commission will be considering proposed amendments to the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw that would legalize Secondary Suites in Single Family Residential Zoned properties at their meeting being held from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm in Council Chambers, Municipal Hall (1229 Esquimalt Road). The public is welcome to attend and add their comments to the discussion.

On Thursday, May 28, 2009 an Open House is scheduled from 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm which will allow further opportunity for public input into the proposed new regulations. The meeting will be held in Council Chambers, Municipal Hall (1229 Esquimalt Road).

If you are unable to attend either of these meetings, information will be posted on the municipal website at www.esquimalt.ca.

Strategic Plan and Budget

We've been busy at the Council table....and a little bit of that work is available online. Both the Strategic Plan and 2009 Budget are avaialable at www.esquimalt.ca Please don't hesitate to send me your comments!

Bike To Work Week

Bike To Work Week was May 11-17th and Esquimalt really got "cranked up" for this event. I have yet to see the numbers...but I know that our staff and community really got behind this initiative! My thanks for the great celebration station complete with free coffee and bagels!

25 Random Things about Me

I admit to having been totally slack about updating this blog lately. I've also received some feedback about it becoming too "impersonal". Sooooo....here is a note I put on my Facebook account a while back when this was making the rounds. After reading it you may be sending me emails requesting that I go back to the "info only" format! :)

25 Random Things About Me


1. I think that my children are the most beautiful, incredible people on the planet (and that every other parent in the world is just kidding themselves for thinking the same thing)

2. I have always wished that real life came with a soundtrack. I fell in love with my husband when he made us one.

3. I can do the "We're all in this together" dance from High School Musical thanks to the special remix edition DVD.

4. I can wiggle my pinkie toe independently of all my other toes. I have very unattractive feet.

5. I have wanted to climb Mt. Everest ever since I read "Into Thin Air".

6. As a preteen I made my own perfume with a "Fresh 'N Fancy" beauty/chemistry kit. It may be the reason I repelled all boys until the age of at least 16. The braces, the general awkwardness and the excessive blushing probably contributed to my undateable status as well.

7. I have kissed the Stanley Cup on 3 separate occasions.

8. I still know most of the steps to every highland dance I did as a kid. I dream about it in detail. Every once in a while I bust out an Irish Jig and a Sailor's Hornpipe just to amuse my children.

9. The only place I am really comfortable wearing a skirt is on the field hockey pitch. I would much rather wear shin guards than pantyhose.

10. The Princess Bride is my favourite movie.

11. I sang at my own wedding...and kept it a secret from almost everyone before I did it.

12. Esquimalt is my home and I love it beyond reason. I think that Buccaneer Days should be declared a national holiday.

13. Valentine's Day is my least favourite holiday.

14. I consume unhealthy amounts of coffee....but fear that if I ever stopped the entire coffee bean industry would be plunged into ruin. I latte because I care about the economy.

15. I have owned 4 dogs, 1 cat and 1 hamster. The only one I chose was the hamster. The rest just kind of found me.

16. I allow people to assume that my house is messy and disorganized because I have children. The truth is that I just don't like cleaning. I would rather waste time on Facebook than waste time washing dishes.

17. When I was a child I wanted to be a star of the Roller Derby. I settled for teaching roller skating beneath the disco ball at the Oak Bay Rec Centre.

18. It is probably good that digital cameras, reality TV and myspace were not available when I was 21 and thought I could sing.

19. I strive to be an authentic person but I can't accurately recall what my natural hair colour is.

20. I am my most true self when I'm wearing a silly hat and telling stories with a group of children.

21. My resume is filled with unusual job titles that require explanation.

22. I worry. Too much.

23. Some say I laugh too long, too loud and too often. I disagree.

24. Knitting relaxes me.

25. I refuse to own a Blackberry. I rarely use my cell phone. The only technology that I have genuinely embraced is Call Display.

Breastfeeding Friendly Business Awards!

I am much delayed in posting this....but I am absolutely thrilled that two businesses in Esquimalt have received Awards for being the Best Places to Breastfeed in Victoria. Both Serious Coffee in the Esquimalt Plaza and Beans and Greens on Admirals rd. have been recognized in this important way! These businesses were nominated by parents and should be very proud of what they add to our community. Details on this and other businesses can be found here: http://www.islandparent.ca/island/bestplaces.html

I have often said to Peg at Beans and Greens that I wish her business had been around when my kids were little and still nursing. It would have been such a treat to relax on her comfy couch and sip a nice warm cup of tea in the company of people who were accepting and understanding!

Congratulations!

My favourite Poem about Spring

Such Singing in the Wild Branches
by Mary Oliver

It was spring
and finally I heard him
among the first leaves -
then I saw him clutching the limb
in an island of shade
with his red-brown feathers
all trim and neat for the new year.
First, I stood still
and thought of nothing.
Then I began to listen.
Then I was filled with gladness -
and that's when it happened,
when I seemed to float,
to be, myself, a wing or a tree -
and I began to understand
what the bird was saying,
and the sands in the glass
stopped
for a pure white moment
while gravity sprinkled upward
like rain, rising,
and in fact
it became difficult to tell just what it was that was singing -
it was the thrush for sure, but it seemed
not a single thrush, but himself, and all his brothers,
and also the trees around them,
as well as the gliding, long-tailed clouds
in the perfectly blue sky - all, all of them
were singing.
And, of course, yes, so it seemed,
so was I.
Such soft and solemn and perfect music doesn't last
for more than a few moments.
It's one of those magical places wise people
like to talk about.
One of the things they say about it, that is true,
is that, once you've been there,
you're there forever.
Listen, everyone has a chance.
Is it spring, is it morning?
Are there trees near you,
and does your own soul need comforting?
Quick, then - open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song
may already be drifting away.