Community

You'll do well at The Well

Cowichan Valley's Teafarm hopes to become home to Canada’s first small-scale tea plantation

T im Ward may have spent the last 20 years engrossed in Buddhism and writing extensively on the subject, but he’ll be the first one to quote the Buddha in saying “trust only what your own experiences show you.”

There is no sincerer love than the love of food,” said George Bernard Shaw. In Victoria, no sincerer love is expressed as passionately than at Camille’s.

When Lisa Stekelenburg became the manager of Camosun College’s Child Care Services, she had no idea her duties would include putting together the biggest public tea expo on the continent. Yet here she is, organizing the Victoria Tea Festival, happening this weekend at the Crystal Garden.

Richard Wagamese knows that telling a story isn’t just about the speaking. It’s about adhering to the five principals of traditional Native oral art: telling, listening, hearing, incorporating and sharing.

For anyone still looking for their Valentine this month, but feeling wary of internet match-ups and too weary for the five-minutes-of-fame speed dating gives you, there’s a new alternative in town: speed dating slowed down.

It only takes a quick look around to see that stigma still runs rampant on the streets of Victoria. That fact is easy enough to brush off as you say ‘No change’ to the homeless person with a hand out, or frown at the junkie sloped against a building’s brick wall. But our own biases get harder to ignore when the organizations around the city throw “Anti-Stigma Week: Drug Use, Dignity and Human Rights” from Feb.

While Western celebrations tend to involve lots of noise and partying, the Chinese New Year traditionally focuses on family and food. Ingredients have symbolic meanings, and it’s believed to be very important to eat things that will bring good fortune and harmony in the coming year. Luckily, a few of Victoria’s restaurants in and around Chinatown will be providing special menus to mark the occasion.

You want to get in shape, but the idea of a personal trainer session or spin class makes you feel as ill as when you downed five eggnogs back to back over the holidays. Luckily, Victoria has tonnes of ship-shape offerings that make exercising fun and funky.