Britannia Neighbours News

2012-01-27T12:30:00.001-08:00

Sketchy Minutes from our meeting — January 25, 2012

Finances
We did a quick review of our finances — income and expenditures over the past three years.

Garden Tour
We discussed this year’s Garden Tour (Father’s Day, June 17th, 2012) and agreed that it’s time to raise admission to $12 from $10 and to keep the capacity at about 200 attendees.
This year’s tour will in the Wall Street neighbourhood and around the hospice. Janet and Sandy have already identified about 13 gardens (with possible chickens and bees). We may want to collaborate with the hospice in some way (Donation of plants or money? Work party to beautify?) Ann will talk to the hospice people.
Perhaps we can borrow tents and chairs, etc., from Britannia for the event and set up a station in the hospice park (where there are bathrooms).
Penny to update Brit Neighbours flyer and Web sites to reflect the Garden Tour fee increase.
We agreed that we need clearer signage for the coffee and cookies at the Tour so that we take in at least enough money to pay for them! Perhaps we could get a Drive coffee shop to sponsor the coffee?
We will contact Figaro’s and find out how much Peter Worthington wants to be involved. We could have a mini-station at Fig’s as well as the main station at the hospice, enabling people to either start and get a map at Fig’s as usual or at the hospice.
Letters will go out to potential garden people in March.

Next Greenway Work Party
Paul suggested that we do some raking to get layers of leaves removed to make room for snowdrops and other spring bulbs. Pat and Paul will choose a date and let Penny know, and she will send out a Work Party Notice.

Outreach
Penny to talk to Ian Cannon, principal at Brit Elementary, to see what is needed in the way of field trips and if they would welcome the funding of another field trip to Van Dusen (like we funded two years ago).
We also discussed a trip or event, perhaps with food and drink at a local community garden (Pandora Park or Strathcona … or the proposed Woodland Park) for people at the Kettle. Ann will follow up by contacting the Kettle and talking to an Activity Aide.

People who Provide Paid Services for BN in the Greenway
We will continue with both Matthew (Kettle) doing the litter pick-up two days a week, and with Katherine doing the watering, as needed, in the hot months.

Announcements
Hillary told us about possible funding for groups that plant “edible” trees. She sent the info to Penny and Penny forwarded to Jordan Bober, who is trying to set up a community garden in the neighbourhood. Helen Spaxman was interested too, and mentioned it to the Elementary School PAC, in hopes that they could get funding to plant more trees in the playground area.

Who was at the meeting?
Hillary Wood, Janet Harper, Sandy Anthony, Maggie Holland, Pat Davitt, Paul Kjekstad, Donna Cairns, Ann Daskal, Ruth Fahlman, Penny Street

2012-01-21T23:20:00.003-08:00

Hi Britannia Neighbours,
Just a reminder that we are having one of our not-very-regular meetings this coming Wednesday night (January 25th) at Britannia (in the Info Centre, probably in the Board Room), 7:00. Join us if you can!
Cheers,
Penny

Fwd: Follow-up - Community Planning Discussion - Monday January 23 @ 7:00-9:00pm

2012-01-17T20:56:00.001-08:00

Hi.

I thought you might be interested in attending this.

It will be a good introduction to the upcoming community planning process for Grandview (slated to last about two years with profound implications for zoning, development, etc., in our neighbourhood) and a discussion about the Grandview neighbourhood-specific terms of reference for the process. Andrew Pask is the City of Vancouver Planner overseeing the Grandview process. (Marpole and the West End will also be developing plans simultaneously.) Andrew came to the GWAC meeting last week, and he sent this message to people who attended that and expressed an interest in being informed about follow-up meetings... but I'm sure others in the neighbourhood are more than welcome, and it's a nice big room, so do come if you can.

Cheers,

Penny

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Pask, Andrew" <andrew.pask@vancouver.ca>
Date: January 17, 2012 6:09:37 PM PST
To: "Pask, Andrew" <andrew.pask@vancouver.ca>
Subject: Follow-up - Community Planning Discussion - Monday January 23 @ 7:00-9:00pm

Hi everyone,

A quick follow-up to my email from last Friday. I've been able to book a spot for our follow-up discussion on Community Planning in Grandview-Woodland.

The meeting will take place

Monday, January 23, 2011
7:00-9:00pm
Learning Resources Centre (under the Library)
Britannia Community Centre, 1661 Napier Street

We'll also do our best to get all the notes from the previous session out to you in advance.

I look forward to seeing you again next Monday! In the meanwhile, if you have any questions, etc. please feel free to send me an email or give me a call at 604-673-8171.

Best,

Andrew

Hi everyone,

Thank you very much for coming out to the discussion on the upcoming Grandview-Woodland Community Plan. And a big thank you to GWAC for hosting the event. It was great to be able to meet with you all and to hear your ideas and concerns about the neighbourhood.

As discussed, we are in the process of setting up a follow-up meeting so we can carry on the discussion. At this point we are working to nail down either Monday January 23 or Tuesday January 24. With any luck we'll be able to use the same space and start around the same time. As per the last meeting, the event will be open to all… so feel free to invite any neighbours who may be interested in the process.

Apologies for not being a bit more precise on the dates/times at this point. If you can bear with us until early next week that would be appreciated. We'll send out a follow-up email at that point.

Thanks again for your input thus far. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Warm regards,

Andrew

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
andrew pask
community planning | city of vancouver
p. 604-673-8171
e. andrew.pask@vancouver.ca

Brit Neighbours MEETING!

2012-01-02T21:49:00.001-08:00

Howdy Britannia Neighbours!
We do have meetings occasionally. It's the new year. Pat and I talked tonight and we thought we should check in on how we're doing -- how we're doing finding gardens for next year's Garden Tour, what we need to do regarding the Greenway, how much money we have, etc., etc.
If you can make it, that would be grand.
It'll be 7:00, Wednesday, January 25th, at Britannia (either in the Committee Room at the back, or in the Board Room if it's free).
If you are unable to make it, we'll have another one in the Spring! And I'll send out cursory notes so you'll know what we talked about.
Cheers,
Penny
_____________

e-mail:
britneighbours@gmail.com

Our blogs:
http://britannianeighbours.blogspot.com/
http://eastsidegardentour.blogspot.com/

Fwd: Last Weekend of 50% OFF EVERYTHING Sale at Figaro's Garden

2011-12-30T16:31:00.001-08:00

Figaro's has been good to Britannia Neighbours over the years, and they're having a splendid sale right now.

Give them your business!

Cheers,

Penny

Begin forwarded message:

From: figaro's garden <figaro@telus.net>
Date: December 30, 2011 11:50:37 AM PST
To: Figaro's garden <figaro@telus.net>
Subject: Last Weekend of 50% OFF EVERYTHING Sale at Figaro's Garden

A Big Thank You to All Our Customers
We'd really like to thank all our customers for their support over the past year, and wish everyone a Happy New Year with peace, prosperity, health and happiness for you in 2012.

Figaro's Garden will continue operations in 2012
We also want to let you know that despite Glen's passing in August, Figaro's Garden will continue operations for the foreseeable future. We're excited about this spring. However, we could really use your help! One of our challenges as a small local independent retail store - especially one which is sort of off the beaten track - is to be known. We'd be really grateful if you could pass the word on about us to your friends, and acquaintances. For example, the current sale. Or, if they want to receive this email to be informed when we have similar events, please let us know.

Our 50% OFF EVERYTHING SALE ends Saturday 31 December
Our great boxing week sale continues to New Year's eve on Saturday January 31st. We close at 5pm on New Year's Eve and reopen Wednesday 4 January.

Colourful primulas arrive 4 January!
Looking to add some colour to your garden in the dreary winter months? We're getting a great selection of colourful cold-hardy primulas in on 4 January. Hellebores will be arriving shortly as well. And in the second half of January we'll be getting a full selection of West Coast Seeds.

Place your tree order now
Are you looking for a special tree for for your garden? We will no longer be stocking trees, but instead will be sourcing trees as needed from our suppliers. If you are interested in a specific fruit or ornamental tree (or even some other rare plant) please let us know by emailing us figaro@telus.net. It would be really helpful if you could provide the latin name of the species and the cultivar name too. If you are uncertain, please ring the shop 604 612 1364 and perhaps we can help identify it for you. Or, if you don't know what tree you want, we can decide on one jointly.

Plenty of spring bulbs still
With this unusually warm weather, it's still the perfect time to plant your spring bulbs. We still have a great selection, and with 50% OFF this is the perfect opportunity to pick up some rarer more expensive bulbs like the choice alliums and fritillarias and bearded irises.

Limited store hours in January
We wish you a Happy In January we will be open Wed-Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am-6am. We will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays in January.

Peter Worthington
Figaro's Garden
figaro@telus.net

1896 Victoria Drive
Vancouver B.C.
V5N 4K2
(604)253-1696 phone
(604)253-1548 fax

2011-12-16T19:13:00.000-08:00

Hello Britannia Neighbours!
Not much happens in the Greenway over the coldest months of winter. I'm imagining that we'll get gardening underway again in about March. In the meantime, Matthew, from The Kettle, is working two hours a week keeping the Greenway litter-free and tidy.
We are generally annoyed when anyone dumps something they don't want in the Greenway, but I must admit I was amused by the coffee table that arrived recently. It's gone already (perhaps removed by staff from Drive Organics who said they would take care of any large items that needed to be discarded) but not before I caught a photo of Nicola Robinson, teacher at Britannia Elementary, sitting on one of the Greenway benches with the coffee table.
Cheers and happy holidays!
Penny

2011-11-20T09:49:00.002-08:00

Hi.
Work party in the Greenway today for about an hour, starting at 3:00!
We'll do some raking, and if it's not too cold, we can move the roses and remove some bindweed (morning glory) from the chainlink fence.
Brrr & Cheers,
Penny

Reminder: Work Party in the Greenway, Sunday Nov 13th, 3:00

2011-11-12T19:17:00.001-08:00

Reminder: Work Party in the Greenway, Sunday Nov 13th, 3:00 ...
Come if you can, and no need to RSVP or feel guilty if you can't!
If it's a torrential downpour, we won't go, but if it's nice or even halfway nice, we will.
I'll go over to Magnet in the morning and get a bunch of empty leaf bags.
Cheers,
Penny

2011-11-06T17:24:00.003-08:00

Work Party next Sunday, November 13th, 3:00!

Hi folks,
We filled many bags with oak leaves today in the Napier Square Greenway ... but when you stand in the Greenway and look up, it seems as if the trees haven't even begun to drop their leaves. So this will be the first of several raking days.
Also we have a couple of rose bushes that need moving and we need to get rid of some pesky morning glory (bindweed).
So please join us if you can, next Sunday, 3:00, probably just for an hour or so. Now that we're back to standard time, it's getting dark at 5:00!
Bring rakes, gardening gloves, etc. We will provide leaf bags.
Cheers,
Penny

Hiss! Boo! Bindweed!

2011-11-04T10:10:00.002-07:00

Work Party, this Sunday, Nov 6th, 3:00-5:00!

Hi Gardeners,

There's a splendid new rhododendron in the southwest bed, thanks to Pat Davitt, who donated it! (Even if you can't make it to the Work Party, do check the rhodo out on your way through to the Library...)

Last Sunday our intrepid crew put in a LOT of bulbs. We'll have a very cheerful Spring in the Greenway.

We do have a bit of work to do in the meantime, however! Pat has some lily of the valley and snowdrops that we can put in ... and the oaks are beginning to drop leaves, so there's some raking and bagging to do.

So...

Please join us for a Work Party, this Sunday, Nov 6th, 3:00-5:00 if you can!

Bring gardening gloves, kneeling pad, trowel, secateurs, or whatever you think you'll need. We have a few rakes and will provide leaf bags.

See you then!

Cheers,
Penny

2011-10-25T21:07:00.002-07:00

I don't usually advertise anything but work parties in the Greenway (and there's one this Sunday to plant bulbs and possibly even a rhododendron, 3:00-5:00) but this Thursday (Oct 27) the Britannia Board is sponsoring a Mayor & Council all-candidates meeting in the Britannia Secondary auditorium. There was an all-candidates meeting tonight for Park Board candidates, and not very many people attended.

At these meetings you can submit your questions in writing and hear the answers. It's a good opportunity to find out just where people stand on the issues that are important to you!

This Thurs (Oct 27), 6:30, Mayor and Council candidates

Next Tues (Nov 1), 6:30, School Trustees candidates

Cheers and thanks.

Penny

No work party this Sunday or next, but YES on Oct 30th!

2011-10-15T21:39:00.001-07:00

Hi fellow gardeners!
We will get together in the Greenway on Sunday, Oct 30th, 3:00-5:00 to plant bulbs! Pat went out and got a huge array of bulbs, and we can put them in.
If you have gardening gloves, trowel, kneeling pad, etc., bring them. We have a few extra trowels and gloves if you need them.
Please come if you can!
Cheers,
Penny

Angel's Trumpet at Van Dusen!

New TIME! Work party in the Greenway, Friday Oct 7th, 1:00-3:00!!

2011-10-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,
We'll have a work party in the greenway tomorrow, Friday, from 1:00-3:00 (Note: NOT 3:00-5:00 as advertised earlier!). Please join us if you can!
Cheers,
Penny

Work party in the Napier Greenway Friday Oct 7th, 3:00-5:00!

2011-09-27T15:43:00.001-07:00

Hi folks,
Our work parties have been kind of random lately, but if you are able to join us on Friday afternoon, Oct 7th, 3:00-5:00, we will tidy up and weed and prune and fill up a few more of those brown paper bags.
Please come if you can. Write it on your calendar! No need to RSVP.
Cheers,
Penny

2011-09-16T19:48:00.002-07:00

Hi Gardeners,
I realize this is a departure (we generally have work parties on weekends, mostly Sundays), but a few of us are busy this Sunday, so we decided that we will have a work party next Tuesday afternoon (Sept 20). We know that many people won't be able to make it -- some people have to work! -- but if you can make it, please do!
We'll weed and prune and schmooze.
Pat Davitt and I will be there for certain, Tuesday, 1:00-3:00.
Also, tomorrow, Saturday, is the Grand re-Opening of Grandview Park from 12:00 noon - 2:00. Britannia Neighbours will have a table at the festivities, so please drop by and say hello and even sit down and chat with us for a while.
We will also plan to have a meeting sometime relatively soon to talk about plans for the Napier Square Greenway for the fall and winter.
Cheers!
Penny

Work Party in the Greenway tomorrow, Sunday, 3:00-5:00!

2011-09-10T21:20:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder. I announced it about a week ago.
Please come if you can.
Penny

The Euphoniously Feminist and Non-Performing Quintet!

2011-09-10T21:19:00.001-07:00

The Euphoniously Feminist and Non-Performing Quintet (starring Pat Davitt... well not exactly starring, but certainly in the thick of things!) will be singing at the Labour Cabaret on Venables (across from Uprising) this coming Tuesday evening. The evening will begin at 6:30 pm with an open mike session, and then we're singing at 7:30 p.m. We will have songsheets for people who like to sing along, and lots of good, progressive music for your entertainment and participation. No cover charge, but they'll be happy to serve various (non-alcoholic) drinks and snacks. It would be wonderful if any familiar faces turned up (bodies attached). See y'all soon. Cheers, Pat

Greenway work party Sunday, Sept 11, 3:00-5:00

2011-09-02T12:12:00.001-07:00

Hello fellow gardeners!
Let's get the fall gardening season underway with a work party in the Greenway on Sunday, Sept 11th, 3:00-5:00.
Pat's away on Saturna this week, or we would do it this week.
But Sept 11th, let's weed and rake and strategize about what we might want to do next.
Bring gloves, trowel, rake, shovel. We'll provide garden-debris bags.
See you then!
Penny

Hey, nominate our Greenway -- today is the deadline!

2011-08-15T19:38:00.001-07:00

Hi. This was in the recent Green Streets newsletter I sent out. I hardly saw it myself.
But we could win if we could mobilize the votes in a big hurry!
I'd say our Greenway really qualifies only as the "most unique". We're certainly the most urban Greenway in the City. The most well-used. Perhaps the hardest to maintain!
Let's win!! Just send a "vote" e-mail message to GreenStreets <Green.Streets@vancouver.ca>!
Do it right now!
Thanks and Cheers,
Penny

Work Party on Sunday, July 31st

2011-07-30T11:39:00.001-07:00

Hi. We'll be meeting to weed and tidy up tomorrow afternoon, Sunday, July 31st, from 3:00-5:00. Please come if you can. Bring what you need to weed! Pat will get big brown paper bags for us.
The more the merrier!
Cheers,
Penny

Work Party in the Greenway Sunday July 31!

2011-07-17T11:53:00.001-07:00

Howdy gardeners,
We will NOT be meeting in the Greenway today (Folk Fest) or next Sunday (Pat will be away on Saturna), but we WILL be doing a pre-Artful Sundays clean-up on Sunday, July 31, 3-5. Please come if you can. As usual, bring gardening gloves, weeding tools, rakes, whatever. I'll buy some paper garden-waste bags before then.
We've certainly had lots of rain (!) so our Greenway is plenty GREEN!
Cheers,
Penny

Work Party in the Greenway, this Sunday, 3:00-5:00

2011-07-07T23:43:00.000-07:00

Hello gardeners!
We made some serious progress in the southwest corner of the Greenway last Sunday, but we'd like to make some more, perhaps even "finish" it! So we meet again this Sunday, 3:00.
Please come if you can ... and be prepared to do a little weeding!
Or, if you aren't up to weeding and would prefer a little chatting and kibbitzing, that's fine too.
(I won't make it this week, but Pat and Ruth and Eva and Ann probably will, so warm bodies are guaranteed.)
Cheers,
Penny

You're invited to Britannia's Planning & Development Committee Open House, this Thursday!

2011-07-04T14:12:00.001-07:00

> Join us to talk about how the Britannia Centre site will evolve and how the site might be renewed!

Work party this Sunday (July 3) from 3:30-5:00 ...

2011-06-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

Hello gardeners,
Pat and I spent a little while in the Greenway this afternoon and we agreed that the beds could stand a wee bit of weeding!
So join us for a work party this Sunday (July 3) from 3:30-5:00 ...
Pat's working until 4:00 on Sunday but come if you can, around 3:30, and we can get started. We'll try to concentrate on the southwest bed, which has some very nice plants in it ... but most of those are being engulfed by WEEDS! I'll bring some brown garden-debris bags.
Cheers,
Penny
_____________

e-mail:
britneighbours@gmail.com

Our blogs:
http://britannianeighbours.blogspot.com/
http://eastsidegardentour.blogspot.com/

2011-06-10T10:54:00.001-07:00

Hi garden-lovers,
This Sunday (June 12th) we'll have a work party in the Napier Greenway from 3:00-5:00 to plant impatiens and, as usual, to tidy up, weed, rake, prune, etc.
We have quite a few bright little impatiens plants to put in.
Come if you can.
3:00 in the Greenway. Bring your own tools (trowel, rake, gloves, secateurs, etc.) if you have them, and if you don't, we can provide.
And don't forget to sign up for the June 19th East Van Garden Tour (this is Britannia Neighbours' only fund-raising activity) through Britannia Centre! For more info, visit the Garden Tour blog (see link at right)...

2011-05-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

Hi Gardeners,
Please, if you can, come out to a Work Party on Sunday afternoon (May 15th), 3:00-5:00. We'll clean up, weed, rake, pick up litter, maybe do a bit of planting (if we have anything to put in), and catch up.
See you then! Bring gardening gloves, weeding tools, rake, pruners, etc., if you have them.
If you don't, we've got lots of spares.
Cheers,
Penny

2011-04-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

A hardy little work party (Pat, Eva, Ann) turned out to trim most of the ferns and tidy up.
A knitting artist has created a little outfit for one of the Greenway's tulips! (She left a tag with her URL, http://aprilstendernest.blogspot.com/).

2011-03-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,
I fetched some more cocoons from Hartley and put the clean loaded bee condo up in the Greenway yesterday, just in time for today's sunny first day of spring! I hope we get more of our own Greenway cocoons this year! More nothing! I hope we get ANY Greenway cocoons this year; we got NONE last year. I have a little mini-condo in my back yard and got 15 cocoons from it. Anyway, I split Hartley's and my cocoons between the two condos and we should have some lively bee action in the Greenway soon. I hope the pruning of the oaks in the Greenway doesn't disrupt/disturb the bees too much this week (Mon or Tues).
When I was installing the condo, standing on my little aluminum ladder, the whole wood box condo thing fell off the nail and smashed me in the face, so I've got red blotches on my forehead and nose and a bit of a fat lip, but I'm fine.
Bzzzzzzzzz. Bzzzzzzz.
:-)
Penny

PS - Pat and I met in the Greenway on Wednesday to see how the City crew had done with the pruning of the oaks, and we actually SAW mason bees working on the crocuses!

2011-03-10T15:15:00.000-08:00

We are so pleased to announce that Britannia Neighbours is now participating in the SEED Program at The Kettle Friendship Society. What this means is that we now have a very capable and kind man named Matthew who comes to the Greenway twice each week (Mondays and Thursdays, 1:30-2:30), to clean up the site and keep it beautiful. The Kettle will send us an invoice every three months for his time.

Say hello to Matthew if you happen to be going through the Greenway when he's working. Here he is:

2010-11-15T22:43:00.001-08:00

Howdy fellow gardeners!

We had a lovely work party on the afternoon of Sunday November 14th with rakers from of all ages. We filled thirteen huge paper bags with oak leaves (and still left plenty on the ground ... plus there are still quite a few in the trees!). We worked until the streetlights came on and we all got hungry.

2010-11-11T23:00:00.000-08:00

Hi folks,

There is an abundance -- an overabundance! a glut! -- of oak leaves in the Greenway and we need to rake them up and bag them! (They don't break down over the winter like more delicate leaves do, so we need to get most of them off the ground so they don't smother/kill the plants beneath them.)

I bought a lot of garden-debris bags at Home Depot yesterday, so we have plenty of those.

We'll have a leaf-raking work party this Sunday (Nov. 14th) at 3:00 (until we get tired or it gets dark, whichever happens first).

If you have one, bring a leaf rake. (We do have a few rakes, so if you don't have your own, we'll provide!)

Bring gardening gloves, too.

We'll provide the bags.

No need to RSVP. Just come if you can; we'd love to see you.

2010-10-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hi East Van Gardeners!
Work party in the Greenway Sunday Oct 3, 3:00! Please come if you can! Bring gloves, trowels, rakes, leaf bags, litter bags, bulbs, seeds, what-have-you.
We have a couple of plants to put in and we can start readying the garden for the winter. Sigh.
No need to RSVP.
Cheers,
Penny

2010-09-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,
The splendid Artful Sundays program is over for the summer, so we are able to return to our usual gardening time in the Napier Square Greenway, Sundays at 3:00.
This week's work party will also double as a meeting of Britannia Neighbours; we need to have a meeting to produce minutes to officially change our signing officers on our account at Vancity (because Jane Hood has decided to withdraw as treasurer and as a signing officer). So we need to vote on this and to plan our activities for the fall. We can certainly chat while we tidy up the greenway, weed, rake, and prune.
Please join us if you can, Sunday Sept 12, 3:00-4:30.
Cheers,
Penny

2010-08-27T22:52:00.002-07:00

Hi fellow gardeners,
Unless it's raining hard, we'll have a work party tomorrow (Saturday) in the Greenway, starting at 3:00. We can weed, rake, prune, tidy up, and talk about next steps for fall.
See you then!
Penny

PS - Here's Erin Macdonald (City's Green Streets Coordinator) in the Greenway on August 12th. She and a crew are making a film about Green Streets projects in Vancouver that will be shown at the Green Streets Garden Party.
Ann, Pat, Ruth, and I were able to be there to chat about the Greenway.

Work Party This Afternoon -- Cancelled!

2010-08-07T12:11:00.001-07:00

Hi Gardeners,
It's raining! Which is very good. But I just talked to Pat and we thought the Greenway wouldn't be such a hospitable place to hang out this afternoon, so it's cancelled.
Next Saturday Aug 14th at 3:00 should be a go, however, as will the following Saturday Aug 21st at 3:00 too.
Cheers,
Penny

2010-08-05T23:55:00.003-07:00

Hi David [Yurkovich],
I'm writing on behalf of Britannia Neighbours. We maintain the Greenway at Napier Street, the main entry to Britannia Centre. The Napier Greenway is one of five sites in the city that was recently selected to have a temporary water station installed for the hot/dry summer months. One of the reasons the Greenway was chosen was because Grandview Park, a more obvious choice, will be closed for renovations.
The Drinking Water Station that has been installed in the Greenway is not very attractive. It's kind of jerryrigged with duct tape and is squeezed between a bench and the bike rack. We definitely agree that it's laudable to provide water for people ... and so we are okay with having it in the Napier Greenway temporarily.
But we would like to make an emphatic recommendation that, as a part of the renovation of Grandview Park, you include as part of the building that will house the new restrooms in the northeast corner of the park near the Drive, a nice-looking permanent Drinking Water Station, an outside stainless sink and water fountain where, year-round, people will be able to fill water bottles, get a drink, fill a dog bowl, and wash their hands and faces.
Cheers and thanks and please let us know that this is possible!
Penny Street

Britannia Neighbours Meeting "Minutes"

2010-08-05T23:37:00.001-07:00

We had a Britannia Neighbours meeting tonight at Britannia.

Drinking Water Station

We chatted about the Drinking Water Station that's been installed in the Greenway and we agree that it's not very attractive -- that it's kind of jerryrigged with duct tape and is squeezed between a bench and the bike rack -- and we're somewhat put out that no one was informed or consulted about it, but we also agree that it's laudable to provide water for people.

We anticipate that things will change soon, that the use of the Greenway will increase -- maybe dramatically -- with the imminent closure of Grandview Park for renovations.

So we agreed that what we'll do is monitor how it goes in the next little while.

We also agreed to recommend to the City that when they renovate Grandview and put new restrooms in the northeast corner of the park near the Drive, that as part of that structure they put in a nice-looking permanent outside stainless sink and water fountain where people can fill water bottles, get a drink, fill a dog bowl, and wash hands and face.

Penny agreed to write a letter to David Yurkovich, the project manager of the Grandview Park renovation, with our suggestion and to copy it to all those who have expressed concern about or interest in the temporary water station in the Greenway. (And that we don't need to have a meeting about it.)

Increased Usage and therefore increased maintenance

Because we anticipate increased usage in the Greenway when Grandview is closed for renovations, we agreed that Britannia Neighbours would be willing to pay for increased maintenance in the Greenway by the people from The Kettle who currently do it (the BIA pays for litter pick-up now), especially cleaning up cigarette butts and picking litter up more frequently, hopefully daily. Pat will talk to people at The Kettle, find out the current schedule of litter clean-up, and make arrangements for more. She'll discuss with them how often and when, who will do it, how much it will cost Britannia Neighbours, etc.

We'll also be watching for people selling wares in the Greenway without permits. Lots of people do it now in Grandview, and if they all move to the much smaller space of the Greenway, it will be in the way of and affect other people using the Greenway . If this happens, it's a policing issue; the non-emergency police number is 604-717-3321 and the Commercial Drive Community Police office is 604-717-2932.

Sandwich Board

We've been talking for some time about getting a lightweight sandwich board to put up when Britannia Neighbours folks are working in the Greenway. Penny agreed to get the sandwich board at SignMaster and Ruth said that she would arrange to have the signs for it laminated (11X17).

Green Streets Movie

Erin Macdonald would like us to participate in a film she's making about Green Streets gardens and gardeners. She and her crew will be coming to our Greenway next Thursday (August 12th) and we're hoping the time slot will be between noon and 2:30. Please let Penny know if you can be there then.

Three key messages about the Greenway we want to communicate in the film:

1. that the Greenway is the site of a lot of wonderful community events, formal and informal -- Artful Sundays, Stone Soup, etc.

2. that we have nature in the Greenway. We have mason bees and we have spent ten years figuring out which plants thrive in dry urban shade.

3. that the Greenway is the main entrance to Britannia and is the most used of any Greenway in the city. Who uses it? As a thoroughfare, people walking from The Drive to Brit, Library patrons reading, people who work in the neighbourhood (for breaks and lunch), parents and kids, neighbours, the guy who feeds the pigeons, homeless people, shoppers, people meeting to chat, etc.

This is from Erin Macdonald:

"As of this week, Green Streets has hired a very talented filmmaker to start documenting street gardens in Vancouver. I can't tell you how excited I am about this project. It will be an absolutely stunning look into the act of street gardening - beautifying and greening the city; building and strengthening community; creative and personal expression in the public realm. I encourage all of you to be part of this process. There is no reason to be shy. The idea is to reveal the inside perspective on Green Streets and explore the diversity of motivations and experiences within the program. I assure you, your story is valuable and we want to hear it. We will be capturing most of the footage next week. If you are interested, please let me know as soon as possible so I can organize accordingly. There's a lot of ground to cover over a short period of time. The filmmaker will spend a few days gathering interviews and footage. Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant and Grandview Woodlands have the highest density of Green Streets gardens so I will organize filming according to these neighbourhoods. If for whatever reason you're not available when we're in your neighbourhood, don't worry. Just tell me when you are available and we'll make it work."

Proceeds from the Garden Tour

Usually we have only about ten people signing up for the garden tour through Britannia and this year we had 54! Pat will remind Lorrie that we need the proceeds from the tour and will get Lorrie to have a cheque issued to Brit Neighbours ($540!).

We received a thank you note from Lorrie for our $300 contribution to Artful Sundays.

Splendidness of the Greenway

Pat had a vision to transform the Greenway from adequate to splendid and we have started to do that. We had an amazing two days' of help from Park Board staff Martin and Kris helping us build our new berm (north side, middle) and installing pavers around the four sign posts. They did a great job. Next year, perhaps we can get them back to help us with a berm on the south side?

Upcoming Britannia Neighbours TEA PARTY at Ruth's new co-op suite, sometime in early September, TBA.

AND Next Work Party, this coming Saturday, August 7th, 3:00. Come if you can!

Cheers,

Penny

Time for a Britannia Neighbours Meeting...

2010-08-02T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Brit Neighbours,
Pat and I were chatting today (Happy BC Day!) and we thought that, what with all the kerfuffle about the water station and other recent happenings, it might be a good time for a Britannia Neighbours Meeting...
So, arbitrarily and suddenly, it's 7:00 this Thursday (Aug 5) at the Britannia Info Centre (probably the Board Room, but if we can't get it, some other room in the vicinity).
Hope you can make it! No need to RSVP.
Cheers,
Penny

2010-07-29T15:34:00.002-07:00

Hi Britannia Neighbours,

Just to let you know about the next two work parties.

This Sunday, August 1st, we're starting at 4:00, until 5:00 or 5:30.

And, because Artful Sundays starts next week (August 8th), we thought we'd move the work parties to Saturdays for a while, so next week's is Saturday, August 7th, at 3:00.

Please do come if you can. No need to RSVP.

And do also check out Artful Sundays -- Aug 8-Sept 5 (five Sundays from 12:00-5:00 pm)!

Cheers and thanks,

Penny

City of Vancouver Drinking Water Station in the Greenway!!!

2010-07-26T22:52:00.000-07:00

Hi Erin,

I'm pretty sure it wasn't your decision to place the new City of Vancouver Drinking Water Station, which was installed a few days ago, in the Napier Square Greenway. In fact, I'm sure if you had anything to do with it that you would have let us know!

We didn't know who to write to about it, so I'm writing you. Perhaps you could forward to the appropriate person or department at City Hall?

We have mixed feelings about the chosen location of the water station.

As you know so well, the Napier Square Greenway is a physically small and vulnerable patch of green along Commercial Drive. It is also the main entrance to Britannia Community Centre, to the Vancouver Public Library, to Britannia Elementary School, and to the various programs and services Britannia Centre offers.

There was an article in the Courier this past weekend that said there were only five of these drinking water stations installed across the City and that their placement was selected as areas where "homeless people congregate"...

Homeless people do congregate along Commercial Drive, largely in Grandview Park but also in other places, sometimes including the Napier Square Greenway. There have been parents in the neighbourhood who have said they don't want to send their kids to Britannia Elementary precisely because of the seedy gauntlet they sometimes need to pass through in the Greenway to get from The Drive to Brit Centre. As you know, Britannia Neighbours has been endeavouring to make the Napier Greenway less hospitable to the various drug dealers who visit there, while at the same time making it more inviting to the lunch eaters, readers, chatters, resters, and the young parents who take their children through the Greenway to Family Place or to Britannia Elementary or to the various programs at Britannia Centre and at the Britannia Library.

Anyway, we wanted to register our disappointment that the water station was installed without consultation with (or indeed any prior notification to) Britannia Centre or the Schools or Library or Britannia Neighbours (the folks who look after the Greenway) ....

The installation of this water station may well alter the social dynamics in the neighbourhood around The Drive. Britannia Neighbours and the Britannia Board and the Library and the Schools might have agreed that the water station was a good idea, even in its current location, but we definitely would have appreciated input/discussion.

We have a few questions: Is the water station a permanent installation? Will it still be in place when Grandview Park is closed for renovations? (Note that before the water station was installed we were already actively concerned that the folks who hang out all day in Grandview Park would be looking for a new and appealing place to hang out during the park restoration. This water station certainly adds to our anxiety about that.)

There are elements in the Britannia neighbourhood who would like to see the Napier Greenway's hospitality eliminated, to have the benches removed altogether, to make it less inviting for people to linger there ... Britannia Neighbours has been struggling, trying to find ways of dealing with the Greenway's problems that don't punish the entire community for the undesirable actions of just a few people.

The new water station is kind of ugly (awfully bright blue, put together with duct tape, and squished between the bench facing the Drive and the bike rack) but it does seem like a laudable idea to provide drinking water for everyone.

It's hard to see the drinking fountain in the photo below because there's a little black dog in a bike basket right behind it. But, as you can see, a homeless person took up residence on the bench right beside water station on the day it was installed.

Please let us know who we should talk to about this and/or forward this message to them and copy to us.

Cheers and thanks,
Penny Street
for Britannia Neighbours

Work Party Today! (July 25th)

2010-07-25T10:49:00.001-07:00

Hi. Pat and I were just chatting and we decided that we would be down at the Greenway today -- Sunday, July 25th, from about 3:00-4:30, to do a bit of tidying, weeding, and planting (of a "nine bark" Pat's been hanging onto for a while). Please join us if you can.
The garden is looking pretty spiffy but we want to keep up the habit of working on it at least once a week.
Cheers,
Penny

2010-07-22T17:10:00.002-07:00

What a surprise to see the new City of Vancouver "Drinking Water Station" in the Greenway!!! I don't think any of us knew this was coming ... Is it permanent??? It's kind of ugly, but how good it is to provide drinking water for everyone -- a place to fill water bottles or dog bowls (two taps!) and a little drinking fountain. It's hard to see the drinking fountain in this particular photo because there's a little black dog in a bike basket right behind it.
But, Fascinating!
Cheers,
Penny

2010-07-17T08:59:00.002-07:00

Hi Britannia Neighbours,

This Sunday is the Folk Fest (and Pat's going) so we decided not to have a work party in the Greenway. If you have a chance, however, check out all the terrific plants we've installed in the Greenway.
Erin Macdonald has been a huge help! She arranged for the Park Board to send a load of City compost and a crew of two -- Kris and Martin -- who worked with us for two whole days, helping us install a new small berm on the north side, and putting in broken-sidewalk pavers around the four sign posts and to remove a few "weed" elms that were getting out of hand. Erin also arranged for us to get about 20 small plants (lovely -- mostly pale greens and purply colours that provide good colour contrast with the predominantly darker greens we already had). Kris dropped them off at my house and Pat, her cousin Trish, and I spontaneously put them in yesterday.

Katherine has been doing a splendid job of watering through this hot-and-dry stretch, and the whole space is looking pretty good!

I think our next work party will be on July 25th, Sunday, 3:00. But I'll confirm with Pat that that'll work for her.

We were thinking we would do work parties every weekend all summer. The Greenway really benefits from regular maintenance ... And, on weekends when "Artful Sundays" takes over the Greenway on Sundays (five Sundays from 12:00-5:00 pm, Aug 8-Sept 5), we'll do the work parties on Saturdays at 3:00 (rather than Sundays at 3:00).

I'll send another message next week confirming our next work party.

Cheers,
Penny

Here's our new mini-berm and an example of the new pavers around one of the four sign posts!

Sunday work party too, from 3:00-4:30!!

2010-07-08T20:07:00.001-07:00

Hello again!
I'm so sorry, but I forgot to mention that we will also be having a work party on Sunday, July 11th, from 3:00 on, to finish up whatever we get started tomorrow and don't have the energy to complete. If it gets too hot tomorrow, we will all start to wilt and we'll want to save some tasks for Sunday. So come then if you can, especially if you can't make it on Friday!!
Cheers and thanks,
Penny

Work parties -- July 9th AND July 11th

2010-07-08T20:03:00.001-07:00

Hi fellow gardeners!

Tomorrow morning the Park Board is coming to the Napier Greenway to help us build a berm, to lay some pavers around the various sign posts, and to take out a few weed trees (elms) that are getting too large. We will meet the Park Board crew at the Greenway at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow!
If you can make it to help out, that would be fabulous. Janet and Pat and I will be there for sure, but we're all slightly feeble in one way or the other and we're really hoping that a few others will be able to make it...

It will be good to start working as early as 8:00, while it's still cool.

We have some splendid new plants -- about eight new large swordferns, an azalea, and some smaller plants that Erin Macdonald (the Green Streets Coordinator) has gotten for us, and we have some nice topsoil to mix with the City compost that was delivered to the Greenway on Tuesday.

Please do come if you can! No need to RSVP!
Cheers,
Penny

2010-06-26T13:27:00.002-07:00

Work Party Sunday June 27th 3:00!!
Hope to see you there!
334 people attended the East Van Garden Tour last Sunday. Our best turnout for the tour yet! Such a big success we may even have to rein in ticket sales a bit for next year.
Also, save July 9th if you can. Erin Macdonald has secured Park Board resources and staff to come and help us fix up Napier Square. They'll work with us to put in a couple of berms and some rocks and level the existing pavers and install new ones around the signposts. They'll also removed a few "weed" elms for us.
We also need to clean the benches and we should get another batch of lady bugs because the park benches are all sticky from the aphids in the oaks.
See you tomorrow -- Work Party Sunday June 27th 3:00!!
Cheers,
Penny

No work party this Sunday!

2010-06-19T15:22:00.001-07:00

It's car-free Commercial Drive and the East Van Garden Tour!
Cheers,
Penny
_____________

http://www.britannianeighbours.org/
http://britannianeighbours.blogspot.com/
http://eastsidegardentour.blogspot.com/

2010-06-12T14:03:00.003-07:00

We're having a Work Party on Sunday June 13th 3:00-4:30! Come if you can. No need to RSVP!
(No work on Sunday June 20th -- it's Car-Free Day and the East Van Garden Tour!)
Pat and Jane and I had a meeting in the Greenway with Erin MacDonald, the City's Green Streets Coordinator, on Friday and described to her our dreams for the Greenway, and she's going to help us get what we need to make the garden spectacular! (Note the wonderful jigsaw puzzle "art" on one of the trees in the Greenway!)
We'll get some topsoil to make a couple of berms (hopefully with a City work crew for a couple of hours to help move it!). We'll get 6-8 large rock/boulders.
She gave us a certificate for one of those City composters (and Pat is going to ask Gord to pick it up for us). She will look into getting us some chunks of broken sidewalk to use as paver around the four sign-posts. And she'll try to get us a few colourful plants (red/purple-leafed and/or bright yellow-green).
We will try to locate the yellow cedar bench that was once around the tree by Drive Organics and work toward getting it reinstalled.
Note the gorgeous little cluster of foxgloves by the bee condo and the two giant ferns under the chainlink fence beside Sweet Cherubim. We planted them all in the past week (salvaged from a site where the building is to be torn down!)
Yay!
And don't forget that next Sunday (June 20th) is the East Van Garden Tour. Get tickets at Figaro's. The tour goes from 10-4 and this year's gardens are clustered around 6th and 7th between Victoria and Nanaimo.
Cheers,
Penny

2010-06-02T23:15:00.002-07:00

Hi Britannia Neighbours,

We won't be having a work party this coming Sunday (June 6th) because it's Italian Day on the Drive and there will be a Britannia Centre community event in the Greenway. The Drive will be closed off from noon to 8:00 p.m. for 14 blocks, all the way from Venables to the Grandview Cut (except that 1st Ave will go through, so to move from the north half to the south half, people will have to wait for the pedestrian light).

We will have a work party on June 13th from 3:00-4:30. Come if you can and no need to RSVP!

But we will not have a work party on June 20th, which is Car-Free Commercial Drive and also the East Van Garden Tour. Yes! This year's East Van Garden Tour is on Father's Day, Sunday, June 20th. All the gardens on the tour this year are quite close together and you should be able to walk the entire route. There are 12 gardens on the tour. You can get your tickets ahead of time at Britannia Centre (1661 Napier Street, 604-718-5800) or at Figaro's Garden (1896 Victoria Drive, 604-253-1696). You can also get tickets on the day of the tour at Figaro's (cash only on the day of the tour, however). As usual, tickets are only $10 per person. This is a self-guided tour, and runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

On the day of the tour, go to Figaro's to pick up your map showing the locations and descriptions of the gardens on the tour.

Note that most gardens are not wheelchair- or stroller-accessible. Children must be either babes in arms or 12 years or older (or, if younger, amazingly well behaved future botanists). Pets are not allowed. Photos are only allowed with the garden owner's permission.

We will need garden sitters! If you have time to do a three-hour shift (10:00-1:00 or 1:00-4:00) as a garden sitter in one of our beautiful gardens this year, you can take the rest of the tour for free! Please let Pat Davitt know if you're available (604-253-1885).

Proceeds of the East Van Garden Tour go to support the work of Britannia Neighbours, which these days includes the maintenance of the Napier Square Greenway, support for the summer Napier Greenway art fair "Artful Sundays" (Sundays, Aug 8-Sept 5, noon-5:00, ), sponsorship of a field trip to Van Dusen Botanical Gardens for a science class at Britannia Elementary, contribution to the upcoming new Britannia Community Centre sign in the Greenway, partnership with Drive Organics to make compost for the Greenway. We thank the Green Streets program of the City of Vancouver Engineering department for its ongoing support.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers,
Penny

2010-05-29T22:37:00.002-07:00

Greetings fellow garden lovers!

I'm writing to let you know that this year's East Van Garden Tour is on Father's Day, Sunday, June 20th. All the gardens on the tour this year are quite close together and you should be able to walk the entire route. There are 12 gardens on the tour.

You can get your tickets ahead of time at Britannia Centre (1661 Napier Street, 604-718-5800) or at Figaro's Garden (1896 Victoria Drive, 604-253-1696). You can also get tickets on the day of the tour at Figaro's (cash only on the day of the tour, however).

As usual, tickets are $10 per person.

The self-guided tour runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

On the day of the tour, go to Figaro's to pick up your map showing the locations and descriptions of the gardens on the tour.

Note that most gardens are not wheelchair- or stroller-accessible. Children must be either babes in arms or 12 years or older (or, if younger, amazingly well behaved future botanists). Pets are not allowed. Photos are only allowed with the garden owner's permission.

We will need garden sitters! If you have time to do a three-hour shift (10:00-1:00 or 1:00-4:00) as a garden sitter in one of our beautiful gardens this year, you can take the rest of the tour for free! Please let Pat Davitt know if you're available (604-253-1885).

If you know of any splendid East Vancouver gardens you would like to nominate for future tours, also contact Pat (604-253-1885).

Proceeds of the East Van Garden Tour go to support the work of Britannia Neighbours, which these days includes the maintenance of the Napier Square Greenway, support for the summer Napier Greenway art fair Artful Sundays (this year Sundays, noon-5:00, Aug 8-Sept 5), sponsorship of a field trip to Van Dusen for a science class at Britannia Elementary, contribution to the upcoming new Britannia Community Centre sign in the Greenway, partnership with Drive Organics to make compost for the Greenway. We thank the Green Streets program of the City of Vancouver Engineering department for its ongoing support.

Let me know if you have any questions.

See you on the tour!

Cheers,

Penny Street

2010-05-24T12:54:00.003-07:00

A message from Pat!

Hiya
I've included all the ideas that have come up in the past few weeks (or at least all the ones I remember!), and I'm sure there will be others emerging as people get their minds around thinking plants, thinking design. Penny, could you send this out to the gardening group? To all of you: feel free to edit it, or add to it...whatever. It's a first draft.
Cheers, Pat

A re-examination of Napier Square Greenway: the beginnings of a five-year plan (with ideas from Karen Thirkell, Pat Davitt, Penny Street, Ann Daskal, Janet Harper — May 19th, 2010)

[Suggested To-Do List/Time Frame at End]

Karen's first take: that it could be livened up with the addition of more purple-leaved plants in addition to the Ravenswings we already have; memo to Pat: remember to plant the purple Ninebark somewhere nice!!! And more variegated plants: sedges, euonymus and such like.

We agreed: Take out the three self-seeded elms, including the big one on the Sweet Cherubim side; ask the City to remove it and replace it with a more interesting and smaller tree — one with flowers in spring, interesting bark, and/or interesting colour in fall….plus, we would have more light in that area. (Gord Kristjansen — Pat's upstairs neighbour and a landscaper) says he'll take out the two smaller ones, in June — his contribution.) News flash (Sunday, May 23): there may be another one, that looks more like a shrub, on the Drive O side by the alley. We'll try to get an identity check on that one!

Move the climbing rose to one of the screens on the Sweet C side (probably the one overlooking the parking lot); take down the dead clematis and replace with a goodly-sized new one. Make better use of all those screens for vines and climbers; prune the evergreen Clematis armandii on the Drive Organics side (get it out of the tree and get more light on that side).

Previously, we'd thought to install a berm (a mound of soil) on the Drive O side in the middle bed, which is situated on a layer of hardpan. With a deeper layer of soil on top, we will be able to do more creative planting in that area. This could be the major re-do for this year, since we don't want to bite off more than we can chew, eh?

Then maybe next year: on the south/Sweet C side, leave a path at the back along the wall (about three feet wide) for access to the back of the bed. Build up another berm with a curved front; line irregularly with stones to anchor the front edge, sword ferns along the curve on top and bright green hostas (we already have them) below the ferns, on the lower level. (Would give that bed some shape.)

Prune the existing lonicera (Honeysuckle) on the Sweet C alley-side; Pat to contact Aidan re: more interesting honeysuckles (flowering, with scent — there was a spectacular one on the garden tour two years ago).

Out of Pat's garden: Astrantia major alba and rosa (Masterwort); more epimediums (Barrenwort) if needed; hostas. Also some bluebell bulbs. Out of Karen's garden: Baby Tears (good, pretty and invasive ground cover to go around the poster/poles).

From the City: pieces of concrete to install as paths and surrounds as access for poster/poles (x four), which then can be surrounded by the Baby Tears. We might be able to get this done sooner (this year) rather than later; we'll ask for help from the City; otherwise there's always LawnBoy, with its tons of free concrete pieces.

When we get to adding/buying more plants, think hellebores, and lots of spring bulbs, particularly daffodils and the little species tulips, both of which naturalize; we have to remember this in the fall when the bulbs become available (September). If we can get the Drive O side built up with a berm, it will be more straightforward to add bulbs and other decorations.

To-Do List/Suggested Time Line

1. Prepare for and install the berm on the Drive O side. With that in place, we can do the planting without having to worry about digging them all up when the soil comes. This will give us space to plant bulbs (permanently) in the fall, and to design proper plantings of small shrubs and perennial plants in that space. What fun!

2. Removing Elms: Gord figures he and his crew can do that in June, when they get less busy with landscaping-for-pay.

3. Move the climbing rose; clean off the dead clematis from the Sweet C-side screen; prune the C. armandii heavily (can be done now; it's finished blooming)

4. Prune the honeysuckle into shape; find out better varieties from Aidan (Pat)

5. Bluebell bulbs could be planted in the raised bed along Drive O, and in the front beds on both sides… Whaddya think?

6. Approach Erin about getting concrete pieces from the City and having them delivered; or going to Lawnboy and getting them there; install around poster/poles; can be done this summer.

7. Buy annual flowers in vast multitudes to cheer up the place. No point in buying new purple perennials now, until we have beds installed and a plan for what we want and especially where we're going to put them

8. Enough already!

Needed: temporary good homes for some very lovely plants!

2010-05-22T09:45:00.001-07:00

Howdy Britannia Neighbours,
If you can help Ruth out, please let her know -- (604) 879-4194 or fah204@telus.net

And while I have your attention, Work Party in the Greenway Sunday 3-4:30! Come if you can.

Cheers, everyone!
Penny

________________

Begin forwarded message:

From: ruth <fah204@telus.net>
Date: May 15, 2010 1:12:13 PM PDT
To: Penny Street <pennystreet@telus.net>
Subject: Needed: temporary good homes for some very lovely plants

To Brit Neighbours in Action Friends:
My co-op is undertaking a year-long leaky building renovation, and I have to move all my plants (and furniture) off my ground floor balcony. I'm looking for plant babysitters for my treasured plants (in pots), including:
-ivies, minature maples, honeysuckle, minature bamboo, hostas, azaleas, small herbs, lavender, spiderworts - plus some things I've forgotten the names of. They are primarily semi-shade plants.
If you have a corner or two in your garden where you might fit a pot or three I'd be most grateful... I have to clear off my balcony by May 24th. Thanks, Ruth (604) 879-4194

Work Party, Sunday May 16th, 3:00-4:30!

2010-05-13T19:39:00.001-07:00

Hey, there's a Work Party -- a work PARTY! -- this Sunday, May 16th, 3:00-4:30!

We're trying to have one every Sunday these days because there are tons of weeds and we have some grandiose plans to make the Greenway absolutely spectacular rather than just green. We need your help and ideas and enthusiasm!

It's fun!

Come if you can. No need to RSVP.

Penny

2010-05-07T13:27:00.003-07:00

Hiya everyone

I went, even though it started to pour down rain, because I thought that others might be trudging over to the greenway and would find no one there with tools or good cheer. By the time I got there, the rain had mostly stopped; no one was there from the group, but I thought it would be a good time to do some "creative staring" (as Dagmar Hungerford used to say) to figure out some changes we could make to the greenway. Then I found the plants that Janet Harper had left for us the week before, cleverly hidden in the bushes where Takako and I had failed to find them. Oh good, thought I, I will have to plant them (in the drizzle) before I leave. Then I found Janet! Yay! She had come to garden and so we did garden a bit; we planted all the plants from the week before and then did some more creative staring and got at least a couple of good ideas about where some of the yards of dirt (for making berms) could go. More discussion needs to happen and will ensue, probably on Sunday, which is promising to be a finer day than last Sunday...seeya all there? Cheers, Pat

Stone Soup, Saturday May 8th at Britannia, noon-5:00

2010-05-06T16:42:00.001-07:00

Hello!

I'm writing to remind you that this Saturday is the 15th annual Stone Soup Festival at Britannia Centre. This year's festivities include a food film festival, a mini farmers' market, community food and garden information, a seedball-making workshop, live music, plants for sale, and lots of other activities.

For more info see http://britanniacentre.org/

Stone Soup is a great way of getting together with the folks in your community to celebrate the genuine arrival of spring.

The Fijian Shiv Mandir at 1795 Napier (on the corner of Salsbury), in the block just east of Britannia, is serving delicious vegetarian food ($5.00 for a very generous plate) as part of Stone Soup, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This year they are also having a religious/cultural activity between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., which will be held outside if the weather is agreeable (otherwise, it will be inside).

Cheers,

Penny

2010-04-28T18:17:00.002-07:00

Pat asked me to read and forward (giving me her okay to change anything I thought needed changing ... and the only thing I changed was her dates, which she had wrong (close, but wrong, all of them...).
Anyway: The next work party is Sunday May 2nd -- sorry I won’t be there; I’ll be in Portland -- and the following one is Sunday May 9th, where we will discuss the New and Improved Greenway!! Both Sundays, 3:00-4:30!!
Cheers, Penny

Begin forwarded message:

Below is the report on gardening Sunday in the greenway, and my very modest proposal for rehabbing it. There is a short form for people who are very busy or who have short attention spans, and a longer, more expositional account for people who like to read War and Peace. Whichever, or both. Cheers, Pat

Hiya Brit Neighbours -- Next work party: Sunday, May 2nd at 3 p.m. to 4:30 -- just a few more weeds to remove, and a garden to re-evaluate *

A small report on weekend gardening, and a greater vision for Napier Square: Part One: The Proposal (short form): Aim: to make Napier Square Greenway a stunning, extraordinarily beautiful garden (the tour buses are already lining up in anticipation).

*Informal, individual walk-throughs of the greenway (over the next ten days) when you all have time and inclination, thinking about what might be improved

*Sunday, May 9th, a walk-about to begin to form ideas about how to spruce up the various garden areas -- from 3-4:30 p.m.

*A small garden planning committee forms -- to co-ordinate the ideas and make a schedule, a garden map/blueprint and identify good plants, access to extra soil, pavers, whatever

*Followed by a bunch of us digging and piling up soil, and moving rocks, and planting new plants and debating about where things should go, etc
Should keep us engaged for the next decade, eh?

Part Two: The Proposal (long form):

1. Takako and Pat, for the most part, were the happy gardeners on Sunday, although Ann D. came later and would have thrown herself into whatever, except that we were in the process of quitting. Takako and I had cleared out some of the weeds behind the blue screen on the Sweet Cherubim side and planted the flat of golden marjoram that we received at the Greenways party in the fall. The plants look very beautiful; they are a bright yellow-green and match the feverfew also growing in that area. An unintended consequence but lovely nonetheless. So when Ann arrived, the three of us sat around and talked a bit about the garden and how it might be improved (an interesting event, since we usually don’t have time to do that).

2. It’s not that it isn’t a beautiful garden: it is. But we could see several ways that it could be made outstanding, and now is the time to start thinking and planning to upgrade from good to better to best.

3. Ann made the point that it would be more interesting if there were some changes in grade, and we agreed. She mentioned that North Van recycling centre (I think that was it, or was it the dump?) sells regular garden soil and compost for $31 a yard, and also sells augmenters for soil (maybe at the same price?). I immediately thought about the Drive Organics side of the greenway, with its underlying hard-pan (about 6 inches down), and realized that we could bring in more soil (both Ann and Wayne have trucks), build that side up, contour the ground and have much better possibilities for growing and showing off the plants. This would necessitate lifting plants and resettling them after the soil is mounded, but that wouldn’t be all that difficult (and we usually do have enough hands to make the work light).

4. Then on my way home, I thought about maybe scheduling a walk-about to seriously consider how we could make each of the beds more engaging -- thinking about the different seasons, the amount of light available, contoured landscapes, and a larger array of plant material. This wouldn’t be done all at once, obviously, but I think it’s time we had an overall plan for making Napier Square spectacular, or at least the start of one!!! And yes, I think we can do it!

5. So, I am proposing that we schedule a time to look and get ideas, perhaps the weekend after next (Sunday, May 9th) in our regular Sunday time slot at 3 p.m. for anyone who wants to take part in the discussion and the planning, or who just wants to be there, weeding and listening.
(People are encouraged to walk through the greenway before May 9th and think about how it might be improved, it’s called getting a head start!) Then maybe one or two of us could translate the ideas generated into a planting plan and schedule (since we’d have to plan first on getting more soil -- maybe the City could help us with that), perhaps buying some new plants/shrubs this year, certainly getting more bulbs to put in this fall, and etc. It could be as much as a three to five year plan, to make it more do-able.

6. I know this sounds a bit over-the-top, but I was amazed at how neat and tidy the greenway actually is already, especially because we have started earlier this year, and I really think that it’s time to envision where we are going with it, and defining where we want to go -- and then, going for it! Creating a jewel in the heart of East Vancouver. What could be wrong with that?

7. All comments and responses cheerfully accepted; whaddya think? There it is, kids. Let’s put on a show!

Cheers, Pat

Fwd: Vancouver East end house available for 5 weeks for low rent - summer 2010

2010-04-24T21:06:00.001-07:00

Forwarding for Eva...

Penny

Begin forwarded message:

From: Eva Sharell <evasharell@gmail.com>
Date: April 24, 2010 7:25:56 PM PDT
To: Penny Street <pennystreet@telus.net>
Subject: Fwd: Vancouver East end house available for 5 weeks for low rent - summer 2010

Hi Penny, This is not related to Brit. Neighbours at all, but could you send it out to everyone please ...
thanks,
eva

Our House: 2 bedrooms plus den with double futon is available from June 21 - July 28 . Available for low rent to responsible person(s). Please phone Eva or email evasharell@gmail.com.

2010-04-18T22:58:00.001-07:00

Notes from Britannia Neighbours Meeting 15 April 2010

Sorry it took me so long to get these notes out to you, but I've been dealing with a fractured knee cap!

First of all, we decided that instead of scheduling and announcing every work party separately, we will just have one every Sunday, starting next week, April 25^th, 3:00-4:30 … and whoever is able to come, great. How does that sound? I'll be a bit out of commission for a little while because of my knee, but the tools are down there and there is always litter pick-up and weeding to do!

We have stored a lot of our tools in the Info Centre but we should store them in our storage area instead so they aren't in the way in the Info Centre. I have a set of keys if anyone needs them.

We have $9,477.91 in the bank — of which $5000 has been promised as a contribution to the new Britannia sign & "clock tower" which will go in the greenway — but we were talking about what we might want to buy.

Pat suggested that we provide nice snacks for our work parties.

We want to have a sandwich board made that advertises "Britannia Neighbours in Action" and invites people (who are strolling through the greenway while we are working) to join us. It will have a little rack for flyers/brochures which will describe our group and give the URL to our Web site and blogs. Jane will provide plastic racks for the sandwich board for brochures (4) and flyers (1). There's a good print shop on Powell at Victoria near JJ Bean who might be able to make us our sign. Ann has a kids' chalkboard that we could use that would be the perfect size. Helen volunteered to work on the sign design.

I suggested we buy a Lee Valley curly hose, but I was talking to Katherine the day after our meeting and she says we have a couple of perfectly adequate curly hoses in our storage area, so we probably don't need one. Katherine will be back in the neighbourhood and will be watering again this summer! Yay!

We will want to buy some new plants. Pat says no pernicious plants! Herbacious! It seems that most of our hostas have been stolen. (The ones at Florida Market have been stolen too.)

Pat will contribute a "Nine Bark" which the bees will like.

The bees are back, by the way. Ann and I met with Hartley in the greenway on April 7^th and reinstalled the bee condo and populated it with cocoons.

We decided that we would fund a Britannia Elementary School Field Trip to Van Dusen Garden ... We agreed that I would talk to the Britannia Elementary principal Greg Barnes and that Jane would contact Van Dusen to find out what the procedure is and what the cost would be. I talked to Greg on Friday and he was quite delighted. He suggested a grade 3 class whose teacher is very keen about teaching science. I think he said there were about 15 kids in the class. He said the Britannia lunch program would provide lunches for the kids (but maybe we could put together 15 gardening packages for the kids or something??). And I said that if there weren't enough chaperones, that a Britannia Neighbour or two might well be able to go along to help out. We would pay for transportation and for Van Dusen entry fees. So we left it that Greg would get in touch with the teacher and would then get back to us — me and Jane — to make more specific arrangements. It's not an easy time for the folks in the schools right now with the huge funding shortfall, so this was a good time to make this gesture! (Pat has since suggested that because the class has only 15 kids, maybe we could send two classes. To be continued…)

Plans for this year's garden tour are going ahead nicely. Ann has started publicity (Gardens West, Gardenwise, store newsletters, the Straight, The Sun, the Artery, etc.) We have the Library display case reserved for the week before the tour and we will be having a table at the Trout Lake Farmers Market on June 12^th (Jane).

Janet says we have an artist working on our brochure and it will be somewhat flashier and Glen is happy. The tour this year is Victoria–Lakewood on 6^th and 7^th.

Pat will give me a list of e-mails so we can send reminder message to people who have gone on the tour in previous years. The first one will be soon and will just be a "save the date" message and reminding people to check the blog.

Cheers,

Penny

2010-04-12T22:39:00.002-07:00

The Environmental Youth Alliance is sponsoring a Seed Swap at Strathcona Community Garden on Saturday, April 17, 10:00-1:00.
Bring your seeds to swap ... or, if you have no seeds, no problem! There will be plenty o' seeds to go around.

Brit Neighbours Meeting Date Changed! Thursday April 15th, 7:00.

2010-04-07T17:35:00.001-07:00

Hi folks,
Pat can't meet on April 13th (because it turns out that she has a Brit Rink Committee meeting that night) so she and I decided to move the Britannia Neighbours meeting to Thursday April 15th, 7:00. Boardroom at Brit. Please come if you can.
We'll make plans for spring (planting flowers, sandwich board for our work parties to tell passers-by who we are and invite them to join us, etc.) ... and also, we've been offered ongoing compost from the people at Drive Organics, so we should think about the best places to put it when the time comes.
Cheers and hope to see you.
Penny

Greenway cleanup and meeting...

2010-04-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,
We've scheduled a short work party for this Sunday (April 4th) from 3:00-4:30 in the Greenway.
And a Brit Neighbours meeting for Tuesday April 13th at 7:00 in the Brit Board Room (or meeting room if the Board Room is not available).
Please come -- both or either -- if you can.
At the work party, we'll tidy up and weed, and at the meeting, we'll make our plans for the spring, which the weather people are predicting will be warm and lovely for April, May, and June!
Cheers,
Penny

Britannia Water Festival Grand Finale, Friday, Feb 26th, 7:00-9:00, FREE!

2010-02-21T22:47:00.001-08:00

Hi folks,

This coming Friday night is the last event of the Britannia Water Festival.

Originally, the idea was that we wanted to provide some fun and inspiring programming for people in the Britannia community, figuring that most people probably wouldn't be attending any Olympics events. But what with the Olympics on TV and the multitude of Cultural Olympiad events, turn-out for our Water Festival has been kind of disappointing ...

But this Friday is going to be quite a splendid evening and we want to get a significant crowd out for it.

Like all the other Water Festival events, this one is free.

Local Grandview-Woodland musician Simon Kendall (former pianist for the fabulous Vancouver band "Doug and the Slugs") is assembling a few of his friends to perform water-themed music for the evening...

There will be water-themed free snacks (!), prepared by caterer Michael Speier.

There will be a water-tasting event

There may be a poetry reading.

There may also be a short (but allegedly very entertaining/educational) video presentation by MetroVancouver about our water system and our new Metro water filtration system.

Please come! It's free! It'll be fun! The more the merrier!

Friday evening, Feb 26th, 7:00-9:00 pm, at the Canucks Family Education Centre (upstairs from Family Place, just north of Grandview Park)!

Cheers,

Penny

It's all wet! The Britannia Water Festival, Fridays and Sundays in February! Exciting Events! Starts this Friday!

2010-02-02T19:27:00.000-08:00

Pick up your refillable water bottle and put on your bathing suit and your rain slickers & wellies and splash over to the Canucks Family Education Centre (upstairs from Family Place, facing Grandview Park) for the Britannia Water Festival!

Britannia Community Centre is hosting events on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons throughout the month of February. There will be History! Films! Swimming! Valentine-making! Walking on Water! Watery Music! Watery Poetry! Water Writing! Watery food and drink!

Let your friends know!

See the attached schedule of events!

And best of all, the whole Festival is FREEEEEE!

The first event is this Friday, 7:00-9:00 p.m. -- History night! The history of water on the east side of Vancouver. Streams, logging, fishing, creeks!

Special Sale at My Sister's Closet, Thurs Feb 4th, 7-9

2010-01-29T14:17:00.001-08:00

Re: Britannia Neighbours Annual Xmas Party

2009-12-11T19:34:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone again!
Yikes. Pat forgot that she had theatre tickets for Thurs Dec 17th, so she can't make it that night! Since the party is at HER HOUSE, we decided it would be a good idea to change the date!!
Tra la!
So we both hope you can make it on Tues Dec 15th, anytime after 7:00. Same details. See below! Sorry for the confusion!
Cheers and thanks! Pat & Penny

On 2009-12-08, at 6:40 PM, Penny Street wrote:

> Hi everyone,
> Please come to this year's Britannia Neighbours Annual Xmas event at Pat Davitt's (1492 William St.), December 17th, 7:00.
> Bring goodies (sweet or savoury) and, if you'd like alcoholic beverages, BYO. There will be coffee, tea, soda.
> It's just a chance for us to get together and enjoy each other and Pat's lovely tree and cosy atmosphere. And to talk about where we want to go with Brit Neighbours in the next year.
> Cheers & top of the season to you!
> Penny

Britannia Neighbours Annual Xmas Party

2009-12-08T18:40:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone,
Please come to this year's Britannia Neighbours Annual Xmas event at Pat Davitt's (1492 William St.), December 17th, 7:00.
Bring goodies (sweet or savoury) and, if you'd like alcoholic beverages, BYO. There will be coffee, tea, soda.
It's just a chance for us to get together and enjoy each other and Pat's lovely tree and cosy atmosphere. And to talk about where we want to go with Brit Neighbours in the next year.
Cheers & top of the season to you!
Penny

CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN!! Greenway Clean Up, Sunday, Nov 15, 3:00

2009-11-15T14:56:00.001-08:00

Hey, people. It's raining too hard to rake. Let's not!

Begin forwarded message:

From: Penny Street <pennystreet@telus.net>
Date: November 14, 2009 4:55:17 PM PST
To: "P. J. Street" <pennystreet@telus.net>
Subject: Greenway Clean Up, Sunday, Nov 15, 3:00

Hi folks,
Please come if you can to a Greenway Clean Up, Sunday, Nov 15, 3:00 p.m.
We'll rake and bag and if it's halfway nice, I'll bring a bag of bulbs we can plant.
No need to RSVP. Just come if you can!
Cheers,
Penny

Greenway Clean Up, Sunday, Nov 15, 3:00

2009-11-14T16:55:00.001-08:00

Hi folks,
Please come if you can to a Greenway Clean Up, Sunday, Nov 15, 3:00 p.m.
We'll rake and bag and if it's halfway nice, I'll bring a bag of bulbs we can plant.
No need to RSVP. Just come if you can!
Cheers,
Penny

Work Party, Sunday, 3:00!

2009-11-06T09:48:00.001-08:00

Hello Britannia Neighbours,

We will have a work party this Sunday at 3:00!

You will all be delighted to know that Ann and I went to Rona and bought three more beautiful leaf rakes, a regular rake, a push broom, a shovel, three trowels, and a big tub to keep gardening gear in. We can store all these things at the Centre so they are easy to get to. We already have quite a few pairs of gardening gloves for those who don't bring their own (which we can keep in the new tub too) and lots of the brown paper garden-waste bags.

See you Sunday! And let's have a short meeting soon to plan a Britannia Neighbours Celebration of some sort, maybe at the Info Centre, and to make arrangements for a sandwich board we can stand up in the Greenway to advertise ourselves during work parties.

No need to RSVP about Sunday, just come if you can.

Cheers,

Penny

_____________

http://www.britannianeighbours.org/

http://britannianeighbours.blogspot.com/

http://eastsidegardentour.blogspot.com/

Sunday, work party for just one hour! 3:00-4:00

2009-10-31T20:34:00.001-07:00

Hi Britannia Neighbours,
Come if you can at 3:00 on Sunday Nov 1st -- yikes, it's already
November! -- for a one-hour work party! We'll rake and bag oak leaves
and plant some bulbs.
No need to RSVP but we'd love to see you.
Cheers and happy Halloween!
Penny

Oct 25th, Sunday work party, 3:00-5:00

2009-10-24T19:17:00.001-07:00

Hi all,
Just wanted you to know that I'll be about 45 minutes late to our work
party tomorrow and Pat will be about an hour late (she's working at
Brit's Info Centre until 4:00) but the show must go on! Wayne has
agreed to take charge, starting at 3:00.
There will be rakes and garden debris bags.
There are sure to be plenty of oak leaves to rake up ... and there's
still a little compost to spread. There are several plants to put in
the ground as well. Pat has some bulbs and some oregano. I have some
hens-and-chicks and a large "sea holly" plant (sunny area required)
donated to us by Catherine Kerr, guerrilla gardener extraordinaire
(over on Sophia Street). And Jane might have a rhodo to put in.
So please do come if you can. No need to RSVP.
Cheers,
Penny
_____________

http://www.britannianeighbours.org/
http://britannianeighbours.blogspot.com/
http://eastsidegardentour.blogspot.com/

2009-10-18T21:46:00.004-07:00

Hi Britannia Neighbours,

We had a very productive work party today -- Sunday -- and raked and
bagged a million oak leaves and spread our little mountain of damp and
steaming compost over all the beds on the north side of the Greenway!

Next week, we'll meet again and do some more raking and bagging ...
and plant a few plants and bulbs.
Please join us if you can! No need to RSVP.
Napier Square Work Party, Sunday, Oct 25th, 3:00.
Cheers,
Penny

2009-10-08T14:43:00.004-07:00

Out of the Blue Box

Recycle all plastics, electronics and much more for a small fee.

Finally, you can deal with all that material that is not accepted by city recycling.

Saturday, October 17th, from 9:00-noon at the Britannia Parking Lot off Napier Street at Woodland.

Part of the proceeds go to Britannia Community Services Centre Society.

For more information call 604-718-5815.

Compost! and Sunday Work Parties, 3:00-5:00, Oct 18th and Oct 25th

2009-10-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hello Britannia Neighbours,

The City will be providing us with a small load of compost to spread in the Greenway beds. Thank you, Erin!

It should arrive sometime this Friday (Oct 9th). Wayne's son belongs to an Ultimate team and they have volunteered to come and spread the compost -- a big job, and we are most grateful! I think they'll be coming on Oct 17th or 18th. I'll talk to Wayne about the details.

In any event, we have lots of things to do in the Greenway. We need to plant the rhodo that Jane is donating. We also have slews of plants that Pat has been storing. She also has a couple of bags of narcissus bulbs that she got at the Green Streets Garden Party. Those will be lovely, come spring!

I have a couple of plants, too.

So ... Please write Sunday Work Parties, 3:00-5:00, Oct 18th and Oct 25th, into your calendar.

See you then. No need to RSVP! Just come if you can and bring your gardening tools.

I have asked Erin Macdonald (Green Streets Coordinator) to retain the bench that was removed from the "living room" area in storage rather than reinstalling it. Losing that one bench seems to have changed the dynamics of the Greenway for the better. It's always good, however, to have a spare bench that matches the others in storage in case another one is vandalized. Hope you all agree.

Cheers,

Penny

2009-09-23T00:00:00.004-07:00

Present: Eva, Wayne, Jo, Ann, Pat, Janet, Jane, Ruth, Susana, Penny, Cynthia
Regrets: Helen (she teaches on Tuesday nights)

Pat reported that we sold about $180 tickets to this year's Garden Tour (so took in about $1800).
This year's Garden Tour was a huge success.
Pat said that if possible she would prefer not to be involved with Britannia Neighbours finances any longer. Jane and Eva volunteered for role as treasurer. Jane will do it for now and Eva will be available as back-up. We should probably get Eva as a signing officer. (And we agreed to add Ann as a signing officer a few months ago and began the process at Vancity, but I don't believe the paperwork was ever completed. Ann?)

For next year's Garden Tour, Jo and Janet have already found and identified quite a few potential gardens. Pat & Ann and Jane & Sandy are finding gardens as well. So we are well on the way for next year.
Glen at Figaro's would like our Garden Tour operation to be a bit more businesslike and professional. He would like to see us produce more polished brochures and maps and for us to get info to him a bit more in advance.
We will try to enlist the person who designed the Strathcona Garden Open House brochure to help us design one for us for next year's Tour.
We might also produce a flyer that Figaro's can display on the counter in the store over the winter that says something like "Would you like to participate as one of the gardens on the tour? Or would you like to nominate a garden for the next tour?"
We agreed we should invite Glen to attend our Tour planning meetings and that we would keep him better informed about our progress planning the next Garden Tour.
We also enthusiastically applaud his endeavour to provide a limited coffee service at Figaro's (with food, but he will not cook on site). Later, he may sell organic produce he grows on Galiano Island at Figaro's. We all signed the petition about it.
We appreciate our partnership with Figaro's. We get publicity and ticket sales (credit and Interac) before the Tour, and, on the day of the Tour, Figaro's provides bathrooms, coffee and cookies, and space for our home base.
We would also be willing (if Glen was interested) to send an e-mail to all our Garden Tour participants (or at least those who gave us e-mail addresses) to suggest they may want to get on Glen's e-mail distribution list so they can hear about sales and special events, etc., and to tell them how to do that. In exchange, perhaps, Glen can send a notice out in advance of the Garden Tour, to everyone on his list, reminding folks of the date of the tour and telling them how to get tickets.

The mural on the side of Florida Market is in somewhat sorry shape. It's been tagged and repaired many times. We talked about contracting Victoria Oginski to paint a FLORIDA mural on the side of Florida Market. There was quite a bit of enthusiasm for the idea. Someone suggested that Florida Market might be willing to pitch in. So might the BIA. I'll ask both. We'll have to talk to Eileen, who was project manager of the existing mural, and get her support. Folks were wondering how much it might cost and I've asked Victoria to provide us a rough estimate / or quote.

We talked about the upcoming new Britannia Centre sign. Ruth suggested that it should be multi-lingual. Pat is still promoting the clock tower idea. We are contributing to the cost of the new sign so should have some input.

Pat and Penny will go to the Site Management meeting Oct 1 at 9:30 on behalf of Brit Neighbours and will report back if there are any pertinent issues.

Eva suggested that we plant Mahonia in the BIA's espresso cup planter. We need something hardy that folks won't want to sit on or near. Also, mason bees love mahonia.

Ann told us all about the fabulous "Putting on the Glitz" dinner and fashion show that's being put on by the Original Costume Museum Society on October 1. If you're interested, call Ann right away to get a ticket!

Cheers and happy first day of Autumn!
Penny

2009-09-22T23:05:00.002-07:00

Hi.
Please, if you can, come to a work party in the Napier Square Greenway
on Sunday Oct 4th at 3:00 p.m. to rake and tidy up for the winter and
to plant a rhododendron that Jane Hood is donating.
We will also choose a place for reinstallation of the bench that the
City removed from the Living Room corner (a few months ago because
someone tried to steal it and it got all loosened and crooked). It
might go alongside Drive Organics, near the mason bees. We're hoping
to get it back soon.
I'll bring work gloves and those giant paper garden waste bags. You
could bring weeding tools, kneeling pad, rake, what have you.
See you then. No need to RSVP.
We had a terrific meeting tonight and I'll post some notes on our blog
soon.
Cheers,
Penny

Fwd: Stone Soup fall food event

2009-09-22T08:02:00.001-07:00

I urge you, in particular, to attend the Food Justice Forum on October 8th! See below.

Cheers,

Penny

Begin forwarded message:

From: Ian Marcuse <imarcuse@alternatives.com>
Date: September 21, 2009 11:23:24 PM PDT (CA)
To: gwfcnetwork@gmail.com
Subject: Stone Soup fall food event

Dear Friends,

I have been busy organizing a number of events as part of the Stone Soup Fall Food gathering at Britannia Community Centre. I hope that you can come out and support these events. The film festival is also being organized as a fundraiser for community gardening.

This event is being held in conjunction with Sustenance: The Art and Culture of Food being held at the Roundhouse Community Centre, Oct. 3 -16th and leading up to World Food Day (Oct 16th). For more information on Sustenance visit - http://www.roundhouse.ca/sustenance

Also Check out my work BLOG - http://gwfoodconnection.blogspot.com/
We are now on Flikr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/gwfc/sets/

Please forward this to your networks.

Thanks,
Ian

Program Schedule

1. Oct 3 - Do-It -Yourself (DIY) Food Day
2. Oct 8 - Food Justice Forum
3. Oct 10 - Author Talk and Book Launch
4. Oct 15 - Thanksgiving Food For All Community Potluck
5. Oct. 17/18 - Stone Soup Film Festival: Exploring the Politics of Food

1. Oct 3 - Do-It -Yourself (DIY) Food Day

Canning. Learn the basic of canning, including safe preparation and methods. This class will be canning green beans and participants will leave with their own jars of beans.

Sauerkraut Live Fermentation. Learn the basics of fermented foods and safe preparation of sauerkraut. Live sauerkraut is well known for its high nutritional values. It is easy to make and a great addition to many meals. Bring your own cabbage.

Breadmaking for Beginners. Learn to make delicious harvest bread.

Cooking on a Tight Budget. Join Healthy Planet Kitchens to learn some tasty, nutritious and affordable recipes

All workshops are open to everyone. $10 each. (subsidies available). Suppleis included. Registration: 604-718-5800
Sat. Oct. 3rd

2. Oct 8 - Food Justice Forum (poster attached)

Why is organic, sustainably produced food unaffordable for many people?
Can we pay the real cost of food, while also providing quality food at an affordable price?
Is there a need for low-cost food options, including fast food, in our community?

Join our panel of speakers for a discussion of these questions and more.

Joyce Rock, Director, Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House and food access advocate
Chris Bodnar, Glen Valley Organic farmer and food sustainability activist
Barbara Joughin, Co-author of the Vancouver Food Charter
Moderated by Sandra Thomas from the Vancover Courier

Britannia Community Centre, Learning Resource Centre
Thurs. Oct. 8, 7 - 9pm
Free

3. Oct 10 - Author Talk and Book Launch.

Long time nutritionist, Dania Matiation will launch her book entitled "Food Swings: A User's Guide to Dealing with the Call of Food"
Let's discover how to remove rules and lighten up our relationship with nourishing ourselves.
You can find more info for publicity at Dania's website: http://www.the-art-of-eating.com/about_Dania_Matiation.html

Britannia Library
Oct 10, 2pm.
Free

4. Oct 15 - Thanksgiving Food For All Community Potluck.

Everyone welcome. Bring some food to share or just come and eat. AML Lounge (across from the info centre).
Thurs, Oct 15, 6:30pm.
Free

5. Oct. 17/18 - Stone Soup Film Festival: Exploring the Politics of Food. (poster attached)

Join us for this first annual food film festival and view 20 local and international films on a range of topics including health and nutrition, globalization, urban agriculture, worker's rights.

Selections include: Mad City Chickens, a doc about chickens and the urbanites who love them; All Jacked Up, a poignant portrait of four teens struggling with sugar addiction; Food Inc, an expose on the shocking truth about our food system, and The Garden, the Academy-nominated feature about the fight to save a beloved urban farm in South Central L.A. and many more!

Presented by the East End Food Co-op and the Grandview Woodland Food Connection.
Festival passes - $15 Available at Britannia. Suggested donation at the door per film slot. All proceeds will go to support community gardening.
Oct 17 & 18th
Check out our film blog for films and schedules - http://stonesoupfilmfestival.blogspot.com/
Join our Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=148031724922

For more info or if you would like to volunteer - 604-718-5895

2009-09-18T14:42:00.004-07:00

One of our Britannia Neighbours, Ruth Fahlman, is on the Board of the Eastside Family Place and asked that I advertise this splendid event to Britannia Neighbours.

Come one and all to the 30th birthday celebration of Eastside Family Place.

1655 William Street, at Grandview Park

Saturday Sept 19th, 11:00-3:00

There will be music, storytelling, arts & crafts, face painting, carnival games, a fire truck and a police cruiser, bubbles, and BIRTHDAY CAKE!

There's also a fabulous raffle with many family-oriented prizes and you can get tickets at the party.

Please visit the Family Place Web site for further details www.eastsidefamilyplace.org

2009-09-17T17:43:00.002-07:00

Hello Britannia Neighbour!
Just to let you know that we're having a Britannia Neighbours meeting on Tuesday Sept 22 at the Britannia Info Centre, 7:00.
Please come if you can. Among other things, we'll discuss preparing the Napier Square Greenway for winter, ongoing maintenance and litter removal, and some of the things we need to do in anticipation of next year's East Van Tour of Private Gardens.
Come if you can.
I'm not sure what room we will be meeting in, but ask at the the reception desk in the Info Centre and they will know where we are. No need to RSVP.
Cheers,
Penny

Carvers working in the Napier Square Greenway last week! They're creating an entry portal for the Britannia Arena that will be in place for the Olympics. After the Olympics, the portal will probably be installed near the Britannia Info Centre, visible from the Greenway.

2009-09-02T18:51:00.002-07:00

Hello!

If you are interested in this and would be willing to Volunteer, please RSVP to Cynthia Low at Britannia (cynthia.low@vancouver.ca)!

We've heard that volunteering on this once-a-month project is lots of fun ... plus it's GREEN (providing new recycling opportunities for Vancouver residents)!

Yay!

Penny

Britannia Centre is interested in inviting the Pacific Mobile Recycling Depot to Britannia to recycle all the items that cannot go into Blue Boxes - styrofoam, aluminium, CD's, electronics, plastics, milk cartons, foil bags, etc.
They operate on Vancouver Island and facilitate a monthly depot in North Vancouver.

Hard core recyclers and businesses from the neighbourhood will pay a fee for recycling. After transportaion and commercial charges, some of the money will go to Britannia Centre, and will be used to support other green initiatives.

In order for this project to go ahead we need volunteers to help with promotion, sorting (on site), and organizing.

Is there enough energy to fuel and run this program?

If you are interested, please attend a Blue Box Lunch. Bring your own blue box and utensils, food will be provided.

Saturday September 26, 2009 at 12:00

Britannia Board Room

1661 Napier Street

RSVP by September 25th and see you there in your best blues!

http://www.pacificmobiledepots.com/
Please circulate to interested networks!

Cynthia Low

Executive Director

Britannia Community Services Centre Society

1661 Napier Street

Vancouver, BC V5L 4X4

T: 604-718-5815

http://www.britanniacentre.org

2009-07-19T22:45:00.001-07:00

Hi.

Please join us for a work party in the Greenway on Sunday July 26th 3:00-5:00 p.m. To get the garden ready for Artful Sundays, we need to weed, prune, and tidy up, especially, the southeast corner, right up by the Drive on the Sweet Cherubim side. When the City installed the bike crosswalk post this spring they killed a couple of big shrubs. The small remaining hydrangea in that corner desperately needs some TLC -- dead branches removed, etc.

Help us get the garden looking its best for the next few Summer Car-Free Sundays and Artful Sundays.

Bring whatever you have that's easy: kneeling pad, litter bags, garden waste bags, weeding knife/tool, trowel, gardening gloves, secateurs, rake.

It's one of the Summer Car-Free Sundays, so it'll be festive and entertaining working in the garden but it might not be so easy to park!

Cheers,

Penny

2009-06-04T11:13:00.005-07:00

Hello Britannia Neighbours!

This Sunday we will have one more Work Party, but this will be our last until June 28th or even July because Sunday the 14th is Carfree Commercial Drive, and Sunday June 21st is our Eastside Garden Tour.
I'll likely be away on June 28th, but others might be available to work that day, so we'll leave that as a possibility.
Luckily, Katherine will water over this dry and sunny period to keep all our plants happy.
So please come Sunday (June 7th) if you can. The time this week will be from 3:00-5:00 for a change; Ruth wants to be able to come and she has choir practice on Sunday mornings.
Pat and I will get a few more flats of impatiens, so we will put those in ... and, of course, do some more weeding ... and tidying up in preparation for Carfree Day.

Also, this year's Eastside Garden Tour, on Sunday June 21st, needs extra volunteers for putting up posters (see below) and to sit in a few of the gardens whose owners are not able to be there. If you have time to do a three-hour shift (10:00-1:00 or 1:00-4:00) as a garden sitter in one of our beautiful gardens this year, you can take the rest of the tour for free! Please let Pat Davitt know you're available (604-253-1885).

Cheers and thanks to everyone.
Penny

From Ann Daskal (who does publicity for the Garden Tour):

The Eastside Garden Tour (on Sunday, June 21 this year) needs postering help as listed below.
If you can help out, email me at rocknrose@telus.net (include your phone #) and I will get back in touch with you. If you can help, let me know what area you are specifically interested in. Posters (and flyers) will be provided.
Thanks, Ann

The following places need a poster or two:
Granville Island Market
Strathcona Community Garden
Wall Street Community Garden
Any other Community Garden that is convenient
Van Dusen Garden

Trout Lake Farmers Market
A few posters along the market route this Saturday and on June 20 would be greatly appreciated!
(June 13th is covered)

On the Drive
Happily, Britannia Community Centre volunteers will be putting posters around the Drive, both inside and outside, starting about 10 days ahead --
However, it would be great if people could "monitor" a few blocks each, to make sure posters are out there and put up some, if not covered

Your Neighbourhood
You know the best spots

You Name it

2009-05-27T22:30:00.003-07:00

Hi folks.
We have four flats of impatiens to plant in the Greenway on Sunday May 31, 10:00-noon.
Join us if you can. Bring trowel, weeding knife, and kneeling pad (and leaf bags and rake and watering can and shovel and broom if you have them)!
Cancelled only if it's pouring rain!
No need to RSVP. Just come if you can.
If we have too many planters, we'll do some weeding.
Cheers,
Penny

PS - And look at the wonderful job Victoria Oginski did restoring and improving upon the Drive Organics Mural! Look at the BEE as the dot on the Drive "i"! She's wonderful.

2009-05-13T17:22:00.002-07:00

Hello Britannia Gardeners!
We are doing planting (and some weeding too) in the Greenway from 10:00-noon on Monday May 18th (the holiday), and it would be great if you could come.
I've got some gardening gloves if you need them, but bring secateurs, weeding tools, rake, little shovel, trowel, your own gloves — whatever you like to garden with.
No need to RSVP. Please just come if you can.
Cheers,
Penny

2009-05-05T13:56:00.001-07:00

Hi Britannia Neighbours!

We're having another Napier Square Weeding Party this coming Sunday, May 10th, Mother's Day, 10-12!
If quite a few people show up, we should be able to make a significant dent in the weed situation.
Come if you can.

And don't forget Stone Soup Festival happens this Saturday, noon-5:00, in the Greenway and on the Brit Campus.

Cheers,
Penny

2009-04-28T22:44:00.001-07:00

Hi folks. We had a Britannia Neighbours meeting tonight. Pat, Jane, Wayne, me.

Just to summarize quickly, the most important things are upcoming activities. Please write them in your calendar. No need to RSVP:

Sunday, May 3rd, 10:00-noon, light clean up in the Greenway in preparation for Stone Soup. Because there will be many tables cheek-by-jowl in the Greenway for Stone Soup, we don't want to "beautify" the Greenway beforehand, we just want to tidy it up a bit. If we planted new things, they would likely get trampled.

Saturday, May 9th, noon-5:00, Stone Soup Festival at Britannia (including the Greenway). We need volunteers to sit at the Britannia Neighbours table at Stone Soup (a table we will share with the Britannia Board of Management). If you would be willing to take a short shift, let Pat Davitt know (604-253-1885).

Monday (the holiday), May 18th, 10:00-noon, planting in the Greenway. Hartley Rosen, the Mason Bees Project Coordinator, has given us some plants and Pat has some plants from last year, and we need to put them in. We thought we should wait until after Stone Soup. If we have gotten some, we will also put in some impatiens and do some top dressing with compost.

Note that the Garden Tour is June 21st, 10:00-4:00. Wayne volunteered to have his garden on the tour.

Other things, briefly:

Mason bees: They seem to be doing well. I will check for bee activity tomorrow (Wednesday) and report to the Mason Bees Project on May 1.The URL for the Mason Bee Vancouver site is http://www.masonbeevancouver.com/

Getting a compost bin for the Greenway: We decided no.We wouldn't have any control over what went into it and it could end up being nothing but trouble in a public space.

Supporting the BIA for the espresso cup planter project: Yes, provided there is no advertising on the cup and that we can approve the design beforehand. I will write a letter of support to help them get funding for this.

Putting a Cob Structure in the Greenway: Penny is gung ho. Pat is reluctant. Wayne is diplomatic and seemingly neutral. We will find out more and keep discussing.

Carving Project for the Olympics: Not much news lately. Will report if more.

Benches letter: Pat wrote and Penny edited an essay about the history of benches in the Greenway. Wayne is going to have a look at it and then Penny will send it to Helen, who can give it to the Elementary School PAC. I will post the story to this blog when we've agreed that it's done.

Copy for the Green Streets book is due April 30th. I will write something and get it in on time. We agreed to the general content. It should just be one paragraph with a photo. I will post to the blog when done.

That's about all for now.

Cheers,
Penny

2009-04-22T10:12:00.004-07:00

Hello Britannia Neighbours!

We will be meeting on Tues April 28th at 7:00 at the Brit Info Centre. On the agenda: planning planting and clean up work party for the weekend of May 2/3 to beautify the Greenway for Stone Soup (which is May 9th); discussing our strategy around Mosquito® and bench-removal and carving project; discussing the BIA espresso-cup planters proposal; mason bees; etc.

Please come if you can. No need to RSVP; just ask at the Info Centre desk to find out where we are.

Cheers,

Penny

2009-04-01T21:08:00.004-07:00

GARDENS!
Just one addition to the notes from the Meeting on March 17th: Janet and Sandy were going to think about good gardens in our target area for this year (which would be East 2nd, 3rd and 4th). So it isn't just Ann and me, and besides, if anyone knows of good gardens around and about, they should be telling us, if not for this year, then maybe next.
Get looking, gang! Although it's still too cold to see much in the way of plantings coming up -- we seem to be about three weeks behind. On the plus side, take note that the snowdrops lasted for six weeks, and the smallest daffodils have been blooming for over three weeks with no signs of wilt. And why would they wilt? It's like living in a gigantic refrigerator! The blooms last and last.
Cheers,

Pat

2009-03-30T21:26:00.003-07:00

Hi Britannia Neighbours,

Just thought I'd provide some quick notes from the meeting we had on March 17th. In attendance: Pat, Jane, Ann, Cynthia, and me.

1. Garden Tour
Car-Free Day is June 14th. The Garden Tour is June 21st. The blog has been updated so all info on it is current. Check it out for details:
http://eastsidegardentour.blogspot.com/
Pat and Ann will choose gardens.
Jane will sit at the Garden Tour table at the Trout Lake Farmers' Market.
Penny will compile e-mail addresses of people who went last year and will send e-mail message out. (Pat will give Penny the sign up lists from last year for the e-mail addresses)

2. Mason Bees
The mason bees are installed. So far no sign of them. Hartley Rosen (EYA) has said he will get us plants. Pat and Penny will do a tour of the Greenway and decide how many plants we can accommodate and Penny will let Hartley know.

3. Carving Project
There will be a carving project to make a welcome archway for the entry to the Britannia rink for the Olympics. Britannia and Brit Neighbours and the Site Security committee are jointly proposing that the carving itself will take place in the greenway over the summer, in the "living room" corner. The hope is this will effectively evict the drug dealers for the summer. The carving will go in front of the rink when completed and then, after the Olympics, will be installed permanently at the Napier entry to Britannia.

4. Site Security
We had a discussion about the police reply to our letter about the "living room" corner. We discussed the Mosquito, surveillance cameras, etc. No decisions were made. No action items. Penny will attend the next Site Management meeting at Brit on April 2.
Signs were posted in the greenway saying something like "This is a drug- and alcohol-free zone. Our kids go to school here." We agree with the content of the signs but they were stapled to the trees, so Katherine removed them. I talked to Bev Seed, the principal at Brit and left a voice mail for the Aboriginal advisor at Brit asking that he please not staple signs to the trees.
We talked about protocol of when calling the police, when to call 9-1-1, when to call the non-emergency (604-717-3321), and when to call the CPC. They prioritize at the ECOM so it's okay when there is something "in progress" to call 9-1-1. Good to call CPC as well so it gets recorded in their stats.

5. Curb-to-Curb Green Streets Book
Submissions Deadlines are May 22 for high-res photos and April 30th for text (one short paragraph). Penny volunteered to write the text and find appropriate photos. Pat will review text. We thought the subject of our piece should be about the mason bees. Volunteerism and mason bees. More to come.

6. Work parties for the Spring
We decided that we will buy small amounts of compost rather than getting a large load of it delivered by the City.

Next meeting Tuesday April 21, 7:00.
We will plan Spring work parties then.

Thanks everyone.
Penny

Let me know if there's anything significant I forgot to mention.

2009-03-15T10:01:00.004-07:00

Hope you can make it to the next Britannia Neighbours meeting, Tuesday, March 17th, Brit Info Centre, 7:30 p.m....
Our local Carnival Band played in the neighbourhood Saturday March 14th to publicize a Baby Fair at Britannia.

2009-03-12T22:40:00.002-07:00

What's next? Chickens in the greenway?

2009-03-12T22:27:00.005-07:00

Working with the Environmental Youth Alliance, Britannia Neighbours has installed a Mason Bee Condo in the Napier Square Greenway. Mason Bees are great pollinators. See http://www.masonbeevancouver.com/ for more information. The cocoons in the condo should hatch at between 8 and 12 degrees. Female bees will lay eggs in the little tunnels.

2009-03-07T12:56:00.002-08:00

Hi Britannia Neighbours,
Spring is here! And we're having a meeting on Tuesday, March 17th, 7:30 p.m. at the Britannia Info Centre.
Please come if you can!
Penny

2008-12-01T22:12:00.002-08:00

We had a Britannia Neighbours meeting on Wednesday, November 19th. Those present: Karen, Helen, Jane, Pat, Penny. Here's a short summary of what transpired.

The bench-around-the-tree
Erin Macdonald is the new Green Streets Coordinator and she is arranging to get the bench-around-the-tree re-installed and also to get pavers put in around the four poster posts so people are walking on the pavers instead of on the plants both when they are putting up posters and when they are reading them. Someone pointed out that the bench-around-the-tree is in need of legs (in its previous incarnation, it was perched on tree rounds) and that we should tell Erin that.

The Victoria Oginsky mural on the south side of Drive Organics
We talked about how the mural needs repairing, cleaning up, graffiti-removal. Jeff Proseilo, the manager of Drive Organics agrees that it needs work and will contribute to the cost. I have called Victoria left a message for her about it. Her partner says he's sure she will be interested; she will be out of town until December 4th but will get in touch soon thereafter.
We also talked about installing a swath of nice looking stones alongside the mural to prevent mud from splashing up onto the mural. (I'll mention to Jeff; maybe he could contribute to the cost of the stones as well.)

Lots of Oak Leaves
The City Park Board (Jay Vanderpas) agreed to come and clean up all the oak leaves in the Greenway. (A crew did come on November 26th and they raked up every leaf! Fine job!) The City provides two clean ups per year. This is excellent because a big job like this one would have taken many Sundays with a handful of volunteers but the City crew did it in a half day and did a splendid job of it.

Mosaic Creek Park
Karen mentioned the problems at Mosaic Creek Park. People sleep and camp there and also have loud drinking parties. They seem to walk down the lane from Grandview Park to gather at Mosaic Creek. We discussed who would be the person to talk to in the City about how to mitigate problems. Are there things that we could do as an organized community group? How about enforcing the "No Trespassing after 10:00 p.m." sign that's posted there? It was also suggested that all the dead tress and plants and bushy shrubs (suitable for camping under or hiding behind) be removed and that good lighting be installed.
What about if there were a high but attractive fence around the site with a GATE and someone in the neighbourhood could volunteer to lock the park at night and open it up again in the morning?

Our annual Britannia Neighbours Holiday Celebration
December 17th at Pat's ... Bring treats ... 7:00 or after.

That's all for now! Happy Holidays.

2008-11-15T13:56:00.004-08:00

Just to let you all know that we're having a Britannia Neighbours meeting on November 19th at 7:30 at the Britannia Info Centre (not sure of the actual room, but go to the Info Centre and the receptionist on duty will know where we are).
Cheers ... and see you there if you can make it!

A couple of boys are busking in the Napier Square Greenway today and they're just splendid. Isn't the piano table great? A good way to celebrate Election Day in Vancouver and to remind people to vote!

The pianist's name is Jago Hine and here is a video of him playing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtYwRxancOk

2008-10-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

Britannia Neighbours Work Party (raking, bagging, perhaps spreading compost), Sunday Nov 2, 3:00-5:00!
Please join us if you can!

2008-10-10T14:01:00.001-07:00

Howdy Britannia Neighbours!
We're having another Work Party in the Napier Square Greenway, Sunday afternoon (October 12th), 3:00-5:00!
We'll start to tidy up and get the garden ready for winter.
Please come! No RSVP necessary!
Bring rake, secateurs, gardening gloves, weeding tools, kneeling pad, what-have-you.
Penny

2008-09-05T10:15:00.004-07:00

Hi folks,
Napier Square Work Party this Saturday, September 13th, from 3:00-5:00!
We've had work parties most Saturdays for the past few weeks and we've gotten a lot done, but we have more to do.
Please join us if you can ... and bring the usual tools (kneeling pad, weed bucket, secateurs, weeding knife or trowel, gardening gloves).
Cheers and happy fall,
Penny

2008-09-05T10:15:00.001-07:00

Hi folks,
Just to let you know that we will not have a Napier Square Work Party this Saturday, September 6th, but we will have one NEXT Saturday, September 13th, from 3:00-5:00.
We've had work parties most Saturdays for the past few weeks but we're taking a break this week.
Please join us if you can next Saturday ... and bring the usual tools (kneeling pad, weed bucket, secateurs, weeding knife or trowel, gardening gloves).
Cheers and happy fall,
Penny

2008-08-28T23:00:00.002-07:00

Work Party, Saturday, August 30th (already!), Napier Square Greenway, 3-5
Hello friends,
Yes, it's true. We're having another work party in the Greenway on Saturday.
Pat and Katherine will get a few more bags of manure, which we will spread and dig in. We will also tidy up and weed, so that the garden looks its best for Artful Sundays on Sunday.
Please come if you can (even if just for a half-hour or if you just want to check in and say hello).
We regulars would love to have you.
Bring any or all of the following: secateurs, weeding knife or trowel, kneeling pad, gardening gloves, pan or bucket in which to collect your weeds, leaf rake, etc.
Rain or shine (unless it's a dreadful deluge, as it was this evening at about 6:30 ... we got soaked to the skin in goretex on our dog walk this evening).
Cheers,
Penny