Spring is sprung and around this dominion (and others) they will be out there: those single-minded, Relentless People with a Purpose hordes, all chasing the little white ball.  Thankfully for them at least, B.C., by virtue of its mostly temperate, God-blessed climate, opens up its greens before everyone else in Canada.

Which reminds me of an old friend of mine from school whose life was metaphorically saved by golf and that silly little white ball.

At 65, after 35 years toiling for the same civil engineering firm, Edward (‘Ted’) confronted mandatory retirement. The gold watch did little to appease him. His life, his love for pernickety detail and the compulsive/obsessive minutia of dealing with pipes and tanks to dispose of sewage around the world was swept away as if by some malevolent, giant tsunami. Making matters worse was his loss of the daily camaraderie of his predominantly male colleagues and the after-work pints. All gone.

To Ted, home represented a comfortable minimum security prison. Three squares a day. No more commuting, total freedom to come and go. No serious interests outside of the psi load factor of pipes, tank capacities, logarithms and project deadlines. No grandchildren, let alone children. Parents long dead, no siblings. A 30-year comfortable relationship with Sonya his partner, marriage having been analyzed by Ted as a commitment to avoid at all costs. A creature of habit with the inflexibility that often comes with it. The fact he had lived with her for nearly half his lifetime had no impact on his latest predicament. An objective observer would say he had it all.

But what the heck was he going to do with himself?

My husband Keith and I moved to Lions Bay nearly two years ago. Our “new” house was tilting into the hill, the roof was leaking, and carpenter ants had had their way with a lot of the structural wood. We had two choices: tear it down or gut it.

At the same time, I was fighting with my third novel—a fun, fast-paced mystery set in Whistler. I was happy with the premise: A young snowboarder, Sacha Westlake is found dead on the Blackcomb Glacier. Local police want to close the case as suicide, but the victim's mother—a U.S. senator—refuses to accept that her daughter killed herself. So Senator Westlake uses her influence to have an undercover agent—Clare Vengel, the heroine of my series—sent in to mix with her daughter's friends and try to determine who among them could have wanted Sacha dead.

Set in the world of the day after tomorrow, this tale of international conspiracy, corruption and catastrophe in the new world of nanotechnology has more twists and turns than the DNA double helix. With its added sprinkling of sex and murder it's the perfect beach read.

When science writer Nick Ruskin reconnects with his long-lost cousin Simon after a family funeral, Simon lets slip just enough information about his work at the World Science Institute in The Hague to pique Nick’s journalistic curiosity.

Environmental mural artist and conservationist Todd Polich has just recently completed one of his largest projects to date with a 150 foot long mural through the downtown eastside neighborhood of Strathcona.

Working with over 80 First Nations children and youth at risk from Kidsafe, the two month long project was the most fulfilling project of his career. “This project brought everything I believe in together, we taught about conservation, and engaged a group of young people who need a feeling of accomplishment and self worth more than anyone. For them to have people honk their horns, stop on the street to say thank you, and one guy even bought them lunch was a real thrill. They could see clearly that what they do makes a difference, and is appreciated.”

Todd began Earth Foundation Conservation Society in 2009 with a vision to connect people to the environment through large scale eco murals. Since then the project has evolved from murals to a full community participation program called the “Art Of Empowerment”.

Lions Bay Arts Council presented its 2^nd Arts and Garden Festival on Saturday, May 26^th and what a day it was!

We were blessed with magnificent weather as residents and visitors alike toured nine beautiful Lions Bay Gardens throughout the day showcasing the diverse and creative work of local visual and performing artists.  This year we introduced music into the gardens and this added a magical element to the already festive atmosphere of the day.

Thank you to our presenting sponsor Odlum Brown STM Wealth Management who also sponsored this same event in 2010, as well as ArtScene 2011, part of National Culture Days on October 1, 2011.  We are extremely grateful for their support.  Their unwavering commitment to arts and culture in our Village has made these entertaining events possible.