Here is the piece:

My next class took place in Parksville and was yoga. I have been trying to figure out my yoga style. Did I like hot yoga? Vigorous yoga? My yoga – The one that makes me feel the best. I have to say, my experience with April Kuramoto of BLYS Yoga (new studio opens on October 3 at #4 – 205 Jensen Avenue) was magical. Big words for a gal who can barely haul herself out of bed some days. I feel awkward in a fitness place at the best of times, but it felt different here. Her choice of music and conversation was not what I usually heard in a yoga studio, and I liked it. I tried the poses and transitions and she would say to us it does not have to be perfect, but you are here and in the moment. She had a gentle, guiding touch and I cannot wait to go back. I have even signed my ten year old up for her preteen/teen class. I want my kids to have the April experience. It is a good and wonderful thing. Here’s what I keep telling myself from my time in her class – “Her Practice made me feel Perfect”. High praise indeed. April I am your new groupie! All the class information – for kids, teens and adults can be found at www.blysyoga.com.

Ella Rose learns the marimba from Fahlon

We love the Craig Street Market in Parksville. So many great things to see, buy and eat! Also hear. We fell in love with the local youth group Kumbana Marimba, led by sisters Fahlon and Jasmine Smith from Errington. They play traditional African music along with some South American tunes for a fresh, upbeat, world music sound.

The group formed in 2009 and has an energetic group of young people playing. The not only perform around BC, but they also teach classes. Ella Rose, 7, wanted to try it out and Fahlon was a fantastic teacher. We got some good sounds coming from the various sized marimbas.

Fahlon encourages all ages to check it marimbas – and she has private sessions. Prices are not crazy (group class is like five bucks). The kids were having such fun playing music and talking about how to make the song complete. You can see the excitement in their eyes and hear it in the music. Phone Fahlon at 250-951-9886 to get your marimba on!

Saturday, February 18, Port Theatre

Musical Instrument Zoo (11 a.m. -12 noon)

NoteworthyKids Music Club Family Event (11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.)

Open Rehearsal (12:30-1:30 p.m.)

Reserve your Complimentary Ticket: 250-754-8550

Info: www.vancouverislandsymphony.com

The Lighthouse Country Fall Fair – Saturday Sept 5 in Bowser/Deep Bay.  Features plenty of activities for the kids, including pony rides, a petting zoo, and bouncy castles (how did we manage before bouncy castles came along?), and the theme this year is home gardening, with lots of tips and displays,  as well as fresh produce.  The fair is at the Lighthouse Community Centre from 10am until 4pm.  Adults are $5.00 and kids under 12 are free.

Port Alberni Salmon Festival – Fri Sept 4 – Mon Sept 7.  Grace will be too busy ripping out fence posts to be able to take part in the fishing – there’s a $10,000 prize for the largest salmon caught during the Festival and hundreds of other prizes.  Fireworks will be on Friday night, and there’s a dunk tank, lots of great food and entertainment all weekend long.  There’ s a free bullhead derby early Sunday morning.  All takes place at the Clutesi Haven Marina.

Labour Day Swim – Mon Sept 7, Nanaimo – With the Aquatic Centre closed for maintenance and the ocean losing its “make you think you’re living in Hawaii” temperatures, you can grab a good long swim between 12 noon and 5pm at the Beban Park pool.

Hike to Labour Day Lake – Ok, you’re really celebrating the weekend if you make the trek to this lake – yes, that really is its name – which is literally half way between Port Alberni and Nanaimo (as the crow flies – see the map below).  It’s a pretty hefty hike for a family, but what are days of labour for, as George would say.

Or you could just relax at home and have a nice barbeque – maybe do a New Year’s Eve kind of countdown to the kids going back to school.  Oh wait, that’s for later at night when they’re in bed.

Of course we have to start with the beaches.  At Qualicum Beach our picnic place of choice is the grassy area next to the parking lot on the left side of the Beach Hut.  While no picnic spot along there is more than a stone’s throw from the beach, being a stone’s throw from great take out food and ice cream is a great bonus, plus there’s good shade if things get too not (we should be so lucky!).  With smaller kids, you just need to be careful at Qualicum Beach because you’re close to the traffic.  On the other hand, if the tide is right, you can  just move the picnic out onto the sand.

Parksville’s community beach has a lot of picnic options, but our favourite is to find a good tree by the playground.  George has a couple of trees staked out because they’re equidistant to the playground and the concession stand.  Lineups might be long sometimes, but those fries are worth the wait and the kids love the soft ice cream with coloured edges.  We dare you to stay less than an hour at this spot on a beautiful sunny day…

Spider Lake, just off the Horne Lake exit of the Island Highway, is another favourite picnic spot by the water.  If it’s looking like a nice day, we recommend getting out there as early as possible (for George and Ella that would be 7am!) because the park fills up fast close to noon.  There are two main picnic areas facing each other across one arm of the lake, joined by a trail – we call them the forest side and the sandy side.  We’ve never been sand people, but they always eem to having a good time too.  For us, it’s the forest side all the way.  There’s also a little island that Grace is anxious to paddle over to this year – or perhaps just sit in the boat while George paddles.  By the way, part of the attraction of Spider Lake is that there are nothing motorized on the water to disturb the tranquility – that’s the jog of the kids screaming while catching tadpoles and frogs.

A new spot we discovered this year is at Morningstar Farm and Little Qualicum Cheeseworks.  Aside from the fun of visiting the farm animals (watch for goats on an overhead walkway!), there’s a lovely picnic area with a fabulous view of Mount Arrowsmith.  There’s also a little trail to walk off the picnic.

Even though we’re not in the dog world these days – not that our daughters don’t try their best to return us there – we love dogs (and cats and pets in general) and we’re not going to miss the Oceanside Doggy Dayz Festival coming up May 15 – 17.  Martin would have loved to have been in the parade, where he could have vied for Most Senior dog (if they had a Weirdest Teeth category he’d have walked away with that) or one of the many other prizes.  You have to register to be in the parade and compete, and you can do that online.

The weekend is really broken in two parts – a pet fair on Saturday at the Parksville Community Centre with displays just for the humans (groomers, breeders, retailers, etc.) and lots of useful seminars as well.  And then on Sunday, the dogs can bring their owners to Qualicum Beach for a doggy breakfast, a fashion show, the parade at 1:30pm and much more!

Oh, it’s actually ok to talk to dog owners, but you should ask the name of their pet first

So we’re motoring up the island highway past Parksville, then Qualicum Beach, the sun is blazing, the kids are singing along to ‘Come On Eileen,’ when up ahead we see dark ominous clouds. That’s way past Bowser, no worries we said.  We pull off the highway and head up the Seaside route and those dark clouds seem a little closer.  By the time we pull up to the beach, it’s hailing!

Now, as we huddled on the beach, the magnificent mountain scenery somewhere in front of us behind a mass of grey cloud, we looked to the left – sunshine – and we looked to the right – sunshine – and we looked at each other and ran back to the car.

Fortunately, this is Vancouver Island and if one fun trip doesn’t pan out, you’ve got another waiting for you just down the road.  Ours turned out to be Qualicum Beach.  First a stop at the Shady Rest with a beautiful window seat on the ocean (pretty much every table has a great view and lots of light anyway, but it’s always nice to be right at the window) and delicious fish and chips.

Then it was out on the beach for more than an hour of dodging geoduck sprays, spelling practice in the sand (my husband says that having fun is no excuse not to be learning every second… yea, he’s a barrel of laughs), and skating on the flat sand.  You’d be surprised how many skating moves the girls got in.

Boy did the generation gap show out there on the sunny, but windy April beach.  I in my kerchief and pa in his cap… or at least three layers of clothing, while the kids were running around in just their bathing suits.  I vaguely remember that metabolism.  Meanwhile George is trying to conduct a lesson on the effect of the sun’s rays on epidermal layers.  That’s right Grace, put that dead crab on his shoulder.

As for that beach near Bowser, we’ll report back when we’ve seen it in the sunshine.

Ella was fascinated by the fact that they stir the cheese with a large shovel, though we explained it’s different than our garden shovel! Grace had a ball petting the very friendly goats and watching them walk overhead on the special ramps that have been lovingly built for them. We also saw the area where the pregnant cows were waiting to give birth to 80 lb. calves. Grace turns to me: I guess you had it pretty easy with us, eh mom? I turn quickly and point “Oh look, isn’t that a Red Highland over there?” cleverly avoiding an answer.

Their self-guided tours let you roam through the barns and milking sheds to see what’s behind the wonderful cheeses and meats found in their store. Or if you put together a group of 8 or more you can get a guided tour. Then it’s off to the store where you can sample some of the delicious cheeses. Grace loved the Berry and the Normal, while I was particularly partial to the Brie. Lactose-intolerant Ella was compensated with some of their famous bacon and some jerky.

We didn’t get a chance to walk the trail or see all of the animals, but we’ll be back for a full afternoon, perhaps during Spring Break. And hopefully we’ll get a clear day for the spectacular views of Mount Arrowsmith.

The pomegranate mousse, for instance, was highly moussey without a drop of dairy! And the Kale salad with the house dressing – yum! Zucchini spaghetti has no pasta in it, but you’d never know! Did I mention the truffles? Did I mention they do all this without baking or cooking? Did I mention we’ll be back?

View the entire schedule and get up to date scores here at the official website.