I loved seeing this celebration of female friendship and maternal love on Valentine’s Day. This holiday was instituted over 1500 years ago as a religious celebration to honour the martyrdom of St. Valentine. But today it has become a Hallmark holiday for couples to signify their love for each other through exchange of Valentine cards and gifts. At this time in contemporary society, when almost half of North American adults live alone or are single, and surveys show that one in three experience loneliness, it Is valuable to acknowledge the value of other positive social relationships as well as romantic love. Steel Magnolias does that.

I love eating the grilled fish from the fresh fish sheet at Sandbar so it is crazy that the memory that sticks with me from our Mothers' Day dinner was not the perfectly cooked Alderwood-grilled, miso-marinated Sablefish, but the potatoes that I got as a substitute for the regular rice accompaniment. The sablefish was delicious but it was the texture and smoothness of the potatoes that kept me having just one more bite, till - so much for my carb-restricted eating plan - my plate was empty.

Vancouver, BC: I have been following the evolution of the Walking Fish Festival with interest since the first one was held at the Playwrights Theatre Centre on Granville Island in 2003. The festival is billed as showcasing emerging artists, and the format is three sets, each consisting of 3 or 4 short one-act plays that can be staged with minimal technical needs. Although I usually like to attend on a day when all three sets are performed, this year I was only able to see sets A and C. Several plays were particularly successful in capturing my attention.
 

Vancouver, BC: Saturday, December 1st, was not shaping up to be one of my favorite days. Despite driving in Vancouver for many more years than I drove in Cape Town I still don�t feel comfortable taking my precious little Audi out in snow. I had a ticket to Seussical on Granville Island for the evening so my chionophobic anxiety was high. Drive and risk my car sliding all over the icy roads, or walk to the Aquabus at Hornby, and risk me slipping on icy pavements: good bye dancing!

VANCOUVER, B.C. - The Vancouver Fringe Festival opened on Thursday on Granville Island and at other associated venues. One of the most exciting aspects of the Fringe is the variety of performances presented. Add the suspense of not knowing what level of work to expect, stir it up with the energy and buzz of dozens of performers, crew, audience, family and friends and you have a recipe for a fun time. The three performances I saw certainly represented a cross section of shows.