CV Collective Winter
My husband and I moved to the Comox Valley four years ago. From the start, we’ve enjoyed navigating our way around and discovering our must-go places. We now feel truly settled, having found connection through community. But, as a newcomer, I often filled the awkward void of loneliness with the one friend I can always […]
Words by Susan BarrattPhotos by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Fall
Related posts: FEEL LIKE A KID AGAIN MAGIC IN THE DYE POT PUTTING DOWN THE SAWS ART, A HARVEST, AND A BLESSING
Words by Sara KempnerFeatured photo by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Summer
Glean (v.): Gather (ears of grain, etc.) after the harvest. I recently attended an inspiring symposium hosted by the Association of Gleaning Organizations in Seattle. Along with representatives from all over North America, I toured urban gardens, visited established incubator farms, explored backyard orchards, and met with cider makers. In the process, we gained insights […]
Words by James McKerricherPhotos by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Summer
My dearest Yarden, It wasn’t just one of your plants that snared me. Nor did my love for you hit all of a sudden. No, falling in love with you was a slow burn—tending and puttering and gleaning enjoyment comes so easily in this verdant slice of island paradise. This year, I celebrate the International […]
Words by Tyler JohnsPhotos by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Spring
One of my earliest memories is playing under my grandmother’s quilt frame while she and her friends sewed a quilt for a member of their congregation. I could see the silhouette of the women’s legs as I made dresses for my doll from fabric scraps and twine. Their soft voices and laughter lulled me to […]
Words by Joline MartinPhoto by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Winter
Growing up in the Comox Valley, Mal Irvine, who uses they/them pronouns, often felt uncomfortable. They were assigned female at birth and curtsied to “societal pressure to just fit in with norms,” but when they looked in a mirror, they never saw a woman. This cognitive dissonance didn’t hold them back—on the contrary, they became […]
Words by Ryan StuartPhotos by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Winter
In case you haven’t noticed, the Comox Valley has been experiencing a population boom of late. Newcomers choose the Valley for all kinds of reasons like being closer to nature, living in a gentler climate, and enjoying a slower pace of life. As people settle in, they often find that the small-town nature of the […]
Words by Tanis GowerPhotos by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Fall
t’s 7:30 a.m. and my 11-year-old daughter skips out to join our 74-year-old neighbour for a sprightly walk around the neighbourhood. The morning walks are a year-round ritual here at Creekside Commons Cohousing—one of many practices that connect us to one another and oil the gears of community. Our daughter has grown up in this […]
Words by John GowerPhotos by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Summer
March 4, 2021: “This is not good. I’ve just gone to look at the area. The flagging starts about 50 meters beyond the Perseverance Creek bridge and runs west to Horbury Road, close to Comox Lk, both sides of the road. What is most alarming is that they plan on cutting the steep bank directly […]
Words by Meaghan CursonsFeatured photo by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Summer
My parents were notorious collectors. On any given Saturday, they would pack up our silver E150 Ford Econoline van with a cooler full of Country Time lemonade and Flakes of Ham sandwiches. They would drag my younger brother and me across Grey, Bruce, and Simcoe Counties in search of antique sideboards, step back hutches, and […]
Words by Dave NowakPhotos by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Featured Words Winter
On the longest night Tuck tiny love notes Written with winter berries Into the dark earth Whisper them lullabies With your warm breath Gently cover them With the dying leaves Of this strange year Related posts: WINTER’S POEM THE THREADS OF RECOVERY SALMON AND STEWARDSHIP GOING PUBLIC
Words by Meaghan CursonsPhoto by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Winter
In the last few years, you may have noticed the resurgence of vinyl records and local record shops. What is it that people love about vinyl? And why is it a thing again? The record player was invented in 1877, and even though the technology has remained relatively unchanged since its early days, records dominated […]
Words by Jamie McCuePhotos by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Fall
One of my twins’ favourite meals is tacos. They are easy to prepare and a great way to incorporate all the colours of the rainbow into a fun family meal. We like to get our tortillas from our local friends at Abuelo’s Foods. We add homemade guacamole, refried beans, fresh cilantro, chives, cut-up spinach, chopped […]
Words by Shannon SimpsonPhotos by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Winter
Driving north out of Courtenay on an October day, one really notices the changing seasons. The wet leaves and grasses mingle with the mist hanging in the air, creating a palette of muted greys and browns mixed with deep reds, oranges, and yellows. Passing the farms, one sees that the animals, too, are changing: the […]
Words by Meagan RobergePhoto by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Fall
As concern for our environment spreads, we’re becoming more conscious of the ripple effects of our lifestyle. Fast Fashion—the unsustainable model of clothing manufacturing and marketing—has become the global norm. Alternatively, Slow Fashion follows on the heels of the Slow Food movement—a return to a more sustainable approach to food and drink. The Comox Valley […]
Words by Nicole BertramPhotos by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Summer
Nearly invisible, a fishing net drifts within the dark waters off the western shores of Vancouver Island. As a Pacific gray whale powers through the water chasing swarms of krill, a pectoral fin becomes entangled in the fibrous mesh. The large animal struggles to get free and, after much thrashing about, succeeds in shedding the […]
Words by Bevin ClempsonPhotos by Matt Meredith
CV Collective Summer
Escape. Run away. Get lost. Get free. Last winter, when the long stretch of darkness was at its most oppressive, a perfect storm of opportunity provided the light I needed. Cheap flights, an available travel companion, and a soft place to land put me on the path to summer sun on the north island of […]
Words by Nora BinghamPhotos by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Spring
Every second week, a group of adults varying in age and background meets at the beautiful Abbey Studio, a converted church on Cumberland’s Penrith Ave. They gather to practice the skill of life drawing: to sketch the human figure by observing a live model. It’s a technique many are aware of but don’t fully understand, […]
Words by Jonathan CooperPhotos by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Winter
Hallucinations. Feelings of bliss or excitement. A turbo-charged memory. Chocolate and cheese, those classic postprandial treats, can pack a neurological punch that goes above and beyond their wider known health benefits. University of Maine researchers have found that consuming as least one serving of cheese a day can boost cognitive performance (most likely due to […]
Words by Elizabeth YoungPhoto by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Fall
I have always loved reading, but fell hard for books when I was eight. We were living in an amateur’s converted barn with questionable heat and electricity, and no TV. A friend of my mother’s gave me a dusty cardboard box full of golden-spined classics. It was a bonanza, an embarrassment of riches. Crammed into […]
Words by Nora BinghamPhotos by Nora Bingham
CV Collective Summer
When I arrived at Material Creative’s studio in Cumberland, an unseasonable rain was falling and the air was cool. Lush gardens led to a building reminiscent of all the hippie shelters of my youth, and I was in love before they opened the rustic double doors. Inside, low tech and high tech were tucked in […]
Words by Nora BinghamPhotos by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Spring
The first time I ate an heirloom tomato I had my doubts. I was never a tomato lover. I’d seen too many sandwiches go down in the rough seas of a soggy slice, but the heirloom intrigued me. It was mottled pink and green, and was round but unruly. It looked unlike any bloated grocery […]
Words by Nora BinghamPhotos by Meredith Rose
