Well here I am on SaltSpring Island in British Columbia, sometimes referred to locally as an Island in a Sea of Jealously. It is idyllic and favoured by artists and a few low key celebs as home but definitely not Beverley Hills. The resource rapers seem to be held at bay but there are still far too many cars and even clear cutting of the magnificent cedars and firs of the west coast rain forest. My friend Linda who once had a herb farm on PEI now works for the nature conservancy here and is something of an expert on year round west coast gardening, writing books and giving talks all over the place.
I arrived in Vancouver a week ago after having to be (snow) ploughed out in order to get to the airport in Charlottetown. The next day in Vancouver, it snowed. Then I spent two days on Vancouver Island with a friend I met at a singing celebration in a field in Saskatchewan a few years ago and then came south by road and ferry to SaltSpring.

The west coast has such a different feel from the east coast, richer (in $) warmer (climatically) but I'm not sure whether the quality of life is any better It is sometimes a bit too precious and there is a sense that the rest of Canada really doesn't count or matter. For my friends in PEI, almost everyone in SaltSpring is "from away"