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Another gorgeous sunny day in Victoria’s Centennial Square. Everybody’s spirits lift in the warmth and the Square has an atmosphere of community.
I love talking recycling and eco stuff with our visitors. This Sunday I met two delightful ladies from Victoria; Linda gave me a great eco tip via her great grandmother from the Philippines: How to eco-clean copper with, of all things, Tamarind paste (soak dried Tamarind in boiling water and mush into a paste, spread on the copper, leave for a few minutes and wipe off). I can hardly wait to try it. Thank you Linda. I have a big old coal scuttle that is a nightmare to clean so I avoid at all costs.
My last day in the Square. Please come visit Recycle2shop at Moss Street Market on Saturdays (10-2) until October Thanksgiving, unless it’s raining!

I am listening to Mark Radcliffe at the Cambridge Folk Festival on BBC Radio 2 thanks to the internet. He is broadcasting from the wild flower meadow while interviewing the likes of Fisherman’s Friends, Kate Rusby and Mary Chapin Carpenter all at Cherry Hinton Hall.

Main Stage View

Lovely summer days at Moss Street and Downtown Sunday Markets. Government Street Market is at Centennial Square this weekend, having been chased off the street by a few of the Government Street stores who blame us for the downturn in their business instead of blaming the economy. Government Street Market has been in that block for over 15 years, before many of those businesses arrived. Victoria Council is listening to the minority and not realizing that this is the only downtown ‘Street’ market, which attracts tourists to that area of town - our tents are visible from Fort street. Centennial square is a lovely venue but location and visibility is so important.

Leona on the Street

We turned up at Moss Street Market at 8am yesterday in the pouring rain with no let up in sight.  Sure enough, it just got wetter.  I felt sorry for the artists as this is a once in a year happening.  Market vendors come prepared for any weather.  How on earth would any painter  keep water colours intact when the streets were small rivers.  The rain petered out around noon and stopped at 2pm when fog descended instead.  At least this encouraged spectators to arrive and at 4pm closing time the sun finally appeared.

Thank you to all our customers that came anyway and even some tourists braved our sea side weather.

Today at our downtown market in Centennial Square we met a couple from Austin Texas who love our cold, rainy days as they had left a sweltering 100 degrees and were glad to breathe cool air…so there you go Victoria, we can become a haven for people escaping hotter global warming areas.

I have been hoarding my plastic & Styrofoam recycle for months. Thank heavens for reFUSE in Victoria - it’s on Government Street between Chinatown and Bay Street. They take everything plastic, including waxed cartons, chip bags (with the aluminium lining) and styrofoam - as long as you take it already sorted.

Fabric Paths

My garden paths are looking quite sartorial with their latest covering of fabric remnants - saved from Recycle2shop’s bag and apron making.
Victoria Downtown Market was busy this weekend with some tourists from as far away as Texas and England.

Aprons on the Line

The Gay Pride Parade started as usual from our corner on Pandora and Government Street - loved the energy as Lady Gaga’s music pounded out of the speakers. The costumes this year looked fantastic - loads of feathers of course.

Gay Pride

Latest eco cleaning tip - olive oil with a few drops of lemon juice or essence make for a friendly furniture polish.

I read a clear explanation of our climate change denial by a geneticist, human rights worker, Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard: “Imagine a ship that is sinking and needs all the available power to run the pumps to drain out the rising waters. The first class passengers refuse to cooperate because they feel hot and want to use the air-conditioner and other electrical appliances. The second-class passengers spend all their time trying to be upgraded to first-class status. The boat sinks and the passengers all drown. That is where the present approach to climate change is leading. ” as quoted in The New York Times, Opinion Pages of June 23, 2011.

Summer has finally arrived in Victoria bringing people out to local markets. One local seagull welcomed us back to Centennial & Government street by divebombing and leaving a ’splot’ on Recycle2shop’s tent - leaving tourists alone for once. We will be back in Centennial Square in 2 weeks after 4 weeks on ‘the street’ by Chinatown.

The Victoria Downtown Market is moving from Centennial Square for the next 3 weeks to Government Street (close to Chinatown Gates). T’will be lovely to be back on the street even though Centennial Square has its own appeal.

Recycle2shop will not be at Moss Street Market this Saturday. We will be at Centennial Square on Sunday for the Victoria Downtown Market.

The Ancient Forest Alliance has released another vid to try to save BC’s ancient trees.

Elizabeth May - Green Party MP, is to speak in Victoria, Wednesday May 18 at the Alix Goolden Hall at 7pm. Included in her talk is information about the Kyoto Protocol to be discussed (again) at the next UN Climate Conference in South Africa in December.
Meanwhile, in our own climate dilemma, we had to cancel the Downtown Market in Centennial square - the rain was relentless! Saturday, however was lovely at the Moss Street Market in Fairfield. Here’s hoping for dry weather for the long weekend - Victoria Day in Victoria.

Images courtesy of Moss Street Market.

Our first day in Centennial Square Sunday Market was a celebratory May Day full of sunshine and Victorians. Our best seller was the Eco Chic Tara bag, with the GreenJean Aprons a close second. It was great to welcome back home town customers and to meet up with vendor friends from last year.

Crafters spend the entire winter coming up with new designs ready for summer markets.  Here is one of my new designs - shoulder bags with adjustable, from hip to under arm, straps.  There are pockets inside and out, of course.   The strap is about 50″ long to start with, the bag bit is about 15×11″.

One of my favorite markets, the Sunday Government Street Artisan Market may be moving to Centennial Square - fabulous location!  Our (vendors) first market day is usually at the end of April.

Elsewhere in this garden city, that is under a foot of snow (what global warming??) University of Victoria’s Francis Zwiers has confirmed that the planet’s crazy weather (my words, not his) is caused by our determination to continue burning fossil fuels aka gas gussling and increasing industrial pollution.  Those pesky carbon emissions that make us act like ostriches, that Al Gore tried to educate us about, that desmogblog makes deniers foam at the mouth about…were was I going with this - oh yes,  my favorite rant…oh well, breathe and imagine an exclamation mark.