We will look at the benefits of reducing, but not eliminating altogether, the amount of water we use in our gardens.  We will also discuss principles and tips for doing this.  In addition, we will look at issues around the use of mulch while considering the FireSmart principles.

The class will offer us an overview of progress being made in green burials, in Kamloops specifically but not exclusively, as well as opening discussion on any of our questions around death and dying, including MAID.

In December of 2011, Greg was invited to join a team traveling to Kenya to help survey 4,000 acres for possible community gardens the following January. This opportunity led to many return trips to Kenya (and one trip to Haiti). Greg will share his experiences traveling with teams from Canada to begin construction of the gardens and to teach skills (such as tree climbing with a harness on a rope and working with a chainsaw) over the many trips that continued this work. Come hear stories of the people he has met and his experiences sharing his skills and knowledge building sustainable agricultural gardens and instructing on the pruning and care of tropical trees that provide food and shade. Working with Mully Children’s Family, an orphanage and vocational school located southeast of Nairobi, his goal is to train an instructor who can take over his job.

Adored by mathematicians, the Fibonacci numbers have surprising connections to many aspects of life, such as music, technology and growth patterns exhibited in nature. Join us for an exploration of how these numbers give rise to beauty and efficiency across many disciplines — no prior knowledge is necessary.

The Ode to Joy, the final movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 (1824), is one of the world’s best-known pieces of classical music. Much less well-known, however, is his 1808 Choral Fantasy for piano, mixed chorus and orchestra, which is often seen as an early precursor of his later setting of Schiller’s Ode to Joy. Other works this session of Come to the Concert will examine are A Walk to Beethoven by Swedish composer, Britta Byström, A Guest on these Lands by Canadian composer T. Patrick Carrabré, and the ever-popular Divertissement by Ibert.

This is the story of the most famous French actress in history. Dismissed by the Comedie-Francaise at the start of her career,  the divine Sarah recovered from the disappointment and went on to attract huge audiences from around the world for decades. She opened her own theatre in Paris, and toward the end of her career, she began appearing in silent movies. Contributing to her fame along with her beautiful voice and poignant emotional portrayals on stage were her scandalous love life, her exotic pets and her penchant for sleeping in a coffin. This is a zoom class; attendees can join from the comfort of their own home or attend in person at the Kamloops Sports Council.

The Rolling Barrage is an annual coast to coast motorcycle ride across Canada to create awareness and raise funds that assist other non-profits and charities in their efforts to support mental health for Veterans and the First Responder community.  Their mission is to remove the stigma of PTSD.  This is not a disease or a disorder; it is an injury sustained from the traumas sustained in one’s duty to to protect Canada and her citizens. The Rolling Barrage fosters inclusivity  and camaraderie within their membership and in the communities that host their cross Canada Journey..  Riding a motorcycle, sometimes referred to as “Wind Therapy”, has a positive effect on mood, reduces stress and improves a person’s overall psychological well being.  Join this enlightening seminar and learn much more.

What features define birds as a group? Where did birds come from and where are they going? How many species of birds are there—in the world, in Canada, in BC? What characteristics can we use to identify the many types of birds we see around us? What tools can use help us in the quest to know the birds that make the world around us a better place? This course will try and provide the answers!

We will visit a McArthur Island, a local birding “hotspot” where the walking is easy, and the birds are usually diverse and abundant. We will likely see a variety of duck species and other water birds as well as gulls—in the slough and the river. Our walk will take us into open, grassy habitat as well as a wooded area where we can find members of the crow family, a diversity of song birds and if we are lucky some raptors.

Come out and learn about Geocaching — a real-world, outdoor adventure that is happening all the time in 190 countries. To play, participants use the Geocaching app and/or a GPS device to navigate to cleverly hidden containers called geocaches. McArthur Island is a geo-training playground for new geocachers with a variety of cache types and difficulty levels. Come to this and meet indoors for a brief introduction to the sport, and then we will go for a sensible walk (rain or shine). We will find some caches!

Bob Haywood-Farmer and his cousin own and operate Indian Gardens Ranch, a cattle ranch in the Thompson Nicola Region. His family has been ranching in Savona, BC for almost 100 years; the fourth generation will be keeping it in the family when Bob is ready to retire.  They produce hay, have a 12,000 acre grazing lease at Wallachin, and run a herd of almost 2000 cattle.  This modern ranch is steeped in history and has a number of original buildings still standing.  Bring your questions about local history as Bob is a wealth of information on the area.

Qigong was developed in China thousands of years ago as part of traditional Chinese medicine. It involves using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind and spirit, with the goal of improving and maintaining health and well-being. Qigong has both psychological and physical components and involves the regulation of the mind, breath and body’s movement and posture . Dynamic (active) qigong techniques primarily focus on body movements, especially movements of the whole body or arms and legs. Meditative (passive) qigong techniques can be practised in any posture that can be maintained over time and involve breath and mind exercises, with almost no body movement.