While frigid temperatures and snow are the winter weather rule in other parts of Canada, the Southwestern part of British Columbia - Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, Metro Vancouver, and the Gulf Islands - barely sees frost or snow. During several winters I spent here, I only once had a snow day or better said: some snow hours only. Then all the white stuff was gone.

Last month I helped a friend on Vancouver Island to carry the Orange and Lemon bushes into the glass house. They were full of fruits, ready to be harvested. And in her garden, roses, hellebores, and heath flowers were thriving.

On a day trip via the ferry to Vancouver I discovered more blooming shrubs and flowers. Here, as on the islands, the grass is green all year round, and one can often hear mowers cutting the lawn in December or January.

The first Daffodils also pocked out of the soil, ready to bloom in a month.

Despite the mild temperatures, rain occurs often, mostly in November, December, and January. Thank goodness the ski areas of Whistler and Big White can be reached in two or three hours.

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