Lovely Ladysmith

“A small town is where everyone knows whose cheque is good and whose husband is not.” Sid Ascher

In the spring we downsized by 70,000 people, 1700 square feet and 20 km. It’s taking us a little longer than expected to settle into our new community after spending 3 months of the past 4 living in our VW van while traveling across Canada. So we decided to make August and September Ladysmith courtship months and we have come to a conclusion; it’s a relationship worth fostering.

I was in the health food store last week and commented to the owner that there always seems to be something going on in town. She nodded emphatically. Thursday evenings the main street blocks traffic for a small but lively farmers’ market. Not long ago the Show and Shine gang was in town dazzling crowds with old restored and modified vehicles. One sunny Sunday local artisans lined the main street for Arts on the Avenue and the Festival of Lights is just around the corner.

Ladysmith is also a great place to walk. We live at the north end, not far from the old hospital and it takes me about 10 minutes to walk to historic downtown, another 10 to climb Symonds Street for stunning ocean views or hike up Roberts where I stop in to check in on the community garden. Along 6^th I pass the Community Centre, tackle my 300 stairs then meander 20 minutes through charming character neighbourhoods toward home where I arrive rejuvenated in more ways than one.

Since I plan to take a few courses this fall, it seemed prudent to me to earn a bit of cash in order to pay my own way. So I brushed up my resume, braved my insecurities and headed out the door. Within an hour I was blessed with a job that lets me play with food in the company of fun-loving locals.

It’s certainly looking a lot more like home here in lovely Ladysmith.