The Happy Monk Baking Company

The Good People of Pender Island show up on bread day with smiles. They take their bags of bread, then stand and chat for a few minutes, holding their packages against their chests. Some hurry away, saying, “People are waiting at home for breakfast!” pointing to their bags.… Continue reading

The tender crumb was brown tinged with gray; the rich brown crust was shiny, almost leathery, but tender. The aroma was dark and grainy, both lactic, like fresh cheese, and tangy, like subtle vinegar, with a hint of dark pipe tobacco. The finish was intense and the pungent acidity on the tongue was slow to dissipate, a bit unnerving, like the very first sip of some unfamiliar dark beer that makes you want to give it another try.

… Continue reading

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;

— John Keats, "To Autumn"

Autumn, with its mists and shimmering colours, has seemed incredibly vivid on Pender this year. The startling pink morning skies, the slanting orange light of the evenings, reflecting off the peeling trunks of arbutus trees.… Continue reading

We look across Boundary Pass and see the dark grey forms of Stuart, Waldron, and Orcas Islands. The San Juans. The United States of America. And it happens, on the day I write this, our friends on the other side are facing big decisions about who they are and who they want to lead their country.… Continue reading

Let’s take a moment to celebrate and revel in Pender Island’s apple heritage. The island, after all, is awash in apples at summer’s end. Apples of all sizes and varieties. They come from beautifully tended orchards that produce many tonnes of fruit.… Continue reading