Gareth Davies

I have chosen an African bull elephant as my page to draw attention to the fact that in less than 20 years the African elephant and the African Rhino will be extinct! Poaching and loss of habitat are the chief causes for the crisis.

We have supported PLAN CANADA since 1971, we support the Donkey Sanctuary (Canada) and try to give within our means to the Cancer Society, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and many others so that we can pass on some of our blessings to others less fortunate.

I eat fish and sometimes eggs, but never eat meat. I do this to protest in my own way the shameful treatment animals endure just so that people can eat meat and adorn themselves! None of us are perfect and we definitely do not live in a perfect world, which is a pity.

I spent my childhood in a small town on the Welsh coast where just a short walk took you into the countryside. There one could encounter badgers, foxes, rabbits and so on. It was the perfect place to grow up in. The town, the sea and the countryside, we had it all!

Like many in my town, I went to sea and travelled far and wide and fell in love with planet Earth. My wife and I chose to live in Canada, our home for almost fifty years and eventually we gravitated to Vancouver Island where we now live. It is quite like where we both grew up, which is why, perhaps, we feel such contentment.

The previous picture behind me was of Vancouver Island. I took that photo from the deck of the Queen of Coquitlam, a BC ferry boat as it was nearing Horseshoe Bay, the ferry terminus for Vancouver City.

Vancouver Island is, for me, a jewel set in the Pacific Ocean and my wife and I get the privilege of living there. I think we are very lucky!

I am a retired master mariner and ship's captain, a retired lawyer (I practised family and child protection) and I am now a writer of stories and poems, a sketch artist and amateur photogapher with almost 50 photos posted on Google Earth. I am endeavouring to enjoy life, but it ain't easy!

I am very much aware how fortunate we are and each time we go shop in the supermarket, go to sleep with peace and tranquility and say Hi to the nice people who are our neighbours, I know that we are indeed doubly blessed.