Living

IF there was a contest to pick Canada's favourite meat product, ground beef would have my vote. Ground beef is budget-friendly and versatile.

Book Buddies is a program that matches children ages six to 10 with teen reading mentors. Weekly half-hour sessions will take place Tuesdays until Nov. 27 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Capilano library, 3045 Highland Blvd.

Gate Sales: Loutet Farm will sell fresh farm produce Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. until Oct. 27 at East 14th Street and Rufus Avenue, North Vancouver. Rain or shine. Info: www.ediblegardenproject. com.

THERE is no better time to start composting at home than fall. I know many people have trouble with composting but few things in horticulture are easier to do than composting.

YOUR eight-year-old daughter Olivia is playing with her friends Amy and Selina. They are having a great time. They've taken some dolls and stuffed animals and are creating a pretend daycare.

I dream of Italy. In those dreams, it's autumn - harvest time. Italy is a country that knows how to celebrate not only with food, but about it. Every village honours ripened ingredients ready for picking with a sagra, a local celebration.

? Jog4Joy, a five-kilometre walk/run in support of the Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation, Sunday, Oct. 14, at 9: 30 a.m. in Vancouver's Devonian Park (corner of West Georgia and Denman streets. Info and registration ($30): jog4joy.com.

Naturopathic physician aims to help women lead more empowered lives

NOBODY sets the record straight quite like Jane Ferrari, Yalumba's dynamic ambassador/ winemaker, who's rarely - if ever - lost for words. "The Australian category has copped a hammering in the last little bit but the tide has turned," she observes.

IT all started about 15 years ago, with a dog named Monty