by Jo Barnes –
Many years ago living on the Saanich Peninsula required people to draw their sustenance directly from the land upon which they lived. While most of us today rely on grocery markets and at best tend to backyard gardens, there are still those in our community for whom living off the land is a way of life. This is the eighth in a Seaside series featuring local community members who all share the same passion for the land and love of what they do.
Living off the land and in harmony with it involves labour. For this local hobby farmer, it’s a labour of love and respect for life.
Dorrien Thompson, of Central Saanich’s Dragonfly Hobby Farm, not only tends his land, homestead, produce and animals, but does so with a very apparent deep regard for life and living.
“We take our farm name from the dragonfly; there are tons of them here,” says Dorrien. “Every life matters whether it’s a chicken, goat or dragonfly. This is important to me.”
Set amongst tall cedar, fir and arbutus trees, the 10-acre property is an extremely private piece of the Pacific Northwest. And while a home, greenhouse, animal pen, outbuildings and produce beds have all been built here, the wild beauty is still intact. The plant beds alongside the road that runs through the property feature an arrangement of greenery and split log pieces that tie in beautifully with the wildwood all around. Even Dorrien’s favourite quiet place to reflect is a comfy old Muskoka-style chair that sits amongst the trees.
For 17 years now, Dorrien and his wife Ada have enjoyed making their home here.
“We moved here from Calgary. My son wanted to go to UVic,” shares Dorrien. “We were so lucky to find this place.”
As well as growing flowers, herbs, vegetables and fruit, Dorrien raises chickens and goats. And again, they reflect how he values living creatures.
“This is Pistol,” Dorrien indicates, gesturing at a bright-eyed goat near the fence. “He and these others are local rescues. You see, people buy them as pets then realize they don’t want them anymore. There have been cats dumped off on our road that we’ve raised too.”
Goats feed, play and wander about in their enclosure. Several young kids suckle from their mother whose coat is smooth and shiny. Alert and active, the chickens cluck about with beautiful white feathers. It’s a healthy, happy scene.
The farm’s greenhouse, fruit trees and numerous raised beds brings in a harvest that satisfies daily dietary needs as well as local customers.
“Am I living off the land? Yes pretty much,” shares Dorrien. “We grow what we like to eat. I can grab fresh herbs any time of the year. We buy little meat, and when we do, it’s local.”
Here care of environment and sustainability are foundational from construction of buildings to farming methods like the choice to raise only organic chickens.
“I have built everything from mostly recycled materials or damaged materials. The fertilizer we use is from our compost, and the manure we get from our animals,” states Dorrien.
And of course, it is hard work with daily challenges, but this self-taught farmer is philosophical about these tasks.
“There are always problems in life,” says Dorrien, “but every problem has a solution.”
It’s a vibrant scene with a dizzying diversity of nutritional produce grown including herbs, leafy greens, numerous vegetables and a variety of fruit.
“We have two plum trees, two apple, two peach, two pear and 18 fig trees,” states Dorrien. “We got about 2,000 to 3,000 figs this past season. A lot of Europeans love them.”
And as well as cultivating all of this, Dorrien also has flowers in the mix. “We sell flowers. We grow them by the season, daffodils first, then tulips, lilies, then dahlias,” he says.
Life here is an intimate relationship with nature where awareness of season and timing is central to activity and lifestyle.
“As soon as the apple tree blossoms, I start to plant. I listen to the trees and follow their activity,” shares Dorrien.
His sensitivity to natural cycles and intuitiveness are not that surprising because while he is an enthusiastic hobby farmer, Dorrien is also an artist and author. Known as “Lailo” in the art world, he creates works of abstract art, using liquid acrylic as well as other mediums. His art is on display and for sale at the Village Gallery in Sidney and also at the McTavish Academy of Art.
“I’ve been doing art for six years now,” says Dorrien. “It’s my therapy. It comes from within; it’s a form of self expression.”
He has built an onsite art shed where he explores colours and ideas that reflect his affinity for nature and life. But it’s a creativity that seems to spill out all over the landscape from the splash of colours on the kitchen cabinets to the flowering garden plots in front of the home.
“I like playing,” shares Dorrien. “You discover new things.”
And maybe he’s right: it’s all about discovering, listening, learning. Life is about living.
