Island life – Leaving it all behind

How two people ended up on a motorboat accessible only island, with no running water, septic, or power to the house, and fell in love with their new life.

Part 1) Before

My childhood and early adulthood were spent on the move. As a child, I went to 12 different schools over the course of 12 years. I was the eldest of four children, and along with our single parent mother, lived in Alberta and the West Coast of BC.

My husband came from a completely different background than me. Born and raised in South London, he was the youngest of three, and raised by both parents. He attended just two schools, primary and high, and his family moved house just once.

As an adult, my husband bought and sold 6 houses before emigrating to Canada. I lived on Vancouver Island, moving every two years, hoping one day, to find a place to call my own.

Steve and I met at a songwriter’s group, became friends, became more than friends, and married.

With six children between us (and four still at home) it was time to stop moving. We bought a large fixer-upper in a small town, and spent the next eighteen years, raising our kids, and fixing it up.

Our first house together was a purchased with the kids in mind. This time, it would be just for us. I worked from home, and Steve was on the verge of retirement, so why not a small island?