Snow-Free Winter + Grandmother’s First Book

Issue #503

Author

Carla McNeil
February 10, 2026

Inside the New West Spotlight

 🌦️ Weather - Chance of a shower

 😜 Rain Joke - What’s a rain cloud’s favorite game? 🎮️ 

 🗓️ New West Events - Make room for what’s next.

 💝 You’re So Sweet - Thank you, Josef B.!

 🗞️ New West Local News - Snow-Free Winter + Grandmother’s First Book

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Thank you, Josef - you’re awesome!

Local New Westminster Weather

Historical Records for Today - Record high 12.2 2015 - Record low -8.8 2019

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Check out all of our local New Westminster Events

February 10, 2026

📖 Storytime (3-5 years) – 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM

📚️ BYO Book Club – 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

📱 Bring Your Own Device Tech Cafe! – 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

🧘 Yang Tai Chi 24 form – 5:00 PM

🎤 Ukulele Level 1 at Mechanics of Music Studio – 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM

🍺 Steel & Oak Beer and Board Games – 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

🧘 Re-Learning Self-Love Group Therapy – 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

🎭️ Notorious Grey Fox Trivia Tuesdays – 7:00 PM

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Brow of the Hill Residents’ Association Meeting – 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM

🎲 Howe Sound Hot B*tch Rock & Roll Bingo – 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

🎤 Itilia Kitchen Karaoke Nights – 8:00 PM

February 11, 2026

💰️ Financial Aid (Welfare) Worker at NWPL – 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 CaRT Peer Navigators – 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM

👶 Babytime (0-23 months) – 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM

🎒 After-School Drop-In (5-12 years) – 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

📚️ Reading Buddies (6-9 years) – 4:00 PM to 4:45 PM

🎤 Find Your Voice at Mechanics of Music Studio – 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM

📖 Pyjama Storytime (all ages) – 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM

❓️ Georgie's Local Trivia Night – 7:00 PM

🎭️ Drag Bingo at the Flapper Lounge – 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

🏃 Steel & Oak Run Club – 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Connect Youth (13+) – 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM

❓️Frankie G’s Trivia Night – 7:30 PM

February 12, 2026

🗣️ English Conversation Circles at the Welcome Centre – 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM

👶 Babytime (0-12 months) – 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM

💗 Chronic Conditions Self-Management Program – 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM

🍼 Baby Social (0-23 months) – 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM

📖 Tigrinya Storytime (all ages) – 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

📝 SFU Writing Consults – 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM

📚️ Drop-in Wildfires Bookshop – 5:45 PM

🎙️ Georgie's Local Karaoke Night – 7:00 PM

🎭️ Black Poetry Night – 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

🎙️ The Terminal Pub Colossal Thursdays Karaoke – 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

🎭️ Comedy Exposed at the Flapper Lounge – 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM

🎤 Notorious Grey Fox Open Mic Jam – 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM

🌸 An Early Spring in February? Vancouver’s Winter Feels Different This Year

Image via AI

Early February usually brings at least a hint of snow to the Lower Mainland. But this year, winter has been unusually quiet — and remarkably green.

As of mid-February, Vancouver has yet to record any official snowfall at sea level, putting the region on track for what could become its first snow-free winter in more than four decades. Environment Canada points to persistent warm Pacific air masses and elevated freezing levels as the key reasons behind the mild conditions. Instead of cold snaps, the region has seen rain, atmospheric rivers, and even early signs of spring.

Closer to home, residents are noticing the change. Local parks are staying lush, mountain snowpacks are thinner than normal, and hiking trails usually closed until spring have reopened weeks early. While winter isn’t officially over yet, forecasters say there’s little indication of snow in the immediate outlook.

For riverfront communities like our New Westminster, the shift is especially noticeable — and it raises bigger questions about how changing winter patterns could affect everything from recreation to flooding risks in the months ahead.

Lesley Herbert author of “The Heart of Japan”

When Canadian author Lesley Hebert set out for Japan with her husband, son, and his young family, the journey was about much more than travel. It was about curiosity, connection, and a desire to better understand the country that shaped her Japanese daughter-in-law — and, in turn, a deeper understanding of family itself.

That journey has become The Heart of Japan, a new travel memoir from Ace of Swords Publishing that blends personal reflection with vivid cultural exploration. Moving between the quiet serenity of Japan’s countryside and the electric energy of Tokyo, Hebert invites readers into a world where centuries-old traditions coexist seamlessly with modern life.

Through everyday encounters, meaningful family celebrations, and unexpected moments of discovery, Hebert paints an intimate portrait of Japan that feels both deeply personal and universally relatable. As a new grandmother, she brings a tender, multigenerational lens to her storytelling, exploring what it means to build bridges across cultures, languages, and family dynamics.

Originally from the UK, Hebert is a retired teacher of English as a second language with a lifelong love of travel and cultural exchange. Her journeys across Europe, the Americas, and Asia have shaped her perspective, but Japan — with its balance of innovation and tradition — left a lasting impression that inspired this book.

Designed with cover art by a Montreal-based artist, The Heart of Japan reflects Ace of Swords Publishing’s commitment to diverse voices and beautiful writing. The book is now available for pre-order through aospublishing.com and Amazon.

For readers drawn to thoughtful travel writing, family stories, and cultural insight, The Heart of Japan offers a moving and memorable journey — one rooted not just in place, but in connection. Follow Lesley on Facebook too!

⛈️ Rain Joke of the Day 🌧️ 

🌧️ What’s a rain cloud’s favorite game? 🎮️ 

Drizzle and drizzle! 💦 

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