Caring  ·  Environmental Responsibility 
·  Trust ·  Joy and Openness

Tom and Janet are avid travellers, and enjoy gardening, kayaking, fishing, outdoor and indoor games, participating in community theatre, trying new foods and socializing. Janet also paints and Tom brews and kegs beer. They are excited to be part of Fiddlehead Commons, and are looking forward to creating their new community.

I have built a crazy little house that I have been puttering away at for a long time in northeast BC where I currently live. It generates most of its own electricity, collects water, it’s heated with wood and a heat pump, grows organic vegetables, and is in many ways wonderful.

But, alas, I find myself alone here. Now it is time to move back to Ontario, my homeland, where all of my dear family lives in the Ottawa, Kingston, Gananoque area. I see cohousing as the perfect model to cure my aloneness, share my passion for sustainability, and live in a group of likeminded folks of all ages. What could be more ideal? And beautiful Almonte is the perfect place to do it!”

P.S. I will also bring with me my most wonderful cat and dear friend Pineapple.

After retiring from a career in Information Systems project management I’ve developed a keen interest in home construction. With the help of several great mentors, I built our house and now look forward to participating in the design and finishing of our next home. More recently I’ve been working as a handyman for several clients in town doing house maintenance and small renovation jobs. Now that we’re involved in cohousing, I’m enjoying learning about sociocracy, looking forward to making new friends, learning from their experiences and building a close knit, supportive community.

I enjoy tackling a complicated knitting pattern, choosing fabrics for a new quilt or finishing one I’ve worked on for a year. I like reading, especially by a fire. My idea of communing with nature is a long soak in our hot tub in the woods. I’m looking forward to potluck dinners in a common space I helped to design and knitting uncomplicated patterns while I visit with fellow Fiddleheads over coffee. And eating Nancy’s vegetables and getting to know Don’s cat.

Retired life finds us outdoors, hiking, paddling, gardening, snowshoeing or skiing. Making music, weaving, painting and woodworking are hobbies that continue to add pleasure and creativity. Always up for a good game of crokinole, book-club, birding or a potluck dinner, we are looking forward to the vibrant co-housing Fiddlehead community. We are particularly interested in creating a sustainable, resource-sharing, nature-focused place to live. Many hands make light work, …and fun!

Shane and Nancy like to get involved with local traditional and folk music, especially sessions and song circles. You can also often see them hiking, kayaking, or hitting up the Saturday markets. Shane is a certified computer nerd, and Nancy is into vegetable and berry gardening. They’re both looking forward to the village life of cohousing., including sharing common meals, chatting on the veranda, and creating our own festivals and traditions.

We enjoy exploring and learning about Canada and beyond through road-tripping,
hiking, walking, trains, planes, even busses and occasionally by water. Lyell loves
meeting new friends, chatting with neighbours, nature and driving the countryside, while
Sylvia gardens organically, knits/sews and thrives on a numbers challenge.

We read about a cohousing community being developed in the picturesque town of
Almonte, and met a welcoming group of like-minded and fun individuals with a vision to
create an intentional community.

Almonte is significant to us, as it is located on the ancient Mississippi River, territory the
Algonquins looked after for thousands of years, with values of Love, Wisdom, Truth,
Respect, Humility and Bravery.
Even though we live far away right now, we feel very fortunate to have joined in making

Fiddlehead Commons in Almonte, “a dream come true”, for all of us.