May brings promise of brighter days ahead, spring flowers, a few showers and a general lightness of being. Something we need right now is Optimism.
Here are a few things I love about MAY.
Sunday, May 2nd, was the first day of our local Kitsilano Farmers Market. Shopping fresh and prepared local food products are always a feel-good source of groceries for me and many other locals.
Open May-October, this weekly market offers locally sourced produce, artisanal crafts & food trucks.
This cute little trailer is a food truck.
Odd Society is Makers of Fine Spirits. Now that’s the spirit!
And fortunately we’ve come to a “Dead End” here at this booth. Forbidden Fruit Winery
In Full Bloom
My friend Tammy alerted me to a local floral delivery company called “Bear’s Blooms“
Located in Kits, and starting at $39 per delivery including shipping, they’ll deliver a unique locally grown fresh selection as often as you’d like! Once a week, once a month….whenever.
Your selection will be handpicked and delivered right to your door, fresh from local farms! You can sign up on their website here…
Only problem is I’m not sure whether I want to go with Alma or Cecilia. Holly and Julia are pretty nice too. Such a dilemma!
CeciliaAlma
Then there’s…Crafted Vancouver 2022
Feast Food events feature foraging, harvesting and food preparation demonstrations & workshops, walks & talks and more. The true meaning of hand-crafted food.
Today (May 3rd) is Layla’s fifth birthday! Happy birthday little one. We’ve got a fun filled packed day ahead.
Lastly; I’ve been working (if you can call it that) on an upcoming podcast with a friend. We’ve experienced a few learning curves as we go along with designing our logo and website and learning how to edit. It’s almost at the completion stage now, and once we’re up and running I’ll be able to share it with you. One thing for sure is we’re discovering people and places and having fun while doing so.
That is the reason why I’ve neglected posting as often as I have of late. That, and a lack of fashion/film/restaurant openings as you can only imagine.
The only upside of self isolating is all the time you have for self reflection. Which, by the way, can be a positive.
Photo: d. king
Having said that, we would prefer it be of our own accord. Not a forced thing.
But since this is a totally new situation we try to make the best of it. I don’t know how you’re handling it but I’m spending quality time with my dogs (more than usual), getting back to reading, watching movies on TV (mostly comedies; one million ways to die in the West, etc.) and stirring the pot; for real. Good opportunity to get back to good ol fashioned cooking. Something else that had fallen by the wayside with my over abundance of socializing. Also time to work on a little project I’ve been mulling over to do with Palm Springs. More on this later – no one’s going anywhere for now.
As I’m leaving Palm Springs shortly I’m using up the contents of my fridge and trying to be as creative as can be with the contents. Note: there’s not much left to the imagination.
So last night I roasted fresh compari tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, spices and chilli peppers. Fresh squeezed lemon over top and grated toscano pepper cheese. Very simple comfort food with spaghetti. Simply delicious. It doesn’t take many ingredients to make a great meal.
Photo: d. king
I also want to say that I posted a few poems the other day. To those who follow via e-mail I believe I made a mistake in publishing one of the poems. At first I thought it was timely, but when I re-read it, I realized it was more depressing than uplifting so I decided to delete the post from my website. Also; we don’t know who the author is, so best to leave it alone.
These are strange times for sure. Something like covid-19 virus has never happened in our lifetime. Let’s hope things get back to normal soon. However, maybe this will make us wake up to what is most important in life in general. Simple but important things like Health, Family, Friends.
And one more positive – it’s officially SPRING! I’ll meet you back here very soon.
Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could – Louise Erdrich
A cute story as told by a friend:
When I was a young child, my mother used to tape silhouette figures of cupid on a few of the walls in our house as Valentine’s Day approached. And being a youngster, I never quite understood why it was that she did that. When I asked she’d say that cupid (whoever that was) would be visiting me while I slept and would shoot an arrow of love through my heart. The tooth fairy is a better story; at least you wake up with money under your pillow.
Of course as a child that didn’t exactly sound like it was a good thing to have some unknown figure shoot an arrow through my heart. I saw what happened to those so unlucky on television when I’d watch the adventures of Robin Hood. But my mom tried to reassure me that it wasn’t like that.
The next morning we’d get a card and some chocolate; and at school girls would send me cards saying be my Valentine.
And now as a grown man I understand love isn’t something you get to plan on your own terms. It’s something, some magic or energy that overtakes you like an arrow in the night while you sleep. One whose purpose is to set us free.
It’s all a mystery to me, but without love, life would be meaningless and empty. So embrace love every day; not just today!
Fall calls for bolder jewelry like the gold plated Elisa statement necklace from DANNIJO which can dress up everything from a pair of jeans to evening wear.
JJ WINTERS Ivy leather crossbody bag in rich caramel looks great with everything from late-summer dresses to fall’s chunky knits and jackets. Crossbody bags are my go-to especially for hands-free dog walking.
Time to Make-Up
with Hi-Shine Gloss Lip Lacquer from Marc Jacobs Beauty. Insanely beautiful sheer colors that are non sticky and easily buildable to feel good on the lips. We were offered one of two choices but there’s more in the collection.
Hydrating Lip Gloss Stick in “One Mauve Time”
Hi-Shine Gloss Lip Lacquer in “Sugar High”
Fall calls for a change in skincare which for me, means going back to using a high quality serum. I love SHANI DARDEN’s Texture Reform Gentle Resurfacing Serum.
Even sensitive skin types can benefit from this gentle retinol serum. It encourages cell turnover, softens lines and reduces signs of sun damage which is especially important after the long summer months.
Time to VIFF
MOVIE MONTH begins
Looking forward to viewing some fascinating films and documentaries.
Time for COMFORT FOOD
I’m making pizza, roast chicken, pot roast, thai veggie stew, pasta dishes……and it’s only September.
Our friend Buchanan on a short visit all the way from Nigeria to pay his respects on the second anniversary of Don’s passing. With me (l) and Lisa (r).
My Nigerian Shirt. A gift from Buchanan made especially for me.
With every new beginning we look forward to a fresh new start. When March arrives it puts a little Spring in our step because we know that better weather is right around the corner. A few quotes I chose to mark this month;
A few fresh photos:
February 28/2019 – me on a tree trunk
Cousin Elizabeth from Montreal here visiting for the first time
“February – the month of love..?!! No wonder the shortest one in the calendar.” – Dinesh Kumar Biran
I prefer this quote:
February days are a marketing gimmick; love happens every day. Randeep Hooda
Always look for hidden treasures. I tend to find them in the least likely places. Like on a recent hike:
Photo: Tammy Preast
You know what they say…one persons rubbish is another persons treasure. But look at what became of this desert treasure:
A piece broke off so I placed it in a vase with fresh flowers around it… the old with the new.
My friend Leonard then created an outdoor mixed media of sorts using the larger piece and mushrooms that light up for a unique solar light installation placed in a terracotta planter with mixed gravel. From the desert floor to my floor…
Emphasis on “Fresh and Light”
Let’s leap right in and check out a few things that are taking place this month:
Looking forward to viewing some fascinating films and documentaries.
Always something new to ponder
What can we say about this month?
When idle concerns don’t fill your thoughts, that’s your best season.
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