Wanderlust and Words

Library-themed Ice Cream The New Yorker reports that a Facebook group is advocating for a library-themed Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Libraries are awesome; ice cream is tasty; therefore, a library ice cream would be tasty awesome. Here are some of the flavour suggestions from both the New Yorker and the Facebook group: Gooey Decimal System : Dark fudge alphabet letters with caramel swirls in hazelnut ice creamGooey Decimal System: Dark fudge alphabet letters with caramel swirls in hazelnut ice cream Rocky Read : Vanilla with chocolate-covered nuts, chocolate chunks and raisins Chick Lit : Fat-free Peach-Mango swirl with pieces of Chicklet chewing gum Of Ice and M&M : M&Ms, Chocolate powder, Vanilla, Fresh bananas. It’s a good plan, but it never fully works Loyal Library Patrons I am a patron in good standing of the Saskatoon Public Library , and I think I read quite a few of their books every year. But I’m not sure I could beat the record of a 91-year old Scottish pensioner ...

The Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon is currently showing an exhibit of Dorothy Knowles’ landscape paintings. Dorothy Knowles was born in Unity and has lived in Saskatchewan all her life. Her paintings capture the beauty of the Prairie landscape – curving rivers, shrubby knolls, waving grasses. I love the Prairies, and I think their beauty is often overlooked. This is not the cosy beauty on a human scale of an English landscape of small fields, hedges, thatched cottages and church steeples. The individual is swallowed up by the sheer enormity of the Prairie sky and fields that stretch to the horizon in all directions. And yet, disappearing into nature is very liberating. There is a sense of unity and of room to stretch and grow. And, if you take the time to look, there are all sorts of flowers blooming close to the earth, beavers on the riverbank and deer in the fields. Saskatchewan is a good place to live – despite the winters! Note: Quiet Day , a watercolour on paper, is for sale t...

The Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden in downtown Vancouver is an island of tranquillity amidst the bustle of a big city. The layout follows the traditional design of a Chinese Ming scholar’s private residence and garden and is based on the harmony of rock, water, plants and architecture. The building materials were imported from China and 52 master craftsmen from Suzhou, China worked with Canadian counterparts to construct the facility without using nails, screws or glue. The garden is located in Chinatown at 578 Carrall Street. I would recommend taking a guided tour as there is so much intention behind each feature of the garden.

I stayed at the Hospederia Luis de Gongora , Horno de la Trinidad 7. I really liked the location as it was close to both the main tourist sights (la Mezquita, la Juderia, Alcazar) and the principal shopping district, but it wasn’t inundated with crowds of tourists. I could observe people going about their everyday business – taking their children to school, going to work. The single room was small with poor lighting, but there was a tiny patio on the main floor and free wifi. It was clean, attractive and only cost 40 euros a night. I try to immerse myself as much as possible in the life of local residents so I avoid tourist restaurants. I found two restaurants that I really liked. Ziryab Taberna Gastronomica (San Felipe 15) was a small, very modern restaurant that had just opened. They had an excellent selection of wine and lots of interesting tapas, including some vegetarian options. Café Gaudi (Avenida del Gran Capitan, 22 – across from El Corte Ingles) has a lovely art deco interior...

Perhaps it was youthful rebellion against my British father and his ever-present pot of tea, but it is only in the past few years that I have begun to drink and enjoy tea. Of course, I still don’t drink it the way my father did with milk and sugar. Instead, I favour jasmine-scented green tea, Earl Grey, and Oolong. I have just finished reading The True History of Tea by Victor H. Mair and Erling Hoh, which provides a comprehensive, entertaining history of tea. Tea, Trade, and Politics Tea and trade and politics are closely intertwined. China has never had many horses, which put them at a distinct disadvantage when they were attacked by northern nomads on horseback. As a result, they established Horse and Tea Fairs where they exchanged tea for horses. The Opium Wars between Britain and China centred on tea as did the Boston Tea Party and American Independence. Interestingly enough, Paul Revere, one of the heroes of American independence was a silversmith designing tea pots and other te...

I am a weekly visitor at the Saskatoon’s Farmers’ Market so when I discovered that Vancouver has a number of local, summer markets (in addition to longstanding ones like the Granville Island Market), I was eager to check them out. Last week I visited the outdoor Saturday market in North Vancouver adjacent to Lonsdale Quay. It’s very small with just a handful of vendors selling bread, organic vegetables, and handicrafts. Today, I visited the West End Farmer’s Market in the 1100 block of Comox Street. There were booths on both sides of the street which had been closed off to traffic. There was a really good assortment of vendors – lots of organic fruits and vegetables, crusty breads and baked goods, pasta, and an assortment of handicrafts (pottery, jewellery). I was fascinated by two guys selling Thai Princess sauces based on a family recipe. I also bought a brie cheese from Little Qualicum Cheeseworks and two lovely little eggplants – surely the first of the season. Afterwards, I v...

For many years, I lived in a house with a big garden full of flowers and vegetables and fruit trees and bushes. Nowadays, I live in an apartment and, despite filling my windowsills with plants, I miss having a garden. So I was enchanted by the gardens that Vancouver apartment dwellers have created on an abandoned rail bed not far from Granville Island. Here are some interesting articles about urban gardening: A weekend course in urban gardening with The School of Life , London, England Landshare , a British project to produce more fresh, local produce

Human beings love fads – the latest hair style, fashion statement, beverage. And, at the moment, we are fascinated by technology and the new technology-based ways of communicating. Journalists are writing stories and compiling statistics about Twitter use in Iran and blog postings about Michael Jackson's death. Like so many fads before it, we’re inclined to think that social media will re-shape the universe. And, like so many previous fads, it won’t live up to the hype. Scott Berkun has written a thought-provoking blog posting Calling bullshit on social media . It’s well worth reading as it clearly outlines some of the basic reasons for why and how we communicate. Social Networks First of all, he points out that we have always had social networks (families, clubs, communities), and we have always found unofficial ways to communicate (the Resistance in WWII Europe, Christians drawing fish). Twitter is simply a new communications device. Quality vs. Quantity Secondly, Berkun reminds...

I am spending 2 1/2 weeks in North Vancouver, housesitting and working but also enjoying the change of scene. I really enjoy Vancouver - the climate and the location entice people out of doors to hike or sail or cycle. I went out to West Vancouver yesterday and walked along the Sea Walk, a very popular local spot for people young and old (there's even a separate path for dogs). There was a big cruise ship setting out for Alaska and various cargo ships leaving the harbour as well as small pleasure boats. The juxtaposition of the natural and the man-made, urban environment can be harsh and cruel or just plain ugly. But sometimes it's simply playful. I was delighted to see that someone has gone to the trouble of creating mosaics from sea glass and broken tile on the rocks beside the walkway.