Peony Power

This year the peonies started poking through buds May 26 and by June 4 the petals were on the ground. I had pulled up a chair to admire them on the Thursday and decided to send out an invite to people to come for a garden pop-up on the Saturday. Several people were able to drop by. 

I greeted them in my fancy garden hat and we toasted to enjoy these fleeting moments of beauty.

 

Blue Micromoon - May (31) 2026

"Osmanthus flowers fall alone;

The blooming mountains are calm at night.

The moon ascends, alarming birds,

That chirp in spring on water white."

("Bird-Twittering Creek" (鸟鸣涧) by the famous Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei)

Rob and I woke up the day before, when the moon was cresting full, to join a Dawn Chorus bird walk with Benni on the grounds of the TBG. At the start of the walk, Benni read a poem from 13th century Persia that he'd translated.

As we were gathered, a heron flew overhead. Wandering the paths we saw finches, cardinals, red-wing blackbirds, robins, song sparrows, yellow warblers.... and happily, a red tanager. 

On May 31, 2026, the night sky featured a rare Blue Micromoon. It was the second full moon of the month (following the Flower Moon on May 1), which gives it the "Blue" designation, and it occurred near apogee (its farthest point from Earth), making it the smallest and faintest full moon of 2026. [1, 2, 3]

Flower Moon - May (1) 2026

What better way to celebrate the flower moon than to view the cherry trees blossoming in High Park? Afterward Rob and I went for ramen at Musoshin to pretend we were back in Kyoto.

 

2026 Theatre Notes

Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary / Crow's Guloien Theatre (April)

"Blending ancient scripture with her trademark incisive, contemporary wit, Erin Shields (You, Always) reclaims the stories of four women who stood at the gates of revolution—only to be sidelined by history." Crow's Theatre.

Feminism and religion can be a dangerous pairing. I thought it would be too moralistic, earnest and shrill. This was not one of my original picks for my season ubscription. A friend went, and said it was worth seeing. Tickets came my way, and I'm glad they did. 

This was a World Premiere. Definitely something I appreciate about Crow's is how they help develop and feature new works. The Surrogate another example.

I didn't love this play, but I agree it was worth seeing. There were a lot of things going on, it was a bit of a mish mash. It wasn't particularly cohesive. It alluded to biblical events, not always in sequence, and made strong conjectures (the miracle of the loaves and fishes was aided by women smuggliers). There is a dance scene - Salome's 7 veils - that seems a bit gratuitous but also turns out to be one of the highlights. The play's strongpoint to me is that it does make you wonder why women are so little-mentioned in the bible itself, when of course they would have played pivotal roles in the revolution that was taking place.

I always avoid reading reviews until I've seen the play, but headlines I glimpsed were not very flattering. Perhaps that was why the theatre was only about half full, but the actors performances' were as though playing to a full house. Now to read those reviews....

 Clyde's / Can Stage Bluma Appel (April)

Clyde's is a Broadway play written by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage. Premiering in 2021, this comedy-drama focuses on formerly incarcerated kitchen staff seeking redemption while working at a truck stop sandwich shop, often cited as a companion piece to her play Sweat. Cincinatti Playhouse in the Park

Loved the allegory of the quest for the perfect sandwich and the idea that prison is also a state of mind. Clyde's anger confines her and in the end becomes the catalyst that sets her workers free.

Fire and flames lit and licked the stage in the kitchen, conjuring hell and purgatory.

Fabulous ensemble cast; most gathered for a talk-back after the performance.

The Surrogate / Crow’s Nest Studio Theatre (March)

 

"Set over the course of a single sleepless night, The Surrogate is a 21st-century exploration of privilege, and the complexities of modern family-making in a world where the rules are still being written." Crow's Theatre.

Although themes were highly charged (ethics of surrogacy, state-side politics, nature of relationships) this didn't feel moralistic or didactic. Told the story and then left you reeling.

The Slotkin Letter review was critical of playwright Moishin Zaidi's debut  for having too many threads running through it at once; however I didn't feel it overwhelmed or clouded the story so much as depicted how complex and multi-faceted life and death can be. What a fabulous first effort!

The Studio Theatre was the perfect venue. The more intimate space suited the personal themes. A nice touch in the set design was drawing the audience in with the choice of seating - hard white chairs that would easily suit a hospital waiting room. Appreciated this detail.

Talk-back after with actors and director (Christopher Manousos) gave some insight into how the stage play was crafted and evolved.

Produced by Here for Now Theatre, Crow’s Theatre, House and Body and b current

You, Always / Berkeley Street Theatre, Can Stage (Feb)

Canadian playwright Erin Shields tackles some tough themes in this play about sisterhood: cancer, MAID, divorce, eating disorders. 

The stage was stark and minimal, which allowed it to morph easily from one place into another. 

The two actors were challenged to jump quickly between childhood, adulthood, and adolescence in a series of rapid vignettes, and they pulled off the transitions well, using a lilt in their voice or a shrug of the shoulders to help frame their age. 

Conflict between the two sisters gave rise to arguments beginning with "You, always...." While I know conflict is the dramaturge's friend, I could have used a few more scenes featuring their love and support for one another to even the balance. My favourite scene was when they donned the costumes from childhood stories, and it was well placed in the arc because their yelling at each other was getting a bit one note. 

By the end of the show, there were many people crying in the theatre but personally, I couldn't help feeling a tad manipulated. 

Fool's Full Moon - April 2026

The moon was full on April 1st.

The illustration of the Trickster Moon can be purchased from Matty Rose Templeton.

In honor of April Fools, I'm excerpting from this post from April in the Wheel of the Year Part 1: April Fools, Trickster Deities, and Wisdom - By Lucya Starza

The probable origin of April Fools' Day is that it started in 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII's Gregorian Calendar replaced the Julian Calendar, meaning New Year's Day fell three months earlier. News travelled slowly back then. Many people didn’t find out about the changes and continued to celebrate the start of the year on what had actually become April 1. They got called "April Fools". However, there are references to April Fool type customs before 1582. Chaucer's Story The Nun's Priest's Tale, written about 1400, is about two fools and takes place "thritty dayes and two" - or 32 days - from the start of March, which would be April 1.

April Fool traditions vary from country to country. In France, people who are tricked are called Poisson d'Avril, which means "April Fish". A common joke is to stick a paper fish to a person's back. In Scotland, the victim of a hoax is called an April "Gowk", which is a Scottish word for cuckoo. Cuckoos start to arrive in the country this month.

Tricksters

The trickster is also an important figure in folklore, mythology, magic and divination. They appear in cultural traditions all over the world as deities, characters, spirits and animals. Tricksters include Norse god Loki, Greek goddess Eris, Indigenous American Coyote and Raven, and Reynard the Fox from European folklore. They break the rules and use cunning to gain the upper hand. They can be serious troublemakers or humorous pranksters - the bad guys of legend or simply clowns. Nevertheless, valuable lessons can be learnt from them. In his book Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth and Art, Lewis Hyde writes that the trickster is one of the oldest mythological archetypes, dating back to the time of hunter gatherers, when trickery was often needed to catch food. He writes:

"The trickster myth derives creative intelligence from appetite. It begins with a being whose main concern is being fed and ends with the same being grown mentally swift, adept at creating and unmasking deceit, proficient at masking his tracks and seeing through the devices used by others to mask theirs."

Tarot Symbolism

In tarot decks, the Magician, the first trump of the Major Arcana, follows the Fool, which is the zero card. The Magician is something of a performer. The dapper chap in The Wisdom Seeker’s Tarot by David Fontana (pictured) looks like an entertainer. In some decks he’s actually called the Trickster, such as in The Elemental Tarot by Caroline Smith. He plays the crowd using sleight of hand, he juggles the elements with confidence and makes a little knowledge go a long way. Essentially, the trickster is a guide or archetype for hard times, who teaches us to turn adversity to our advantage, to learn not only how to get out of trouble but also how to take advantage of it as if by magic. Of course, the trickster doesn't always win, but he gives himself a good chance of doing so.

The Wisdom of the Fool 

While tricksters can win the day, there’s also value in the wisdom of the fool. In many decks, including The Wisdom Seeker’s Tarot, the Fool card shows a carefree young person in colourful clothing enjoying a sunny walk along a cliff. They are travelling light with a little dog at their heels, but possibly just about to walk over the edge. The positive aspects of this card offer the lure of adventure and freedom from responsibilities. It’s about new beginnings, setting out on a journey and not quite knowing where that will end or what people or places one will meet along the way.

Of course, some of those places might be dangerous and some of those people might be tricksters. You don’t want to take a fall. So, along with the fun of being carefree, the message is that one should look where one is going and watch for potential dangers. The little dog represents our natural instincts and intuition giving us a warning, which we should pay attention to. Sunny days in April can seem the perfect time to set off on a journey or adventure, or start a new project. The wisdom is to heed your instincts, and decide which risks are worth taking.