Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Honey Moon in June

I saw the Honey Moon a.k.a. Strawberry Moon, red above the neighbourhood trees.

I visited a beekeeper just before the Honey Moon. He had hives in his backyard. My friend Joyce donned the bee suit, and said it took effort not to swat the bees away, even though she knew she was well protected.

Here is the sentence fed into German google translate and back to English:

Shortly before our honeymoon, I visited a beekeeper. He had hives in his garden. My friend Joyce slipped into the beekeeping suit and said it took a lot of effort not to scare the bees away, even though she knew she was well protected.

Why did I just do that? Well, that week I had also been to the Griffin Poetry prize, and three of the poets on the shortlist were there with their translators. Having enjoyed the readings I now have more poetry on my reading list. Book club this month was Eastbound, written in French and translated by an English poet.  Nuances are so important and so often lost; so much depends not only on the original choice of words but the translator's talents. 

Speaking of which, this month's AI haiku: a haiku about the Honey Moon a.k.a. Strawberry Moon, red above the neighbourhood trees.

Red moon climbs the sky,
Strawberry hues on treetops,
Honeyed night descends.

This month's AI poem: a poem about the Honey Moon a.k.a. Strawberry Moon, red above the neighbourhood trees.

The Strawberry Moon, a fiery blush, ascends,
Above the trees, its amber light extends.
A honeyed hue, a summer's gentle grace,
A crimson stain upon the evening's face.
The neighbourhood sleeps, beneath its watchful gaze,
In this red moonlit, dreamy, summer haze.

The trees stand still, their leafy branches bare,
Reflecting back the moon's warm, gentle glare.
A sweet and hazy light, a tranquil scene,
Where shadows dance, and twilight dreams convene.
The Strawberry Moon, a fleeting, vibrant art,
A painted sky, that captures every heart.


Tuesday, June 10, 2025

2025 Theatre

Continuing to spend most of my theatre time with Crow's. 

I can't say I always love the plays, but I do appreciate the calibre of the productions and taking creative risks with difficult subjects. I've renewed my subscription for the coming season.


2025
  • Wights (Jan / Crow's) World Premiere
    • I sat through Wights righteousness and relentless diatribes hoping things would improve. Most reviewers seemed to agree there was too much shouting and too much going on.
  • 15 Dogs (Feb / Mirvish /CAA Theatre)
    • I read the novel and was curious to see how the cast would pull off their canine characters. Well played. 
  • Trident Moon (March / Crow's)
    • Provocative staging of an imagined scenario taking place during Partition; it made me curious to learn more about the history of 1947.
    • Did they try to save money by not using microphones and shouting a lot? I actually missed quite a bit of the dialogue as actors stepped on each others lines and some were so heavily accented. Surtitles would help.
  • You Can't Take it With You (April / Scarborough Players)
    • Love the dedication of amateur theatre.
  • Flex (April / Crow's)
    • My favourite of the season so far was Flex; I was disappointed to see the theatre so empty.
    • Team dynamics and a look at the added pressures of women in sport - perfectly illustrated when a player becomes pregnant.
    • I wasn't sure what to expect, with basketball being played and the audience watching in the stands. Fantastic! Whether the basketball is sunk or not at the end dictates the ending, a nice twist.
  • Comfort Food (June / Crow's)
    • Some inter-generational conflicts around the ethics of food really became a metaphor of the relationship challenges between a single mother and her teenage son. Fresh bread gets baked during the performance, filling the theatre with a comforting aroma. At the end of the play, audience members get offered a slice of the bread, which wa a nice touch. If only there had been a stronger resolution between the two characters.

to come...
  • Dangerous Liaisons (September / Stratford)
  • Macbeth (September / Stratford)

Sunday, May 18, 2025

Spring Birding

A couple of days in the spring sunshine, looking for birds in Thickson Woods and on the Carden Alvar with Andy H.  

I do love spotting bluebirds, bobolinks and redstarts. And tree swallows. And warblers. And. And.

Rob and I so appreciate being able to tag along with someone who has the eyes and ears of an experienced birder! Andy knows which trees and thickets are habitats for likely species, and is quick to spot differences between warblers.


redstart

Bobolink

We listened to the Warblers podcast coming and going, adding to our general knowledge.

The Merlyn app is great for knowing what birds may be calling in the area, and I'm getting a little bit better with the binoculars. At some locations in the Alvar, more than twenty species were calling!

The Trilliums and Prairie Smoke alone were at their prime. I resisted the temptation to bring some home.





Thickson Woods

Yellow-bellied Sap Sucker 
Woodthrush
Cardinal
Redwing blackbird
Palm warbler
Redstart
White-crowned sparrow
Grey cheeked sparrow
Chicadee
Black and white warbler
Yellow rumped warbler
Black Throated Blue Warbler
Oriole

Carden Alvar

Tree Swallow 

Robin

Red wing blackbird

Kingbird

Warbling Vireo

Oriole

Bobolink

Meadowlark

Brown thrasher

Phoebe

Sparrow or eastern flycatcher

Red-breasted grosbeak (Robin with singing lessons) 

Turkey vulture

Killdeer

Eastern bluebird

Trumpeter

Yellow Warbler


(Andy) pilleated + hummingbird 

Heard: red-eyed vireo, sora, ovenbird, bitterns and more!


Prospect Marsh

Blue heron

Osprey

Green heron

Marsh Wren


Saturday, May 17, 2025

Spring Garden

What a wicked winter it was! Even the snow drops protested. Usually they arrive in February, but this year they didn't make their appearance until well into March. I was happy to see them, thought I'd lost them! Crocus and hellebore bloomed soon after.

The blood root, may apple and wild ginger flourished. The red wake robin trillium returned, but sadly, no white trilliums to be seen. Most of the natives I splurged on last year are here! I kept peering around for Jack in the Pulpit, thought I'd lost them all, but they came up the week of May 12th. I seem to have five now. What didn't make it were the foam flowers.

Picked up a few more native plants at the TBG NAAPs sale: Virginia Bluebells, Virginia Waterfleaf, and Prairie Smoke.

Oh - and I moved the pink hellebore yet again, back to the corner with the white. Swapped places with the wood poppy, which seemed more appropriate with woodland ferns.



Trying the dahlia in a few different spots - two in pots and one in the ground.

Very distressed about the Daphne! Not sure what has browned the leaves. One section is flowering but most of the plant is struggling. I don't want to prune it back too hard. It was so amazing last year, putting on a show into December. Hoping this is a temporary setback. Meanwhile, the tulips in the front garden are a welcome distraction.

The project this spring is to make a clover lawn in the back yard. I started by turning over the sod to make a lasagna garden of thyme. But then changed my mind, clover being more budget-friendly. I ordered pelleted micro clover from West Coast seeds, it was a bit pricey but I know the seeds will be viable and weed-free. Hopefully the clover doesn't spread too much into the garden area.  I think Nora will be able to crawl and toddle around in it before the end of summer, if all grows well.














Monday, May 12, 2025

Full Flower Moon - May 2025

Stumbled across a carpet of trilliums when we were out at Carden Alvar birding for the day.
And Old Man's Whsikers - otherwise known as Prairie Smoke.
Love these spring awakenings.'


Other Indigenous names for May’s full moon include:“Blossom Moon” (Anishnaabe)
“Mulberry Moon” (Creek & Choctaw)
“Frog Moon” (Cree)


Full Flower Moon glows,
Trillium blossoms softly—
Prairie smoke drifts by.
(chat GBT)

Under the full Flower Moon’s glow,
Trilliums in woodland do grow,
Prairie smoke’s hue,
Soft red in view,
Nature puts on a magical show.
(chat GBT)


 
~ moon was full May 12, moonrise 8:30 pm ~