Heliconian Series 2016 / 2017

Every time I go to a Heliconian lecture I learn something new.

The organizers line up great lecturers, authors and books, and I'm already looking forward to seeing what's in store next year.

WHEN	SPEAKER	AUTHOR	BOOK
Tues, Sep 13	Sandra Martin	Sandra Martin	A Good Death
Tues, Oct 25	Peter Behrens	Peter Behrens	Carry Me
Tues, Nov 22	Kim Thuy	Kim Thuy	Man
Tues, Jan 10	Ian Brown	Ian Brown	Sixty
Tues, Feb 7	Terry Fallis	Terry Fallis	Poles Apart
Tues, Mar 7	Nazneen Sheikh	Nazneen Sheikh	The Place of Shining Light
Tues, Apr 18	Cecilia Ekback	Cecilia Ekback	Wolf Winter
Tues, May 9	Suanne Kelman	Anthony Marra	The Tsar of Love and Techno
Tues, Jun 6	Ann Y K Choi	Ann Y K Choi	Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety

Sandra Martin spoke about the struggle of many who are diagnosed with incurable and painful diseases. Individuals and families suffer under the burden of costs and intolerable pain. Canada has made some changes in Right to Die legislation many see as progress, some see as timid, and others see as chilling. If you suffer with an incurable disease, the debate becomes less theoretical. Even after legislative changes, many people leave the country for assisted deaths and others plead unsuccessfully for an end to their suffering.

Peter Behrens spoke about concentration camps in England during the second world war, something I'd never heard of before. And at the end of the war, many Germans were deported, even though they didn't speak or write any German whatsoever. The author drew on his own family history to create the work of fiction, Carry Me. 

Man was such a lyrical book, thin, but very 'heavy' in its themes. What a surprise to see Kim Thuy present. She was hilarious in recounting events in the story and could have done stand-up with her bitter-sweet humour. Such a contrast. The same stories but with such different flavours.

Sheikh was interesting to hear, because she spoke of optioning the book and poking international producers with suggestions for directors and actors. From Afghanistan to Pakistan, the novel braids the story of three men in the pursuit of a stolen Buddhist statue. The author was quite a character herself, with a flair for the dramatic and an air of privilege. I'm more inclined to read her memoir than the novel.

Wolf Winter was a fabulous story. The blunt ending frustrated me and delighted at the same time. I was so looking forward to seeing Cecilia Ekback, but she opted out of the arrangement, and organizers looked for a substitute. We were lucky to have Margaret Cannon, the mystery writing critic at the Globe and Mail step in. Although she liked the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, she didn't appreciate its sequel and refuses to read any book with 'the girl' as part of its title. Margaret reads at least five books a week in order to produce her monthly reviews, and is well qualified to set the novel in context. Her verdict is that Ekback's debut novel reveals an astonishing talent.

Suanne Kelman was the guest lecturer for  the Tsar of Love and Techno, and played the music tracks referenced in the book. This was a first for me at the Heliconian. I really appreciated the effort and thought of the many books I read that reference music - how fun it would be to find or make a playlist to add another dimension to the experience.

Ann Y K Choi was charming. I really liked the book Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety.  Choi revealed her struggles with depression, and how therapists encouraged her to write as a way to heal herself. She grew up hating being Korean but is now learning to reclaim her heritage. At the Korean Authors' Association, she needed a translator because her Korean was so poor, so now she is trying to learn to speak the language she spurned in her childhood. She recently found herself in a Korean language class surrounded by young white kids who wanted to learn Korean because it was 'cool,'  and couldn't believe how times had changed. Her editor, Phyllis Bruce, had come to offer support and sat in the audience. Bruce is a recipient of the Order of Canada and has edited many outstanding novels - she even had her own imprint at Simon and Schuster and was a publisher at Harper Collins. Which makes me want to explore the Bruce's titles all the more....

This year, I was especially looking forward to hearing Ian Brown and Terry Fallis. In fact, they were the reason I chose the Tuesday night series. Unfortunately, those were the two nights I had to miss. For Poles Apart, Rob and I were in Hawaii, and at Sixty, I had a work engagement. Rob ended up going to see Ian Brown as Kaarina's date, and took my copy of the book for Ian to sign. Rob also ended up being my date on two other occasions... I got a kick out of seeing him in this hall of older women and seeing them sneak a sideways glance.

Full Honey Moon - June 2017

The full Moon for June 2017 is a being called a “minimoon” because it will appear as the smallest Moon of the year as it’s furthest from Earth. What will be more apparent is that it’s the lowest Moon of the year. Because of that, it’s color may look amber-colored so it will truly appear as the “Honey Moon” that’s also a common name for this month’s Moon. Farmer's Almanac

officially full June 9, 9:10 a.m.

illustration design: Enkel Dika and Evan Ferstenfeld

Sailpast 2017

The sun was shining and the breezes were light. The temperature was a bit cool, and everyone looked fresh in their blue and white.

Rob was Master of Ceremonies and his speech was a great mix of humour and ceremony. Of course he worked on it diligently, but made the whole thing look effortless.

Most of us don't have our masts up as the water is still covering the docks and preventing power being turned on to the slips and mast crane.

This year, it was the Board of Directors that sailed past the clubhouse. As club tradition calls, there were strawberry mimosas and a toast to the sailing season. Later in the afternoon, a band and cocktails on the deck. A tasty dinner with good friends. Really a wonderful day!

Sunday, friends Mike B and Mike P, along with Commodore Bill helped Rob tow Yondering over to Bluffers Park Marina, which we'll call home for the month of June. We'll hoist the mast, hopefully get the engine fixed (finally!!) and enjoy a sail before the month's end. Better late than never!

Doors Open 2017

So many sites to see at Toronto Doors Open this year. I love the opportunity to explore inside spaces you normally can't visit and learn more about the city and its history.

It was once a major jail in Toronto, but now the 152-year-old facility serves as a hospital administration building. The site of so many public executions, it's no wonder the Don Jail is the host to so many ghosts. The imprint of the gallows on the wall is testament to the public hangings, and the last execution in Canada. Although I've been meaning to visit for many years, this year's Open Doors finally brought me inside. All the walls are painted white and windows let in lots of light, but it's not so hard to imagine this place dark, dingy, and crawling with rats and cockroaches.

The Arts and Letters Club was on my list because we tried to gain entry a previous year, but they weren't 'open.' So, of course it made it all the more tantalizing!  The club's address has been 14 Elm since 1920, with past members including the Group of Seven, Frederick Banting, and Robertson Davies. A welcoming space! Although women weren't allowed until the mid-seventies, they now outnumber men. I''m tempted to join myself, and may drop in to the bar some night after work to find out more.


There were two highlights at the Masonic Temple for me. The first was the snooker table Mick Jagger had built on site when he stayed there four months in the 70's. The thing was too massive to fit through the door, so lives there still. The other highlight was a section of floor, with the masonic star and tiles of white and black - symbols of the Great Architect and the struggle against good and evil. I've been to a few concerts here, and always enjoyed the vibe, but didn't realize there was so much more here on the upper levels. The current inhabitant, a tech company opened it up for the day. Murals from previous tenants Much Music and CTV still colour the walls.


My niece Emma was baptised at St John's Church Norway, also known as St. John the Baptist Norway Anglican Church, but I haven't been back siince. We drive by the stately Kingston Road landmark frequently. Perched high on a hill, it becomes a metaphor for the humble to approach a state of grace as they climb upward. Beautiful stained glass windows on the interior, and lots of pale wood. Lovely to just sit and breathe.

We weren't really planning on stopping, but as we were driving by we noticed the Door's Open sign at Scarborough Arts. A walk was in progress, but just coming to an end; unfortunately we'd missed the tour of Birchcliffe murals. Rob started chatting to one of the artists. Berg turned out to be the original painter of the rainbow bridge - a much loved landmark in the Don Valley. He painted it as a memorial to a homeless person. He's done many of the murals in the area, some commissioned like the one on Iki Sushi, and others done simply for the cost of paint.


Fool's Paradise was the home of artist Doris McCarthy. If I were an artist I would apply to become an artist in residence, a privilege granted 4 times each year through the Heritage Trust. An inspiring view at the top of the Scarborough Bluffs, there was nothing here when Doris bought her acres in the wilderness. Over time, she built it to suit herself - including small proportions for her 4'10" frame. She built a pond to reflect the changing sky and placed it outside her windows for constant view.



I visit the grounds of the R.C. Water Filtration Plant several times a year but have never been inside. What an impressive structure! Marble, steel and built to last. Functional, but with art deco flourishes. A few water fountains were placed throughout, and I couldn't pass without taking a drink of the fresh, cool water. There were also photos of R.C. Harris, I'd always pictured a bookish character, but there he was, all big and burly. His physical size must have been an asset as he pushed his projects through from idea to completion. A man with vision and insistence on investing in infrastructure for the future, I wish he could influence some at City Hall today.

Evergreen spring

Sadly, the cypress fernspray we planted last May suffered extensive damage this past March. It survived the bitter winter, and then shrivelled to brown in the spring, after warm days were followed by a cold snap. 

The damaged cypress was taunting me. I thought I would replace it with some kind of dogwood shrub, so went off to the TBG plant sale to find something. Instead I saw a gorgeous dwarf white pine, and realized I'd really wanted one of those all along. 

The white pine looked a bit lonely, so I dragged Rob out to Sheridan where we picked up a beautiful bonsai juniper, calculating optimistically that it will get enough of the full afternoon sun to keep it happy.

Of course, two evergreens cried for a third. Tried a golden tipped cedar, but it wasn't quite right. So off to Sheridan Nurseries to find a blue star juniper.

Now there is a trio of slow-growing dwarf evergreens: white pine, blue star juniper, and bonsai. The blue star has a mounding habit and should grow to a maximum of 2' high by 3' wide; the white pine similar dimensions, but conical. The bonsai won't grow any further, just requires clipping. Hopefully these will fare better than their predecessors.

Of course, as I was searching for evergreens, each stop brought new temptations. At TBG I picked up caladium, two hosta, ligularia, siberian iris, choral bells, tovara, Irish moss, Japanese anemone, goatsbeard, astor, herbs... At Humber, more herbs, wooly thyme, and 12 pots of euphorbia. Blood grass at Loblaws.

One plant that I couldn't resist, but should have, was moonseed. A native woody vine meant for sandy soil. The name was irresistible, but it isn't really something you'd want in your garden.

Good thing it is a holiday today and garden centres are closed!! 

Everything is now in the ground, and I also did some transplanting, placing the false cypress, enoki and daphne in more prominent places along the side. Good weather for it, with grey skies and wet earth from rain.