I Remember -- Enver Creek School

I remember Enver Creek School:
the parking lot completely quiet when I drove in,
the polite girl student I met at the front
who walked me to the main entrance.

I remember the comings and goings in the office,
where a student sat on a chair waiting for someone
as I checked in and got my Visitor badge from someone else.

I remember the busy atmosphere in the cafeteria space
where students were selling pink anti-bullying t-shirts.

I remember young faces looking at me with curiosity
or looking away with distraction or boredom
as I read my poetry, wondered if I had chosen good samples.

I remember the evidence of memory revealed on young faces
and their simple but beautiful words about basketball, family,
places nostalgically remembered.

I remember Mr. Eberle eliciting examples of poetic technique.
and the parking lot when I left, busy and chaotic
as cars lined up to get out to the street.

I recall the sweet serious face of a girl in a lavender hoodie,
lighting up the cloudy afternoon as she waved through the car window,
recognizing me from my recent visit.

These things I have placed in my box of treasures
so that I can look at them and remember.

The annual nursery run -- fresh air and fragrance

My neighbour Pinky and I like to celebrate spring with a plant pilgrimage. We set out early. First we enjoyed a leisurely look around the huge property of Art's Nursery in Surrey, for which they kindly lent us an electric golf cart.

It was great fun to tool around and see the plants -- though the azaleas and rhodies weren't out yet -- it's been a late spring.

Our next stop was Cedar Rim Nursery in Langley. There we looked into various greenhouses where we admired the shape, colour and scent of a plethora of plants.

For me, the most memorable greenhouse was the one containing nothing but daphnes. What a wonderful fragrance.

We finished our outing with a nice lunch and a catch-up chat.

Arts Club's 500th production brings something new

The Philanderer, by George Bernard Shaw, was written and first produced a hundred twenty years ago. As witnessed in the recent Arts Club production at the Stanley, it has weathered well.

The director, Rachel Ditor, did something remarkable. She used Shaw's original final act, which was replaced in the original and all earlier productions by a re-written Act Three that was less provocative.

The scandalous bits seem fairly tame to us today. Yet the play has survived remarkably well. It still has relevance and poignancy, along with the laughs. As the director suggests, it is an invitation to consider how the domestic affairs of society have changed and how they have not.

In this final scene, the doctor's office seems a singularly suitable place to dissect the marriage between the egotistical and driven Dr. Paramore (Scott Bellis) and the statuesque, capricious and confused Sylvia (Amber Lewis).

The final scene throws into relief the social mores that have caused it originally to take place and ultimately to fail. A hundred twenty years of history has made less difference than we may expect.

Bernard Cuffling was brilliant as usual, as was Tom Scholte, the casual, logical, cool-headed philanderer his very self. This was the 500th production launched by the Arts Club, and it was a great one.

Spring comes to Steveston

The parks in Steveston are in full spring regalia, and so are the back gardens.

A brisk walk with a friend revealed some curious sights as well as a wealth of flowers.

The end of the railroad was one.

The magnolias here were a little ahead of the ones downtown.

In the park, squills and daffodils decorate the base of a tree.

Glorious spring

Photo left: Cherry blossoms in downtown Vancouver last week

Below: Magnolias opening in front of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre

In our area, spring is the most beautiful season for plants. We have a mild climate and the acidic soil that promotes a breathtaking spring display of magnolias, azaleas and rhododendrons.

We also have a festival of cherry blossoms. All the old neighbourhoods are lined with well-established flowering cherries, now laden with spring bloom. To maximize the pleasure of the flowers, smart city planners alternated the plantings on many streets so that as the early blossoms fade, the later ones are just coming into bloom.

Local writers read work

TWS, the Writers' Studio at Simon Fraser University, hosts a monthly reading series for local writers. Yesterday an interesting group gathered at Take Five Cafe on Granville Street to read a wide variety of pieces.

Included in the lineup were current and past members of TWS as well as members of the Thursdays Writing Collective. Instituted by TWS alumni, this second group meets weekly at the Carnegie Community Centre at Hastings and Main to provide a writing forum for people on the Downtown Eastside.

An interesting part of the evening involved an audience participation segment. The moderators, Fiona Scott and Elee Kraljii Gardiner, noted down certain lines from the performing readers and then had someone choose one randomly to use as a writing prompt.

"Push the button" was the topic and writers leaned into their task for six minutes. The prompt generated humour, drama, and cultural commentary, some of which was shared by volunteers who read their impromptu work.

The next reading in the series is Friday May 13, at the Rhizome Cafe on East Broadway.

Drive-by dogs

In this photo, a wrinkle dog looks out the window of a pickup truck with sincere doggy curiosity and wonder.




I took this picture with my cell phone at a stop light on 88th Avenue in Surrey.

In this position, the dog looks for all the world like a human. Maybe even a human driving. If so, the truck must be right hand drive.