Weather score

There is a most tuneful wind happening outside at this hour that is interspersed with a tinkling of light rain against the window. Sometimes the weather is so melodious despite its dour visuals. Today overcast beyond overcast after yesterday’s beloved bright blue.

I had a major gardening expedition yesterday with the prompting and assistance of G — another gardener at our community garden. G suggested we cut back my nuclear granny of a geranium and transplant her to the borders of our larger garden. Granny Geranium is a massive bird of a plant. She’s the size of a peacock with its feathers spanning out.

After at least 25 minutes of serious navvy activity with a fork and a spade each we finally managed to remove about a half of said granny geranium. Then we carried her to the border. I can attest she was the weight of a man. I remarked to G it was like hauling a dead body, although I have no experience of such to be clear.

What was stunning was her roots had gone so far down, which G pointed out is precisely what the plant is meant to do. She is doing exactly what she should, she kept warmly observing. I left with mud in my eye, muddy arms and fantastically muddy legs. It was exhilarating I confess and I admitted to G … you know I don’t think I ever truly gardened until this moment.

In minor but worthy of note excitement, the first potato is making his presence felt. I already killed the fennel (who kills fennel?) but it may yet reincarnate.

Descent/dissent

I had a splended evening in the very warm company of the supporters of the Indian Summer Festival tonight. The festival, which I urge all to attend, happens in July in Vancouver and I’ll be appearing on a panel this year. Tonight was a fundraiser event, with a beautiful view of the sea, exquisite food and lots of fun.
The music was especially memorable. An unusal instrument something between a sitar and a violin with a megaphone horn at the end of it acompaneid by some drums, which had the most fantastic tuning hammer. (photo coming). I will uncover the correct name for these instruments.

After all that joy and joviality the news began to seep in that the election was not looking good for the NDP and by the time I returned home catastrophe had struck! I am pleased that the candidate was elected in our riding, but the clear geographic divisions on the map begin to ressemble the US in this province.

It’s perplexing to contemplate that some voters may not share the same values as oneself around education, equality, poverty accress to mental health support, the environment for starters. I remind myself this is democracy, one vote, one person but long for the system we have in ireland where you can assign your vote to transfer to other candidates if your number one is not elected on the first round. This means Independents and the Green can win and be elected.

From Saturday’s Irish Times

The sun shone in Dublin and Vancouver on Saturday weather-wise my sources confirm. I was actually in Victoria this weekend attending the BC Book Prize Gala. (Report coming) Here is a screen grab from Saturday’s Irish Times.

Merci Montreal

Some very generous words for Malarky in Saturday’s Montreal Gazette from Ian McGillis. Molto Merci Montreal for this warm sentiment. I hope some day to descend upon your transit system and do a reading with your people. So invite me! This is not a busking suggestion! Writers can’t busk — what’s up with that? Perhaps they can.

“Glasses were raised among fiction lovers nationwide last week when Anakana Schofield’s sui generis debut Malarky was named winner of the Amazon.ca First Novel Award. All temptation to say “I told you so” based on a rave review last summer and a year-end 10-best selection in a certain Montreal newspaper will be firmly resisted. The choice represents a triumph for both adventurous writing —Malarky’s Our Woman is about as unlike a standard Canadian fiction heroine as you could get—and for small literary publishers: Biblioasis has established itself with remarkable speed as a house of unerringly high standards. Congratulations all around.”

Here’s the link to the entire column including an uplifting tale about the gift of 9,115 books and an opportunity to discover what wrtier Elise Moser has been reading.

Rereading the Riot Act And On — Book Launch

Happy Workers Day to all ! I am delighted to be launching our artists book tonight 8pm at UNIT/PITT 15 E Pender from the Rereading the Riot Act project I curated with UNIT/PITT, an artist run centre based in Vancouver.

The book is part research diary/ part scrapbook /part pasteup and it collates a bunch of material related to and in response to the reading of the Riot Act to the relief camp workers at Victory Square by Mayor Gerry McGeer on April 23, 1935.

Here is a link to the launch details and information about the paste up book.