Dinkey Peak for a dinky hiker

Our trail walking has been somewhat curtailed in recent months, partly as a result of my early pregnancy fatigue, and partly due to the injury-ridden Dadda Boo, who is slowly rehabilitating from a very nasty ankle sprain he sustained whilst running several weeks ago.  He's as eager as myself and the Boo to get back out on the trails whilst the summer sun still shines, and so we headed up to Mount Seymour for a hike.  Our initial plan was to head up to Dog Mountain, a short hike with pretty much no elevation gain which promises spectacular views.  However, we had somewhat forgotten about the terrain, which proved to be a little too much for our party, which included one dodgy ankle (Dadda Boo), one dodgy knee (Grandaddy), one 3ft-ish novice hiker, and one slightly cautious pregnant lady.  Only Granny was in fine fettle and not carrying any handicap.  Hiker Boo is most keen to walk, walk, walk but we do still take the Deuter child backpack as backup for difficult terrain and tired times.  But the injured Dadda being the only adult still prepared to carry the now 30lb lady, we were not keen to push it, so at First Lake we reconsidered our route.

 
This is a man in pain.

So we took a right turn around the lake up the rather more forgiving Dinkey Peak trail, though there were still plenty of rocks and roots for little legs to work on their skills on.  The enthusiasm of the dinky hiker is infectious.

 
After a little way the trail offers opportunity to climb up to Dinkey Peak for views, though we declined this in favour of the next viewpoint, the climb to which was easier for little legs.

The views don't quite equal those from Dog Mountain, but are a fair consolation to be sure.  Dadda Boo recites the names of all the surrounding mountains, I just take it all in.

A little further along the trail, and before the descent down the main Mount Seymour Trail, there is opportunity for another viewpoint, this time looking out over the city of Vancouver.

  
 
The little canon couldn't quite penetrate through the summer haze, but you get the impression of the vista.

The dinky hiker's training continues.

Boards for Boo

It's hard not to feel nostalgic about blackboards in this age of interactive whiteboards and digital projectors.  There is something about the matt surface, the bright chalked lines and the endless dust that feels so warm and homely.  I'm sure it reminds most of us of a certain age, of being young and carefree in our school days.  Have you ever seen the Iranian film Blackboards wherein Kurdish teachers trek up into the hills to find students to teach, large blackboards strapped to their backs?  I like to see pictures of Waldorf classrooms where they still use blackboards and the teachers evidently spend much time writing and illustrating the lessons using their board.

So a while ago I found a couple of old MDF boards in my stash and, as there aint a great deal of oil painting going around here right now (my former use for these boards), I thought blackboard, I thought noticeboard.

Well that was some time ago before the sickness set in and lethargy reined.  Then Grandaddy Boo arrived and all manner of practical projects which involve wielding a drill or screwdriver can be easily achieved.  So here we have Boo's blackboard, a simple MDF board painted with blackboard paint, complete with its own dinky little chalk tray constructed by Grandad.

Here too, on the other side of Boo's play area, is a new noticeboard, constructed from an MDF base, covered with cork tiles and with some fabric stretched over it. 

 Can you spot the wee one just around the corner in this pic?
 
  

Studio Buddy

There I was, spending a quiet few minutes in the day inking up some papers for some backgrounds in my book, when what should I find, my ink pots have been usurped by a wee artist, intent on making her mark.

Then she turns her attention to drawing, all the while providing a commentary of what she is depicting.

It took me ages to track down a pack of Lyra colouring pencils for Boo; for ages they seemed to be unavailable in local stores.  But here they are, and wonderful they are too.  Boo seems to be currently transitioning to the 'pincer' grip which will facilitate writing and I do think the design of these pencils make that transition easier. 
  
~Then she's gone, off to her next activity.

(Back to) the drawing board

Granny and Grandaddy Boo are over from the UK, affording me a rare chance for a spot of on-hand babysitting.  In spite of the sweltering heat and my remaining nausea and fatigue, I'm trying to spend a little bit of time in this place, my studio refuge.  The book SHALL be finished.  I'll show you something soon I promise... 

Creating at Collage Collage

Until this week, I had held back from taking Boo to art classes.  After all, she has an art studio bedecked with quality art materials and an experienced art educator (c'est moi) at home.  But, you know, sometimes planning and delivering thoughtful projects in the course of a busy week is just too much for this mama, especially when her creative energy is being channelled into building a wee human.  And I have been somewhat out in a creative wilderness for the last couple of years whilst at home with Boo.  So, both being in need of fresh creative input, I thought it was high time for a long-desired visit to Collage Collage, a shop come kid's workshop space come gallery space located near Main St, in Vancouver. 

We've been planning this visit since February when we found Collage Collage's kids drawing station, in a downtown gallery in the midst of Olympic mayhem.  For us, it requires a car journey across a busy bit of town, but my confidence in driving and negotiating the city has grown since I got my own car in February, and I was finally up for it.

There are many art workshops for kids available in this area, but it takes a little something special to entice me, and Collage Collage seemed to offer that.  There is contemporary artists' work in the shop and there seems to be a broader approach to studying artists' work than the frequently trotted out 'modern masters', though I appreciate that they are 'new' to the kids! 

I was practically salivating in the shop.  As well as many familiar favourites (books by Lisa Cinar, Oliver Jeffers, colouring books by Taro Gomi and Rosie Flo, Okido magazine, art materials by Lyra, Stockmar etc etc) there were many things new to me and some artists' editions which look very interesting.  I wasn't there to shop on this visit, however; I fancy a solo visit for that. 

We dropped in on a Thursday morning for a drop-in one hour workshop for 2-3 year olds (and mamas/dadas), led by the owner Erin.  The shop was flooded with little ones, and Erin managed to accommodate 13 little artists along the central table and on small desks.  The class begun with free drawing on long rolls of paper and a chance to say hello to other wee ones and their parents.  Then the children moved to the 'story carpet' and were introduced to some books about the surrealist artist Rene Magritte designed for children. 

We looked at 'Mr M: The Exploring Dreamer' (Sozick Meister et al, Simply Read Books, 2010), an interpretation of Mr Magritte visiting landscapes of the imagination, which did seem to resemble Vancouver, with mountains, bridge, a bear, crows, and beach and so on.  We also looked at a board book about Magritte which was most probably 'Magritte's Imagination' (Susan Goldman Rubin, Chronicle Books, 2009).

Storytime over, the children moved back to the table and drew elements from the landscape (bridge, mountains, beach etc) with oil pastels onto brown paper.  Erin then gave out silhouettes of Mr M, his umbrella, crows, and trees, which were collaged onto the background.  The next stage was to paint onto the composition.  It was very effective to carry out the piece of work in stages for this age group as they are often quick to declare they have 'finished' and this created a good pace.  I may have chosen to do the silhouette stage later as many of the kids obliterated theirs with paint, but its a small point.  I don't want to generalise (as I don't really know) but at 2 years, Boo's art was all about process and experience.  Now, however, she is beginning to approach some degree of representation.  When she paints a narrative accompanies the painting to describe what she is painting.  So I think she found the task of painting different elements such as the bridge (that's the green vertical lines in her painting!), the sea, beach, snow on the mountains etc helpful for her in structuring the composition.  The final stage was the application of blue glitter paint which was pushed around with a spreader to represent rain.

The workshop concluded with a recap on the story carpet, a second look at the books studied, and some time to explore the book box, whilst the adults paid, chatted, or looked at the shop.  There is also a little cubby hole with organic felt shapes and boards for those of approx 3ft in height.

This was Boo's first experience of making art in a class with her peers, and she was totally engrossed throughout.  As well as drop-ins, 3-5 yr olds can attend a series of booked classes 'sans mama'.  I'm sure it'll be great for her to do this once she is familiar with the place and structure, but I have to admit I'll be reluctant to leave, not for her sake, but for mine!

Apologies for the lack of pics of Collage Collage (forgot my camera - doh!) but you can see a whole load and find out all info about workshops etc at www.collagecollage.ca  

Henna Haven

My friend Riffat and her family have just completed an exciting round-the-world trip, and we were lucky enough to host them in Vancouver, their last port of call before returning to the UK.  Riffat practises as a henna artist in the UK, and her work is known in henna circles throughout the world, so we were lucky enough to host a little 'henna party' when she met up with Tammi, aka  Henna Bee, a henna artist from Kamloops BC.  Cue lots of little cones, puffs of glitter and whiffs of lavender oil from the henna paste (apparently lavender is a safe oil to use during pregnancy, other essential oils not being recommended).

Boo has developed quite a fondness for pretty things and pink glittery stuff ( I really have tried not to encourage the pink thing, but there you go), so she was up for it, and sat patiently whilst getting her little henna lovelies from Riffat and Tammi.

Many years ago, whilst as student, I regularly coloured my hair with 'extra red' henna powder, available from the Body Shop in the days when you took in your little bottles for refils and it wasn't because we were 'worth it'.  Then somehow I ended up using box dye, Body Shop went all swanky and didn't carry the powder, and my poor hair was all dried out.  So I was most excited at the prospect of having my hair hennaed by a pro, and yes, it does still feel like having a cow pat on your head, but I am most pleased with the results and proud that I haven't put chemicals on my noggin again, esp as I'm preggers.

Whaddya think?

Now, I'm not about to turn down the opportunity to put my feet up, so how blissful was it to sit and have henna applied in tiny swirls and blobs to my plates of meat?  Very, I can assure you.

Henna by Henna Bee , feet blogger's own.

 
Henna by Riffat

Henna by  Riffat

 

I can attest that applying henna is not a cinch!  Now, I can draw and can handle a paint brush, but my henna looks like I've got the DTs, so I am in awe of Riffat and Tammi's skills.

If you are interested in learning to apply henna and live in the UK, Riffat does training - information on her website.

Riffat was lined up to henna my pregnant belly when I was carrying Boo, but Boo decided to make her appearance 4weeks early so sadly I never had it done.  However, Henna Bee does bellies, so I'm hoping to get a shot at it this time around! 

 

There are now a whole load of prepared henna cones sitting in my house, so I've no excuse not to have a little practice, though I may spare Boo's skin from my wobbly lines for the time being!  

 

Henna by
 
 
 
 
 
 

Berry Good

 
Summer is most definitely not over here, but the berries have been ripening in the endless sunshine we have been enjoying. 

Amongst the green fruit we discovered enough blackened berries to put together our favourite blackberry and apple crumble. 

With the prospect of all those green-uns ripening in the near future, I'm on the look-out for new blackberry ideas.  Suggestions gratefully received!

In other news, my nausea has now subsided enough for me to tolerate ceiling fans (ah, what a relief) and to get back to knitting.  Having spent the last 6 weeks cursing pregnancy, I just might be able to begin to enjoy it.