Madame Beespeaker's Pinterest Boards

 

Hey, are you on Pinterest? I love browsing the boards in my downtime and find some really inspiring ideas. My three favorite boards are Victory Gardens, Bee Homes and Garden Design. Check them out here: Bee Speaker Pinterest.

Yaletown Afternoon

Since it is absolutely pouring rain today I am very pleased that yesterday we were able to take advantage of a classic summer day to do a gallery and garden tour in Yaletown. My first stop on the journey was the downtown library where, in the best Vancouver tradition, someone was filming a surreal movie scene. Extras dressed in over the top costumes circa 1940 were milling about vintage cars against a contemporary backdrop of neon sushi signs and gawkers in t-shirts and shorts. I gawked a bit myself, then went in the library to check out some books on Darwin. I need a bit of a break for bees, so I've been doing some research on moths. Darwin writes about them too of course, and he even predicted that the orchid bees would become extinct because orchids were so good at self-pollinating. Did this come true? The implications are fascinating. He cultivated many orchids in his garden and green house at Down House in Kent where he did much of his writing and research in later life. I checked out a biography of Darwin called Darwin's Garden: Down House and The Origin of Species by Michael Boulter.

Next, I went to the Artstarts Gallery to see the exhibition where some of the art created by the students I worked with at Graham Bruce Elementary. I'm happy to see there are photos of the process so you can get an idea of the interdisciplinary nature of the residency. I zig-zagged down the hill to the CAG and enjoyed the work in Sentimental Journey. So many of the contemporary pieces in Vancouver galleries have become dry and antiseptic; it was refreshing to see some work using found objects, and a warm, humorous and at times poignant aesthetic. My favorite piece was by Gareth Moore: The Road Through the Forest by Lyman A. William. It was almost like an epitaph in a vitrine. I like the elements of theatrics--costumes and props that help you construct the fiction of a hobo's life.

My final gallery destination was the Numen Gallery in Yaletown where Diana Burgoyne and Robin Ripley are showing Interface/Interfacing:Kinetic and Sound Installation. The gallery is tiny, but in spite of its size it is packed with an incredible amount of art work. I was surprised to see how many artists had pieces on display. Robin and Diana's collaboration took my breath away. I pushed the switch, as guided by a sign on the wall, and slowly a needle hanging from a thread began its way on a vaguely triangular course. The wheels at the corners of the triangles are bobbins and a pattern of thimbles spreads out in the back ground, making the wall into a three dimensional map. Once the needle passes over brass-coloured disc, it activates a sound, perhaps that of an old sewing machine. The needle's journey is delicate and sensuous. One begins to invest concern in it's fate. Will it become tangled? Will it make it around the entire circuit? I immediately related it to the processes in our aging bodies--how our involuntary body functions become affected by outside forces beyond our control. Maybe I related to it this way because the wires in Burgoyne's sonic elements look so much like veins and neurons and because the thimbles heighten my sense of touch.

The rest of the show is Robin's work made using sewing notions. It is delicate, sensitive and obsessive. (Wow, there are a lot of knots!) My friends had joined me at this point and we were all drawn to the white buttons spilling out of a tiny box--bony, bubbly and almost frozen in mid-action. The other piece we were drawn to was the one with all the knots which hung like a gothic version of a weaver bird's nest. I'm really glad we got to see the show and it's on until September 5--highly recommended. The curator was very approachable and friendly.


Right in the heart of Yaletown is a group of community plots surrounded by skyscrapers where two of my friends who are chefs have garden plots. I had seen photos of their plots online and I asked for a guided tour. You should see the tomatoes! Little ones, big ones, ripe, green, dainty, pendulous, they've got it all. The trick is picking them before the birds get them. The plots are stuffed full of flourishing herbs, edible flowers and even some vegetables besides tomatoes.






Check out these potatoes growing in bicycle tires in Chef K's garden. What a great idea! She says that as soon as she saw the call go out for community gardeners for these plots she got on the list and spread the word. Chef K. is a tireless volunteer. She does a food-sharing program and if she sees someone who looks like they are hungry and "shopping in the garden" she'll try to give them something from her plot because some of the gardeners here might not be exactly well off either. She makes syrup out of the lemon balm growing in her plot, and like Chef C, has incredibly creative uses for everything that she grows.

Beer cans allow the water to penetrate the soil.



Some people just want to grow flowers. And that's good too, especially amidst concrete and glass.

Garden touring is thirsty work, so we head to the Sexy Scientist's pad for cocktails with the kitties. The cocktails are smooth and refreshing and before you know it we are laughing it up and sharing stories and offering opinions as the sun sets over False Creek. I headed off to Bella Pizza for a couple of slices, wandered aimlessly in Urban Fair for a few minutes and caught that cute new C23 bus which I love so much. I looked out the window to see if there are any falling stars, but not last night. The ones I could see were all fixed up there pretty tightly.

Bee Garden Design: Inspiration Journal

Step 1: Make an inspiration binder and/or journal

It's the first day of February and it's snowing gently outside my window. Still, it is time to start thinking about putting in that seed order and designing your garden. I love to read glossy lifestyle and gardening magazines as a form of escape and inspiration. There are plenty of great mags at the library, but your local thrift shop may have a stack. You should expect to pay about 25 cents for a used magazine. Now it's yours to clip, rip, and collage. I have a binder of gardening ideas, from fantasy gardens with a view of the ocean to ideas for the costumes my friends and I could wear on the set. Yes, think of your garden like a stage. Consider yourself the artistic director and let your imagination run free. Where is your drama being staged? Ignore the zones for a moment and think about where your fantasy garden is set. Do you love the bright oranges and saffron shades of India? Maybe you could grow a variety of Indian marigolds. Are you inspired by all things Chinoise? Maybe you could grow peonies from the Orient. The country that inspired you could influence the garden furniture you choose and the objects you place in your garden.


I have clipped pages with a color or texture I was attracted to, or a piece of furniture that gives a sense of style that catches my eye and my heart. I love articles are artist's gardens and I like to think that some day my garden could be filled with beautiful pieces of art as well as an abundance of fruits and flowers. I've clipped recipes for years, and now I look for themes and threads--which veggies am I the most passionate about and would make give me the most pleasure to grow in my small back yard? Put those recipes in your binder and refer back to them when you are ordering your seeds. My garden binder has newpaper articles too. Gardens are political. What kind of a political statement will your garden make? I refuse to buy seeds from companies which produce genetically modified organisms. As bees are attracted to heritage and heirloom plants, old garden books from the forties and older are a great resource to draw from as well.

After you've made your binder, take the time to have a cup of tea in a quiet spot and meditate over the connections in your book. You may find you have an attraction to the intense purple blue hues. You may admire delphiniums in someone else's garden, but for some reason think you can't grow them yourself. Why not take up the challenge? You may find yourself longing for the gardens of your childhood or those from a place where you had a memorable holiday. If you can't find an overarching theme, consider making your garden a patchwork quilt of niches, altars, and oases inspired by the diversity in culture and nature.

There are many articles these days about how to plant a bee garden, but the truth is there innumerable ways that you can make your garden attractive to bees. I like to start the process with creative visualization, which can then give us a starting point that will lead to the scientific aspects of the bee garden. Take the time to imagine yourself in your garden. Plan an ideal day in the garden--morning, noon and night. What kind of dinner parties, brunches, or tea parties will you have? Make drawings, collages, and sketches. If you want, use words to sketch out your garden, but use colorful pencils and pens. Do you have a friend that loves to garden? Send them a letter with a color photocopy of your ideas.

Why not have a garden design party? Invite a bunch of friends over, pop open a bottle of mead, put out your garden books for inspiration and start sketching out your ideas, and getting some creative feedback. Have fun!

Now it's 3 degrees Celsius and raining.