Magic Realism

“ Summer is for surrendering; winter is for wondering.” – Debasish  Mridha

Early summer has brought changing skies, muggy air and the rumble of thunder. Looking in four directions yields a bank of dark clouds, stunning blue sky, a butter-like glow from the sun and soft rain leaving a shimmering iridescence behind. Gone for the moment are days held hostage by yet another heatwave and the threat of forest fires, but with this weather pattern starting to become our new normal, these moments will be a short reprieve from a new reality. 

With a blustery sea breeze, early morning and afternoons are the perfect time for cool walks in the park and lunches to be eaten outside. Today I’m patiently waiting to share a box of fish and chips with Terry at a favourite concession in the park. We’ve found a sunny spot where we can enjoy our Stash Lemon Meyer and Sunny Orange Ginger ice tea with our own tubs filled with a brightly coloured green salad (lovingly prepared with the generous produce from Saturday Farmer’s Market visits) – we try to picnic weekly during the fleeting months of summer, choosing the day based on the weather forecast.

Afterwards, I couldn’t resist stopping by the Pollinator’s Paradise, a beautiful pagoda structure located across from Lost Lagoon housing native Blue Orchard Mason Bees (Osmia lignaria). The waters of the lagoon are dark brown with sparkling waves bumping against the lush edges of the gravel path. There is still some ice tea to sip as I sit on the low stone wall watching swallows skim over the water and breathe in the subtle scent of salty summer air. There are exotically attired butterflies and dragonflies sharing this space and the many languages floating on the air makes me feel far away from the domestic life waiting for me behind closed doors.

Wanting to linger on this glorious of summer days, I wandered over to the Stanley Park Nature House to admire the new landscaping where I spied a small green turtle sunning itself on an exposed rock and upon climbing some stone steps, noticing some guerrilla yarn bombing in vibrant shades of lemon yellow, pale blue, slate gray with magenta and emerald green wrapped artfully around some black wrought iron fencing. A shady bench with a view of Grouse Mountain in the distance and the last of the ice tea are perfect footnotes to a spontaneous lunch out in the wild.

A walk down by the ocean on my way to buy coffee for my Dad’s cupboard this week had me yearning to join the swimmers bobbing gently among the undulating waves. The colour of the water, a rare sight, replacing the typical Pacific cobalt blue were tropical shades of dusky green and azure creating an otherworldly moment, making one feel that time travel exists if we are willing to go for the ride.

But in between this summer magic, niggling bites of reality leak in…blood tests not ordered in six years, my family doctor suggesting I don’t look when I take my requisition to the lab in preparation for my first yearly check-up after being cancer free for 5 years and the harrowing days of waiting for another shoe to drop when magic left my world briefly all those years ago…what a relief to finally see the results and magic’s return, I’m still here, happily writing down my world, in wonder of what might be around the corner waiting to find itself on my pages.

A beautiful shot of the Pollinator’s Paradise pagoda across from Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park (Vancouver, B.C.).

A sweet birdhouse nestled amid the lush greenery of Stanley Park (Vancouver, B.C.)

Mid-summer finds us seeking the shade-dappled trails of Stanley Park (Vancouver, B.C.).

This post is dedicated to my Mom who shares her Farmer’s Market bounty with us each week and surprises us with tasty soups as well!