Labour Day weekend activities

For many, the Labour Day long weekend signals the end of summer. It looks like the weather is planning to cooperate which should mean outdoor activities are safe to be on the agenda.  Fortunately, there are enough activities and festivals planned in and around Vancouver this weekend to give summer the send-off it deserves.

On Friday, catch cult horror flick the Creature From the Black Lagoon at Stanley Park’s Monsters in the Meadow outdoor movie series. The 1954 classic is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. at Ceperley Meadow.

Head down to Strathcona Park on Saturday for Justice Rocks, an all-day music and social change festival with performances by local indie acts Choir Practice, Curtis Santiago, Fur Bearing Animals, and Run GMC.

Enjoy jazz, funk, roots, and blues at the Royal City Jazz Festival in New Westminster. Eight local ensembles will perform on the boardwalk at the River Market at Westminster Quay on Sunday and Monday.

Vancouver’s Only Magazine will host a Labour Day Block Party at Victory Square with free concerts by the Defektors, No Kids, Basketball, Certain Breeds, the Green Hour Band, the Evaporators, and Ice Cream, comedy from Man Hussy and Bronx Cheer, and DJ sets with Ian Wyatt, Benjamin, and My! Gay! Husband!

The festivities at Burnaby Village Museum’s Fall Fair on Labour Day offer activities and games sure to please the kids, including free carousel rides, face painting, a watermelon-eating contest, a parade, a bake sale, and the best of the summer harvest.

Jousters, tarot-card readers, puppeteers, musicians, and storytellers will entertain crowds at the B.C. Renaissance Festival from Friday to Sunday in Fort Langley. Vendors will be on-site selling costumes, corsets, jewellery, instruments, weapons, and pottery, and everyone is invited to participate in the nightly pub sing-along. Admission is $10.

Say goodbye to the summer at the PNE Fair’s last weekend of the season. Enjoy international cuisine, outdoor concerts, the daily parade, 50 rides, and 800 performances and exhibits. Spirit of the West celebrates the end of the fair with a free concert on Labour Day.

On Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Earthwise Society presents a traditional country fair with a twist: all food on sale will be homegrown and produced using sustainable practices. The first-ever Grow Local Fair in Delta will include live entertainment, a farmers market, a blueberry-pancake breakfast, potato and corn roasts, a drum circle, and a bake sale. Admission is $2.

Lace up your runners and join the Nike+ Human Race 10K on Sunday for the world’s biggest one-day running event, occurring simultaneously in 25 cities around the globe. Vancouver joggers begin their leg of the race at 5 p.m. on the corner of Georgia and Cambie, and will cross both the Burrard and Cambie bridges and circle around the Seawall. Athletes can unwind at the postrace party and BBQ downtown with musical guests the Trews and Theory of a Deadman, and video coverage of the 10K races in participating cities like Madrid, Shanghai, and Istanbul.

This weekend will be your last chance to visit the UBC Museum of Anthropology before it closes for renovations for six months. The museum is throwing a closing party on Labour Day from 1 to 4 p.m., with food, music, dancing, a Korean drumming performance, and a 20 percent discount off everything in the Museum Shop.

The Portobello West fashion and art market celebrates its two-year anniversary on Sunday at the Rocky Mountaineer Station. Browse for jewellery, clothing, bags, soaps, art, and fashion accessories from established and unknown Vancouver designers. Admission is $2 and a free shuttle is available from the Main Street SkyTrain station.

The Wild B.C. Seafood Fest takes place in the fishing village of Steveston, near the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Historic Site, on Saturday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sample seafood dishes from B.C. chefs or buy wild salmon, sablefish, and sardines direct from fishermen at the Steveston dock. There will be activities for kids and live music on-site.

Celebrate Taiwanese arts and culture at the three-day TaiwanFest at the Plaza of Nations from August 30 to September 1. Be sure to visit the food fair for popular Taiwan night market snacks. There will also be art exhibits, dragon boat races, and performances by local, Chinese, and Taiwanese music ensembles and dance troupes. One-day admission is $12.

The Lower Lonsdale Business Association presents a celebration of maritime life and community on North Vancouver’s Burrard Dry Dock and St. Roch piers on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Party-at-the-Pier will feature North Shore music acts, artifacts from the Vancouver Maritime Museum, harbour tours, a tugboat show, an Iron Chef-style cook-off, and Olympian Andrea Holmes, as well as face painters, clowns, stilt walkers, and jugglers.

If you’re heading out of town, you can’t beat the selection of festivals in Victoria. The Classic Boat Festival will see a parade of old ships, sailboats, and steam vessels go through the Inner Harbour, and the Vancouver Island Blues Bash offers a mix of jazz, soul, blues, and funk performances. The Victoria Fringe Festival also runs until August 31.

Have a fun and safe long weekend!

Happy Mothers Day!

This year my mum said not to waste our money on a card that will just end up in the landfill.  I want to mention an alternative idea to cards that I got from my grandparents.  Every anniversary instead of buying a new card (after 60 years that's a lot of cards!) they gave eachother the same card and just added the year onto the back.  They said why buy a new card when this was the "perfect" card!  I think this is just a fantastic idea and a great way to reuse those cards that either get tossed in a drawer or box to never be seen again.
This year my mum mentioned that she would love flowers for her garden.  I loved this idea, unlike the traditional bouquet of cut flowers, perennials will brighten her days for years to come, as each time she looks outside her window she will remember the thoughtful gift she received.  You can also make a day of it and plant them together!

Perennials Make Eco-Friendly Gifts for Mother's Day
Purchase a selection of brightly colored perennials to plant in mom's garden. Before making a purchase, drop by mum's house to find a good location for the perennials. Ask her where she would plant flowers if she had them, taking note of the gardening conditions. After gathering the necessary information, visit the garden center and select the proper plants for mum's flower bed.  Another great idea would be a potted herb garden for fresh herbs all season.

If you both enjoy gardening plant the flowers together. If she prefers to gaze at gardens rather than get muddy in them, plant the flowers when she is away.

A Picnic and an Earth-Friendly Bike Ride Make Mother's Day Special
Mothers Day is about spending time with your mum, plain and simple.  Leave the gas-guzzling SUV at home. Rather, enjoy a bike ride followed by a picnic at a nearby park or lake. Pack up the bikes with a delicious selection of fresh foods. Make a fresh salad of spinach, grapefruit, pecans, avocado, and goat cheese. Include some crusty bread and mouth watering spreads. Try pureeing white beans, olive oil, sea salt, and basil to make a tasty bean spread. Pack a container of hummus. Include a decadent piece of gooey brie cheese. Include a bottle of champagne or another special drink. 


Wishing all mothers a wonderful Mothers Day.

xoThe Farmers Wife

Bunny Ear Napkins

Step 1. Fold starched napkin into thirds to form a rectangle. (If you’re using a square napkin, you’ll need to fold in half, and then fold in half again to get a long rectangular shape.)

Step 2. Crease in half to create a center line for reference; fold top corners down along this line.

Step 3. Fold up from bottom corners along dotted lines.

Step 4. Bring left and right edges together on center line.

Step 5. Flip upside down and over. Turn up bottom point.

Step 6. To fasten: Fold left and right corners back; tuck one corner into the pocket of the other. Pull out bunny ears first; open up base. – Images and Ideas from Martha Stewart.