a peek inside the fishbowl

It’s been busy around these parts. I feel like I need to rekindle my relationship with my own home. We just haven’t been around, like, at all.

But first, would ya look at these two girls:

Those were taken at the park behind the Parkdale Market, where we bought dried corn cobs, multicoloured organic carrots (deeelish!), bok choy, and perfect fall apples. This was on our way home from a few morning hours wandering around the annual Enriched Bread Artists (EBA) open house.

[Last year’s open house was particularly fabulous. Read about it here.]

Part of the reason I like to bring the girls to art-related events is that they get it. They get art. They have no pre-conceived notions about what art is supposed to be. They are accepting and genuinely interested. And they have fun.

Pile of felt? It’s art!
Stringy stuff? It’s art!
Old pair of shoes? It’s art!

I had to laugh. Emma pointed to a wooden bench and asked me if she could sit on it, you know, because what if it was art? (BTW, one of the times we went to the National Gallery I also caught her thoughtfully studying one of those built-in-the-wall fire extinguisher cabinets.)

I think their natural open-mindedness comes from years of those preschool/early elementary fingerpainting, stamping, toilet-paper rockets, handprint-turkeys, popsicle-stick art and projects of that ilk. Much of it is very abstract, or it comes out looking very abstract (whether that’s intended or not) and they love it for what it is, that is, a creative effort borne out of some tiny part of a person’s brain.

If you have kids (and even if you don’t) you must (must!) go. I insist. And you’re not too late. It continues next weekend (dates/times here). Please go!

First of all, it’s free.

Second of all, it’s exciting. There are three floors of studios, with nooks and crannies and hallways that twist and wander. You will never know where you’re going. And the wind. Oh the wind! Every year there is a howling wind. It gathers, banging and clanging through vintage air vents, yelling at anyone who’ll listen.

Third, it’s eyeball and head filling. You will see some really awesome art, all made by local hands.

The snooping is amazing.

I love love love the photos of the girls taken at these times. They walk around the place practically holding their breath… enraptured and totally agog. The geewhiz expressions are priceless.

I hope they can always be like this.

Tomorrow: sporting things, anteeky things, a very large robot, and general nostagia.

(I’m finally using fabric I bought oh so long ago… !)

[ETA: one more photo below]

Emma and Sarah each had a doctor’s appointment yesterday. I pulled them out of school early and we set out. It was booster time for Sarah (late, I know).

Check out Sarah’s artistic interpretation of what went down. It’s quite detailed and accurate. Poor kid.

The doctor’s office is just off Somerset (our “Chinatown”) and since we were already there I promised that we’d have bubble tea afterwards.

Sarah got to pick the flavour: chocolate mint with pearls.

After that we went to one of my favourite shops in the area, Global Homeware. It’s a small store with a large (and sometimes strange) array of imports. Your eyes hurt from it all, the figurines, Hello Kitty, origami papers, chopsticks, Japanese plush, notebooks, pencils, moth balls, rice cookers, dishes… it’s exhausting and fun.

Lucky for us, they were having a sale.

The girls each picked out a new wallet. I picked out a wasabi-green leather Totoro pencil case ($7.99) and a red Paul Frank bowling-style bag ($19.99).

When we got home Emma loudly speculated about my purse-buying habits.

“Mummy,” she said. “You buy a purse, wear it a lot, and then never wear it again. Why is that?”

That my dear, I cannot answer.