Keira-anne.com

Apparently I rock Darren’s world. At least he said so because I promised him I’d blog about something that’s really important to him (and for good reason).

“The Bavubuka Foundation is a nonprofit organization that believes that connecting youth with music and the arts can transform lives and unify diverse communities. Bavubuka is dedicated to creating spaces and educational programs that will nurture and empower a new generation of young leaders in Uganda and all of Africa, who will use their voices to communicate positive messages and create positive change in their communities and the world.”

Next week, you all have the opportunity to be a part of a very unique event, celebrating an important project created to support youth on the other side of the globe who, normally, would fall through the gaping cracks of society.

Silas Balabyekkubo, founder of the Bavubuka Foundation, is screening his revolutionary film, Diamonds In The Rough, at the Tom Lee Music Hall in Vancouver. The film itself is narrated by Michael Franti of Spearhead. Following the screening, Silas will be engaging the audience with a Q&A session and wrapping the night up with an in-store performance. According to Darren, this is a very cool and rare opportunity to meet the man behind the hip hop tool of Bavubuka.

(For more information on the Bavubuka Foundation, click here to visit their website.)

The info you need for the screening is as follows:

What: Diamonds In The Rough

When: Thursday, May 29, 2008 (Doors at 7pm, Screening/Q&A from 7:30pm - 9pm, Performance 9:15pm - 10pm)

Where: Tom Lee Music Hall, 929 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia

How Much: Ticket are $15 (and almost sold out). Contact Kevin at (778) 847-6877 or info@beautifulstruggle.ca to get your hands on some.

The fabulous West Coast has been blessed with amazing sunshine over the last three days, and I couldn’t be more in love with it. I don’t think I’ve worn anything with sleeves since Friday morning on my way to work. Island times have been very good (which goes without saying when I’m with my family and Charley). Yesterday I spent the majority of my time with my aunt and managed to pick up a few things I needed - like a fully stocked first aid kit!

This morning I woke to find the sun pouring directly onto my face through the window, which was much appreciated being that I had plans to visit Kitty Coleman’s Woodland Gardens today for their annual Art & Bloom festival.

Of course I had to bring my little Wiggle Bum with me for the adventure. The sights, sounds, smells and herds of other dogs proved to be a bit overwhelming for her, but I know she had a lot of fun.

I’ve long wished to be a collector of pottery, but for some reason, was always deterred by sticker shock. However, today I found this really beautiful piece to kick off my collection, crafted by a Qualicum Beach-area potter by the name of Darrel Hancock. His claywork is exactly the kind I want to accumulate: simple designs, smooth lines and finishes in the blue and sand colours of the beach. Another plus - his pieces are totally affordable.

After some downtime, my mom and I met up with my aunt at The Timber Room, one of the two dining rooms at Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community.

The view was to die for, the warm air was scrumptious on my skin, my cold water shrimp and coconut curry Kohoku rice bowl tasted oh-so-good (and was wonderfully paired with my first glass of chardonnay of the summer season) and the desserts speak for themselves.

The service, on the other hand, left something to be desired.

I’ll let you decide what’s richer: the strawberry-doused New York cheesecake or the gold fire hydrants.

It’s up and at ‘em early tomorrow for your humble narrator. Vancouver is awaiting my return, as are two wonderful puppies. My mom will be joining me for a few days in the city this week, so though my posting will probably be less consistent, expect a log jam of photos from yours truly.

I normally love rain, but this is just depressing. We’re on day two of nothing but cold drizzle in downtown Vancouver. Naturally I’ll be Island-bound for the coming long weekend, but not before dropping the boys off with their Nanny and Papa for a couple days. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the sunshine and warm air promised for the weekend really do make an appearance because I’ve been dying for the chance to rock some flip flops and a new sundress. Mostly I plan on taking it easy and relaxing with Charley, but on Sunday my mom and I are heading out the door and down the street, literally, to Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens for their annual Art and Bloom Festival.

Photo: Kathy Birkett on Flickr (Used With Permission)

Photo: Kathy Birkett on Flickr (Used With Permission)

This is the sixth annual Art & Bloom Festival. The show is focused on presenting a limited variety of art forms. Emphasis will be placed on original works by painters, potters, sculptors, glass blowers, original stained glass designers, garden art and other unique art forms.

Photo: Kathy Birkett on Flickr (Used With Permission)

Photo: Kathy Birkett on Flickr (Used With Permission)

I remember visiting this very same place as a child with my family to pick out Christmas trees. In recent years, it’s been transformed from a Christmas tree farm to an exquisite garden within nature.

Regular admittance to the garden is $6 for adults, $2 for those 5-12 years old and free for toddlers. Rates may vary dependent on the event (ie. Christmas Carols at the Barn), and unfortunately, rates for the Art and Bloom Festival aren’t specified on the website. Luckily enough, dogs are more than welcome on the grounds, provided that they’re leashed and picked up after.

For more information, visit the website. Check back after the weekend for my review and personal photos of the event.

It’s getting late and I have toenails to paint, so here we go…

That’s all I’ve got for you tonight, kids.

Is it wrong that I blogged about the Children’s Festival and a naked-ish man in the same post?

Another Friday, another potential for adventure. In less than an hour, I’ll be bound for Horseshoe Bay to hop a ferry home for the weekend. I’m excited for time shopping with my mom and aunt, Juno, Chinese take-out from Quality Foods (yes, it’s a grocery store and yes, it’s the best Chinese take-out in the Comox Valley), cuddles and playtime with Charley, fresh air, relaxation, photo opportunities and whatever else the weekend brings my way. Two nights always seems to go too fast but at least it’s better than nothing.

Last night our Star Wars marathon officially came to an end with the destruction of the Death Star in Return of the Jedi. As a child, it was my favourite installment of the trilogy. As an adult, it’s clearly the worst. The Ewoks aren’t nearly as cute as I remembered them to be, and the movie as a whole was more than obviously made with mass marketing in mind. The magic of A New Hope was long gone. Return of the Jedi wasn’t even directed by George Lucas, so enough said.

While I’m soaking in the Island goodness, here are some things to keep your time occupied until we meet again:

Have a super Friday, everyone!

I live for Fridays. Actually, scratch that - I live for weekends. I relish time spent in quiet; completely un-rushed. Waking in the morning with sunlight spilling all over the floor, crisp coffee, pajamas until noon, leg warmers, movie marathons and time to do whatever I please to do (or not do). This weekend is no exception.

Amy and I have planned a “doggy date” with three little munchkins in the sunshine that Vancouver is supposed to be blessed with tomorrow. Also this weekend marks a birthday, so I am honoured with the duty of spending all of Sunday in the kitchen, cooking and baking up a storm. Truth be told, the Martha Stewart in me adores the task and I’m more than excited about it.

In the spirit of all things Friday at 5pm, here’s a little link love to kick off your weekend…

My weekend has been divine. Yesterday I spent many hours sleeping in, then after finally deciding to shower and “pretty myself,” I took the boys on a two-hour trek to Yaletown for new shampoo and conditioner for me and a little sumpin’ for my favourite monkeys. Word to the wise: Barking Babies is a bad idea. A knock to the pocketbook and half an hour later, we walked out with honey/peanut butter dog biscuits, doggy granola bars, yogurt-dipped dog cookies and a new squeaky lamb for each of them. The toys weren’t intended, but when I picked them up off the shelf, Benji jumped up and grabbed it with his teeth. “Well, I guess I’m taking two of those…” I said to the girl. However, it’s rather precious because rather than playing with his lamb like Casey, Benji has a tendency to drag his lamb into the dog bed and wrap it with a blanket and proceed to cuddle.

The rest of the day was completely uneventful, as a power outage knocked out our electricity to well into the night, and it wasn’t until midnight that I finally ordered a pizza and threw on Season 1 of ‘Oz.’ In case you were wondering, it’s a ridiculously fantastic series produced by HBO that aired between 1997 and 2003.

Today was the day I’d been waiting a long time for, being that I got together with some great people for a great cause. The 2008 Bowl For Big Brothers Classic welcomed a pared-down version of ‘Team Blogger’ at Xcalibur Lanes in Surrey. The five of us on hand enjoyed two hours of 10-pin bowling in the dark. Despite the fact that I’m not the biggest fan of cosmic bowling, I’ll rarely pass up the opportunity to bowl. But why let me bore you by telling you about it? Here’s a few snaps of the action. The rest can be seen in my Flickr set.

A huge thank you to everyone that donated funds to Big Brothers of Vancouver on behalf of ‘Team Blogger.’ Unfortunately, only 50% of us were able to make it out but I know the whole team feels it’s an extremely worthy cause that supports many Greater Vancouver youth who so desperately need this program. All in, we raised over $1,000, all thanks to you!

I’ve been waiting on pins and needles for this weekend’s Green Living Show at BC Place Stadium. Educating myself, particularly with respect to subjects that fit in with my values, has always been something I’ve held in high importance. I’m always excited to go on adventures with Becky, and this was no exception. My plan was to review the show, share some pictures and point you, my readers, in some interesting directions (if you planned on visiting the show). However, it turned out that there was so much to learn, see, do, take in and read about that to re-cap it all in one post will be impossible.

That being said, I plan on creating a series of posts which will appear here and on the frogblog over on the happyfrog website, breaking down some of the ideas shared, products presented and anything else that I think will be beneficial and of interest to you all.

The truth is, sustainable living is something that can be applied to a part of nearly every facet of everyday life, from food and clothing to transportation and construction. Each and every one of us are responsible for doing our part, and to do so is much easier than most may realize. Even just changing one aspect of your life is a change for the better, whether it be eating locally-produced vegetables or incorporating more eco-friendly fabrics into your wardrobe (bamboo is terrific and irresistibly soft). Organic beer is even an option if you just need to take baby steps!

That being said, here’s a look at some of the shenanigans us ladies got up to:

Here’s a quick list of particular booths, products, ideas and services I recommend checking out:

Also, make sure you stop by the Clear FM booth and enter for a chance to win a $2,000 “Eco-Dream Deluxe Bedroom Makeover” from Dream Designs, including 1 queen size organic cotton supreme futon mattress, 1 queen size organic cotton sateen sheet set & duvet cover, 2 standard size organic buckwheat comfort cloud pillows, 2 standard size kapok filled pillows, 1 bamboo filled duvet, 1 hemp shower curtain and delivery anywhere in Vancouver.

Two final pieces of very important advice I leave you with:

1. Though you will be tempted to try samples of all the foods and beverages you see, once your tummy is full of no less than organic chocolate, organic beer, coconut oil, hemp butter, organic wine and hemp milk, that same tummy will be very, very angry with you.

2. The guy running the Zipcar booth is very cute.