Summer time in Nova Scotia...it's the time when our little friends in the woods come out and gather food. So we thought to put up a little "soba shop".
Pretty soon, a customer came sniffing around.
Hope he liked the food...
Nope, we didn't serve any alcohol. He probably was just head-over-heels with our menu! :-)
Please come again!
Little green apples are beautiful!
First, some of the apple branches were placed at a low position to show some low-hanging fruit. Some red elderberry provides effective contrast. Then, a tall branch is placed to depict an out-of-reach fruit.
The alstroemeria play only a support role. The apple branches are the stars for this arrangement!
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. --Miyako
We went to Mahone Bay to share a little ikebana joy. The Biscuit Eater kindly let us use their beautiful space again to set up some ikebana arrangements. (Yes, we did this a couple of years ago too!)
Miyako and two of her students--Susan & Val--put arrangements in some corners of the café...
...including one in the ladies' room...
Oh...and the ladies did not forget about the men's room either. They decided to have a bit of fun there too!. Not ikebana...just mischief! :-)
The big table at the entrance was host to multiple arrangements that could be taken as one harmonious piece.
We plan to have ikebana workshops at The Biscuit Eater, outdoors on the deck, weather permitting. Aug 14th (Fri) and Aug 28th (Fri) both 3:00-4:30 p.m. Miyako will teach basic upright moribana on the first date and basic slanting on the second. We put sign-up sheets on the table so please join us. Or, you can contact us directly to register too. (Cost: 35.00 plus HST).
Of course, a trip to The Biscuit Eater always includes a lovely meal. Food there is always good!
Thank you very much Cara and Frederick for allowing us to intrude into your charming space!
L-R: Susan, Cara (co-owner of The Biscuit Eater), Miyako and Val.
We went to Jomyo-ji (浄妙寺), a Zen Buddhist temple in Kamakura with the express intention of visiting the tea house Kisen-an (喜泉庵).
It is a spacious tatami tea room, with the engawa (縁側) porch looking out to a serene karesansui (枯山水) Zen rock garden.
It is a very peaceful place.
The temple serves matcha and wagashi (Japanese sweets). There is no better place to enjoy such a treat!
Tucked in the left corner of the garden is a suikinkutsu (水琴窟). You can't see it because it is underground. All you can see is the stone basin with a little water trickling on it.
Source: http://www.suikinkutsu.com/image/suidanmen.jpg
The suikinkutsu is a domed installation with a pool of water at the bottom and a tiny hole on top to allow water to fall in drops. The sound of the water drops echo inside creating a very pleasant (or shall we go as far as saying "mystical"?) sound.
The name suikinkutsu literally translates to sui = "water" , kin = "koto" (a string musical instrument), kutsu = "cave".
Next to the stone basin is a long bamboo pole that extends all the way to the engawa.
Put your ear close to the end of the pole and you can hear the melodious and soothing sounds of the water drops. Almost other-worldly!
We found a video of Jomyo-ji on YouTube. Enjoy the sound of suikinkutsu at around the 2:48 mark.
I was in the middle of putting together some fir branches for an arrangement about disassembling-and-assembling branch material when I realized that the vase I was using did not really fit.
I could not find another suitable container so I decided to make one...with cardboard!
In the Sogetsu textbook, there is also a theme about using unconventional materials. I decided to give that a try too! Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. --Miyako
June is the time of the year when the hydrangea (ajisai) and irises (shobu) bloom in Japan. Hydrangea can be found most everywhere!
Location: Houkokuji (報国寺）in Kamakura.
Growing wild on the roadside...
In temples and gardens...
Irises are less easier found. We went to a park in Saitama dedicated to irises. It is called the Someya Hana Shobu En (染谷花しょぶ園) and it opens only in June every year, when the irises are blooming.
We feel very lucky indeed to catch the blooms this year! After our walk around the garden, we treated ourselves to some wagashi sweets, appropriately iris-themed!
Adding an unstable element creates s a little tension in an arrangement...and makes it more intriguing.
Roses that bring a weighty feel sit in contrast with the lightness of baby's breath.
Then, gentle wavy branches.
The arrangement is intentionally put off-centre to create a sense of instability.
Here is the whole arrangement. Do you feel the slight tension?
I hope you like it. --Miyako
The large ikebana instalment that Miyako and her students created at St. Mary's University was featured in the June, 2015 edition of "Sō" (「草」) magazine, the official publication of the Sogetsu Teachers' Association.
L-R: Jean H., Patti V., Val S. and Miyako.
The arrangement was part of the Japaneseque event at SMU. Great job ladies!
We have teamed up with some friends to offer the Summer Arts Program for children ages 8-10 years old at the Shambhala Centre! It will be 5 days of fun, crafts and creativity. Parents get to see a presentation on the final day. Space is limited so please register as soon as you can!
Activities
Ikebana: the art of Japanese flower arranging,
based on 3 main elements: heaven, human & earth.
Gagaku: Ancient Japanese Court Dance and Music. We learn simple percussion on the drum, and its accompanying dance. The
movements are clear and open.
Calligraphy: disciplines of brushwork moving into open forms. We start with black ink and classical forms and move into color and free forms.
Origami: the art of Japanese paper folding. A great tool in developing spatial reasoning and geometric understanding, origami also teaches patience and concentration.
Etegami: means “picture letter.” It is a picture and a message. There are no rules Just draw and write what you feel in a moment of inspiration.
Bookmaking: each child creates a hand-made book
Teachers
Miyako Ballesteros is a qualified instructor in the Sogetsu School of ikebana. She owns the ikebana shop (6417 Quinpool Road, Halifax, NS). Miyako is passionate about sharing Japanese culture. Apart from ikebana lessons, she also conducts workshops in origami and etegami at different venues such as her shop studio, IWK, Dalhousie University, Halifax Public Libraries, etc.
Sarah Cox holds a Certificate in the Performing Arts in Dance from Naropa University. She is a long time student of Japanese Court Dance and also studies calligraphy and Japanese Tea Ceremony. She has taught children as well as adults for many years.
Jamie Pratt, Halifax representative of the Japanese Paper Place (Toronto), has long been fascinated by bookmaking arts. Through many workshops and studies she has learned various handmade book techniques and produced her own books.
For further information and registration:
Please contact Jeff Scott at the Shambhala Centre, tel 902-420-1118 ext 131.
Email: pathandculture@gmail.com
P.S. Healthy snacks will be provided but participants are asked to bring their own lunch.
Important Announcement:
We are taking a short holiday. The shop will be closed from Jun 12th (Fri) to Jun 21st (Sun). We will come back refreshed (and jet lagged!) and re-open on Jun 22nd (Mon)
