From our calendar to yours comes this carefully considered agenda of cool things we are doing, wishing we could do, or conspiring to do in Vancouver, March 12-17, 2021.

SPRING FORWARD | Daylight Savings comes this week. Late on Saturday night – or more accurately at about 2am on Sunday morning – our clocks will spring forward, making room for the extra daylight that will help us to remember that the warmth of summer is well on its way.

EXPERIMENT | Wondering what to do with your extra hour of daylight? Cyanotype printing is a photographic technique that uses sunlight to capture images in an inky indigo glow. The name is derived from the Greek ‘cyan’, meaning “dark-blue impression” and the art that comes out of the process is beautiful. Intrigued? Local writer and photographer, Shizuka Yoshimura, wants to help you get started here.

FORAGE | Has the onset of warmer weather got you itching to go camping? Consider signing up for one of Swallowtail Culinary Adventures online courses before you head out of the city and into nature. From ‘Foraging for Beginners’ and ‘Virtual Foraging Survival Trip’ to courses on how to safely and responsibly forage for mushroom and identify medicinal plants, Swallowtail has it all. Courses are available as videos for a full year from when you sign up. Find out more.

ART | There’s still time to catch Sandeep Johal’s most recent exhibition, Beast of Burden. Drawing inspiration from her unique experiences, and paying homage to her own mother, Johal’s focus is both deeply personal and universally significant: touching on everything from concepts of perfection and contentment to loneliness, darkness, and anxiety. Be sure to put aside some time to check it out, in-person or online, before the show comes down on March 21st. Find out more.

CREATE | Got some spare time this weekend? Why not open a bottle of wine and get crafty? Collage making is an inexpensive, low commitment and fun way to exercise your creativity. All you need are scissors, a bit of glue and some old magazines. Make it even easier by hitting up Main Street’s Urban Source for a pre-made collage package to get you rolling ($12.95 gets you a paper bag loaded with postcards, vintage photographs, newspaper clippings and printed paper). Need some inspiration? Check out local artist Elizabeth Zvonar’s site here. Your mind will be blown.

CONTRIBUTE | There’s no time like the present to contribute to change. Start by making a mason bee home! If you have access to a little wood and a drill, check this useful post on how to build your own. No drill but access to bamboo? Here’s a DIY tutorial. No drill, no bamboo? No excuses! Even cardboard will work.

PIE | Sunday (3.14) is Pi Day. Obviously you’ll want to pay your respects by stuffing your face with a slice of pie. The Pie Shoppe has you covered. In addition to Banana Cream, New Orlean Style Coffee Custard, Lemon Custard with Burnt Meringue, Blueberry + Apple and a sultry sounding Lemon Butter Streusel, you can also pick up a ‘Take Home and Bake’ savoury pie such (think Cider Braised Pork, Smoked Tofu Veggie Pie, Traditional Tourtiere). There will be two sizes available for sweet pies: little 5 inch dudes for $12 each and more substantial 8 inchers for $25. Sweet or savoury, it’s important that you order in advance. Nobody wants you to be disappointed. Details here.

WRITE | It’s tax time, so pretty much the worst, most stressful and potentially punitive time of the year to open your mail. Do a pal a favour and pop a hand-written letter in the post. Just think of how happy they’ll be to open a letter from a friend rather than one of those nasty CRA jobs! If you’ve run out of letter-writing supplies, The Regional Assembly of Text can help. If anyone can fight the buzzkill of brown ‘send us money’ envelopes, it’s this crew. Scoot in to the Main Street shop for brightly coloured paper, fun postcards, stamps, stickers and all manner of writing utensils.

GET OUTSIDE | Birds are singing, light is changing, gatherings of 10 or more (of the same!) people are sanctioned – the city is starting to come alive again. Take some time to slow down and appreciate the here and the now with a spell of fresh air. Iona Beach Regional Park in Richmond (just north of the Vancouver International Airport) is a great go-to at this time of year, a beautiful stretch of sandy shoreline that spreads toward the sea at the mouth of the Fraser River. In addition to walking the beach (when the tide is out it goes on forever!) there’s also a breakwater to conquer. And, if beaches aren’t your thing, you can walk the raised boardwalk and gentle footpaths through marsh areas and check out log booms on the river. Breathe it in!

PLAN | Easter Weekend is coming up (April 2-5). Plan ahead for some at-home activities. The Learnery in Hastings-Sunrise has Pysanky egg dyeing supplies (colours available include Canola Yellow, Tofino Sunset, Glowing Hearts, Orca Black, Niagara Blue and Laurentian). Kits are selling out but there’s still time to pounce. Be prepared for a long weekend of creativity and colour!