Eccola, Finalmente la Primavera! That’s it, finally Spring!

Tags

Aberdeen, Alstom, Bio, farm, Farmers, Gluten Free, Italy, Lansdowne, LRT, Ontario, Organic, Ottawa, Prince Arthur, Princess Louise of Prussia

Today is a very nice Sunny day and Spring is in the air, mind you it is only 3C but nonetheless it is sufficient to give you a clear message that Winter is finished. I made an appointment with the garage to have my tires changed to Summer and the renovations on both bathrooms will start. The decorator was here this week and she had those ”very fashionable” ideas about design, I am being kind here, I did not like her ideas at all, she is very much in the new concept which says that you do not live in your home, you only use it so sleep and the rest of the time you are at Starbucks entertaining friends, maybe that is why Starbucks will start serving wine and meals.

She proposed that we did not need a medicine cabinet nor a vanity under the sink, we live in a condo building and storage space is essential. So that idea was nixed. She belongs to the Brian Gluckstein school of shlock. Ideas that might work in Southern climes but not in Ottawa with our 6 months of harsh winters.

Anyway the contractor is coming on 9 April and we will go from there.

Today I walked to Lansdowne Park which has just been totally renovated. It is a very old Park, in existence as a race track and agricultural exhibition grounds for well over 130 years, in the 1960’s the agricultural fair gradually disappeared and then the park was use for football games and a carny fair, it was also a huge parking lot, all of it in one of the more up market neighbourhoods ”the glebe”. In the last four years after many Court actions and disputes between City Hall and an ageing group of former Hippies turn rich landowners, the project finally went ahead. What we have now is very nice.

There is also the Farmer’s Market with actual farmers from all the farms around Ottawa in the Valley bringing produce or meat. Lots of fresh Lamb, breads and pies, jams, cheeses, and many other products, all of it is Bio and Organic and Gluten Free, natural and fresh, made at the farm.

Today I was also able to see in the Lady Aberdeen Pavilion the new Light Train Car made by Alstom, WOW! it is exactly like the cars in Rome, Alstom is a French Transport company and their car trains are famous. Same design and colours, very nice indeed. The LRT line will open in 2018 (phase 1) it is well under way and people are excited. This is the biggest project in Ottawa since the construction of the Rideau Canal in 1820. It will put 70% of the city’s population within reach of the Light Train system. Next to the new train was an old city bus no. 5931 in use until 1979, things have changed.

I also looked at old pictures of Ottawa in Winter, very interesting. People played games like Broom ball and Curling, Snowshoeing clubs and Skiing and skating and Tobogganing. The people in the photos all look older and there are no kids.

I found one lady in the Market who was selling all kinds of meat pies and fruit pies, cakes etc. Some where Gluten free, so I bought one Chicken pot pie and a Carrot-Pineapple cake with icing.

Will is going to make Turkey meat balls for dinner, he made Chili yesterday and a beautiful Pulled Pork this week. Our crockpot has really paid for itself.

Rideau Canal near Somerset street, with skiers and a machine that brushes the snow in preparation for the dog sled races down the Canal during the Winter Carnival in 1925.

Dog sled teams near Parliament going to race on the Canal.

HRH Prince Arthur and his wife Princess Louise of Prussia in front of Rideau Hall their Residence in Ottawa with a party of friends 1912.

Snowshoeing Club in 1920 travelling by snowshoe from Ottawa to Montreal, a competition of sorts over 120 Km.

Group of Skiers in 1910 in he locks of the Rideau Canal below the Chateau Laurier seen in the top corner. This was before skying was organized as a sport by Prince George Leuchtenberg-Beauharnais in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec. He owned a small B&B called Pension Leuchtenberg, he died in 1972.

Nicky taking the morning Sun as he usually does after his breakfast.