Events and things

Tags

dachshunds, dogs, Events, Holiday, hounds, life, sleep, XMAS

First this photo of our Nicholas or Nicky for his friends. Every morning same routine, Nick loves to get up at 7:30am to go out for a short walk and then quickly in for his breakfast. Then he looks for a spot of sunshine and will lie in the sun like any hound loves to do. If there is no Sun well then he will point me to my chair in the living room by making funny little nasal growls, softly, plaintively and moving or jerking his head to indicate over there. I go sit down with my morning Espresso and he comes to sleep by me. Nothing complicated and it makes him happy, just snoozing away, such a good boy.

As we come to the end of the Year 2019 and Christmas is just around the corner, I looked at my calendar for the past year, counted 85 events attended during the year. I also did at least 60 coffee mornings with various people, many with local politicians one on one to talk about issues. I am not counting all the other general activities on any given day like looking after Mr Nicky and Ms Nora.

Today is Black Friday, essentially an American tradition which jumped over into Canada. We bought a new Dutch oven from Paderno a well known maker of Canadian pots and pans and a local company, huge discount of 75% on the price. This is quality stuff and is usually not cheap. Could not resist and went to Canadian Tire to get a 6 Litre Dutch oven.

I also went to buy our Xmas Crackers for the table, they are all made in England, I also got fancy little bags to given to each one of our guests on Christmas Day Lunch. We will stuff the bags with nice small gifts and things. Our guests love those and the surprise is different for all, no one gets the same thing, there will be a candy cane, some chocolates usually filled with liquor from Anthon Berg of Denmark, a small candle, a fragrant fancy soap, some nuts in their shell and I don’t know what else.

Our crackers will be colourful, I really like those ones and their contents. I don’t know if a lot of people do crackers. Do You ?

Today the weather is quite bad, high winds around 70Km, rain changing into snow squalls tonight. The Santa Parade has been moved to Sunday which is suppose to be sunny.  Horrors of horrors, I saw my first snow plow today, spreading salt on the road.

Oh well, it’s Winter or late Fall …..

 

 

 

 

Arts and Culture

Tags

art., Charlottetown, culture, Events, PEI

Since arriving in PEI, I have been impressed with the abundance of arts and culture in PEI. Tonight I participated in the ART in the OPEN Festival. This festival takes place over a period of 8 hours in the parks of Charlottetown with music, art installation, projections, lights, parade. A fascinating spectacle and is entirely free. Walking through old Charlottetown installations were everywhere, starting with the parade of the Crows, we do have at all times a large crow population. Victoria Park had a lot of installations, from the floating pop tents in the river, all illuminated like Chinese lanterns. Or the dancing cows in Connaught Square, architecture in the Park, the Gauntlet a game of 3 riddles with monsters like the Sphinx in attendance in the forest of Victoria Park, this was surreal surrounded by the thick forest with only small ground lights to light the path, eerie sounds, projections and what surprised me the most was the night sky above full of stars and the outline of our galaxy the Milky Way, so strange to see that in the City. The cannons at the battery instead of firing cannon balls had been decorated to give the impression they fired a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables. Then there was United States of Anamensis a fixed multimedia electroacoustic sound installation with 8 projections.

Seen in the day light and then how I saw them at night around 09:30pm

In the forest we had to walk in the dark past Dead Man’s Pond which in Charlottetown is the stuff of legend and myth. Every kid will tell you not to go there at night, it seems no one knows how deep is the pond. We also had to walk past Fanningbank which was all lite up like a great white palace that it is surrounded by its stately gardens. Then in the great green area of Victoria Park was at least 20 camp fires speaking to the myth of the ancient to keep the darkness at bay with fire. There was a lot more to see, I found it enchanting. The whole show had to be put up in one day and then dismantled before 4am so that in the morning it had vanished like by magic. I had never walked in the city and in the area of Victoria Park at night, it looks so very different with the great body of salt water and the night sky.

It was great fun and again spoke to the strenght of volunteer work in PEI in organizing such events. The number of artists and the enormous amount of talent.

Art in the Open asks that we discover the artworks in unexpected places and in unexpected ways. The public participates by discovering the artworks and by exploring their surroundings. A Free contemporary art event.

When I arrived…

Tags

1976, 2016, Birthday, cake, Chocolat, Events, Family, FATE, Fortune, Friends, memories, World

In 1976 was the great year of the Montreal Summer Olympic Games, I celebrated by 20th Birthday that year in Montreal with my family. I do not remember exactly what I did, but I do remember attending the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games. I had won excellent seats in the great stadium and it was exhilarating. Then in August I left to start my University courses at Ottawa U. So I arrived in Ottawa at the age of 20.

Today some 40 years later I am 60 and just celebrated with some 45 guests this great event here at home. Will arranged a wonderful party, the food was varied and very good, our guests were pleased. Instead of a cake we had 12 dozens of mini cupcakes in various flavours made by Thimble Cakes on Bank Street. Minou of BelFiore on Elgin street prepared a wonderful, delicate floral arrangement for the party. Everyone brought gifts in the form of fine Champagne, wine and single malt scotch, though the request had been made not to bring anything and with it an avalanche of good wishes and cards.

 

Flowers by Minou of Bel Fiore on Elgin street.  www.belfiore.ca

It was so good to see so many friends and old acquaintances, I feel honoured by their presence. Many of whom I have known for all these years and with whom I share so many life experiences here in Canada and abroad.

There has been many Birthdays in between in those 40 years, all around the World, from Istanbul, to Cairo, to Warsaw, to Chicago, to Rome, to Mexico City, To Amman, to Beijing.

What an incredible life it has been and now on the cusp of a new adventure, a new Province a new life. Life goes on with newness. One can only be thankful for all the many blessings.

My little sister came up from NYC with her husband and father in law and reminded me of stories my late parents use to tell about my birth and early childhood. So many stories, happy memories of a time long ago. Will, had gathered some old photos and everyone teased me about how I had not changed that much in 60 years.

Thimble mini cupcakes of various flavours. thimblecakes.ca

Cylie Artisans Chocolatiers of Ottawa   cyliechocolat.com