ROMA

Tags

Italy, life, memory, Rome

To think I lived in that fantastic city once not so long ago. Today September 2, the weather is sunny and 26C. Though this Summer has been far too dry and created a water emergency in the City. The images I recognize as the old places where I lived, funny to see those images as a resident of the City instead of a visitor, there is so much more to remember. Many of the shots at the beginning are of early morning at sunrise when there is no traffic and no one about.

 

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We go from one to the other

Tags

allergies, bullies, dysfunctional, education, fashion, Food, kids, life, North America, parents

Back in the 1960’s at the time when Dr. Benjamin Spock was all the rage with parents and childrearing, a new term started to appear in school. Parents, I should say mothers, would say that little Johnny was sensitive and this is why he was not doing so well in class. The fact that little Johnny was indulge and a lazy bastard was not really considered, he was sensitive and schools started to pander to that affliction amongst school boys. That went on during the 1970’s and by the early 1980’s the fashion had turned to letting children choose what they wanted to learn. If in the elementary levels 1 to 6 parents demanded loudly a return to basics, writing, reading, math, in high school it was all about self-discovery and choice. Why would a 13 year old know what they wanted to do and what they should study or what was important to learn at an age when puberty reeks havoc and you have mood swings and changing taste from  one day to the next, is beyond me. I remember then that one popular conversation amongst my school chums was how all you really needed was a grade 9 education to make your way in life.

Then with the rise of the talk shows and all the TV experts, were they really experts? I somehow doubt it, we had a succession of maladies, first abuse in childhood, then dysfunctional families, then allergies like peanuts and all manner of other food allergies like newly discovered glutens, then bipolar disorders, currently transgender children, school bullying is also popular and equity in schools for girls, we are not talking about equality which is a 1970’s topic. What I find interesting about all these different social topics is that everyone is affected, everyone is bipolar and everyone has allergies or comes from dysfunctional families etc.. the list goes on. Remember Oprah came from a dysfunctional family, she had an episode of her show on the topic and the ratings went up.

Per example here in Canada now the whole transgender question is top of radio discussions or at least on CBC. We are told parents should look for signs in young children from birth. A parade of experts and activists give us their views, like it or not.

Having lived in many countries in various cultures, I am comparing and note that all these preoccupations are very North American, we say First World but no it is typically from our culture. Many activists see this as a way of advancing individualism to the extreme, then translate this into a Human Rights issue, the group, society, no longer matters, only the single individual and we must all conform or be denounced.

Peanut allergies do not exist or if it does it is not a fixation as it has become here. The concept of dysfunctional families does not exist as such, maybe because other societies are more conventional or deal differently with their societal problems. Same with all other questions. You certainly do not see the level of hysteria we encounter here. It has come to a point where you cannot have a mature discussion, everyone is riding their high horse and being sanctimonious.

I wonder where we are going as a society, if the so called youth is our future then I am very worried, the little darlings are not prepared for real life and its challenges.

1 May 2016 and today

Tags

art., Charlottetown, life, Music, Neighbourhood, PEI, PEI Symphony

Well it has been one year since we moved to Charlottetown,PEI. Last year when we arrived the weather was sunny and cool like today. We are well settled in our new home, busy with various volunteer jobs. Today I walked in the neighbourhood in late afternoon and took these pictures.

We should not forget that they too came with us and are now also well settled in their new home.

The Haviland Club on Dundas Esplanade which until 1919 was the US Consulate in Charlottetown.

The Government Bog in front of the Gates of Fanningbank, the Residence of the Lieutenant Governor.

Low tide in the bay at the entrance into the Strait of Northumberland.

The houses on West avenue

Today we are invited to Fanningbank (Government House) for the reception given by the Lieutenant Governor and PEI Symphony Board welcoming the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Maestro Alexander Shelley and violinist James Ehnes who came to Charlottetown for a concert to start the celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Canada. I just hope they don’t ask me to do a tour of the house, since I volunteer as a docent.

Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra
Colin Davis conducting. Mozart, Magic Flute, the march of the Priests.

 

 

I could live there

Tags

abroad, Asia, challenges, continents, Europe, ex-pats, Latin America, life, living, Travel

So many times when I will hear people say that they would love to live (permanently) in this or that city or country. Usually this comes up if they have recently travelled or read about a city or country. A few years back I heard of a Montreal couple who retired, sold their home and got rid of all their belongings and moved to Prague in the Czech Republic. It is a lovely place to visit but would you seriously want to move there permanently? I know that they did not speak Czech which is a Slavic language very similar to Polish. All they wanted was to start a new life from scratch, that requires a lot of courage and perseverance.

A few things to consider, one being language, in any foreign country if you plan to live there or spend more than a month, you need to learn at least enough of the local language to be able to function on a daily basis. No the locals will not speak to you in English it is not their language and don’t expect them to accommodate you in this age of mass tourism.  Too often people believe that it will be no problem and they can learn the lingo once they are there. Not so, not so at all.

The other things to consider is culture, ways of doing things, mentalities and social norms.  Those can be big challenges to every day life, living in a country where you are a foreign minority. Trying not to sound like an Imperialist or a Colonial. Yes at home you did things a certain way because that is the way we live here, however elsewhere it is a completely different matter. No one will accommodate you nor see things your way, you will have to adapt or else be ostracized, you are after all a foreigner. It won’t help to remind the nationals that you come from a different country or make endless comparison as if to make a point of being superior.

Cost of living always appears to be the first concern, though cost of living in many countries is not as high as Canada. In Italy the average person lived on $1500 to $1800 CDN per month as of 2011. People live in small apartments, usually a one bedroom one bathroom with a larger room serving as kitchen, dining and living room combined. A single person may live in smaller accommodation and a family would have a two bedroom apartment. No family car and if you do have a car it is small and you park on the street. If you go to work you walk, take public transit, or have a moped to ride, the price of gas at $2.15 a liter or $8.60 per gallon. At any rate employers do not provide parking at work so the fall back is Public Transit.

A friend of ours in Rome came to work at a school where he occupied a management position. He found an apartment in a trendy neighbourhood called Pigneto on the Eastern side of the City. He lived in a small one bedroom apartment in a 6 floor building. He did not know the neighbours, but they were noisy and yes cooking smells and loud conversations late at night. That is life and that is the way it is, so get use to it. There was no A/C and no clothes drier, a very small clothes washer allowing you to wash only a few items, no dishwasher and a very small fridge. Given the cost of electricity in Europe, people are forced into saving energy unless you have a lot of money to pay the high rates. So these are things you need to consider when you wish to live abroad in a country where, though similar is not the same as back home. All this of course is not apparent if you are on a vacation just passing through.

We had friends who moved to Mexico to live in Ajijic near Guadalajara on Lake Chapala, an enclave of Canadians and other ex-pats. What I did not understand was how they manage to live in an area without speaking the language. It was similar to not being able to read or write, isolation ensues and your live on the margins of society. Many come only for the Winter Season up to 6 months but if you are going to do that every year because you invested into a property and own a business or simply live there, would it not make sense to try to integrate into the local scene and not simply sticking to the ex-pat  community, which can turn into a curse.

Food and Health care is another major topic most people don’t think about, however it is very important. In every country I lived in food was always a big question. Be it Mexico, China, Italy, Poland, Egypt or Jordan, the local cuisine is very different from what we know or what we think as their local cuisine. Everywhere I went there was problems with colleagues who served up to 3 to 4 years in a particular country but hated the food. Mexico has many regional cuisines unknown to us in North America, no it is not like the chain restaurant menu. Same in China, the food was so different from one region to the next, it was a learning experience, noting like Chinese food in Canada. Italy was another shock for many who bitterly complained, from the Lasagna to the Pizza to various other meat dishes with no pasta depending on the region or province. In Egypt and Jordan where lamb and chicken dishes are common, the preparation often with yogurt and herbs is different to suit the culture. The ex-pats stayed home and were resentful that the locals would not accommodate their North American palate. Restaurants did not have kids menus, kids either ate what adults ate or stayed home with a babysitter. Funny how the local kids had none of those problems.

Health is another sensitive topic, imagine having a major operation performed in a foreign language you barely understand and needing a translator to speak to the doctor.  The care is good and often better than in Canada, but you have to trust your doctor in a foreign language. I know that in the movies they always go to the American Hospital, the reality is very different. I had operations in Italy and Poland and the care was quite good.

When we left Rome, we were not happy, we did not want to leave, though most of my colleagues could not get out fast enough. We had integrate fairly well in Italy and had friends in the City, we spoke the language reasonably well to be able to move around without help. We returned to Rome twice afterwards for private visits and though we are very comfortable in the City and have all our favourite spots including a barber shop and favourite shopping etc. It suddenly became clear to us that living permanently there would not be the same for the long term. Life in Italy is easy, but again you are a foreigner, how do you fit in. Not only do you have to be fluent in the language but you must forget what life was like back in Canada and adapt to all the little idiosyncrasies of the group and place, that is very difficult to do and requires much effort.  But if you are flexible and open minded it can be done.

Having moved within Canada from Montreal to Toronto to Ottawa to Quebec City and now Charlottetown all of whom are very different from the other though always within Canada, imagine moving abroad. I have heard to many stories of people who did move to the USA or France or England because of the similarities with Canada only to be sorely disillusioned. Maybe having to face the bitter truth that they are not as flexible as they thought and more stick in the mud types.

It really is not for everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aujourd’hui

Tags

2017, Birthday, Charlottetown, life, Quebec City, Sainte-Foy, us, Will

Well today is the day, bright and Sunny Spring day here in Charlottetown.

For lunch we had Lobster sandwiches, pretty good stuff. Tonight is the party, special cake made by my pastry chef neighbour, food made by our friend Pico who lives a few a few doors from us who is an amazing cook from Senegal. Beautiful fresh flowers, because  it is Spring, they are Tulips. Will also made two patés, one Salmon and one chicken livers with currants, quite good and lots of bubbly for my friends to drink.

1962 going to school first day. My Mom took that photo. 

Flying to Rome some 52 years later, notice the hair cut is pretty much the same.

No that is not water I am drinking.

What an amazing life I have had, quite thankful on this Birthday for my good fortune.

Also thankful for Will and the 39 years we have had so far together.

Time passing

Tags

1959, 1971, 2017, American Pie, Birthday, Buddy Holly, Don McLean, life

In ten days it will be my 61 Birthday. Today at the store I was buying stuff for the party and they played this song, American Pie, The Day the Music Died. Just listening to this song no matter where I am brings back a flood of memories from those days not so long ago. I was 3 years old when Buddy Holly died in February 1959 in a plane crash in Iowa, I would only here of him many years later. The song was written years later but all the words and reference are of that period I grew up in.

It is by far the song I love the most. With my birthday now being close at hand, looking back I think how the world was so different then in the 1960’s. It was not a golden age of peace, no not at all, there was a lot of turmoil in the world, decolonization in Africa with the usual ensuing civil wars, the Palestinian organization Black September and other groups in Italy, Red Brigades and in Germany staged terror attacks, planes then where highjacked frequently, security in airports simply did not exist. The Vietnam war, with its American involvement as of 1961 taking up where the French had left off, there was steady economic growth until 1973 when the price of oil shot up overnight, the race for nuclear weapons, the Cold War and rivalries between the USSR and the USA, the World was split in two, East and West. But the prosperity and lots of jobs, a time when you could quit one job and the next day land another one.

Politicians where not better but the World was more naive, more gentile, you could believe in a better tomorrow, all was still possible, the 1970’s would start to change that perspective, the North South Dialogue was all the rage, the idea was to export factory jobs to the South, AKA Third World Countries to share the wealth, most manufacturing jobs went to Asia, Corporations could not believe their luck.  Our politicians told us we did not need those job because we would have value added jobs and leisure. No one knew what that meant but it sounded good. By 1979 it was clear the world was no longer such a nice post Second World War place. The 1980’s would shake up a lot of people, the financial crisis of 1982 would put an end to prosperity and the era of cut backs was inaugurated as I entered the job market. You would have to wait until the 1990’s to hear such demoralizing slogans as Do more with less, Be efficient, Be Cost effective, Cut the waste, Think outside the box, It’s cutting edge, Be a change agent, Change is good. All these slogans will be debunked one by one but after much human cost as inequalities grew with the result we see today. We do live now in an age of uncertainty and this will continue for many years to come.

So as I look back I am happy to be 61 and not 21 or 31, in the next 30 years the world will become a more difficult neighbourhood. It has been for me a great time, a great life and that 1971 song American Pie by Don McLean reminds me of it.

Les petites cérémonies

Tags

dinner, Food, Friends, home, life, meals, routine

We all have our little routines every day and develop new ones when life changes. Per example after I retired some years ago, I no longer had a need for business suits except for one nice dark Italian suit and a couple of blazers in case I need them for a special day.

Usually now it is casual wear and here on the Island it is more like vacation comfortable wear, though we have done formal and business suit on a few occasions.

I may or may not shave on a day because I have no were to go and am not meeting anyone that day. On the other hand dishes and laundry gets done promptly now that we no longer have a cleaning lady.

Meals are planned that morning for the day and I keep tabs on what we have in the freezer and the fridge. We also see friends on a more impromptu manner, not much is planned unless it is a special occasion.

Every night we have cocktails at 5:30pm after the dogs have had their dinner. We have a 3 course dinner around 07:30pm unless we are going out to a concert or event. We always use dishes and the table is set with cutlery and place mats. We have dinner in the dining room, a bottle of wine paired for the meal and tapered candles are lit on the table, there is also music softly playing in the background. It is the same routine every night.

When we have guests for dinner or lunch, we will have drinks first, we will set a menu and we will never serve the same menu to guests twice, if we had a chicken dish once, the next time they come we will serve something different. Depending on the season the menu will vary greatly, we never serve a salad as a main dish and I find it very gauche to do so. A salad is just an intermediate course served with a prepared dressing not something from a bottle.

When we have a party, there is one coming up in 10 days, we think ahead of what we will serve, are people coming for a meal, or just drinks and nibbles which means serving good quality nuts and olives, a paté or a hard cheese with selected crackers. In this case we thought of doing a salmon mousse or a chicken liver paté with wine. We will chose a wine something which will go well with the event and if people bring a bottle of wine, I prefer to set it aside and go with what I selected for that night in white and red. Recently we had a pizza party and I asked my guests what they wanted, some preferred vegetarian other with meat or cheese or gluten free. Then I ordered from a pizza place here in town which makes really good pizza on thin crust, it tasted a lot better than the stuff from a commercial chain. We had a great party.

All these little details make for routines which define our lives and make everything more pleasant on any given day.

 

 

 

 

 

Cooking

Tags

cooking, Entertaining, Food, Gourmet, life, style, Wine

How many people remember Gourmet Magazine? We use to receive it monthly and it had all manner of recipes with all kinds of strange ingredients you knew would not be on the shelf of your local grocery store.

Those were the days when we would give dinner parties and try to replicate one of the recipes in Gourmet. We went through a lot of effort, me shopping for the mystery ingredients and Will cooking it all.

Then came Martha Stewart and we were now on another level all together, it took me quite a bit of time to realize that she had a staff of 50 behind her in the kitchen, house, garden to do all those little simple chores. You never saw them and no mention was ever made of them, but if you tried to do something she suggested you quickly realized that you needed days of preparation in order to achieve a decent level. Then came Bon Appétit and then America’s Test Kitchen with Christopher Kimball, love that show on PBS.

With those dinner parties and luncheons, table setting was also important, the right flowers for the centre of the table, linens and dishware to accompany the food, crystal glasses, silverware, plate or sterling. I use to spend a lot of time on thinking about the details. I still do some planning but it is a lot simpler now.

We did a lot of those dinner parties throughout the years and did entertain but that was a different time and we did have people to help with the service at table, cooking, cleaning etc.

I would not think of doing any of this nowadays, fashion has changed, everyone is more in favour of simpler dishes and smaller portions, people also do not drink as much. Many only drink wine, cocktails are out and after dinner drinks are no longer offered. We also entertain differently more casual and relaxed.

Though I still like to cook something special and try a new recipe, I am just not willing to spend the time we use to spend in the preparation. Well prepared, good food does not need to be complicated to please. Each meal on a daily basis is simpler but all are made from scratch and we have resisted so far the frozen entrées or processed can foods. My motto is If I have to eat it, then it should be good. When we have guests we always try to surprise them with a dish they never had at our house, no repeats and no take-out.

I still like a good bottle of wine and will go to some effort to find what is best but at reasonable price.

Simple is good and still looks beautiful! Next weekend we are having friends over to celebrate our first Winter visit to PEI one year ago this month, this is when we decided to move here. The menu will be gourmet pizza with various toppings, I asked our guests what type of pizza they like, some are vegan and others have toppings they really like so will try to please all. We will have wine paired depending on the flavours. It will be all about conversation, good food, wine and the moment.

Tomorrow Sunday our friends will skate across the street from our house on the improvised skating rink, it is fairly cold right now, the ice is like a polished mirror. I told them to come to our place afterwards for hot chocolate, I have a reserve of two flavours Chocolate truffle and white chocolate to warm them up. It should be fun.

Our neighbour

Tags

Charlottetown, City, coyote, Fox, life, PEI, Urban fox, wolf

Here in Charlottetown the urban Fox population is something to get use to, they are everywhere in either Silver or Red colours. They use to live in the countryside but the arrival of the Coyotes from the Mainland pushed them into town. The Coyotes came to PEI just about 15 years ago via the ice bridge on the Strait of Northumberland, it is estimated about 2000 couples now live on the Island. The coyotes are bigger than the usual coyotes you might encounter, they are half the size of a wolf, sort of a mix, they can be heard in the countryside at night, talking and howling, it can be unnerving but they do keep their distance from humans, though small pets can fall prey to them if you are careless and let your pet  wonder out of the garden.

The Fox on the other hand is a rather urbane and sophisticated animal, they know to be discreet and furtive. Though I have encountered them on the street often just a couple of feet away from me, which I always find startling. They can be nonchalant and pretend they don’t see you. My only concern is if I am out with Nora she instantly goes into hunting mode and gives her dachshund shriek in that furious tone.  From my window I see them running across the park or the street, they always seem to know when to cross and avoid cars. People slow down if they see one.

The silver fox is also quite beautiful and the fur looks like silk. We hear them bark which is distinctive from a dog bark, it cannot be mistaken.

Beautiful animals, I cannot imagine anyone harming them or hunting them. This link is all you need to know about the history of how the Fox came to be on the Island, No they did not like the Coyotes cross on ice floats from the mainland.

https://willyorwonthe.wordpress.com/2016/11/15/the-fox-on-the-tree/

From one year to the next

Tags

2017, Charlottetown, life, New Year, PEI, World

Here we are on the Eve of a New Year, despite our fears and hopes, we really do not know what the year will bring.

For us it was quite the year, it was a new beginning, new friends and a new life chapter, I really had no idea on New Year’s Eve 2016 how any of this would turn out. In the end now I would say it was a wonderful year.

Now on the Eve of 2017, the 150th Anniversary of Confederation, the birth of modern Canada, I think of 1967 the year of the Centennial, I was 11 years old living in Montreal at the time and it was the year of the World Exhibition, “Man and his world” with all it’s wonders and 90 National pavilions to so many countries and over 5 million visitors during the Summer months. I remember all the Heads of State who came, from the Emperor of Ethiopia to the Shah of Iran. All Canadian currency that year in circulation was designed by famed Canadian Artist Alex Colville (1920-2013). We were displaying our new National Flag adopted just 2 years previously, there was a lot of optimism in the air, anything and everything was possible. Progress was good for everyone.

Now 50 years later, so many things have changed some for the better and some we need to really work on, but Canada is still a fantastic country, we have social peace, stability and the rule of Law. Considering that of the 190 countries on Earth many simply don’t have any of this, we are pretty lucky and should be thankful. I finished my education, had a great career, travelled the world, lived in many countries and saw incredible things, most never have a chance to witness. I have also been with the same person for almost 40 years.

This New Year’s Eve we will be with friends in this house pictured here in Charlottetown (it is a lovely house) celebrating, steps from Province House to see the two fireworks at 7:30pm and at Midnight. The best part is we can walk to it all it is only a few steps from our home.

To all my readers and followers, thank you for reading my blog and your comments, I really appreciate it.

The very best of good wishes to you all for a peaceful and prosperous New Year 2017.