Lots to do today

Tags

Acadia, Canada, Capitol, France, life, Maritimes, Revolution, USA

I had to get up early today at 07:30am which is somewhat like the middle of the night for me. Usually I am a Crack of Noon riser which is the civilized time for retired folks like me.

So at 9:30am I had to be at the Club for the Thursday morning Coffee and Conversation program, today we had an Acadian historian Georges Arsenault, O.C., O.P.E.I whose family has been living on PEI since 1700. He is also an author and has written much about Acadian life and history on the Island. He also has a voluminous collection of old photos of Acadian Life on the Island dating back to 1860. He showed us many old photos of Acadian families and explained traditions in the period 1860 to 1950. It was fascinating, he had wedding photos dating from prior to 1946. How the common people lived if compared to high society, there was a stark difference. Brides has no wedding dress, they simply wore their Sunday best and so did the groom. Only people with money did the fashionable weddings the way we think of them today. The food prepared and served at weddings was also very different from today. Essentially the wedding would take place in Church at 7:30am and then the family would return home for breakfast at 9:00am. Back then Roman Catholics, Acadians are all R.C. , were not allowed to have food before Mass. Everyone was in their Sunday best and all of it took place in the Kitchen including the square dancing. What Acadians call in French souper (Supper) took place at Noon and both meals were offered by the Bride and her parents in their home. The Dinner at night around 6pm moved to the Groom’s parents home for more square dancing and food and of course Whiskey and Island Gin at 50 proof. That’s the Gin I buy for my Island friends, they do not want the English stuff at 40 Proof. The most important element of a successful wedding meal during the day was the desserts and sweets, some families could offer over 30 different types of sweets not including the Wedding Cake which was white and baked usually in the village by a woman who was known for her cakes and hired for that day. Which reminded me of my great Aunt Marie-Ange in Charlesbourg near Quebec City who was known at Christmas for her desserts and sweets.

The family photos are also interesting, most taken outdoors for the light in an age when no flash existed. Women in Acadian fashion have their heads covered by a bonnet or large scarf, custom being that only unmarried maidens could show their hair. Families were also large on average 12 kids and many upwards of 19 kids, all living under one roof in small farm houses. One wonders how they did it. It is only again after 1946 that people start having small families of 2 or 3 children.

After the talk, I went to my barber Jared who is a very nice person and great to chat with, we talked about what had happened the previous day in Washington D.C. at the Capitol building. He was working so could not watch television and was being told by his customers what was happening, he was in disbelief like I was and many other people. Though he remarked and I agree, we could see all this coming and were bracing for it. How come the Capitol Police did not prepare, were they over confident? I watch it all and was sickened by it, how can the symbol of a democracy be attacked like that by a mob which looked like Duck Dynasty. Ignorance on parade, truly sad. I was wondering if the Ceausescu solution could not be applied to Trump and his family, worked in Romania in 1989. What I fear like a lot of people is a possible return of another Trump type in 4 years, populist but more intelligent and cunning. Is the USA sliding into authoritarianism, it could happen after all 75 million Americans voted for him, hopefully not and the world will move on.

Afterwards I went to the Service Canada Office which provides info and registration for all Federal Government Programs, one stop shopping. This was instituted some 8 years ago by the Canadian Government. I was having some problem online with an application and could not get anyone at their 1-800 number unless you are willing to wait an hour or more on hold. So I simply went down to the Office and saw an Officer in 5 minutes. She answered my questions and all appears all right, I am much relieved.

Best Wishes!

Tags

2021, Concert, life, Music, New Year, Vienna

It was Friedrich Nietszche (1844-1900) who said Life without Music would be a mistake. This is why the first day of the Year must start with music. January 1 will be a quiet day as always for us, I will listen to the New Year’s Day concert from Vienna, conducted this year by one of my favourite Maestro Riccardo Muti with the Vienna Philarmonic Orchestra.

A concert without audience, a first, at the Muzikverein, Golden Hall in Vienna. Here is the program;

Franz von Suppè Fatinitza March, Johann Strauß II.Schallwellen (Sound Waves), Waltz, op. 148, Johann Strauß II. Niko Polka, op. 228, Josef Strauß, Ohne Sorgen (Without a Care), Fast Polka, op. 271, Carl Zeller, Grubenlichter (Davy Lamps), Waltz, Carl Millöcker, In Saus und Braus (Living It Up), Galop — INTERMISSION —

Franz von Suppè, Overture to “Poet and Peasant, Karl Komzák, Bad’ner Mad’ln (Girls of Baden), Waltz, op. 257, Josef Strauß, Margherita Polka, op. 244, Johann Strauß, Venetian Galop, op. 74, Johann Strauß II, Frühlingsstimmen (Voices of Spring), Waltz, op. 410, Johann Strauß II, In the Krapfenwaldl, Polka française, op. 336, Johann Strauß II, New Melodies Quadrille. op. 254, Johann Strauß II, Emperor Waltz, op. 437, Johann Strauß II, Tempestuous in Love and Dance, Fast Polka, op. 393

The 2021 New Year’s Concert will be broadcast in over 90 countries and followed by millions of television viewers around the world.

Let’s hope for the best or for at least a normal year, how could it not be better.

The Muzikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna.

Memories

Tags

2020, 2021, life, optimistic

First thing this morning I was reminded by FB that 8 years ago today I retired from work. It seems like decades ago, another time and another life. I do remember it was not a particularly cold day that Friday in 2012 and there was no snow in Ottawa at that point. I went in to sign off papers and close down accounts at work. The director of Personnel was a dreadful person who was usually quite unpleasant unless she wanted something from people. I had to wait for her despite having an appointment with her. An hour later she showed up, I signed my resignation letter, she signed it too and that was it. No words, nothing not even a goodbye.

I left the Service a year after our return from Rome. This was a period when our department was going through a period of getting rid of anyone over the age of 55 and finding creative ways to be unpleasant so people would leave. Age discrimination a prohibit ground under the Canadian Charter, yes but this is the Government, they do as they please. What I discovered a few weeks later was that a bonus was given to managers who were instrumental in getting rid of people. So much for the ethical behaviour of the Government. A few years later we would all discover that senior managers often got bonuses even when things went badly and even promotions, the Phoenix Pay system is one very good example, hundreds of millions lost and promotions handed out to the main culprits.

It was time for me to go in many ways, I had a long career, many foreign postings, more than average really, I was very tired and suffered from anxiety, etc. The work atmosphere had become poisonous and I was amongst the last of my recruitment year to leave. The next generation were at least 20 years younger and the service had changed to a point it was unrecognizable.

I remember leaving the building and finding myself on the street and feeling like a free man out of jail after a very long sentence, I felt a sort of euphoria. Now looking back all this seems like such a long time ago. But that was not the end, we left Ottawa for PEI, 3 years later for a new chapter in life, a completely different adventure which opened new doors, new friendships and new horizons.

So here we are now in 2020 or the last days of it. It was a year full of anxiety and I may put a brave face on it, I was often not looking forward to going out to shop and seeing how people did not observe the most elementary sanitary rules. We got the hang of it here in PEI but cannot say the same in other provinces in Canada. We were cut off from the mainland for our own safety and no one could come here either. Flights out were cut and so was the ferry service. It really felt at times as if we were on another planet far away. So going to the beach to look at the waves and the sea was a distraction and the fresh saline air is always good.

My blogging continued but I felt it was mundane at times and maybe repetitive, as I was following architectural stories or food shows or other topics like reading. I am a slow reader and I have several books on the go and I have not started reading the Obama biography, A Promised Land, though I am looking forward to it.

So the year is coming to an end and all we can hope for and I have reasons to be optimistic is better days ahead. On the Eve of 2020 I wondered what will it bring, on the Eve of 2021 I can only believe that no matter what happens, it has to be better.

Great Weather

Tags

2020, Christmas, Holidays, life, World

If 2020 for a lot of people all around our planet was a disaster year full of frustrations and disease, countless death, terrible natural disaster. This pandemic was a reminder that we are not immortal and that technology cannot solve all our consumer society problems. Many political leaders around the world have failed miserably preferring to delay and dither on what to do and focus their energy on businesses instead of public health. Now as the year ends vaccination campaigns have started and I like many others wait for my turn to get the shot.

Let us hope that 2021 will be a better year for all of us.

On CBC radio on Sunday Paolo Pietro Paolo is the host of a show devoted to classical music with a segment about forgotten composers who left beautiful compositions. Because it is the end of the year he also had his list of famous musicians and singers who died this year. He always includes artists from all around the world, from Iran, India, Poland, Italy, France, England, etc.. in the end he focuses on Canadian artists. Making us reflect on the contribution all these people made to our lives.

Today is another beautiful day, sunny and somewhat cold, no snow. Christmas day was so warm that people I know went swimming in the Ocean, it was that warm and little wind. Now that is something to talk about in future years. But with climate change I think we are in for more warmish winters. Our past Summer was hot and humid, another first for the Island and in continued into the Fall. It has been so warm, that some days we simply cut off the heat in the house and I have not brought out the big Winter wool covers. I am not complaining I much prefer a Northern European Style Winter to a Frosty Snowy Canadian one.

In our trip to Fredericton N.B. last Fall we noticed how many well stocked fine grocery stores there are. Recently I discovered that you can even get Caviar. A company called Acadian Caviar farms Sturgeons and sell the eggs and the meat, this is wonderful. WWW. ACADIAN-STURGEON.COM , this fish is quite large and given that the supply in Russia has petered out due to overfishing, other countries have developed their own. I know Iran produces very good caviar. In the Maritime Provinces several fishers have developed a market for specialty fish.

Quiet days indeed as the year ends and I really don’t mind it.

Buggy rides on Water street

A good time

Tags

Canada, Christmas, cuisine, Elizabeth II, Food, ice cream, life

We had a good Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Luncheon with friends.

The 24 Dec was a simple affair of a few friends came to say hello and exchange good wishes. We served home made sausage roll made from the meat of English Banger sausage and using a recipe of Nigel Slater we made puff pastry stuffed with British Stilton Cheese served pipping hot, with a glass of bubbles its a great little bite. He also made small pastry stars mixed with parmesan and served hot. They are very good and of course while we were not looking our Nicky managed to grab a couple. He loves cheese, so does Nora but she is not as bold as he is.

Today’s Luncheon, Will borrowed a great recipe for Tourtiere which came very close to my Mom’s, it was delicious. We also had a turkey breast, Brussel’s sprouts roasted, carrots and roasted small potatoes. We started the meal with Red Sockeyed Wild Pacific Salmon with capers and dill. Our dessert was Plum Pudding Flambé which had a good flame this year and instead of the usual hard sauce, Will made Nesselrode Chesnut Ice Cream, it was a big hit with our guests. It was the great French Chef Carême who invented this dessert in honour of the Russian/German Diplomat and Chancellor of the Russian Empire Count Karl Robert Nesselrode in 1814 after Napoleon’s final defeat.

The tradition of the Christmas day message goes back to 1928 when King George V, the grandfather of the Queen did the first broadcast. As Queen of Canada the message of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II is carried on the Nation’s airwaves of the CBC at 3pm. This year unlike any other year the Queen is in Windsor Castle due to the pandemic.

It was also very warm today in Charlottetown, 50F which is unheard of and shows how climate change is really changing the world around us, normally it should be near zero or below zero and snow should be covering the ground, not so this year.

End of the year coming soon

Tags

barber, Canada, covid, Health, life, PEI, postal service, XMAS

Today I got a hair cut from Jared who is probably one of the best barbers in Charlottetown. I use to go to a traditional barber, old school type who is very popular with politicians and regular guys. His shop is very well known and he is a very pleasant fellow. However it was not exactly what I was looking for and noticed his staff were indifferent in general unless you were a local celebrity or somebody’s cousin. I got to know my current barber Jared through the gang of Receiver Coffee Co. a local coffee shop which caters to a more cosmopolitan crowd and has a progressive outlook on life. In fact when we first arrived in PEI almost 5 years ago, we went to have coffee at Receiver which had just opened as a new business. From that point we met other people and Jared was part of that group. Though at the time he was a photographer and his work caught my eye. He has a real talent for composition and light and his work is dramatic and beautiful. He then branched out into cutting hair but decided that he should go study in London UK for it at one of the more famous schools. His girlfriend is also a photographer and does art photography, she has a lot of talent.

We also have as of January a new family doctor. Our current doctor who is on maternity leave called to ask if we would consider going to his new practice which is half of her old practice in the same office. We know the new doctor and he is very nice and has a professional and easy manner with people, so we agreed to switch. You have to know that in PEI not everyone has a family doctor, in fact some 5600 have no family doctor and have to go either to a community clinic or the hospital for care, so we are privileged. This is a new factor in Canada with one generation of medical doctors retiring and insufficient numbers coming on stream.

I noticed today that we have been receiving Xmas cards in the mail but the stamps are not cancelled. I know that the volumes of mail in Canada are very high, delivery right now is 7 days a week. Maybe they are just pushing it through and making sure it gets delivered. That is ok because some people re-used uncancelled stamps and sent cards to people.

Well we are almost finished with the Xmas decorations, just a few small details to attend to now, can do this tomorrow. Now we are waiting for the Friday conference by our Chief Medical Officer for PEI, Dr Morrison and the Premier Dennis King to tell us if some of the lockdown will be lifted. Looks like it might, no new cases and everything looks pretty calm now and also vaccination has started on PEI so it’s all good news. Heather Arsenault a front line worker at a seniors home was the first to get the Pfizer shot. Fingers crossed it all works out. At any rate we have plans to either be quiet for Xmas at home or maybe invite a few close personal friends over. It’s all up in the air…

Every year I get to put the Star on our tree, an old tradition, it is the original star of 1979, always the same which has been carefully preserved through all the years.

Getting there

Tags

Biden, dachshunds, life, Neiman Marcus, news, ornaments, PEI, Vaccine, XMAS

Monday today some good news, first at the dentist, got x-rays and a good cleaning, I do this twice a year. My dentist told me I had perfect teeth and nothing to report. It has been like this for years and it always makes me happy to hear it. The second piece of good news was the start of the vaccination program in Canada. Everyone I spoke too wants the vaccine as soon as possible. Can’t wait attitude, it is almost as being liberated. It is very encouraging. By Friday on PEI there will be more people vaccinated than any people who got sick, again good news. The Prime Minister also announced that Canada will receive doses of the vaccine Moderna. So as it stands now all Canadians can be inoculated in a matter of a few months.

I also followed distractedly what was going on in the USA with the Great Electors voting to confirm Joe Biden as the winner of the national election in the USA and the next president. I also listened to the speech this evening by Joe Biden and found in it, the words and thoughts of past presidents, dignified, honourable, with empathy for people and a call to unity to all citizens. This is what a president does. In his speech the old America I knew came back. So happy to hear such words after four years of buffoonery.

After the dentist I came home and started to decorate the tree, which we will finish decorating tomorrow. It’s a big job, though the tree is only 7 feet tall. Like every year we said again, we need a second tree and given our very high ceiling it could be an 11 foot one.

The weather this week in the Maritimes is like living in Northern Europe, grey, foggy, low ceiling, clouds and wet and mild. Last night I walked Nicky around 10:30pm, the streets are dead quiet, no cars, no one anywhere. There was no wind and it was 45F, this is NOT normal we are in mid-December. There is snow in central Canada, Ottawa, Montreal, etc. not here. We have been promised a big storm, really, it is so mild it is impossible that we will get any snow at all.

Which reminds me of this little ditty, which is so very true of PEI.

Will it rain? Will it snow? I live in Prince Edward Island. I do not know!

Living here 5 years now I have come accustomed to the weather changing rapidly within 15 minutes on some days. Being an Island on the sea makes us susceptible to the prevailing winds much more so than people living inland. You would not want to be the Weather guy in PEI, it is a thankless job and more often than not you will be wrong.

The Christmas puppies, Nicky and Nora with their holiday scarves. They have quite the collection of scarves now, all made for them by a dear friend in Charlottetown.

As tradition dictates the first ornament is the oldest silver ball from Neiman Marcus of 1979, the year of our first Xmas together. The other 29 are distributed around the tree.

What about a Dickens Xmas

Tags

Christmas, class, Dickens, life, Royals, society, tradition, Victoria

At this time of the year there will be a lot of events mimicking what people imagine a Victorian Christmas was like and will base their view of it on Charles Dickens (1812-1870) books of life in England in the period. His life was in a period of great change in Britain, born in the Napoleonic period, grew up during the Regency under the Reign of George IV and then William IV. For the last 30 years of his life he lived in the period of Victoria and Albert from 1837 to 1870. In his lifetime the industrial revolution took old with all the horrors that entails in a age with no social policies and a society based on class in a pyramid structure.

His books are a moral tale of sorts and a critique of society where the new emerging middle-class is aping the Aristocracy and the gentry and imagining what the Royals are like in a day when the Royal Family was out of bounds for most of the population, a very remote idealized family, no Netflix back then and no social media. In fact until 1960’s one could not speculate in the media on the Royal Family, you would have been ostracized and the media were more respectful.

But to come back to the idealized view of Victorian society and Christmas, it is romanticized and made to amuse but is very far from daily reality. Mary Poppins on steroids so to speak. In Victorian times people like Ebenezer Scrooge were legion and they did not have a conversion moment like St-Paul in which they came to help the poor and provide them with the fatten goose, gifts and money. It would have been unheard of to lower oneself socially to the level of Bob Cratchit and his family. Social status and rank was everything. Dickens wrote that story in 1843 a bleak time in Britain and in other European countries for the working poor in cities, sub-standard tenement housing, debtors prison, workhouses, child labour, 18 hour days and no weekend or holidays, no rights, no unions and no voting in elections, something reserved for the powerful landowners. In fact the large proportion of people who today love this story would have found themselves in impoverished conditions on the wrong side of the tracks. Only the wealthy merchant class, the gentry, the aristocracy would have had a jolly good Christmas in their great homes while the servants toiled.

This is why I do not understand that attachment to a Dickensian/Victorian Xmas. It was only a good time for a precious few. As for our modern traditions born from commercialism and crass consumerism it’s phony as baloney. I much prefer traditions that come from either your family or traditions you developed and fashioned in your life and share with those who matter to you.

This year a more personal Christmas will probably be the rule, quiet at home. It will seem strange, yes, but maybe this is what Christmas is suppose to be and not what it has become in the age of Climate change and pandemics. Listening to Christmas music this year, I am not really in the mood. It all sounds like music of another era, a time long ago, somewhat like big band music of the 1940’s. I am so looking forward to 2021.

Time moves on

Tags

age, Boboli, Celebration, life, pension

This week I got a letter from the Federal Government in Ottawa. The letter is standard and it is telling me that next year I will 65 and now is time to prepare for some changes in my pension and plan accordingly. I retired some years ago after 34 years of service on full pension. At 65 which is the retirement age for Canada Pension Plan (CPP), you can apply to receive CPP, it’s a top up to any other pension you receive. Since every one who works must contribute to CPP during their working life, this is a monthly payment for your golden years. It is interesting to note in the letter how precise the calculations are and what I am entitled too. This information comes from years of paying income tax, so no great mystery.

Upon reading the letter, I thought I am getting on in years, this confirms it, time is moving on, the sunset is coming. But at the same time this is life and I am not the only one at this stage of life.

In the meantime it has been confirmed in PEI, that the vaccine will be here on Wednesday next and front line workers will be the first to get it, then people in seniors home. Everyone will receive the vaccine but you can refuse to be inoculated. However it may impede your ability to travel and your employer may insist you get it, though in Law under the Charter they cannot compel you. The vaccine is FREE for all.

This to me means that 2021 will be a much better year, though we have been told that you will still be expected to wear your mask until we get the all clear from the Health Authorities.

Also today our Chief Medical Officer confirmed that no new cases for the fourth straight day. If this continues the LockDown measures can be partially lifted. Of the 3000 persons tested in the last few days all are negative, a further 1300 are waiting results. But it is looking good for PEI.

So far PEI has tested 52% of the population of 150,000 on the Island, a huge number of people. Young people have been asked to get tested and they have done so in droves.

What will we talk about once Covid 19 recedes into the background. One thing will be to re-establish friendship with people we have not seen in a year. Get the social calendar going again and ultimately travel to those place we wish to go and had to postpone. We have agreed with our friends in AZ to travel to Iceland as a celebration.

taken in Italy in 2011 on a sunny Day in the park of a beautiful palace.

In the mood

Tags

Canada, Government, life, Pfizer, XMAS

Today we got some wet snow, well more rain than snow which melted away in the still balmy weather we are having. I went shopping for gifts for our Xmas Luncheon guests. We always have a little bag with nice things for them to take home. Now I suppose we will be allowed to have this Luncheon but I am waiting like everyone else in PEI to see what the Government of PEI will tell us on 21 December but we keep our fingers crossed. Of course today the absolutely wonderful news was that the Pfizer Vaccine had been approved by Health Canada and now the first shipment will arrive on Friday from Puurs, Belgium where Pfizer is located. The Canadian Army is in charge of distribution to the 14 centres in the country. Canada being a huge country geographically and this type of logistics is something the armed forces can handle well. It will be the oldest people first and front line workers and then in sequence of decreasing age, I should be in the third cohort by April 2021.

I have faith that all will go well and I am thankful our Canadian Government did what had to be done. There are more than enough doses to go around all Canadians several times, Canada is very well prepared. Meaning that 2021 should be the year of renewal and a return to normal. I am grateful for that.

So today I went shopping for a calendar for 2021 and for small gifts for our guests and bought all manner of nice things for them. I also got the new book of Barack H. Obama, I had heard a lot of good about it and it does look like an interesting read.

Today is Will’s Birthday and we are celebrating quietly at home. Next year is a big year and a big party so this is why putting Covid out of your lives is so important. We shall overcome!

As of tomorrow we will start with decorations it takes usually about 4 to 5 days to do it all. I do hope that we will be allowed to have a few people over on 24 and 25 Dec. Right now it is völling verboten!!! We are hopeful that the Health Dept of PEI who evaluates these things will see enough changes and no new cases appear, it has been 2 days now with nothing new. I was angry like many others when it was revealed that the 15 yr old student who started the current alert, finally confessed that he had forgotten to mention to the nurses that he had travelled and partied off Island, now we know where he got it from. On the other hand the 20 to 29 yr old are getting tested in record numbers, they have taken the call of the Premier to heart.