This morning as in all mornings since I started on this new nutrition program I weigh myself, 5 week ago I was at the initial weight of 87 kg, today I am at 81 Kg. In pounds this is 191 lbs to 178 lbs. a lost of 13 lbs. I want to go down to 74 Kg, so 7 Kg to go. I am very happy with the results and the encouragement of my nutritionist Austin. This means I have 15 more pounds to loose, does not seem so daunting now. My next step is to get to 79 Kg. which was my weight 3 years ago and then the final leg to 74 Kg. or 163 lbs. Once a nutritionist in Rome told me that 70 Kg would be my ideal weight, that seemed to me as too low making me look ill.
Summer has arrived and so far it is has been a quiet time. We are going away in a few days to Iles de la Madeleine, (Magdalene Islands) which are 5 hours by Ferry from PEI in the middle of the Gulf of St-Lawrence. These Islands are a speck of sand and part of the underwater ridge from the last ice age. They are known for their scenic beauty, great seafood, they are part of the Province of Quebec, the population speaks French mostly and I think that if a visitor does not speak French they might have some difficulties.
It is a very seasonal place, it has a small permanent population of 12,000 but the tourist season is very short basically 1 June to 4 September. I have no idea what winters are like on the Magdalenes but I would think it is epic. You can fly to them from Montreal.
Will was there once, I have never been. Will check the weather to see what it is like at this time of the year, I think it would be cool.
I learned yesterday that 50 years ago the movie the Godfather premiere, is that possible, I was 16 yrs old and remember seeing the movie and thinking how horribly violent it was. Not like the Hitchcock movies where the violence was always implied like the music or lighting or blood in water.
Today FB reminded me that this week in 2009 we went to Capena to pick-up Nick and Nora who were 9 weeks old to come and live with us. They were and still are the cutest and funniest puppies, it is said that dogs are clowns and make our life enjoyable.
We are already past the halfway point in March, time is going supersonic it seems. I left a message with our accountant today so she can do our income tax. I never learned how to do it myself, it is not complicated but I am lazy and prefer have someone do it for me. She can also file automatically with Revenue Canada.
At the Club one of the member is a retired Commodore of the Royal Canadian Navy, who commanded his own war ship. Today HMCS Halifax left for the Baltic Sea to join our NATO mission in support of the Baltic States. Jim told me on Friday night that if he was 20 years younger and in good health he would be back in service in a flash. He really misses going out to sea.
HMCS Halifax
I went to the Farmer’s Market today and now that most restrictions are lifted it was the first normal market day in 2 years. There was lots of people and business was brisk. I stopped at the Cheese counter, they have the most beautiful selection of fresh cheeses. They bring them in from Quebec where there is a well established cheese making culture. They also import from France and UK. Strangely their prices are better than the grocery store where all the cheeses are manufactured from large companies and wrapped in plastic. When she sells her cheese, she wraps them in wax paper to keep them moist and fresh, which is the way to do it. All the cheeses are sliced in front of you, I got a slice 200gr of Brie, I also got 200gr of Morbier which is a cheese that has a trace of wood ashes in the middle and a slice of Emmental. I think next time I will get some of her high quality Burrata and some Raclette which is a wonderful cheese you melt and serve with boiled potatoes as they do in Switzerland. I also got deep purple tulips, grown here on the Island by VANCO a Dutch company, they are now in season and the variety of colours is amazing. I also got at the Butcher some veal schnitzels and some Bratwurst made by the butcher. I then went to the fishmonger and bought 2 pieces of Atlantic Salmon for dinner. I also bought some bread at the Bakery which is made daily at 3am and ready for sale by 9am it is still hot to touch and smells wonderful.
Today was a beautiful sunny day and the last day of Winter. Tomorrow is the first day of Spring and it feels and smells like it.
Vanco Tulip Farm in Stratford just minutes East of Charlottetown PEI.
Tomorrow is 24 June or in French Canada, Saint Jean Baptiste Day, the national holiday of Catholic French Canada. In years past this day was marked in Montreal by a giant parade with marching bands, floats, and participation by thousands of people in this parade and not to forget a cute 12 yr old pale blond curly hair with blue eyes St-John the Baptist, because we all know that Jewish people living in the Promise land 2000 plus years ago were all Aryans. The only other parade of this size would be Santa Claus Parade on Sainte Catherine Street organized by the EATON Company.
Since the mid-70’s the parade made way to open air concerts and music festivals in various parks in Quebec City and Montreal. The parade lost its appeal because it was too closely associated with the Catholic Church and as society became more secular the politicians changed the meaning of the event to a culture and nationalistic message centred on the French people who settled in Canada around 1600.
This song by Conrad Gauthier (1885-1964) a very well known artist, composer and musician who worked with many great names in French Canada at the time and even had at the Monument National in Montréal years of shows and success. The words may be difficult to understand for a non-French speaker with its many allusions to distinctly name place and situations of the time. However a quick translation tells you the story of a man and his wife who live in the country side, they are Habitants, which is difficult to translate because the meaning is a lot more than farmers. They go to Montreal for the procession (parade) he uses that word because this parade had a solemn religious side to it and he is directed to a street Au Pied du Courant, an interesting choice of street given that this is where the old Jail is located in the East end of Montreal by the river where les Patriotes were hanged by the British putting down a rebellion in 1837 about representative government. A sight any French Canadian would know and a symbol of British oppression. The parade goes by and of course he is delighted and happy and scream like a perdu, meaning here that he screams like the damned in hell. He concludes the song by saying that he will never forget this day in Montreal.
This song reminded me of my childhood and of those old traditions. The song is sung to the tune of a children’s song from Old France, Cadet Rousselle. Cadet R. has 3 houses, 3 sons, 3 dogs, 3 suits, he is a good guy.
There is no celebration here in PEI or the Maritimes of St-Jean Baptiste Day because we are in Acadian country and though they are French also, their story is very different from the rest of Canada. The Acadians have other days of commemoration.
Well in about 5 weeks I will become officially a senior citizen, a golden ager, entitled to all kinds of coupons and discounts and will be able to complain and accuse anyone not doing what I want of discrimination and playing the victim card. Sounds like fun to me. Making up excuses, like my hearing is not good, my health is shot, I can’t see clearly like Mr Magoo, appearing confused and muttering under my breath. A rich vein to be exploited.
I was thinking of a cake for my birthday, I discovered a recipe for Sicilian Orange Cake with a frosting of cream cheese with Grand Marnier, simple and delicious. Apparently the cake uses the whole orange, rind and al. I like the idea of Grand Marnier in the frosting. Certainly beats Betty Crocker chocolate cake, though I must confess as a child, my Mom use to make us such cakes and they were quite good, her secret recipe no doubt.
So tomorrow is Lent and usually in the old ways of observing it, you would give up meat and sweets. Fish was a substitute, lucky us in New Brunswick a local fellow has a Sturgeon fish farm and of course Caviar is the product. What a good substitute for meat, add a little Oysters and voilà, the perfect Lenten diet.
Lent today starting with Ash Wednesday is somewhat of a forgotten period of the year. It is not mentioned anywhere unless you attend religious services. The concept also of Ash Wednesday which I always thought was a good reminder that we must remain humble, you are ashes and will return to ashes, is not a popular message in a society where no one dies, you pass. The use of pass as a action verb is odd at best. People appear unable to say he died or she died. Passing is to me going into another room, or walking by.
Lent also could in this time of Pandemic be a chance to reflect on our society and its values as a whole. A society who is in a constant search for excitement, where only the individual matters, the self is everything. Despite easy restrictions, many have displayed extreme selfishness, not caring for family or friends or community. Making up excuses for not following simple sanitary rules, at the moment its mental health, everyone suffers from some kind or other metal problem. One teacher said to me that she did not understand the extreme reactions of students who complain loudly of feeling anxious, about what exactly she wondered? They cannot learn online, they need tons of support, no self-discipline. In Canada, 21,000 people have died so far, of that total 50% live in the Province of Quebec, again widespread resistance to guidelines led to tragedy. Just off the coast of PEI are 2 sandbanks called the Magdalene Islands a nice tourist spot in the Summer, population 12,000, also part of Quebec. It is largely a windswept place in the middle of the Gulf of St-Lawrence. 60% of the population is sick with COVID19. A very sad situation. There has to be a sociological explanation and a psychological one for the type of Covidiots we have seen all around Canada.
This painting by Carl Spitzweg, in the Stuttgart Art gallery, entitled Ash Wednesday c.1860. Arlecchino reflecting on life in a monk’s cel. is a propos. Harlequin from the Commedia del’Arte is usually portrayed as a dim-wit, silly, simple person, always hungry, somehow corresponds to our society in this time of crisis, refusing facts or science and in quest of absolute and entertainment.
Well the weather here in the Maritimes is gradually getting colder but it is still not the average / normal temperature for this time of the year, the weather guy is reluctant to call it climate change but says it is not good. Which is about the same as not being positive without not wanting to alarm the population. People have other worries, one being the pandemic and the other a possible national election and the economy.
In Parliament we have spent 5 long years now with the Conservative aping the GOP in the USA and constantly attacking the Prime Minister and now attacking his elderly mother, his brother and his wife, all private citizens who have no role in public life. All the while never mentioning the Pandemic as a source of concern for them as a party.
Today Tuesday 21 October we will find out if the Opposition Parties in the House of Commons force an election on the minority Government of PM Trudeau or not. The Conservative are proposing an investigation into alleged corruption and want to set up yet another committee. So far we have had 3 months of investigation and much defamation of family members of PM Trudeau and innocent bystanders but nothing proven and this frustrates the Opposition. The Government shot back that this is a Confidence motion and the Prime Minister is willing to go see the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and go to an election now. Confidence of the House in the ruling party is everything in our system. No confidence no government, it’s that simple, however the Conservatives are aware that Canadians do not want an election now in a second wave of the Pandemic. Polls also suggest the Liberals would probably win a majority this time around. It is all discouraging because this is a ploy for power and naked ambition by the Conservatives to win power at any cost, voters are taken for patsies. Sad state of affairs all around, I have no confidence in the Conservative party given the type of white extremists they attract and the failure of their leader Erin O’Tool to denounce them.
On another topic all together, after Will made his green tomato pie last week. Mrs Lori Brown in Imboden, Arkansas came up with her own recipe yesterday on You Tube. I liked her recipe a lot, the results according to Mr Brown is like a Granny Smith Apple Pie, a little tart but good.
This month of October is the 50th Anniversary of the FLQ Crisis in Quebec which saw martial law imposed and the Canadian army march and occupy the city and surrounding areas and the Capital Ottawa. The British Commercial Counsellor in Montreal, James Cross and a senior Minister of the Quebec Government Pierre Laporte were kidnapped in broad daylight. The FLQ had been for many years prior to those events on a bombing campaign around Montreal targeting mainly Mailboxes. The events had a dramatic end with the murder of Pierre Laporte and the release of British diplomat James Cross. The FLQ cells were dismantled and the culprits exiled to Cuba at their request. The most dramatic moment was when the Government of Canada allowed the reading of the FLQ manifesto on television. Many French speaking Canadians agreed with the claims of the FLQ. A few years later the Parti Quebecois would become the government in Quebec and hold a referendum on separation from Canada. As for the leaders of the movement they returned to Canada a few years later and some found public service jobs. It was a dramatic period in the history of Canada which changed the dynamic of the country forever. My family was living in Montreal at the time and I remember going through army check points every day to go to school. We were too young to understand or appreciate what was happening. All this seems so far away now.
Montreal, October 1970
BREAKING NEWS!!! The nail-biter 146-180 vote in the House of Commons came down in large part to the NDP. Its 24 representatives voted alongside the Liberals and the Greens’ three-member caucus in defeating a Conservative motion that would have precipitated a snap election amid the second wave of the pandemic. So the Prime Minister J Trudeau and his government will continue to govern, no elections for now.
Today is Canada Day, 1 July, 486 years old. The Canadian National Anthem first composed by Calixa Lavallée as a French-Canadian Patriotic Song in 4 couplets and performed on 24 June 1880. It Officially became the National Anthem of Canada by Act of Parliament in 1980, though everyone considered O Canada the National Anthem prior to that date. The english words to the Anthem are recent and have been modified several times to suit the taste of the times. The French version is the original, though only the short version is sung usually.
Some dates in the History of Canada,
1534 arrival of French Navigator Jacques Cartier in the Gaspé area and his first encounter with native people. He was looking for a route to China.
1608 Samuel de Champlain founding of Quebec City which becomes the Capital of the French Empire in North America.
1642 Paul de Chomedey De Maisonneuve founder of Montreal with Jeanne Mance who creates the first hospital, L’Hôtel Dieu de Montreal, still in operation today 378 years later.
1755, Deportation of thousands of Acadian people from the Maritime region of Canada by British forces.
1763, Treaty of Paris at the end of the Seven Years War in Europe, France ceding vast territories in North America to England.
1837-38 Rebellion against British rule and demands for elected responsible government by French Canadians.
1855 Creation of the Canadian Militia later known as the Canadian Army whose commander in Chief is H.M. the Queen.
1864-1867 Three Conferences between the British North American Colonies (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Ontario-Quebec) to establish an independent country. 1 July 1867 Proclamation of the Constitution and establishment of Canada as a unified country. Ottawa designated as the National Capital.
1875 Supreme Court of Canada is established by Act of Parliament.
1910 Creation by Royal Decree of the Royal Canadian Navy. Commander in Chief H.M. the Queen.
1914-1918 Canada participates in First World War as an independent nation and sign the Peace Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
1921, The discovery of insulin occurred in 1921 following the ideas of Canadian orthopedic surgeon Dr. Frederick G. Banting, the chemistry skills of his assistant Charles Best, and John MacLeod of the University of Toronto
1924 Creation of the Canadian Royal Air Force, Commander in Chief H.M. the Queen.
1931 Statute of Westminster, British Parliament affirmed Canadian autonomy and recognized the virtual independence.
1956 Canadian diplomat and Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson won the Nobel Peace Prize for “saving the world” with a UN peacekeeping force, during the Suez Canal Crisis in the Middle East.
1965, Royal Proclamation of the Canadian Maple Leaf Flag.
1976 Olympics Games are held in Montreal under the mandate of Mayor Jean Drapeau.
1980, O Canada by Act of Parliament becomes the Official Anthem of Canada.
1982 Proclamation by Constitutional Act of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
1984, Marc Garneau is the first Canadian Astronaut to go to space.
1999 The Ottawa Treaty signed by 133 countries banning Land mines, Canadian minister of Foreign Affairs Lloyd Axworthy launched the Ottawa Process, which led to the treaty ratification banning of Land mines in armed conflicts.
2005, The Civil Marriage Act was introduced by Prime Minister Paul Martin in Parliament on February 1, as Bill C-38. It was passed by the House of Commons on June 28, becoming law in Canada in July 2005. Canada is the fourth country in the World to legalize same-sex marriage.
This rendition of the National Anthem is performed by the Band of the Ceremonial Guard of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Today Monday 16 March the Prime Minister J. Trudeau informed Canadians that our borders are closed to all with the exception of Canadian citizens returning home who are not sick nor have symptoms of Covid 19. American Citizens can still come in if on essential travel, read Trade/commercial trip, but this could change at any moment. Also only four airports will be allowed to screen international flights, Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto/Pearson and Montreal/P.E.Trudeau. All goods and services coming in are not affected under Trade/Commerce. Here in PEI just a few moments after the PM spoke our Premier Dennis King declared a Public Health Emergency meaning that the Chief Health Officer can enforce mandatory self-isolation at home, close down a business and not allow public gatherings. Funerals may also be forbidden meaning no wake or gathering for a service. Here in Charlottetown PEI the streets are very quiet, no traffic and only one or two persons walking. People are conscious of the situation but often see the problem in the other not themselves, thus calls to close the border to exclude foreigners.
Many businesses have already announce they are closing for the time being, my barber is one and my favourite Coffee shop and the Art Gallery, this also includes theatres, sports complex. All Canadian ports are closed to cruise ships until July. Health Services are focused only on Emergencies and Essential services, anything non essential or elective is deferred until a later date, this includes dental offices. This is not surprising given the limited ability of PEI Health which now is stretched due to this Pandemic. We only have one confirmed case but 120 people have been tested because they met a criteria for such a procedure. You cannot be tested for Covid 19 because you would like to, you must have symptoms and the authorities are strict about that. In total in Canada some 25,000 persons have been tested and only 4 have died out of 424 cases, all death occurred in one nursing home in Vancouver, B.C. Also tonight across Canada many bars and restaurants are closing.
This means that our trip to Quebec City in May is postponed faced with all these restrictions. We can go in the early Fall which is just as nice. Our friends from AZ have been advised and I am told that our Dr Spo is hoping to learn more French this way. He already has a penchant for Foie Gras, Champagne and big Baguette, Oh lala! I see that I will have my work cut out for me. As for Monsieur Quelqu’un I am not sure what is penchant is but I am sure we will find out. I seem to remember that it is for exotic French Cocktails.
It is a stressful time in many ways, you do not want to get sick with the virus and being constantly careful is wearing on the mind. It is also a boring time since what you would usually do is restricted to your home or taking a walk, reading books, surfing the internet, cooking. Not listening to the news also helps because the news is bad all the time and social comments is dominated by people who understand nothing because it interfere with their personal plans or lifestyle. People have to think in terms of community not self and that is difficult to do in a society which for the last 50 years has been pushing self above all else. At least for now we are not assign to residence like 170 million Europeans.
Well the National Election is over and Justin Trudeau got a new mandate, despite all the dirt the so called conservative party and its leader tried to throw at him. The CPC has a unit which works at unearthing anything that could hurt a candidate and then publicize it through right wing affiliated newspapers like The Sun, CTV network and PostMedia including the once reputable Globe & Mail. The negative stories are written for effect and are often inaccurate or right out lies simply repeated. A very disturbing trend but you have to know the background of it, the owners are long time supporters of alt-right conservative policies, some big business interests, some American oil companies, the Trump administration and the Republican party including the one surviving Koch brother. No it is not the Russians in our case but the US Republican party. The Chinese Communist party (Chinese Government) also played a very negative role, given our current dispute with China over the extradition to the USA of the Huawei executive. Two Canadian have been kidnapped by the People’s Police in China and held in secret jails, denied Canadian Embassy Consular services and put under psychological torture for months now. Unfortunately the Canadian Media has all but forgotten about them. The position of the CPC and its Chief Andrew Scheer has been to side with China with the false narrative that this will help resolve the crisis.
So this election confirmed one thing, Canadians are concerned about climate change now seen as a crisis, Canadian want action (84%) and will not vote for a candidate who denies the crisis or has no plans to fight it, as was the case for Andrew Scheer.
Canadians also do not like a candidate who imitates the American fashion of posing as a born again or evangelical Christian, like Andrew Scheer did. Canadians prefer their candidates and party leader to be neutral and quiet on this topic. There were too many stories about Conservative Candidates who came out as being anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ, pro-gun lobby and supporting the NRA, while we get weekly news from the USA of gun violence, something that horrifies most Canadians. Several also were not shy and made hate filled comments and rants against anyone who is not white or christian, thinking that it was ok to do so. Finally Andrew Scheer was the master of avoiding to answer any question on pretty much any topic. He also refused to denounce or remove a candidate who displayed hateful tendencies. Scheer also refused to attend any PRIDE event or parade during the Summer, all other party leaders did and participated. Trudeau was accused by the CPC of being a deviant and corrupt. What was suppose to be an easy victory for the Conservative turnout to be a defeat despite getting more votes and gaining more seats in the House of Commons, though not a majority. But they failed miserably in the two big provinces of Ontario and Quebec and in the Maritimes which holds the bulk of the population in Canada, some 26 million people out of the 38 million. It is well known that if you cannot secure the votes in Ontario especially around Toronto and in Quebec you cannot win an election in Canada.
So since the Liberal party victory on 21 October, Andrew Scheer has felt the heat of this party who is planning to replace him ASAP. No despite Trudeau having a minority government he has a workable minority and does not need to have a coalition with another party like the Green or NDP. The way our Westminster Parliamentary system works, there is a way to govern and you can always find support here and there in the House to pass your bills. No one wants another election for at least another 14 to 24 months for the simple reason there is no money and the Conservatives will be looking for a new leader soon.
The media also do not help the issue by spreading false concepts borrowed from the USA. Canada is NOT a Republic we are a Kingdom and our Parliamentary system is a copy of Westminster so it is quite different matter.
When the Prime Minister went to see the Governor General Julie Payette to ask she dissolve Parliament as is her role as Head of State, the Prime Minister and the Ministers all remain in Office for the duration of the election. The Prime Minister only resigns his position after the election if he or she looses the election and IF he or she can no longer hold the Confidence of the House. That is very important to understand, we have had historically cases where the Prime Minister lost an election but stayed in power because he could hold the confidence of the House. Strange but true in Canada, that is our system.
The day after the election the Prime Minister returned to visit the Governor General at Rideau Hall to inform her of what his intentions were for the new Legislative program and priorities. This is largely a courtesy call because the Speech from the Throne (in England it is called the Queen’s Speech) is read by the Head of State in the High Chamber our Senate by the Governor General or the Queen if she is in Ottawa, but it is all written by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The Press got it wrong by talking about Trudeau seeking permission to form a government. What nonsense, he is the PM and remains so, he has a new mandate NOT a term, we don’t have those in Canada. The only thing Trudeau needs is to get the confidence of the House through a formal vote in the House of Commons on the Speech from the Throne or on the Budget bill. Very unlikely that he would not be able to get it under present circumstances. In Canada the role of the Queen or Governor General is to warn on a course of action or counsel the PM, the power to govern rests entirely in the House in Parliament, this is why we have responsible government since 1867. It is quite amazing to see how many journalists and editors get this wrong, watching too much of The West Wing I suppose.
On November 20 the Prime Minister will announce his new Ministry or Cabinet, a shuffle of portfolio is the big challenge for Trudeau or any Prime Minister because they have to make sure they have all regions of Canada represented in Cabinet and this is tough at the moment with no Liberal Member of Parliament from Alberta or Saskatchewan, pop 5 million total, Trudeau will have to be creative but there are various workable solutions.
So the final result of this election Canadians want modern and progressive governments and NO we are not revisiting the Abortion debate it was settled decades ago, we have rights for all including the LGBTQ and same-sex marriage and Canadians don’t want to deny rights to segment of the population, we also want the right to die which was legislated and gun control including hand guns. It should also be a warning to any new conservative leader at the Federal level not to associate with Neo-Nazi elements and other white supremacist hate groups as Andrew Scheer did thinking that it was a winning card.
I do expect that with the beginning of this new mandate the conservatives and their friends in the right wing press will continue negative attacks against Trudeau but hey that’s life. At least we do not have a Conservative government and that is a blessing. No one wanted the sort of horror show we see in Ontario at the Provincial Level with Doug Ford who emulates Donald Trump his hero or the politics of civil war and hate in Alberta with Jason Kenney. Interestingly the Conservative Premier in Manitoba does not want to associate with Kenney or Ford and the Premier in New Brunswick who is himself in a minority situation is walking back on his own extreme positions which are mostly anti-French in a province considered to be the heart of French Acadia.
Today 24 June is the National Day of French Canada also known previously as La Saint-Jean Baptiste. A very old holiday which goes back to ancient times in Gaul, a feast day relating to the worship of the Sun. Today one tradition that remains is the huge bonfire lit at night. PEI was known before as Saint-Jean Island until the British got here.
I remember from my childhood the parades, concerts, bonfires and fireworks on 24 June in Montreal and in Quebec City, huge crowds everywhere. The French presence in Canada is 485 years old and still dominates our National politics to this day.
On this day I remember my own ancestor Nicholas Beaulieu dit Lebel who came to Canada 357 years ago on a troop ship part of Le Régiment de la Reine, something I am very proud of and of all that he accomplished.
La Saint-Jean is and has been the French Holiday for millennia, it is certainly older than any other holiday in France and it resonates with French speaking people because of its origins in ancient Gaul.
Here I present songs from the 1970’s which have a special place in my memory and that of so many French Canadians and/or Quebecois. The words and the music have such meaning to me. One by Claude Dubois about people in Montreal belonging to a certain economic strata and social class and the other by a famous group Beau Dommage about Ginette a girl in the popular imagination.
This week listening to Radio-Canada in the morning I heard some old Christmas favourites from my childhood. One was Mon Beau Sapin, Roi des Forêts known in English as O Tannenbaum. This was the song the second wife of my maternal grandfather, we called Tante Fernande would sing each Christmas at lunch at my grandfather’s house when all his children and spouses and us grandkids would gather for the traditional meal, gifts and benediction. It was an old, I dare say a very old tradition going back several generations, the family patriarch would bless is family for the New Year. Tante Fernande would have cooked a turkey it was always an excellent birds and very juicy, serving peas and mash potatoes and cranberries which she called Atoka, dessert would be a mix of chocolates, Bûche de Noël and other sweets. I always thought that Atoka was the real name for cranberries but it turn out that Atoka is a Quebec recipe for processing cranberries after they are harvested. It gives a much sweeter fruit and has none of the tartness found in canned cranberries. Tante Fernande was a cook who did everything from scratch including her cranberries. You could not buy canned cranberries back then or if you could it was not done on good homes.
The dishes used to serve the Christmas meal was on two dinner sets, one was white with a dark blue and gold rim, the other set was their wedding dinner set which I have now.
There were other songs and my aunts knew one each, a favourite, one was Petit Papa Noël, my Mom use to sing that one. It is not an old song, the melody is taken from an old Ukrainian song and the words written in 1944 were about a child asking Santa to bring his father home for Xmas from the POW camp in Germany. After the war the words were changed erasing any reference to the war to what we hear today. It is a song that you would learn in school and my mother knew it well. It was part of every Christmas music recital at school in French Canada. Tino Rossi premiered this song in 1946 and it became his Christmas signature song. Radio-Canada played it today as part of their weekend Christmas show it brought back a tidal wave of memories.
On this score the French service Radio-Canada is doing a much better job with their Christmas programming than the CBC who is playing a mix of commercial music. Tomorrow 23 December, the CBC will have an all day Christmas concert as they do every year from the European Union broadcasted live starting at 9am. Radio-Canada will have its programming, vintage shows from the 1940 to 1970. Despite the fact that such programming might be speaking to an older generation, it is still enormously popular.
Maybe it speaks about a time when Christmas was not about shopping and stress. The Media today puts a heavy emphasis on how stressful and unpleasant it is, with those awful relatives. I wonder why it has to be this way, not to mention the trove of bad news. It sounds almost perverse.
Gifts use to be in my mother’s childhood an orange which was a luxury then, books, clothing like a scarf or a sweater. For us it was books, sweets or the dreaded Fentex slippers your gradma knitted for you, some small amount of money like a $5. bill new and crisp or a board game. The adults were not stressed, no one was driving around shopping in malls, it was a nice holiday with a focus in Roman Catholic Quebec on religion and midnight mass recalling the traditions of Old Canada and France.
The other popular song and remains so to this day is J’ai vu maman embrassé le Père Noël sung by Line Renaud who is 90 years old. This 1956 version is one you will hear on the radio. Renaud was and remains one of the great French singer of her time.
Well we avoided the stress of Christmas and it is something I never quite understood why so many people whipped themselves into a frenzy. I think that a lot of the stress is made up on false notions about gifts and having to please other people, it is somewhat artificial. I hope you all have lots of fun and enjoyment out of the Holiday Season.
Jerry and I get around. In 2011, we moved from the USA to Spain. We now live near Málaga. Jerry y yo nos movemos. En 2011, nos mudamos de EEUU a España. Ahora vivimos cerca de Málaga.
Tutto iniziò con Memorie di Adriano, sulle strade dell'Impero Romano tra foto, storia e mito - It all began with Memoirs of Hadrian, on the roads of the Roman Empire among photos, history and myth!
Telling the stories of the history of the port of Charlottetown and the marine heritage of Northumberland Strait on Canada's East Coast. Winner of the Heritage Award from the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation and a Heritage Preservation Award from the City of Charlottetown
Larry Muffin At Home 