Tuesday, July 27, 2010
July 27, 2010
My walk this evening had me flanked on both sides of the sidewalk with white Queen Anne's Lace and Yellow Buffalo Bean flowers. The Canadian thistle that reached well past my eye level on the mounds of dirt just beyond the sidewalk made the walk along Humberwood Blvd. quite a magical place to be. All the thistle is in seed and the floating puffs are everywhere. It took me 30 minutes over the freeway and into Malton, a neighbourhood that is mostly "Little India" formerly settled by the Italians but mostly abandoned by them for greener pastures and now been taken over by the emmigrants from India and Pakistan. I had letters to mail and some candy to take to Jackie O'Toole. We visited for about 15 minutes then I walked home as the round red sun set in the west. There were many walkers, families, couples and loners. A great evening for a walk!
Friday, July 16, 2010
July 17 Toronto
Years ago, about 40 years ago when we moved to Victoria British Columbia from Edmonton, Alberta I felt like Victoria was truly my city. I knew my way around it, quaint, slow paced and easy to get from one end of the city to the other. As the years passed and progress caught up with the rather slow pace, the face of "my city" changed. The familiar little shops and neighbourhoods had been replaced by big box stores, faster and more cars and an influx of varried cultures.
I always felt that I was a part of Canada, and Canada was a big part of me. Somehow the "old familiar" is no longer there. I am surrounded by languages that I do not understand, instead of neighbourhoods of white canadians we are encompassed in neighbourhoods of dark skinned people. Johnny come lately who know their way around the politics much better than I do. Many are soft spoken and try to blend into their 'new country' but more and more evident to me - I am the outsider, the minority - looking in on Canada.
Our voice from the west of Canada is barely audible against the multitude of emmigrant voices who demand and expect the bounty of Canada to be handed to them. I am second generation Canadian with a heritage of four grandparents, uncles, aunts and parents who worked tirelessly to build and strengthen this country of ours. I hope that will be the code of our new Canadians.
Wonderful priviledge to go to the Oakland, California temple to attend the wedding of my granddaughter, Marie Fisher to Daniel Marquis. Kathryn, Gabriella and Lily Parker, joined us at David's home for the event. The young bride and groom were so happy and so beautiful. They were married for time and eternity in one of the Holy Temples of the Lord. What a promising way to begin life together.
Another special two days for us was to attend the Hill Cumorah Pagent at Palmyra, New York where over 800 actors and actresses enacted stories of the Nephites, Lamanites and the visit of Jesus Christ, after his resurrection, to the American continent, accounts taken from recorded history in the Book of Mormon. We walked through the sacred grove where God the Eternal Father and Jesus Christ appeared to the boy Joseph Smith - in answer to his prayer as to which church he should join. We walked past the apple orchard, the barn and the copper shed on the Smith farm, also toured replicas of the log house and the frame house that was their home in Palmyra, New York.
The B&B where we stayed was just up the street from where there was a church on every corner. Large brick and limestone buildings. We drove to the temple in Palmyra and toured the visitors centre at the pagent. Palmyra is home to many many large and stately homes with wide and long green green grass lawns and huge trees - similar to a southern plantation home I would suspect.
Toronto is very close to many points of interest and many historical events. It is a busy busy city with great diversification. This week the news is all about a popular car race. On goes the beat! Elaine
I always felt that I was a part of Canada, and Canada was a big part of me. Somehow the "old familiar" is no longer there. I am surrounded by languages that I do not understand, instead of neighbourhoods of white canadians we are encompassed in neighbourhoods of dark skinned people. Johnny come lately who know their way around the politics much better than I do. Many are soft spoken and try to blend into their 'new country' but more and more evident to me - I am the outsider, the minority - looking in on Canada.
Our voice from the west of Canada is barely audible against the multitude of emmigrant voices who demand and expect the bounty of Canada to be handed to them. I am second generation Canadian with a heritage of four grandparents, uncles, aunts and parents who worked tirelessly to build and strengthen this country of ours. I hope that will be the code of our new Canadians.
Wonderful priviledge to go to the Oakland, California temple to attend the wedding of my granddaughter, Marie Fisher to Daniel Marquis. Kathryn, Gabriella and Lily Parker, joined us at David's home for the event. The young bride and groom were so happy and so beautiful. They were married for time and eternity in one of the Holy Temples of the Lord. What a promising way to begin life together.
Another special two days for us was to attend the Hill Cumorah Pagent at Palmyra, New York where over 800 actors and actresses enacted stories of the Nephites, Lamanites and the visit of Jesus Christ, after his resurrection, to the American continent, accounts taken from recorded history in the Book of Mormon. We walked through the sacred grove where God the Eternal Father and Jesus Christ appeared to the boy Joseph Smith - in answer to his prayer as to which church he should join. We walked past the apple orchard, the barn and the copper shed on the Smith farm, also toured replicas of the log house and the frame house that was their home in Palmyra, New York.
The B&B where we stayed was just up the street from where there was a church on every corner. Large brick and limestone buildings. We drove to the temple in Palmyra and toured the visitors centre at the pagent. Palmyra is home to many many large and stately homes with wide and long green green grass lawns and huge trees - similar to a southern plantation home I would suspect.
Toronto is very close to many points of interest and many historical events. It is a busy busy city with great diversification. This week the news is all about a popular car race. On goes the beat! Elaine
Monday, July 5, 2010
July 5th, Heathers Birthday!!
Time flies when we keep busy. So much has been going on here right in our neighbourhood. Two weeks ago we drove to Oshawa - about 60 minutes east of where we live, where we conducted a seven hour career workshop for eight single adults. They were a great group and we had a good time. That was Saturday - on Sunday we left mid morning to drive to London to be there for sacrament meeting at 11:30 and afterwards a presentation to two wards combined relief society and priesthood meetings where we outlined the services available to the job seekers through the career workshop. This was a full pleasant day.
This has been a week of television keeping us informed of the G 20 and G 8 meetings here, with protests and riot police, hot on the heels of the conclusion of those meetings ws the visit from the Queen of England. Sunday was the famous Queens Plate Horse Race at the Woodbine Race track - which is one block away and just across the street from our condo. Sunday afternoon we watched as literally hundreds of cars streemed into the race track parking lot and onto the grass. We attended a baptism at 5:00 and then our temple preparation class at 7:00. Another full day.
The bad news of the week -happened at a community centre right next the community garden where our friend Jackie O'Toole has a plot and Saturday there were a group of boys playing basketball at the community centre when there was a fight over the basketball. One boy pulled a gun and shot another boy in the head. Wow. now that is a little unsettling.
Tomorrow is our July Career Workshop at the Employment Resource Centre where we will give two full days of instruction. Bye for now. God Bless! Elaine
This has been a week of television keeping us informed of the G 20 and G 8 meetings here, with protests and riot police, hot on the heels of the conclusion of those meetings ws the visit from the Queen of England. Sunday was the famous Queens Plate Horse Race at the Woodbine Race track - which is one block away and just across the street from our condo. Sunday afternoon we watched as literally hundreds of cars streemed into the race track parking lot and onto the grass. We attended a baptism at 5:00 and then our temple preparation class at 7:00. Another full day.
The bad news of the week -happened at a community centre right next the community garden where our friend Jackie O'Toole has a plot and Saturday there were a group of boys playing basketball at the community centre when there was a fight over the basketball. One boy pulled a gun and shot another boy in the head. Wow. now that is a little unsettling.
Tomorrow is our July Career Workshop at the Employment Resource Centre where we will give two full days of instruction. Bye for now. God Bless! Elaine
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