Luke, A13 and L15 rose early this morning so they could be among the first skaters when the canal opened. We have been hoping it would open before Luke went home so when L read yesterday that it was ready they made plans to catch the bus downtown to be there by 8am when it opened for its 40th season.
Their enthusiasm paid off, they enjoyed their 9km skate and were photographed by an Ottawa Citizen photographer.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Ottawa+pictures/1981048/story.html
My nephew, Luke is visiting from Australia at present, one of the brave visitors, happy to come in winter. We have been explaining to him that anything above -10° C is not really cold. It is actually perfect winter weather, not too cold to go out but cold enough that the ice on the rink isn’t melting and the snow isn’t turning to slush. Yesterday, however, when he was standing in the wind at the top of our local toboganning hill he asked whether the temperature there was actually cold? We assured him that yes, with the wind chill making it -19°C it was cold!
Since he arrived he has skated on our rink in the park a few times, and is waiting for the canal to open so he can experience a canal skate complete with “beavertail” at the end. Yesterday we met a few friends at the hill and spent an hour or so tobogganing. Once they found the icy patches on the fast side they did away with toboggans and mats and just slid. Luke managed to take the record for distance on a toboggan.
Start:
Finish! He is that little dot between the trees, which is actually quite close to the now frozen water’s edge.
Yesterday we took to the woods with a few friends to hunt for our respective Christmas trees. Armed only with a hand saw we were hoping to hunt down three suitable trees. We entered the forest looking high and low, left and right, near and far. This was no ordinary hunting ground, missing were the ordered rows of Christmas trees planted in different years so to mature over the years to come. No, we were hunting in the wild, in the forest, where trees grow unchecked for year after year.
It soon became evident that to take home the perfect tree some creative cutting might need to be done. Most of the trees were wild, large trees so they needed to be chopped down then chopped again, or cut fairly high up the trunk. Finally one of the families with us spotted their tree, the one that was to fit perfectly in their living room. Not long after the other family closed in on their own and half the hunting party started hauling their quarry back to the waiting vehicles. It was only us with out a tree. Joined in our search by our friends we retraced our steps revisiting possible trees only to reject them as too short, too thin, too uneven, too brown, too fat, or too ugly. We know we have made a name for ourselves but we have had some beautiful trees over the years and we could not see what we wanted.
If you have visited our house at Christmas you would know that always have a tall tree. Our ceiling is at least ten foot high where we place our tree and more than once we have brought home a tree only to have to chop a little off the top. In the end we gave up our hunt. The wild tree was not for us, no we were going back to the pay station to buy one bred in captivity. These trees were baled already so we were taking a risk, but when it was set up in our lounge room we were satisfied that we had chosen well. It is a beautifully shaped tree, a little shorter than past years at about seven foot but lovely all the same.
What made the hunt all the more enjoyable of course was the company of our friends and the beautiful day. We had wondered whether we would be tramping through green woods on our hunt, but no, the trees were laden and there was 15-20 cm of fresh snow on the ground.
For the last few weeks we have been studying Africa in geography. Each student had to pick an African country, complete some research and mapping, then present their project to the group. B9 picked Botswana, but then noticed that Lesotho was completely surrounded by another country: South Africa. He thought this was a very cool thing and decided to learn about Lesotho instead.
We had been reading and collecting information for about a week when he happened to be discussing his school work with his friend across the road. His friend mentioned that the king of Lesotho was coming to his school the following week. When B9 told me this I was a little stunned, so did an online search to find out exactly what was going on. Sure enough King Letsie III was attending a special assembly at our friend’s school to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Help Lesotho and to thank those who have supported his country over the last 5 years.
I called the school to see if we could attend and was given instructions and sent a special parking permit. It was important that we arrive well before the King as no-one would be admitted to the hall after he entered. B9 was happy to see his friend who had the added privilege of meeting the king after the assembly to ask him a question. The assembly included quite a bit of audio visual material from Lesotho, which showed us what the land was like and the living conditions of some of the people.
There were several speakers, the school choir and some video presentation from children and women in Lesotho who have been helped through Help Lesotho. The king spoke last and his gratitude was very moving. Naturally his concern for the people of Lesotho is great, particularly because HIV Aids is a huge problem leaving many of the children of the country without parents. B9 and I enjoyed being at the assembly and B9 also enjoyed explaining to his audience during his presentation that, as part of the current events component, he had been to see and hear the King of Lesotho speak!
During our geography class we also enjoyed presentations about São Tomé and Príncipe, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar. Everyone had a slightly different approach in their presentation, some providing food, others music and others a glimpse into the lives of people they knew in the country they studied.
It is that time of year again when one concert is followed very closely by the next. At the beginning of November both L15 and A 13 participated in the Kids Helping Kids concert to raise money for the Peaceful Children’s Homes in Cambodia. L15 has been involved for several years as a soloist but she also took some of the administration this time. A13 performed was invited as a soloist for the first time this year.
The following weekend Stellae Boreales performed at the Young String Performers Foundation concert. The group has been invited by the YSPF before but this time L15 was also invited to perform a solo, the first movement of Vivaldi’s Summer. During the week Stellae Boreales performed at an Awards Gala and tomorrow morning, I have just been informed, the senior ensemble will be playing at the Senate as part of National Child Day.
Next Saturday is the November Stellae Boreales Fundraising concert, where both girls with play solos. L15 will play all of Summer and A13 will play the 1st mvt. of the Concerto in B minor by de Beriot.
When the calendar turns over to December the concertos will be replaced (temporarily) by Christmas music as the girls play at banquets and Christmas services. So you see some things haven’t changed in our life.
It is a week now since we said goodbye to my parents and they left on their long journey home to the Blue Mountains. We had a wonderful time with them and enjoyed some great outings and activities as well as thoroughly appreciating having them experience our daily lives with us. I hope I get a chance to write about a few of the things we did together but I am not making any promises as life continues to be busy here.
As I write this Andrew is in Australia, staying with his mother in Alice Springs. We received the very sad news on October 2nd that his dad had passed away. Andrew left the next day to be with his mum and will be there until the end of October. The last time we were with his family was in May 2005 whn all five of us visited Australia for a month. B9 was able to meet his Telford Grandparents for the first time. Below is a favourite photo of ours showing three generations of Telford men. B9 was only four at the time. Ken will be sadly missed by all of us.
As summer draws to a close it is time to recap on the books read in this house over the last few months. My parents have been staying with us and my dad has spent more time reading here than he would have at home so I will start with his list. Most books were drawn from the Ottawa Library. By this point in the post he has taken over writing and I will just wait and post the finished list with his comments and reviews.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
This book was in the house when we arrived. An easy to read insight into life on the Channel Island of Guernsey during the German occupation of World War 2.
Walking on the Land Farley Mowat
I had read several Mowat books on an earlier visit to Canada and have become aware of his activism in the anti-whaling cause in the Southern Ocean as a visitor to Australia in recent years. This book recalls a story told in part in some of his earlier writings, a story which put him on a collision course with some people in high places. It is the story of some of the indigenous people of the Arctic whose life and livelihood was destroyed, in large part through the neglect and apparent “could not care” attitudes of people whose responsibility included the welfare of the indigenous people.
The story was new to me, but sadly and remarkably similar to some of the stories that I know only too well concerning the indigenous people of my own country.
The Custodian of Paradise Wayne Johnston
I had read “The Colony of Unrequited Dreams” on an earlier visit and was keen to learn more of Sheilagh Fielding’s story. Johnston is a great writer and the story engaged me until the last page. I think there is more yet to be told; perhaps there will be a third book in the trilogy when next we visit.
Baltimore’s Mansion Wayne Johnston
Newfoundland, the last province to join the Canadian Confederation. What a time it must have been. Johnston’s memoir of Newfoundland through the lives of his grandfather, father and his own give a unique insight to the place of Newfoundland in Canada, and a background to the setting of the two novels mentioned above.
Memoirs-All Rivers Run to the Sea Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel was a Romanian-Hungarian Jew who was a survivor of Auchwitz, though most of his family perished. The first chapter “Childhood” was difficult – so many people, so many relationships, it was hard to follow and I almost put it back in the library bag. The second chapter “Darkness” is his memoir of the period 19 March 1944 to 11 April 1945, from the arrival of the Germans into his town of Sighet on the day of the Jewish Feast of Purim to the liberation by American soldiers from Auchwitz just over a year later. He managed to stay with his father until a few days before the liberation when his father died.
Despite its distressing subject, I found this chapter uplifting in an unexpected way and remarkably without bitterness. Later chapters tell of his life as a writer, as a journalist and author, telling the story of the young nation state of Israel and the Zionist hope
Speaking My Mind Tony Campolo
This book is sub-titled “The Radical Prophet Tackles the Tough Issues Christians are Afraid to Face.” Campolo stands solidly in the evangelical stream but he is offering a strong critique of American Fundamentalism, whilst at the same time acknowledging that evangelical churches are no longer “the monolithic mass of social conservatives”, a phrase which may have once been true. It is an examination of the US scene and the American church, but I see much correlation with Australia Christian scene.
The Right Attitude to Rain Alexander McCall Smith
The World According to Bertie Alexander McCall Smith
I was introduced to McCall Smith during a previous visit to Ottawa. His books have now become very popular in Australia where he has also visited to introduce his characters. Bertie and his family (and all their neighbours) and Isobel Dalhousie and the dilemmas she confronts provide enjoyable relaxation amidst many of the other books.
Five Generations of the Kennedy Family (returned to the library without noting the author’s name)
I came upon this book in the biography section during the week of Ted Kennedy’s death. It is a large book of and I read with interest major sections identified from its comprehensive index. Without question, the Kennedy brothers had a profound influence on American politics and world affairs. With the death of Ted, I am wondering whether there are other family members who will follow.
Prime Ministers: Ranking Canada’s Leaders J.L. Granatstein, Norman Hillmer
As a keen student of Australian history and politics, I was interested to gain an overview of some of the major issues of Canadian politics since confederation. This small book provides a very succinct overview. Each chapter provides an essay on the leadership of the respective Prime Ministers and ranks the quality of their leadership from Great through Average to Failure. I don’t think anyone has yet written a similar ranking book of our PM’s, although there are many weightier books to read at home as, no doubt, there are here.
With two more weeks of our holiday, the list is incomplete and the reading continues, but it time to post the entry. It is a privilege to be a contributor instead of an occasional commenter.
ND
Yesterday Andrew and the two girls played in the One Under the Son volleyball tournament hosted by CHRI, the local Christian radio station. The rest of the team was made up of friends from church and friends of friends. The tournament was a fund-raiser for Camp Cherith. Neither of the girls have had much volleyball experience but had a lot of fun. Andrew turned out to be quite an asset to the team as he has played a little lately and he is, well, rather tall!
B8 and I along with my parents joined them around lunch time to watch and encourage. It was hot! We found some shade and occasionally a breeze caught us, but the players on the courts did not have those benefits. The team did not make it to the finals but did have a win!
A month ago now L and A, along with their friends H and P provided all the instrumental music for a wedding. The bridal couple are friends of H and P who approached them about forming a quartet to play at the wedding in July. The girls have played together many times but this was easily the most significant gig they have done. Some of the music they already knew, but most had to be learned. The bride chose very traditional wedding pieces including The Bridal March, Pachelbel Canon, Trumpet Voluntary and the Wedding March. The wedding was held in a marquee in the bride’s parent’s lovely garden. Right up until the ceremony began it poured but while the wedding proceeded the rain took a break. The girls played beautifully and enjoyed the experience.
There was much discussion about appropriate apparel. The normal performance blacks were ruled out fairly early on. H and P were invited guests and did not want to attend a wedding in black. A and L are a little tired of their black performance dresses anyway. Matching dresses were not considered a good choice, they didn’t want to be mistaken for, or clash with the bridesmaids! After a couple of joint shopping expeditions we realized that black and white is in at present and it was both pretty and professional looking. Finding four different but co-ordinating dresses for the right price and the right size was a little tricky. The first one we found everyone wanted so we bought it and then delayed the decision about who would get it. Eventually we realized that we were not going to find a dress for A13. Although she is the tallest of the four girls she is also the “smallest”. I ended up making her one which fitted in well with the other three.
Our older daughter turned fifteen on Sunday. We went to church in the morning and then came home for some lunch and gift giving. During the afternoon we watched the weather for a break in the ever present rain so we could squeeze in a bit of tennis. After we had played for a short time the black clouds rolled in and the rain started falling. On the way home we spotted a cricket match, a fairly rare event around here. Andrew stopped and chatted to the spectators for a while to find out that the teams were made up of Sri Lankans; Ottawa vs. Montreal.
At L15′s request we watched a couple of episodes of MasterChef Australia before our own MasterChef cooked up Shrimp Two Ways. L15 had asked for a shrimp pasta sauce for dinner which Andrew cooked but also made a skewered shrimp entree on salad greens. Both were delicious. We finished with a raspberry swirl cheesecake and time to watch another couple of episodes of MasterChef. I did mention we are a little addicted to it didn’t I. Not only has it changed our approach to cooking, it has added to our vocabulary also. We no longer talk about serving the dinner, instead we “plate up”. We sit down and deliver critiques on the food in front of us, encouraging each other to ” take it to the next level”
When we were about to begin watching L15 handed Andrew and I a gift, which was surprising, it wasn’t our birthday after all. Inside there was a beautiful card thanking us for our love and support over the last fifteen years. In the gift bag was a dvd, made by L15, featuring pictures of her from birth until now, with the Taylor Swift song, The Best Day, playing in the background. I was overwhelmed. Neither of us had any idea she had been making the dvd over the past few months. She found all the photos she needed and did all the work on a friend’s computer so we would have no idea. She gathered up photos a few at a time whenever she knew she and her friend P would be spending a few hours together without me around. Apparently it got tricky a few times explaining to me why she had to go over there, not stay here. The end result is beautiful and as you can imagine made me cry. It is not just the photos and the memories they evoke that mean so much to me but also her desire to thank us in such a special way.
Now as always she continues to bring us joy and bless our family.
