My friend Cathy (she who putts 51) and her husband came for dinner last night and told us about an interview on CBC Radio with a remarkable athlete: Monique van der Vorst.
WOW! What a fabulous woman. This is really what it's all about ...
"She was 13 when a simple operation went inexplicably wrong and she found herself unable to walk. But Monique Van de Vorst concentrated on what she could do becoming a paralympic athlete, excelling at handcycling. Still she was beset by random events that injured her further, she was hit by a car, then hit by a bike and then one day she experienced some feeling in her feet and 12 years after being paralyzed, she was re-learning to walk.
Now, she's training with an elite women's cycling team, and plans on being in Rio de Janiero for the 2016 Olympics. Doctors have no explanation for the reversal of Monique's paralysis. And she doesn't get it either." CBC Radio Interview
We have been breaking records right and left with WAY ABOVE average temperatures which is no good to anyone who wants winter proper. Himself arrived and wondered if he ever left Scotland as it has been grey, rainy and generally lousy all round.
Last night we got 10" and it is still snowing (on unfrozen ground mind you but who cares?)
I've been taking in the bird food at night as the night time marauders (racoons) have been around and they destroy the feeders. So, I got everything set up and was immediately rewarded:
And then in came a thief!
What's wrong with this picture?
So, the question remains: Will we have a white Christmas?
My friend Wendy and I had an overnight in Orillia (about an house and a half west of here) at Casino Rama. We had a lovely 'suite' complete with fireplace and a delicious meal at "Cedar" one of 10 restaurants.
Of course we gambled. We set the limit at $20 (high rollers?) for the slots (one armed bandits) and in we went to the casino proper. We were very surprised to see the slots patrons sitting and pressing buttons - the pulling of the arm is so not cool - although it is there at the side. AND no coins! Everything is done with credit notes or plastic cards attached to a coil for the well heeled ... if one did win, the bells and whistles were the same and there was an added sound bite of change falling into the machine - not quite like the good ole days!
I lost my $20 in pretty short order. Wendy walked out with $36.20 in her pocket. I'm such a loser.
The point and the highlight of the whole adventure was to see a live performance of 'Celtic Woman'. I love them and it was thrilling to see them. The auditorium seats 5,000 and they filled up every corner with their beautiful voices. Absolutely fabulous.
David Downes, the musical director, played the piano accompanied by the Rama Symphony Orchestra.
Mairead brings her violin to life with passion, fun and a twinkle in her eye. She puts everything she has into every performance. The Rama stage may have been to small for her and she appeared to be holding back from her usual energetic runs and leaps.
Lisa, Chloe and Lisa have the voices of angels.
We had a great time and I am so pleased to have been able to go and appreciate the gift of song, beauty and warmth of 'Celtic Woman.'
Chloe sang "Ave Maria." She is magnificent and brought the house down.
If 'Celtic Woman' is ever performing near you - GO!
Although this clip of Chloe singing "Ave Maria" is not from our performance, it is amazing:
It has been an amazing November here in Southern Ontario this year. It was +8C or so today and tomorrow it is forecast to be +13C! So, my friend, Cathy, and I decided to try the brand new 18 hole, par 67, "Cascade Mini Putt" course at the Blue Mountain Resort.
Apparently, the resort will cover the course with 15 - 20' of man made snow and we will ski over it to get to the high speed quad lift!
It's a no nonsense course!
We were short on cascades as they are drained for the winter; however, we could see some lovely waterfalls and river rock wandering through the terraced landscaping.
In these next pics you can see the loading area for the chair lift and the snow gun ...
We talked a lot about what to do with the bunker shots as neither of us had a wedge ... Of course, I was first to find one. Guess what? The 'sand' is carpet also. It looks SO real!!!!
We had a great time and already look forward to our next outing.
BTW: Cathy shot a 51 ... geez! Well done my friend and thanks for a fun afternoon.
As long as I can remember, my mother always had a foster child whom she supported through Plan (aka Foster Parents Plan). I went with her to Greece to visit with her foster son there and once we went to Haiti to visit a foster daughter. My mother was so committed to it that she gave George, from Greece, the opportunity to be educated in Ontario and he subsequently graduated from Western University.
After my mother died in 1998 I took over her account and sponsored, Shabuz, a little boy from Bangladesh. After he turned 18, I then got Jahirul, also from Bangladesh.
Quite frankly, I'm a lousy foster parent as I don't write and I rarely send extra presents and I feel a bit badly about that. However, something must be better than nothing for the poor wee souls.
A lovely woman from Plan called me the other night to "Thank" me for my support (bring on the guilt machine) and then she went on to explain to me Plan's new initiative for girls: to change the world by changing the world for girls. The big push of course is for education, "Educated girls become educated women who raise educated children."
Without a second thought I said, "Yes." The woman gasped with surprise - I wonder how many rejections she got that night? - and nearly wept.
My 'package' arrived this week, and I would like to introduce you to my darling little Jade:
I'm smitten, make no mistake about it. She's 18 months old and lives with her parents and 5 siblings (including her twin brother) in the Philippines.
I'm really pleased to help Jade and her family.
If you have $37/month and would like to help go here: www.plancanada.ca
Lucky me attended the Dan Hill concert at Collingwood Collegiate on Saturday night.
He is so passionate and sincere; I felt as if I was the only one in the audience. Each song was accompanied with a story. We laughed and we cried; closed our eyes and felt his music.
This video will surprise you (1988!)
We were so pleased that he played this, and the emotions are still the same:
Thank you Dan for a fabulous evening (I love you).
Foodstock brought thousands of us (guesstimates range from 15,000 to 28,000) to a nearby potato farm to sample amazing dishes prepared by 70+ professional chefs. We wanted to show support for local farmers and agriculture. Over 2,000 acres of farmland may be turned into a "mega quarry" as deep as Niagara Falls for mining limestone. Should the Melancthon Quarry come to be, it threatens to destroy a huge chunk of rich, agricultural land, to disrupt wildlife, and to drain a water table that is a valuable source for the surrounding area and everything south of it towards Lake Ontario.
I think that this whole thing really has to be thought out and planned well before hand. We've been accused of NIMBYism; however, this thing is so big that it's in everyones back yard!
It was a fabulous event. The organization was monumental and as far as we were concerned it went without a hitch. My friend Dale and I had a great time grazing through the woods:
I think that 40 years of friendship is pretty darn good by anyones standard.
We've nicknamed ourselves the YaYas after the book/film: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Lots of history, stories to tell (as well as stories NOT to tell), group therapy: relationships, children and now grandchildren ... and just life in general.
We spent the weekend together:
As our aprons say (thank you, Martha) ... Here's To Us!
A while back, in her blog, my daughter challenged readers to list the things for which they are grateful. I haven't forgotten the challenge, I simply haven't wanted to necessarily publish my findings ...
However, I am now back in Canada and it's Thanksgiving week-end and I have so much to be grateful for:
My outstanding daughter and son on whom the sun rises and sets,
My husband who completes me,
My family, nephews and great(!) nieces & nephews, and yes, even step-children,
My friends ... and you know who you are ... who stand by me and guide me (even when I don't want to hear it),
My 183 Polish cousins ... who knew?
My deck where I had breakfast this morning in +20 degrees - remember folks it's October :/
It belted down rain until early morning. From our wonderful vantage point (our bed) Himself and I watched the dark front move slowly over us, blue sky and puffy clouds coming in behind.
I started my daily yoga practice and was treated with this:
It's so difficult to be PC these days. Himself loaded up the back of the car with old concrete from a current project (reducing the size of the garden 'water feature' - very much a work in progress) as well as other odds and ends that the bin men won't take. And off we went to the dump ... oops, sorry, I mean the:
It's wonderfully organized and everything has its place: white goods, construction rubble & scraps, oil/gas, garden cuttings, electrical section, metal - the lot. All the recycling bins are there as well, and donation bins for clothes, shoes, and books. You have to be quick to pick though ... there is a shop right there and the boys are quick off the mark to get anything of value! Thank goodness the shop was closed today as Himself loves a wee prowl through and rarely comes out empty handed.
Before going south to the family reunion for the w/e, I spent a couple of days in Krakow with cousin Teresa and her fabulous brother and family. The weather was warm and perfect for sightseeing. I was very spoilt with delicious food, and wonderful walking tours of the old city with her brother or her sister - they are each passionate about the history and are keen to share.
I have put together some photos and this time added music! I apologize in advance as not only was this my first time downloading music from iTunes, the selection of traditional Polish music was limited! The second music clip is a traditional Polish melody performed by Jimmy Shand Junior and his Scottish Dance Band! (of course).
WOW! What an incredible w/e I spent in Poland with my family. Yes, this is what it's all about. I will sort through my thoughts and photos over the next few days. In the meantime (find Waldo):
Before I explain, I would like to publicly tell my nephew, Alex, how proud I am of him. Earlier this summer he trained and practiced and put himself way outside his comfort zone to compete - and complete! - the 2011 Norfolk SuperHero Challenge. He and his competition partner ran 1 mile, kayaked 4 miles, cycled 38 miles, and ran 7 miles under the most awful/challenging/dreadful weather conditions. He raised £6,500 for his sister-in-law, Sarah, who has Motor Neurone disease.
AND
Currently my friend Dorothy is spending a month in Rawanda. She did a whole lot of fundraising and is now there. Please look at her blog PREFER: http://dcampbellinrwanda.blogspot.com/. She is giving of herself and I am in awe. And YES, I will join you next time Dorothy! I love this shot of her:
AND
Today ...
A friend of a friend of Himself's came by for coffee with his friends - on bicycles! Hurricane Katia was just leaving although they rode through her yesterday - don't ask how - it was awful out there. They have 3 more days to go and then they will have ridden from Land's End to John O'Groat's - 1000 or so miles ... They are raising money for a hospital in Malawi where two of the group live and work: www.lahob.org.uk. The website has great photos of the hospital and includes some interesting facts: riders combined age is 200 years, combined 3 of them have spent 60 man years working in Malawi. They are very special people, and it was great to meet you. Safe Journeys!
Himself and I had a lovely visit with cousins up north - just over three hours in the car. We took our time on the drive up. At one point we saw seals resting on the rocks near Dingwall:
Near Nigg, we saw several huge oil rigs waiting for service (or whatever it is they do up there):
We played a little golf on The Struie Course at Dornoch - in the wind, lashing rain and did I mention the wind? The best part of that day was the parsnip and haggis soup in the clubhouse. Here is the starter on The Championship Course (note how well the flags are flying):
One day another cousin came over with her nephew and his wife and we joined them on a drive up the road to Croick Church. We like to go up and pay our respects. This sweet wee church has a dramatic history associated with the Clearances, and many Ross's are buried there: http://www.croickchurch.com/
We were quite taken with the free range Rhode Island Red chickens wandering about:
When on the croft it is important to securely tie up the boots (unless one is wearing wellies):
A personal highlight of our visit was watching George out with his dogs herding the sheep. It's magic. On the morning of the Dingwall Sales I filmed a bit of him, with his mum, and three of the dogs getting the sheep ready for the truck (don't worry, they are sold to go onto greener pastures mostly down south):
George went down right away to be at the market and check that the lambs were taken safely off the truck. We followed on a bit later. It was a huge sale - over 13,000 lambs were sold - and Heatherlea successfully sold 315. The auction was very exciting. Himself reminded me to sit on my hands as we had no room in the car. This clip shows the Heatherlea lambs at auction. I still can't tell who is doing the buying - each buyer has a secret sign that the auctioneer knows to look for:
Cousins, family - that's what it's all about - and we had a great time together.
I'm off to Poland next week to visit with more cousins ...
