Random ramblings from the cluttered brain of a Brit ex-pat North Devonian trying to keep cool in the steamy summers and warm in the frosty winters of The Great White North.
Gosh, Waverley Station is huge! I traveled to Scotland by train, which was a wonderful journey, and when I arrived in Edinburgh, I couldn't find my way out of the station.
Waverley Station opened in 1846 and was rebuilt between 1892 and 1902. It lies in the valley between the old town and modern Edinburgh, adjacent to Princes Street, Edinburgh Castle and the Princes Street Gardens.
There's a huge shopping mall at the station Thank goodness for the covered escalators to get from the station level to Princes Street, it's a huge hill, I would hate to try and carry luggage up all the steps.
Here's a video of the Sation:
... and if you need to go to the Ladies Loo, it costs 30p, and you better have the right change.
This time it's collage.
We had fun cutting and tearing strips of paper and glueing them down to make a picture or a composition, or just a pretty pattern. I ended up with so much glue on my finger tips that they started to stick together. I guess I'm not a very tidy collage artist.
I wish I had taken photos of all the finished work, there were some really imaginative designs.
I've learnt that pages torn from the National Geographic Magazines (known as the yellow peril) are the best for collage... good quality paper and lots of great colours, especially providing a variety of gorgeous blues if you're doing a seascape. I'll have to keep my eyes open for the glow of yellow when yard sale season starts again.
No National Geographic in this one, just plain coloured papers ripped up and glued to red card.
I call it "Rough Sea at Sunset". It' looks best if you squint your eyes. Or perhaps close them completely??? Pinned to my garage door at the moment.
Beach grass? Cactus in the desert? Prairie grasses under a summer sky?
Whatever it is, it was fun to create.
I love the look of pictures made from paper collage. I have far to go in this form of creating art, but if you want to see an expert at work, have a look at the work of Scottish collage artist Dawn Maciocia. This is gorgeous:
Remember that song... The Hippy Hippy Shake?
As a teenager I remember the song being a huge hit by The Swinging Blue Jeans in England in 1963, but apparently was performed by many other artists.... the Beatles, Little Tony, Chan Romero, Mud, Billy Childish, Davy Jones, Jesse and the Rippers, The Georgia Satellites, most of whom I've never heard of.
I've got my own version of the Hippy Hippy Shake.... here. Six months in and everything's looking good.
High Diving Giraffes.... who knew giraffes were so athletically talented?
I'm not usually keen on sharing YouTube videos but this one caused me to have a huge smile on my face! Enjoy it. (Remember to watch right to the end after the titles go by.)
Juno is the Toronto Zoo's female polar bear cub. Juno was born on November 11 2015 to parents Aurora and Inukshuk. Aurora gave birth to twin cubs but sadly one did not survive, so little Juno spent her first three months in the maternity ward in the Wildlife Health Centre at the Zoo, just to be on the safe side.
As she was born on Remembrance Day, she was named in honour of Juno Beach, the name given to Canadian soldiers designated landing on D-day. She is now an honorary member of the Canadian Armed Forces, and holds the rank of Private. Apparently, she will get a promotion from the army on every birthday, so may eventually end up being General Juno. We'll have to salute her!
Here she is at 2 months old, just learning to walk.
She's just over 6 months old now, and I spent a long time leaning on the fence early this morning, watching her play with her toys. Here's what I saw.....
I've been a volunteer at our local theatre ever since it opened about ten years ago. I take tickets, show patrons to their seats, hand out programmes, tidy up after everyone's gone home. Consequently, my reward is the ability to see some terrific movies, concerts and shows.
Yesterday it was Vitaly - World Class Illusionist. Illusions? Magic? C'm on...it's not real, is it? But this illusionist is truly World Class. Vitaly Beckman was born in Belarus, and now lives in Vancouver. He's doing two shows here.... last night's astonishing show was totally sold out, and for good reason. He got a well deserved standing ovation.
Vitaly can make people disappear from ordinary photographs and appear on another. He can levitate an apple, and then take a bite out of it. He has a paintbrush that paints by itself. His drawings magically turn into the real thing. He does illegal things with the photos on drivers licences. He did all this only eight feet from the front row of the enthralled audience. And he's funny, personable and full of character.
Callum has been taking jazz and musical theatre courses at his local Dance Academy, and today was the annual end of year Dance Recital. This year he was in two numbers.... this is the second one, It's a Hard Knock Life, from Oliver! He's the little tyke with the flat cap. Mum and Dad and Grandma and Nana (that's me) were there to watch the performance. The show opens on Broadway next week!
Back in 2009, the McMichael Art Gallery located in Kleinburg, Ontario, commissioned a Totem Pole from Haida carver Don Yeomans. It's on permanent display in the entrance of the gallery.
This magnificent red cedar Totem Pole incorporates images of the Raven, the Eagle and the Frog and represents totems of the Haida people of North West British Columbia. But even though these are ancient symbols of the First Nations people, modern technology is also a part of contemporary life.
The Eagle is using his cell phone.
Don't leave home without your iPod.
And closer to the floor, the Frog is emailing someone on his laptop.... but sadly I didn't take a picture of him. There's a photo and a description of the Totem Pole here.
If you have 22 minutes to spare, this video shows the creation of the Totem Pole from bare red cedar log to the finished item. Yes, it's a long video, but well worth watching. Make sure you watch around the 4 minute mark when the enormous log is split into two.
And here the carver Don Yeomans talks about the creative process and the installation.
The Peterborough Lift Lockis Lock 21 on the Trent Severn Waterway which runs between Trenton on Lake Ontario and Port Severn on Georgian Bay, which is part of Lake Huron. I took a lunchtime cruise on the "Island Princess" along the canal a couple of weeks ago. Weather was a bit iffy, but it only rained for about ten minutes and we were under cover. This a typical cloudy sky for this summer.... lots of cool breezes and rain so far.
The lift lock was opened in 1904, and has been lifting and lowering vessels up and down the waterway ever since. The lock has two identical ship caissons (in other words "bathtubs" holding water only a few feet deep) in which vessels are taken up or down a journey of 19.8 m (65 ft), the highest hydraulic boat lift in the world. Each caisson is filled with water and the boats enter, tie up to the rails, and the gates of the caissons are closed. The lift lock functions by gravity alone using the counterweight principle. One caisson always ascends and the other always descends during each locking cycle. There water level is a bit higher in the upper caisson making it heavier, so as the top one carries boats to the lower water level, the lower one ascends.
Heading towards the lift lock. We're going to go up in the left caisson.
The black pillar is the hydraulic cylinder that supports the caisson, and allows the heavier caisson to push the lighter caisson upwards. Once the boats are secured and the gates are closed, the crossover valve is activated and the action begins.
The "Lady Catherine" was on her way down as we were going up. Lots of waving going on as we crossed over.
And the view from the top as we were on the return journey. This boat was going up and we were going down. Lock 21 is rumoured to be haunted by a woman who was burned for being a witch in the 1840s and/or a worker who was killed during it's construction.... or a pair of starcrossed lovers.... take your pick.... details here. (There's also some pics of the lock construction at the same link.)
"July Saturday 9, 1904, Opening day of Hydraulic Lift Lock at Peterboro. Went down by Ogemah, got off at old Chemong Station where met by rig & drove across to Lakefield by 9:45 am. Got on Empress there & went down with her & 'Stoney Lake' to No. 5 dam where Parliamentary party after lunch['ing' has been crossed out](in big tent there) boarded the two boats about 1:30 pm & proceeded down (in pouring rain) to Lift Lock which was formally opened by both boats being let down at 2:30 pm..."
Lock 20 at Ashburnham on the way back to the main dock at Peterborough, not quite as impressive as Lock 21.
And now for something completely different........
My whole family have been fans of Monty Python since the beginning. Monty Python's Flying Circus started it's TV life in Britain in 1969, and was exported to Canadian TV screens in September 1970. The show immediately gained a huge fan base, although many people remained completely bamboozled as what it was all about.
The Python crew.... Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin.... are credited with changing the direction of British comedy.
This month Monty Python is being revived on stage in London by the original cast, minus Graham Chapman who died in 1989. Press reviews are mixed. Some say the show is brilliant. Some say it's a bunch of 70+ has-beens in search of extra cash. Perhaps a bit of both?
I saw a travel presentation by Michael Palin at U of T a few years ago, and he took questions at the end. Of course, after all the serious questions, someone asked him for the Lumberjack Song.... which he happily provided, to a huge ovation!
About 5 years ago I went to see "Spamalot" live performance in Toronto. Brilliant, lots of laughs, lots of classic Pythonesque comedy sketches which never lose their charm, no matter how many times you hear them.
So if you are ever searching for the Meaning of Life, my advice is to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. And laugh!
Saw this video on line.... thought it was worth watching. If you have a pool, and you see a squirrel in difficulties, now you will immediately know what to do.
I've been doing some more volunteering at the theatre, and this time the concert was Jully Black. OK.... if you don't live in Canada her name may not be familiar, but if she and her band ever come to your town, definitely go and see her! Don't miss it.
Born the youngest of nine children in the notorious Jane and Finch neighbourhood in Toronto, Jully started singing in church when she was little. She's been part of the Canadian R&B music scene for a few years now.... and she is nothing short of DYNAMIC! She performed with a 4 piece band, and a couple of crazy hiphop dancers. As soon as those hiphop guys hit the stage, I knew we were in for a wild night.
Jully performed at the opening of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, opened for Kanye West in Singapore, headlined the Canada Day concert in Trafalgar Square, London, and has sung at a private event for the Queen.
Her show here was sold out, and the crowd were very appreciative, dancing along with her and making the rafters shake with whistles and cheering. The show was ultra-high energy, the best concert I've ever been at, and as our modest little theatre seats only about 150 people maximum, it's a very intimate venue. The audience is very close to the performers.... you can see every bead of sweat!
Today Canada lost one of it's iconic characters. A famous politician? Nope. An Olympic medal winner? Try again. A well known author or journalist? Still wrong.
If you are not a Canadian, you may not have heard of him. Singer / Songwriter / Country legend Stompin' Tom Connors has passed away. I'm definitely not a country music fan. In fact, I have never bought one of his recordings. I never went to one of his concerts. But Stompin' Tom meant "Canada" to me. I tapped my feet to his music and sang along with his uniquely Canadian lyrics.
He wrote songs about Canada, and only sang his own songs. He always took a plywood board on stage so he could stomp his cowboy boot in time to his music. And his gravelly voice was unique and so recognisable.
Stompin' Tom had a hard life. He was born to a teenage mother, and spent some time with her in a penitentiary before being adopted. He drifted from job to job and even spent some time living on the streets before starting an entertainment career. He won several Juno awards for his music, but gave them all back in the 1970s to protest Canadian artists leaving to pursue music careers in the USA.
He wrote a letter to his fans before he died.
Hello friends, I want all my fans, past, present, or future, to know that without you, there would have not been any Stompin' Tom.
It was a long hard bumpy road, but this great country kept me inspired with its beauty, character, and spirit, driving me to keep marching on and devoted to sing about its people and places that make Canada the greatest country in the world.
I must now pass the torch, to all of you, to help keep the Maple Leaf flying high, and be the Patriot Canada needs now and in the future.
I humbly thank you all, one last time, for allowing me in your homes, I hope I continue to bring a little bit of cheer into your lives from the work I have done.
Sincerely,
Your Friend always,
Stompin' Tom Connors
This morning the radio is playing Stompin' Tom Connors songs. He loved Canada. And Canada loved Stompin' Tom. He will be missed.
I'm really getting tired of being bombarded with the same old annoying TV commercials over and over again while I'm trying to enjoy the Olympics. I know they are a necessary evil, but I tend to press the mute button and find something else to do while they're showing on the screen.
However, there's one Canadian ad that I can watch quite happily multiple times.... I find it inspired and amusing and I always giggle at the ending.
Although I don't think it's going to encourage me to shop at Rona more often. Anyone got a hammer handy?
I'm a serial volunteer at our local theatre, taking tickets, showing customers to their seats, and selling CDs and Tshirts for the performers. And the advantage is that I get to stay and watch the show. I've seen some great performers here. The most recent concert was singer Emma-Lee...a case of local girl makes good. What a voice! She sang this song.... (make sure you see the last scene of the video... made me giggle, and it's even funnier in the next video)....
.... and if you'd like to know how this video was made (all night session in No Frills grocery store) and you have eight minutes to spare, here it is:
What do an American gymnast, an Australian sheepshearer and a Canadian figureskater have in common? Don't know? They are the unlikely Co-Artistic Directors of the innovative and entertaining Motus O Dance Theatre, based right here in our small town. Their energetic style is best described as part dance, part theatre, and part triathlon. I am very lucky to count them among my friends.
An unfortunate pony fell down a cliff face in Wales and was trapped in the cold water in a small rocky cove. The pony would certainly have drowned but for the rescue efforts of the local RNLI lifeboat crew.
Here's the video:
And here's the article from the Telegraph newspaper:
Two lifeboat crews were involved in the rescue after the animal became stuck
on a tiny shale beach surrounded by rough waters in Ceibwr, Moylegrove on
Sunday morning.
Using a head collar from the pony's owner, two crew members waded to the
rescue.
After several failed attempts to capture the frightened animal, they managed
to harness it and lead it out of the cove swimming behind a lifeboat.
However, upon reaching Ceibwr beach the tired animal broke free once more
prompting another round of dangerous attempts to ensnare it.
Once recaptured the pony was loaded into a waiting horsebox and driven back to
her owner's farm to recover from her ordeal.
I often volunteer at our local Centre for Arts and Entertainment. I get dressed up in my best volunteering outfit, take tickets, hand out programmes, show concert-goers to their seats, sell CDs, indicate the location of the washrooms.... whatever is necessary. And after I do all that, I stay and watch the show.
This weekend's concert featured a pair of brilliant classical guitarists, Drew Henderson and Michael Kolk. They met studying music at UofT (University of Toronto) and have been established as one of Canada's premier classical guitar duos since 2004.
Drew Henderson was playing a brand new 8 string guitar. I know very little about guitars, but I'd never seen an 8 string version before. I was impressed.
Here's one of the pieces from the concert. The first movement of Le Tombeau de Couperin by Maurice Ravel. Enjoy!
This is what we were doing for fun at Bancroft last weekend .... video taken with a camera bolted to the driver's side of the Suzuki. YoungerSon driving. More pictures in the next post.
Meanwhile..... Buckle up and hold on tight! WOOHOO!
