St Lawrence II

Grandson Callum is on an amazing maritime adventure.... cruising the Great Lakes while sail training on board the brigantine St Lawrence II. No phone, no TV, no comfy bed, just lots of hard work and exposed to whatever the weather throws at him for two weeks on board ship. The cruise started on August 17 in the port of  Midland on Georgian Bay, then through Lake Huron to Sarnia and Port Huron.  From there along the St Clair River, across Lake St Clair, then the Detroit River past the City of Detroit.

The ship has been caught on various web cams along the route.

From there into Lake Erie, and a stop at Erie, Pennsylvania, to take part in the Erie Tall Ships Festival August 22 -24.  Then with a flotilla of the other tall ships to Port Colborne and through the Welland Canal to Lake Ontario. 

There will be a stop at Harbourfront in Toronto and I'm hoping to be able to meet with Callum and sing a few sea shanties! Not sure what day that will be though. 

From Toronto it will be sailing the waters of Lake Ontario to the port of Kingston where the cruise will end on August 31. And then it's back to school!

St Lawrence II was built by Kingston Shipyards in 1953 to a design by the legendary Francis MacLachlan & Mike Eames. The ship is designed to create teamwork, community, and cooperative effort between participants; to connect people with the natural world through tactile experiences, to deliver an understanding of both the power and fragility of nature; and to foster the creation of lasting friendships.

Tessa

She was called Tess, Tessie, Tessington, TessaDog, Doodle Treasure and The Dog. But her real name was Tessa.

Claims to fame: Therapy dog reject (too bouncy). Loved to wallow in the mud. Awesome swimmer. Relentless ball chaser, and always brought it back for another throw. Sandwich stealer. Cat chaser. Sock thief. Horsey poo lover. Rolled in stinky dead things no matter how miniscule. Cutest golden doodle ever. She loved us and we loved her. She is missed.

Tessa   1 September 2007 - 25 April 2022

Battle Stations!

 No need to describe the fun being had here.... new Nerf guns!

My Dad.

Today, March 11, is my Dad's birthday.

Frank was born in 1882 in a village in North Devon, in England. Dad was the fourth child of a family of ten children, six boys and four girls. Times were hard back then. His father was a merchant seaman, absent for many months at a time, only coming home between voyages for short periods, just enough time to reacquaint himself with family life and start another new baby on the way. 

The children grew up living with aunts, uncles and grandparents, as the tiny cottage by the sea wasn't big enough to hold all the children. 

When my Dad was a young man, he would walk early in the morning to the nearby town, spend all day unloading the sailing ships that brought coal across the Bristol Channel from South Wales, load the ships with local strawberries for sale in the Welsh markets, and then walk the five miles home at night, perhaps catching a ride on a horse and cart, no cars back then, just to do it all again the following day. 

Later, he worked at a builders supply yard hauling lumber, concrete, bricks etc. All physical work. He was a strong man. During WW1 he went to Herefordshire and worked in a munitions factory. 

Dad married his sweetheart Rowena in 1908. But things didn't go smoothly. They had a child, but the child didn't live. I don't know if it was a girl or a boy, my Dad never mentioned it.  After the loss of the child, Rowena became ultra-religious and spent most of her time at the local church. I think that was a hard time for my Dad. She died in the 1930s. 

By this time, Dad had purchased a strip of land on a south facing slope overlooking the sea and had built a bungalow. He planted 3 acres of strawberries, which was to become his major source of income. And not only strawberries.... he grew all his own fruit and vegetables, including some extra that he sold, raised chickens and of course, there were always fresh eggs.

One day in May when he was working in the strawberry field (everything done by hand back then, no tractors or machinery), a woman called to him over the hedge asking the price of the strawberries. They chatted for a while, money and strawberries exchanged hands, and then my Dad invited this nice lady to come and have tea with him the following day. 

Kath must have liked the way he made the tea, or perhaps it was the strawberry jam and scones that tempted her. Six weeks later they were married. That was back in 1941. I arrived as quite a surprise to everyone four years later. 

I suppose my childhood was a little different from that of my friends, as my Dad was so much older than other dads, but he was a great dad to me. He played games with me, and he let me help him in the garden. His pet name for me as a child was Patsy.... I have no idea why. Dad lived a long and active life. The bungalow and the strawberry fields were sold in the early 1960s and we moved to the main street of the village, where Dad continued to raise all his own vegetables in the small back garden until his death in 1977, in his 96th year. He celebrated two Silver Wedding anniversaries.... one with each wife. Not many people can claim that! He gave me away at my wedding and got to meet one of his grandsons, happy events that he never thought he would live to see.

Happy Birthday to my Dad!

Winter Weekend

I was able to spend a few fun days with YoungerSon and family at their country property despite the Covid.... yes, it's February and it's COLD! Temperatures at night were around -17C, that's 1.4F, definitely chilly. And I was sleeping in the bunkie!

There's a small pond fed by a stream at the low point of the field, and the kids have been skating on the ice. They are missing their hockey at the moment due to the Covid lockdown. YoungerSon is out there at all hours smoothing the ice. We call him the Human Zamboni.

This is what the same pond looked like in the middle of July!

In the evening there was a fierce game of Monopoly.... I was doing really well at first, but I crashed when I rolled a double and landed on a very expensive hotel, then rolled again and scored a 2.... I had to pay up for a visit to the next very expensive hotel..... I never recovered.  Bankruptcy was inevitable. 

Advice: never trust the banker when she keeps dropping the money under the table. There's definitely something dodgy going on.

All three of my grandies have been teaching themselves to play the ukulele using a teaching CD and song book, and various YouTube videos. They were using two ukes, one was a Christmas gift to Emma, the other was a used one bought by Max from Kijiji. So I found a couple more for sale from a neighbour, both used, so now they have four, one for each ukulelist (what a great word!), and one for their Dad (who is playing and singing at the same time.... awesome!). 

I'm looking forward to the summer singalongs around the camp fire!

In Between

We're in the bit in between Christmas and New Year. The time when we normally visit friends, or take the kids to a Holiday movie, or crowd the stores looking for end of year bargains, or go to a hockey game, or a football game... but this year is very different. The area where I live is in lockdown. People are encouraged to stay at home, and only go out for essential shopping or for exercise. 

Christmas Day was very quiet for me... I was at home all day, and had a very short but welcome visit from OlderSon and family.... fully masked, and following the rules. Just enough time for tea and a cookie and a little gift exchange and then they were off home to their own Christmas. 

But a friend dropped by on Boxing Day with a gift of some fresh figs.... lovely!

I was able to spend an early Christmas with YoungerSon and family a week ago at their country property before the lockdown started. We had a Christmas dinner, presents under the tree, lots of chocolate and snacks, and played our traditional party games. I played far too much Monopoly, Catan and Scrabble. 

One of my special gifts this year was from grandie Isaac. Now that the family has moved to a home 1-1/2 hour drive away, he doesn't see me very often, so he documented all the happy memories of growing up and visiting my house.

Then he said "Turn them over, Nana!"

A thoughtful gift full of love, treasured forever!

Their country property has a large tree.... species yet to be determined.... and the kids have nailed a home made ladder to the trunk and fixed up a tire swing, so I made some sketches and then some lino cut printing plates and now this masterpiece is hanging on their wall. 

Only a few more days until the year 2020 is history, people the world over will be glad to see it go. Lots of optimistic hopes for 2021.... getting the vaccine, being able to gather with family again, restarting activities that have been cancelled, trying to live a "normal" life. This is one occasion where the special words HAPPY NEW YEAR really mean a lot!

Almond Crescents and Holiday Greetings

I haven't done much baking this Christmas due to nobody available to do the eating. Thanks, Mr. Covid!  But I did make almond crescents. Blogger Boud sort of challenged me to post pictures. She made some and they looked really good so here are mine. Not perfect but soooooo delicious! A definite Christmas tradition in my house.

I'll be on my own this Christmas Day, but that's OK with me. I spent 4 crazy days with YoungerSon and family last week and we had our Christmas dinner and party around the tree, presents, and chocolates and board games and Pass-the-Parcel and Consequences (gotta play those games every Christmas or it's not a proper Christmas). Great fun.

I'll be seeing OlderSon and family on Christmas Day for a physically distanced dog walk (weather permitting, there's a nasty storm headed this way) and perhaps we can sit in the garage and enjoy coffee and some of the famous almond crescents and exchange gifts. A weird Christmas, but necessary. The whole Province of Ontario is going into Covid lockdown for 28 days starting on Boxing Day. Infection numbers are steadily rising and hospitals are filling up. The vaccine is on order and I can't wait for my turn. So we have to be sensible and follow the rules.

Meanwhile..... happy holiday season to everyone, whether you can be with your loved ones or apart.... whether you celebrate Christmas or not.... and let's keep our hopes up for a Covid-free, peaceful and healthy 2021!

We Will Remember Them

On November 11 every year we remember those who have lost their lives in the service of their country. For many Novembers I have attended the Remembrance service at the local Cenotaph, and shivered in the cold while the bugle sounds the Last Post and local dignitaries lay the wreaths of poppies, but this year is different thanks to the Covid restrictions. The Remembrance services will be live streamed via the internet in the comfort of home. 

Two minutes silence at 11:00 o'clock on the 11th day of the 11th month.

I have posted about these two brave men before. I remember them with honour every November.

IN MEMORY OF

PRIVATE JOHN TURNBULL CHANDLER

175142, 5TH COY., CANADIAN MACHINE GUN CORPS WHO DIED AGE 20 ON 03 JULY 1917.

ONLY SON OF JOHN WILLIAM AND AGNES CHANDLER, OF GEDNEY DYKE, HOLBEACH, LINCS.

NATIVE OF SOUTHEA, NR. WISBECH.

REMEMBERED WITH HONOUR

BULLY-GRENAY COMMUNAL CEMETERY, BRITISH EXTENSION,

BULLY-GRENAY, FRANCE

John Turnbull CHANDLER was my mother's cousin. He was born 31 August 1896 in Lincolnshire, England, and was known as Jack.

Jack left England to learn farming techniques in Canada and settled in Grimsby, Ontario. He joined the 86^th Machine Gun Battalion of the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force on 13 August 1915 at Welland, Ontario, stating that his date of birth was 1894, not 1896. At that time he was already a member of the 44^th Regiment of the Canadian Militia. His enlistment papers show him to be “apparent age 21 years 8 months”, 5’4”, fair complexion, blue eyes, brown hair, a member of the Church of England, and fit to serve with the Forces.
His life ended in France on 3 July 1917, serving with the Canadian Machine Gun Corps.

His obituary:

GEDNEY DYKE SOLDIER FALLS We regret to report the death in action of Pte. John Turnbull Chandler, son of the late Mr. John W. Chandler, schoolmaster, Parson Drove, and of Mrs. Chandler, schoolmistress, Gedney Dyke. 

The deceased was educated at Barbourne College, Worcester (1908) and Framlingham College (1909-1912). He learned farming and went to Canada in April 1912. He enlisted in January 1916 in Grimsby, Ontario, came over to Shorncliffe June 1916, went to France October 1916, and was killed in action July 3rd. He was only 20 years of age. He leaves a mother and six sisters to mourn his loss.

I visited his grave in France with my two sons in 2005. Perhaps the only family members to do so.

AND ALSO REMEMBERING

Herbert Leonard Darch, known to his family as Len.

Len was born in the village of Combe Martin, in North Devon, England in 1895. He was the son of Matthew Darch and Sarah (nee Rooke), who lived at Glenwood, Combe Martin.

Len had three brothers, Theo, Bert and Wilf, and one sister, Aileen, who married my Uncle Albert in 1919, and therefore became my Auntie Aileen.

Len joined the 1st/7th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment, and was sent to France to fight in WW1, also known as The Great War.  1/7^th Battalion Worcestershire Regt was part of 144th (Gloucester & Worcester) Brigade. This photo may have been taken when he first volunteered.

Herbert Leonard Darch, Private 202233,  probably took part in the ‘Pursuit of the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line’ (14 March – 5 April 1917), but on Monday 24 April 1917, at the young age of 21, he was killed in action at Gillemont Farm.

His life is comemmorated with honour on the Thiepval Memorial, Thiepval, Department of the Somme, Picardie, France, Plot: Pier and Face 5 A and 6 C.  As there is no grave, his body was not recovered. His remains are probably still lying where he fell in a farmer's field.

Giving Thanks!

It's Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. The weekend where families get together around the dinner table and feast on roast turkey, or ham, and an array of vegetables, usually followed by dessert of traditional pumpkin pie. And we give thanks that we all live in such a great country!

Sadly, the Covid 19 infection numbers are steadily rising here. The advice from both the government and the docs is that we should all stay within our own households this year. No large Thanksgiving family gatherings. No big parties. No travelling long distances to see relatives. Stay safe. Stay at home. Keep the infection numbers low.

And so there's no big family dinner happening for me this year. I am at home by myself. Older Son is at home with his family, and Younger Son is at home with his family. It's just not worth the risk. But even though we can't celebrate our togetherness, there's a lot to be thankful for. We are all healthy, no positive Covid tests thank heavens, nobody has lost a job through the lockdown, the grandies are back in the swing of school, and we all have a positive attitude.

It has been a beautiful warm sunny day so I explored the trails through the nearby Drysdale Woods. This area of 55 hectares was a Christmas Tree farm operated by the Drysdale family for over 60 years, and was given to the York Regional Forest in 2014. There's a spruce and pine area, and lots of maple, oak and beech too. This is a wonderful time of year to walk in the trees... so of course, more photos.

Everest

 My grandson Callum has a new friend.... Everest.

So named because he is grey and brown and black and white, just like the mountain.

He's about 1 year old and is super friendly, super fluffy, and loves a cuddle. He came from the local SPCA as a homeless kitty looking for a place to hang his hat, and I think he's found the perfect family to take charge of and train to attend to his every need. He even bosses Badger the giant wolf dog around, so he's definitely moved in with authority. YAY Everest! Welcome to the family.

Buzz ... click ... beep ...

It has been a very interesting week.
Last weekend I packed up a few groceries and my suitcase, put gas in the car for the first time since March (it only cost me just over $20!), loaded up some rollerblades and hockey sticks I had acquired for the kids, and headed off to visit YoungerSon and family for a couple of days. We last got together in February, pre-Corona.
YoungerSon has an in-law apartment where I stayed, so we were still able to practice the recommended social distancing..

It was lovely to see the grandchildren, and meet their new chickens (no eggs yet!) But I felt rotten all weekend, and by the time I arrived home on Monday, I really felt ill with fever, chills, trouble catching my breath, nasty cough, lost my appetite completely.

You know what we were all thinking!
So I drove to the local Covid-19 Assessment Clinic at Markham Stouffville Hospital.

After waiting in line for 30 minutes in the hot sun, I told the nurse how I was feeling and she took one look at me and told me to go to Emergency next door, RIGHT NOW!. An orderly in full PPE on a golf cart came to get me and whisked me round the corner to Emergency.

It didn't take long for medical staff in full PPE to get me on a gurney in an examination room, wire me up to an EEG machine, then take BP readings, temperature, oxygen readings, blood samples, urine samples, install IV drip. My heart was out of rhythm yet again. A doctor came by and gave me a Covid test.... not a pleasant experience. They even put the pads on me as they were planning another cardioversion.... I've had so many to get my heart back in rhythm I'm used to them by now, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

Then I was told there was a bed for me upstairs on the ward.... what? I only came here for a Covid test! I was planning to go home and unpack after the weekend! I don't want to stay.... but I had to.

By Wednesday they had my Covid test results.... negative, but could possibly be a false negative as I was still displaying many symptoms, high fever, chills, cough, lack of appetite. So I was given a second Covid test. (They don't get any more pleasant the second time) Two negatives are required in my case.

I was placed in a large two bed hospital room but one bed had been removed. All equipment that was not in use was covered in plastic. A large sign on my door warned every hospital worker, nurse, or doctor who entered my room was required to wear full PPE, and dress in extra plastic covering from head to foot as they entered the room. The extra covering was discarded as soon as they left the room and was not used again, even if they had only been in the room for 5 minutes.
A few moments of panic when my cell phone ran dry because I didn't have the charging cable with me... well, I was only planning to be out for an hour, not a whole week! So OlderSon went to my house and picked it up along with other necessities as toothbrush, toothpaste, book to read and 3 pairs of clean underwear!!!!! Had to drop it off in a sealed plastic bag at the front desk.... no visitors allowed.

By Thursday I was much recovered but they were still testing and it wasn't until Friday that I was finally declared Covid-19 free. Phew, sigh of relief.... and for my YoungerSon's family too!
I was worried about my car being towed away but it was OK< no panic. I was able to buy a 5 day parking pass that covered the car as it had been sitting in the Covid test parking lot since Monday.

Those medical hospital staff deserve all the praise and thanks we can give them. They are doing their jobs in extremely difficult and dangerous conditions, and they are all dressed up like spacemen. Everyone was kind and patient with me, especially when I couldn't hear their instructions clearly though their many masks. They were so very helpful.
And one more note about the Hospital food..... even though I wasn't in the mood to eat for the first couple of days, the food was very good, very tasty, and no complaints from me!

New Beginning.

YoungerSon and his family have lived only a 10 minute walk away from me for the past ten years. I've been able to show up whenever I've been needed. And they have been here for me if I needed help too.
But times are changing.
Their house is sold, and they have bought a small hobby farm on 6.5 acres in the country. They finally moved in on the afternoon of Christmas Day.

There's good news and bad news.
The good news is that it's the perfect place for them, something that they have wanted for a long time.
The bad news is that every time I want to visit my grandchildren, it's a 305km round trip from my house and back. And I will miss them so much. I already do.

There are two barns on the property, and two houses.... well, a house and an additional in-law apartment. It all needs lots of cleaning up.

They have been ripping up carpets, priming and painting walls and ceilings, washing windows, and replacing light fixtures. The house needs lots of care and attention, but they are determined and ambitious and energetic, and I'm sure they will make the place their very own.

I'll miss my grandchildren very much, but I can visit often, and technology has made the world very small. I'm very proud of them for taking this big step! 2020 is definitely going to be a Happy New Year for them.

The Sports Report

Lots of action going on all summer, but sadly the warm weather sports are all coming to an end.

All four grandchildren played house league baseball this summer. The two older ones played hardball, the two younger ones played softball.

Grandie Isaac's team, the Pirates, got into the finals at the end-of-year tournament, but lost the final game 8-7.... but were doing really well catching up. One more innings would have seen them on top, I'm sure!

Isaac spent two weeks at a boys Sports Camp in July, and had a terrific time, and is already planning to go again in 2020. It was sports all day every day, just the sort of life he loves. Now he has to persuade Mum and Dad to pay for it!

In August the family met at the Rogers Centre (used to be called the SkyDome, I still can't get used to the new name) for a Blue Jays game. We got there early enough to watch batting practice for both teams, but even though the boys (both big and little) begged and pleaded, they didn't get any stray balls thrown their way.

We watched the Toronto Blue Jays play Atlanta, but unfortunately, the home team lost, and we left just before the end of the game, to avoid the traffic jams.  Our beloved Jays have not done well this year, lots of lost games, but just wait.... we are going to be a winning team to watch in a couple of years. That's my prediction!!

And with summer coming to an end, winter sport is getting started.  We went to the home opener ice hockey game for the Stouffville Spirit, the local Junior A OJHL team. After watching baseball all summer, a game that's mostly slow and sedate with moments of wild panic, I was surprised by how fast and furious ice hockey can be!  It was a great game, but unfortunately, ended with a loss for the home team.

All the grandies will be getting their hockey gear together ready for the season to start at the end of September... they will all be practicing and playing every weekend so I'll be spending lots of time in the local arenas.

The Birthday Girl

Yes.... TessaDog is 12 years old, her birthday was yesterday. She's such a party animal!

Happy Birthday to an old mature lady who thinks she is still a puppy!

R.I.P. JoJo

A sad day for the family. Goodbye to fluffy little JoJo. She came to live at OlderSon's house in 2001, a tiny feral kitten found starving in a barn. She never really warmed up to being with people, and spent most of her time happily hiding in the basement. She started venturing upstairs a couple of years ago and eventually seemed to enjoy tolerate being petted, especially if the person doing the petting had some fishy cat treats on hand. JoJo, you will be missed.

My Dad

Happy Father's Day to all the very special Dads out there.

Brand new Dads; men who will be Dads soon; men who one day hope to be Dads; step Dads; foster Dads; the Dads who have lost children; the Dads we have lost; single Dads, married Dads; veteran Dads; novice Dads; all the Dads who love their children.... have a Happy Father's Day!

Here's my very special Dad.

I posted his life story here a few years ago.
He's been gone for many years now, but he is still loved and missed every day.