Jingle bells

It may seem odd to be talking about Christmas a full eight weeks (eight weeks!) before the Big Day, but things are a little different around here this year.  Our west coast family is growing.

For the Thompsons, there's Sue in Sechelt, and Penny, Chris, granddaughter Laura and great-grandson, Kohl, in Vancouver.

The Meaghers are foregoing Christmas in Hawaii this year, and Chuck and Jacquie's son, Chris, will be here from Minneapolis.  Kelsey, and grandson, Jake, already live in Victoria.

For the Rowleys, we have Allison and John and the Baby Grands, Hudson and Quinn, all celebrating their first Victorian Christmas.  Bryan and Megan have opted to avoid the mad Christmas airport rush and stay in Victoria.  However, Pat, Jim, and Emily have decided to experience that travel madness in their stead and join us from Ontario.

What great parties we'll have!  What great family pictures!

We've also decided to end our annual practice of sending Christmas cards and Christmas letters.  With so much access to social media, it's time.

So, if you want to hear about our Vancouver and Victoria Christmas parties, find me on Facebook or stay tuned to this space ...

What goes around ...

When I was a kid, I used to help my Dad fix the TV.  It entailed crouching in front of the box, holding a mirror, while Dad fiddled with the back of the TV and yelled instructions in my direction.

Today, I am a Dad.

Our 9-year old TV died today just as Tom turned on Power and Politics.  I high-tailed it up to London Drugs, planning to discuss various TV options before going to a real TV store across the street to ask the very same questions.  Forty minutes later, I left London Drugs with a new TV, a HD cable box, and an HDMI (?) connector.  An hour later, after emptying all the boxes, giving cursory glances at the instructions, having Shaw Cable boot, re-boot, re-re-boot and re-re-re-boot the cable box, we have TV!

My Dad would be proud.

Moss Rock Park

We laughed as we huffed and puffed our way up to Moss Rock Park.  "Let it all go!" she said, "Sacrifice everything to this moment!"  And when we reached the top, we knew it was worth the struggle. 

Looking back

On both of our transcontinental train trips this year, we have been sitting backwards.  Instead of seeing where we're going, we've been seeing where we've been.  Instead of rushing towards the scenic points and passing them in a flash, we've been enjoying a longer view, the chance to see more detail.

Hmmmm ...

Friends, family, food and festivals

Who knew they raised water buffalo in Stirling, Ontario?  Well, they do, and Mimi took us to the Stirling Water Buffalo Festival on Saturday to check it out.  There were all manner of water buffalo products to try - milkshakes,  ribs, cheese, yarn.  (Well, the yarn was actually alpaca, but I bought some anyway.)  

We also went to a ciderie in Wapoos where we had a great lunch and got caught in a torrential downpour.  

The rain followed us back to Joyce's house where we sat on her porch and shared a little vino.

Rain cleared up the next day, though, and we were able to eat outside at the Waterfront Pub with our friends the Tomlinsons.   Jean and Jim drove down from Uxbridge just to see us, even though Jean had only returned the night before from a walking tour in England.   

Sunday night we had dinner at Rick and Fran's - their famous lasagna and salad.  We had a great visit with them, as well as Thomas and Richard.  What nice young men those Rowley boys turned out to be!

Monday we visited the Napanee District Community Foundation,  and wandered around town.  Dinner was at Joyce's, another home cooked meal, at which we shared a bottle of Tom's birthday wine. 

Tuesday morning our Hostess with the Mostest, Eunice, invited Joyce and Rick to have breakfast with us at her B&B.   Yummy.  Then we went to lunch at Chez Piggy with Mimi before she dropped us off at the train station in Kingston.  

And here we are again ...  WiFi in Winnipeg!

Quebec City

Here we are sitting in the D'Orsay Restaurant in Quebec City  by an open window, enjoying the balmy September breeze, and looking across the street to the Hotel de Ville.  We could be in Europe,  except that the streets here are wider, cleaner, and less populated.

Quebec City is one of our favourite places to visit, and the Clarendon Hotel <http://www.hotelclarendon.com/about-en.html> one of our favourite places to stay.  It is famous, not for being Quebec City's oldest operating hotel, but for being the favourite drinking hole of a young wireless navigator when he was stationed in Ancienne-Lorette during the war.  Later, during the 50's, Tom met with then-Minister of Social Services, Rene Levesque, at breakfast in this same hotel.  

My only complaint about QC is that shopping for the Baby Grands is quite difficult here.  Not what to buy, but when to stop ...

En route

As we travel on the train from Montreal to Quebec City,  we are struck by the realization that we enjoy the journey as much as the destination.  It reminds Tom of my friend's comments about the labyrinth.

Montreal

Rain:  I can't remember a time that we have visited Montreal when it has rained this hard.  We managed to find a long enough break in the weather to make our way up the hill to the McGill bookstore to pick up some memorabilia for the "Baby Grands".

Mum:  Tom finally got a chance to see Mum's new place, and agrees that it's pretty fabulous.  Mum treated us to Tom's favourite gourmet Quebec meal - St Hubert BBQ!

Poutine:  Finally tried poutine.  To quote Brian from Manchester,  "It was interesting, but probably not something we'd order again."  Beer was good, though.

Chris and Maude:  What a lovely man Tom's grandson has become!  Had great visit with Chris and Maude this evening, challenging Maude with the various relationships in the Thompson/Rowley families.

Finally:  Does anybody have any idea what this sign means? 

The Eagle has landed

My ears are full of noise.  My legs feel like I'm still on the train.  The bed in our room in the Hotel Bonaventure is bigger than our entire room on The Canadian.  

Watching the world go by

We had breakfast this morning with a man from Kent, England, who loves travelling by train as much as we do.  He says that when you fly,  you spend all your time in the cities.  When you travel by train, though, he says, you get to see the whole of a place.  You sit in your seat and watch the world go by.

Train travel is very sociable, and remarkably egalitarian.  It pretty well has to be.  The accommodation, even the two person bedroom we have, is very small - VERY small.  So the suitcase we bring on board is equally small.  Which means that we pretty much wear the same clothes every day.  Not much opportunity to show off your designer duds.  And even if you just happened to bring those fancy clothes, there's no place to hang them.  Tom and I fold up our clothes each night and place them in a pile on the floor just inside our room door, the only place we don't step between the beds and the bathroom.  By day three, everyone looks a little rumpled.

And then there's the shower.  There's one in each car that we all share, and we time our rising, not by the breakfast schedule, but by how many people are likely to be ahead of us for the shower.  I'm thinking 5:00 am tomorrow, before our 9:30 am scheduled arrival in Toronto, to beat the crowd.

Mealtimes are a chance to meet new people, as every table in the dining car seats four people, and every table is filled. We have a warm and interesting group of passengers on board.  There's Jan and Bob from Eugene, Oregon - a warm, witty woman and fellow knitter, and an engaging and amusing fellow who trades wisecracks and puns with Tom.  There's Brian and Lynn from Manchester, in Canada for the first time.  We felt it to be an hospitable touch to introduce Brian to that quintessential Canadian drink, the Bloody Caesar (that spelling just doesn't look right).  He confessed the it was not something he would likely order on his own,  but admitted it was "interesting".  David, from Vancouver, has a featherweight CPAP machine half the size of Tom's.   Krystal and Kristoff are mother and son troubadours from Petawawa, Ontario,  paying their passage by playing for the guests, she on the violin and he on the bassoon. Oh, yes, and Kristoff is studying nano technology at the University of Waterloo.  Then there's Celene from Portland,  Oregon, also a knitter - of socks - who never heard of the Sock Summit!  That was held in Portland!  Twice!

And the fellow from Kent - he stopped by this afternoon to tell us that he's decided to take that Winnipeg to Churchill train trip we told him about! 

These boots are made for walkin' - redux

Dear Mayor and Council,

We love Victoria!

Within months of moving to Victoria in 2006, we traded in our car for a shopping cart and became dedicated pedestrians. Though we do, on occasion, use public transit or taxicabs, we find the city best explored on foot.   Victoria is a very walkable city.

Nine years later, our circumstances have changed somewhat.  My husband, while still very mobile, now uses a walker.  Those minor inconveniences on sidewalks that we previously encountered when he was able-bodied have now become serious impediments to getting around.

There are three specific problems I would like to draw to your attention:

1.    Sidewalks
Many of our sidewalks are too narrow.   A person with a walker takes up more than half the width of a standard sidewalk.  Motorized wheelchairs, scooters and baby carriages take up even more. 

The sidewalks are cluttered with all manner of obstructions – telephone poles, parking meters, sign posts, sandwich boards, café seating.  Some homeowners further add to this obstacle course by letting their plantings overgrow the sidewalk.

We’re turning into a population that walks single file on the sidewalks.

2.    Sidewalk ramps
Sidewalk ramps often don’t line up with crosswalks or intersections, requiring persons with assistive devices to cross streets partially in the roadway in order to access the ramp. 

Many of the sidewalk ramps have small lips on them such that they are not flush with the road.  For an able-bodied person, a half-inch lip is insignificant.  For a person using a walker, such a lip requires lifting the front of the device – no small feat when one has a balance problem.

The newer sidewalk ramps have solved both these problems, having been constructed both wider and lower, but there are many more old style ramps in the city. 

3.    Pedestrian crossing signals
Pedestrian crossing signals are just not long enough for someone using a walker (and, I would suspect, many able-bodied seniors) to cross the street safely.  The timing needs to be changed to accommodate our aging population. 

I am aware that the city has a Pedestrian Master Plan from 2008.  It is my hope that the City of Victoria will revisit this plan and make correcting these pedestrian deficiencies a priority. 

Respectfully submitted,

Gwyn Thompson

The Labyrinth

I walked a labyrinth for the first time today.

A labyrinth is not a maze - there are no tricky paths that require you to puzzle out each step so as not to get lost on the way.  It's a well marked path that leads to the centre and back out again.

When I was finished, I felt physically relaxed and mentally calm.

The friend I walked with said it made her see that, even though your path backtracks from time to time, you're still on the path to your goal.  She also said it made her realize that it was important to enjoy the experience of the journey, not just rush to the end.

Wow.

http://www.christchurchcathedral.bc.ca/index.php/about-us/our-cathedral/labyrinth-info

Rollin', rollin'

I love sleeping on the train.

It's certainly not because the gentle rhythm of the train lulls me to sleep; there's nothing gentle about it at all.  Sleeping on the train is bouncy and noisy.  There's even a net on the top bunk to prevent one from being flung to the floor.

But I love the adventure of travelling miles in my sleep; of the train slipping like a burglar through unsuspecting towns at night.  I love to wake up when the train stops in the middle of the night and watch sleepy people get on and off as they start or end their travels.  And I love waking up in the morning to see a totally different landscape outside the window.

Next week ...

Primary colours

Imagine a world with only three colours. No green grass, no purple mountains, no orange sunsets.

But so many of us live our lives in a limited spectrum.  We restrict our experiences to ones that are familiar; we choose our friends from people who have similar backgrounds and beliefs.

My own family has made some inroads into the crayon box:  a blend of different religions, ethnic backgrounds, and colours.  For us, it's easy being green. 

Grace notes

There's a chord in the opening music to season one of Battlestar Galactica that I can feel in my chest.  Really, I can physically feel that chord.  It also gives me a feeling of despair (which, if you know anything about BG, is quite fitting).  Interestingly enough, that same chord has been tweaked somehow in subsequent seasons of the show.  I still feel it, but less physically, and the emotion is gone.

A number of years ago, Tom and I were in London in the St Paul's Cathedral gift shop, when a piece of music came through the speakers.  It spoke to me of joy, boundless joy!  I had to have that cd!  Turned out to be the St Paul's choristers singing For the Beauty of the Earth. 

In the 70's, I had a friend who loved Nana Mouskouri.  Now, I thought Nana Mouskouri was okay, but I sure got tired of constantly hearing her records and going to her concerts.  When this same friend suggested going to hear another female singer in concert, I must admit that my initial reaction was a silent groan ... But I went, and within moments, literally moments, of hearing Ann Mortifee sing, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.  There's something about the timbre of her voice that just does that.

Some 30 years later, Ann Mortifee came to Kingston in concert with Hagood Hardy.  We went to see them out of curiosity:  I wondered if I would have the same reaction to her voice, or whether it was just situational - me and the 70's.  Yep.  Same reaction.

I've been thinking about music a lot lately. Maybe it's because I have a new friend with a background in music.  Maybe it's because we've just come from seeing Les Miserables in Vancouver (and marching smartly to the restaurant after the show ... Do you hear the people sing?).  Or maybe, I just never stop thinking about music; it's such a part of my life.

Listen to the St Paul's choristers.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycDk4r3vQ80  Does it give you that same feeling it gives me?  I hope so.

These boots are made for walkin'

We're beginning to understand that one person/one car is an inefficient and wasteful use of resources.  As a result, we're seeing car-free days, better transit systems, dedicated bike lanes.

We're also recognizing that our population is greying, that we'll require additional health resources and social safety nets to support a large cohort of senior citizens.

There is a linkage missing between these two issues: sidewalks.

In the 'old' days when there were fewer cars, we walked on the road when there weren't any sidewalks.  Then, as more and more of us had access to cars, sidewalks were just brief paths from parking spot to destination.

But now, as we're encouraged to get out of our cars and on to our feet, sidewalks are taking on new importance.  And there's the problem:  the sidewalks of yesterday are totally inadequate for today's seniors.

A person using a cane or a walker takes up about two-thirds of a standard sidewalk.  A motorized scooter can take up to three-quarters of the sidewalk.  The other day I met a couple in a two-person side-by-side electric scooter - The first of its kind in Victoria! they said, proudly.  It spanned the entire sidewalk.

Now add young parents with their state-of-the-art child carriers.

And sidewalk cafe seating ... and signs and telephone poles in the middle of the sidewalks ... and overgrown shrubbery ...

All of these are challenges in Victoria.  The mix of young and older people, the increase in people walking, the village atmosphere, are all what make this such a great city.  But Tom and I can no longer walk side by side on the sidewalk now that he uses a walker.

We need to widen our sidewalks.

Or, we can turn them into one-way single pedestrian lanes ...

                                                                                        

Tasting memories

Tonight we had ribs for dinner.  This wouldn't normally be a newsworthy item, except that I used a sauce recipe that I got from a friend some 35 years ago.  I remember the first time we tasted that sauce at Lucie's.  I drooled at the taste, sitting there in her kitchen in Kerrisdale.

This made me think about all the other memories I have that relate to food.

I remember the first time I had chocolate fondue.  Tom and I were in Quebec City, in a romantic, dimly lit restaurant in the old town.

Then there's Japanese tempura.  My first taste of that was in a restaurant in Calgary with Gordie, Ann and Lawrence's boarder, and some Czech friends of his.  I ate with a fork and picked around this exotic looking green thing covered in batter, that I was sure was a caterpillar, but turned out to be an ordinary green bean. 

And nothing beats the taste of Beloeil's all-dressed pizza.  There's something about the pizza they make in that neck of the woods that is just mouth-watering.  And it's not really "all dressed" - it's just pepperoni, green peppers and mushrooms.  I don't even like mushrooms on pizza ...

When we decided to move to Victoria, I dreamed of White Spot hamburgers.  I remember Chuck picking us up at the airport and stopping almost immediately at a White Spot just off the highway.  That Triple-O sauce, mmmmmm.

Then there's the time we went to London with Allison and Emily.  Emily was in her white-rice-and-ice-cream phase.  Now we all know that British cuisine has a bad reputation, but ... white rice?  On our final night in London we went to a fancy restaurant and Emily ordered some chicken thing.  Don't know what it was, but her reaction was priceless:  Heaven on a plate, she declared!

Lucie's BBQ Ribs or Chicken Sauce 

(with apologies to all health-conscious people)

1 cup ketchup

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce

1 tsp onion salt  

Help, Mummy!

Am I the only one who thinks it's weird that male politicians need to bring their wives along to hold their hands when they go out in public?  Maybe we should issue them soothers and blankies when they're elected.  Or maybe we should just elect their wives ...

What a swell party this is!

This past weekend we celebrated Tom's 90th birthday!

He credits his longevity to good genes, good friends, and wonderful families. And the friends and families - from aged 2 to aged 90 - were on hand to help him celebrate. It was an intense 24 hours.

The three Thompson offspring who live in BC were there.  The Rowley family was well-represented, too, and the Meaghers came out in force.  Kerrie-Lee surprised us by coming all the way from from Thunder Bay to celebrate.  

Bill, Tom's friend of 45 years, was there with his two daughters and granddaughter.

The Cook Street Village Activity Centre Fun and Fitness Group and our condo neighbours came, too.

Other friends and family sent their best wishes, including this slide montage from Jean and Jim, who still don't believe Tom is 90!  Click on the following link to see their birthday slide show:

Birthday slide show


The party continued back at our place, where we heard stories of Montreal and "Uncle Tommy"  from Bill's "girls".  Penny ordered Chinese food and we drank many glasses of wine.  Yep, great party ...

Happy 90th birthday, Tom!!

A plague on all your houses

When did the focus of our governments switch from policy to politicking?  Or has it always been like this, and I've just had my head in the sand all these years?

For the first time in my life, I understand why some people don't vote.

I don't want to be told what the other political parties did wrong; I can actually figure that out on my own.  I want to know what your political party will do right for me.


My expectations are simple:

• Tax me fairly.
• Spend the money you collect from me thoughtfully and responsibly.
• Take care of those people who can't take care of themselves.

It used to be easy to know who to vote for ...

Musings on a goat

I had one of those moments of perfect understanding this afternoon.  The motivational speakers call it the "Aha!" moment, the "I Get It!" moment.

I was on my way through the park to downtown in search of a goat.  There was a woman ahead of me wearing a suit, and sneakers, and I thought how she was probably on her lunch, taking advantage of the glorious spring weather to take a break from her desk job.  She reminded me of me.  And then I GOT IT!

I am retired!

I mean, of course I knew that before, but all of a sudden, I really understood what that means.  It means that I can do whatever I want with my time.  It means no rushing to fill up evenings and weekends with all the jobs and joys I can't do between 9 and 5 on weekdays.  It means I can walk in the park in the middle of the day.  It's a gift.

And, it's a gift not to be squandered.

And I bought three goats.

Movin' on

Spring is a time of new beginnings, they say.  This spring, our family is writing the book on new beginnings.

In February, Mum moved from the house that she and Dad bought in 1959 - the house we all grew up in - to a rental two-bedroom condo, complete with dishwasher, elevator, and ... concierge!  Georges delivers her newspaper to the door of her apartment every morning.  She gets invites to coffee from the people in the elevator.  And maybe best of all, somebody else arranges for the snow to be cleared from the driveway.

In March - just this last weekend, in fact - our niece Allison, husband John, and toddler Hudson, moved from Calgary to Victoria and bought their first ever home - a condo - about 6 blocks from us.  While missing John's Calgary family, they are just so happy to be in Victoria.  Needless to say, we're pretty happy ourselves! 

Both of these moves were facilitated by Tom's nephew, Chuck, Realtor Extraordinaire, who is himself moving in April.  He and Jacquie are leaving the home in which they raised their son, and accommodated scads of relatives, to a smaller home in James Bay, almost next door to Emily Carr's home, and about 6 blocks from us, too - just in the opposite direction from Allison, John and Hudson!  As they mop and vacuum and fluff and dust, we wish them the joy in their new home that Mum, Allison, John, and Hudson, have found in theirs.

Meet you at the Beacon Drive-In!

There and back again

What a difference a couple of weeks makes.  Two weeks ago, Half Moon Cay was the first stop on our cruise; today it was our last.  Tomorrow we return to Fort Lauderdale and start wending our way back home.  It's been a great trip - reconnecting with Charlotte;  getting to know Linda and Brian; enjoying a little warmth in the middle of winter ...  Today we had perfect Caribbean weather.  The margaritas weren't bad either ...

Drunken sailors

After another warm and sunny day in St Thomas yesterday, we are back to the kind of weather that dogged the cruise last week - coolish,  cloudy, and very windy.  The wind is so high that we have to keep our balcony door locked, otherwise it opens on its own from the pressure.

As a matter of fact, this has been the rockiest cruise we've ever been on.  I don't know why -  whether it's the wind that's making for higher seas than usual; the small ship that doesn't have the kind of stabilizers we've come to expect; the fact that our cabin is practically in the bow it's so far forward; or if the captain is just one seriously bad driver - but we make our way around the ship like drunken sailors.  (To clarify, so do all the other passengers. :-))  It's a good job that the passages outside the cabins are fairly narrow - we can bounce from wall to wall on our way to the elevators. 

St Thomas

Steamy in San Juan

No complaints about the weather today.   It is hot and humid! 

San Juan has done a wonderful job with their cruise port.   It opens out to a beautiful ocean walkway/park, with lots of seating and public art.  There are, of course,  the ubiquitous street vendors,  but there's a kind of self-deprecating humour about them that says they're just acting a part. 

And did I mention that it's HOT?  (Not complaining, you understand ...)

Ottawa: Min -23C Max -14C

I know I shouldn't complain about the weather in the Caribbean when the Canadian version of the Eurodam News tells me what the current temps are in Canada, but seriously .... the weather this trip has been less than ideal.  Even we west coasters like a little warmth in February! 

With our arrival in Grand Turk this morning, things may be changing - 80F at 8:30 in the morning.  Will probably be complaining about the heat by the end of the day ... Oh, well, guess we'll just have another beer.

Key West

Key West is a cross between Gone With The Wind, Mexican tourist trap, and summer-cottage-by-the-beach.  And, oddly enough, it looks just like I expected. 

But, OMG, is it cold!  We knew it was cool when we stepped out on the veranda this morning,  but were unprepared for the chill wind that chased our shuttle into town.  First stop - sweatshirts! 

Sufficiently bundled against the cold (It was about 15C), we had a lovely walk up and down Duvall Street, checking out all the sights.  Duvall Street is also home to the majority of Key West's bars ...  Stopped in at the local Episcopal church and caught the tail end of choir practice.  

Back on the ship in the afternoon, we made a valiant effort to enjoy the air and view from our veranda.   After adding every kind of warm layer we could find, Tom did manage a short nap.  :-)

Charlotte

Tom and I have been on a few cruises now, so we're feeling pretty comfortable about what to expect and what we like to do on the ship.  But this is Charlotte's first ever cruise, and it's really been fun watching her embrace the experience. 

She has watched a cooking demonstration, arranged flowers,  line danced, learned to play a steel drum, eaten curried breadfruit soup, wandered into the off-limits staff area, ordered two appetizers at the same meal, watched a show on the main stage, climbed an open staircase disembarking from the tender, talked to hundreds of people ...  But her most favourite cruise  experience has been Breakfast in Bed - every morning!

I'm pretty sure we have a cruise convert here.  :-)

Sunshine!

Finally!   A day with sunshine and warmth, the kind of warmth that gets right into your bones and warms you from the inside out.

Grand Cayman is a busy place - there are four (!) cruise ships in port today.  The local merchants must be rubbing their hands with glee (when they're not cursing us for jaywalking right in front of their cars).  We took the tender late morning into port and wandered around  the bustling, colourful, beachfront.

Our newest souvenir of choice is beach sand, so took our handy-dandy zip-lock bag and grabbed a sample. It's the colour and texture of Panko breadcrumbs,  quite a contrast to the dark grey, powder-soft sand of Tofino. 

Montego Bay

Holidays are nice, even when one is already retired.

Today we're in Montego Bay, Jamaica.  As cruise ports go, it's not very interesting.  We've more or less given up port excursions;  we'd rather just get off the ship and wander on our own.  But there's no wandering to be had here as the cruise port is well out of town.  

So ... here we are, mid-afternoon, sitting on the veranda outside our room, drinking Corona.  We hardly ever drink beer at home, and when we do, we never drink it from the bottle, and certainly not with lime stuffed down the neck. 

But on vacation ...

Time warp

Yesterday we got together with four people that I have known forever.  

Mike and I started Grade 1 together in 1957.  Though he doesn't remember it, he was the one who taught me to tie my shoelaces when we were both 6 years old.  

Charlotte and I were best friends since we were in Grade 8.  Later,  in 1972, she and I left Montreal together to start new lives in Toronto as Independent Women.

Kerry and I dated - once - when we were 15.  We have different, but equally amusing,  recollections of that experience. 

Linda and I were in different grades in school - a two-year gap that yawned like a bottomless chasm to a teenager.

You'd think that, with a distance of 45+ years separating us from those days at William McMaster High School and Beloeil QC, we'd have nothing to talk about ...  Ha!

Play me a rock 'n' roll song

There's a new 8-unit condo building going up right next door to us.

We don't mind.  The previous structure was an old dilapidated house, perhaps of some historical value, but left to deteriorate in the hands of frequently-changing renters.The new place will be an nice looking up-to-date design.  It will also increase the density of the neighbourhood, which is a good thing in an urban core. 

There's also a huge entertainment factor for us.  Because the building is so close, we can see first hand the intricacies of the building process.  We've watched them deconstruct the original building, level the ground, dig it up again, build forms, pour concrete (It has to be +7C to pour concrete, we learned.), remove the forms, and build walls.  Tom spends so much time at the window, that the construction workers wave as they move from one project to another. We're on a first name basis with the Site Supervisor and his deputies. 

In Victoria construction continues all through the winter, rain or shine.  As one of the construction crew said to us, "If you don't work when it rains in Victoria, you don't work."  

One thing that isn't different between Eastern Canadian and Western Canadian construction crews is the ubiquitous boom box.  Whatever the weather, it pumps out pop music at ear-splitting levels so the workers can hear it through their protective hearing devices.  

The best Christmas present ever - Part 2

Whirlwind weekend of driving from condo to condo, trying to be supportive and neutral ... 

Allison and realtor-par-excellence, Chuck, discussing the prices and various merits of one place over another ... 

Hours of FaceTime between Allison in Victoria and John and Hudson in Calgary, re-jigging budgets, trying to describe rooms and neighbourhoods, and  putting in a little Mummy time ... 

Celebration dinner at Cafe Brio while juggling cellphone, gnocchi, and counter-offers ... 


And the piece-de-resistance ...

A new home for Allison, John, Hudson and baby-to-be McNeill, only six blocks from our place.

Merry Christmas!

Powerless

They replaced the hydro pole in front of our place yesterday. We were warned that there would be no power for most of the day; we had forgotten what that meant.

No power means:

• no light
• no heat

It also means:

• no phone
• no radio
• no TV
• no internet
• no recharging of cell phone and tablet
• no coffee

And in an apartment building it means;

• no Enterphone (that thingy that  releases the door for guests)
• no elevator
• no automatic garage door opening 

Oddly, what I missed the most was the hum of the refrigerator ...

Travelling Road Show - 1976 to 1978

In 1976, Northwood Building Materials moved its Head Office to Winnipeg and I chose not to go with them.

I moved into to a row housing complex on Oak Street, bought IKEA furniture, and hung real drapes.

I started a new job, as an accountant, with Family Services of Greater Vancouver.  There I met a charming white-haired man who was to figure prominently in my future.

A year or so later, I bought a brand-new house on Dollar Road in the District of North Vancouver ...and started commuting from the suburbs to work downtown ... just like I used to from Beloeil to Montreal ...