Glorious Sunset

After so much rain and thunderstorms of late, it was a nice change last night to get a beautiful sunset ~ the moon also showing was an added bonus. (clickable thumbnail )

Hockey Night in Canada

Just lately there has been a lot of hullabaloo about the Hockey Night in Canada theme music. The surprising thing is, this music has been used for the last forty years ~ now all of a sudden this commotion.

This has prompted CBC to scamper around, considering the unspeakable. The Toronto Star newspaper has even launched a contest for a replacement song/poem, so at a suggestion of a friend I thought ~ why not!

Hockey Night in Canada

With the sounding of the trumpet,
The drumming of the beat
Excitement reaching feverish pitch,
As the fans reach out to greet.

Players coming onto the ice.
Cherry waving, takes a look
Smiling, as excitement resounds
With the dropping of the puck.

The roar of the impatient crowd,
Sounding out the rallying call,
It’s hockey night in Canada
Come on you fans, come all.

Eric Valentine Aug 11-08 ©

Go git em Leafs!

Footnote

After further research I have discovered my friend was wrong. They are looking for a song not a poem!.. ~ Any takers?! LOL

C'ya

Doggie Diner

A friend mailed me the fawn pics earlier, I thought it was cute.

Guess who's coming to dinner?

A fawn followed this beagle home -- apparently, right through the doggie door --

Later the owner came home to find the visitor had made himself right at home.






Not to be out-done, ~ why not said the bear!




C'ya

Primrose

You are mostly familiar with our outings last summer to Willow Park. Since then we have moved and are again blessed with living next to another beautiful park and lake.

When you live in an apartment you miss having a garden. We have tried to resolve that by using planter boxes of various size and shapes to grow flowers and herbs.

This annual is Elizabeth’s favorite. I believe it is called an “African Daisy” (osteospermum), very beautiful and picturesque, so many flowers budding.

C'ya

The Sign

Recently June 20th 2008, was the 100th year anniversary of the publication of L.M. Montgomery’s “Anne of Green Gables”.
As part of that event so long ago, the history that followed is known worldwide.

Norval, a small town not far from here has a small memorial garden that was created in her honor, and the fact that she spent part of her life living there from 1926-1935 along with her husband Presbyterian Minister, Ewan Macdonald.

This photograph is of a section of the memorial garden. There are a number of dedication signs on pedestals throughout the garden and pavilion area. The reason for my attention to this particular one, speaks for itself, and the muse for my writing. (clickable thumbnail)

Eric Valentine © C'ya

Surf n Sale

Who said "Trunk sailing” wasn’t exhausting!




Last week we went through the newspapers looking for garage sales. It’s amazing how many of them there are each summer. Having just moved, we were in the market (pardon the pun) for a few items.

How different things are nowadays. Today we used the computer map-quest search, for all the street names we didn’t know. Plotting a route to take in our onslaught for the goodies. It’s amazing how many people get themselves out there ‘in the hunt’. Long caravans of vehicles practically racing each other to see who can get there first, ~ ‘follow that van!’.

Whilst in the planning stages I got a little curious. I remembered the English TV program “ Steptoe & Son” the ‘rag and bone men’ from the successful BBC series. I remembered the same people in real life from when I was a kid growing up in England. That brought to mind other well known names related, I thought, like trunk sales, rummage sales, garage sales as well as the famous ‘Flea Markets’. I decided to google the origin. ~ What a pleasant surprise and such a good read. This is the link:


These are part of the loot from our sojourn into the world of sometimes mad, who said it doesn‘t pay to get ready to rumble!




BarBells for exercising. $5.00





Cabinet to hold microwave.. $4.00





Finally what I figured was 'The Prize' ~ Marble Chess set $1.00!!





We arrived home, feeling a little like “Fagan from Oliver Twist!” having picked someone’s pocket.

C'ya

Sentiment

I haven’t done much of anything this last few days. Maybe it’s the weather but I don’t really think so. Since we moved a month ago life has been somewhat different with a smattering of chaos thrown in. Apart from us having to try and get things back in order in our new place, it’s been hard to get motivated at times.

In the beginning there was such an excitement for finally getting away from the old place and all its problematic headaches. Lately though for myself, I have felt a little sadness. I do believe I actually miss some of the stuff from our last home.

The most natural thing are the birds, we don’t get the same kind of birds where we are now, and can you believe I miss seeing Bob! Yes! Bob of the Alzheimer’s, the chicken dance man and remember, the new name on our Christmas card list? ~ That Bob.

I have on occasion found myself talking to Elizabeth about him and worrying if he is still alright. We found ourselves looking for him when we were driving in town. For the longest time we saw nothing, then finally one day we spotted him. Poor Bob, here it was a scorching hot day and he was still wearing a winter coat and needing a haircut badly.

It’s nice though when you stop and talk to him. At first he looks at you quizzically, not quite remembering who we are. Then you see his eyes start to light up as a glimmer of memory eventually registers with his thinking. That’s the way Bob, you haven’t forgotten us after all! It just takes a little time, but then a smile lights up his whole face.
We chat briefly, then we tell him “You really have to get a haircut Bob”, another smile crosses his face.

We drive on and I am surprised, suddenly I feel a lot better about the day.

God, is this what getting older does to a person? Am I becoming my brothers keeper? It has to be the way the world is going! ~

To hell with it all. Have a great day and live it up.

C’ya