General Chat

By way of reply to Pam at the top of the page, plus 11 C is one thing, in the sunshine, at least. I've seen students at the University where I spend my time, in shorts and tee-shirts at about minus 11 C... I hope on their way South for reading week, but who can tell? We all get a bit of cabin fever in late Winter.

Hockey is inevitable around here, Janey. The three local grandchildren are all players, my son plays _and_ coaches, the graduate student I share a project with plays several times a week, and so does my neighbour. What chance do I stand?

It could be worse. It could be golf!

I used to be a rugby widow :))))

Black flies, MikeyJay!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjLBXb1kgMo

One of those award-winning National Film Board animations. ;)

At least I think that's the one. I stll haven't got my speakers hooked back up.

Flies of all sorts...hate 'em =0)

OH's sister lives in northern BC

One year her husband decided the exterior of the house needed painting.

He started at the top corner of the side of the house (gable end), using a light coloured paint

By the time he reached the opposite bottom corner ........ the whole side was black



literally covered with black flies!



The house they built, and where sis-in-law still lives, had cedar siding that never needs painting!




sylvia

The NFB is a treasure trove - and the shorts are wonderful. This black fly song may be my fave. Or maybe Ryan is.

Not all flies are bad, C! Some of them eat other flies!

After a holiday or two around the Rideau Canal and lakes, I developed a theory the sail-boards were invented by deer fly. One gets tensely braced against the wind, racing along, doing all the tricky things one does before falling off, when a clutch of deerfly land on the sail. One will then circle your head to get your attention, then home in on the tightly stretched skin of the belly. Should I let go of the boom and swat, losing control and somersaulting in - or grin and bear it?

As Janey in the book wrote, some flies - mosquitoes - look on repellents as added sauce on their meal!

Nope still hate all flies =0)
As for tightly stretched skin on the belly..........forget 6 packs....I have a 24 pack ! =0)

Well, I was writing of prehistoric days, myself. 25 years ago? (or more!)

Oh in that case yep me and hubby both had six packs that long ago....then the kids came along !!

I don't have that excuse... just neglect!

well, the BC Liberal party had their annual meeting at the weekend


They are considering changing the name of the Party


It is a coalition (!!!!) of Conservatives and Liberals, with members spanning the whole gamut of beliefs


This gets difficult at election times (??), particularly federal elections when they have to be nicey nicey to each other when wearing provincial hats, and nasty nasty with the federal hat on.

And some are always having to explain how they can be a federal conservative and a provincial LIberal, or vice versa


Also, ex-Conservative MP John Cummins (did not run this time) is the incoming Leader of the provincial Conservative Party, charged with revitalising this currently defunct



Could be interesting times!




sylvia

Hi, Sylvia,

BC politics have always been a puzzle. Not like in - for example - Alberta, whose political needle has been hard to the stop on the right for ever.

Michael

Forty years ago today, my young family and our dog(!) stepped off the boat (Stefan Batory) in Levis, PQ where we became landed immigrants. The next morning, the ship docked in Montreal, where we saw the wonderful glowing remains of Expo67 in Montreal: it was an absolutely magical sight.

In the following couple of hours, lining up for yet more paper-work, my wife and three children (4 1/2, 3 and 14months), were led away to some place of comfort by an angel with a French-Canadian accent, whose beauty and kindness even now colour my view of Quebec. It couldn't have been better timed! From there by train to Hamilton where the temperature was about 30C, where the dog collapsed from the heat, - and our luggage didn't get to us until the next day.

We've been here ever since.

Michael

Michael

What an experience you had!


We left England 5 days after our marriage in 1967, by plane, heading to Texas where OH had a job (he'd already been there for 6 months).

We detoured by Montreal, and spent 3 days at Expo67

First day, walked across the main entry plaze, and OH was hailed by a man. They had been at school together in North Wales. Their fathers had been at school together in Yorkshire. He was emigrating to Canada with his wife, because of racial problems they'd experienced in England. They had landed in Montreal that morning and were spendng a few hours at Expo before taking the train to Manitoba.

Next day, I walked to meet OH who was standing beside one of the pavilions when I was distracted by a young lady standing just along from him. One of the 6th Formers I had taught until the end of the school year, 3 weeks earlier.

Third day, had lunch at the British Pavilion next to a man who was from the town where I had just been teaching ................... it also turned out that the barmaid that day, Canadian, married the Australian man who became OH's Research Assistant one year later in Vancouver


We moved up to Vancouver in 1968, for 2 years. Still here!

And we became citizens in 1974 ........... I'm very glad of the fact that I became a citizen 10 days before my daughter was born!



sylvia

My goodness, Sylvia - that's a lovely story. It can truly be a very small world.

Michael

Lovely stories....but I still hate flies =0)
Can't match those stories sorry ! Came over on holiday met hubby....took us 7 years to actually decide which of us was going to move country........I won...moved here to Canada haven't looked back since.........running away from those flies =0)

Immigration stories, great!

I've heard that my paternal grandmother only learned she was coming to Canada in 1927 when she got to the dock. She had been under the impression she was going to Australia. Since my grandfather had preceded her, I dunno.

Anyhow, supposedly she found herself, after a cross-country train journey, in the iconic Winnipeg in February. I may have imagined part of that, sice it seems it was actually Calgary. But it was, as I have now learned from the passenger record FannyByGaslight sent me, August.



So Parliament approaches ... perhaps the end of the world Canadian-style is near.

Oh well, it means work for me. As of yesterday ... the usual Friday afternoon before a long weekend "can you do this for 9 a.m. Tuesday"? Of course. It's not like I have a life.

Janey

I think you had to change trains in Winnpeg if you were going onto Calgary in those days ............... maybe if you were travelling on CN but needed to continue on CP, or the other way round.


Via Rail travels on the CN tracks, and goes through Edmonton and Winnipeg and on to Toronto ............. so maybe she took the CN to Winnipeg, then had to transfer to the CP to get to Calgary




so life is back to normal for you, then?



sylvia

I think I qualify to visit here.

Robert

as much as the rest of us, R



sylvia