Happy Oink Oink to you!

Alas ... another rainy day but fortunately I made plans to attack some of the items I have been procrastinating on. Might as well feel productive under these circumstances!

So off I went with my daughter to drop off books for the Literacy Council's annual book sale, the grocery store, my 'day to day' bank, the cable company, another bank, and a bit of summer clothes shopping. I normally plan my outings so that I simply drive a big circle through my town. This worked out quite well and we were finished in no time!

My daughter drove and took a different route back than I would have chosen. That turned out to be great because we drove by a house where the front lawn was decorated with pink pigs! I've seen large and small storks but these piggies were something new! Someone must be having a birthday or a celebration of some sorts.

I assumed that no one was home at the moment and I began to imagine the surprise when they do get home! Imagine finding a gathering of pink pigs on your front lawn! They were scattered about, at least twenty of them, lying comfortably on the ground as the rainy drizzled on them. Their chubby faces with a large mischievous smiles either looked onto the road or at each other. None seemed to mind the wetness and quite frankly they did look rather clean!

Piggies are cute, smart, and rather tasty (oops!), however I'd prefer to come home to a front lawn adorned with butterflies. Small, large, or medium size would be just fine. Each one unique with its own colouring and engaged with either the lawn, the trees, or the flowers. Now that would be a sight! hmmmmm .... maybe there is an opportunity here?

Rain, rain, and more rain

We've had six weeks of mostly rain and grey skies. It's the longest perior of unpleasant weather that I can remember. Spring normally arrives gently, giving up a few warm days here and there with less intervals of cold. This time around we've barely seen the sun, the weather is 10C below normal, and our flowers and trees are a good week to two weeks behind schedule.

Most of us are trying hard to remain optimistic since we know full well that this weather won't last, but I have to confess that keeping that upper spirit is becoming more and more difficult. There is only so much housekeeping, sorting, and preparation for spring that one can do until one is tired of it all.

We'vee been cooped up the whole winter and WE WANT OUT! Even my cats and my dog spend most of the day sleeping it away. They have some pleasure in going out but, like me, it is short lived when everything you touch is cold and wet.

Fortunately I have this new photography hobby that is providing me with a lot of challenges and opportunities to learn. Rain or shine, there is always something interesting to capture. Our tulips are at their prime due to our late spring, and I decided to take this opportunity to experiment with white balance and aperture. I crouched in front of my tulips trying to find the optimum pair to photograph, snapped one picture after another, and observed these lovely flowers that didn't seem to mind the rain. Droplets of water pooled randomly over their red petals while forming interesting mini ponds. The vivid red was a contrast compared to our grey sky. At that momemtnt, it seemed as if someone had just painted on some Coco Chanel red lipstick onto a dull day.

The camera lens, which forces a focussed perspective, is a vehicle that allows me to  either highlight or escape reality. Professional photographers bring out the essence of the subject and other put in some of their essence. In this instance, the subject round up illuminating my day. Another unexpected gift.

Spadina's Edible Treasures

We decided to eat in Chinatown as we finished our stroll through the U of T campus. It was such a pleasant day that walking seemed like the only logical thing to do. Bycicles swept through the streets, radios blared out of the cars, and the exhaust fumes had that 'summer' smell. We turned onto Spadina and immediately saw all the colourful oriental signs from the stores and the restaurants. Even the street posts are painted red and adorned with dragons. This is the place to go if you want to purchase oriental ingredients or have a good oriental meal.

My friend round up having a business call and I decided to inspect the various grocery stores. Fruits and vegetables are laid out in boxes along with large price signs written in chinese. Fortunately I recognized most of the food which made me think more and more about diner.

Grocery store in the city are less esthetically laid out than the grocery store in the suburbs. I love the fact that everything is outside and under the sun. The smell of fruits and vegetables begins to emanate early morning, and, depending on what side of the street the store is located, eventually the awnings are pulled out to protect the goods. Normally, spoilage isn't an issue since the food is purchased quickly by all the people who come here to shop. prices are also competitive since the owners don't want to lug all the products back into the store.

What I've always enjoyed about Chinatown it its abundance of colour and it being different from a typical neighborhood. Pieces of duck, chicken, and pork hanging in the windows, fruits and vegetables laid out in abundance, aromas of oil and garlic, and the sound of people bargaining. It's a shame that I can't understand anything.

Mother's day

Today is Mother's Day and it's a beautiful sunny day! We've been deprived of sun for the last five weeks. Our Spring has been slow to come and everything is blooming late. This continuous gray weather and lack of colourful flowers has dampened everyone's mood. I woke up early, saw a definite blue sky, and decided to venture out before the rest of the town woke up.

I headed off to Gairloch Gardens with my camera and puppy in hand. The Garden was quiet except for the chirping birds and scouring squirels. The lawn, trees, and gardens were nicely manicured.

Gairloch Gardens was founded in 1971 by James Gairdner. There is a lovely garden maintained by the town and an art gallery that often features local artists and art classes for the youth. Many elements make this garden very appealing.  There is a rose garden which displays a large variety of roses, beatutiful young and old trees, sitting areas, and a magnificent view of the lake. People come here to relax, meditate, play, stroll, walk their dogs, and take pictures. You can often catch a wedding party here during the summer months.

My husband and I used to come here when the children were young. It was an easy outing where the children could feed the ducks and the geese. They loved throwing our leftover bread at the birds whether on land or in the water. I'm sure the geese enjoyed it too and many of them were rather plump and greedy! The garden became overpopulated with geese which made the greens rather messy let alone that the geese became dependant on humans for their food. The town eventually asked the residents to stop feeding the birds and also initiated a program where the geese were gathered and relocated. Now, when you visit the garden, it is cleaner and you only see a handful of ducks and geese claiming their territory.

This morning I saw one family of geese taking their young out for a stroll in the pond. Befitting for Mother's Day, the young swam close to their mother as their father, most likely on duty, lagged slightly behind. I became very aware of the overall tranquility as I crouched down for my shot. I could feel the warmth of the sun, I sensed how my feet sank into the moist grass, birds sang in the background, the sun illumated the pond, and gentle waves rippled away as the family quietly displaced the water. Everything seemed perfect in that moment.

Renmants of fall while waiting for spring

Renmants of Fall against a window

I noticed some leftover fall leaves dangling from a tree as I walked by Oakville's Erchless Estate. The leaves rustled gently in the wind reminding me that spring was late. Flowers barely showed their colours and leaf buds were still shut tight. A window caught my attention as I looked at the brown dried leaves, and I wondered how many people have stood at this window waiting for spring.

The Chisholms, Oakville's founding family, built Erchless Estate in 1858. I was named after the Chisholm's clan seat in Scotland and six generations have lived in this home over a period of 130 years before it became one of Oakville's heritage homes (now a museum). The Chisholms married into the Kerr family and it was Robert Kerr that extensively renovated the estate by adding gardens, tennis courst, cottages, stables, and a carriage path. The main house was converted into apartments in the 1960's and the Town of Oakville purchased the property in the late 1970's.

I toured the Erchless Estate a couple of years ago. The Town has done a wonderful job at restoring it and many rooms are decorated with period pieces. To my surprise, I found out that Oakville took part in the Underground Railroad as a gateway to Canada for many African Americans as early as the 1830's.  William Chisholm purchased the land in 1827 and Oakville became an official Port of Entry into Canada in 1834. Ships from Oakville sailed throughout the Great Lakes and many ship captains assisted African American slaves by hiding them as stowaways.

One slave in particular, James W. Hill, remained in Oakville and led an estimated 700-800 African Americans back to Oakville through the Underground Railroad (via Maryland). His reputation as a 'conductor' resulted in a price being put on his head and he was wanted 'dead or alive' by the US government. Some African Americans settled in Oakville but many went to larger cities for better economic opportunities. Hill remained here, built a house on Maplegrove drive (it is still there), and his extensive strawberry fields helped to make Oakville the one time strawberry capital of Canada.

I can't imagine 6 generations living in one  home when I've lived in at least 17 homes during my one life! Nor can I imagine streets named after me although we do have a Patricia street in Oakville.  Finding tidbits of information and hearing stories that I could not imagine would happen here add a warm dimension to the town I've adopted as my home. Like so many towns and cities, Oakville has changed and evolved but once in a while I am reminded of the 'simple' life that used to flourish here. It's a good thing that Oakville cherishes its heritage homes because they provide us with a window to our past.