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With apologies to Clement C Moore
Twas the day before Christmas and though joy’s in the air,All creatures are rushing, no second to spare.With carols to sing and stockings to stuff,The kitchen’s a whirlwind of baking and love. The concerts are finished, our voices are strained,Yet songs still ring out, as the season ordains.My son’s home from uni, he’s raiding the fridge.Exclaims nothing’s there, he’s eaten all but a smidge! Family visits are next, a once yearly meet,As others pour from offices, filling the street.Once more back home, with all good deeds done,We start to think, “Perhaps the holiday battle is won?” The family arrives, grandparents… Read more…
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On the road
I’m exhausted. Five days into a week-long business trip and approaching seven time zones from home, I marvel at the stamina of people who do this all the time. It’s been a productive trip so far. I’ve had good meetings with suppliers and partners and got to witness an important MOU signing in my industry. I’ve had the good fortune to be hosted by my country’s High Commission in London and am headed tomorrow to our Embassy in Bucharest tomorrow for more hospitality to close off another day of industry meetings Canada House is right at Trafalgar Square in England’s… Read more…
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Your children are not your children
A few weeks ago, my daughter’s choir hosted a treble training festival for several other children’s choirs in southern Ontario. They’re always great events, when these well-trained choristers come together, work with a guest conductor and finally, hold a joint concert where they raise their voices in song and raise the rafters of whatever church has been borrowed for the occasion. The kids work hard during that day, as evidenced by the 87 pizzas we the 150+ choristers put back for dinner! But that’s not the point of this story. I like to sit quietly in the back while the (mostly)… Read more…
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A penny – or five – for your thoughts
A penny for my thoughts? Today, I’m remembering the record collection my parents had when I was young. I loved music and would sing along with everything from the Singing Nuns (who knew my first French words would be “Il ne parle que du bon Dieu”?!) to Camelot (and what 6 year old shouldn’t be singing about the Lusty Month of May?!) to whatever else they had playing under that scratchy needle inside the giant stereo case my Dad had made to house the speakers, turntable, and – wait for it – the NEW cassette tape player. But no matter… Read more…
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A yarn of a different kind
Snow arrived in my part of Ontario almost two weeks ago, and as it fell softly on my newly-raked lawn (just in time, phew!) I found myself picking up my knitting needles for the first time in a long time. I’m not sure what made me put them down in the first place, but I discovered a couple of three-quarter-finished projects at the bottom of a bag of yarn. So, with a cup of steaming tea at my side, I settled down to finish them up. A young colleague at work had recently picked up needles for the first time.… Read more…
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Anne and Maud
Not Anne, but my favourite and well-worn LM Montgomery books Anne and Maud – what “real” Canadian girl doesn’t already know where this blog post is going just by those three words! This is a modern-day story of a number of things that had to fall into place to make magic happen. Canadian school girls grow up on Lucy Maud Montgomery’s wonderful Anne of Green Gables stories.And while personally, I was more partial to her Pat of Silver Bush stories, Anne Shirley, with her carrot-red hair and imagination was always a wonder to me. When she smashed a slate over Gilbert… Read more…
