Eat, Pray, Love, Eat, Eat...

December 1986-on the steps of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy. I am thoroughly enjoying my fresh Italian bread, cheese and wine!

Last night I had a love affair....with my wood-fired, "Opa" pizza sitting on the patio of my favourite restaurant! It was a perfect evening. Live music filled the cool night air, a welcome relief from the intense humidity we have experienced all summer. You probably can guess I had just seen the movie, "Eat, Pray, Love." (Shh Carol and Carolyn! I know the DAMN Altos are going to see this movie in September but my friend asked me to go as a pre-birthday celebration! I will gladly see it again!) After the movie, my friend and I were inspired to relax, enjoy our glass of chardonnay and eat our pizza with our hands! (What risk takers we were! My friend and I are both "eat-pizza-with-a-knife-and-fork-kind-of-girls!") No reservations! Dig in, savouring the rich flavours of this gastronomic indulgence!

Both my friend and I re-lived our adventures in Italy and France remembering how much we loved their culture. Even though the French and Italians lead busy lives like ourselves in North America, there is something special about their ability to enjoy a balanced life. They take the time to relax, enjoy the company of their friends and family while also taking the time to savour the food spread around their table. No need to rush. No need to hurry. At the end of the day, they get their work done. At the end of the day, they make their guests, and even strangers, feel loved. I could get used to their way of life!

So, last night I had a love affair! And it was good.

Summer 2010 Thus Far!

**click on collage to gain a better view of the pics**

** some of my summer activities thus far:**

~ tour of Camp X, the WWII Spy Training School
~ outdoor Yoga at Parkwood Estate
~ shopping in Toronto
~ swimming at Centennial Pool
~ watching the Fifa World Cup final match (the pic is in top row and tiny!)
~ hanging with family and friends
~ visiting the library
~ outdoor Shakespeare theatre at Parkwood
~ pampering myself
~ volunteering for Community Care
~ jamming with local bands
~touring the local countryside
~ remodelling
~ road trips
~ gastronomy pleasures
~ soaking up the beauty of nature around me
~ just chillin'
~ watching the never-ending construction of a church on the same property as my apartment
~ savoring summertime memories

visit with American cousins in Kittaning, PA

Last weekend, I went on a road trip with my folks travelling down the Alleghany River in Pennslyvania, USA. Final stop: a small town nestled on the banks of this gorgeous river where my dad's cousins live. Enjoy the photo collage of this latest adventure.
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Some noteworthy observations about life in smalltown USA:
* the old country church (circa 1872) we attended Sunday morning had air conditioning but no indoor plumbing. Their outhouse was the first I'd been in that was carpeted! It was a "pleasure" doing business in there!
* the graves at the church cemetery are marked with American flags and special badges if the deceased was a war veteran
* you can't get away from fried food
* everyone is so friendly and willing to help, esp. while shopping at the Walmart
* the sales are INCREDIBLE and 100% better than in Canada
* the court house square reminds me of "Back to the Future"
* only my parents will plan a party in their hotel room for the whole clan!
*everyone is patriotic and speaks their mind-out loud!
I like that!

PS Click on the collage and it will enlarge so you can actually see some of the pics!

Thank you Nellie

I am a survivor. Barely, truth be told!

I was immersed in the wilds of "pre-teenage-dom" this week and let's just say it was quite the fierce adventure! I was one of four chaperones on our Grade 8 Grad Trip to our nation's capital, Ottawa. Overall it was good and I LOVED touring all the historical places and museums, including our Parliament. I have many stories and pictures I could share but choose to just highlight one moment that inspired and profoundly affected me. It caught me by surprise actually.

We were standing on Parliament Hill, looking at the statue of our first Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. MacDonald. Our tour guide, whom I could write an entire novel about, was rattling on about something. The chaperones were trying to keep the students quiet, which was next to impossible! Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a group of statues in the distance. I wanted to explore but wasn't sure if I should wander away from our group. Curiousity got the better of me! As I approached this group of statues, I immediately knew who they were...

Nellie McClung and her fellow reformers who first fought to have Canadian women declared as "persons" in 1929, then fought for the women's right to vote in 1916...



As I stood in the middle of these statues taking my photos, I paused...

... for I needed to take a moment to reflect on the ramifications of this historical event.

... for I needed to take a moment to offer my gratitude for the sacrifices made by these women who forged the way enabling Canadian women to freely vote.

It was a gift. One I realized I took for granted until standing amidst their presence on "the Hill!"
It was an empowering, poignant moment for me. Thank you Nellie McClung and your fellow reformers! Thank you.

My solitude was quickly interrupted by the bellows of my students calling, "Miss W., Miss W., Miss W......"

March Break Memories

PARIS 2007

Bonjours mes amies!

Here I am standing on one of the many cobblestone streets of "Vieux" - Old - Montreal, Quebec, last weekend!

Ready for a mid-winter break, I chose a colder climate rather than the warmth and sun of a more southern destination that most of my fellow Ontarians choose this time of year. It may have been a crazy decision but well worth the adventure. I chose a destination with a rich history here in Canada. In fact, it is where it all began for our country over 300 years ago. French explorers, Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain left their home country and landed in "New France" in the late 1500's, early 1600's.

Montreal is one of the first cities established in Canada. Of course the aborginal peoples were already here but these french explorers didn't know that and were thrilled they discovered this great country enroute to Asia! They had no idea there was a continent in between Europe and Asia! Montreal is a beautiful city and I had the privilege of visiting friends last weekend. I recorded my trip over here at my web album site.

I am house sitting for a month so am without internet ( ugh)! Right now I am sitting with my laptop at our public library trying to frantically download pics and write this blog post before closing time! I have made comments to go along with the pics so enjoy the adventure! It truly was wonderful and felt like I was in a different country! (French is the first language of Quebec and the official second language of Canada).

Joie de vivre mes amies!

Oh I should link another one of my winter "adventures" here. Check it out!

Last link

**UPDATED PHOTOS **

"If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance."

George Bernard Shaw

Traipsing through the charming Fermanagh, Northern Ireland countryside in search of my ancestry brings joy to my soul. Linking to my past is essential for me to understand part of who I am and why my family functions in the manner it does. I embrace the "skeletons" as well as the honour my family embodies in the community.

Archie Crozier lived on the farm across the road from my maternal grandfather's farm until his death yesterday. He was my last link to my grandfather's family. No more yarns while sipping tea nestled in front of the peat -stoked fire in his cozy, warm kitchen. I adore the scent of the peat fires diffusing through the crisp air of Northern Ireland. Breathing in this essence is refreshing and makes me feel alive.

The peat, or "turf " fields

The village hasn't really changed from when my grandfather was born back in 1898. This amazes me, especially coming from a city in such a young country that is constantly changing and growing. I can't describe how it felt to walk the same roads my grandfather walked. To wander around my grandfather's farm which is still basically the same - only a few minor renovations have been made, like thatched roofs on the barns were replaced with tin. The stone farmhouse has been mended and is still perched on the hill overlooking the village of Kilskerry. The lush, green rolling hills separated by stone walls are a sight to behold. Breathtaking. I can visualize my grandfather guiding his donkey, loaded with bails of hay, up the long, winding drive to the barn.

I found a pic of this winding drive up to my grandfather's farm. It was taken from the car in the pouring rain. This entrance is right across the road from the entrance to Archie's farm.

Once again another photo taken from the car due to the pouring rain. My grandfather's farm is the cream house in the distance. These pictures do not capture the beauty of this countryside. In past visits to Northern Ireland, I took some wonderful photos - before digital. I was able to capture the view from the farm which is phenomenal! Maybe I will scan them one day:)

The train station, Bundoran Junction, where my grandfather caught the train to the seaside is still standing. The tracks are gone, but I can still hear the sound of the steam engine pulling out of the station crowded with excited passengers headed for a day at the sea.

The Church of Ireland cemetery is home to two of my great aunts and one great uncle who all died as young children. My grandfather never spoke of these siblings. I made this discovery from browsing through the church records at the Manse.

One thing I have observed about the Irish, or maybe it is just my family, is even though they are incredibly friendly and hospitable, they are also very private. My grandparents rarely spoke of the "old country." Thus the reason why I so enjoyed my visits with Archie Crozier. Between his yarns about the family scandals and the information I found in the church records, I was able to fit the last piece of the puzzle together.

According to Archie, the reason my grandfather, his brother and his father immigrated to Canada in the late 1920's was to flee from the IRA. They were all part of the "B-Special's," which were a reserve police force, predominantly protestant, who defended Northern Ireland from the IRA terror campaign. Apparently, my great-grandfather was a Magistrate who had prosecuted some members of the IRA. His life was now is danger. So, Canada was the safe haven!! Scandalous!

I loved this link to my lineage. Archie was quite the character. Maybe you can catch a glimpse of his "badness" from my pictures!! He lived his 96 years well! I will miss him. I am grateful I had the opportunity to visit him last summer. I will cherish those moments.

Archie and I in his kitchen - July 2008! This is the same farm across the road from my grandfather's home farm! It hasn't really changed either! You can even see the Canadian tray I brought him sitting on his table!



Here's to dancing skeletons!!

My weekend in pictures

"The spirit of adventure is all about staying on the lookout-keeping our eyes and our hearts open and participating fully in the moment we've been given as a pure gift."

(Luci Swindoll, I Married Adventure)

I had a fabulous weekend, full of adventures! I soooo needed the change in scenery! I captured my adventures in pictures however there were too many to choose from to post here on my blog, so please go here (*update* apparently you now can't view them directly so click on this link. Then click on where it says "view Karyne's Gallery", then click on th pics that say "trip to Grimsby/Niagara Falls ) to see my weekend!

Heirlooms

February 2009 - My 100 year old family heirloom is back home again! She is alive singing out her songs!

"Friends know the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words!" (unknown)

"Make new friends but keep the old, some are silver and the others gold." ( Pioneer Girls song)

I have been blessed with an amazing motley circle of friends over the course of my life. They have helped mold me into who I am today. I am deeply grateful. This weekend I am off to visit "new" friends near Niagara Falls. I am so looking forward to celebrating life with these friends! I am also in desperate need of a relaxing get-away- a distraction from this crazy, frigid winter we are experiencing! I will be offline and that will be hard. I never imagined I would be addicted to my blogosphere life! So, see you next week. Have a blissful weekend! Celebrate your friends! Your Heirlooms!

( I have a blog started about last weekend but it will have to be put on hold!)

One final story before I sign off. I haven't shared any student "yarns" lately, but thought this comment today from one of my grade 1 (P2 for my British bloggy friends!) students was blog worthy!

Out of the blue, and not related to what we were working on, this little girl said to me:

"S": Miss Whalen, my grandma HAS fake teeth.

ME: Oh really. My dad has some fake teeth too. Do you live with your grandma?

"S": Oh no Miss Whalen, my grandma lives in the sky now!

Thematic Photographic - Poignant

Catacombs of Paris, March 2007

As I entered this subterranean ossuary where over 6 million bones of people lay, I was overcome with both a deep sadness and a reverence for the lives represented here.

Due to the closure of the largest cemetery in the Les Halles district of Paris, which the locals believed was a danger to public health, the catacombs ossuary was created. Bones were dug up from the various cemeteries throughout Paris from 1780-1860 and transferred to this quarry. The first bones that arrived here were just thrown into a heap. Later on they were arranged in neat rows, 5 feet high and 80 feet deep.

I hesitated to take a photo out of respect, but wanted to capture this moment on film. What I didn't realize - I guess I didn't clearly read the fine print- was that I was not allowed to take pictures in the ossuary. An employee quickly came alongside me to correct my wrongdoing! I understood.


As I weaved my way through the mile-long maze of tunnels, lives long forgotten neatly lined both sides of the dirt path. Surprisingly, I was not claustrophobic. The tunnels were narrow, dark, damp, and eerie. The smell of death wafted throughout. I took the time to reflect, even though there was a part of me that wanted to run from the skulls gawking at me!

My thoughts turned to God - the one who created, knew and loved every one of these people who were just thrown into a heap. Was that all their lives were worth in the end? I am thankful we are more than just bones. I am thankful our spirits live on. My experience 60-feet down in the depths of the catacombs cannot be explained adequately with words. I think that is okay. It is meant to be that way. So many thoughts fill my mind even now as I recall this poignant adventure. But, I will remember in silence. Without words.

"Happy is he who is forever faced with the hour of his death and prepares himself for the end every day."
( a quote that was on one of the plaques along the way)

If you want to see more poignant adventures from amazing people, click on Carmi's blog here.

Sampling of more holiday photos from Northern Ireland. It was hard to decide which ones to post, but I will eventually post all pics on my web album!

Welcome to Beverly Hills - Bangor, Northern Ireland that is!! I stayed here with my 90 year old cousin. She is in good form and we had a lovely time. I have fond childhood memories staying here with her and her husband, Billy( Billy was a headmaster!). So, I was glad to have the opportunity to go back and relive some of those memories - minus swimming in the freezing cold sea! Margie's husband Billy used to swim in the sea here at Ballyhome everyday, even in winter and up until he was 90 years old too!

The view of the sea in the distance from Margie's house

Margie is on the left, sitting with Audrey and Ernest ( my"kissing cousins" down in Fermanagh at the farm. Audrey is Ernest's mom) in my favourite room of Margie's house that overlooks her garden! ( or backyard as we North Americans call it!) We are having tea of course! I have fond memories of sitting in this room with Billy watching cricket matches. Billy explained the rules of cricket to me, but I never caught on!! We would eat our lovely meals in this room at their antique oak table in front of the bay window. My spot would be on the chaise lounge chair that Ernest is sitting on...I LOVED that antique chaise lounge! I'm so glad she still has it!
Margie and I...doesn't' she look well for 90 years old! She is still living on her own in her house in Bangor. Bangor is a beautiful seaside town....one of my favourites in Northern Ireland. Margie was a great hostess. She wouldn't even let me help her cook our meals! She keeps her mind sharp by doing crosswords. In fact, she was my inspiration to start doing crosswords! We sat by the fire in the evenings doing crosswords together and chatting and of course stopping to watch Coronation Street!

Donagahdee Harbour and lighthouse. This is another seaside town near Bangor where Billy and I would swim!

Shells on the beach at Ballyhome, Bangor.

Sea foam and seaweed on the beach at Ballyhome. You all know I LOVE the sea so I was in my element here in Bangor!

My shadow! Can you tell it is me? Hint: orange!

More of the beach at Ballyhome...the tide was out!

A road trip around the Ards Peninsula. Here we are in Kearny.

A fishing cottage in Kearny, now a holiday cottage...I LOVE the doors in Northern Ireland!

Back to Bangor...the terraced homes overlooking the sea...most are converted into guest homes now!

A sample of one of the bright colours of the home!

More of the beach at Ballyhome

Down in Fermanagh now...this is how most farms heat their homes...coal fires!

The coal bin at Audrey's farm house!

Fresh farm eggs! Can you see the blue one? Ernest and Gail's son, Adam raises hens/chickens, so we have fresh eggs every morning! ( and fresh milk from the cows - really!!)

Look what I found again...another Timmy's in a Spar shop in Augher, a wee village in Fermanagh!

Back up in Kearny...

Back in Fermanagh at the Prentice dairy farm. I took this pic from the bathroom. In the distance you can see the milking parlour and if you look close you can see the cows lined up, ready to go and be milked!

There I am on the tractor...they still use this tractor!! The weather hasn't been great...a bit cold and rainy. But, the great thing about Ireland is you wait an hour and the sun will come out! I think I need to buy some woollies though as I only packed clothes for hot weather!

Here is Ernest and Benji, the new lamb on the farm!

One of the farm buildings...they were built in the 1800's. The solid white stone walls are about 20 inches thick!

Gail walking with Sam, their black lab, down the road in front of the farm. I'm not sure if you can tell how narrow the roads are over here in this photo...also, most of the older homes are built right on the edge of the road. Usually there is a small stone wall between!
I am having a fabulous time in this beautiful country. I feel so refreshed. The weather is great for the skin! I think some of my wrinkles have disappeared! I look forward to sharing some of my adventures here on my blog when I return to Canada! Cheerio!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!

The "Eye of Belfast" at City Hall

The famous "Ulster (other name for Northern Ireland) Fry": eggs, bacon, sausage, potato bread, soda farls and tomato!
My maternal great- grandparents' graves in Antrim Cemetary. There were no markers but the caretakers were able to locate them for me! My great-grandparents died in 1921 and 1927.
The home farm of my maternal grandmother in Dunsilly, Antrim.
Thematic Photographic - Wood. This is the outhouse attached to the back of my grandmother's home farm!
My "bloggy friends" Ally and Cherith in Ballymena!
Cherith was an Eaton - yes she is related to Timothy Eaton, founder of Eatons department stores!My fantasy car...convertable Mercedes. It really belongs to my "kissing cousins!"

An 1800's Bandstand in downtown Belfast.
The new outdoor/indoor shopping centre , Victoria Square, in downtown Belfast.
Happy Canada Day! My Canada t-shirt and knickers are gifts from my friends Linda and Debbie! I wore them proudly all day! Thanks ladies!

The Crown Bar in downtown Belfast. The oldest pub in all of Ireland, established in 1849.

To my utter amazement, I found a Timmy's in Belfast at the local Spar shop on the Botanic Rd., which is a convenience store! Read the sign carefully!

A medium black, double cupped...it tastes just like home!
My "kissing cousins" enjoying Timmy's as well!