Tag Archives: ontario

The best of times, the worst of times

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Where the railroad crosses

It’s that worst of times: the last day of a holiday when your plane doesn’t leave till evening, and you hang around wondering what can go wrong and making desultory attempts at packing. Unless you’re David, that is, and then you make extremely long phone calls.

The children woke up late (for them) because of an unexpected event the previous day – the return of the Vanderkooys. We had spent much of a very hot day inside the World Science Centre in the Don Valley area of Toronto – an imaginatively constructed building that tumbles down a ravine in what might be called an ordered state. We visited some reptiles and then (after lunch) an interactive area that the children loved. I was impressed, but not with the acres of children’s groups who increased the decibel level and reduced the floor area. I was also impressed with the Omnimax film, Hubble, which kept the children spellbound, and the adults too.

Lots of traffic on the 401, but we eventually emerged on to the 427, picked up speed and then stopped for (even more) food shopping. Very hot indeed at this point, but it cooled slightly before the Vanderkooys arrived for supper. Joyous reunions all round, and celebrations into the night. They eventually departed for home around 10pm, Oliver and Amy fell into bed, and the rest of us chatted for a while before doing the same.

It’s now 2.15pm, the FedEx lady has delivered a parcel for Barbara, and everyone except me is in the pool area. a couple of days ago the children, Dot and I went into Bolton to do various bits of shopping and to look at some local scenery, including the place where the railroad crosses Mount Hope Road. Magical stuff.

Between realities

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Very odd feeling this Monday morning, as if suspended between two realities. The heat has receded a notch or two, with Barbara and Oliver’s morning walk interrupted by rain. Yesterday was extremely hot – so hot that we stayed indoors a lot of the time. We discovered later that it was the hottest July 17 in Ontario since records began. Nevertheless there was a certain amount of pool activity and two excellent meals materialised from Barbara. How does she do it? Rob came out from Toronto again for the evening meal and took back three postcards from us to put in the mail.

Children pose on the doorstep: Jackson, Oliver, Seth, Amy, Sophie

Farewells were said around 9pm as Chrissy, JD and family departed for the last time, to much sorrow. Both our children were very quiet, and O was inconsolable. The rest of us spent a quiet couple of hours in front of Bottle Shock, the story of the Napa Valley wine success story, in which Alan Rickman was vintage. Barbara went to bed early, but the rest of us saw it through.

This morning, as I said, things were very quiet. I went in the pool with Amy, and Oliver excelled at Monopoly after watching JD’s tactics the previous day. The sun came out and it’s hot again, but not uncomfortable.

On Saturday, while Chrissy, JD and the children went bowling, followed by a pizza, the four of us went into Toronto again for a meal – this time at Nota Bene on Queen Street. I had a superb Wangyu burger with fried egg after salt cod fritters, followed by grapefruit sorbet and excellent ginger tea. We rounded it off with a walk down Queen Street in the evening heat.

Bucket of balls and a shopping spree

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The magnetism of television: Seth, Jackson, Oliver, Sophie and Amy

Saturday, and so of course, it’s raining in England: “cats and dogs”, according to my sources. But here it’s still hot and very dry, and the children have returned after a shorter-than-expected stay in Waterloo, where they took in a water park and a museum, among other things. Jackson and Oliver also went for a couple of 6am walks together, which is nice.

Our Thursday meal was excellent – an Italian restaurant on King Street – and featured a superb sour apple cocktail, as well as top-notch rack of lamb. More or less fell into bed when we got home, but I had a very bad night with plenty of acid threats, and woke up feeling pretty lousy. But things soon improved, even though the girls departed fairly early for a Toronto shopping spree. This turned out well, as Dot bought some very nice clothes. Meanwhile Roger and I went to the local golf club, Gleneagles, and took a bucket of balls each on to the driving range. I hit some surprisingly good shots, 150 yards and more, with a variety of clubs, including a driver and (my favourite) a 5-wood. Some nice pitches too, but of course some rubbish as well. If you can do it right once, why can’t you always do it right? My very first shot (a 3-iron) was a zinger. No, not a singer: Pearl’s a singer.

Afterwards we spent about an hour on the putting green, and I did reasonably well at that too. Much better than usual, anyway. Following evening meal, outside as always, we toyed with going into the pool, but after much hesitation, making of apricot tarts etc, decided to watch Inception. Very clever film, though I would have enjoyed it more if my left eye hadn’t been burning all the way through. Not sure why. Too much sun? Spraying for insects? Some kind of pollen? Anyway I slept much better, and it had practically gone when I got up this morning and took an early dip in the  pool, while it was shady and quiet. Then, after a Lighthouse Cafè breakfast by the pool, the children returned – and eventually found us.

I have finished Nocturnes, and it was superb. Made me want to write short stories again. I am now reading a thriller Dot bought for me in Bolton.

Missing the snake

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Roger, Dot and Barbara on the Caledon Trail near Pattison

The children left after lunch yesterday, and a strange quiet settled on Palmer Circle. The weather was slightly cooler, and so in the evening we went for a walk along part of the Caledon Trail, starting at Palgrave. We did about four miles, mainly at a brisk rate, and Dot and I narrowly avoided seeing a (harmless) garter snake that crossed the trail as we approached. Of course, we have only the Murrays’ word for it that there was a snake, but they’re usually quite reliable.

On the way back to the house we passed the rail crossing on Mount Hope Road, but failed to intercept a train. I had earlier written a poem called Looking for Heaven, in which a Canadian train appeared, along with Nebraska and various other features familiar to certain Ontarians. After supper we watched Easy Virtue, a film of the Noel Coward play that turned out to be unsatisfying despite a promising cast list. Twenty Characters in Search of a Plot would have been a better title. No pace, poor direction and, to tell the  truth, not  a very good play.

This morning we slept in and had a late breakfast. Continued heat is forecast, and tonight we head into Toronto for a meal. I’ve read three of the Ishiguro stories: he really is an excellent writer.

 

Nebraska, the ordered state

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The Canadian connection: Karen and Pete Walpole, Barbara and Roger Murray, and...well...Dot

Suddenly I’m 66, which is not really what you want. Still, I’m feeling reasonably fit with only occasional awareness of mortality – say a dozen or so times a day. It has been warm or very warm ever since we’ve arrived in Ontario, and I’ve only left the Murray spread once – to do a three-mile walk over on Mount Hope Road. We’ve had visitors though: Chrissy, Jackson, Sophie and Seth arrived on Sunday and stayed, and Chrissy’s husband JD also came before heading back late in the day for work on Monday. He’s a psychiatrist and was on call while he was here, but he managed to get away with a lengthy phone consultation. Roger’s brother Rob also joined us for the day on Sunday. He lives in Toronto and is a freelance printing project manager.

The children seem to have hit it off well. Sophie is popular with both Amy and Oliver, and Seth seems very impressed with Oliver. Jackson is pretty independent, being the oldest. David and Chrissy are finding much in common again. There has been frog-hunting and much game-playing – badminton, cricket, croquet, baseball, even a bit of football. Also of course the children are in the pool as often as not.

On Monday the Walpoles came for lunch al fresco – a typically lavish Barbara spread –  and Peter brought a slideshow of their new apartment in Barrie. Good to see them again. They’ll be in the UK in September.

We’ve watched a couple of films – Vantage Point and Red – both of them excellent. I’ve read The Redbreast, a Scandinavian thriller by Jo Nesbo which became compulsive after an irritating start which jumped about all over the place. David bought me Nocturnes by Ishiguro for my birthday: short stories. I’ve read the first, which was excellent. Amy and Dot went into Bolton with Roger and got me another book and come chocolate. Amy also made me a lovely card, and I got a great owl card from David and Oliver, plus one or two others – one from an adorable couple who I didn’t recognise (Oh, yes I did). Chrissy gave me one with a Nebraska theme after a landmark crossword clue, which was “Ordered state”.  Since she had the first two letters, she thought this must be Nebraska. It actually turned out to be Neatness, which for some reason is hysterically funny.

Yes, I had a great birthday: very relaxing and climaxing in a couple of champagne cocktails, which was probably one too many. Slept well, though. Dot has been much-bitten, but got tablets from the chemist that seemed to help. Time seems to be passing slowly in the heat, but very pleasantly indeed.

Warm Ontarian sunshine

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David tries to block a throw from Oliver to Amy (hidden)

Here we are at last in warm Ontarian sunshine, all gathered in close proximity to Roger and Barbara’s pool. Granddaughter Amy has taken on the role of organiser in the pool, while Oliver is trying to teach Dot and me how to swim better. He shows talent for it, but in me he has a recalcitrant pupil. They were both very taken by the Murray property when we arrived at teatime yesterday, after a journey that was less than smooth but without serious impediment.

It began at around noon on Thursday, when Dot and I drove down to Caddington. No real problem, though a stretch of the A505 was closed and we had to detour through Royston. Great excitement at 1 Winchfield, from where the taxi whisked us away to Gatwick Premier Inn South. I say “whisked”, but we soon got snarled up on the M25 and had to do a lengthy detour through towns I was only dimly aware of. Journey time three hours, or about twice as long as it should have been. We disembarked wearily and ate a quick meal in the adjoining restaurant, where our waiter Arthur was a Lenny Henry double – in manner if not in appearance. Good food – and good service as it happens.

A different taxi turned up on time at 8.30am, but it wasn’t big enough to take us all, so David, Dot and the children went in the first one, and I waited for a new one, which eventually turned up and left me a little bit away from the main drop-off point for the south terminal, leaving me to find Departures by a circuitous route. Happily I ran into David eventually, and he directed me to Air Transat check-in, which was happily quick. Security wasn’t bad either.

We ate breakfast in Cafe Rouge and then made for Gate 15, where we had to wait an interminable time to board – nearly 45 minutes late. The journey was pretty straightforward, though tiring, and the three adults among us watched Unknown, a rather good thriller. More hold-ups at Baggage Reclaim, where we waited for ages before they even started coming through. As a result the Murrays had been waiting for us about 90 minutes.

Roger took the luggage, David and me, and the girls went in the other car. Lots of traffic, but we eventually made it, and suddenly it was all worth while.

Things are changing

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dot sunbathing in snow
Dot takes advantage of the Ontario sunshine to secure her tan, despite the accompanying snow

Another stunning Ontario day, with snow melting fast. We’ve just about packed, and Dot has gone upstairs for a shower after coffee in the kitchen with Barb. She even managed it out on to the deck in her nightdress without any obvious signs of distress. Checked in last night online after another beautiful meal, this time salmon, potatoes, mushrooms plus. Delicious. White and red wine, which meant I barely stayed awake through Scoop, our last movie. Not Meg Ryan this time, but Scarlet Johansson and Woody Allen. May have seen some of it before, but it was very funny, and I can never remember films anyway. Wish I could. Likewise books.

Heard that Tim M has found new accommodation, which is very cheering: he’s been putting up with aggro for too long. And Vicky M has sold her house, though it seems there’s some doubt where she’s moving to. Possibly Old Costessey. Things are changing.

Alarming departure

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snow at palgrave
Barbara and Dot take a tour of the garden

Still relaxing. Had a lovely meal last night and then watched French Kiss, another Meg Ryan film and a very funny and satisfying one. Today I am taking it easy again after a delicious Lighthouse-style breakfast from Barb, following which she and Dot departed alarmingly for Toronto with shopping in mind. Roger and I stayed here. I have done some packing and checked e-mails, etc. Nothing from British Airways yet, but at least they’re not on strike. Lovely as it is here, I think I’ve reached the stage when I shall be glad to be home, which should be about noon on Friday (or 7am Toronto time).

Have read a few books – two by Randy Wayne White which I think are not quite as good as his earlier stuff, plus Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell, which is excellent. Hard to describe what it’s about: maybe the way we perceive things is as close as you could get in a sentence. Have also read Gawain and the Green Knight, which against all the odds was quite compelling – and very pleasing too, though not exactly politically correct. Plus a book by Roger’s brother John called If we only knew, which I found very moving. It’s broadly about our relationship to God, but consists mostly of people’s surprising and humanly inexplicable experiences, often in Eastern Europe, where he used to work. I’m thinking of getting it for our Tuesday Group. Have written the makings of a few poems, but only two of them are anywhere near complete. Nevertheless, I’m very hopeful. Have just been watching Crossroads – the DVD of a guitar festival organised by Eric Clapton. Some excellent stuff on there, including a number of the greats.