Thanksgiving

Monday, October 8th is Thanksgiving in Canada. I have included an Iroquois Prayer to share with you.

To Mum, I will also be thinking of you on your special day.

We return thanks to our mother, the earth, which sustains us.
We return thanks to the rivers and streams,which supply us with water.
We return thanks to all herbs,
which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.
We return thanks to the corn,
and to her sisters, the beans and squash, which give us life.
We return thanks to the bushes and trees, which provide us with fruit.
We return thanks to the wind,
which, moving the air, has banished diseases.
We return thanks to the moon and the stars,
which have given us their light when the sun was gone.
We return thanks to our grandfather He-no,
that he has protected his grandchildren from witches and reptiles,
and has given to us his rain.
We return thanks to the sun,
that he has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.
Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit,
in whom is embodied all goodness,
and who directs all things for the good of his children.
~Iroquois Prayer from the 1800's

Blue Jays

I finally managed to see a Blue Jays Baseball game this year. It was their last game of the season, and a beautiful sunny Fall day that the Lathams, Angela and I enjoyed the all round experience. The Blue Jays home ground is the Rogers Stadium in Toronto. Given that we had tickets up in the nose bleed section, it did give us a perfect view of the pitch, as well as CN Tower - and behind us Lake Ontario. Sharyn and I tried our best to keep score, although we needed to keep cross referencing the correct symbols needs to fill out the score sheet. We were also entertained with various 'sponsored' interruptions, such as the fastest ground keepers, a race between three 'hot peppers' giving away T-shirts, pizza promotions and people watching. Tickets were cheap, $11.00 - but the day and company priceless!

Toronto Zoo Two

So here you have it, the 'sleeping' Canadian animal display. I really was disappointed with the lack of animals on display and the interaction that could possibly occur. Many of Canada's animals are nocturnal. So, with no area suited to viewing these animals when they are most active, you were left to watch sleeping animals - and mainly only two animals at that! I really was expecting more. In fact, the Australian Pavilion had more of a promotional pull than the Canadian. Oh well! At least my backyard squirrel is in fine form, being active and preparing for the winter.

Toronto Zoo

Considering the stories you hear about the many animals of North America, I really haven't seen or interacted with too many of them. So I had the idea that maybe visiting Toronto Zoo would give me the opportunity to see raccoons, moose, etc, etc... Having said that, it was a pleasant surprise to visit the zoo, and the many other animals from various continents on display. My favourite by far was the Butterfly enlosure. It was not a large area, but the butterflies were active, landing on people and generally enjoying the flowers and food supplied. Hence, I was able to capture some pretty amazing images of them. In hindsight, I would recommend the butterflies and other animals over the Canadian display - as you will see.

Forest Walks

Part of the appeal of the Crawford Lake area is the dense forest walks. As you can see, from the light filtering through the trees and the greenery under foot, our day was very special indeed.

Dead Skunk, No Stunk!

All Canadians will admit that they will avoid skunks no matter the circumstance. In fact whether you are sprayed by, or even run over an already dead skunk, to rid the smell requires much effort. From what I can gather the best solution is to bath in Tomato juice - interestingly, Tomato juice is a favourite beverage here in the north. Anyway, here was a perfect solution - for me, not the skunk - to get up close to a skunk. Hence, the title of this page - Dead Skunk, No Stunk!

Iroquios Village

Part of the Crawford Lake Reserve houses an Iroquois Village. The Village was established on a previous site that was found by archaeologists, then reconstructed accordingly. You are able to wander through Longhouses, see working areas, vegetable plots and the surrounding fence as it would've have been. We were also lucky enough to be given a demonstration to the structure and idea surrounding the 'longhouse'. Its' effectiveness in sleeping a whole extended family, use as a cooking and preserving station, and the keeping of animals. We also watched a demonstration on the discovery of flint and the benefits for indigenous peoples.

Crawford Lake

Another part of this Exchange Weekend was a visit to Crawford Lake. Crawford Lake is a glacial lake surrounded by beautiful woods, with many walking tracks weaving their way around to give you spectacular views of the lake. In the area is also a Iroquoian Village, plus the Bruce Trail runs through the park too. It was a great way to spend the day, enjoying a sunny autumn day and getting to know some of the new exchange teachers. The second photo on this page is of the Nassagaweya Canyon, a pre-glacial valley. Due to the placement of the sun, you will notice that both photos have a silhouette effect in the foreground, allowing for the brilliant colours on display to be visible.

Turkey Vulture

Autumn Colours

September 23, 2007 saw the beginning of Fall - a season of change. With London being known as the Forest City, it is with great pleasure that I have been watching the many changes occurring in my local environment. Visiting Covent Gardens one weekend, I could not pass up the opportunity to capture the beautiful flower arrangements on display, and marvel at the florists' ability to use the Fall season as their inspiration. Take note of the attention to detail, for example, the minature apple, brilliant sunflowers and pumpkin.

'Fall, leaves, fall'

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night's decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

Emily Jane Bronte

Kingsville Dinner

Dead Fish

A thought for you. On my visit to Pelee Island I expected to see wildlife and to enjoy a lovely seafood lunch. So here you have it, walking along the beach to the lighthouse - spotted, dead fish - for whatever reason my mind was lead to what I had for lunch - dead fish again! Obviously, one a little more appealing than the other, unless you're a seagull.

Pelee Island

The Pelee island Lighthouse was built in 1833 and is situated on the northeastern corner of the island. The lighthouse has been an indicator to the many vessels travelling through the Pelee Passage. The lighthouse was built by John Scott using local limestone. In 1909 the lighthouse went out of service, and has since been restored to its' current state.

Budapest in London

As a city, London has much to offer in regards to restaurants. So after consulting my trusty Lonely Planet, it was organised that some of my friends and I would have a night out to the Budapest Restaurant. The Budapest was described as being authentic in both cuisine and decor - and true to its' word, Lonely Planet was right! The decor is reminiscent of the 1950s, adding to the ambiance of the whole experience. The food is traditional Hungarian, most impressively their selection of platters, including this dessert platter - luckily there was eight of use, as we devoured the giant pancake, filled with ice cream and various cakes. Yum!

Covent Garden Markets

Covent Garden - downtown, has been one of my favourite places for three reasons. Firstly, it has a real coffee shop called 'mean beanz', that serves espresso coffee and a mean chai latte for a reasonable price. The second reason is for the Thai take-a-way shop, one of the best Asian food stops I've found so far. Finally, the atmosphere. Whether it's on a Saturday morning, or Hockey night this place is always buzzing. In winter there is an ice rink out front, and the rest of the year is an outdoor eating area. I just love it!

Western Fair

Western Fair is the equivalant to the Lithgow Show, with carnival rides, animal displays, wood chopping competitions and various business displays. The show runs for a week, many people returning more than once. Penny and I went on the Thursday night, the highlights being the animal display - as you can see I found a friend - plus the ferris wheel, which gave brilliant city views with the sun setting in the background.

Krizikova Fountain

Part of our first evening in Prague was a visit to the Krizikova Fountain. Thousands of people view this spectacular display each night, watching the fountain and the movement of the water that is synchronised with music and lights.