Monthly Archives: November 2014
Steve Bell’s Pilgrimage I
Twenty-five years ago the word download had nothing to do with music. You heard it occasionally when a senior level of government decided to dump some responsibilities onto a lower level. They could them claim to have cut costs, though the same taxpayers were still on the hook for whatever the service was, they were […]
Do They Know It’s Christmas?
I remember going to see The Concert For Bangladesh in early 1972at the Dorval Cinema in suburban Montreal. That movie (and the triple vinyl disc album of the same name) was my introduction to pop music as a fundraiser for a good cause, though there might have been earlier efforts I was unaware of. Yesterday […]
Let It Snow?
The snow is falling as I write this on Sunday night. I don’t think it is going to stay on the ground this time, but I know it is only a matter of days and winter white will be here to stay; or at least stay until sometime in March. Several times a year, usually […]
What Are We Afraid Of?
I have mentioned that it is my custom to attend church on Sunday wherever I may find myself, which explains why I was at St. Edmund’s Church in the British village of East Mersea on a July evening for evensong. We had skipped going in the morning service as our hosts wanted us to see […]
The Path of Progress
Once upon a time, more than 30 years ago, I worked for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). No, I was not a policeman; I was a civilian employee, a Micrographic Equipment Operator. I’m not surprised you have never heard of such a thing. It is a trade that has been rendered obsolete by changes […]
Visiting the In Flanders Fields Museum
In 2009 I was in Ypres, Belgium for a day. I made the In Flanders Fields Museum my first stop. In 2014 it was a priority once more; as I wanted Vivian too experience it too. The Museum is located in the medieval Cloth Hall in the centre of town, a building completely destroyed during […]
You Turn Me On
(For some reason my phone posted this a few hours early. When you travel, sometimes the technology doesn’t travel as well as you would like.) Tonight at midnight, for the 41st consecutive year, Joni Mitchell’s song “You Turn Me On I’m A Radio” will be broadcast on on Ottawa radio station CKCU-FM . It was […]
The Horses of Caen
“We should go to Caen,” Vivian said. So we went. I had originally planned on staying in Caen during our time in Normandy, but Vivian was insistent that Bayeux was the better choice. She was right. So I was a bit surprised at her suggestion (which may not have been a suggestion, it didn’t seem […]
Too Young To Fight?
When we visited the Commonwealth Military Cemetery at Essex Farm, near Ypres, Belgium, our guide pointed out the grave of V.J. Strudwick, who was killed in action January 14, 1916 at age 15. The official age to enlist was 18, for overseas service 19. Recruiters though generally didn`t ask probing questions, and identification documents were […]
They Ate Their Horses
Today we remember. At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 the guns fell silent. The bloodiest war in human history to that date was over. But not for everyone. Today, as Canada pauses for the traditional two minutes of silence, I will be remembering my mother’s father. He […]
random thoughts from lorne 
Recent Comments