Do you know what you are seeing in the picture? Most likely not, unless you are Canadian. It is a national tradition, a fall rite of passage. A sure sign of changing seasons. In my neighbourhood and across the country, as October blends into November, the boards are dropped off in the parks and […]
It ended seventy-nine years ago today, though they probably didn’t know it was the last day. They expected the bombers back to continue the Battle of Britain. As they had every day since July 10, 1940, Nazi Germany’s air force, the Luftwaffe, had bombed British targets. Unprepared for war, the few fighter pilots of the […]
I was looking for a photo, though now I can’t remember what for, and came across this delectable plate of fish and chips. With snow in the Ottawa forecast, summer seems so far away. It was the only fish and chips I had in a week in the United Kingdom in the summer of 2014. […]
I remember steam engines, though only in a hazy way. They were on the way out when I was born, replaced by the more efficient (and I presume cheaper to operate) diesel locomotives. Newer trains though don’t have the majesty of a steam engine. There was something special about that technology, something that captured your […]
A flashback for this Monday morning, a post originally published in October 2014. One of the highlights of the Belgian leg of our tour of Europe was the Brooding Soldier at St. Julien. After Vimy Ridge this may be the biggest, best known, Canadian war memorial in Europe. It is a poignant site, a […]
I meant to ask, then forgot to do so. You certainly wouldn’t see something like this on the public buses in Ottawa! My assumption would be that the transit system buses in Valletta, the Maltese capital, are owned and operated by their drivers, and as such they are allowed to personalize them to some extent. […]
Last night I had a long bus ride, which is was looking forward to, not for the ride as much as to write some material to grace this space. It didn’t happen. When I worked in downtown Ottawa I would write a post a day during my commute. Some days I’d manage two or three. […]
I have a friend in Germany who wanted me to send him pictures of animals from my time in Canada. Unthinking, I said yes. My assumption was that he wanted to see Canadian wildlife: deer, bears, maybe a fox or two. And while all those can be found in Ottawa from time to time, sightings […]
Sometimes it is easy to forget, when you are in the concrete towers of the downtown districts, that Toronto is a city with a lot of natural beauty and vibrant parks. Sunday afternoon we took a quick stroll in “The Beaches,” a waterfront area along the shores of Lake Ontario. There is a boardwalk that […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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