Tag Archives: D-Day
The Longest Day Revisited
I was planning on a reflective piece today, to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the Normandy landings in the Second World War. I was going to reflect on my childhood, watch the veterans of the Great War age. Now, the youngest those who fought in that second global conflict are almost a century old. Soon […]
The Long Wait
Today is the 78th anniversary of D-Day, the start of the battle to retake Europe from the Nazis. It seems appropriate to revisit one of my first posts, written at the site and posted in 2014. Today is also, barring unforseen circumstances, the last day of my trip I am looking forward to being back […]
Walking Along Juno Beach
With the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings tomorrow, we continue our reflections with a post from 2014. It’s peaceful on Juno Beach on a sunny July afternoon. A few tourists, a few locals getting some sun; if I had been thinking I would have taken off my shoes and socks and dipped my toes […]
Facing The Storm
I just realized that the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the Normandy landings is this week. I found visiting the landing sites, which I did in 2014, to be an incredibly moving experience. It was on that trip that I decided to share my thoughts regularly in this space. For the next couple of days, […]
Le Grand Charlie
There were a few mentions in the newspaper this past week about it being the 50th anniversary of Charles de Gaulle’s infamous proclamation of “Vive le Quebec libre!” (That’s long live a free Quebec for those of you who don’t speak French.) I didn’t read the articles – I remember 1967 and the furor over […]
Waiting On Juno Beach
I am away until the end of May. Until I get back I am re-posting some favourites so you don’t miss me too much. They knew it was coming. Not the exact date or time, but there was a sense of inevitability. One day they would look out of the bunker and the English Channel […]
The Trip to Juno Beach
Vivian wanted the joy of a trip she didn’t have to plan, so she delegated all the details of our 2014 European vacation to me. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t make “suggestions.” “Make sure you book a Juno Beach tour, space is sure to be limited.” Well, I didn’t see it that way, but […]
A Walk Along Juno Beach
It’s peaceful on Juno Beach on a sunny July afternoon. A few tourists, a few locals getting some sun; if I had been thinking I would have taken off my shoes and socks and dipped my toes in the English Channel, just so I could say I had done that. We arrived in Normandy after […]
Waiting on Juno Beach
They knew it was coming. Not the exact date or time, but there was a sense of inevitability. One day they would look out of the bunker and the English Channel would be filled with ships and soldiers. They couldn’t take comfort in the propaganda boasts about the impregnability of their Atlantic Wall. They worked […]
Charles Who?
As a Canadian of a certain age my biggest memory of French hero Charles de Gaulle is less than favourable. In 1967 he was quickly ushered out of Canada by the Canadian government after he proudly proclaimed “Vive le Quebec Libre!” (Long live a free Quebec) from the balcony of Montreal City Hall. Canadians were […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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