A gray day ……..

The last day of the second decade in this the third millennium, was wild, windy and gray ~ but did not stop me from a wander on the beach.

With the sand getting blown into places where I had no idea that I had places, I decided to do todays pics in black and white ….

First snow ………

We got our first snow yesterday…. If you had be listening to the central Canadian media, you would be under the impression it occurred months ago.

When I was a young, snow in Scotland was rare, but when it did come it was a time of great excitement with fun filled activities. After moving to Canada on April Fools Day 1988, I discovered that snow was no longer exciting, its first appearance was often met with F.., F.., F.., Friggg or similar and many thoughts of "why I had not immigrated to Australia, New Zealand or stayed in Spain where I lived before that April 1st 1988 …"

Today within this chapter of my life, I would not say the first snowfall has the dizzy levels of excitement like it did many years ago in Scotland, nor does it make me think of alternate locations around the world ~ it does however introduce a level of acceptance that each season is different, it is there to be enjoyed and also a resolve that it could be worse, like it is in Southern Ontario from whence I came in July 2016.

I see the snow now as an invitation to get out, have a lovely wonder by the sea and take some photos ………..

Enjoying the sunshine …

Mid-morning and my five buddies are out enjoying the warm sunshine ….

All natural and hanging around

Out and about on this absolutely beautiful day, wandering two beaches and a forest trail. In relative terms, when compared to other parts of the country, it is amazing how fantastic our weather can be ~ but please don’t tell anyone ….!!!!

With the bright sun high in the sky, it provided perfect conditions to highlight the striking rich colours, detail and texture of the wild berries and foliage.

Remembrance Day 2019 ~ Bridgewater

For Remembrance Day 2019, I went to the service held in Bridgewater. The weather was absolutely perfect for this beautiful occasion, the bright and warm sunshine provided the perfect backdrop to perhaps the best Remembrance Service I have ever attended.

Bridgewater’s very attractive Veterans Memorial Park had a complete make-over in 2005 and was dedicated on August 14^th of that year. As part of the redesign, the grounds of the park were upgraded, making it more accessible for wheelchair and walker use. At that same time, the Cenotaph and West Nova Scotia Regiment/Merchant Navy Monument were refurbished together with the unveiling of new Honour Roll Monuments all made of striking black granite.

For me, November 11^th has always been and will remain as the most important date on the calendar. In my 58 years, I may well have attended 50 plus remembrance services. Such services in the United Kingdom were always held on Remembrance Sunday, this being the Sunday closest to November 11^th ~ Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of WWI hostilities in 1918.

I have vivid memories of some early Remembrance Sundays’ as young Cub Scout in my home town in Scotland, marching proudly from the village Old Parish Church which dates from 1774 to the Memorial Park. At that time within those lines of marchers would be many veterans from WWI, WWII, Korea and perhaps even the Boer War.

As time continues to move on, the living memory of those who bore witness too and fought in the great conflicts of the 20th century are fading into the past, my hope is that future generations will always acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of those who served their country, and recognize it is their responsibility to work for the peace that others fought so hard to achieve.

The acknowledgement of that “courage and sacrifice” should not be limited to November 11^th, it should be with us every day. For me, that recognition has a very personal and significant meaning on a number of levels, in particular for my relatives who fought in both WWI and WWII and now lie in foreign fields.

Below a poem written by Normandy Veteran Ken Hay MBE, about those who lie in foreign fields ~

But never do we question, why we journey across the waves.

Tis why you’ll find us stood in tears, head bowed among the graves.

And as we look at those sad sad stones, we ask the question why?

Why me that stands above in life, whilst they in death do lie.

Sadly, they lie in foreign fields, beneath a foreign soil.

Their stones record their names and dates they parted from life’s toil.

They gave their all, that you and I, would live a life at peace.

So here we lie still for all time under this foreign sod, some with name and number above, some known but to God.

When you go home, tell them of us and say ~

For your tomorrow, we gave our today.

A regular as clockwork ……

….. they arrive in the morning banging on the front door, looking for breakfast ~ it’s my buddies from across the road.

They always follow me into where the rolled corn is kept ….