Stratford

Photos from October 5-7, 2018

Even grey skies cannot erase the sparkle of being in Stratford, Ontario. This is a trip my daughter and I like to do together and this year was particularly nice.



In addition to spectacular theatre productions (we saw 4 plays in 3 days: Julius Caesar, The Tempest, Coriolanus and An Ideal Husband), we love to wander along the river and through the town. It is small enough that we walk everywhere. The swans have been around as long as I remember (and that goes back many years - I first went to Stratford with my parents when I was twelve). More and more other water fowl have joined them. However, only the swans spend the winter in special quarters in Stratford. In early April they are released with much fanfare and a parade.



There are many ducks who also enjoy both the water and the banks. They are unperturbed as visitors walk by. And the many Canada geese seemed to be using the playing field and water as a staging ground to begin their flight south.



We saw one cygnet - almost as big as its parent. From what we read in an online pamphlet, the young swan will not be white like its parent until it is two.



Ideas and influences planted when one is young can grow through life. The first years I visited Stratford fostered a love of the place which only grew as I got older. In the Festival Theatre the fanfare announcing the show will soon begin always puts a huge smile on my face, the walks by the river/lake bring a sense of peace. And, after so many years, I have watched the careers of so many actors from early years to retirement - the finest Canada has to offer.

It is a place that connects me both to my parents (they went in the early years when the plays were performed in a tent) and connects me with my children as we have enjoyed performances there together. Connections bridging generations and centuries as Shakespeare continues to be so relevant to us today.

Out of the Habit

Photo: October 1, 2018

When I posted daily I got into a rhythm of taking photographs, uploading them and then writing. This year I totally lost that habit as you can see by the paltry number of posts. Other things pile up and seem to take precedence and the less I commit to this, the easier it is to put off posting altogether. While I have taken fewer photos, I have still managed to get a number up to Flickr, which is where I have been posting photos since 2005.


Photo: October 1, 2018

Time to stop and reflect... I am not yet ready to totally abandon this blog.

A joy this summer into fall has been watching the ducks in the park grow from tiny ducklings into the adult you see here. Soon they will be gone for the winter. 

How to make writing part of my life again? I like the feeling the camera gives me - a chance to stop and observe, to record and remember, to focus in on both the image and the moment. When I was employed in the education field I thought a lot about the importance of consolidating learning through reflection. The blog lets me go back to photographs, to have another period of focusing, of thinking of the story the images tell and how to connect them and for me to connect with the images in a new way.  Food for thought.

A Weekend in the Eastern Townships

Photos: August 3-5, 2018

Sometimes one just needs to get out of the city and walk among the trees. Despite the heat it was good to walk along a dirt road and enjoy the wild flowers.



The cultivated flowers were pretty too. It's always a pleasure to see the colours and, in many cases, to see bees enjoying the pollen.

One reason for our weekend away was a concert at l'Abbaye St-Benoît-du-Lac. Les Boréades did an all Bach concert in the heat - not the best weather for baroque instruments. While we were in the abbey, a thunder storm passed through adding a little percussion to the music.



The main chapel is fairly modern, having been completed in 1994. Exposed metal beams stand, an internal skeleton holding everything up.

I liked the rhythm of this passageway which was closed to the public.



The abbey is located on Lake Memphremagog - a beautiful setting.



On Sunday we took a short hike in Parc Mont-Orford - the hot, humid weather really affects the energy level.



Still - it was lovely to be among the trees, to see the lake and the peaceful waterlilies, to hear the birds and to smell the many forest aromas.

Sultry July

It has been a hot July with humidity making it feel even hotter. There have been a number of days with temperatures over 30°C (86°F) but feeling like closer to 40° (104).  Thank goodness for air-conditioning. Though we did often enjoy suppers on our balcony. I don't know how those without AC cope.  Some rain towards the end of the month greened up the grass again. But often, it only increased the humidity.



This pond is shallow. Even the ducks looked for shady spots to stay cool in the water.



Moving slowly, stopping to enjoy their antics, parking oneself on a bench in the park under a tree - all strategies to stay cool and still get outside.



Flowers, too, were a reason to stop on a walk. Just be in the moment and forget about the heat.



When the mornings were cooler I managed a few long walks up the hill in Westmount where I was rewarded with a view over part of the city out to the river.



While this sunflower stood up straight...



Others, like me, had had enough of the heat.



One can always cool off in a museum (though not this one! - The Redpath Museum was built in 1882 and there is no air conditioning). I went to hear Lynn Kozak, a McGill classics professor, do a one woman (with a little help) show of part of The Iliad. She has been doing a serialized performance of the complete Iliad over 30 weeks. You can see videos here.



And so July has gone, but the hot weather remains. I will venture out to check out the ducks, linger near flowers, to run a few errands, to return home to a cold glass of water and a feeling that I have not yet let summer get the better of me.

Magical Moments

I'm just home from my annual week at CAMMAC.  Every year has its magical moments whether they be those that Mother Nature produces, concert highlights or the feeling when a piece you have been working on with others comes together.  There are always surprises like a 90 something woman belting out a song complete with a few dance moves at the Tuesday evening cabaret evening or the 5 year old violinist playing in a morning concert. Age does not matter - we come together with our shared love of music.

This year the weather was brutally hot with high humidity. I wandered down to the boathouse early one morning. Looking across the lake towards an island, this house seemed to appear out of the mist as if it was a mirage.



There is definitely magic in the mist with mysteries slowly revealed.



Days are very busy at CAMMAC. There seems to be a constant buzz. Time spent near the lake help bring a sense of peace. What better time than the end of the day to stay in the moment, to watch the sun's last rays paint the sky and the lake.



A number of cabins like this one are scattered in the woods. I had two classes each day in this one: Bach. Most of the cabins and studios are named after composers. There are windows on 3 sides so the woods are very present as we play music.



I try to put aside time for walks but with the soaring temperatures I only managed to walk once. The wild flowers bloom by the side of the road. I walk bathed in nature.



We get treated to 3 concerts each week with the finest early music musicians Montreal has to offer (and they are our teachers for the week). In this informal setting the musicians can try things they might not in a more formal setting and players from different ensembles mix and match in the concerts. This is a most appreciative audience. What happens is nothing short of magical.



Baroque dance with live musicians and done with a sense of humour. Marie-Natalie introduced many characters (Les Caractères de la Danse de Rebel). She worked her magic transforming herself into an old man, a young woman and many different personalities.



There is no doubt in my mind that CAMMAC's Early Music Week is a special time in a special place. And now while I smile about the memories, does anyone have a magic spell to cast out the ear worms, the snippets of music that linger in my ears from the different classes I took during the week?

In the Countryside

I spent a weekend in rural Quebec - mainly playing and listening to music. I did manage a bit of a walk in the countryside - a welcome beginning to a day of sitting.



The auberge where I was staying had a lovely flower garden. Another bonus was it was really off in the country offering perfect night skies for viewing the stars.



This woodpecker made its presence known with its rhythmic pecking at the pole. I hope it found a source of food. I am sure the metal part provided nothing.




The village where the music workshop was held, Saint Camille is tiny, little more than a crossroads. All around it are farms. It's good to get away sometimes, out of one's daily life, out of one's usual setting to devote time to a passion - music.

Concerts were held in a former church. All benefit. The participants enjoyed the bucolic atmosphere and shared their talent. The community enjoyed the music and joined the participants for some social activities. Win - Win

From about 10 days ago

I seem to be getting farther and farther behind on posting to my blog. But I guess each year has its own rhythm.



A favourite spot of mine is Parc-des-Rapides which juts out into the St. Lawrence River beside the Lachine Rapids. This is also a favourite spot for a variety of birds. Even on a hot day there are usually cool breezes. Though once I made the mistake of going there on a cold winter day and my camera battery and my fingers did not last long!

This egret was patiently fishing, oblivious to the many gawkers who watched, some behind long lenses.



This heron was well camouflaged. It took me a while to spot it across the water from me.



Despite the raucous cries of the red winged blackbirds, there is something very peaceful about walking amidst nature, listening not just to the birds but also the rush of the water of the rapids. The city disappears and there is a sense of really being in the moment.



Was fishing any better here? I'm not sure - but I couldn't resist one more photo.