Over the next few days I will be redesigning the website for the Norfolk Militia (Heritage Regiment) Re-Enactment Group (that's them in the photo above) here in Southern, Ontario, Canada. I will pop in on this blog as often as possible, and will be back with more frequent blog posts next week.

When the new website is ready I'll post the link. I look forward to any constructive criticism, and feedback you might have to offer.

The holidays have been really nice this year. Although Christmas Day itself was rather quiet we were able to spend time with all three kids over the holidays. We were also able to spend time with our two nieces, and my Sister.

Our dinner turned out to be perfect, an achievement in, and of itself as I cooked the turkey this year.

We managed to make certain everyone in our extended family received a gift without going into debt. And we received many lovely gifts including a surprise homemade pumpkin bread, and chocolate fudge from our neighbours, which was very yummy Christmas morning.

And the greatest blessing of all is that two people who are both very ill, and were not expected to be with us are still here for this holiday, and hopefully much, much longer thanks to great advances in the treatment of cancer.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, no matter which one you celebrate and all the best to you dear reader in 2009.

Blog Your Blessings

I love vintage pics like this one taken in 1900. I wonder what became of these people?

I wonder what was so interesting down there?

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW. Thank you for stopping by!

Happy Holidays!

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

Image Credit: BBC Archives

This year is the 75th anniversary of the Holodomor, the genocidal famine in which up to 10 million Ukrainians died in 1932-33. It behooves The New York Times, whose reporter, Walter Duranty, received a Pulitzer Prize in 1932 and thereafter lied deliberately about the Holodomor, to return his prize.

With every day that Durantyʼs Pulitzer remains with The New York Times, the stain of Durantyʼs lies spread ever wider.

To some this might seem like a long time ago, but to people like my Mother whose family suffered so much these horrific things seem like yesterday. Please sign the petition here in order to right a terrible historical wrong. The crimes against humanity were bad enough, imagine how you would feel if your family suffered these things while prominent American reporters lied about it, and were then rewarded for their lies.

Thank you!

Since I missed last week's blessing, and this weekend will be very busy with all three kids home, plus visits from my sister, and nieces I thought I would post up my blessings a wee bit early.

As I type this a snowstorm is raging outside, and I am indoors warm, and dry. Both of our dogs are curled up, and having their mid-morning snooze at my feet.

The Christmas shopping is all done, the cards sent out, and today I will hopefully get the last of the presents wrapped. We stayed within our budget this year, and everyone got something nice, that we hope they will like.

This weekend all the kids will be home, including my nieces, and my sister will be over to exchange gifts.

Life is good....and I am blessed

If you are reading this and you celebrate it Merry Christmas! All the best of the season to everyone who stops by, and a very happy, and prosperous 2009 (I hope) for all of us!

Blog Your Blessings

Researchers in Peru say they have discovered the ruins of an entire city - possibly the missing link between ancient cultures. Here is a snippet from the BBC:

Archaeologists say the find could provide the missing link between the ancient cultures of the Wari people and the earlier Moche civilisation.

The site, near the Pacific coastal city of Chiclayo, probably dates to the Wari culture which ruled the Andes of modern Peru between the 7th and 12th Century.

The once buried city showed evidence of human sacrifice.

The remains of the victims were thrown over the nearby cliff, Cesar Soriano, the chief archaeologist on the project, told the Andina news agency.

Full BBC Article Here

Map of the general location:

The BBC article contain video footage taken at the site. Very cool!

Image Credits: BBC

It really wasn't a more kinder or gentler time, but for some reason it feels that way.

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW. Thank you for stopping by!

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

Image Credit: BBC Archives

I thought with the holidays here I would treat myself to a good historical fiction read.

Here is a bit about The Forest, a novel by Edward Rutherfurd that I am currently reading:

“Engaging . . . A sprawling tome that combines fact with fiction and covers 900 years in the history of New Forest, a 100,000-acre woodland in southern England . . . Rutherfurd sketches the histories of six fictional families, ranging from aristocrats to peasants, who have lived in the forest for generations. . . . But the real success is in how Rutherfurd paints his picture of the wooded enclave with images of treachery and violence, as well as magic and beauty.”

–The New York Post

I will let you know what I think when I finish...so far I am definitely enjoying this book!

To read the first chapter click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Legendary pinup queen Bettie Page died of pneumonia at the age of 85 in a Los Angeles, California, hospital Thursday, a week after suffering a heart attack, according to her agent.

"She captured the imagination of a generation of men and women with her free spirit and unabashed sensuality," said agent Mark Roesler in a written statement. "She is the embodiment of beauty."

Page, said to be one of the most photographed people of the past century, became a recluse in recent decades. Yet, her images continued to be used around the world to market Bettie Page action figures, clothing lines and other merchandise.

Read Full CNN Obituary here

Rest in peace Bettie!

Yesterday (Dec. 10th) was International Human Rights Day, and this year it also marked the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights. On Dec 10th 1948 many nations came together in Paris, France to sign this declaration that recognizes that all human beings have fundamental rights and freedoms. It is still as important today as it was so long ago.

The photo taken of the woman above illustrates that despite this declaration we still have a very far way to go. She is squeezing herself into a transparent suitcase to raise awareness of human trafficking during yesterday's anniversary.

Image Credit: BBC

Hinepare, a woman of the Ngāti Kahungunu tribe. Shows a half-length portrait of a Maori woman wearing a hei-tiki around her neck, pounamu earring and shark tooth earring, and two huia feathers in her hair. She wears a cloak with black fringe border, and has a moko design on her chin. Circa 1890 Artist Lindauer, Gottfried, 1839-1926

I have a strong fascination for Maori culture and folklore.

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW. Thank you for stopping by!

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

Sometimes I get frustrated with the blogsphere, and I wonder why I am blogging at all. It is usually at those moments that I receive some sort of reminder as to what I love about blogging, or as in the case of earlier this week that on occasion our words really do make a difference.

Today as my blessing I will share a comment with you that we received on this blog from a new reader. It was submitted to an article written last year, and added to the old domain on Harriet Tubman Davis who was a very courageous woman, and a conductor of the underground railroad.

"I never lost a passenger."

I was sitting at work while something in me said to a image search on Harriet Tumban. I came across this picture which led to this site and I began to read this blog. Then I began to think about what was going on in my life and how I was feeling so stressed and overwhelmed about things taht were going on around me. It brought tears to my eyes and I just began to thank God for her heroism and will to fight and never give up no matter what the consequences could have been. I believe God led me to this blog today so that I could be reminded that He is my guide, He is my leader to freedom and He will never leave me nor forsake me. And no matter how bad it looks and how hard it gets, there is always a way to freedom. In her time of oppression, she allowed NOTHING to stop her from doing what she needed to do and that inspires me to do the same! God bless you two for sharing this and I pray that it continues to inspire more readers as it has inspired me on this day.

Devona

And in turn both Matthew, and I felt blessed for reading these words, and honoured that our own humble efforts could have such an impact. Thank you Devona!

Blog Your Blessings

"Up Then, Brave Canadians!"

In the first week of December, 1837, the streets of Toronto witnessed the closest thing Canada has ever had to armed revolution. On December 6th, 2008, our friend Richard Fiennes Clinton the founder of Muddy York Walking Tours is joining up with Mackenzie House Museum to revisit what really happened 171 years ago.

This event takes place in two parts. Part One tells the story from the perspective of the government and the loyalists. We'll talk about national and civic leaders like John Strachan and John A. MacDonald, and the roles they played in fighting against Mackenzie. Part Two tells the story from Mackenzie's perspective, and explores his motivations in launching his rebellion.

PART ONE ~ Rebels versus Politicians : Richard Fiennes-Clinton leads a walk to sites connected to William Lyon Mackenzie’s political career: Starting at the Market Gallery and St Lawrence Hall, both sites of early city halls, stroll to Toronto’s First Post Office to hear about the government’s side of the Rebellion. Then on to Hangman’s Square, site of the infamous execution of Mackenzie’s compatriot rebels Matthews and Lount. Arrive at Mackenzie House, the pardoned rebel’s last home, bought for him by admiring friends.

PART TWO ~ A True Patriot: Confessions of Canada's Stalwart Revolutionary Son : Storyteller Jeffrey Canton personifies William Lyon Mackenzie. Join William Lyon Mackenzie—mayor, printer, newspaper editor, revolutionary politician—for an exclusive interview. Learn details of his escape to the United States never before revealed in the Canadian press; discover the true fervor of his politics; see the man as only his most intimate friends and acquaintances did.

Date: December 6th 2008
Time: 13:00 - 16:00
Location: Mackenzie House Museum
Street: 82 Bond Street
Town/City: Toronto, ON

For more info visit the Muddy York Walking Tours website.

For those who may not have known her Odetta was an iconic American folk singer.

Few of my own contemporaries knew who she was, but my mother was a big fan of folksingers from her era, and she was a great influence on musicians such as Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte and Joan Baez. This is how I came to know of her.

"She made her name performing songs sung by ordinary people - housewives and working men, as well as prison songs and slave plantation "spirituals". And she could definitely make you feel raw emotion through song.

Odetta was also a great fighter for civil rights. In 1963 she took part in the civil rights march on Washington, USA and she sang O Freedom.

She died of heart disease on Tuesday at the Lennox Hill Hospital in New York. She was 77 years old.

Rest In Peace Odetta you won't be forgotten.

Image Credits: BBC

Alan Bean holds a lunar soil sample container at Sharp Crater.

Photo by Charles Conrad, Apollo 12, November 14-24, 1969 / NASA / Michael Light.

Full Moon, The Apollo and Gemini photographs is on show at the Atlas Gallery in London.

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW. Thank you for stopping by!

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

Image Credit: BBC

I know that my busman blogged about putting up the Christmas trees last week as his blessing, but I'm really feeling the Christmas mood this year so forgive me if I'm a bit of a copycat this week

Firstly the above is our family tree, complete with mini skeleton decorations that reflect one of my own personal interests. Maybe weird for some, but hey its our tree, and I would not judge your ornaments!

Above is the kiddo's Christmas tree that she decorated completely on her own, and is very proud of. It has cute bunnies, mice, and candy cane decorations, better reflecting her own tastes.

Despite being sick with Graves, and now kidney stones, despite not having the security of a full-time job, and despite the often sad, and scary news from around the world, and at home these days, I am feeling the Christmas spirit....and to this "on occasion bah-humbug girl" is definitely a pleasant surprise, and blessing. I really did not think I would be feeling too good about the season this year....and yet...I am.

Blog Your Blessings

It is a bit early, but with current world events I wanted to take a few minutes to remember a kinder, more gentler (at least to a back then 10 year old Canadian kid) time.

Last weekend we put up our Christmas trees, one in the family room, and the kiddo has a special one for her room. While getting the trees decorated we listened to the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas which of course brought back very fond childhood memories.

As a kid I LOVED watching this gentle holiday classic, and then when my kids were small I enjoyed sharing it with them too.

While I am not a Christian I do appreciate the simple, yet powerful message that the Peanuts gang impart through this Christmas special as Charlie Brown rejects all the commercialism around him, and reminds everyone why this holiday is celebrated in the first place. This is something I can appreciate even if I do not keep the holiday for the same reason that Christians do.

Each year I look forward to watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, and one day perhaps with my future grandchildren who I hope will be as enchanted as my children were, and proving that little really has changed in the hearts of children since Peanuts first debuted in 1965.

Thank you to Abbey for putting together Nostalgic Saturday. Why not join us?!

Words cannot adequately express my horror, and revulsion at the attacks committed against innocent people in the city of Mumbai yesterday.

Why is it that just when the world seems to be breathing a collective sigh of relief with the USA election of Obama, and a new hoped for era of peace, and hope something like this happens?

Mumbai lies at the mouth of the Ulhas River off the western coast of India, in the coastal region known as the Konkan. It sits on Salsette Island, partially shared with the district of Thane. Documented evidence of human habitation dates back to 250 BCE, when it was known as Heptanesia.

Mumbai is on my list of hoped for places to visit one day because of its rich culture, and heritage, however for today I just wish to add to the millions of others my prayers for Mumbai, it citizens, the dead, and their loved ones, and those who are still being held hostage at the time I type this.

Images courtesy: BBC

This photo was taken this past summer at the Royal Canadian Exhibition here in Toronto. So much to do! Can you imagine being a pilot, and having to check all of these!

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

I want to leave a quick note to let my visitors know that if you have left a comment or are here for one of the memes I regularly participate in that I will be away from the PC off and on for the next few days. I have a few other projects that I have to get to, and complete.

I will be checking in on a regular basis, and I will reply by paying a return visit to your blog. So please do leave a comment, and I will catch up with you shortly!

My father was born in 1922 in a very small village called Nyírbéltek in Northeastern Hungary. My grandfather was also born in Nyírbéltek as was his, Dad, and his Dad, and so on and so on.....

A couple of years before my father was diagnosed with the esophageal cancer that would eventually kill him in 1999 we planned a trip together to visit the village where he was born, and lived up until age 5. Unfortunately due to my Dad's illness we never made it.

I would love to travel to Hungary one day, and fulfill my Dad's wish that his child see where our ancestors came from, and I hope to do that in the not too distant future as I am not getting any younger. However, should it never happen I have been able to see the village through the blessings of living in the internet age.

I actually found photos of Nyírbéltek online!

How cool is that!

This photo was put in the public domain so I can in turn share it with you here. I can tell you that I was pleasantly surprised to find out that here in Canada I could view images of a tiny Hungarian village that was such a large part of my direct blood relatives for 100s of years. I may never be able to visit in person, but I can at the least see it through my PC screen.

Blog Your Blessings

Very rare, and candid childhood photos of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England are to be auctioned off.

It is hard for me a child of the 70s to even imagine our Queen this young!

According the the BBC a collection of pictures from an album which belonged to Sidney Cumper, a footman and page to Queen Mary, the present Queen's grandmother, is being put up for sale. The pictures will be sold by auctioneers Reeman Dansie and are expected to fetch more than £600.

You can view more samples including a vintage one of the Queen in bell bottoms on the BBC website.

Henry VIII's flagship Mary Rose was sunk by a French cannonball and this was covered up by political spin, according to a new academic study.

Here is a snippet from the BBC in regards:

Until now it was believed a combination of wind and tide pressed Mary Rose over, causing her gun ports to flood in a 16th Century battle in the Solent.

But University of Portsmouth geographer Dominic Fontana said the truth was withheld to maintain the Navy's image.

Mary Rose sank with the loss of more than 400 lives on 19 July 1545.

By claiming the ship was toppled by wind and an incompetent crew, the Navy's supremacy was maintained, Henry VIII's pride remained intact and the French were unable to claim victory, said Dr Fontana.

Full BBC Article Here

Somehow I am NOT surprised.

Archaeologists in Egypt say they have discovered another pyramid - the country's 118th so far. All that remains of the pyramid is a square-shaped structure.

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

Image Credit: BBC

Is it really any surprise that Britain's most famed hangman was a drunk? How soul sapping of a job must it really have been especially in the early days before the technique of the short drop was perfected? Gah!

The execution diary of one of the UK's best known hangmen offers hints at the slide into drinking which ended his career in 1910. The log book is currently being auctioned off.

Here is a snippet from the BBC:

Henry Albert Pierrepoint was sacked for arriving for an execution "considerably the worse for drink" and fighting with his assistant, John Ellis.

The erratic handwritten entries in his log towards the end of his career are said to be evidence of this drinking.

It is expected to fetch up to £3,000 at auction in Knutsford, Cheshire.

Henry, originally from Nottingham, was the first of the Pierrepoint family to become an executioner when he started his career in 1901 - he was involved in 105 hangings.

He took great pride in his work, was known to calculate his drops carefully and is said to have never "bungled" an execution, said auction house Frank Marshall and Company.

Full BBC Article Here

I think I have finally recuperated enough from my youngest daughter's 13th birthday bash last weekend to blog a bit about it.

The party itself (included 18 kids) was a huge success. All of the guests seemed to enjoy themselves, and my daughter said it was epic!

We rented out a room at a local community center, and for four hours danced, played games, and stuffed ourselves with pizza, chips, candy, and cupcakes.

There was a lot of planning that went into this party (something I had wanted to do for the youngest for a long time) and was blessed to have the help, and assistance, of my hubby for baking 35 cupcakes, setting up the sound system, ordering four party pizzas, and generally lifting, carrying, hanging decorations, and all the other odd jobs no one thinks about, but has to be done, my eldest kiddo Steph, and my niece Sam (pictured above) who both helped Dee-Jay, and run the games, and finally both my sister, and BF Lisa for helping out, and taking tons of pics, and video for us to remember in years to come. And of course ALL of them for helping with the clean-up afterwards!

Help and assistance freely, and lovingly given is a great blessing indeed.

Blog Your Blessings

It is that time of year again. Yep, time to ask the kids to get their Christmas lists ready. This always brings back fond memories for me of growing up in the 1970s, and anticipating Christmas morning.

More often then not I was very lucky in that at least a couple of the toys on my list were delivered by Santa under the tree. My lists always included things like Nancy Drew, and Bobsey Twin books, Barbie dolls, and board games like Clue.

I would also occasionally receive something that I was not expecting like one of these hopper thinga-ma-boobers.

Remember these? My only real memory of the hopper thingies is hopping down a set of cement steps on one of them. Ouch!

When did you grow, and what were some of the things on your list?

Thank you to Abbey for putting together Nostalgic Saturday. Why not join us?!

Every Monty Python fan is going to be familiar with the dead parrot sketch.

BUT....did you know that there is an ancestor of Monty Python's famous dead parrot comedy sketch that has been found in a joke book, dating back to 4th Century Greece!

Here is a snippet from the BBC:

Philogelos: The Laugh Addict, which has been translated from Greek manuscripts, contains a joke where a man complains that a slave he was sold had died.

"When he was with me, he never did any such thing!" is the reply.

In the Python sketch, written 1,600 years later, the shopkeeper claims the dead parrot is "pining for the fjords".

The 265 jokes in Philogelos are attributed to a pair of jokers called Hierocles and Philagrius, about whom very little is known.

Full BBC article here

Other jokes include farts, sex, ugly wives, and a dimwit referred to as "a student dunce".

Hmmmm....does not seem so far off from modern jokes now does it????

Posted for our friend RFC:

Please find below information on the special tours that we are offering for December, 2008.

Please remember that if you are going to come out to any of these events, you have to confirm your booking ahead of time. You can't just show up on the day of ... except for maybe the History Shopping Trip on December 7th.

If you're going to go the afternoon Rebellion Tour on December 7th, you have to reserve and buy tickets through Mackenzie House. Their telephone number is (416) 392-6915.

If you want to sign up for one of the Afternoon Teas, get in touch with me (416 487 9017 or richard@muddyyorktours.com), and I'll let you know what you need to do to reserve your spaces.

Thanks again!

There are a few special events that we’re organizing for December. One of them is purely historical, and just happens to fall in December. Another is a combination of historical and seasonal fun, while a third is just to help celebrate the Christmas season. Read on for information on all three!

__________________

SATURDAY DECEMBER 6th 2008
"UP THEN BRAVE CANADIANS" - A Commemoration of the Rebellion of 1837

In the first week of December, 1837, William Lyon Mackenzie organized a rebellion in an attempt to overthrow the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada and what he considered to be a corrupt government. In many circles, Mackenzie is considered to be a hero and a champion of democracy. But to some, he was nothing more than a traitor and a rogue who set back the cause of Canadian democracy by several years. Join us on December 6th, and we’ll try to show you both sides of his character.

The event starts at 1:00 p.m. with attendees gathering in the Market Gallery, on the second floor of the Saint Lawrence Market complex. A walk visiting several sites related to Mackenzie will last for about an hour, and then at 2:00 p.m. we’ll arrive at Mackenzie House where Jeffrey Canton will reenact Mackenzie to tell his side of the story. After the reenactment there is an optional tour of Mackenzie House. Refreshments will also be served at Mackenzie House.

You can contact me for more information (I’ll be conducting the walking tour), or you can contact Mackenzie House Museum to make reservations. For more information please call Mackenzie House (416) 392 6915.

DATE : Saturday December 6th, 2008
TIME : 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
COST : $26.67 plus GST
TO RESERVE PLEASE CALL MACKENZIE HOUSE MUSEUM (416) 392-6915
__________________

SATURDAY DECEMBER 6th 2008
HISTORY AND HOLIDAY SHOPPING TOUR

Do you have anybody on your holiday shopping list who is impossible to buy for? Do you often find yourself "regifting" over the holidays, because there are always one or two people you forget about? This might be a solution for you. Join me on a tour of the Saint Lawrence Market neighbourhood on Saturday December 6th, 2008. I’ll tell you the story of the oldest part of Toronto, but also take you to some of the most unique shops in the city. There’s a honey merchant who used to supply honey to Pope John Paul II. There is a mustard shop that uses the world’s second most popular spice to make condiments and also beauty care products. Another merchant sells gourmet salts and peppers for cooking, as well as for health and medicinal purposes. You’ll be amazed at what you can find, and the best part is, if you don’t end up giving any of these things away, you’ll find you want to keep them for yourself.

We end our tour at Toronto’s First Post Office, located at 260 Adelaide Street East. For the true history nerd, this is a great place to mail your Christmas cards from, as the post office has a special cancellation and marker.

The market is very busy on a Saturday morning, so there is limited space on this tour. Please try and reserve your space early.

DATE : Saturday December 6th, 2008
TIME : 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
COST : $10 per person
TO RESERVE PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT richard@muddyyorktours.com or call me at (416) 487 9017

__________________

AFTERNOON TEA AT TORONTO’S FIRST POST OFFICE
DECEMBER 13th and 14th, 20th and 21st

Join us for the highlight of our Christmas programming. Once again this year we’re featuring an afternoon tea at one of the oldest surviving buildings in Toronto. Learn about the history of early Toronto, and the Victorian origins of our modern-day Christmas. Come in from the cold and warm yourself by the fireplace in the intimate surroundings of Toronto’s First Post Office, constructed in 1833. Participants can enjoy a late afternoon tea, before settling down to live again the spirit of a Toronto Christmas past. The programme includes the founding of the Town of York and the Battle of York, Toronto’s Rebel Christmas (December 1837), Charles Dickens, Toronto, and "A Christmas Carol", and Robertson Davies’ Christmas Ghost Stories.

Tea includes your own teapot filled with your choice of various teas or apple cider. The menu also includes tea sandwiches (a selection of egg salad, tuna, salmon and cream cheese and lox), scones served with butter and jam, and an assortment of cakes, pastries and tarts.

Space is very limited so reservations are essential. We recommend making reservations early.

Also, if you have a group we may be able to put together a special date and cost for you.

DATE :
Saturday December 13th, 2008
Sunday December 14th, 2008
Saturday December 20th 2008
Sunday December 21st 2008

TIME : 3:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
COST : $35.00 per adult ($50 for one adult and one child up to age 12)
TO RESERVE PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT richard@muddyyorktours.com or call me at (416) 487 9017

__________________

Richard Fiennes-Clinton
Muddy York Walking Tours
www.muddyyorktours.com
telephone : 416 487 9017
richard@muddyyorktours.com

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

- Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

Image Credit: Wiki

Miriam Makeba, South Africa's legendary singer and anti-apartheid activist has died.

In one of her final interviews she was asked who her musical successor might be.

"Nobody can replace me as I can't replace anyone else," she said, adding that she wanted to remembered as "a very good old lady".

She was aged 76.

Rest in peace Mama Africa you will be greatly missed.

Russian soldiers in replica World War II gear re-enact the events of 1941, when troops marched directly to the front from Moscow's Red Square to fight the invading Nazis.

Do you think there is value in these types of reenactments? Here in Canada our own re-enactors are occasionally accused of glorifying war. I do not think that is the case at all.

I see these as living history lessons, that re-enforce the truth that war is anything but glamorous, and must be avoided or prevented at all costs.

Lest we forget......

Image Credit: BBC

Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States on November 4th, 2008. We watched his speech made in Chicago on that historic night from the comfort of bed with our wireless connection, and laptop. There was no way that we would have missed being a part of this event, even if in such a seemingly small way.

I have followed elections in the past, but nothing quite like this. Knowing that millions of others world over were watching along with us two ordinary Canadians in our PJs made it more than just an American election, it truly felt global, and perhaps a turning point for all of us world-wide.

I do not want to make this blog political, but I had to address this here because this point in human history truly felt more than political, it felt right.......and I wanted to record my thoughts here as they are fresh in my mind.

Congratulations Barack Obama! And thank you America! I felt that as I woke up yesterday morning my children were inheriting a better world.

Do you know what famous individual from history this is associated with? Can you guess?

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! And Thank You For Stopping By!

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

Image Credit: Wiki

Normally I would be blogging a bit about my blessings today, but to be honest every time I started to write something out it felt contrived.

I guess I'm feeling a little bit out of sorts, and to be honest the American elections, the antics, and the nastiness all over the media has left my soul feeling a touch drained. I look forward to the USA elections being over as they are covered extensively here in the Canadian press.

I'm certain I'll be feeling better next week, and will be posting more frequently in the coming weeks.

Samhain (sow-ween) or All Hallow’s Eve is celebrated on October 31st and it literally means summer ending. This ancient holiday occurs between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice and celebrates the harvest. One of the many aspects that comprise Samhain is that of the Celtic New Year. At this point, one can glance back at the past year to gain insight from their experiences. This is also a time of honoring ancestors and deceased loved ones.

To All Of Our Readers That Celebrate, Happy Samhain, and Happy Halloween!

It was two pimps that were the last to be executed in Canada. Arthur Lucas murdered Therland "checkerboard" Crater, and a twenty-one year old prostitute by the name of Carolyn Newman. Newman was under the control of Crater. The crime took place in a Kendall Avenue house where the two victims had lived on November 17th 1961.

Lucas was hanged along with Ron Turpin a Toronto area a pimp, thug, and cop-killer on December 11th 1962. They were the last to be hanged in this country.

Canada no longer has a death penalty.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and since I'm not feeling up to being overly wordy at the moment (symptoms of Graves pretty bad right now) I'll just post up this pic of the girls. It's one of my faves, and was taken at a dear friend's wedding.

Blog Your Blessings

From the "Sue Scans Old Pics" files....

HEAD SHOT! Matthew at Fort York about seven years ago or so... looking very happy.

Younger, thinner days... the pony tail is behind the back.

Meanwhile, back at Fort York, Matthew is waxing literary and ghostly with (left to right) John Robert Colombo and Terry Boyle...

...and you thought it was a NEW thing... Matthew at a pulpit many moons ago.

Chef Didier prepares a feast at the sadly defunct Château Didier à Haliburton...

Thank you to Abbey for putting together Nostalgic Saturday. Why not join us?!

Just when we think we know everything.....

....along comes this strange little fella...

Here is a news snippet from the BBC:

The fossil of a "bizarre" feathered dinosaur from the era before birds evolved has been discovered in China.

Epidexipteryx was very bird-like, with four long ribbon-like tail feathers - probably used in display.

But the pigeon-sized creature shows no sign of the flight feathers seen in other bird-like dinosaurs, according to a report in the journal Nature.

The discovery highlights the diversity of species present in the Middle to Late Jurassic, just before birds arose.

The full BBC article is here

I love discoveries such as these ones that are a good reminder that there is so much left to learn, and discover on this planet.

Image Credit: BBC

Making cancer history at the Toronto Marathon this past Sunday.

One million dollars was raised through the Toronto Marathon for Princess Margaret Hospital, cancer research, and other local charities.

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! And Thank You For Stopping By!

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

Today my youngest kid is volunteering at the Toronto Marathon that raises money for Princess Margaret Hospital, and cancer research. She will be handing out water to the runners. I hope that it will inspire a life-long love of volunteering and service to her community. She is doing this with her sister my eldest daughter who asked her to help out. My eldest regularly volunteers her time to charitable causes, and works full-time in the non-profit sector. I am so proud of them both

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!

Blog Your Blessings

On the recommendation of a friend I picked up a copy of Mean Streets: Confessions of a Nighttime Taxi Driver by author Peter McSherry. The book is based in my home-town of Toronto, which makes it that more intriguing for me. Here is a snippet:

"A world exists on the nighttime streets that the average person cannot envision. Taxi driver Peter McSherry recounts tales of his thirty years of experience driving cabs at night on the hard-bitten streets of Canada's largest city. Drunks, punks, con artists, hookers, pimps, drug addicts, drug pushers, thugs, nymphomaniacs, snakes, politicians, celebrities . . . he's experienced them all. McSherry serves up his stories with forthrightness, humour, and the occasional dash of cynicism. In this well-written and street-smart book, the author tells the rest of us about a world we can only imagine - if we dare."

You can grab new or used copies from Amazon for dirt cheap. Just click on the linky I added in above if you are interested. They also have copies at Chapters, and the Toronto Public Library.

A sad, broken building

Another view......

I have no idea how long it has been empty, but it is slowly decaying. A modern ruin.

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! And Thank You For Stopping By!

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We would like to take this opportunity to wish our fellow Canadians are very Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Our Thanksgiving Day is is different from the American Thanksgiving celebration. For one thing it is celebrated far earlier in the season, because our growing season ends much earlier. Also, while Americans remember Pilgrims and their own settling in the New World, we Canadians give thanks for a successful harvest.

Now, please pass a slice of that pumpkin pie, and homemade whipped cream!

Vintage Thanksgiving Day Card

On this Thanksgiving Day I am blessed to be able to celebrate the harvest such as my ancestors did with plenty of food, and in the company of my beloved.

I wish this was true of everyone around the world including those within our own city who cannot say the same.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!

Blog Your Blessings

This weekend is the Thanksgiving long-weekend here in Canada. Monday is the actual Thanksgiving Day holiday, and most of us have the day off.

Growing up the holiday was a big deal in our house. My Mom would literally spend days before the actual holiday preparing what would amount to a smörgåsbord type feast for family, and friends.

We had a pretty big house back then, so my parents usually played host and hostess to the rest of our extended family. I remember always looking forward to seeing certain cousins, and aunts, and uncles that I have long since lost touch with. The only downer for me was being stuck at the "kids" table in the kitchen with my younger sibling, and wee cousins while the adults sat at the big table with all of its festive decor.

Thirty some odd years later my own kids are off to spend the long weekend with their Dad this year. This allows for a much more intimate holiday for Matthew and I than those I spent during my youth...and to be honest I am looking forward to it.

Thank you to Abbey for putting together Nostalgic Saturday. Why not join us?!

Believe it or not...me...the Tudor buff has yet to see Elizabeth - The Golden Age with Oscar winner Cate Blanchett. When it first came out in theaters my daughter thought seeing this film would make a fun Mom/Daughter evening out, but I was very hesitant. Not that I did not want to see a movie with the kid, but because I heard that this film plays fast and loose with history, which I do find annoying. After sitting through the dreadful Marie Antoinette film where she (Marie) was portrayed as a vapid 1980s party girl I was just not willing to risk the money for tickets on another less than accurate "historical" themed movie.

Golden Age is now on DVD and I'm curious if any of you has seen it, and what your thoughts are. Is it worth spending two hours of my life on?

I came across this great cabinet at an antique shop here in Toronto.

I have never seen one quite like it.

I'm certain with a little elbow grease, and love this could be a gorgeous piece. I wish I could afford it.

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! And Thank You For Stopping By!

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When it comes to sales like these I always have mixed feelings.

This one of its kind (meaning it is the only known of survivor) chain of office from the time of Henry VIII is being put up for auction according to a BBC news item. Henry had given the gold Coleridge Collar to one of his closest advisers, Sir Edward Montagu, around the year 1546.

The auction of this item is part of Christie's Important European Furniture, Sculpture and Tapestries sale, and the director had this to say about the Tudor chain:

"The Coleridge Collar is an extraordinary and fascinating piece of history, both as a work of art, and also as a rare Tudor relic.

"An extremely rare example of early English goldsmith-work, the collar also represents the only known, complete, surviving collar of office from the time of Henry VIII, one of the most renowned of European monarchs."

Why I have mixed feelings on this is because of its historic importance, and extreme rarity it really should be in a museum, and not in private hands in my opinion. I would be lying of course if I said I would not love to at least try it on.

This past week I was surprised to receive a bouquet of roses from the bus man.......

....there was no special occasion. They are here just because...and that makes me very happy.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!

Blog Your Blessings

Last week I introduced you to the Schmidtke girls. Now I would like you to meet the Demeter boys aka my Dad, and his brothers.

Julianna Demeter and her boys early 30's

Julianna was my paternal grandmother. She is pictured above with her sons from left to right Joe, Alec, and Mike. Alec was my Dad. At the time of this writing my grandmother, father, and uncle Mike have all passed on.

The photo was taken in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada where they first emigrated to. Originally the family was from Nyirbeltek, Hungary. I think my Dad was five when he first came to Canada.

These boys all grew up during the Great Depression. When I would ask my Dad about those times he would say that they had very little. He had one pair of shoes, and he had to take great care of them because whether he outgrew them or not they were all he had.

He also recalled a lot of fun times, and people who genuinely would look out for each other. People were all in the tough times together. Or at least that was the impression that he had given to me of what life was like back then.

I think growing up in that era shaped who he was as an adult. I remember my Dad always looking for the best bargains, haggling, stocking up when he could on all staple items, while at the same time being very generous with all those around him. He really was the give you the shirt off of his back type.

Today's news of crashing stock markets, and recession make me recall my own Dad's memories of the Great Depression. I wonder if people today would be as kind, and as giving of what they could as my Dad had remembered people were back then........

Thank you to Abbey for putting together Nostalgic Saturday.

I guess this spells (forgive the pun) the end of an era for our Canadian Oxford Dictionary. Apparently they are laying off all of their staff! This is due to declining sales according to news reports.

Here is a news snippet from the CBC

The entire staff of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary has been laid off because of declining sales.

The Canadian branch of the Oxford University Press said it told two full-time and two part-time employees this week they would be let go due to "changing market conditions."

Katherine Barber, the full-time editor of the dictionary, is among those who have been let go. Dubbed "Canada's Word Lady," Barber has been at the helm of Oxford's Canadian dictionary department since its creation in 1991.

David Stover, president of the Canadian company, said sales of all print dictionaries have declined in recent years.

"We've been the market leader and our sales have held up very well," he said, declining to give specific figures.

"What we found, though, was that in the last six months with the downturn in the retail sector and the migration of people online reaching a tipping point, that we had to take a much closer look at it."

An abundance of free internet dictionaries means fewer people are using print versions, he said.

Stover said the company is discussing an "ongoing role" with Barber.

The company will continue to publish the Canadian Oxford Dictionary with the assistance of Canadian freelancers and the lexicography department in Oxford, England, he said.

A quick glance around the blogosphere, and it is obvious that now more than ever we need our dictionaries! It is a shame that the printed ones may disappear forever in the very near future....

I have been following the saga of Oetzi The 5,000 year old Iceman since the discovery of his body back in the early 1990's. According to a BBC article that was published yesterday, the legal battles over Oetzi are finally over.....maybe.....

Here is a snippet:

A legal battle sparked by the discovery of the world-famous 5,300-year-old "Iceman" known as Oetzi in northern Italy in 1991 has finally been settled.

German hikers Erika and Helmut Simon found the remains, but officials in the north Italian province of Bolzano had refused an adequate finders' fee.

A court ruled against the province in 2006, and it has finally agreed to pay 150,000 euros (£120,000; $216,000).

But the award has come too late for Mr Simon, who died four years ago.

The money will go to his 71-year-old widow.

You may have picked up on my use of the word maybe in the last paragraph. I used it because there has been persistent rumours of a curse since the discovery of the iceman.

Another BBC snippet:

The BBC's Mark Duff, in Milan, says Oetzi has brought nothing but bad luck to many of those involved in his discovery.

Mr Simon died in a mountaineering accident in 2004, and six other people linked to the discovery in some way have died in apparently mysterious circumstances.

This has all led to talk of a Tutankhamen-like "curse of Oetzi", our correspondent says.

Oetzi was reportedly 159cm tall (5ft 2.5in), 46 years old, arthritic, and infested with whipworm at the time he died. It was discovered that the iceman himself died due to murder!

Curse or not the discovery of Oetzi is one of the most important in the last century in my opinion. We have learned a lot from this humble man of 5,000 years ago.

"In the Siberian city of Magadan, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pays his respects beside Ernst Neizvestny's Mask of Sorrow monument, in honour of victims of Josef Stalin's repressive regime."

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

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Image Credit: BBC

A nice summer-like day....

..... a yummy lunch on the patio......

....with two of my most favourite people.

....it cannot get much more perfect than that....

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!

Blog Your Blessings

Ida Kutasevich (middle) nee: Schmidtke with her two daughters Galina age 5 (right)and Antonia age 3 (left). Circa 1937; Romanovka Ukraine.

I came across this photo while going through the family pics files earlier in the week, and thought I would share it with you. Antonia is my mother.

Thank you to Abbey for putting together Nostalgic Saturday. She is taking a break at the moment so if you decide to join in just leave me a comment, and I'll visit your entry.

This spectacular ruin is located in Sri Lanka, which is a country that I dearly would love to visit one day. The earliest-known inhabitants of the island now known as Sri Lanka were probably the ancestors of the Wanniyala-Aetto people, also known as Veddahs and numbering roughly 3,000. From the ancient period date some remarkable archaeological sites including the ruins of Sigiriya, the so-called "Fortress in the Sky", and huge public works. Not only does this ancient culture appeal to my strong interest in history, but also my curiosity in UFOs, and reincarnation. A beautiful place that still contains much mystery is how I think of Sri Lanka.

For further reading:

Sri Lanka Wiki

Words are not really necessary for this entry are they.....

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! And Thank You For Stopping By!

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I remember having a conversation several years ago with John Robert Columbo a Canadian author, and Order of Canada member. We were discussing L.M Montgomery, and we speculated that her history was more darker then commonly thought.

It was therefore no surprise to myself when I read that her granddaughter Kate Macdonald Butler has revealed that she not only suffered depression, but had indeed committed suicide.

Here is a news snippet:

The granddaughter of Lucy Maud Montgomery has revealed a long and closely held family secret about how the author of Anne of Green Gables died.

In an essay in the Globe and Mail on Saturday, Kate Macdonald Butler said Montgomery committed suicide. She said there was a note, which she's never seen, but she was told it asked for forgiveness.

Macdonald Butler said it seemed appropriate to lift the secrecy on the 100th anniversary of the publishing of Montgomery's first and most famous book. She was inspired to reveal the truth because of a series published in the Globe on mental health, and she hoped it would help get rid of the stigma of mental illness.

Society has the idea that depression happens to "other people," she wrote, and in particular that it doesn't happen to our "heroes and icons."

Lucy Maud Montgomery published about 500 short stories and poems, and 20 novels, 19 of which are set on P.E.I.

Full CBC Article Here

To me this information takes nothing away from Lucy Maud Montgomery's legacy, and in fact may offer insight to others who are suffering as she did.

Further Reading:

L. M. Montgomery Institute

This past week I picked up a new set of spectacles for myself. After about a decade I actually changed styles too, and I am now sporting what I term as "brainy specs" or a smaller squarish black frame. This change in eye glasses got me to thinking about how styles in eye wear have change over the centuries.

If you are curious about this subject too you may just want to check out this website I found, which is devoted to Spectacles of Well Known People in History amongst other interesting factoid about glasses.

For instance did you know that dark green lensed eyeglasses were commonly used in the past to treat a symptom of syphilis? Apparently the tertiary stage of syphilis may present with various neurological manifestations, one of which is known as the Argyll-Robertson pupil where the pupil cannot get smaller in the presence of bright light. This produces a painful photophobia which is relieved by going into a dark area, or by putting on deeply tinted eyeglasses.

It is a fascinating website that gives us some insight into why, and what specs were used for, and by who in the past.

Well not quite...but you'll see what I mean. I came across this following news item on my favourite mystery writer of all time, and just had to share. Read on:

Mystery writer Agatha Christie can be heard musing about the origins of Jane Marple, one of her best-loved heroines, on recently discovered recordings, her grandson said Monday.

Mathew Prichard said he found a host of old tapes when cleaning out his grandmother's house several years ago but could not play them until he fixed the obsolete machine on which they were recorded.

"Not being a technical person I didn't realize how modern technology can resurrect (the tapes)," Prichard said. He called the experience of hearing Christie's voice again "quite eerie."

Full article located here

How cool is that! And never mind us fans, how thrilling this must be for her descendants. I do sincerely hope that the family decides to share these tapes with the public!

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! And Thank You For Stopping By!

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Yesterday despite being sick I was able to attend the 2008 Toronto Ukrainian Festival for a couple of hours. Even with the rain the festival was well attended, and a lot of fun!

Each year at the Ukrainian festival there is an art show featuring modern Ukrainian artisans.

There are also many traditional Ukrainian arts, and crafts available for purchase.

This years highlight for me however was the Royal Ontario Museum booth, which featured a few intriguing artifacts from Ukraine's ancient past in order to promote a very exciting new exhibit entitled: Mysteries of Ancient Ukraine: The Remarkable Trypilian Culture (5400-2700 BC)

Here is a snippet from the ROM's write-up on this upcoming exhibit:

Who were the Trypillians? How were they able to build the largest settlements in Europe, well over five thousand years ago? And why did they burn them down? These and other questions are explored in this fascinating exhibition that uncovers the secrets surrounding this mysterious people.

Nestled in the forest steppes of modern-day Ukraine, the prehistoric Trypillian people lived and prospered between 5000 and 2750 BCE. Highly sophisticated, the Trypillians were both farmers and hunters. Their ability to adapt to different terrain led to their prosperity, and soon they had the largest population growth of any other Neolithic people. They built the largest settlements in Europe at that time, some with an estimated population of 10-15,000 people. Every 60 to 80 years, they burned some settlements to the ground and moved to settle another location.

In 1896, Ukraininan archaeologist Vikenty Khvoika discovered one of these settlements near the village of Trypillia. The artifacts he uncovered were instrumental in reconstructing the daily lives of this prehistoric civilization. Ancient Ukraine presents household tools, evidence of clothing, spiritual artifacts and art, all of which help to build the story of how the Trypillians lived, flourished and then all but mysteriously disappeared.

The exhibit will run from November 29, 2008 to March 22, 2009 and you may read all about it here on the Royal Ontario Museum's official website.

I am very much looking forward to going! Everyone who is even remotely interested in Ukrainian culture, and ancient history should try to get out to this event!

I have not been feeling well lately due to a nasty bit of head cold that I am recovering from. My compromised immune system thanks to Graves Disease does not help matters either, in fact it drags out the recuperating process.

Despite feeling yucky I am reminded that there are people far worse off then me, and that I do live in a country where my medical care is paid for by the government.

I also have a very understanding hubby who is not above cooking, and cleaning.

For all of these things I am reminded I am blessed.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!

Blog Your Blessings

As we quickly approach mid-September I am reminded at how October is a very busy month for us. It is busy even if you don't factor in the Toronto Ghosts & Hauntings Research Society, which is wildly popular in October (no one loves us in February) and that is because we genuinely both love Halloween. We love dressing for it, decorating for it, and absolutely celebrating it! And this is nothing new in my family.....

The photo you see above was taken in 1975 and is my Dad, and younger sister. Back in those days our Moms still made our costumes, and you still might find home-made cookies, or an apple in your treat bag.

Halloween has always had its problems, but things certainly seemed a lot more gentler back then.

Thankfully we live in a very family oriented neighbourhood where Halloween is not too far removed from those of my childhood, with the exception that virtually everyone's costume comes from a specialty party shop or Wal-Mart, and the kids tend to all be gabbing on their cell phones.

Thank you to Abbey for putting together Nostalgic Saturday. She is taking a break at the moment so if you decide to join in just leave me a comment, and I'll visit your entry.

Remembering all those who lost their lives due to the tragic events of 9/11.

Sir Frederick Banting was one of the twentieth century's most celebrated medical heroes. His discovery of insulin, made with his assistant Charles Best and other colleagues, was one of the most important medical breakthroughs of the century. Since its discovery, insulin has saved or transformed the lives of millions of people with diabetes.

Read More......

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

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Stephen Harper our Canadian Prime Minister asked our Governor General (Her Majesty's representative here in Canada) to dissolve parliament meaning to end this current government. Canadians will now have a federal election on October 14th.

Thankfully it will be only a few short weeks of having to endure campaigning, and if tradition holds nowhere near the ugliness that Americans see in their US elections.

The very first Canadian federal election was in 1867, and held from August 7th to September 20th. It was held to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 1st Parliament of the new nation of Canada.

The Conservative Party of Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald won a majority of seats and votes in Ontario and Quebec.

I am quite certain that the current Conservative Prime Minister would love to do the same. We'll see.......

Old Fashioned School Bell

This week saw the start of another school year. The kiddo has started junior high, and the middle kiddo has gone off to University. Not only are all of my kiddos a blessing to me, and a source of pride, but it is always goodly to get that first week of school over, and back into routine. The first week is always difficult as we have to get used to alarm clocks ringing again, scrambling over who gets the shower first, making sure we all get out the door on time. And I am happy to report that we have survived!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!

Blog Your Blessings

This past week saw two of my kids reach milestones within their lives. My youngest started junior high, and my middle daughter started University.

Yes, I am feeling very nostalgic this week, and decided I would share a photo of each taken one Fall day approx. 10 years ago.

The kiddo.....

.....and her big sister.

We are very proud, but there are times when I do miss those days when they were still quite small....it really does go by way too fast.

Thank you to Abbey for putting together Nostalgic Saturday. She is taking a break at the moment so if you decide to join in just leave me a comment, and I'll visit your entry.

For those that may not be aware Most Haunted is a British tv series that showcases reportedly haunted locations around the U.K.

I personally have a strong interest in the paranormal, and ghosts, and the credibility of what is being put forth on this show as far as the main subject matter is already quite debatable. This alone could make a person such as myself cringe.

What makes the show absolutely deplorable in my opinion is how it presents an often skewed, and completely false history. Here is an example from an episode entitled Most Haunted London - Total Darkness that was written up on a Facebook group that I recently joined as an evaluation of Lesley Smith's work on the show:

Night one, she was referred to very little during the whole weekend, on night one she talked very little about the place where the team were, the plague victims buried in that location have been verified as to belonging to the 1665 Influenza Plague, yet Lesley did not say that, even when Paul Ross said (twice) that the bodies were from the Black Death, which was a bubonic contagion Plague in the 1330's, again not even close at 300 years out.

Her best gaff on night one was naming the four humors as "Hot, Wet, Dry and Cold", again she got it completely wrong, the four humors were Black Bile, Yellow Bile, Phlegm and Blood, they have been for about 3000 years!

Night Two, again she spent very little time on camera (in that outfit I’m not surprised, proof that she is turning the show into a circus as she looked like a clown!). Brian Shepherd came up with a name during a vigil, roughly he came out with "Charles, the architect of all of this". I do not even think Lesley bothered looking his name up, far too busy talking about the Theatre above Aldwych Tube Station which she did every time she came on camera. So who is Charles, the Architect of all of this?

Charles Pearson was a visionary of his time, he was a solicitor who worked for the London Corporation and it was he who managed to persuade Parliament to cough up enough money to pay for The London Underground, he died before it was ever finished, but many see him as "the true architect of the London Underground". Did Lesley even bother finding that out???

Night Three. Worst night for Lesley, possibly in her life (apart from when she nearly killed Tony Robinson on her five minute stint on History's Worst Jobs). It is all to do with the full names of people being read out on air and the sensitivities of the families of those brave men and women being kept intact, fair enough in the vigil the crew were part of they will not really have known that or might have forgotten as they were very busy at the time. Lesley on the other hand should have known not to do that, not only that but Brian Shepherd came out with a nickname of someone and then Lesley told the world who she thought it would be, I would be devastated to think that my grandparents still haunt somewhere and are not at rest in heaven, and to have Lesley Smith be the one to blurt it out on telly is absolutely atrocious.

At the end of the evening she was talking about Charles I execution, her own words were "one bitterly cold November morning"

November???

Charles I was executed in January 1646. I repeat... JANUARY.

I hope the author does not mind my reproducing it here, but I feel this evaluation is must reading for anyone who takes this show with anything more than a grain of salt. Would it be that hard for someone on the show to actually open a history book! Yeeesh!

"Last year an investigation was ordered by the Television Regulator in the UK, Ofcom, in which Most Haunted was cleared of any deception of its viewers, in which it stated that "Most Haunted is an entertainment show, not a legitimate investigation into the paranormal, and should not be taken seriously."

I guess that should hold true of the history aspect of this tv show as well.

Vatican Museum - Photographer F. Bucher

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

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I came across what I feel is a fun way to teach a bit of Roman history to the masses. It is a game called Death In Rome, and can be played right on the BBC website.

Here is a snippet from the introduction:

"Be a Roman sleuth - use your detective skills to unravel the events behind a mysterious death.

You have until dawn to investigate the crime scene, and crack the case.

Time is short. Each expert you consult will cost you precious minutes. Piece together the puzzle using their evidence, eye-witness testimonies, and perhaps a little detective's intuition."

You can play the game by clicking here.

Kudos to the BBC for helping to promote history in a creative way, and for producing what in your humble blog host's opinion are by far some of the best history based documentaries in the world.

Eight years ago our niece was born. Her actual birthday is August 31st.

To say she arrived early is a bit of an understatement. She was what is known in preemie circles as a 26 weeker.

Life in the beginning was rough, but she got excellent care here in Women's College Hospital, and the Hospital for Sick Children.

And now......

Here she is pictured in the cockpit of a Tutor aircraft! How cool is that! And life is not so rough as it was eight years ago. She is actually a very happy, and healthy girl.

Blog Your Blessings

Also big thanks as always to Abbey for putting together Nostalgic Saturday. Why not join in?!

I have always been a big fan of Latin American art. I particularly enjoy collecting skeletons, which adorn my home office area.

I even have one suspended above my desk.

This is obviously not for everyone, but it does play very nicely into my strong interest in Latin American culture, and Pre-Columbian history. And I thought to share a bit of my own collector's interests with you.

What do you collect?

The Centennial Building was built in the early 1850s as the Ontario County Courthouse. Designed by prominent architects Frederick Cumberland and Wallace Storm, this building served from 1854 until 1964 as a trial court and a meeting place for County Council. In 1967, a local Centennial project turned the building into a community centre. The courthouse presently houses the Whitby Courthouse Theatre, a banquet facility, local archives and is used by community organization.

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! And Thank You For Stopping By!

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Sue & The Kids C.N.E 2008

This past week we went to the Canadian National Exhibition with the two younger girls, and the middle daughter's constant companion Jeremy. We had lovely weather, not too many crowds (we went on Monday morning at opening) and got some great deals while clothes shopping for the girls.

My personal favorite is always the International Bazaar, and this year I spent quite a bit of time, and money at the Egyptian displays.

Going to the EX (as it is also known - short for Exhibition) is a tradition in both of our families, and it is always a blessing to keep these types of yearly family events going through the decades.

Last week I posted childhood pics of my Mom, and myself at the Ex circa early 1970s. And yesterday I posted a story from when we were first dating of how we hopped into the Princess Margaret fountain on a very hot day.

Our family history with this fair goes even farther back though. And as my daughter's boyfriend happily munched on Tiny Tom donuts (made right on site) it reminded me of how my Dad told stories of going to the EX as a young boy and eagerly anticipating a Tiny Tom donut. It is nice to see how this has passed down through the generations, and perhaps one day my own grandchildren will be tasting a yummy donut specially made at the Canadian National Exhibition.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!

Blog Your Blessings

I was sorting through some old family photos that were taken circa the mid 1950s of my grandparents home in Miami Springs, Florida.

The photo you see above was not labeled, and I thought I really should add some sort of identification to it. The house was sold in the mid 1970s and when I am no longer around my kids would have no way of knowing where this house is/was nor who had owned it, or why we even have the pic in our collection etc.

This has happened to me with a few of my Dad's old photos from before he met my Mom. Since he passed away in 1999 I have no way of identifying certain people or places, and it can be a bit frustrating as I would love to know who they were or why a photo was taken at a certain spot.

Here is a pic of my Mother

...also circa mid 1950s. My parents spent a lot of time in Miami, Florida during those years. On a side note, I adore the more glamorous look of bathing suits, dresses, and female clothing in general from the 40s through the early 60s.

Hope you are all having a great weekend, and thank you for stopping by!

Also big thanks as always to Abbey for putting together this fun meme. Why not join in?!

One of my fondest memories of when we were first dating was of a very hot, and humid summer day, and walking through the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) fairgrounds after a lengthy hike through the city. We came across the Princess Margaret Fountain and it was like seeing an oasis in the desert...we hopped right in!

This is what the fountain looked like during its opening...

"The Gooderham Fountain graced this site from 1911, and was a well-known landmark and meeting place on the grounds. It was named for George H. Gooderham, President of the CNE Association from 1909 to 1911. H.R.H. The Princess Margaret officially opened the current fountain in 1958, which remains a focal point of the western end of the grounds."

And here is the fountain today, and as it looked like on that hot, hot, day when we hopped in.

Like I said above, one of my favourite summer time memories.

Have you ever hopped into a fountain?

Image Credits: CNE Archives

Canada Day 2008 - Fort York

Some people make the incorrect assumption that re-enactment of historical battles glorify war.

They don't. Re-enactment offers a living history lesson to the audience.

And hopefully imparts the horrors that some of our ancestors faced. Including the awful smell of gun powder, and sounds of booming canon fire. For me these offer the only means of going back in time, and a tiny glimpse in the life of an Upper Canadian soldier almost 200 years ago.

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! And Thank You For Stopping By!

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

I am not a religious person, but I am a spiritual one. I do believe in miracles, and apparitions, and therefore have always been interested in Marian visions. Today I'm going to give you a brief history of perhaps the most profound, and famous Marian vision of them all....the Fatima Visitations.

Lucia Santos (age 10, pictured in the middle) and her two cousins: Francisco (age 9) and Jacinta Marto (age 7) holding their rosaries. Fatima, Portugal. Date 1917.

The Lady Of Fatima is a name given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by those who believe that she appeared to three shepherd children at Fátima, Portugal on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on 13 May, which happened to be the Fátima holiday.

Lúcia described seeing the lady as "brighter than the sun, shedding rays of light clearer and stronger than a crystal ball filled with the most sparkling water and pierced by the burning rays of the sun."

Marian Art

According to Lúcia's account, the lady who identified herself as Our Lady of the Rosary (Mary) confided to the children three secrets, known as the Three Secrets of Fátima.

When word spread of the children's visions thousands of people flocked to Fátima. Certain people saw this as politically motivated, and no I'm not kidding had the children jailed in order to force them to tell the secrets or confess that they were making it up. They never did. In fact the other prisoners took to caring for the children, and in turn the children led them through prayer.

Private revelations do not form the faith of the Roman Catholic Church and its members are not bound to believe in any of them. However, as a matter of prudence, assent would normally be expected of a Catholic based on the discernment of the Church and its judgement that an apparition is worthy of belief. After a canonical enquiry the visions of Fatima were officially declared "worthy of belief" in October 1930 by the Bishop of Leiria-Fátima.

Whether or not you believe the children actually saw and communicated with the Blessed Virgin Mary they should always be remembered for the strength of their faith even in the face of being sent to a prison, and for giving us all a reason at the very least to contemplate miracles.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!


Blog Your Blessings

For further reading, and some source material:

Our Lady of Fátima

The True Story Of Fátima

Both images used within this entry have an expired copyright.

This coming Monday will mark an end of summer tradition in my family, and that is we are going to the Canadian National Exhibition here in Toronto! It is otherwise known with affection to the local as the EX.

The EX is a giant fair, but now that the kiddos are all teenagers we go more for the shopping, and food then the midway or games. In honour of this family tradition, and of course Nostalgic Saturday (my first with this blog, I used to participate with the Urban Zoo blog but it seems more fitting here) I have decided to share some vintage photos of my Mom and me at The EX circa 1970. Yes, I am that old.

The rocket or airplane rides were always my favourite!

The "Fish Pond" game. I wish I still had a hat like that!

I do not appear to be too happy to be driving. I probably was annoyed that it just went round the track as opposed to the cooler flying rides.

Hope you are all having a great weekend, and thank you for stopping by!

Also big thanks as always to Abbey for putting together this fun meme. Why not join in?!

I have not been paying too much attention to the Summer 2008 Olympics, but I cannot help from noticing that there has not been a single medal for any of our Canadian athletes.

What happened to the days of William J. (Bill) Sherring from Hamilton Ontario, who became one of Canada’s earliest Olympic heroes after winning a gold medal for the marathon at the 1906 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

How about Anne Ottenbrite who many decades later won Canada’s first gold medal in female swimming in the 200-metre breaststroke at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. She also won silver and bronze medals at the 1982 World Championships.

And what about the pioneering Matchless Six. Ethel Smith, Jean Thompson, Ethel Catherwood, Jane Bell, Bobbie Rosenfeld,
Myrtle Cook who from July 30 to August 5, 1928, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, six Canadians not only became the first women to compete in track-and-field at the Olympic Games, they also emerged as heroes by winning more medals—two gold, a silver and a bronze—and collecting more points than any other team.

“It didn’t make any difference if we were the first women or not. We were there to compete and win. That was the main thing.”

—Sprinter Ethel Smith

I could go on and on listing pages of former Canadian athletes who found glory. And I am left to wonder what is really going on in the world of amateur Canadian sports considering we are a first world nation, with facilities, and equipment, and even landscapes that should lend themselves very well to sports.

Are we not supporting our young athletes enough?

I do believe Canadians as a whole would be far happier if we embraced more physical activity such as cycling, swimming, running, and if we are letting our young athletes down it is a shame in my opinion.

This week the BBC is hosting another weird history based quiz...so you know I could not resist testing my historical mettle against it.

Well.....perhaps I had one too less coffees or perhaps I had one too many, but my score was a whopping 1 out of 10!

Click the image above to take the quiz for yourself, and if you feel like it please do surf on back, and share your score. Go on...you can't do much worse than I did plus the weird photos, and item descriptions are worth checking it out.

The ruins of an old mill. This is all that is left. Sauble Falls 2008. Sometimes I see places like these where barely a foundation is left, and imagine what they looked like in their heyday.......

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! And Thank You For Stopping By!

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Welcome to our "rebooted" history blog. Actually what I mean by that is that the blog has a brand new domain. However, stay tuned as I work to make this place a little more lively with odd bits of history, more interaction, and the occasional meme or two.

Thanks to all the readers pastimes, and present for all your patience during our fixing up of ye old blog.

We just took seven consecutive days sort of off in order to catch up on other work... but we didn't leave you stranded and had one new picture posted here per day during that time. We hope you didn't mind us taking a little time off... and hope these images will spur you into looking more into their subject matter...

Pierre and Marie Curie

For the next two days, we'll be only able to blog every so often as we catch up on other work... but we didn't want to leave you stranded, so for the next two days, we will have one new picture posted here per day. We hope you don't mind us taking a little time off... and hope these images will spur you into looking more into their subject matter...

The Magna Carta

For the next three days, we'll be only able to blog every so often as we catch up on other work... but we didn't want to leave you stranded, so for the next three days, we will have one new picture posted here per day. We hope you don't mind us taking a little time off... and hope these images will spur you into looking more into their subject matter...

London Transport "Our Heritage" Poster of Lord Nelson

For the next four days, we'll be only able to blog every so often as we catch up on other work... but we didn't want to leave you stranded, so for the next four days, we will have one new picture posted here per day. We hope you don't mind us taking a little time off... and hope these images will spur you into looking more into their subject matter...

John Graves Simcoe

For the next five days, we'll be only able to blog every so often as we catch up on other work... but we didn't want to leave you stranded, so for the next five days, we will have one new picture posted here per day. We hope you don't mind us taking a little time off... and hope these images will spur you into looking more into their subject matter...

The Fathers of Canadian Federation

For the next six days, we'll be only able to blog every so often as we catch up on other work... but we didn't want to leave you stranded, so for the next six days, we will have one new picture posted here per day. We hope you don't mind us taking a little time off... and hope these images will spur you into looking more into their subject matter...

Napoleon Bonaparte on the Bridge at Arcole

For the next seven days, we'll be only able to blog every so often as we catch up on other work... but we didn't want to leave you stranded, so for the next seven days, we will have one new picture posted here per day. We hope you don't mind us taking a little time off... and hope these images will spur you into looking more into their subject matter...

Benjamin Franklin's Grave...

I spent the past weekend at Sauble Beach with my sister, daughters, niece, and dear friend. Sauble Beach is about a three hour drive from my home through some lovely areas of Ontario, and I throughly enjoyed the scenic drive.

The beach, and nearby town hold historic significance within Ontario, but on a more personal note this is where my parents met in the 1950s, and where my grandparents once loved to vacation in summer. It was a pleasure to spend time with my children there.

Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! And Thank You For Stopping By!

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

I cannot believe that in 2008 one of my own favourite comedic films is still banned! In fact I am surprised that it was ever banned in the first place! I am talking about Monty Python's Life Of Brian, and in one of those odd quirks of fate the mayor of Aberystwyth, who just happened to have been featured in film, wants the town's near-30 year ban on the film finally lifted.

Mayor Sue Jones-Davies (centre) with the Monty Python team on the film's set

Here is a snippet from the BBC:

She's not the messiah, she's the mayor of Aberystwyth and she has a plan.

Sue Jones-Davies is trying to overturn a near 30-year ban imposed by the town on Monty Python's Life of Brian - the film in which she played a role.

Long before she donned her mayoral robes in the mid Wales town, she played Brian's girlfriend in the movie.

Opponents claimed it made fun of Jesus, but she says it is "amazing" that a town like hers still officially bars a movie now regarded as a comedy classic.

In 1979, however, it grabbed the headlines for the wrong reasons, with critics accusing the Python team of blasphemy with its story about a Jewish man who was mistaken for the messiah and then crucified.

Some religious groups picketed cinemas which screened the film.

Full article here

I hope she has the ban lifted.......at this point it is just silly in my opinion.

A marble bust of the Roman Emperor Hadrian is carefully lowered into position for an exhibition at the British Museum, London.

Image Credit: BBC

The BBC ran an article this past week on skeletons that were dug up from beneath London, England, and are now featured in a new exhibition, which will open this summer. Regulars around here should be aware of my love of skeletons, mummies, and bog people, and should not be surprised that I would LOVE to see this exhibit!

Here is a snippet from the BBC:

Beneath our feet, stories of the past lie waiting to be told.

Over the last 30 years, the Museum of London has excavated, examined and archived 17,000 skeletons. Now, 26 of them are to go on display at the Wellcome Trust in London.

They each have a story to tell about life in the capital hundreds of years ago.

Full BBC Article & Videos Here

Skeletons: London's Buried Bones runs at the Wellcome Collection at 183 Euston Road from 23 July to 28 September

Maria Volkova's voice quivers as she recalls the Holodomor. As a six-year-old child, she survived the Ukrainian famine by eating dandelion roots, pumpkin flowers and even rats.

Maria, 82, who has lived in Wollaton for the past nine years, spoke of the famine which robbed her of her childhood, claimed the lives of her baby sister and two young cousins and saw her father branded a traitor and taken away to Siberia.

On her sixth birthday, she shared a feast of soup made out of pumpkin flowers at a party with children who had swollen bellies due to malnutrition.

During the Holodomor - often translated as "to inflict death by hunger" - children at school had lessons on how to collect grubs in exchange for grain.

The famine of 1932-33 was long denied by the Soviet Union, but most historians today agree with the Ukrainians that it was an act of genocide. But this has not been recognised by many governments in the world.

Maria said she was "was one of the lucky few who survived". Three million children are estimated to have died out of the seven to ten million believed to perished in the famine.

"We had no meat, so in the winter, we resorted to catching rats," she said. "At school, we were given a bucket and we girls would flush the rodents out. The boys would then catch them and we would have a feast," she said

Maria was one of several survivors of the Holodomor who took part in Keep the Flame Alive, a campaign to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Ukraine's famine-genocide at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Mansfield Road on July 2.

Food was already scarce when Stalin's policy of collectivisation saw farms seized and food sent to feed people in the factories.

Desperate to put food in his children's stomachs, Maria's father bought a bag of grain on the black market.

It was enough for the Communists to raid the house one night in 1930. A terrified Maria watched as her father was branded a traitor for hoarding food and arrested.

His wife walked 90km to visit him in prison before he was sent to work in Siberia. He was never seen again.

Maria, like all children whose parents had been taken away, had to wear signs saying "children of traitors".

Of the 28 children in Maria's school class that autumn, only 12 survived the winter. The rest had succumbed to the famine.

The family endured more pain when Maria's aunties and cousins were also sent to the work camps in Siberia.

Maria said: "During the collectivisation, they took everything, including my aunties' last horse. The head of the collective farm gave the horse to his son. The son was riding it and so she went to the stables and took it back.

"That night the Communists came and took the auntie and all of her family save two of her children and deported them all to Siberia.

"My mother had eight sisters who were also all deported. Afterwards we had word she was still alive and she wanted the children to go and live with her.

"They were taken by train and were reunited, but they only lived for six months."

At Nottingham's Ukrainian Cultural Centre, Maria is able to relax and feel at home. She left Ukraine when her daughter married an Englishman and she moved to Nottingham. She has been going to the centre ever since.

Around 200 people gathered at the event organised by the Ukrainian World Congress and the Association of Ukrainian's in Great Britain to remember the victims.

Ukraine today says the famine was an act of genocide orchestrated by Stalin.

The torch remembering its victims was carried by president of the Ukrainian World Congress, Askold Lozynskyj, and Ukraine ambassador Vladyslav Rohovyi.

Guests included Nottingham East MP John Heppell who has vowed to campaign for recognition of the Holodomor as an act of genocide.

He said: "We can see that this was not just a crime against Ukraine, but a crime against humanity and I find it impossible to see that as anything other than genocide."

A national commemorative event will be held on November 22 in London.

Our thanks to Michael Kachor for alerting us to this. My family were victims of this horrific tragedy, and it must never be forgotten. Through remembrance we Ukrainians throughout the world can heal, and make sure that this never happens again.

Can you imagine what it might be like to have to tidy up a place of this size?! I certainly wouldn't mind giving it a try! Please note that this entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! And Thank You For Stopping By!

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

Image Credit: Digital Photos.net

I love to go to estate sales, and over the weekend I had the opportunity to attend one in my own neighbourhood. The sale was for the contents of a house that's owner had lived in for a very long time, and had recently passed on at the grand old age of 100.

I purchased a few wonderful pieces that I may blog about here in the future, but I definitely wanted to share this one photo I had bought that you see above.

Despite being in a very sturdy wooden frame the photo suffers from some scratches, and obvious nicotine damage. It is also in a fairly fragile state.

I often pick up old photos at sales, and wonder about who or what may be behind the images, and for some reason this couple held a sad attraction for me.

When I inquired who they maybe I was told by the lady's descendants that they believed the couple were in fact her grandparents, but had no real idea as to who they were, their names, or even where the photo may have been taken. They speculated it may have been England.

The only clue I have to its origin is this stamp at the bottom of the photo. It reads Davis & Lloy (probably Lloyd) Photos, I also purchased a few items that were definitely hand-made in Ireland so this couple may in fact be Irish?

Any thoughts, or ideas on where they may have come from or a date would be much appreciated. I do think they may be Edwardian, and if they were the owner's grandparents this photo may date to the turn of the century.

From The BBC...

When the Buddhas of Bamiyan were carved out of the mountainside, the Roman Empire still dominated the globe.

They towered over a rich valley in what is now central Afghanistan, where caravans of traders would stop and rest on the Silk Road as they transported goods between east and west.

For centuries the two huge statues stood guard over Bamiyan.

But in 2001, just months before they were forced from power, the Taleban dynamited what they considered un-Islamic representations of the human form.

Today all that remains are the recesses where they stood, and the labyrinth of fragile caves surrounding them.

Today there isn't even a paved road connecting the valley to Kabul, but yet inside the caves are a reminder of Bamiyan's past wealth and glory and a new claim to fame that could put the province back on the map.

Inside those caves the steep, narrow steps are crumbling, there are cracks in the mud tunnels carved into the mountainside, and still visible high in the echoing chambers are pieces of Buddhist iconic art which are now thought to be the oldest oil paintings in the world.

Experts feel that the murals found in these caves date back to 650AD and therefore are the earliest representation of this form of art on the planet.

Even more incredible is this part at the end of the BBC article...

A Buddhist pilgrim wrote around the time the paintings were finished in the mid seventh century of the amazing statues - but he described three.

According to his account, the third reclining Buddha was a 1,000 feet long and lay on the valley floor.

It would be remarkable if it was buried beneath the river sediment and two teams of archaeologists, one from France another from Japan, are in a race to find it.

The actor Michael J Fox was born in Edmonton Alberta in 1961. From 1982-1989 he played the character of Alex P. Keaton the neo-conservative, yuppie son of two ageing hippies in a US television show called Family Ties.

The actor saw big screen success in the Back To The Future film series playing time traveller Marty Mcfly (he might just make a good Dr Who companion). He had several successful movies afterwards, but returned to tv in the comedy Spin City from 1996-2000 and won an Emmy for his role. The show carried on for another two years after his departure due to Parkinson's disease.

Since leaving he has written a memoir called Lucky Man, and established the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

I was fortunate enough to meet Mr Fox briefly during the filming of Life with Mikey in 1993, and he was a super nice guy.

An amazing discovery has been recently made in Peru that will help us to better understand pre-Columbian people in that most facinating region of the world.

Here is a snippet from the CBC coverage:

Archeologists in northern Peru say they've unearthed a rare, well-preserved pre-Incan tomb dating back 1,600 years.

The tomb in Ucupe, 670 kilometres from Lima, had human remains as well as ceramics and jewelery, indicating the person was probably from nobility.

"It's clearly a first-rate find, because there is lots of iconography, which are elaborate," Canadian archeologist Steve Bourget told Reuters on Saturday.

"It will be a real pleasure to manipulate the data and compare them to sites like Sipan," said Bourget, who has worked in the area since 1986.

Sipan is a Moche archeological site located in the same region, famous for the tomb of El Señor de Sipan (Lord of Sipan). It is considered to be one of the most important archeological discoveries in the past 30 years because the main tomb was found intact.

Bourget said the team also discovered some technologically sophisticated objects made from copper.

Full CBC Article Here

With the sheer volume of grave robbery that went on in Peru in the past, and still continues on today because of the high demand of collectors around the globe it is a wonder that this tomb even exists in such an intact state. Very exciting indeed!!

Old Fort Niagara as it was

The history of Old Fort Niagara spans more than 300 years, and in that time it survived countless attacks, and several wars. However, due to a possible stupid mistake made by the neighbouring US Coast Guard the old fort went up in flames.

Here is a news snippet:

The fort's staff was busy getting ready for their biggest weekend of the year, when a visitor sounded the alert.

Three nearby fire departments responded to the call and the Coast Guard, stationed next door, but witnesses told us, because of the difficulty getting the heavy equipment in, some park staff had to resort to using garden hoses.

Investigators are still looking into what started the fire, confined to minor roof damage to the Provisions Storehouse built by the British in 1762, including the possibility it was accidentally touched off by a Coast Guard emergency flare.

Coast Guardsmen were conducting training exercises, nearby and there was plenty of wind that could have sent one of the flares or hot embers from one off-course, despite the precautions.

Park officials can't say either, but the Coast Guard is credited with responding quickly.

Full article including video here

Here is a direct link to Old Fort Niagara which hopefully will be ok, and have suffered only very minor damage. This is a terrific historic site that must be preserved for future generations. If you have never been to the Old Fort I highly recommend a visit!

I want to wish our American readers a very happy and safe Fourth of July holiday celebration! For non-Americans this is the day the USA celebrates their freedom, and independence.

Here is some Independence Day trivia for you!

"Trusted by the delegation with making some last minute revisions, John Hancock finished the Declaration of Independence with only the secretary of Congress, Charles Thompson, present. Though Hancock is popularly credited with having completed the last stroke of his bold signature with the phrase, "There, I guess King George will be able to read that," neither Hancock nor Thompson, the only ones who would have known, left any record of the famous one-liner."

I would make a joke about a current King George, but that would be in poor taste!

Happy Independence Day!!!

A replica of Argo, the mythical ship that bore Jason and the Argonauts on their quest for the Golden Fleece, sails through the Corinth Canal, Greece. The ship carries a crew from all 27 EU states.

Image Credit: BBC

Wishing all of our fellow Canadians a very Happy Canada Day!

This entry is for both the Tuesday, and Wednesday editions of WW.

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Perhaps the most colossal understatement in all of history was made by one François-Marie Arouet, better remembered by his pen name Voltaire.

Voltaire 1694-1778

Voltaire was a famed French writer, and philosopher who on learning that Canada had been taken from France by those pesky British said it was no great loss, after all Canada was only......

"A Few Acres Of Snow"

I wonder what he would say now......

Happy Canada Day!

The work of the firemen on the early trains was a dangerous undertaking, and something I personally would never have been able to do no matter how great the pay. The firemen had to frequently crawl along the running boards as the engine thundered onwards. They had to do this in order to place grease in all of the bearings. This work became extremely dangerous in freezing or rainy weather. Yikes!

Early Train Fireman At Work

For a great resource on old railroad jobs, and their descriptions have a look at this page located on the excellent genealogy website RootsWeb.

The Massey family were very prominent Toronto citizens that contributed greatly to arts, and culture within our fair city. The grand mausoleum you see above is their final resting place, which is fairly close to the Didier family plot. The latter is decidedly far less grand, but far more important, at least to us.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! And Thank You For Stopping By!

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Over this past weekend I started reading former Toronto police chief William McCormack's memoir entitled Life On Homicide. The book gives a chilling series of accounts of Toronto the Good more darker side, specifically through the years 1969 - 1979.

So far it has helped in restoring my faith in Toronto coppers that was severely shaken after reading Derek Finkle's book on the Robert Baltovich case entitled No Claim To Mercy which ended up showing how bad policing amongst other problems within our Canadian criminal justice system can result in innocent people going to prison for crimes that they did not commit.

William McCormack writes of a different era, and a different Toronto that includes a city core that is long gone and pre-Eaton Centre.

He does not glamorise the job of a homicide detective at all, and gives a realistic, and in my opinion thus far a compassionate look at the way crimes such as murder have impacted our city. A great read so far, and a must for those interested in true crime, and the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The Cerne Abbas Giant

A shortage of sheep has led to a famous landmark known as the Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset, U.K disappearing under vegetation and moss. How sad would it be to lose this sometimes controversial hill figure of a giant naked man a.k.a "the Rude Giant."

Here is a snippet from the BBC:

The 180ft (54.8m) famous fertility symbol Cerne Abbas Giant was also left struggling under plant life encouraged by a wet start to the summer.

A flock of 100 sheep is usually lent to the National Trust for a few weeks in May to graze on the land.

But a shortage has forced the trust to re-chalk the etching. It is hoped a flock will be on the hillside soon.

Rob Rhodes, National Trust head warden for west Dorset, said: "Every year we have sheep on the hillside eating the grass to keep the giant visible.

"We rely on local farmers and the way agriculture is going at the moment, there's hardly any sheep left in that part of Dorset."

He added that the wet weather had caused a lot of moss and lichen to grow on the giant making the white chalk a greeny colour.

"He is not completely invisible but he is quite overgrown," Mr Rhodes said.

Full BBC Article Here

Hopefully they will be able to do something. How hard could it be to find some sheep to import in, and prevent the loss of this very cool site.

The BBC has posted a short video clip of never before seen footage of Marilyn Monroe.

The footage was taken in 1961 by an extra that was in her last movie entitled The Misfits.

The reels of footage are to be auctioned in Las Vegas this weekend.

They show a very relaxed, and seemingly happy Monroe along with her co-star in the film Clark Gable. He died soon after finishing work on The Misfits.

The video clip can be seen here.

According to a recent BBC news report six buildings and landscapes have been added to the English Heritage "at risk" register to save them for future generations.

How sad is that?

Visually the above has to be the worst.

The lovely fairy-tale like castle was damaged by a tank regiment during the second world war. It has not had a roof since I believe 1957.

Hopefully the British government will step up, and do something to save these, and the other three sites on the list.

Petra is is an archaeological site in Arabah, Aqaba Governorate, Jordan, lying on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains, which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is renowned for its rock-cut architecture.

Petra is also one of the new wonders of the world. And one of the places I would love to travel to one day.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! And Thank You For Stopping By!

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Image Credit: Wiki

That is right! It is Father's Day! And just in case you are wondering I decided to do a replay of last year's ever popular Father's Day history lesson....also to be considered as I have decided to take a day off of rest myself..

Enjoy!

The creation of a national day for Dads began back in the 1900s when a grateful daughter wanted to express her deep appreciation for her own father. A gentleman by the name of William Smart, a civil war veteran, was widowed when his wife died in childbirth. Mr. Smart raised his six children on a rural farm in eastern Washington State. When Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, one of Mr. Smart's children, was grown she wanted to show her appreciation for her father. He had shown her a great love and strength in raising her and her siblings as a single parent. So, in 1909, she proposed a day to honor her father in June (the month of her father's birth).

The very first Fathers' Day followed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge showed support of this becoming a national holiday. However, it wasn't until 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson officially proclaimed Fathers' Day a national holiday to be celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of June.

Harry C. Meek, president of the Lions Club in Chicago, was also a component in establishing Fathers' Day. He gave several speeches around the United States expressing the need for a day to honor our fathers. In 1920 the Lions Clubs of America presented him with a gold watch, with the inscription "Originator of Fathers' Day".

Source: Father's Day History

One of our countries first, and very important commercial industries was logging. Back in the old days huge rafts of squared logs were set up by the loggers. These would make the journey downstream along these vast rivers in the Springtime.

The loggers set up their living quarters right on the giant rafts, and many of them slept, and ate on the deck while travelling to their ports of call. Once there the rafts of timber were disassembled, and the logs shipped to England.

As early as the year 1790 a timber raft travelled all the way from Kingston, Ontario to Quebec City. Quite a feat in my opinion even today!

Image Credit: Hopkins, Frances Anne (1838-1919) Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. R9266-278

For those of us living in tornado country the thought of these super storms that can create these monsters of swirling wind are quite frightening indeed! However, these are certainly not new, and I believe I may have found out why we were originally told that the bathtub was a good place to hide in.

When the city of Regina was struck by a giant twister in 1912, one man was taking his daily bath at the time. The tub was ripped from his disintegrating house, and went flying for a full half a kilometre.

The tub eventually landed on the rooftop of the historic Wascana Hotel, and the man thankfully was reported to have suffered no serious injury.

For a great online resource check out A Window into the Regina Tornado of 1912.

The photo below is very dramatic, and heart-breaking in my opinion.

What you are looking at is the steeple of Evangelist church being consumed by flames. The church is located in the city of Bistrita in Romania's Transylvania region, and it is over 700 years old. The steeple began to burn after a fire broke out in this historic place of worship.

I have no idea the condition of the church at this point nor if any of the building can be saved. Any time we lose a building such as this one my heart gives a little lurch...I guess that is true for anyone that loves, and appreciates history.

Image Credit: BBC

When we were growing up our Mother taught us the value, and importance of sending out thank you cards for different occasions. These occasions included the most obvious ones like appreciation for a birthday gift or a Christmas present, but also for perhaps not as obvious such as an act of kindness, or a thank you at the end of the school year to the teacher or our school bus driver. Those days seem rather far off now, but the giving of thank you cards is something that my siblings, and myself have passed on to the next generation.

It can be fun, and rewarding to teach children the value of sending out thank you cards. In our house we used to play a little game when the children were small like at Christmas time where you would devise your thank you card check list like Santa's elves preparing their great lists, and checking them twice. Then off on a mission to the post office we would go to have all of our cards stamped, and sent off to destinations sometimes faraway. The kids thought it was such great fun!

Today with electronic mail I worry that the giving, and receiving of thank you cards may one day become a lost art in the future.

To keep this wonderful tradition alive we can look to an online source such as Cards Direct that offer these wonderful cards at a fraction of the cost of buying individually at the store. What is great for the kids is that you can order these cards personalized, and include your return addresses on the envelopes giving them their very own unique cards to send to relatives, and friends right from their own desks at home.

Thank you cards are a lovely, and thoughtful tradition that will brighten anyone's day.

It was a historic moment today in Canada as our Prime Minister Stephen Harper made an official apology to former students of the government's native residential school program, and our First Nations people.

Here is a snippet from the CBC coverage:

In the first formal apology ever delivered by a Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper stood in the House of Commons on Wednesday to say sorry to former students of the government's native residential school program.

"Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to offer an apology to former students of Indian residential schools," Harper said in Ottawa, surrounded by a small group of aboriginal leaders and former students, some of whom wept as he spoke.

"The treatment of children in Indian residential schools is a sad chapter in our history.

"Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country," he said to applause.

"The government now recognizes that the consequences of the Indian residential schools policy were profoundly negative and that this policy has had a lasting and damaging impact on aboriginal culture, heritage and language," Harper said.

Full CBC Article Here

What was done to our Native people is akin to genocide, and no less in my mind. To read about the mass graves of children recently discovered please click on Genocide In Canada.

Let us hope this is a first step towards openness, and healing.

The Mirror of Death, detail of the funerary monument of Philippe de Guèldre, duchess of Lorraine and queen of Sicily (1547). I have always had a special fondness for funerary art such as the wonderful example depicted above. I guess they bring back fond childhood memories of tending to the family plot with my Dad while growing up.

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Image Credit: Wiki

I hate coming across articles like the one I will share with you in part below simply because over time I have developed a real dislike (not so much for the grave robbers who are usually very poor to begin with) for collectors of these types of antiquities.

Locals knew about Machu Picchu before Western explorers found it

Here is a snippet from a BBC report that puts the discovery of this magnificent place more than 40 years earlier than previously thought. And yes robbed far earlier as well.

Machu Picchu, now Peru's biggest tourist attraction, was famously believed to have been discovered in 1911 by US explorer Hiram Bingham.

The ruins are the crown jewel of Peru's archaeological sites in Peru and draw thousands of tourists every day.

Machu Pichu carries symbolic value for Peru's indigenous people.

It was built by one of the last Inca emperors, Pachacutec, in around 1450 and kept secret from the Spanish conquerors who invaded about 100 years later.

Now the story about its discovery by the western world has been shaken up by a team of historians who say a German businessman looted its treasures more than 40 years before.

They say the adventurer, Augusto Berns, who traded in Peru's wood and gold, raided the citadel's tombs in 1867 apparently with the blessing of the Peruvian government.

He had set up a sawmill at the foot of the forested mountain on which Machu Picchu stands and systematically robbed precious artefacts which he sold to European galleries and museums.

Only when one of the historians found a map in Peru's national museum were his activities traced.

Full BBC Article Here

How much of Machu Picchu's secrets, and treasures were lost not only to Peru, but to the world I think we will probably never know. And perhaps if we did it would only make it that much harder to have to accept.

If this subject interests you at all please have a look at my review of Stealing History, which helped to really open my eyes to this growing problem, particularly in countries such as Iraq.

Can you imagine what it might be like if it was claimed your ancestors did not exist, and therefore you do not either? At least not officially.

That is exactly what happened to the Ainu people of Japan. Here is a snippet from a BBc article detailing their struggle for recognition.

In the 19th Century, Japanese people called the northern island of Hokkaido "Ezochi".

It meant "Land of the Ainu", a reference to the fair-skinned, long-haired people who had lived there for hundreds of years.

The Ainu were hunters and fishermen with animist beliefs.

But their communities and traditions were eroded by waves of Japanese settlement and subsequent assimilation policies.

Today only small numbers of Ainu remain, and they constitute one of Japan's most marginalised groups.

(This past) Friday they will have something to celebrate.

Japan's parliament is to adopt a resolution that, for the first time, formally recognises the Ainu as "an indigenous people with a distinct language, religion and culture".

Full BBC Article Here

I am almost ashamed to admit that as a Westerner I had never even heard of the Ainu before that in some ways remind me of the Inuit people here in Canada. I am very happy for them, and all I can add is that it by far about time.

Image: Ainu Museum - BBC

Last weekend we attended some of the Yard Sale For The Cure garage sales that were happening around Toronto as eager shoppers. Not only do proceeds from this annual event go to a very good cause, but you never know what little gem you may find. This year we were in luck to find a copy of Mike Filey's book Mount Pleasant Cemetery: An Illustrated Guide that we had foolishly loaned out to someone 6 years prior, and had never been returned.

Here is a snippet about the book:

"In Mount Pleasant Cemetery: An Illustrated Guide, Mike Filey brings us closer to the lives of those who are at rest in Ontario's most beautiful burial ground. Established in 1876 as a cemetery for all, irrespective of race or religion, Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, (now stretching from Yonge Street to Bayview Avenue, north of Bloor between Merton Street and Moore Avenue) was immediately perceived as a city attraction, featured in the daily papers, and recommended by city guide books. As well the magnificent grounds (designed by German landscape architect Henry Englehardt) which attracted visitors at the end of the nineteenth century, the cemetery now has an exceptionally rich and textured history and tells the story of Toronto's growth and change.

Collected in this guide, and arranged according to the cemetery layout, are nearly three hundred short life stories, intended to round out the biographies the head stone inscriptions can only hint at. As well as such important Canadian figures as Glenn Gould and Timothy Eaton, the biographies of less well-known Canadians, whose mostly ordinary lives were ended in unusual ways, are also included. Explanations of the funereal stones, descriptions of the shrubs and trees, and detailed maps of the grounds, showing the approximate location of all markers, help the visitor to appreciate some of the cemetery's physical features.

With book in hand, the Mount Pleasant tourist can enjoy Mt. Pleasant's calm and beauty and discover the personal histories that make up Toronto's social past."

Aside from the rich, and the famous Mount Pleasant Cemetery is also the final resting place of the Didier family so it is close to our hearts.

Finding a copy of the guide book has inspired us to visit this magnificent cemetery perhaps over this very weekend, and photograph some of the more famous, and the more interesting, and unique monuments to share here on Pastymes.

A bizarre discovery was made recently in Chartres, France. And here is a pic:

Seen above is a World War II US tank that was discovered buried under a street. The M5 light tank was from the 31st Tank Battalion, and was a part of the 1944 D-Day invasion force. I wonder how it got buried where it did, and why it was left undisturbed, and undetected for so long?

Very cool find though.

Image Credit: BBC

In the pre-Confederation days prospectors crossing Northern Ontario were puzzled by the fact that their compasses spun crazily in the area of present day Sudbury.

The mystery of the spinning compasses was eventually solved during the 1880s when construction gangs were blasting with dynamite through the pre-Cambrian rock in order to lay down a road bed for the Canadian Pacific Railway or C.P.R.

What they found was was nickel deposits so vast in scope that it staggered the imagination of the entire world!

Mystery solved.

Source/s:

It Happened In Canada
By: Gordon Johnston

Something about this photo showing traditional attire from around the world being worn at the 28th International Congress of Midwives in Scotland is appealing to me. What can I say, but I love to dress up particularly if it is in period costume.

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Image Credit: BBC

A very rare portrait of Princess Elizabeth who later become Queen Elizabeth I has been discovered within a historic British home.

I have enlarged, and cropped the above image so that you can have a better view of Princess Elizabeth who is on the right.

Here is a snippet from the BBC write-up on this amazing discovery!

The portrait, dating from 1650 to 1680, was found in the Duke of Buccleuch's collection at Boughton House.

It shows Elizabeth with siblings Edward VI and Mary I, father Henry VIII and his jester, Will Somers.

It is a copy of an original panel painting, which is thought to date back to the early 1550s.

The portrait was examined by historians Alison Weir and Tracy Borman after they were told of its existence by the director of Boughton House.

It will now be put on display at the stately home, and historians hope to trace the original through publicising the discovery.

Portraits of Queen Elizabeth I before her accession to the throne are extremely rare, with only two other proven portraits known - one at Hampton Court and the other at Windsor Castle.

Full BBC Article Here

This terrific piece of art depicting the Tudor era is to go on public display this August 2008.

I came across the following news bit regarding Shakespeare, and a possible curse, and it immediately caught my interest!

William Shakespeare's tombstone is set for an upgrade - despite bearing a warning curse! This is the first I had heard of a curse being placed on the bard's tomb....read on.....

Photo of The Tomb.

William Shakespeare's tombstone is set for a makeover - despite bearing a curse against those who move it.

The grave is being restored as part of extensive repairs at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-on-Avon, Warks.

The stone, which renovators say will not be moved, warns: "Blessed be the man that spares these stones/ And cursed be he who moves my bones."

Shakespeare, who was baptised and buried at the church, is thought to have penned the warning epitaph.

The Bard's words have warned off the curious for almost four centuries as well as sending a plea to modern developers.

He was baptised at Holy Trinity in April 1564 and buried there 52 years later.

His grave slab in the chancel and a memorial to him are visited by thousands of tourists every year.

Full BBC Article Here

Would you be comfortable working at this location? Do you believe in curses? Will be interesting to see if anything noteworthy happens during the renovations.

A metal cup seen above that was acquired by a rag and bone man is revealed to be a pure gold goblet dating to the 4th Century BC. Now that is my kind of find! Here is a snippet from the BBC:

The vessel has two female faces looking in opposite directions with their foreheads decorated with a snake motif. William Sparks, who ran a scrap metal business in Taunton during the 1930s and 40s, left the ancient treasure to his young grandson John Webber.

The goblet is to be sold by Duke's auction house in Dorchester, Dorset.

Mr Webber, 70, said: "My grandfather was originally a proper rag and bone man from Romany stock and lived in a caravan.

Full BBC Article Here

The mug's value is estimated at up to £500,000 or one million dollars USA.

The BBC article also has a highly interesting video to go with it.

Well according to this real-life Indiana Jones it has.

He maybe considered the world's most flamboyant archaeologist, but I think that is definitely part of his charm. I love watching documentaries that feature Mr Hawass because his passion, and love of Egypt shine through each time. Here is a news snippet on his latest discovery:

With a team of 12 archeologists and 70 excavators, Zahi Hawass, 60, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, has started searching for the entrance to her tomb.

And after a breakthrough two weeks ago he hopes to find her lover, the Roman general Mark Antony, sharing her last resting place at the site of a temple, the Taposiris Magna, 28 miles west of Alexandria.

Hawass has discovered a 400ft tunnel beneath the temple containing clues that the supposedly beautiful queen may lie beneath. “We’ve found tunnels with statues of Cleopatra and many coins bearing her face, things you wouldn’t expect in a typical temple,” he said.

Full Article Here

How cool is this eh! I would love to be able to be there, and see these wonderful discoveries as they are being made.