Monday, April 30, 2012

Princess Point - April 29,2012

 I met a young woman at St. Paul's yesterday and invited her home for a light lunch then we went to Princess Point for the afternoon.  It was a lovely day, not too warm and not too cold.  Just right for a nice hike in the "wilds" of Princess Point.

She is a fairly new person to Hamilton and had never been to Princess Point.

We spent a very pleasant afternoon together and she was delighted to find such a nice area accessible by bus.

She doesn't live too far from where I live. 

Here are some shots of Princess Point as it is in late April.


at Princess Point - the wilder side

a tree which reminds me of aging in humans as well


Imagine what this old tree has seen of animals and humans over the years!


Canada Goose from afar

Friday, April 27, 2012

A wonderful visit with Monica

Trudy's daughter Monica and her husband John have moved to Hamilton. I am delighted to know this as this way I will see them from time to time.

It also means that Trudy will come and stay in Hamilton for at least a week in the summer.

We had a wonderful visit. I was afraid she would not recognize me as the last time we saw each other was in 1989.  It was as if there were no time lapse, we were able to converse, reminise and have some laughs.  I took her around Jackson's Square to show her a few spots.  She was impressed with the Farmer's Market and the Library.  We then went back to my place for a short visit.

It was a very happy day for me.  She and Anna spoke over the phone when she was at my place.

All in all, a fantastic day!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

ABC's & Rice

ABC’s & Rice




Tammy Durand is an extraordinary young woman who is making a difference in this world. She is originally from Sudbury, Ontario and majored in Psychology while in college. For many years, she worked in Canada and the United States for various companies who were in the Transport and Logistics business.





One of her dreams was to travel to Thailand which she achieved. However, she took a side trip to Cambodia on her first trip to that area and saw a flyer advertising an organization, which helps the underprivileged. She extended her stay to research the situation there and began to make plans for a return visit.





In 2010, she founded ABC’s & Rice. The vision of this organization is to facilitate the empowerment of the poor to break the cycle of poverty. She and her life partner, Matt Foote, an Australian, work in the small village of Poom Sala and Kroligne , which is 3 km from the town center of Siem Reap. Due to the extreme poverty of the people, many families are unable to pay to educate their children. In an attempt to get at least some of their children educated, one or more of the remaining children have to work.





She was warmly welcomed by the people and they have a high respect for the work of ABC’s & Rice as well as for herself and Matt.



The programme employs 6 Khmer teachers and 4 center support workers,. There are over 180 students and their families, who rely heavily on help from generous volunteers and donors.



The students range from 4 years of age to 16.The curriculum includes Khmer reading, writing, cultural and morals programme, English studies, art and sports. They also provide personal support and development to the children and their families, including medical and dental care for the children. Support for their work comes mainly from private donors and from fundraising done in Canada



Her motivation is the belief that every child deserves the access and right to education, healthy sustenance, and a safe environment.



For those who are not very familiar with Cambodia, the area where she and Matt work is a comparatively small tropical city, which only gets “cool” anywhere between December and February. The wet season is sticky, when it is not raining and there is always flooding. Last year the city was fully flooded for six weeks.



As a point of interest, one can find spitting cobras, vipers, scorpions and some spiders and in fact, both Tammy and Matt have had more than their share of bites by Brown Recluse spiders whose venom has the potential to kill.



Tammy works two part time jobs to support herself as well as the project and an average work day for her is 17-18 hours. She tries to take some time off on a Sunday, however, her laptop is always with her.



“The future of ABC’s & Rice?



“In a nutshell, I plan on developing it into a self-sustaining model that can be used virtually anywhere, run for and by native Cambodians.” says Tammy in a recent interview.



For more information on how you can help this worthy cause, please visit www.abc-rice.org







Tammy and one of her students

Matt Foote

A snapshot of some of the students

Friday, April 20, 2012

Eleanore's visit to the Club

Yesterday, Wednesday, Eleanore and I had a lovely tea at the Hamilton Club.  I took her on a mini tour of the Club and we spent time in the wonderful ladies room on the second floor.  We took lots of pictures there as there is good lighting and it is a fantastic room.

I plan to spend more time up there as I have found the easier back stairs and can manage them very well up to that level as long as I have my cane with me.   There is a writing desk and easy chairs and the view is marvelous of James Street South.

It will be lovely to sit there when the room is not booked for business meetings.
My dear friend Eleanore - a wonderful and kind lady

Eleanore took this shot of me in front of the Fireplace in the ladies room.


Wish that Blogger had not changed the format

I liked it better the way it was, but perhaps in time I will get used to it.

Tiger (orange) Boots (grey and white)
I am just ttrying it out for now.  

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Wednesday's afternoon tea with Eleanore

Add caption


Reading Martinus' paper in the ladies lounge  URBANICITY
 Ekekabire

Sunday, April 15, 2012

A delightful time for Family Night at the Club

We got the royal treatment and my friends were absolutely delighted, as was I.

Since we were the only group for Family Night, we were very spoiled.  Jacqualine took us for a tour, and then Michael, the chef, took us further up into the lovely club.

I have found a ladies room which I plan to use when I just come to read or relax. It is wonderful.  Better lighting as well and the back stairs go up to it and are easier for me to negotiate.

At one time, ladies had their own section in the club.  I believe it changed in 1960 and both men and women were able to mingle more.


My guests at the club for Family Night


I like this shot the best, better lighting. It was upstairs in one of the many rooms.

The Den where the first shot was taken is a lovely spot, but not particularly great for my dear little camera!

After our tour and the interesting chat with both Michael and Jacqualine, we all went to the Main dining room and had a delicious dinner.




In the Michael Schwenger Dining Room
 It was a wonderful evening and I am so glad that my guests were able to share the time with me at such a lovely venue.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Friday morning's this and that

Tonight will be something to look forward to.  It is Family Night at the Club and I have invited a family with two children and the parents. 

It is a new experience for them as they have never been to the Club.  I know that they will be warmly welcomed. 

We got our new Club Directory in the mail today and my name is in it.  Next year, I suppose I will be added to the list of members which is framed and hung on a wall in the office.

I also am being featured as a new member in the Spring newsletter which will be nice.  It will enable me to meet more people and they will know who I am as there will be a picture and a brief bio with it.

I spend a lot of time at the Club, especially when it is quiet.  I just read and relax there and see people if they come in.  It is nicer than sitting alone at home and it gets me away from the phone and the computer for a little while. 

I had entertained an elderly friend there on Wednesday with coffee and sweets.  She was most impressed with the place,the atmosphere and the wonderful service not to mention the lovely piece of pie she had and the delicious cup of coffee.  She would like to come again some time for lunch.  The Club now has a way that guests of members can pay for themselves.

As it happened. later on they were getting ready for a fundraiser for ABC'S and Rice.  I will write about the event as soon as the organizers send me some more information.  This young lady who has started this amazing programme is Canadian and her school is in Cambodia where she takes in children who have less then nothing.

Enough said about that right now.I watched the staff setting up everything, they moved heavy chairs and tables, cleaned the floors and put on the table cloths and modesty panels on the tables.  I have been at weddings at the Yacht Club as well as other nice functions there, at Carmen's Banquet Hall and some high end Italian restaurants and they certainly hold their own! I was most impressed.  The staff are all hard working people, and they seem to work as a team which will make any organization function well!

All in all, I am very glad that I joined the Hamilton Club and I feel very much at home there.

Thanks for dropping by and have a good day. 

Saturday, April 7, 2012

A nice afternoon

I enjoyed the time at Pier 8 with Sam and Ken.  We had somethng to eat at Williams Coffee Pub and then went for a long walk around the area.

It was a very pleasant time.  The weather could not have been nicer.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

A lovely lunch at the Sheraton Hotel at noontime

My friend Una invited me to eat lunch at the Sheraton.  The food was excellent and I really liked our waitress.

We had a nice little chat.  She gave us excellent service and both Una and I enjoyed chatting with her as well as with each other.

I couldn't eat it all so I brought it home in a doggie bag.  I never can finish a meal no matter where I eat, so I dislike waste and bring it home and enjoy it the next day.  I have eaten several times at the Sheraton and each time I have enjoyed it.

It is Martini night at the club tonight so I will also enjoy this event as well.

Thanks for dropping  by and come back again when you feel like it.