Wilma's blog: Our last picnic for this year - the Whitehern gals and guys

What more could anybody want in this life? Good friends, fantastic food, lovely surroundings, and lots of laughs.

Today was our final picnic for the year. As many of you, who follow this blog on a regular basis know, all summer long each Wednesday a group of friends gather in the Whitehern gardens for two hours of gorgeous music, snacks and jovial company.

Each year, we meet about two weeks after and go for our final picnic at a little park at Bay and Hunter where there is a gorgeous weeping willow tree. It is easy to get to from Main Street or one could take the No. 7, No. 4, No. 8 bus who all go to that corner.

Here are some shots.

Left to right: Marisol, Ruby, Jeff. Wilma, Anita, Joanne

Missing: Grace (in hospital) Sami - unwell

Jeff taking a picture. Gentleman in black is Andre

Andre holding his piece of home made carrot cake -

Joanne and Anita were responsible for the food. We each paid a little bit of money to pay for the ingredients and these two wonderful ladies did the picnic. Joanne is a super cook! Potato salad, macaroni salad, cold cuts, cheeses, different types of juices and for dessert, Joanne made a yummy carrot cake as well as a pecan pie!

The gals playing a game - pass a bag full of goodies around. Jeff played his ukulele and when he stopped, the one holding the bag had to leave the game. This was Marisol's idea and her present to the group. She is the youngest member of our group.

Playing the game

The guys playing the game. Missing Sami here.

Clowning it up for the camera

It was great fun and lots of laugh playing this game.

The two winners - Anita and Andre

After the games, Jeff played his ukulele and sang. On the songs we knew, we all joined in. It was wonderful. I love to sing and this made my day. Everybody enjoyed that so much. I will always remember with fondness after my time in the hospital a few years back, Jeff picked me up and we went to Fifty Point Conservation area and just sat and read our books and he played his ukulele and sang. It was just the right thing for me at that time.

There was a homeless man sitting on the bench and I noticed him, so I asked if we could share some of our food and Andre took it over to him. I was so proud of our little group! We did the right thing to hare.

A musician and a poet

Jeff and the sing along time

Jeff and I - two poets and music lovers together

I don't think this day could have been any better. We missed our Grace and our Sami as they were both incapacitated at this time.

After our group split up due to parking problems and time limits for that, Mohammad, Marisol and I walked down towards Main Street and conversed for awhile and then Marisol and I went to visit City Hall as she had never been there before.

We did a little exploring and then we went up to the mayor's office and then to the councillor's office. I asked for information on how to thank the city and Hamilton Street Railway for not only the free shuttle bus, but also now extending the No. 20 bus to go down to Pier 8. The staff were lovely there. One of the city councillors came out to speak to us for a few minutes and she great!

When I got home, I contacted Jason who is my alderman and sent him a thank you note as well. The mayor's office also said they would thank the mayor as well for me.

Jason always answers my emails so tomorrow I would imagine I will get an email back.

While we were walking towards City Hall we took some pictures as well which I will share with you.