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.

Ukrainian immigrants statue in the City Hall grounds

Ghandi - presented by India to Hamilton

Irish monument - in Gaelic


The rain started as we left the grounds of City Hall but it was not too bad at all.

Thanks for dropping by.

Picnic at Grief Hill

Another peaceful spot

I love evergreen trees - a close up of a branch

I assume this is a pipe for run off water from the rains

Wild mushrooms growing off the wood?

The shadow - taking the flowers in front of the House of Ruth

The welcome sign

the front door of the House of Ruth

Carmen and Wally picked me up at the back door and from there we drove to Grief Hill.

We arrived too early so we spent some lovely time at the House of Ruth where I took some pictures of the surrounding woods.

I really liked that area as it was wooded and away from other places.  Just my cup of tea, so to speak!

Here are some shots of the area.

At the House of|Ruth while we were waiting

Love the birch bark trees

Can't you imagine walking peacefully in these shaded woods?

A picnic table in the sun

My young friends, Carmen and Wally

I walked around the property there and took other shots as well.  I actually liked this area better than where we had booked.

We always go to the same spot and there is room for football or baseball games in this spot for the children.  Wally suggested a water balloon fight but most of us declined even though the weather was warm.


Here is the lodge we booked.

There definitely is more space here for a BBQ and races and the lodge itself is spacious and roomy even with two bathrooms and a shower for those who want to rent it overnight.

I had brought my Turkish apple tea which everybody loved last year so I made a pot of it while others were hiking out of doors and then made another pot for the people who were returning.

As my contribution to the feast, I also had made couscous salad.

Among the dishes we enjoyed, was meatballs in sauce, two or three types of salads, BBQ hotdogs, potato chips and for desert we had peacan pie, chocolate cake and chocolate cheese cake.

Of course, there was coffee and tea whenever anybody wanted it.

All in all a very relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.

Thanks for dropping by.

A short book review

I had the opportunity to read Dr.Izzeldin Abuelaish's book called "I SHALL NOT HATE" which I borrowed from the library.  It not only was well written but also brought home what life in the refugee camps in Palestine is like.

It is not one sided and the whole aim of this book, in my opinion, is to bring peace and harmony so that both the Israeli's and the Palestinians may get to know each other, not as the enemy but as human beings with very similar ideas and ways of living.

There were many times I was in tears in this book, feeling the pain and the intense sorrow and yet, this  physician/writer maintained his faith in God and continued to treat people with respect.

He chooses life and love over hate and revenge.

In memory of his deceased daughters and niece, he has started a foundation to empower and enable girls and women in the Middle East to advance in education.

If you are interested, here is the website.

www.daughtersforlife.com

A hard read, not in how it is written, but to learn the facts of life that so many people have to live under on a daily basis.

Something to think about

Tutor talk at the library

Each tutor was invited to present three pictures of holiday spots this summer and write a short blurb and present it.

Princess Point is one of my favourite places so I chose pictures from my last time there.

Here is my topic and I will try and find the pictures to show you as well.  Unfortunately, I could not copy them onto the blog from the CD so we are out of luck.

It will be delivered somewhere in the middle of the month in the evening.

A Magic Spot

Once upon a time, not too long ago in fact, there was and still is, a magic spot where weary, work- worn people can come to rest, rejuvenate and to drink in the wonders of nature.

A place where you can see deers at dusk, rabbits hiding in the thicket, swans and Canada Geese paddling in the water or parading on land.

A well worn path meanders through the more wild side.  Eager hikers follow the trails,  see the wild flowers, hug the stately old trees and drink in the fragrance all around them.

Logs and carved log benches along the way allow weary people a chance to rest and to meditate beside the water.

Swans swim, ducks thrust their heads underwater, and some waddle up to inspect the humans!

A long canoe, paddled by two, slides effortlessly through the calm waters of Lake Ontario. A peaceful scene.

 

Where is this spot?  Can it be in Hamilton?  

To answer that question, the answer is yes.  To get there, one can drive to Princess Point and  parking is available for a fee.  In my opinion, the best way is to take the Aberdeen bus #6 which takes people right into Princess Point.  It runs every half hour up until 6 p.m. and then it runs every hour.

Hamilton, my chosen city, has wonderful spots by the waterfront, sparkling waterfalls and many interesting urban scenes.  A good place to live, a fantastic place to explore.

Thank you.

A picture of the wonderful scarf my daughter made

Taken in the lounge at Martini Night



I had many lovely compliments on this wonderful scarf my daughter Anna made for me.  It was perfect with my pink slacks and many people at the Club remarked on it.

I think she has done a terrific job.

The Spectator’s view: Succeeding in a new political landscape

The Spectator’s view: Succeeding in a new political landscape





An interesting article - on my son's company.

I haven't written anything for a few days

All is well here, I have just been busy with other things.  The last few days at Pier 8 with Mohammed and Sami, Sarah and I and the last few days of the wonderful shuttle bus.

Here are a few shots from that time.

The Hamiltonian tour boat coming to the aid of the big boat

It is interesting to note that along the edge of the peer, there is a rusted metal, fairly wide wedge to step on.  The big boat, had engine troubles and the little Hamiltonian boat came to help them.  They were unable to go out on the planned tour due to this problem.  I believe that the people got part of their money back if not all.

Hamilton Harbour Queen

I have been on this boat three times, if I am remembering correctly.  It is very nice but on the expensive side as it includes lunch or supper plus I think almost an hour and a half tour of the surrounding area.  I personally prefer the little Hamiltonian as one is closer to the water with its waves!

As a child, I used to row my little row boat out to meet the big steamers on the St. Lawrence River and waved to the sailors as I met the waves head on .  It was so fun and so enjoyable to me.

The little row boat was my favourite.  We had a big motor boat as well as a long six seater row boat and a canoe and later on a yacht but I still preferred my little row boat!

Some of my fondest memories are going with our family across the St. Lawrence River to a little tiny island where the waves lapped over the green mossy rocks.  I think this was my most favourite spot in the world at this time.

Hamilton, and it's waterfront, reminds me so much of my home town, being on Lac St. Louis and our other home in the country which was on the St. Lawrence River.

Speaking of Hamilton, the shuttle bus had it's last ride at 9 p.m. on Labour Day until July 2015.  It was a sad day for me as I was down there so much this summer with friends just sitting, laughing, reading, chatting and enjoying watching people and the many yachts, boats and other water vehicles as well.

The good thing is that the Hamilton Street Railway has now extended the airport bus No. 20 to go down to Pier 8, and I can get it at John and Jackson which is abit of a walk but with my walker, I can do it.

Sami, enjoying the laughter and companionship at Pier 8

The sunsets at Pier 8 are indescribably beautiful.  I saw one that almost brought me to tears but unfortunately I did not have my camera with me.  My camera is a nice one, but it could not have done justice to the sunset over the water.

The only unfortunate part of Pier 8 is that there is very little shade so during the heat of the day, it is not possible to go down there for me at least.

In a few more days, I will start going down to my other favourite spot and take lots of pictures there.

I also hope to take some pictures of a famous garden here within a few days and post them.

I may even go and take some pictures of statues at another location.

We'll see.  The temperature is too hot for me - tomorrow will be 100 degrees F.

On another note, this week I was invited to Ken and Jody's place for a BBQ but it rained so instead we all enjoyed Chinese food and chatted.  Jody was here just for a short while.  She is looking well.

Ava, the dog, growled at me but then remembered me and was all right.

A picture of contentment - note Ava sitting between them on the top of the sofa


We had a lovely visit and I took the 7:15 bus back to down town.

Thanks for dropping by.