Trip to Drayton,Ontario with ladies group

A sea of grey and white heads met me as I boarded the chartered bus which would take us first to Elmira to Crossroads Restaurant for lunch and then onto Drayton, Ontario where we would have the pleasure of seeing a live performance of "The Sound of Music."

On the way to Elmira, happy chatter filled my ears as people enjoyed the smooth ride through lovely countryside.  It was a time for singing together from song sheets, clean jokes being shared, and a time to visit with each other.

The restaurant "Crossroads" was run by the Mennonite people as far as I was able to ascertain.  We had a very sweet lady look after our table.  She was dressed in a long gown which reached to the floor, a very plain style, in a gentle colour.  She also had a little white cap on her lovely hair.

Kindness and peacefulness shone from her face as she served us.  One of our ladies had a fall as she was getting up from her chair to go to the buffet table and as you can imagine, great concern was shown for her.  Fortunately, she was just shaken up.  The staff immediately sat her on a chair a little away from where she sat before while friends clustered around her. 

With calmness and serenity, the servers cleaned up the mess and continued to look after the other guests.  I was very impressed with their efficiency and the care they took of the lady who fell.

The buffet was groaning and if everybody ate a little bit of each dish, they too would be groaning|!

After a quick look at the gift shop attached to the restaurant, we clambered up the steep stairs of the bus and took our seats.

That was the only difficult part of the trip for those with mobility issues.

After a short drive, we arrived in Drayton.  On our way we saw cows grazing in farmer's fields, cats slinking across the road, birds singing their hearts out although we could not hear them through the bus windows and at one point, we saw a Mennonite man in a horse and buggy.

Drayton is a very small place but they have a magnificient building which houses the cultural events they run.

The place where the play was held

a side view from where our bus driver let us off

On the main drag - peaceful looking!

The post office in Drayton

I liked how the play was done, it did not follow the movie but I suspect may have followed the book more.  It was wonderful singing, a good story plot and very well done.

It took a while to get people back into their buses, there were several groups of seniors there from different areas.

On the way home, we ran into a storm which had hail stones, sheets of rain, lightening and we saw a lightening strike which caused a large flash.  We did not know what had been hit.

We arrived back at approximately 7 p.m. and I walked home when I managed to get soaked through and through.  However, thankfully it was not far and I could change into dry things right away.

A marvelous and happy day for all!

Thanks for droppingt by.

TRIP TO KITCHENER, ONTARIO

Yesterday was very cold but clear and I went to see Anna and Bill in Kitchener.   The ride up there was wonderful, I haven't been there for a few months and as always, enjoy going through the countryside.

I really love the route from Hamilton to Kitchener as it meanders through little country towns.  I see the occasional cow or horse, lots of lovely farmland and patches of forest where the sun does not seem to shine.  With my great imagination, I visualize walking in those patches of forest, communing with the animals who reside there, and just enjoying the feeling of oneness with God's creation.

I feel so "at home" when I walk in nature.  Even though, this time, it was an imaginary walk, I still enjoyed it!

It was a very smooth ride to Kitchener and we made terrific time.  The bus was not even a quarter filled and I would imagine that the company lost money on that trip.  I always take the 10:30 bus as it takes an hour and a half to get there.

Bill met me at the Kitchener station and we had to wait for the next No. 15 bus to go up to their new area.  That bus only runs every half hour.

When we arrived home, they opened their Christmas presents  that I brought for them and seemed to like them.  I was glad as I tried to pick thing which are practical and yet pretty.

Bill took me back to the bus station and waited with me until the Hamilton bound bus came in.  He was able to get his own bus back at 4:30 which worked out very well for everybody.  The bus home was a much longer ride as the traffic was quite heavy.  It was dark by that time so saw many Christmas lights on the houses.  I really like the animals that are lit up.  They seem to be made with some type of wire and I think they are very elegant.  Gore Park has some as well.  The ride home was smooth and very soothing as it was dark out and the lights in the bus were turned down.

All in all, a nice visit.   I'll go up again once the warmer weather comes back.

Thanks for dropping by.

Poetry and Art together in Dundas, Ontario

I thought she was cute

Penguins

Jeff in front of an interesting door.

Jeff's poem

My friend Jeff picked me up and we went over to Dundas.  The bus runs only every hour to Dundas so I was very glad to have a ride. It is more fun to go with a friend than by yourself.

It is such a lovely small town atmosphere.  There were some splendid trees still with leaves on them and there are many stately homes in Dundas.  It is older than Hamilton.  I love going there as the shops are quaint and the people are very friendly.

Our purpose for going was to see our poems in the storefront windows.  Once a year, Tower Poets and Carnagie Gallery team together to match art work with poems.  This year, I picked a willow tree and wrote a poem about it.  Thanks to my pal Jeff, who took me to Coutes Drive Trail when it was a little warmer.  It was a very enjoyable time walking that trail..

The willow tree and my poem to the side of it.

That is the picture of the willow tree, and the store owner had put my poem beside it.  It might have been better to have the picture on top with the poem underneath it.  However, that is how the shop owner put it.

We bumped into a fellow poet Marianne and she was doing to art walk as well which was very pleasant.

We were fortunate in the weather as the sun was shining and it was not overly cold.

Here are some cute shops of some displays in Dundas which I liked.

Jeff, at an interesting gate

My buddy and I - he's a bear and we were nose to nose

We sat in the wonderful sun for awhile and enjoyed the ambiance of Dundas.  He dropped me off on James Street where it was safe to let me out rather than on Main Street, which is like a racetrack!

All in all, a nice way to spend a couple of hours.

Waterfront Trail - Burlington, Ontario

Me, sharing a moment with a tree

A more sober look

My friend Jeff picked me up at 1 p.m. in the front of my building.  We had both brought our books and our chairs and I made a thermos of coffee and sneaked some cookies into the bag just for a snack.

He had given me three choices of places to go and I chose the waterfront.  We ended up in Burlington.  There were so many cars there that we were lucky to find a parking spot.

We went for a nice walk first and I sighted the cutest little snail on a leaf.

Jeff's hand is more steady than mine so he took some shots of the dear little thing.

The lovely little snail

Jeff's fingers holding the leaf up so I could get a better picture

As we walked along, we saw many interesting things to see.  It is more cultivated than Coots Drive trail.  We saw grapes vines (now bare), milk pods (now gone) and we did not see a green tree frog.

I enjoyed this place very much but I really loved Coots Drive the best.  However, each area has its own beauty.

Crouching behind an interesting tree.

I found this tree so interesting and a perfect spot to take some pictures.

After our walk on the paved pathway, we walked on the harder sand near the water's edge.  It was unbelievable to see adults and children swimming on October 10th!  It has been Indian Summer here for the last few days and everybody is taking advantage of that.  Children were building sand castles and making paths in the sand for the water to flow from.

Castles in the sand - do you remember doing that as a child?

Enterprising young children - it gladdens my heart to see them still doing simple, enjoyable things.

We saw a fellow on a surf board, lots of motor crafts on the water, a few yachts  but no sail boats.  I found that interesting as on Hamilton's side of Lake Ontario, there are tons of sailboats.  It is such a treat to see them from my window on nice clear days.

Bathing beauties - Burlington style

We sat here for our coffee and cookies and to people watch.

Various beach shots.

It was a most pleasant afternoon but after a few hours, it was getting a little cool so he dropped me off in front of my building.

It was good as I had had no sleep the night before so was getting very tired.

All in all, a nice outing with a friend near the beach.

Sleepless night here in Hamilton, Ontario

Alas, in spite of being tired, I could not sleep. This seems to happen every time there is a change in the weather.

As I peek out the window (3 a.m.), I see fog and wet streets. Can hardly see down the street.

Since it is cheaper to wash from 12 midnight to 7 a.m. now in Ontario, I put in a load of washing. Sure hope my neighbour downstairs doesn't hear it but I doubt that he will as it is in the sitting room area.

Otherwise, I have to wait till 5 p.m. for the mid-peak time to wash. That is a little more expensive but still not as expensive as the peak time.

I had a lovely chat via the internet with my friend Carol. She was up too and could not sleep.

She is coming to Gilda's art exhibit as well on Sunday so it will be good to see her again.

She is a lovely person.

The next two weekends will be very busy for me. Still am sorting out and washing my winter clothing to put it away for the warmer season and have piles of clean summer clothes to iron.

I love the four seasons here in Canada, but you need far more clothes than you would if it were just one or two seasons.

Oh well, once it's done, I shall be glad and won't have to think about a seasonal change of clothing until about October, depending on the weather.

The Black Forest Inn

My friend Jennifer and our very friendly waitress!

One of the waitresses took this picture of Jennifer and I. Note her lovely elephant necklace. I redesigned it and made it into a different necklace! She loved it.

My friend Jennifer invited me to dine with her at the Black Forest Inn on King Street. It is one of my favourite places to go here in Hamilton.

As it happens, Rosie and Trudy were there as well which was so nice.

We had a delicious meal and there was enough to bring a doggie bag home! We decided to walk over to Arts Hamilton since we were parked near bye and it was a good job that we did.

Apparently they were trying to get in touch with me as I had to pick up the 3 packages of short stories to judge. It is a lot of reading and I try very hard to be fair so I have my work cut out for me for the next few days.

Tambu, Jennifer and I had a nice chat and we enjoyed our time there. There were no sales of any of the jewellery of any of the jewellery artists but they are thinking of putting one of the students outside with a table and displaying it that way.

I found out that Tambu writes romantic stories so I should like to read them. In Zimbabwye she was a journalist. After we left there, we went to Denningers and then to No Frills. Jennifer is so kind to take me there as it means a chance for me to get some groceries without lugging them on the bus.

The rain was quite heavy, but in spite of that, we had a good time!

Wilma

A rainy day in Hamilton

I am glad that I don't need to go out today. I have started weeding out old things I no longer need and that is a good feeling. In between, I take a rest and watch DVD's brought back from Guyana, S.A. I have Guyanese friends both in Toronto and in Hamilton so it is good to learn more about their country.

My friend Andrew has lent them to me and they are amazing.

I wish I had seen them before I brought the topic on Guyana at the last World Day of Prayer. It was interesting enough just from the research I did, but it is so much better when you see a DVD on the country!

I find these scientist and naturalists amazing people and really brave. In the interior of Guyana, the rivers have pirranna fish, caymans (a kind of crocodile) and other creatures which I would not care to come face to face with.

It makes me appreciate living in Canada and in a city!

The scenery in the Rain Forests of Guyana and the different species are really something to be amazed about and shows the diversity of flora and wildlife that this earth has.

Thanks for reading my blog and have a nice day!

Finding a bead store in Hamilton

I am so delighted that I have found a bead store right on Ottawa Street off Barton. It is only about 20 minutes to get to on the bus and they have a nice wide selection of beads and findings to choose from.

A friend of mine will drive me to Dundas one of these days, and show me one there as well.

I love making jewellery and people seem to be happy to receive them as gifts.

It makes me very happy when I see how much they like them.

Weekend in Toronto, Ontario

Cutting her cake -Sonia and Rene bought this lovely ice cream cake!

Wilma, Margaret, Sonia and Eunice - rene took this picture.

Margaret, Eunice and Sonia at the table.

The birthday lady - showing the gifts I brought her. The CD and the necklace, bracelet and earings, plus Princess, her much loved dog.

It was a cold, but nice weekend as I stepped out of my door and pulled my little red suitcase behind me. Clickity, clack, clickity clack, along we went for our six or seven minute walk to the Go Terminal on Hunter Street.

For some unexplicable reason, I was early and as I went onto the bus platform, I saw the Toronto bus sitting there ready to be loaded.

My little red suitcase and I trotted over to the short line up and waited for the driver to come back. As I looked back, I saw the line grow bigger and bigger as more people came. I was glad that I was one of the first in line as I would get the seat near the driver.

One big heave and my little suitcase was put into the "hold" on the side of the bus. The next hurdle was to get up those narrow and windy stairs. Each muscle which I never knew I had; protested about this injustice to them, as cane in hand, handbag looped over my neck, I clambered aboard the waiting bus. Gone are the days I can gracefully get into a bus or a car!

The ride in was uneventful, passing Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga and then finally into Toronto and the downtown area.

The place where Wheeltrans picks up passengers is under the clock at Front and Bay which is about a five minute walk from the Go Station.

I was early so found a cozy little spot in the quieter part of Union Station and had a coffee and read my little pocket book about cat adventures.

The rules in Toronto for Wheeltrans is that the passenger has to be outside waiting for half an hour under the clock at Union Station so as you can imagine, I was quite cold.

I qualify still for Wheeltrans in Toronto as I had it before, so was very lucky to be able to keep it even when I moved away. The fare is the same as a regular Toronto bus ticket.

For those who may not know what Wheeltrans is, it is a specialized service for people with disabilities. People using walkers, scooters, wheelchairs get picked up at their homes and brought to their destinations. In the case of Toronto's Wheeltrans service, one has to call the day ahead and hope to get a ride.

Calling from Hamilton almost ensures that you get a ride as they service out of town people and deaf people on that line. I learned a valuable lesson one time, I should book my return trip while in Hamilton, otherwise I and hundreds of other people will be trying to get a ride and may not succeed.

It happened to me once that I had to remain at my friend's place for two days before I could get a ride back down to Union Station to return to Hamilton.

A mini-van, with a ramp, picked me up - a very pleasant driver who was so very helpful to me, helping me over a snow bank and taking my suitcase from me. Those things really mean a lot to me.

I arrived at my friend Margaret's early as I was the lone passenger this time. Normally, there may be other passengers who are going in the same direction but this time, I was alone.

What a blessing it is to have Wheeltrans still. I could not climb the stairs in the subway with my suitcase.

Sonia and Rene arrived about 2 p.m. and Eunice came later Sonia and Rene had insisted that they go to the Mandarin and buy lunch for everybody which was very gracious of them.

We had a lovely time and chatted together. As always, I took the pictures and have already sent them to be developed at Japan Camera in the mall.

The next day, Margaret and I spent a quiet time until the Van came to pick me up. This driver was extremely talkative. He and his wife had seven children, all of which went to University here in Canada and all are doing well. They are from Somalia. His Grandmother and Mother-in-Law live with them in a big house which they bought.

I really enjoyed talking and listening to him and in my view, he has done extremely well. It was a great arrangement really, two parents working, children being looked after by the grandmothers who also looked after the cleaning and the cooking.

It just shows what a cohesive family group can do if they all pull together.

The bus going home was so crowded, with people standing and I was thankful I got a seat in the very back.

All in all, a very nice weekend.