In April the three of us (Ray, Harry and Bradley) flew to Ottawa to visit Mom and look for a house. The first day there Mom and I went to a concert with the National Arts Center Orchestra, Pinchas Zuchreman conducting Peter Paul Kaprowski's Symphonie Cancertante, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Concerto #25 with Angela Chang as the soloist, and Franz Shubert's Symphony #5.
On the second day I wandered around the city, exploring the headquarters of Library and Archives Canada, the walkways along the river, and the amazing architecture on Parlemant Hill. Mom and went to a concert of J.S. Bach's cantatas with the Ottawa Bach Choir, a chamber orchestra playing authentic baroque instruments, and some internationally renound vocal soloists including counter-tenor Daniel Taylor and Victoria's own Benjamin Butterfield who was very surprized to hear from us when we talked to him after the concert.
On the second day we all drove around in the rental car looking for a house all day. I must say, I was slightly sickened to see rows of identical houses stretching as far as the eye could see along the flat uninteresting landscape. After a long day of that we went for dinner at a restaurant in the Byward Market.
On the third day I spent the day at the Museum of Civilization in Gatinau, housed in one of the most extraordinary pieces of modern architecture that I have ever seen.
On the fourth and last day I had hoped to go to the National Art Gallery, but it was closed so I explored the city and its bookstores for the day.
The next morning I was on a plane back to Victoria whatching the continent passing under me on a perfectly clear day.
There was still some snow on the grownd in Ottawa, but the temerature was in the twentys and just durring our short stay things were turning from brown to green. The first two places that Mom and Dad put offers on were sold to other buyers, but the third we got.
Sorry this is so brief and undetailed, but it'll all be in my next newsletter.
Keep in touch!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Boat to Ranch
I am now living out at Aunty Mary's for the meantime. A definite change in lifestyle - from a boat to a ranch - and it has been an interesting but smooth transition. Uncle John is staying here for the time being to work on his garden. Today Mary, Matt, and his girlfriend Veronica, Carter, John, myself, and some visitors armed ourselves with hoes, shovels, and tampers to put in fence-posts and fill the ditch where the drainage pipe has been placed. The new garden is on the parade field off the pasture, so tall fences are necessary to keep the horses and other animals out of the crops.
I now have a "room" (in the literal sense) of my own, in which I have a "bed" and two "windows" which look out over the ranch. Guitars are in abundance here, and in great variety, as Carter plays. However, since he is now only interested in his electric noise-maker (I hope he doesn't read that, or I'm dead...) I have free reign to fool around with the others. Moreover, there is a bath (yes, as in "bath-tub"!), shower, washer and drier, and you don't have to feed them loonies to make them work, so this bilge-rat doesn't stink so bad anymore.
My routine is now to get up as early as I please (around seven), go down and give the horses and ponies their morning flake of hey and do school, play music, and help John for most of the day. I will be spending part of the week at our generous friend's place in Esquimalt, from whence I can easily get to orchestra rehearsal, sword practice, dance practice, meditation, the armouring workshop, libraries, rec. center, etc.
Dad and Harry are still in town for now as Dad is still working on Silent Sound and Harry is still in school, and they may be going to Ontario within the coming month. Mom will be coming to visit this coming weekend and we may celebrate Harry's birthday within the time that she is here.
Anyway, that's the news for now, and I'll try to keep you posted as of moving dates, Harry's party, any future work-parties on John's garden, and other going ons of interest to friends and family.
Your Friend,
Bradley Clements
Deckhand or Stablehand???
I now have a "room" (in the literal sense) of my own, in which I have a "bed" and two "windows" which look out over the ranch. Guitars are in abundance here, and in great variety, as Carter plays. However, since he is now only interested in his electric noise-maker (I hope he doesn't read that, or I'm dead...) I have free reign to fool around with the others. Moreover, there is a bath (yes, as in "bath-tub"!), shower, washer and drier, and you don't have to feed them loonies to make them work, so this bilge-rat doesn't stink so bad anymore.
My routine is now to get up as early as I please (around seven), go down and give the horses and ponies their morning flake of hey and do school, play music, and help John for most of the day. I will be spending part of the week at our generous friend's place in Esquimalt, from whence I can easily get to orchestra rehearsal, sword practice, dance practice, meditation, the armouring workshop, libraries, rec. center, etc.
Dad and Harry are still in town for now as Dad is still working on Silent Sound and Harry is still in school, and they may be going to Ontario within the coming month. Mom will be coming to visit this coming weekend and we may celebrate Harry's birthday within the time that she is here.
Anyway, that's the news for now, and I'll try to keep you posted as of moving dates, Harry's party, any future work-parties on John's garden, and other going ons of interest to friends and family.
Your Friend,
Bradley Clements
Deckhand or Stablehand???
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)