Light Rail and Public Transit in Ottawa

George Nelms and Charlotte Whitton,  Mayors, period 1954-1964

Looking back in how the Capital-City of Ottawa was governed in that period we see many poor decisions taken at a time when the enthusiasm of the final Victory of 1945 did not support the hoped long term results in terms of urban development. There was wild hopes that the years after the war and the long economic depression would bring unparalleled prosperity and growth. Out with the old and in with the new, no matter if the ideas were not fully formed or even wise.

Ottawa saw a complete re-organisation of the infrastructure of the City, dramatic changes took place. The infamous Queensway 417 was built in what was then the Southern border of the old downtown, with further housing development south of the highway in the 1960's to 1980's this road permanently divided the City from East to West without really providing any solution to traffic congestion we know all too well today. No one really wants to cross the City from East to West or vice versa on any day after 3pm if it can be avoided. Had the City fathers and mothers thought about it and invested properly that highway would never have been built and today we know how difficult it is to remedy this problem, so it is being expanded as we speak with further lanes of traffic being added, a band-aid solution we are already regretting despite the millions spent.

The other disaster in poor decision making from City Hall we have to contend with today is the very unwise decision by City Council to remove all public transit within the City and the suburbs with the exception of very poor bus service on congested roads. The thinking back then was that in the very near future, say 1984 everyone would have a car like George Jetson and fly around town. The car was the solution of the future and everyone would have one. In the following decades this is how Ottawa developed, giant shopping malls along Hway 417 and in the 1980's the Rideau Centre in the downtown core. You have to have a car to access those malls. A suburb called Kanata, so far removed from the City that to this day it stand at 35 Km from the city centre, back then everyone was waxing poetic about it, not so much today. Or building a new City Hall on Green Island far removed from the core centre and unconnected to anything else in town. The building was finally abandoned in the 1990's and is now an annex to the Foreign Ministry.

The same was done with the Union Train Station in the heart of Ottawa, it was banished to an isolated area south of the City difficult to access. The City up to 1960 had an extensive system of Street cars and suburban trains, all was done away with by the 1960's, leaving commuters to fend for themselves or drive to work. It is strange to see photos of the time with people taking a suburban train into the City as far as Wakefield on the Quebec side of the river. One such person to do this was Prime Minister Mackenzie King, difficult to imagine today with our current PM Harper fancying himself as the Emperor of Canada with his gigantic motorcade of 15 cars.

In 1960 the population of Ottawa was still relatively small at 328,000 pop. today in 2014 the population is at 1,200,000. But little has changed since the 1960's in terms of public transit, hence the urgency to solve the problem. The current Mayor Jim Watson proposed and his now seeing the implementation of Phase I of the Light Rapid Transit (train) which will go from Tunney's Pasture to Blair Road, it is a first phase but already a great improvement and a plan with a vision. A tunnel under the city is approaching completion and there will now be stations at Rideau Centre and University of Ottawa Campus, the Train Station. It is a system for all users and not just a commuter system as detractors (mostly Conservatives and Reformers). It is hoped that the Phase two which will fan out West, South and East will also cover the Airport and the suburb by 2028.

What you realize when you see this plan is that it had been proposed in 1915 but lack of vision and money saw no action at all. We are doing today what should have been done in 1960 instead of the obtuse decision of a City Council dominated by rich and powerful merchants who did not think much of the people of Ottawa.  This LRT Project is the largest and most expensive since the building of the Rideau Canal in 1820 by Colonel John By at $3.1 Billion dllrs. The project phase I of the LRT with the Stations is to be completed by 2017.

What the Station at St-Laurent shopping mall will look like.

What is to my mind the number of angry and anti-public transit voices. During the last Municipal Election a small but vocal minority of extremist supported by John Baird and other Conservative Ministers of the Harper Cabinet all directed by the Prime Minister's Office came out strongly against the project. Their candidate who was another puppet with a less than credible plan tried to discredit the rapid transit project. Mayor Watson won his re-election with a strong and clear mandate, so his vision is going ahead, we, Ottawans can only win. However the attacks against the plan are still being waged by the National Capital Commission another puppet of the Harper Regime, who will try to block the project and the Federal government has not said they will participate financially to the Phase II. By then hopefully we will have another government in Canada more inclusive and open minded.

Map of Phase I the names of the Stations have been changed since this map was first published.

Downtown East is called Parliament now, Train is now called Tremblay Rd. and LeBreton is called by an Algonquin name PIMISI. 

Stratford as a town

Stratford has a lot to offer as a town, the Theatre Festival is now more than 60 years old and employs one thousand people year round in various tasks connected with the  Festival, a huge enterprise. I have been looking into our move to Stratford, now that I am retired I really see little point in staying in Ottawa. I came here for study and work, I never planned to die here. One factor to consider though is our friends and we have a lot of old and dear friends in Ottawa, people we have known for 30+ years. We do not know anyone in Stratford and would have to start over which can be difficult at our age. But Ottawa is a very expensive town, oh yes, it ranks up there with Rome and London, I am not exaggerating, I was involved in price comparison studies and Ottawa is not cheap, food, rent, gas and general expenses reflect the fact that it is the National Capital. So how do we entice our old friends to move or at least visit us. I should do a separate entry on this topic of why I am inclined to leave Ottawa.

But I digress, Stratford functions also outside the Festival and has been mindful to keep in mind that it must be more than one industry town. At one time and for more than 100 years Stratford was a major railway hub and international quality furniture maker. Today the furniture industry is gone and the railway is greatly reduced. The Festival brings in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue which profits to all local businesses, hotels, B& B, restaurants and many shops. To meet the demand of the many tourists and travellers who come to Stratford there are 3 fine chocolate makers with an incredible array of quality hand made chocolates. One is Rheo Thompson rheothompson.com beautiful quality chocolates and candies. The other are Barr Chocolates and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. All are worth a visit because of their in house specialties.

 a very large piece of Fudge with nuts, it weighs about 6 Kg. 

 We actually bought this Creamsicle Fudge it has an orange taste and is quite nice

There is also for the gourmet some 15 fine dining establishment where Chefs outdo themselves with wonderful culinary delights. There are 8 real estate offices, 8 Art galleries, 7 fine coffee houses each one catering to a clientele who prefers good coffee in a relaxed atmosphere. In that category I like Revel Caffè on Market Place. Also 5 bookstores offering a lot of service to its clients in the old fashion way bookstore use to cater to the reading public. I shop at Fanfare Books on Ontario street which has a wide array of books for all taste. For those who love old things 4 antique stores, you can find some real gems often from old Estate sales.  There is also numerous professional services, lawyers offices, Medical doctors, numerous banks, etc... The city does not die during the winter Season as of November, some business have reduced hours but on the whole life goes on. visitstratford.ca

Of the restaurants we enjoyed Pazzo Taverna is a favourite, the Italian cuisine and service are very good, staff are knowledgeable about the wine list and the house specialities. You will not find lasagna or spaghetti on the menu, the chef follows original Italian recipes found in various regions of Italy.
pazzo.ca

Pazzo Taverna on Ontario Street

There is also an excellent Indian Cuisine restaurant Raja on George street, the atmosphere, food and service are excellent. rajastratford.ca

For after dinner drinks and a bite to eat where you are most likely to run into the actors and theatre staff Down the Street Bar on Ontario Street. www.downthestreet.ca

Another favourite restaurant is Mercer Hall Inn mercerhall.ca on the ground floor is the restaurant and  above there are two floors of well appointed rooms and suites, we stayed there and loved it.

We also discovered a new restaurant Bijou on Erie Street, they have no menu, just a blackboard and you read it and choose what you want to eat, there is a prix fixe of  2 plates for a set price and 3 plates for another set price. So it is very simple and good again the service was courteous and knowledgeable. bijourestaurant.com

Stratford is part of what is now called the Nouvelle Ontario Cuisine, focusing on local ingredients and what is in Season. Ontario also has a lot of very good award winning wines. So it makes for a great combination.

Stratford also has many beautiful streets and old homes, it is a town with character.

Stratford Court House

All along the streets arrangements of either fresh herbs or a variety of flowers

What is interesting to note is the display of colours and arrangements everywhere in parks and along streets, a great deal of care has gone into this display throughout the city.

Ornamental fantasy gate in the city centre.

Street scape note that the tall facade were built to impress, the building is in fact not very deep as it can be noticed on the Stratford Tourism building.

Homes on Lake Victoria across from the city centre

Weekend of cooking and Feast Day San Lorenzo

This weekend has been sunny and hot, something rare this summer in Ottawa.

It is also the Feast Day of San Lorenzo in Rome, 10 August, Patron Saint of this most Summer like activity the Bar-B-Q.

Martyrdom of San Lorenzo by Pellegrino Tibaldi, 1592, at the Church of El Escorial, Spain. 

Peaches and plums are back in Season and have started to appear in Farmers Markets. Ontario is a great producer of many fruits and vegetables not to mention award winning wines.

So Will decided to make peach ice cream, he has a machine to do just that and for many decades now he has been making wonderful ice cream, what can I say home made is by far superior to anything you would buy in a store, no chemicals, no added sugar, no emulsifiers or colouring which often gives an acidic taste to commercial ice creams. Many decades ago, I wish I had a picture to show you, he use to make Bombe Glacée which looked like a watermelon with real chocolate pépites to simulate the seeds.

The trick is to have lots of ice to keep things cold, using cream and the whole peach fruit. It taste like ice cream tasted in olden times.

Peaches with cream (peel and pits) to infuse the cream with flavour of the peaches. 

A good blender helps a lot this is our Cuisinart the second one in 36 years.

But if you are in a rush and have no time to make ice cream, here is another old Italian dessert, this is as old as time itself and most authentic Italian dessert you can possibly imagine. Take white peaches wash them and then cut them up, fill a large wine glass with them, then simply pour a chilled dry white wine over them until they are swimming in it. Voilà and serve. Elegant and simple as they day is young.

Also in the summer we will have cold soups, one I like and again it is an old recipe that Will has used for many decades is a cold Zucchini soup to which you can add curry for a spicy twist. There are other recipes using seedless English cucumbers.

This weekend he also made Creamy gazpacho Andaluz, which is a soup we encountered for the first time while travelling in Andalusia last fall in Seville and Granada.  It is served cold and is delicious, especially on a hot summer day.

For this recipe you will need 3 lbs of medium ripe tomatoes, cored
1 small cucumber, peeled, halved and seeded.
1 medium green bell pepper, halved, cored and seeded
1 small red onion, peeled and halved.
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
1 small serrano chile, stemmed and halved length wise
 Kosher salt
1 slice high-quality white sandwich bread, crust removed, torn into 1inch pieces
Half a cup of extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
2 tablespoon finely minced parsley, chives, or basil leaves
Ground black pepper
for the preparation see http://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/6061-creamy-gazpacho-andaluz


I made a warm potatoes salad this weekend, using 4 red potatoes, 2 green onions chopped, half of a large red onion chopped fine, a small tea spoon of cayenne pepper, half a cup of mayonnaise and 3 soup spoons of Dijon Mustard and two soup spoons of grated Parmesan Cheese.

Once your potatoes are cooked cut them up in smaller pieces, mix all the ingredients together and serve.

And we had lots of our favourite Canadian Official Cocktail Bloody Caesar,
with a large celery stalk.

The puppies love the celery stalk.

Nora just back from the groomer's our groomer is Kathryn Bowcott, she does a wonderful job with Dachshunds. You can look her up at Kathy.bowcott@rogers.com

Not to worry Nicky is next, he does not know it yet. Both went to the dentist this summer to have their teeth cleaned so now they have a nice smile with 50 lbs of crush, who knew!

  

from Astronaut to singer or both at the same time

We have this astronaut from Sarnia, Ontario named Chris Hadfield, who was Commander of the Space Station for 166 days. He made his fame while in space by singing to kids and doing a science show from the International Space Station. He has become a sensation and a recognizable name everywhere.

So for this Canada Day he and his brother Dave came up with this song. A simple little ditty but very nice and fun, it has become an instant hit. It was announced by the Governor General that Colonel Hadfield who is a RCAF retired fighter pilot is to receive the Order of Canada this July 1.

Canada… what’s with Canada…
We got great big cities but a lot of trees and rocks
And yes the winter’s cold here – wear two pairs of socks
There’s half the world’s fresh water, to paddle your canoe
Camp along the shoreline, it’s what we like to do.
In Canada… [each time]

Livin in
Float my boat in
Bait my hook in

We tend to do things different, we each have our routine
Some of us eat kubassa, some of us, poutine
But we have traditions, that help us stick together
Our milk comes in a bag, mosquitos eat at leisure.
Playing in a snowsuit, true north strong and free
Hockey Night on Saturday, there on CBC,

Center ice in
He shoots he scores in
A player in

We pronounce the letter R like we’re pirates on a ship
We’ll drive two thousand miles, on a summer camping trip.
We wear Sorels in winter, while plugging in the car
We eat the holes from donuts, we love Nanaimo bars.
And we do possess a word that lubricates our speech:
…“It’s pretty good, eh” …
and it’s always within reach,

How’s it goin in
Out and about in
Drop your G in

I’ve slept out in the forest, scared I heard a bear. 
I’ve climbed a Rocky Mountain, just because it’s there,
Crossed the great St Lawrence, said merci beaucoup,
Pardon me; I’m sorry; excuse me; after you,

Politely in
Line-up here in
You don’t butt in, in Canada

Every city empties on the 24th of May.
If we say “Not bad!”, we’re better than OK,
There’s workman’s comp and pogie, for when we’re shown the door.
There’s Canadian Tire money, in at least one kitchen drawer
And we have a golden rule that runs between these shores:
You stay out of my face, I’ll stay out of yours…

I get along in
Kissed the cod in
The Friendly Giant’s in

Oh………. Canada…

renovations continue apace

Today the workers completed one room and I had then to reposition all the furniture and empty the second room, luckily our friend B.P. came to lend a hand, bless him. The second room is our office, library with hundreds of books, it took 2 and a half hours to empty it and I was quite tired at the end of it all. Tomorrow the workers return to complete the flooring replacement in that smaller room and I believe from what they said that it would take just a few hours. The effect of Birch wood on the new floor is quite lovely.

I am very happy with the way it is turning out. I also hope to meet with the painter tomorrow. I am expecting a wine delivery. I found out you can buy wine by consignment and do not have to go through the LCBO. A blessing because the wines I wish to buy are not available at the LCBO. This week end we may go to the movies to see a film on Venice and Sunday I have my menu planned out for a luncheon for friends who have just arrived from London, UK.

Next week life should return to normal with Museum activities and the first meetings on Museum business etc...

This is much nicer than that awful old beige broadloom which use to be on the floor.

Restaurant review in Stratford, Ontario

I am told that many decades ago when the Stratford Theatre Festival first started in 1953 the choices of restaurants in this small community of 30,000, it was much less then hovering around 12,000, was rather limited. People often came by special trains organized by the Toronto Telegraph Newspaper. You had dinners offered by the Parkview United Church ladies, good, solid food but nothing fancy. There was also the famous Golden Bamboo Chinese restaurant now close for the last 10 years, fondly remembered and still up for sale, and maybe one other diner. In such a small community people had meals at home or went to Kitchener or Guelph for more choices on special occasions.

Today Stratford offers a huge array of fine gourmet dining, the only thing is that if you have evening theatre tickets for a show at 8pm this means having dinner at 5pm and making a table reservation a week or more in advance. If on the other hand you are willing to wait until 7:30pm for dinner then the town is yours as most people will be gone to one of the four main theatre venues.  This is why we enjoyed our B&B so much. At the Stratford Whitehouse www.stratfordwhitehouse.com we had an efficiency apartment with full kitchen, so we could cook meals, easy enough and relaxing.

We also took in Matinées so a show at 2pm is over by 5pm and then its time for cocktails and dinner afterwards.

We went for coffee at Revel Café revelcoffee.com, a very nice coffee shop, modern and funky decor. We had meals at Mercer Hall, www.mercerhall.com great food made from Ontario produce with a European flair and style, I had one of the best steaks ever, reminding me of Tuscany beef and Florence.

We also went to Raja Indian Restaurant, rajafinedining.ca/stratford the service was great, so were the drinks and food. Keystone Alley Café keystonealley.com had the nicest staff and great food.

Pazzo, the Italian restaurant www.pazzo.ca is not to be missed, the Chef Gilad Rozenberg makes his own Burrata in house, I could not believe it, this type of cheese is from the same family as the Mozzarella with the difference that the inside is soft and creamy. In Italy it is made only in the Puglia Region (the heel of the  boot). Their pizzas are also authentic Italian nothing North American about them.

Down the Street downthestreet.ca we went to for cocktails and meals, the kitchen is open late for after theatre crowds. Finally Features restaurant is the best for a great breakfast.

We also went to The Barkery (like in Bark Bark) its a healthy bakery for Dogs. See the webpage at
www.thebarkery.ca Their cookies are so good people eat them, all natural, hypo allergenic, etc...

Now I would be remiss if I did not mention Tim Horton the Canadian doughnut chain available everywhere I am told, sigh....
Well on this trip the infamous Dr. Spo who I am told is the North American Authority on Tim Horton doughnut (see Guinness book of world records) was with us and of course he waxes poetic about Tim Horton. I thought we would need the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) to restrain him when we pass by the local doughnut shop on Ontario street. Apparently it is his considered medical opinion that humans can actually live off a diet of Tim Horton doughnut. It may be true if I look at our Prime Minister S. Harper who is know as a fan of the doughnut chain, he is known to have missed meetings at the United Nation General Assembly in New York to be at the opening of a new Tim Horton.

Though strangely enough, despite the fact that Dr. Spo speaks non-stop of Tim Horton, I never actually seen him eat one. Strange, very strange.

our road trip to the Stratford Theatre Festival 2013

Settlement in Stratford started in 1828, it is located in South West Ontario with a population of 30,000 persons. Part of the river that crosses the city was named the Avon by Canada Company Official John Mercer Jones, the rest of the river which is 273 KM long is known as the Thames, a name given by Governor John Graves Simcoe. The original name in Algonquin language is Askunissippi (Antler) and the lake in the middle of the town is named after Queen Victoria.

Stratford was an important railway junction as of 1858 and then became known for fine quality furniture manufacturing. In 1953 Tom Patterson, a journalist suggested that a Theatre Festival be mounted and only 2 years later, the dream came through. The Festival has become famous because of the big name actors who perform there each summer, in years past, William Hutt, Martha Henry, Sir Alec Guinness, Christopher Plummer, Peter Ustinov, Dame Maggie Smith and the list goes on. But also the quality of the productions, sets and costumes has enhance the prestige of this festival.

This was my first visit to Stratford and for Will it was a return visit the first in 35 years, he attended each year from 1958 to 1978. We saw Fiddler on the roof, Blythe Spirit, The Three Musketeers, Waiting for Godot and Taking Shakespeare.

Will made a donation of theatre material he had collected through the years and we visited the archives of the Festival and met with its Director, Doctor Francesca Marini. The archives building is a very big site and holds costumes, decor, various objects connected with 60 years of Festival performances.

We went to Stratford after I spoke for about two years with fellow bloggers in the USA, Michael http://sporeflections.wordpress.com and David http://harpersvalley.wordpress.com from Phoenix, Arizona. Both have blogs that I read and both suggested we should meet at Stratford. We also met their friend Martin Katz http://songfest.us/martin-katz-piano/ and Dale Zimmerman and this being a small world it turns out we have friends in common.

The City is beautiful and has that feel of a small town in South West Ontario farming community. It is two hours by car from Toronto and is far away to be untainted by that great miasma of a city.

The plays we saw, Fiddler on the roof was the strongest in my opinion, with Scott Wentworth as Tevye  in the title role. Then Waiting for Godot with Stephen Ouimette, Tom Rooney and Brian Dennehy as Pozzo was dark and oppressive, a different presentation from what I had seen in London with Sir Ian McKellen.  I was put off by the constant giggling of a certain number of people who appeared to think that this was a comedy on the scale of Mame. I think that when Beckett wrote this play in 1953 in French, he had gone through the Second World War and its horrors in France. It was a different time and the play appealed to a public who could relate to recent world events. Today all this is very far from us, so far it is difficult to relate to the characters. It would help if the next producer updated the setting to maybe stage it in a refugee camp today.

Taking Shakespeare with Martha Henry as the old professor whose talent is great and a pleasure to see and a young man Luke Humphrey as the student Murph who is starting in the theatre and whose performance is very uneven. We saw him in the Three Musketeers playing D'artagnan it was tedious and frankly I wanted to throw tomatoes, that is how bad it was. Maybe 20 years from now when he grows up....

Noel Coward's Blythe Spirit was a delight, though it is a period piece somewhat removed from our world today. Ben Carlson played Charles and Seana McKenna played Madame Arcati. In the end you realize that none of the characters are very nice people.

We stayed in a beautiful B&B which was more along the lines of an efficiency apartment but very pleasant. We could walk to all venues easily. I liked the fact that it was quiet, more so than Ottawa.

We are scheduled to go back next year to see our friends again and in the meantime I have to investigate more about life in Stratford, Ontario.





 

Maestro Mario Bernardi, 1930-2013

I learned today while listening to WFMT Chicago that Maestro Mario Bernardi died Sunday 2 June in Toronto at the age of 82. He was the founder, creator of the National Arts Centre Orchestra and we owe it to him that it is such a fine orchestra. He was Music Director from 1968 to 1982 and his name is closely linked forever with the NAC.

He was born in Kirland Lake, Ontario in 1930, moved to the Veneto with his mother in 1936 and will study at the Music Conservatory in Treviso and in Venice for several years. A pianist and organist of great talent, he became conductor at the age of 25 with the Canadian Opera Company. In 1959 he will perfect his conducting technique at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with Erich Leinsdorf. In 1963 he moved to London, UK as Music Director of the Sadler's Wells Opera Company. During his time in Ottawa, he also founded the NAC Summer Opera Festival now defunct due to Government cuts in 1982. He made many recordings of works by Schumann and took the NAC on tours around the world.

He was decorated by the Governor General with the Order of Canada in 1972 and he also received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime achievement. He was principal conductor of the CBC Radio Orchestra and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. A man of very great talent and personality.

I dedicate to his memory this piece of music by Dimitri Shostakovich, Jazz suite no.2, IV, Waltz 1.

The LCBO

In Ontario we have the LCBO, the liquor control board of Ontario. All liquor, beer and wine sales come under the Government of Ontario strict control, demon liquor must be regulated. That tells you we got Protestants in charge here. This State monopoly like the one across the river in Quebec at La Régie des alcools brings in mega bucks for the government. The profits go into financing our socialize medical system and other services. Prior to 1990 the LCBO stores had a system where the hours of operations were not convenient and buying any liquor made you feel as if you were a sinner. Liquor was sold in plain brown paper bags, if someone saw you with a paper bag, you know like your neighbour who was big in your church group well, people would talk. The stores themselves were out of the way and when you went in there was a long counter behind it the store clerk and a metal cage where all the liquor was kept. You filled out a paper form with a pencil not a pen, a pencil. You indicated how many bottles you were buying and what you wanted, you signed the form and brought it up to the cash register to pay in cash only. The store clerk would go into the cage to get those items of demon liquor you had bought. A strict control was kept and you knew the government was keeping a eye on you and your sinful ways. Unless you drank for medicinal purposes, a doctors paper would vouch for your health condition.

It was also and still is prohibited from drinking on the street. If you drank at home you had to make sure the curtains of your house front window were firmly and tightly shut in case your neighbours would see you drinking or worse their children and be scarred for life by your sin. Neighbours did call the police on such people who ignored the law. There were also days in the year the sale of liquor was prohibited, Sunday (The Lord's Day Act), Election day, major holidays and it was and still is forbidden to sell any alcohol before 11 am or after 1am, it use to be 11pm until very recently.

In Quebec things were a lot more relaxed, ah those Quebecois always rocking our Canadian boat. You can drink at any time, Sunday, Election day, or any day as early as 6 am. The breakfast of champions in Quebec is a good beer and corn flakes in the morning. Bars never close before 3am. You can buy wine and beer in grocery stores, Quebec is Roman Catholic and French, that explains it I suppose, loose morals and all that.

Living in Ottawa, the Capital of the great and first Dominion of the British Empire, if you wanted a drink, a bit of fun and a good meal you went across the bridge to Gatineau-Hull. In Quebec we invented the institution of the Businessmen's Lunch which meant a hearty meal, a good drink and a stripper. No such thing to this day in prudish, tight lipped and frowning Ontario.
All that started to change slowly in Ontario around the turn  of the millennium. Ottawa is becoming a little more hip and with it and so is the rest of Ontario, this includes Toronto the good, well not so much anymore now that it has the title of the Detroit of the North.

But I digress, the LCBO has changed from the pre-historic time, the stores now have a modern friendly look and offer a wide range of products, they also have very good wine appreciation courses, cooking courses and wine pairing courses. The depot on South Bank street has a wide selection of excellent wines and liquor, our local liquor store just a few doors down from our place is smaller but has a good choice of liquor and wines. The beer store offers Canadian and international choices of beers.

The LCBO also has a very slick glossy magazine in both French and English on food and wines, beautiful photography and great recipes that are easy to follow and easy to make. Not to mention the other magazine VINTAGES which offers a lot of useful information on cocktail mix and wines. This month Vintages has an excellent article on Sake from Japan and how to pair it with food.
Another article on Rhone Valley wines and on Washington State and Oregon wines. All complimented with great photography. Who would have thought that in Calvinist, Orange Lodge Ontario such humanistic pursuits would ever see the light of day.

Look for www.vintages.com  or www.lcbo.com

In the fall edition of Vintages you can find such items on how to create ambiance for  a dinner, new products at the LCBO store, they recommend Hendrick's gin, recipes on preserves since Canadian Thanksgiving is just around the corner, they propose a butter of pumpkin and maple syrup. They also have recommendations on Ontario wines, we do have excellent wines in Ontario, I can vouch for it.
They also have recipes for late summer cocktails like a Martini of peaches and apricots, two fruits from the Niagara Peninsula, or cocktails made from bubbly Rosé or a Kir Impérial of Niagara with raspberries. There are also recipes for hot cocktail mixing White Jasmin tea with a single malt scotch and a bit of honey.
In the food section Baked apple cardamon or Lamb Tajine or a Veal cutlet with Madeira and dried raisins.  They also have a whole section on Bourbon. There is so much more on fish and desserts.
This beautiful magazine is free at the LCBO.

A funny little story, when I came to Ottawa over a year ago to look for lodgings for the family, one selling point the Real Estate agent used was that we were not far from the Liquor store. I thought that comment funny, I asked what he meant, he answered well most clients want to know how close is the school for the kids and where is the nearest Liquor store, two of the most commonly asked questions in real estate. Children drive you to drink, that explains a lot of things.

The Gazebo at Niagara-on-the-Lake, on lake Ontario and the Niagara river.






   

more news

Well I finally found a barber, at least one I like. IMPERIAL is a men's barber shop in the old style, where you can get a shave with hot lather and a straight razor, hot towels etc... The decor is the way barber shops use to look like before 1960, before they became confused in style and feminized. In Ottawa the first IMPERIAL barber shop opened about 20 years ago at the corner of Sparks street and Elgin street by the National War Memorial. At first they caterer to the Canadian Military, it was not uncommon to go in and find officers waiting for a haircut, never saw enlisted men there. So I think I will continue with them. See www.ImperialBarberShop.com

I have now taken to walking up Cartier street and at the Old Teacher's College I continue on Elgin street towards the National Cenotaph at Confederation Square, then turning unto Laurier street to my building.
A nice walk as long as you watch out for the legion of bad drivers on their cel phones in this city. In Ottawa a car is a weapon to be used against people who walk. In the last two months I read about five stories of fatal hit and run, it looks like an epidemic in this city.

I also stopped listening to the CBC in general, CBC radio use to be the best radio station for its music, news, commentary and simply for the hosts they had on the air. Nowadays every morning they have these long, sad, boring stories about some cause like Charitable drop boxes for 3 days running who are in fact for profit and not free and how they should be regulated with stiff penalties. Another favourite topic on Ottawa morning is about some feminist group who think that being pregnant is unnatural for women or the feminist cause is under constant attack from all men who we are told are violent psychopath, etc..

The other morning they had a special appeal from the SPCA no less, looking for foster families to adopt baby squirrels, considering that they belong to the same family as the common rat, one wonders.

The CBC being a public, government funded broadcaster appears to delight in leftist politics, sometimes verging on the extreme left or just plain bizarre. In other words if you are a weirdo with a cause you can be sure they will put you on at CBC Ottawa in the morning before the 8 o'clock news. It's not terribly pleasant for listeners.

Now the CBC is the English public radio broadcaster, if you listen to Radio-Canada, the French public broadcaster they have an entirely different approach, lighthearted, engaging, speaking to a large public, cultured and interesting. They certainly do not preach like their English colleagues and have kept to a programming which is well known and well liked.

To give ourselves diversity we now have at home a device called Airport Express which allows us to listen to 2075 radio stations from around the world. So we can enjoy a more enlighten approach to our radio listening. It is my understanding that CBC Radio might be on the way out come the next budget, maybe it is time to say goodbye. What we have now has nothing to do with what the CBC use to be, how very sad.

A recent business survey revealed that 75% of Canadians are peeved at others in the Office for not taking responsibility for their actions, no wonder in this Nanny State country, it's always someone else fault. Also 58% of women in the Canadian workplace are annoyed at clothes that are too revealing. Strange too much competition ladies? After all most offices today in Canada have a majority of women working. But there is much more, it would appear according to statistics in the workplace that women also complain about scents of any kind, what other people eat at lunch, peanut free zones, sunlight (too much of it), cel phone ringtones. That is a lot and shows in my opinion poor social skills.

The one country who has no pet peeves or little ITALY!!!! I am not surprised, Italians are not the sort to get fazed by others. I found them to be very tolerant in general.

Excellent diner last night in Gatineau

We were invited last night by Marc-Aurèle and Frederick for dinner at their new home on the other side of the Outaouais River in Gatineau (Quebec). Marc-Aurèle is a chef, really, the food he prepared was wonderful and he has flair and talent. Knowing that Will has an allergy to gluten he prepared an entrée with endives and balsamic vinegar reduction which was truly very good. The filet mignon were wonderful cooked just right, he knows his timing when it comes to meat. For desert a personal favourite of mine, Crèpe Suzette flambée, wow! Now he must have gone to Hotel school to learn this or he simply has natural talent.

M.A. should consider as a second career as a chef or caterer. Fred with his sparkling Prussian blue eyes was delightful like always, a graphic artist he has an eye for colours, their lovely new house is tastefully decorated and the colours are relaxing and warm, with beautiful wood floors.

It was very nice of them to invite us, we had a great evening, which helps us re-integrate the great wilderness.