street signs - Kerr St

It's been many weeks (okay, a year) since I last posted a street sign. Has anyone noticed or cared? I didn't mean to take so long to continue the series, but once I'd gotten so far with the alphabetical order, I had to carry on thusly. The next letter was K and I had a street in mind, but not the picture of the sign. Every time I thought I'd get one, something got in the way. And time went on, and on... But the interruption has been hanging over my head for so long  so I abandoned that street and finally chose another.

Kerr Street in Oakville has undergone a renaissance in the last few years. Unlike Bronte, Kerr was never a village. Named for a former postmaster and mayor of Oakville (in 1866) who was the son of one the town's founders, it used to be just another ordinary retail strip that was rather run down. Now, with an injection of government money over the last ten years or so it has become a 'destination' through an intense rejuvenation project. Situated just west of the downtown, this north-south street is now full of many new restaurants and cafes as well as some of the older establishments to meet the needs of the community.

It's not a particularly charming street, full of strip malls like this one

but it is an improvement from only a few years ago before the facelift of some of these businesses. The new banners are serious and sedate looking, a change from the previous ones which were a bit more fun, and quite frankly, I think gave a better indication of the village feel.

If you find yourself on Kerr Street, stay awhile and explore.








see more signs over at Lesley's signs,signs
and click on the street signs tag at the bottom of the post to see the first half of the alphabet!

grave post - William Miller

To a person, everyone we mentioned our visit to the Necropolis asked "did you see the "wee willie winkie" stone? Glaswegians are proud of their homegrown author of this nursery rhyme, William Miller. 

I, and possibly most people, only really remember the first verse

Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,

Up stairs and down stairs in his night-gown,

Tapping at the window, crying at the lock,

Are the children in their bed, for it's past ten o'clock?

but there are more verses. quite a few more.
(if you're interested, here's a link to the Scots version)

Hey, Willie Winkie, are you coming in?

The cat is singing purring sounds to the sleeping hen,

The dog's spread out on the floor, and doesn't give a cheep,

But here's a wakeful little boy who will not fall asleep!

Anything but sleep, you rogue! glowering like the moon,'

Rattling in an iron jug with an iron spoon,

Rumbling, tumbling round about, crowing like a cock,

Shrieking like I don't know what, waking sleeping folk.

Hey, Willie Winkie – the child's in a creel!

Wriggling from everyone's knee like an eel,

Tugging at the cat's ear, and confusing all her thrums

Hey, Willie Winkie – see, there he comes!"

Weary is the mother who has a dusty child,

A small short little child, who can't run on his own,

Who always has a battle with sleep before he'll close an eye

But a kiss from his rosy lips gives strength anew to me.

According to the Scottish Poetry Library:

William Miller was born in Briggate, Glasgow, in August 1810.  He served an apprenticeship to a wood-turner, and became a skilled cabinet-maker, a trade which he followed for the rest of his life.  He began to write poetry while still a youth, contributing to local newspapers and periodicals; the appearance of 'Willie Winkie' and several other nursery poems in the 3rd and 4th series of Whistle-binkie  (1839-43) established his reputation.  His best poems were thus produced before he was thirty-six; he then wrote little until the year before his death.  He died in poverty in 1872, and is buried in Tollcross, in a plot that does not bear his name.  There is a memorial to Miller in the Glasgow Necropolis, and in 2009 a plaque was placed on the wall of the brewery which now stands on the site of his former home in Dennistoun.

city of the dead

Yes, I did go visit a cemetery while I was on holiday in Scotland in August. and in a perfect case of serendipity, a guided tour was happening the day I arrived. it was free, but you needed to register and my cousin and her husband and I managed to reserve spaces. it wasn't a very big group, not even the limit of 25 people (the guided walks in our cemeteries tend to be extremely popular with dozens of people, but maybe it being a Bank Holiday weekend had something to do with it) and by the end of the over 3 hour (!!) walk, only four us were still with the group leaders - yes, us three plus one other hardy soul! but we all found it well worth the time. 

after crossing the Bridge of Sighs, we did have to climb up a rather steeply terraced hill... and back down again

The Adjoining Bridge 

was erected by 

The Merchants House of Glasgow

to afford a proper entrance to their new cemetery continuing

convenient access to the grounds with suitable decoration to the 

venerable cathedral & surrounding scenery to unite the tombs of many generations

who have gone before with the resting places destined for generations yet

unborn where the ahes of all shall repose until the resurrection of the just when that  which

is born a natural body shall be raised a spiritual body when this corruptible must put

on incorruption when this mortal must put on immortality when death is swallowed up in victory.

Unfortunately, the walk started at about 6pm and by then, the sun was intensely determined to create long shadows, making it difficult to get good photos. plus, because these were all unfamiliar names to me, I wanted to pay attention and not wander off as I usually am wont to do. so, fewer photos than I usually take.

The cemetery opened in 1833 as the first interdenominational garden cemetery in the city. though, the year before, a small Jewish burial ground was established in the north west corner (it would be declared 'full' by 1851 - it is very small) It is now a closed cemetery - no more burials are allowed. There are over 50,000 people resting here, but only about 3,500 monuments have been put up. 

climb up the walkways and you get the bonus of great panoramic views over the city. here, we are looking out towards the Cathedral and Royal Infirmary

this is to the south                and east

considering all the space, these souls are rather tightly packed in

eventually we get to the highest point where the statue of John Knox has stood on this high column since before the cemetery was built

and then we descend back towards the cathedral square 
and through the gates to the land of the living









sharing this walk with Monday Walks at Restless Jo

chocolate

There are some flavours that you might not think of putting together, but which are actually very, very good. Lime on pretty much anything from chips (crisps), to corn, to yogourt, for example. Bacon and chocolate also comes to mind. Surprisingly good, if you don't think about it too much.

And then there is my new favourite food.... cream cheese and chocolate

which, while searching online for a photo, I discover has been around for awhile in some places but only for a couple of weeks here. The sign in the grocery store said "limited offer", so in a bit of a panic that it might disappear, I've now stocked up with at least five tubs. Apparently there was no need.

Introducing NEW Philadelphia Chocolate. Made with the creamy goodness of Philly and a touch of pure milk chocolate. With half the sugar and calories of the leading hazelnut spread*, it’s great for Mom and the whole family. Spread it on toast as part of a complete breakfast.

I was a bit dismayed by the above description - seriously "great for Mom..."???

Anyway, you know where this is leading..... I still have my jar of Nutella, but it has been sidelined, for the time being.

When a friend went to Italy last June, I requested this stamp. Sure, no problem said she, not knowing anything about the Italian postal system nor about stamps and that these were brand new. She had quite a tale to tell about trying to find them, what with the limited Italian and some of the post offices not aware of their existence or having them in stock yet. I was thrilled to get these even if it wasn't cancelled on a postcard.

spreading the love on Sunday Stamps

poppies on the hill

On a drive home between Elora and Fergus last week, I came across this arresting sight. I had to stop, and even waited for traffic to clear and backed up to get a better look. Not a recommended action, but there was a wide shoulder.

dusk was settling in fast, so I only had a few minutes to walk among the rows.

row upon row of names divided into sections for each village in Wellington County.  the blue markers are for WWII and the brown for WWI.  apparently the Korean and Afghanistan wars are included, though I didn't see any markers for them.  there are 471 markers.

a simple marker stating a name with no rank or regiment, a hometown, age and date of death, and the cemetery where buried - if known. the really poignant ones had a name and town but no other information about them. 

at least their name is remembered.

teaching the young

'Muchty

It was a quiet Saturday afternoon when I was visiting my Scottish cousin who I hadn't spent much time with over the years.  She suggested we take a slight detour on the way to her place to see the old family stomping grounds. It's actually more her family stomping grounds - our mothers were cousins and hers grew up in this Fife village while mine grew up in Glasgow. I don't think I'd been here since I was a teenager, but as soon as we got out of the car and walked towards her grandmother's house, it came flooding back to me.

Above is one end of the village, with Aunt Belle's house at the top on the far right. They later moved across the road into one of the end-of-terrace houses on the left, just around the bend. The outdoor privy is still there though is probably used for storage now.  
Yes, we wandered into the open yard to check it out!

A view from the other end looking in the same direction, showing how the burn cuts through of the village. A burn is a stream.

This pub looked like it might be a popular spot, and indeed all the reviews I've since found online gave it top marks (it is #1 of 3 eating establishments in Auchtermuchty), then again, do we really believe those reviews?

a not very straight picture of one of the signs on the pub

everybody sing together now, 

But I would walk five hundred miles
And I would walk five hundred more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles 

to fall down at your door

Da lat da (Da lat da), da lat da (Da lat da)
Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle uh da-da
Da lat da (Da lat da), da lat da (Da lat da)

and on and on.....

but, what we really needed to see was this plaque, unveiled last spring for my cousin L's great grandfather, the famous Potato Man, Archie Findlay. the old store house is now a private house

photo from the newspaper at the unveiling which some of Archie's descendants attended

 and a portrait of Archibald Findlay 
(artist unknown)












a short walk with a long family history for Restless Jo's Monday Walk

fruits and berries

strawberries and apples from Russia - on a round stamp no less! these are part of their 'gifts of nature' series from 2003

below is the lower value Canadian definitives that came out in 1992.  Mistassini Quebec has a blueberry festival every August which may be the reason it was chosen for the FDC issue.

1¢ - blueberry from the temperate climate of eastern Canada
2¢ - wild strawberry grows across Canada. apparently there are three different types: woodland, field and seaside (found only in the west)
3¢ - black crowberry from the Arctic where Inuit and Indians dried or froze them and brewed the twigs for tea.
5¢ - rose hip from wild roses, one of the richest fruits in vitamins (25x vitamin C more than an orange). black crowberries and rose hips can both be used for sugar substitutes.
6¢ - black raspberry grows in moist to dry woods, mainly used for cooking and preserves
10¢ - kinnikinnick, the only one I'd never heard of before, grows in the north. they are high in carbs and considered a survival food. it seems to be known as 'bear berry' in French so it must be a favourite of the bears who are not eating blueberries
25¢ - saskatoon berry apparently has about 15 different names throughout the country. they make excellent jams and pies

now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll head out and find some pie... or something otherwise fruity for lunch.

SundayStamps

grave post - Moor/Hughes

in memory of

Thomas Moor Jr 

killed in action at Batoche NWT May 9th 1885

Isaac Hughes 

died at Battleford NWT September 1st 

from injuries received in action at Batoche May 12th 1885

Private Moor was only 18 years old and Private Hughes was 20 when they died. They were part of the Tenth Royal Grenadiers who fought at the Northwest Rebellion.

I didn't actually notice the inscription on the base - this was taken during the tree walk and I didn't want to get too distracted, but the carving just needed a photo. After I uploaded it, I found the names. According to Mike Filey's Guide to Mount Pleasant Cemetery, there is also an almost obliterated inscription on the west side that reads:

The Officers, non-commisioned Officers and men of the Royal Grenadiers, congregation of Elm Street Methodist Church, the teachers and pupils of Ryerson School and a few citizens have united in erecting this stone to the memory of those whose names are hereon recorded as having lost their lives in the service of their country.

Batoche was a settlement on the South Saskatchewan River that was the headquarters of Metis leader Louis Riel. The siege lasted three days before Riel surrendered in defeat and Moor and Hughes were two of the eight Canadian soldiers killed (there were 16 Metis deaths)

Janeites

While reading the latest modern rewrite of Jane Austen's works - Emma by Alexander McCall Smith - I remembered that I had these lovely stamps waiting to be shared with you all for SundayStamps

I'm  not sure which of Jane Austen's books was the first one I ever read, but I know that the only one I have a copy of is Northanger Abbey, and only because it is bound in red leather and matches my copy of Little Women. This was from back in the day when I would buy (mostly) used books based on their covers and would exchange them if I found a better one or add to the collection if I found another with a different cover design. After several moves, and a difficult decision to start culling many of my books, the first to go were the novels that could easily be found anywhere (like a library). Although it did remind me of a bible, I quite liked the plain red leather book with the attached red ribbon book mark, so those two are still on my bookshelf. I'm not sure I would ever read either of those copies again - I need books with slightly larger print now that I am 30 years older.

And now I collect stamps and postcards which take up a little less room, but the same principle applies: I still like to have several versions of the same thing.

White House

Last week I featured a postcard from the state of Washington. this week we have the city of Washington - specifically the White House which suffered the ignominy of being burned by the British during the War of 1812 on October 29th, 1814.

the second card is from the early 1920s and shows the North Portico, built in 1829, the top card from the 1960s shows the South Portico, built in 1824.