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To all our friends and family, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. After several mild winters, they are now forecasting a colder & snowier one, maybe more like those from the 1970's. The photo above was taken on 23rd November, since when, we have had another two major snowfalls (and it's not even officially winter yet!)
Grace will be going into daycare in Oshawa and it's fortunate that Janet doesn't have to be at work in Toronto until 9:30 or 10:00am so it won't be too much of a panic in the morning. I think they are expecting Ian to collect her from daycare in the afternoon, as Janet doesn't get home until 6 or 7'ish. Ian's business is going quite well we believe.
We're still very much involved with the church music, with the regular Adult Choir, also with our Chamber Choir, who sang the Advent Service of Lessons and Carols recently, and with the Festival Chorus, who performed Britten's cantata St Nicolas on 8th December. I remain web verger for Trinity www.trinityaurora.ca which takes several hours work each week, plus miscellaneous other jobs around the church. I have done very little organ playing lately, one funeral and a clergy pre-Lenten day has been about the lot this year. I'm playing Christmas morning, so had better find some time to re-acquaint myself with the organ at the church!!
We also drove down to Campobello Island to visit Mary's cousins over the course of three days. Cousin Murray is always so pleased to "show off" the local attractions, so having exhausted those on the island on previous visits, he took us over to the USA via the bridge (and US customs) from Campobello to Lubec, Maine and then on to the West Quoddy Head, which is the most easterly point in America.
More photographs of family on Campobello
In October, we had a nice visit with Richard Lane who was a contemporary of mine
at King's School Canterbury some 50 years ago. After visiting his son in
Chicago, he flew into Toronto en route to the west coast (by train). We
spent a pleasant afternoon sightseeing, followed by dinner in Newmarket.
He's only the third friend from the UK to visit us here over the 42 years that I
have been in Ontario. Regarding which, we will probably be moving to a
smaller property sometime in the next 18 months, and may have to move further
from Toronto as the house prices in Newmarket and area are pretty steep. I
don't think I'm ready for apartment dwelling, and we may end up looking for a
bungalow some way east of Toronto, which would not be too far from Janet & Ian.
In the meantime, I'm working away at making our house more presentable, although
all I've managed this year is to fix up our downstairs bathroom!! Much
more to go. Again, we hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Richard & Mary |
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