Monday Morning Musings

Posted on July 17, 2017 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

In search of living things

What does one do on a cool, overcast summer day to entertain two grandchildren when the beach is not an option? Why, you take a walk and look for living things.

Yes, I employed one of the oldest tricks in the book to keep the young ones occupied: bribery. We decided to take a walk around The Landing. If the girls could identify ten living things, they would be rewarded with a koala cone later in the day. I was expecting and hoping to see one of the bald eagles who frequent this sanctuary. Beavers, muskrats and turtles are also common sightings. But on this day, none of these were to be found.

It is interesting to see through the eyes of a child and this is as good a way as any to experience nature a bit closer to the ground. It didn’t take very long to complete the list: cat tails, mosquitoes, roses, birds, spiders, a dog, a duck, bumble bees , snails…. and a ten day old baby. After crossing the bridge, we noticed a young family with a newborn sitting at the viewing platform. We paid them a visit and got to see the baby and first time parents. My granddaughters were very excited to see the newborn and we spent 20 minutes marvelling at the most precious of living things. The new mother admitted to fatigue and the couple both admitted that having an infant was both enthralling and terrifying. I told the mother that she could count on some sleep when her son reached the age of 30!

All in all, it was a great time and the girls really seemed to enjoy it. You don’t have to go far or spend a lot of money to have fun. Sometimes, the simplest of things are the most rewarding.

On Saturday, we travelled to the DeCoste Centre in Pictou to see a troupe of young performers called The Dream Catchers. According to the brochure, “ the Dream Catchers is a multi faceted Canada 150 signature project that looks at our country, our past and our future through the lens of the dreams of the next generation of Canadians.”

The Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown sent a creative team across the country in February and March to work with young people in each province and territory exploring the dreams for the future, with a focus toward the environment , inclusion and reconciliation. All I can say is that this is a must see. The show is one hour and most of the performers look to be in their late teens or early 20’s. It is high energy with a mixture of music and dance. They are touring across Canada but one of the two groups is always performing in Charlottetown until late August. And folks, this is FREE.

A new batch of Coady students has arrived in town. Make sure you stop them and give them a hearty welcome when you see them on the street. I would like to welcome, in a special way, a friend from southern India, Merlin James. I hope she enjoys her time in Antigonish. I’m sure Antigonish will be as shocking to her as Nagercoil was for me when I visited her home town . Nagercoil is a very busy ( and noisy! ) city of about 250,000 people.

Have a great week.