Toronto, Stratford, the Farm

Here is my niece 
Pappy and her 
funny little dog, 
Rufus. I stayed 
with them, and 
with Russell, the 
Original Dog, on 
my way to 
Stratford.  It was 
a short and sweet 
time together. The 
fire alarm going 
off at 6 a.m. was…
alarming.  
I thought I heard
fire trucks, and keep meaning to ask Pappy 
if the fire department had to come and shut 
it off.  It went on and on and on…..

This is City Hall in Stratford.  It is a stunning old

building, and like all the other tourists, I had

to take a photo!

Riding on the train is a lovely way to travel.  Calm
and slow, with lots of time to look out the window.
I took pictures of the countryside, and of a few
houses that I thought were typically Eastern Canada.

My brother picked me up at the train station in 
Ottawa, and we drove out to his and Kathi's 
home in the farming country near Navan.

This house has been lovingly restored over a 
period of many years.  It is a beautiful, restful
place where I have spent a great deal of time
over the last 30 years.  So many memories are
held here, so much laughter and so many
stories, the presence of my Mum and Dad, of
my children when they were young…it is 
sweet and poignant and full of feeling for me.

So green!!  This is the backyard, leading to the 
barn.  We visited the baby turkeys, and I wish I
had taken a photo of their silly, goofy faces!  I 
remember one visit, when Luke was very young,
and we went to visit the geese, and they kept on
untying his shoelaces! 


We all love the front porch, and when we were
all there we would spend lots of time here.
There are all kinds of small treasures on 
window sills, hanging in the windows, and 
the light is gorgeous.

Kathi and I went for a lovely walk on Petrie Island.

Celia and Cathy came up to join us at the farm
on Wednesday, and we had a really great meal,
and laughed and cried and danced and my
brother retreated to his office!  We have a lot
of women in my family, and not many men….

Just two more things: we drove into town to
meet my cousin and his wife for lunch.  I was
in the back seat, and saw this intimate  
connection between my brother and
his wife - they probably didn't even notice,
but I wanted to record this moment.

Celia, Cathy and I drove back to Montreal, and we were all so happy to arrive back in our 'hood.  That 
night I went to see a Fringe show, and as I walked past Parc Mont Royal, there was a baseball game in progress.  There was something about the light,
the energy of the evening, and my own delight in
being here that I wanted to capture -