web analytics

Celebration

You are currently browsing articles tagged Celebration.

…and a partridge in a pear tree

January 10, 2020 in Life in BC, Photos | Permalink

Though the New Year is already slightly less new than it was and term has already started, I find that I am still trying to get up to date with posts that I had intended for the twelve days themselves.

This one – for example – features a visit that we paid with dearest friends before the New Year to Butcharts Gardens, to view their illuminated Christmas extravaganza. We have been trying to get to this annual celebration for the past four years, failing each time for one (good) reason or another. Well – this time we have finally been successful in so doing.

This festive flight of fancy is unsurprisingly based on the Twelve Days of Christmas – some elements of which can be seen in the photos below. See if you can spot them…

A very jolly and appropriately seasonal event it was too…

Photo by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson Reid

Tags: , , , ,

Turn of the decade

January 2, 2020 in Life as we know it | Permalink

Just as we did at the same time last year we approached the portal to the new year yester-eve with considerable trepidation, stuck our heads nervously around the door before tiptoeing through with extreme caution into yet further uncharted territory…

‘Unwritten’ indeed – and given recent history our ability to compose and to craft a coherent script for the New Year – let alone for the new decade – would seem at this point to be somewhat in doubt.

Personally I have never been much of a one for celebrating the New Year, preferring instead to raise a glass and to proffer a small ‘huzzah’ in grateful acknowledgement of our having survived the one that has but recently expired.

Let us now, however, be optimistic and to imagine that this year – this decade – many wrongs will be righted, that many false steps and unwise choices will be revoked and that the peoples of this fragile planet might start – by taking in the first instance small and tremulous steps – to heal the ills of the world.

But let us also be mindful that things may well get worse before they improve and take accordingly the necessary and serious precautions that might facilitate any actions required to set things right.

Cheering the birth of a new year is a heavy responsibility. Cheering that of a new decade is many, many times more so.

With this in mind The Kickass Canada Girl and The Imperceptible Immigrant wish you the very best possible new year and – of course – new decade.

Tags: , ,

That time of year…

December 24, 2019 in Flotsam and Jetsam, Photos | Permalink

Yes indeed! It is the night before Christmas and thus the time that I ‘traditionally’ roam the house with a camera – looking for Christmassy images to capture… so that I might post a seasonal pot pouri of ‘ph’estive photographs.

How am I doing?

As ever at this juncture…

…to friends, acquaintances and gentle readers…

from the Kickass Canada Girl and the Imperceptible Immigrant.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a splendid Hogmany!

Photo by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson Reid

Tags: , ,

Train in the distance

November 23, 2019 in Flotsam and Jetsam | Permalink

“Everybody loves the sound of a train in the distance
Everybody thinks it’s true”

Paul Simon

Photo by Andy Dawson ReidIf it is a Saturday night late in November then there is a good chance that it is time once again for…

…Barney Bentall’s ‘Cariboo Express’ at the Mary Winspear!

Thus it was this weekend just passed.

Now (you the gentle reader may say to yourself) this is not the first time that these pages have contained an enthusiastic paean to the cavalcade that is the Express on its annual charity fundraising outing (in this case for the eminently worthy cause of the Sidney Food Bank). Is he mayhap running out of things on which to pontificate?

The thing is this… over the last year or so we have attended any number of musical soirées of one sort or another and, much as I have enjoyed them, I have frankly begun to wonder if I am getting too old for this sort of thing. The problem is that I am no longer very tolerant of poor sound quality or (and in particular) of sound pressure levels that are excessive. In other words – I don’t these days care for music that is too loud.

It is true that I possess a very expensive and most effective pair of ear protectors and they do work well – but they inevitably distance one somewhat from the immediacy of the occasion. Barney himself visited the Mary Winspear a while back with his original band – the ‘Legendary Hearts’ – and whilst they were a lot of fun they also were too damned loud!

But then – just when I begin to despair – along comes the ‘Cariboo Express’ again for their three night residency. Lo and behold the sound is perfect – a full but acceptable level and well mixed. The band – all eleven or twelve of them (I lose count) are having a ball and the audience is a-lovin’ it. Feet are a-tapping. Punters are aching to get up and dance. Clapping and singing along are the order of the day and everybody has a whale of a time.

In short – my faith is restored.

So – long may the Express keep running.

Photo by Andy Dawson Reid

Tags: , ,

Skerryvore

October 27, 2019 in Flotsam and Jetsam | Permalink

Photo by Andy Dawson Reid

It seems to be a fact of our autumnal (fall) lives that a general busy-ness and an excess of external stimuli cause us to have to scramble around to fit everything in. In my case this manifests itself in my falling behind in the updating of this virtual journal.

Sooooo…

Way back near the start of October we not only celebrated the Kickass Canada Girl’s birthday (for which I should have posted at the time what I believe is known as a ‘shout-out’) but we also scurried hot-foot to the McPherson theatre in Victoria to see Scottish Celtic rock band – Skerryvore.

As is the way nowadays we had seen this gig publicised way back at the start of the summer. Not having been previously aware of them we were immediately taken with the recordings that we located on the Interwebnet and rapidly purchased their most recent release. We were further intrigued by the fact that VIP tickets were also on sale for the concert in October, the which included a pre-concert whisky tasting hosted by members of the band, at which tales would be told and songs sung. Naturally we signed up forthwith.

Photo by Andy Dawson Reid

I am – these days – greatly enjoying re-discovering my Celtic roots and culture. It has always been an important part of my personal mythology but coming to Canada – where for understandable reasons such a heritage is brought into even sharper focus for the descendants of those who emigrated long ago – it seems particularly relevant and timely.

Needless to say we greatly enjoyed the tasting and the tales and the concert itself was great fun. Skerryvore – though new to us – have been plying their trade to considerable response for some fifteen years now and they know what they are doing. They have more than one excellent songwriter on the team and they know their pipes, fiddles and whistles as well as the usual gamut of electric instrumentation. They also know how to whip up a veritable storm of Celtic fervour and they had the audience clapping and dancing just as much as the jobsworths (booo!) employed by the McPherson would allow.

Do check the band out at their website – https://skerryvore.com/. I notice therefrom that having returned to the UK from their extensive Northern American tour they are spending much of November plying their trade around the UK before heading off to Europe. Should good Celtic rock be at all be your thing check them out, go to see them and – should you get a chance to chat (they are very friendly!) – tell them you were recommended by a couple of expats in Victoria BC!

Tags: , , ,

Anam Danu

October 1, 2019 in Flotsam and Jetsam | Permalink

At the start of September I posted a missive to these humble jottings, the subject of which was just what a busy time of year it was.

That was no word of a lie and proceedings have indeed involved a fair degree of frenzy since then.

That posting contained a list of promises – or threats, depending on your point of view – of further screeds on a whole range of topics… the Fringe… the new academic year… the re-decorations in our basement… Brexit!… etc, etc

As a man eager to be thought of as someone who keeps his word I have indeed since posted on all of these subjects…

…bar one!

I have been dropping hints for a while now that I consider it high time that the music that the Chanteuse (with whom I am working and to whom I have previously referred in these pages) and I are creating should cease merely to be written about but to become reality in the form of being available for download from the InterWebNet.

I am now happy and excited to announce that this has indeed come to pass.

We work under the name ‘Anam Danu‘. To save the inevitable puzzlement let me offer this elucidation:

“Anam Danu is Irish Gaelic for Soul Goddess of Life. In Irish mythology, she is mother of the earth, the gods, fertility, wisdom, wind and of all the Celtic people.”

The Chanteuse and I both have Celtic origins – she Irish and I a Scot – and the music that we write mixes Celtic influences with those obtained by living in Cascadia.

We have recorded seven (out of an eventual ten) tracks for a collection entitled “Winds of Change“. We have had them professionally mastered by the estimable Brock MacFarlane at CPS Mastering in Vancouver and we have made them available for streaming and download on Bandcamp at the following address:

https://anamdanu.bandcamp.com

Do please have a listen. If you like what you hear do please also pass the word on to anyone that you think might be interested.

Sláinte!

 

Tags: , ,

Flying the flag

September 27, 2019 in Flotsam and Jetsam | Permalink

Photo by Andy Dawson ReidWe had unexpected guests in Victoria yesterday.

The Red Arrows – the RAF’s display team – have been on an eleven week tour of north America. The trip included only two excursions north of the border, so yesterday’s brief appearance in British Columbia was all the more welcome.

Whilst not performing a full aerobatic display the team were scheduled to perform a number of passes yesterday over Vancouver as well as making a two day ground visit.

As a precursor to the Vancouver flypast the Red Arrows carried out a single pass over Victoria’s Inner Harbour and Parliament Building. Given that it can take them only about five minutes to get from Victoria to Vancouver there is no doubt that they were well into the second part of their jaunt whilst those watching in Victoria were still wondering if they were coming back.

Indeed, the brief nature of the event would in normal circumstances have put us off driving the twelve miles or so into the city. Yesterday, however, we had an engagement downtown anyway, so we went a little early and found a spot by the Inner Harbour to watch the spectacle.

I have seen TV coverage of the Red Arrows many times on a variety of ceremonial occasions but never actually encountered them in the flesh – so to speak. I don’t know quite what I was expecting but I was taken completely by surprise by a sudden involuntary lump in the throat as they soared over the city, trailing the red, white and blue plumes for which they are well known. Those who have had similar experiences will be very aware of the power and efficacy of this strangely arcane form of ritual.

Some might think that such displays are out of place in this troubled and restless new world. I am an old fart, however, and I say long may such spectacles continue.

Photo by Andy Dawson Reid

Tags: , ,

Judy Blue Eyes

March 31, 2019 in Flotsam and Jetsam | Permalink

Image from Wikimedia CommonsWhen booking tickets a while back for last night’s Judy Collins concert at the McPherson Theatre in Victoria we were not without qualms. Nagging reminders of the hugely disappointing visit to the same venue by Gordon Lightfoot the year before last persisted. Treasured memories are sometimes best kept in the mind and not revisited in real life.

Such fears were little allayed when Collins took to the stage – accompanied only by her long-time pianist/musical director, Russell Walden – and during the first number her voice cracked several times. She seemed entirely un-phased by such teething problems, however, explaining that she was recovering from illness and implying that all would be well once she had warmed up.

That indeed turned out to be the case and apart from the occasional memory lapse on the lyrical front (the lady is seventy nine for goodness sake!) the remainder of the evening was the stuff of memories itself.

Much as I have always loved many of Judy’s multitude of classic recordings I have always found her a little cool and a touch distant. Two things rapidly became apparent last night – her voice is now warmer and richer than it was of yore (whilst just as affecting) and she has a keen and wicked sense of humour. The form of the evening was a trip through her sixty year music career, spinning hilarious anecdotes about a pantheon of greats – Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Steven Stills, Leonard Cohen and Stephen Sondheim (amongst others) interspersed with memory-inducing renditions of their (and her) songs.

The ninety minute show passed in a flash and included such classics as ‘Both Sides Now‘, ‘Chelsea Morning‘, ‘Mr Tambourine Man‘, ‘Send in the Clowns‘, ‘My Father‘, ‘Suzanne‘, ‘The Moon’s a Harsh Mistress‘ and ‘Amazing Grace‘. I was particularly moved by her rendition of Dylan’s ‘Masters of War‘. This is the stuff on which we (and, quite clearly, the remainder of the packed audience of those also in their second childhoods) had grown up – and it meant something. It was impossible not to be touched.

We learned things that we had not previously known, such as the fact that – had it not been for her cajoling – Leonard Cohen would have remained an obscure poet rather than morphing into the singer/songwriter that he became.

Also most impressive is that even at her age (did I mention that she is seventy nine!) Judy still averages a hundred and twenty live concerts a year!

Inspiring stuff and a fabulous evening!

Tags: , ,

Astonishing…!

March 19, 2019 in Life as we know it | Permalink

It seems odd to be able to argue that the European ‘Six Nations’ rugby tournament is one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

How can that possibly be true given that rugby is, in worldwide terms, still a minority sport – that its leading exponents (arguably) play in the southern hemisphere and thus do not compete in the competition – and that unlike many other sporting events the component parts of the UK play (passionately!) as separate teams.

Now – it is true that, according to EUFA figures published last year, the average match attendance table for world events was topped by the following:

Best-attended sports events
Event Average attendance per match
Six Nations 72,000
NFL (American football) 64,800
Fifa World Cup (football) 53,592
Rugby World Cup (rugby union) 51,621
Source: Uefa’s European Club Footballing Landscape report

 

…but bear in mind that some of the keenest (not to mention most keenly followed) and most intense fixtures take place between small Celtic nations on the fringe of the continent and that doubts must thus be sewn in any minds rash enough to try to argue the case.

But then – every once in a while a match takes place which leaves one in total awe that any such endeavours are possible on the sporting field – and all bets are off!

I refer, in this instance, to last Saturday’s Calcutta Cup fixture between the ‘auld enemies’ – England and Scotland.

Now – Scotland have had a dreadful run in this year’s championship (due in no small part to a debilitating injury list) and – though they enjoyed a mixed season – the English had looked unstoppable in parts. It was no surprise therefore that they ran in their first try within about a minute and showed no sign of stopping thereafter. Aided by some truly dreadful Scottish defence the English approached half time some 31 points to the good.

When the Scot’s hooker (and captain) Stuart McInally charged down an English kick ten metres inside the Scottish half and miraculously held off the attentions of England speedster Johnny May long enough to get over the line – it looked like a consolation try. England duly jogged out after half-time confidently expecting to complete the job and to rack up a ‘cricket score’ in the process.

What transpired was rather different…

The Scots – with nothing to lose – suddenly re-discovered their mojo. The English – on the other hand – fell apart. Scotland ran in four further unanswered tries and by the sixty minute mark the scores were level. Then – with about ten minutes to go – the mercurial Scottish fly half, Finn Russell (man of the match) released centre Sam Johnson with a sweet delayed pass a little beyond the halfway line. Johnson beat two defenders with one extraordinary step off his left foot and reached the line with two further Englishmen hanging off him. Nothing was going to stop him diving over to score what looked for all the world like the winning try.

This being Scotland, however, you will hardly need me to tell you that after an extended period of pressure and deep into added-time George Ford crossed the line for England to tie the game… 38 – 38. The scoring had been symmetrical: the first half went to the English 31 – 7… the second to the Scots by an identical total.

I have been following Scotland for a long time – as I have the Five/Six Nations – but I don’t think I have ever seen such an extraordinary turnaround, or a more bizarre – but fascinating – match…

…and since the Scots triumphed last year in Edinburgh they now get to hang on to the Calcutta Cup for another year.

Pure dead brilliant!!

PS – congratulations to the Welsh for their Grand Slam. Can’t argue with that!

Tags: , , , ,

I wish

March 4, 2019 in Flotsam and Jetsam | Permalink

Image from PixabayThough I habitually listen to a great deal of music, the gentle reader – as least those who know me at all – will be unsurprised to hear that I long ago stopped following the ins and outs of the popular music scene. As a result I have only the most tenuous of ideas as to who Lady Gaga is.

Yes – I am well aware that she has clearly sold a lot of ‘records’ (if such one still does in this digital age) and made a lot of money, but I fear that I could barely name one of the tracks on which that reputation has been built. I am also aware that her career has involved acting, though the fruits thereof have likewise passed me by. I get the impression that she was all over the Oscars this year – though that too failed to register on my radar (save for the award won by UK National Treasure – Olivia Coleman).

I was moved the other day, however, to go online to track down a version of Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Wish‘, so that I might remind myself how the bass line goes. It is a relatively simple walking bass part –  the fundamental spine around which the song is built – but it is a wonderful exercise because it is simply relentless. Once you drop a beat you have an absolute beast of a time recovering the rhythm.

I found Stevie’s own version on the YouTube thing, but also another by the aforementioned Lady Gaga. This latter was one of a number of artist’s tributes to Stevie Wonder at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors Gala Event.

If I knew nothing about the Lady beforehand I certainly do now. Holy cow! She can sing and she – and the band – totally smoked it!

If you want to give your ears a bit of a treat – or if you are in need of little exercise – fire this up, whack up the volume, and make some room for dancing (or find something on which to drum!).

Bass players may care to play along!

Tags: ,

« Older entries § Newer entries »