Blast from the Past

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting hosted by the Durham Teacher Local GSA Committee. It was for a viewing of the LGBTQ video and, as a participant in the video, I was an invited guest. It was my 4th time seeing the video - and my first time with a group of teachers who basically knew nothing about it. The video was very well received and the discussion following was rich. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of it!

The Durham ETFO Office is in Whitby, which is quite a lengthy drive to make for a 90 minute meeting, so, knowing that my good friend Susan Field lives in east Scarborough, I invited myself there for dinner and a sleepover and turned the whole thing into an event! The meeting wasn't til 5, but I left home around noon to miss traffic and to also give me some time to do a little shopping. Also, because I started my teaching career in Durham, I decided to take this opportunity to visit my very first school, Bayview Heights PS in Pickering. I hadn't been there in over 30 years ..... and it was nothing like I remembered. There was a new single storey addition at the front, with expanded office and lobby areas, so it really looked completely different. There were also portables which meant that the yard area had to be redesignated. All in all, I hardly recognized it, but it was still pretty cool to visit and think back to those first days of teaching. I taught there for 2 years, from 1979-1981, and taught Kindergarten in the morning, Gr. 6 in the afternoon, and choirs at the J and I levels during lunches and breaks. It was a pretty typical new teacher gig - quite overwhelming at the time, but it provided me with an array of varied experiences and a wealth of wonderful memories.
Here we are, reunited .....

Just a quick story about the picture below. After visiting my old school, I drove to the Pickering Town Centre. The mall has been there for years, however, it's been hugely renovated and is now very large and pretty fancy compared to what it was 35 years ago. However, this green machine is still in the exact same place! I remember it vividly from an experience in my first fall of teaching. I came down with laryngitis and had to leave school in the middle of the day. I needed medication, had no money and had to stop and get some. Here. At this machine. Which ate my card. So I had to use the phone to call and troubleshoot, but I had no voice! Haha - they couldn't hear me and hung up! I had to call back and make sounds to be heard - it all worked out I guess, but it left a vivid memory! And the dumb machine was the first thing I saw when I walked in the mall, bringing it all back!

I have my friend Susan Field to thank for getting me that Pickering teaching job in the first place. She and I met at teachers' college (OTEC in Toronto - its LAST year before extinction!) and became fast friends. We were both in the music elective, so that was our first connection, but as we got to know each other, we found many more. It was a great year of teaching and partying! During the summer after graduation, I went to work for the CJRT Orchestra in Toronto and didn't give too much thought to where I might end up teaching in the fall. Susan, on the other hand, took the matter in her own hands, and drove her resume around to many many schools in Durham Region. She got a job of course, and when she was offered an interview for a second position, she called me up, told me about it and advised me to get my butt to Bayview Heights that day. I did what I was told, and got the job! She was teaching just down the street at Sir John A. MacDonald PS, but actually ended up at BH herself as the junior music person, when I moved back to Kitchener.

Although Susan and I have had some long gaps in time over the years between visits and contact, it's always very easy to get right back into it again when we are together. This visit was no different. We spent a wonderful evening of animated conversation, passionate reminiscing, fortified with pizza and maybe a little wine. Although Susan had warned me she might crash early, we all lasted way into the wee hours. So sorry, Susan and Gord, for keeping you up so late! I know that my retirement hours and flexibility are enviable! What a fun night though, right??

Here is their beautiful home in Scarborough (with my car in the driveway!). They have a great property and I look forward to returning when we can enjoy the gorgeous pool in the backyard!

I slept right through Sue and Gord's early morning departure. I hit the road about 9:30, had a wonderful shopping spree at IKEA on the way, and was home by early afternoon. No traffic! Mid-day is the way to go in the GTA! What a great 24 getaway. Blast from the past - nothing quite like it!

The Tacky Trend

Is it just me, or have you noticed how 'tacky' Christmas sweater events are so in vogue this year?

It's been a growing trend over the past few years. It started out with people digging out the old sweatshirts from the back of closets that at one time were the 'must have' of the season, and wearing them to the office to get a laugh. Then it became 'Tacky Fridays' and things turned a bit competitive - who has the ugliest, tackiest attire of all? This year, the tacky Christmas dress-up option seems to be everywhere. You can actually buy brand new 'ugly, tacky' attire. I saw these T-shirts at Giant Tiger this afternoon. For the ridiculously inexpensive price of $6, it's hard not to imagine the Bangladeshi sweatshop where they may have been produced, and the disadvantaged workers who toiled to churn them out.

I'm troubled by this trend for so many reasons. I remember attending an ETFO Provincial Equity Leadership Symposium a few years ago where we had the privilege of hearing a 'Roots of Poverty' session. That was the first time that I was challenged to think differently about aspects of 'dress' at school. The example given that made the greatest impression on me that day was 'Dress down Fridays'. We were encouraged to examine exactly what we are doing when we 'dress down'. For example, when we 'dress down', what does this say to our most disadvantaged of students - the students who are lucky if they have 2 options of outfits to wear on any given day? One day a week, when we dress down, is the result, in fact, that we adopt a more casual, less put together, less affluent look? More like them, when, in fact, they have no options of dress and look like this every day? On the other hand, if you really look around at a staff on one of these days, often what you'll see is a showcase of the coolest of jeans, kickin' boots and the trendiest Ts. Cool and trendy are never an option for many children and their families. And worse, if we happen to gather in the gym and draw even more attention to our 'dress down', or worse yet, tally and compare the participation from each class  - how do our struggling students feel? This challenge to my thinking affected me deeply and I haven't been able to participate in a 'dress down' day, or any other showcase of privilege, since. Further, I believe that it's important that all of us examine the underlying issues that might be embedded in some of our favoured traditions, however difficult that might be.

Dress down Friday is not the only offender in schools. What about twin day if you're the child in the class who is always left out and who has limited wardrobe choices? Sports shirt day? Favorite character day? Red and green day? In fact, any day that implies that a student can go home, look through plentiful closets or perhaps make a trip to a thrift store to create the required look. Not all of our students have those options and if, as a teacher, your goal it is to create a loving, inclusive classroom, then these types of events have no place. 

On a more superficial level, I have a closet full of theme dress that I accumulated over my long career as a music teacher. These were the attention-grabbing outfits that gave kids yet another reason to be excited to walk through my music classroom door. I used these glittery wonders to motivate and engage. And it worked. And my memories are fond. I can't possibly look at these treasures today and call them tacky. So they remain secretly tucked away in the back of my closet. 

And if I pull one out to wear, I'll wear it with pride and with no reference to tacky.

The Boy on the Bus

Last week, I had a wonderful mini-vacation in Montreal. How nice it was to just take off on a Tuesday for a mid-week getaway! I booked in at 'Chez Turgeon', Matt and Elise's place. Although I told them I would look after myself during the days when they were working, they took very good care of me. They planned a couple of art experiences that I would never have found myself, and that are always a highlight of time spent with them. Also, every meal and every restaurant was fabulous - something else that we anticipate and appreciate each time we visit Montreal. I loved every minute of the time with Matt and Elise, and thoroughly enjoyed this little 3 day holiday. I'll do it again!

It was my first time taking the Megabus. I booked a Wednesday 10 a.m. departure from Toronto and a return trip Friday evening. Trish and I actually drove down to Toronto on Tuesday after school as Trish was attending an OFL event on Wednesday. It was a pretty fun evening - Trish, Jeff and I went out for dinner at Bannock and had a crazy time, pretty typical when the 3 of us get together! We stayed at the Sheraton on King, so I had a short walk to the bus station in the morning to begin the trip to Montreal. I had a new book to read - I chuckled that this 'girl on the bus' would be reading The Girl on the Train (awesome mystery btw). I also had my iPad (since the Megabus has wifi), knitting, a big coffee, and snacks. I booked a good seat upstairs, near the front, with extra leg room and a little table. The bus was quite empty, so I had no seat-mate. I was all set and was pretty excited.

We had just left the station when the driver came to a rather abrupt stop on the street. I was upstairs so I couldn't see what was going on but I heard everything very clearly. Someone had obviously waved the bus down as it was pulling out. The driver stopped and opened the door, allowing another passenger to board, however, as he did this, he addressed this person in a very angry way, informing them that the bus leaves at 10, that they should have been at the station by 9:45, that they're lucky the bus stopped and how dare they flag a bus down on the street, bla, bla, bla. The driver was very rude and belligerent. His words were demeaning and insulting. I had no idea who this passenger was but I felt terrible for them. There was no need to speak in that tone, nor to be so aggressive. The new passenger was eventually able to speak and in a very quiet, gentle, deep, male voice, with a lovely African or Caribbean accent, said, "I'm so sorry to hold you up. I just arrived on another bus which came in very late. I apologize." That was it. The driver said nothing in response. The new passenger started up the stairs and the bus left the station.

I was sitting right by the stairs, so as he arrived on the 2nd floor, he turned and looked in my direction and smiled, before he chose an empty seat a couple ahead of me. He had a warm, kind smile. He was a big man. A big, black man. My immediate gut reaction on seeing him was that the jerk who was driving the bus, the privileged white jerk with the big mouth, might have been exhibiting a bit of racism in his treatment of this man. I couldn't help staring at the new passenger and wondering how he felt. How often he had experienced this kind of treatment. How he can still smile after being spoken to in that manner. Whether he had even noticed what a jerk the driver was. I was still pondering all of this as we pulled in to the Scarborough Town Centre for our first stop. There was quite a long line of people waiting to board the bus, so the driver asked that if anyone had moved to one of the reserved seats that they themselves had not reserved, they should move to the non-reserved seating to make way for the new people. At this request, the new passenger got up, came back to me, and let me know that he had booked the seat right beside me. This explained why he had looked my way when he first boarded the bus. I also understood that he had chosen to give up a good seat with extra leg room, rather than disturb me. I had clearly established my 'territory' as all my stuff was spread out over the 2 seats. At this point though, I scrambled to gather it all up. It was done hastily so I ended up with my jacket, purse, knitting, travel bag and everything I had piled on my knee so that my new seat mate could sit down. He apologized and agreed that we'd wait til others sat down then perhaps move so we could each have more space.

However, then we started to talk. In the few minutes that it took for the passengers to board, we became engaged in such rich conversation that neither of us was inclined to move. In fact, I sat all the way to Kingston - 2 1/2 hours - with all my stuff on my knee. It started with introductions - he asked where I was travelling and let me know that he had never been to Montreal but would love to on his next trip. He wanted to hear all about it, who I knew there, how often I had been etc. etc. He was travelling to Kingston. When I asked if he lived there, he let me know that he was visiting Canada from Nigeria. That beautiful accent is Nigerian. He was younger than I initially thought - 27, just a boy, younger than 2 of mine, although he had life experiences and possessed wisdom far beyond his years. We learned about each others' families, jobs - past and present, goals and aspirations. We talked religion, spirituality, politics, core values and beliefs. He asked probing questions and was genuinely curious and caring. He told me about his sky-diving, other 'bucket list' items as he called them, and his extensive travelling. I asked a lot of questions about his upbringing in Nigeria and his travels around Africa. He told me all about the changing political climate in his home country. He works for Africa's biggest bank, but he's a proud Nigerian and has political aspirations. Maybe he'll be president some day. He was utterly fascinating. And kind. And sweet. The time flew by.

I never learned the name of the boy on the bus. Although I felt a profound connection to this intriguing person, I will never see or hear from him again. Some day, I expect to see him in the news. I hope I'd recognize him, but I don't know. I will certainly never forget meeting him.

As we said our good-byes, there was a big part of me that wanted to quickly exchange Facebook info. But I didn't and nor did he. We thanked each other for the meaningful time spent ... and parted.

Daytime Fitness

One of my favorite things - going to a fitness class during the day! No more trudging out in the evenings when it's dark and cold and the family room is so warm and inviting. I've been looking forward to this for a long time and the pleasure of it has not let me down. I tried classes at the local Community Centre during the fall. And while these classes take a break for December, I have just signed up for one month of unlimited zumba at Zumba Fuzion on King. Also close to home and the Groupon made this a tremendously good deal for a month's worth of classes. I've been to my first session - it was a great workout and dancing fun - my favorite combination! What a blast!
Retirement has its perks.

Knitting

I've always loved knitting. I love the feel of the wool, watching a project unfold, and the peace of mind that comes from creative projects.
I remember watching my grandmother knit when I was young. I was fascinated by the repetitive actions and although I didn't think about it in these terms then, she definitely found her creative 'zone' when she knitted. She found peace in it and managed to pass that on to me. I used to help her wind the wool sometimes. I remember loving having a role to play, even then.
It was my mum who taught me to knit. She is also a very accomplished knitter and seamstress and loves to pass on the skills and the tricks of the trade when she has a chance. I had make a few attempts as a kid, but I was on maternity leave with Dan (almost 30 years ago!) when I had the urge to really begin taking knitting seriously. A small group of us gathered weekly for our little knitting 'club', held at my house and led by mum. We each did our own projects with mum there to troubleshoot whenever necessary. And for any of you who have learned to knit, there is always a fair bit of troubleshooting needed. Even now, every time I drop a stitch, my instinct is to yell "Help" hoping mum will come running.
I've knit a few things over the years but it has been a while since I've tackled a big project. I've been pretty excited about getting going again in retirement. I've been imagining cold January evenings with wool on my knee as we watch TV. Mmmmm, sounds wonderful, doesn't it?
So, I dug out the needles, looked through leftover wool and old patterns and started with a wee blankie for Vinnie, made from wool from an unfinished project from years ago. And imagine that, he loves it :)
That little project got me hooked again so I've spent some time at Lens Mill (what an amazing store!) browsing through the huge selection of wools. Patterns are now readily available online, so I've also been browsing those and making plans.
I decided not to be too ambitious to start, and chose an afghan made with Homespun Thick & Quick, which has a natural stripe in the fibres. So there isn't really a pattern, but you end up with these beautiful stripes. I chose a colour scheme called 'Granite' with muted blues, grays, tan, and a light cream. This is the afghan half finished.
It only took me 2 weeks to complete it and it's lovely and cozy. I'm so happy with it I that went back to Lens and got more wool and I'm on to the next project!
Christmas is coming after all.

Encaustic Art

Last Friday, I attended an Encaustic Art workshop, organized by teacher friend and co-retiree Katie Saunders, and led by Guelph artist Julia Daly. Julia has a gorgeous studio in a separate building that she built 2 years ago on her spacious property. It is a wonderful, bright, creative space and was so well set up for a group like ours! There were 6 of us, of varying art skills. We learned the basics of encaustics, safety with the equipment, and we each completed a project to take home. I think these images will give you a feel for the experience!

Here is Julia's studio. I would live out here if I had a space like this!

The wax was warming in the trays when we arrived. The trays are basically pancake griddles!

Small amounts of oil paint added to the beeswax gives the colour.

Julia had a variety of her work on display. These are some of the smaller pieces.

Encaustic involves painting layers of wax on wood,

then using a blow torch to melt the wax and adhere it to the layer below. Fun!!

You can add textural elements as well - including lettering, fabric, carving, small beads, etc. 

This is my finished work. Yes, it's a bit of a hodge podge. Haha! I didn't go in with any type of plan, so this was a bit of a 'playground' where I could try out all the different techniques.

The end result has so much wax, it weighs a ton! I hope to go back soon - but next time,

I'll go with a concept! It was great fun - I look forward to trying it again!

#bit15

I don't even know how many years I've been attending the fall conference hosted by ECOO - the Education Computing Organization of Ontario. I've been an attendee, a presenter and for a couple of years, I even worked on the conference committee. It's been a good run.
This annual conference happened this past week in Niagara Falls, called Bring IT Together, or #bit15. It seemed like a good idea last spring to submit a proposal to do a workshop with Trish. My thinking then was that Retired Susan would be excited to attend and reconnect with friends and get a little technology boost to spur on my new projects. Well, that was then and this is now. I'm feeling a little differently now that I'm actually living in this place. I confess I'm feeling a significant lack of interest in some of the things that were my professional passion last spring. Usually I'm really excited in the days leading up to the conference, this year, I felt hesitant. I could easily have stayed home.
So how did it go? We were only there for one day, but it was a good day. A very thought-provoking day. Our workshop went well and we had a pretty good crowd. It was one that we've done before so we were quite relaxed presenting. Through the day, I reconnected with lots of friends and colleagues and that was really nice. The keynote was given by Sylvia Martinez, on the topic of the Maker Movement in education. Normally I would have been tweeting like mad and taking copious notes. This year, I chose to sit and listen. She was amazing. Such a refreshing way to think about classrooms and learning. My personal quandary with Sylvia's presentation, as well as with a couple of other good presentations later in the day, was 'now what?'. I wasn't sure what to do with my enthusiasm for the new ideas. No classroom in which to implement new ideas. No teacher PD to plan and incorporate new strategies. No presentations and pep talks to teachers. It felt odd. I shared some of this in a couple of brief conversations with 2 retired friends, Doug Peterson and Peter Skillen - they have more retirement experience than me and had some wisdoms to share. They talked about life long learning and the importance of taking my time to find new applications for new ideas. I respect them both and appreciated their comments and encouragement.
I will continue to ponder. Retirement frames everything differently and part of this journey will be to figure all this out.

Politics

"You see, idealism detached from action is just a dream. But idealism allied with pragmatism, with rolling up your sleeves and making the world bend a bit, is very exciting. It's very real. It's very strong." ~ Bono

I watched the swearing in of our new Prime Minister and his cabinet this week and was completely overcome with emotion during the ceremony. I clapped, I cheered, I cried, I stood for O Canada and sang my guts out. (Yes, I was in my own family room.) I have this sense that we are entering a whole new world - of inclusion - of positivity - of compassion. I haven't felt such optimism about the political landscape since Jack Layton.

Not everyone is as enthusiastic. There is plenty of hesitation and skepticism - no surprise - this is politics and for the past 10 years, we've had Harper politics. Canadians don't know or remember anything other than divisive, combatant, exclusive politics. But Justin Trudeau is promising something different. Real change. Right from the ground up. He has set such ambitious goals - goals for our environment, our First Nations peoples, women in the cabinet, a relationship with the provinces, the media, and new policies in every department. I believe that Justin's campaign promises were more than just campaign strategies, they were expressions of his deeply held beliefs. So keeping them should not be a challenge because they are what he truly believes in. And I don't want to spend a single second doubting that he and his team can do it. I just want to cheer him on. I want to join the team.

Trish and I have donated to and volunteered for the NDP party in the past couple of elections. We have good friends who work for the party and we've convinced many of our friends and family to support the NDP. We both voted NDP. But I have to confess that I am not disappointed in the results of the election. Quite the opposite. Trudeau is a motivational and inspirational leader with enormous potential. He has created a new and very different team, with strong skills and unique voices. They in turn will create teams and committees who share their strong values and ideals. He wants to include voices from all parties. The trickle down effect of this positivity has tremendous potential to evoke change into every community throughout our country.

In our schools we say that to have a truly inclusive classroom, our students must see themselves represented in the materials, language, visuals and conversations that happen on a daily basis. Only then will they be able to envision themselves as successful students. Canadians of different heritages, ages, abilities, looks sizes, genders and sexual orientations now see themselves reflected in significant positions in our government. And not only reflected, but truly celebrated for the voices they will bring to the discussion. Now, as a result of our new diverse cabinet, so many more Canadians can now envision themselves as leaders. As Canadians with voices that matter, that are respected, that deserve to be heard. The power of this cannot be underestimated.

I feel positive and optimistic. I am excited to see what transpires over the next weeks, months and years. Idealistic? Absolutely. And proud to be.

Pondering Hallowe'en

When my kids were little and I was a keener young teacher, I used to go a little Hallowe'en crazy - costumes for all of us, pumpkin carving, seed roasting, baking, special treats, creepy music, black and orange everything. Compared to today's standards, my efforts then would be considered very modest. It seems the whole world has gone wildly overboard about Hallowe'en. There are entire stores now that pop up for October and specialize in a huge assortment of everything you could imagine - and much that you couldn't!
Many schools also have allowed the celebrations to grow, and we often see an extravagance of costume parades, haunted rooms, smorgasbords of sweet treats, and so much more. And all of this happens even though so many of our students, particularly children from our new immigrant families, do not celebrate, or maybe haven't even heard of, this very 'westernized' tradition.
One common solution to the fact that some students don't celebrate is to designate a room in the school, often the library, as a location where these students can go for an 'alternate' program. Even at my first school 35 years ago, I was uncomfortable with this solution. It separated my students into the 'included' and the 'excluded'. My excluded students felt very left out, not only on that day, but it tended to set them up to be excluded from other things as well. Of course, some parents would choose to keep their children home, but this never seemed appropriate to me either. It's a public school - shouldn't all children be welcome to participate in all events?
There is another solution: to create an inclusive space with inclusive activities in which all children can participate. It may mean examining and perhaps unlearning traditions from the past in which some children cannot participate, then designing a day or week which is intentionally inclusive.
What might this look like? Well, to start with, costumes are a very real challenge for families in poverty, new Canadians who may just be getting settled, refugee families who may have experienced violence, families in crisis and others. Parading costumed children around a school and choosing costume winners are a blatant display of privilege in every case I've ever seen. If we truly believe in creating inclusive schools, then costumes have no place, unless they are created at school in an activity that everyone can do. Some schools have changed their practice recently and ask children not to wear costumes. Sadly, there is a lot of backlash to this. It's not uncommon to hear from some angry parents that schools who have opted for no costumes are 'spoiling children's fun'. These parents really need our help to understand that in a classroom or school that is inclusive, we create events and activities where all of our students can enjoy the fun. All families are welcome to celebrate at home in whatever manner is preferred, but one person's wishes for school 'fun' cannot dictate what happens or doesn't happen in an intentionally inclusive place. There is much unlearning and learning to happen in this area, among parents, children .... and teachers.
Our classrooms, like our communities and our country, look different than they used to. To create a peaceful world, we need to examine our traditions, maintain some, let go of others, and do some reinventing. When we celebrate our rich diversity and include everyone in our plans, the results are truly rewarding.
Thank you to my friend Deepa for sharing this quote:
"Inclusion is not bringing people into what already exists; it is making a new space, a better space for everyone.: ~ George Dei

Blue Jay Fever

It's been many years since I've felt such enthusiasm for our Blue Jays, but wow, this fall has been a very exciting season! These play off games have rekindled my fandom and brought back so many memories. My kids all played ball when they were younger and being a baseball fan came with the parenting territory, so we were all Blue Jays fans in those days. We were lucky enough to attend a few big games as well. We had tickets to the 1991 All Star Game at the Skydome. As it turned out, Luke was born that day - what were the chances?? Matthew's first visit with his new baby brother was in full ball gear just before he hit the road with dad to head to the game! I'm pretty sure I know what he was more excited about :)

We also took Matthew and Danny to World Series games in '92 and '93. In fact, we were at the winning game in '93 - it was amazing! I dug these pictures out of old albums last week when everyone was asking "Where were you in '93?" Here's our proof - we were there!!
Too bad the Jays didn't make it to the World Series this year, but their fans seemed pretty thrilled to support them through this exciting season and if social media is any indication, Blue Jay fans are already looking forward to next year.
I'm with them! Go Jays!

Fall Colours

The fall colours this year have been especially beautiful. Most people say it's because of the regular rain we had throughout the summer, the timing of the first frost and the gentleness of the winds and rain.
Whatever the reason, we've had weeks of glorious colour.

These pictures are from around (or near) our home - the front door, the vines growing up the side, our big maple tree and the back deck.
The birds continue to empty our feeders every couple of days, but it's such a pleasure to watch them!

Fall beauty is one of the wonderful things about living in Canada.

Slow down, you move too fast.

"Life is what happens when you are making other plans" ~ John Lennon

Busy busy busy busy busy!
I'm tired of being busy, saying I'm busy, and listening to other people tell me about their busy-ness.
Life is more than a list of to-dos.
I am more than what I accomplish in a day.
It's time to slow down.
Find some peace and quiet.
And embrace this wonderful time of life.

Binge Watching

One of my favorite days this fall was the Monday following our Britain trip when I came down with a nasty virus and spent the entire day in bed. Every teacher I know will appreciate how much I loved getting sick and not having to spend a single second thinking about what I'd miss at work if I wasn't there, whether or not to call in sick, did I have the energy to write up plans, bla bla bla. It's almost fun to get sick when you know that the best thing you can do for yourself is nothing, and that you can actually do that! The bonus is that you get well quicker when you are able to look after yourself, and when there is no stress piled on top of the illness. There's a lesson in that for all of us isn't there?
So what did I do for the day? Well, I couldn't read 'cause my head hurt too much, so no books, magazines, or iPad. It felt like the perfect opportunity to find something new on Netflix. After not much browsing, I settled on Scandal - it looked entertaining and not too heavy. The opener was awesome - engaging and fast-paced with an interesting cast of characters and just a tad of sleaziness to make it extra addicting. Each episode ended in a cliff-hanger, so several times that day I revisited whether or not I should really watch another episode, but answered yes every time. 7 times. I watched the whole first season and the beginning of season 2.
Binge watching is a great way to watch TV. You choose the time, take breaks whenever you need them, or don't take any and watch for hours! We've enjoyed many binge evenings since and we both love it. It's hard to imagine going back to a week between episodes and commercials! It's a whole new world of TV watching. I see no need to go back.
And I'm already looking forward to my next virus.

LGBTQ Video

In the spring of 2014, Trish and I were invited to be involved in an ETFO project, led by the provincial Equity department. Their goal was to create an information/support video about the experiences of LGBTQ teachers in elementary schools. The filming team went to 4 locations across the province to create the video segments, including Kitchener, where Trish and I took part.
It has felt like a long wait til the video release this fall! The finished product has been imminent for months now, however, the creation of supporting resources in both English and French held things up a little.
The big release was October 8 at ETFO's Annual Equity Leadership Summit and we were invited to be there. It was pretty exciting and nerve wracking to see yourself on a big screen! That was certainly a first for me! Anyhow, we both did well, as did everyone else in the video. The audience that night was very positive, however, we both confessed afterward that in the moment, we were much more focussed on ourselves than the overall effect! I was also on a discussion panel following the video. Here I am with Rico, one of the other panelists, Adam Peer from ETFO and Karen Shopsowitz, the wonderful film maker.
The video is now being released to locals across the province to use for teacher professional learning. There is an accompanying workshop for which I applied to be a presenter. Training is in December and workshops could feasibly begin in January. ETFO does such amazing work in this area - we are very proud to have been part of this project.
A little treat of this event was staying at the Hyatt once again - it is ETFO's hotel of choice for union events, so we've been there lots. This time, we got to stay in the Pink Room, where all funds are donated to breast cancer research. Every single thing was pink - it was so fun!
The next day, while Trish was at an equity meeting, I spent a wonderful day at the AGO. I took my time walking there, enjoyed a little guided tour of the main areas which I'd never done before, saw many of my favorite works, and appreciated every minute of the leisurely pace of the day. Now this is retirement!
Lastly, because of our involvement in this project, we received our own copies of the video in the mail the other day. We look forward to watching it again privately and perhaps even sharing.
Movie night anyone??

Anniversary Weekend

Our 6th Anniversary was October 3, just a couple of days after I got back from Britain. It fell on Saturday this year, so it felt extra special to celebrate on the same day of the week as we got married.
We spent the day in the Owen Sound area, an area we have visited before and always enjoyed. We had actually planned to spend the night at Waterview on the Bay at Colpoy's Bay near Wiarton, however, a booking screw up messed up those plans so it ended up being a day trip after all. We did have a lovely day though.

We started with a short hike in the Ingliss Falls Conservation Area. The colours weren't spectacular - we were a bit early - however, we really enjoyed the time outdoors.
Trish had done some research into the Owen Sound Salmon Tour, and had found out that the salmon head upriver each year right at this time and are quite a sight!
We didn't see any of them actually jumping, however, there were definitely salmon in the river and we spent quite a bit of time on a little bridge, as well as right on the side of the stream, watching them struggle through the babbling waters. It was really fascinating!
After our little hotel disappointment, we drove home, then cooked a deliciously yummy steak dinner to celebrate.
This salted caramel Baileys was our special after dinner anniversary treat. Oh, yum. A very nice, and well deserved treat indeed!

Off to Britain Again!

Last fall, Mum and I travelled to Scotland over Thanksgiving weekend for Kirstie and Andy's wedding, and, although it was wonderful, it was a little tricky figuring out how to get the time off work. No problem any longer!  Travelling in the 'off' season is definitely one of the benefits of retirement!
This year, Mum and I returned to Britain in September and spent a spectacular 2+ weeks in Aberdeen, Bristol and London. I have to confess, it was pretty nice spending the first week of school getting organized and packing for a trip!
Last year, I created a travel blog to keep in touch with family and friends, and keep a record for ourselves. We decided to use the same blog this year. I posted pretty much daily while we were away. Check it out at this link > http://wattatrip.blogspot.ca. I hope you enjoy sharing in our travel adventures!

The first day, reinvented.

After 19 years as a student followed immediately by 35 years as a teacher, today is the first day of school in 54 years that I am not 'going to school'. True enough, I had 2 maternity leaves that allowed me to be at home in a September, and one deferred salary leave, however, those were temporary times off. Because I knew I'd be returning each of those years, my mind was very much still 'in the game'.
This year feels quite different. I confess I've thought of almost nothing else, so clearly I haven't let it go quite yet, however, I feel an increasing separation from the reality of education this fall. Some of it is purely practical. Instead of back to school shopping, I've been doing British holiday shopping (I leave next Tuesday!). Instead of classroom prep, I'm making packing lists. I didn't help Trish set up her classroom this year. Part of it was timing, but another part was quite simply school avoidance. I'm not having back to school dreams. Bliss. The most interesting thing I'm experiencing is a growing sense of leisure. Pace of life and anxiety were big reasons for retiring, so feeling relaxed is welcomed! Even today, when I had to set my alarm way earlier than I wanted to make a breakfast date, it was actually fun getting ready and I knew that I could walk out of the house with keys and my little purse - not the bazillion bags that would normally weigh me down on the first day of school....and I'd still have forgotten something! And no thinking about lunch - hallelujah!
So, more about the breakfast date. Four of us who are newly retired teachers met at Langdon Hall for champagne breakfast. It was glorious. Conversation was about recent and upcoming trips, recommended reading, watercolour painting classes, our kids and our parents - and hardly a word about work. Retired teachers are a happy lot.

Here's a wee taste of the retirement version of the first day of school...

The beautiful Langdon Hall.

My first helping.

My second helping.

Yes, the Mimosa.

Katie, Sue, Christine and me. Cheers!

Bucket Lists and Fairmonts

Trish and I returned a few days ago from an amazing week in beautiful British Columbia. The trip was most importantly about visiting Judi - it's been too long since our last f2f and there was a lot of catching up to do! Judi has been living out west for a couple of years now - first a summer stint in Banff, then working at Big White in Alberta, Whistler and now Vancouver. She's had lots of amazing experiences (Judi's blog is incredible - check it out here!), however, lucky for us, she still has a B.C. Bucket list, so our trip also became an opportunity to help her check off a few more things on this list, with us in tow! Judi was able to take 3 days off work, which, when added to the weekend, gave us 5 days to explore and adventure! Honestly, we were happy just to be there, and with Judi in the travel industry after all, we let her plan our time and make most of the bookings! And wow - what a week we had!

For starters, who knew that there are FIVE Fairmonts in Vancouver (we stayed at 2 of them)? We also had one night at the incredibly beautiful and historic Empress in Victoria. Best. Beds. Ever. Oh, and I don't know what they stuff their pillows with, but they are magic.
I've jumped ahead. Trish and I actually had the first day by ourselves to wander Vancouver while Judi worked. We spent the afternoon at the Vancouver Art Gallery (wonderful!), walked to the waterfront and eventually to Gastown where we had dinner. It was a beautiful evening - the food at Chill Winston's was scrumptious and a couple of hours of people watching from our streetside table was fascinating. We will never forget the throngs of white clad rich folks carrying heaps of white food, tables and other accessories heading to Diner en Blanc. Strange but true.

On Wednesday morning, the 3 of us picked up our rental car and set out for Tsawwassen and the ferry over to Vancouver Island. It was a beautiful day and a luxurious ride in our brand new Taurus! The 2 1/2 hour ferry ride was lovely! We spent the afternoon at Butchart Gardens and the evening in Victoria. Judi found us an awesome Tapas restaurant for dinner, right in the vicinity of the Empress. It was a short stay in the city but lovely.
Although we all could have remained melted into the Fairmont bedding, we did drag ourselves up early the next morning and headed out to begin our island adventure. Tofino (#BCbucketlist) was the eventual destination, but we had food, shopping and sight seeing stops in Nanaimo and Port Alberni along the way.
I was a little nervous about how the drive would be. You see, there is only one road which crosses the island - following a river valley through a mountain range. But, it was a wonderful surprise - the roads were awesome! Very well marked, lots of guardrails, speed signs and warnings and all of the drivers were respectful and sensible. Whew. Great trip! And we arrived in Tofino by late afternoon and checked in to our awesome room right on the water - palm trees and mountain view from our deck! Another amazing find Judi!
Our dinner that night has a great story. A few years ago, Judi wrote an article about a food truck turned restaurant in Tofino called Sobo. She even has a copy of their Sobo cookbook! So we ate there (#BCbucketlist) and I'm not kidding, it was the best meal of my life. Judi and I both had their maple dijon glazed, cedar plank roasted, fresh pacific salmon (moan), scalloped potatoes with yams that were 'to die for', perfect broccolini and fresh off the cob corn. I was sad when my plate was empty. Licked empty.

Friday morning, Trish and Judi headed out to Surf Sisters for surfing 101 (#BCbucketlist) (this is another great story about a Surf Sisters article Judi wrote after skyping with their owner Chrissy, whom she met today!!) This was a pretty thrilling morning for the surfers! They had a lesson, then surfed at Cox Bay, one of the nearby beaches, for 2 hours! They were both very proud and very excited!
No, I didn't surf. I remained happily on shore, cheering them on and taking some pics of random surfers (random, 'cause I couldn't pick Trish and Judi out in the waves!)
For the remainder of the day, we visited the Roy Henry Vickers Art Gallery, wandered thru town, did a little hike to Tonquin Beach, had dinner at the Wolf in the Fog, did a short evening hike and saw a gorgeous Tofino sunset (#BCbucketlist) - beautiful!
Saturday, we were a little sad to pack up and leave Tofino. It's such a gem of a place and it's just far enough out there that you know you won't be back anytime soon. Well, Judi might - it's one of the only places in Canada to really surf!
That morning, we woke up to rain and overcast conditions. It turned out that there had been quite a bad storm with strong winds, power lines down and significant damage in the Vancouver area and mainland coast. We didn't know this of course, but started to see evidence of branches and debris as we got further down the road. Along the way, we stopped at a couple of beaches - wow, big waves! We also stopped at a Tourist Station near Ucluelet, in Port Alberni, Little Qualicum Falls and eventually Coxon, where we caught an evening ferry across to Powell River (#BCbucketlist) for the next leg of our adventure!
Judi found us a great room with kitchen and 2 bedrooms right across from the water. Since it was a late check-in, we picked up yummy Mexican food and brought it back to our room with us.
Sunday morning, we headed out on the road - and not just any road, the famous Sunshine Coast (#BCbucketlist) Highway. There was still lots of debris from the storm, and sadly, when we got to our Sea-Kayaking (#BCbucketlist), they were closed due to strong currents on the water. Boo.

Luckily, we found an alternative in Sechelt and had an amazing afternoon on the water. Trish and I shared a kayak, Judi had her own and we all loved it! We saw incredible wildlife and took tons of pics.
One of the thrills was seeing a family of seals very close to our kayaks. One of them climbed up on the rocks and gave us a good staredown, as you can see! They were so adorable!

Sunday evening after our last of 4 ferry rides, we made it back into Vancouver and spent our last night at the airport Fairmont for our early flight out the next morning.
Seriously, this drawer was where we found our wine glasses. Fairmonts really know how to spoil you!
We said a sad good-bye to Judi at the airport. Not only had we thoroughly enjoyed our time together, but this holiday was packed full of experiences, meals, scenery, locations and adventures that we likely would never have had the opportunity to do without Judi's connections, knowledge and research.
Thank you Judi for having a #BCbucketlist and letting us tag along! It was all amazing! Thank you thank you thank you!!

Another first for us on this trip was flying out of Kitchener! WestJet doesn't fly directly to Vancouver (not yet anyway!), so we flew to Calgary, then a switch in planes and on to Vancouver. We loved the convenience of being 10 minutes from the airport at home!
The flights were fairly overcast sadly, however, we did get a quick glimpse of mountains just as we left Calgary on the way home.
Amazing trip all around!