Hintonburg Get-up-and-Go Style vs. Cozy Time

I really like the period between Christmas and New Year's. My work shuts down so I have tons of time on my hands. That leads to a dilemma, however: what to do with that time?

I think there are two broad categories of people in the world. The cozy/comfortable ones and the get-up-and-go-getters. If I was purely cozzy/comfortable I would spend much of my time enjoying low energy (but rewarding!) things like reading books or watching Netflix. If I was purely get-up-and-go-getter I would use the time to do more cross country skiing or skating or hiking.

While I fall in between the extremes, if I'm honest with myself I'm more of a get-up-and-go-getter kinda guy. That probably explains why Margot, Glosette Girl, and I went for a walk on Christmas and another one yesterday. However (and here's the cozy style coming out) if truth be told, the walks were pretty short.

OK maybe I'm not that low energy!

Once we wrapped those up, and with a righteous sense of accomplishment in hand, we cocooned at home and spent much of the rest of the time indoors reading, playing our new family Board game, Settlers of Catan Junior,  and most important of all...finishing the brutal 1000 piece puzzle my brother bought Margot for her birthday. It only took 5 months but we finished it! I guess we just needed my work to shut down in order to do it. Mental note for the future!

5 months of frustration...but worth it!

Pinhey Forest

 
Frozen snow on the trees.
Crunching boots and laughing kids.

Making plans and hatching schemes.
Amongst the snowflakes and the new ice.

A happy start to the winter.
In Pinhey Forest.

Chorale Lyrica Finale

So I heard through the grapevine that some of my European readers have been wishing I would  blog more about Margot's adventures (I'm looking at you "Mex Milbeam"). Well, your prayers are answered! This week's post is all about Margot's grande finale as part of Chorale Lyrica, a bilingual children's choir based just across the river in Hull, Quebec.

This past weekend was the spectacular Christmas finale of her choir, which was part of the 12th annual European Union Christmas Concert at the Notre Dame Basilica in Ottawa. It was an impressive event with a choirs from all over the city performing. And good on Margot, even though she didn't go on until 8:30 pm or so, she sang loud and clear along with the other children in her choir.

I think Margot's favourite part of the show was wearing high heels

December is truly "performance" season in our household. In addition to the Basilica show, Margot had a horse competition, dance show and another Christmas concert. I think we were pushing our luck a bit, but fortunately Margot was...mostly...good humoured about it all.

Margot is the kid wearing black

 The Chorale Lyrica show was my favourite of them all though. Perhaps it was the space, Margot's constant smile throughout the show, or just the sound of voices reverberating around the cathedral, but regardless, it made for a memorable evening and a great reminder of why the Christmas season can be so special.

Here's the link to the full performance (Margot's part starts around 1:17:00).

Christmas Fair

Think Christmas is on the way? You betcha!

This last weekend was a veritable bonanza of Christmas goodness at our house! Let me count the ways:

• First, we continued our annual tradition of making our way across the river and watching the Aylmer Christmas parade.
• Second, we started writing our Christmas cards (keep an eye on your mailboxes!).
• Third, we spruced up our front door with a Christmas wreath purchased at our local farmer's market. 
• Fourth, we put up some Christmas decorations (nutcracker, stockings and indoor lights).
• Fifth, I opened up a special box of Christmas kids books that I always save for this time of year.
• Finally, we visited the Hintonburg Annual Artisan Craft Fair at the Hintonburg Community Centre. 

The fair is full of stuff you don't need (jewellery, ornaments, fancy soaps) but gosh darn the sheer home-made-organicniss of it all is irresistible.

I'm sure more than a few people left the fair with their wallets a bit lighter (virtually speaking of course!).

We also did some local celebrity spotting as we saw Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Catherine McKenna, at one point. To be honest, this is less of a "wow" sighting for us as we seem to run across her at every artisan fair we visit. Guess she likes beeswax candles and knitted products!

The Timeless Ritual of the Class Photo

Margot got her class photos back today. She looks very sweet (little do they know haha).

Margot is wearing a sweater as she spilled raspberry juice on her shirt!

Ah class photos... they are one of those things that our society ensures is done every year. I'm not sure why, but they feel important. "Don't miss school today, it's class photo day" is something that is heard in households from coast to coast.

Maybe the reason they feel important is that, despite the constant change that is occurring in society, the ritual of taking photos is pretty much the same as before. Here's my grade four class photo:

I'm the cool dude in the middle with the snowflake sweater

(Sorry for all the white space - that's my scanner's fault). Class photos cross all cultural boundaries in Canada. French or English, rich or poor you get 'em done. The world would be a better place with more class photos. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find Glosette Girl's Grade four photo but I was able to dig up this little gem from 1991:

Nice tie sweets!

Permanent Darkness

November in Ottawa is a harsh mistress.

You wake up to this:

6:38 am. Cock-a-doodle doo!

And, after a hard day's work where you may never step outside, you come home to this:

5:15 pm - right about the time I come home

Never seeing the sun can be very depressing. That's why I, suspect, people are so eager to turn on their Christmas lights, buy gifts, and put up other Christmas paraphernalia. As for me, it's probably the reason I try and get out with Margot and Glosette Girl on the weekend and do lots of activities.

An added "bonus" to November this year is all the snow you see in the photos. That's unusual and very early. Now, on the one hand, snow reflects light, which lightens up the night a bit. That's nice. On the other hand, if there's one thing Ottawa is not short of, it's snow. Le sigh.

Neighbourhood Kids

It's fair to say that Margot has lots of friends. She is a happy kid and always seems to find someone to play with at recess. However, oddly that doesn't seem to translate into too many after school playdates.

I think there are a couple of reasons for this. One, many parents these days (myself included) seem to put their kids in a lot more extracurricular activities than in the past. That results in less time for free play. Two, Margot doesn't have too many friends within walking distance of our house. Many are what I consider to be "driving distance" away, which makes random play much less likely. Finally, a big difference between a downtown neighbourhood like Hintonburg and surbubia is that kids just don't run wild in the street here like they do in the 'burbs'. It just 'aint done!

Fortunately there are a few exceptions to the lack of playdates. Just around the corner live the twins, E and S, who are some of Margot's besties and are always up for fun. Just a little further away lives another friend, L, who also likes to come over and hang out at our house.

It was cold enough to freeze your bones but you wouldn't know it from these monkeys!

That's what happened today. L came over and pretty much had a jolly old time. They didn't even want to watch Netflix! Instead, they played in the snow (yes, we have tons of snow and it's only November [sob]), played with Panda and then put on a puppet show for me.

It wasn't quite random (we prearranged the playdate with L's Dad) but I don't think Margot minded!

Exploring the West: Chipmunk Trail

This past weekend "classic" autumn died and "late" autumn began.

Classic autumn is the autumn of postcards (think an explosion of colours in trees, apple picking and Halloween). Late autumn is the autumn no one talks about but is a big part of the year around here (think short days, dark nights and the colour grey).

Even though the forecast looked grim, I took a chance and visited the Chipmunk trail with a few visiting family members. And I'm glad we did!

Haunting beauty

The woods were filled with a sublime but beautiful light. The floor of the forest was carpeted with recently fallen leaves. And because it had just rained, we had the entire trail to ourselves. That's unusual because the trail is usually a family favourite. The reason for its popularity? The incredibly tame chickadees, which eat right out of your hand!

You would think they call this the chickadee trail...

Because it's a bit short for my liking (2.6 km) this isn't a trail I hike very often anymore. But for a quick breath of fresh air only 15 minutes from my house, it's not too shabby.

School Activities

Is it just me or are there way more activities available for kids these days offered in school?

Margot is a member of her school's cross-country team and just this past week she ran a 2 km race in 10 minutes 39 seconds. Not too shabby! Running is pretty natural for her as she usually joins me on the bi-annual races I run every year.

On your marks, get set...GO!

In addition to cross country, for grade four kids there is judo, "speed stacks" (where you literally just stack stuff - not sure about that one!), track and field, improv, drama club and piano. Grade five is when the sports I remember growing up start to be offered, including: soccer, volleyball and basketball. Starting last year they've also offered downhill skiing.

So close..

I definitely don't remember cross country at such a young age (its available to eight year olds starting in grade three) being offered at my school. Good for Saint François D'Assise (a.k.a Margot's school) though! It's not a rich school with tons of facilities but they do a pretty respectable job of finding creative ways to offer new activities. And it definitely helps build school spirit - Margot is always telling me how happy she is when her school beats Édouard Bond, another local area Catholic school, that I think is her school's arch-nemisis!*

 
* When I was growing up my nemesis school was called Prince Charles. Oh those dirty rascals!

Roots and Shoots

The harvest season in this area is coming to an end! I know because our family buys a share of a farm veggie basket where, every two weeks, we get fresh organic veggies delivered to a local spot in our neighbourhood that we can go pick up. The company we buy from is Roots and Shoots, which is based out of a local farm near Wakefield, Quebec.

This season we've recieved:

• Beets
• Parsnips
• Carrots
• Lettuce
• Leeks
• Radishes
• Kale
• Spinach
• Green tomatos
• Regular tomatos
• Tons of herbs
• Celery
• Cabbage
• Zucchini
• Asparagus
• Various squashes

And probably lots of other stuff I'm forgetting. 

I have to admit, those look pretty tasty from this angle

It's a great idea...in theory. The only problem? Glosette Girl and I just aren't good enough cooks to take advantage of the fresh veggies! For example, even with bi-monthly (as opposed to weekly) pick ups, we get way more herbs than we can handle. How much dill does one need?!

Pick ups are fun!

We've also struggled making anything with some of the more exotic items we've received (fried green tomatos was fun the first time we made it. Then I was stumped to figure out something else to use them for!). It's a super pet peeve of mine to waste food. 

I actually think we're better than most when it comes to creative cooking but probably a more efficient way for us to buy local produce would be at the local farmers market. So, while I hate to admit it, I think next year we're going to have to take a pass on the farm share.

A life of experiences

I'm always on the look out for new experiences, whether it's simply visiting a different park in my neighbourhood, when I go visit my family or when I do small day or overnight trips near Ottawa. Best of all, while I love traveling,  some really magical moments can be found close to home without spending thousands of dollars.

That's probably what makes Glosette Girl and I a good match - we both share a love of exploration and curiosity and we're doing our best (and succeeding as far as I can tell!) in passing on that spirit to Margot.

This past Thanksgiving weekend we found a new nearby adventure. Just 1.5 hours away from Ottawa in the Laurentian region of Quebec is Refuge Lac Démélé, a 100 acre oasis where you can rent...wait for a it... a treehouse! Renting treehouses is very "2010's". I never noticed these types of places until the last 10 years or so and now they're starting to pop up everywhere - especially in the Laurentians.

Welcome to the wild side!

Our treehouse, the "Cabane du Lac" was an interesting place to say the least! Built on stilts in the middle of a forest but overlooking a nearby lake, it was, to me at least, the perfect example of glamping. Yes to:

• Wood oven stove 
• Solar shower
• Fire pit
• Propane-powered hot plate 
• Cutlery
• Water for cleaning dishes or boiling
• One solar powered lightbulb

No to:

• Potable water 
• Indoor toilet
• Electricity (other than the one lightbulb
• Internet or WIFI

If you're used to camping, like I am, what does it add up to? LUXURY!

It was definitely a new experience for us. While we were only there one night we were able to take full advantage of the on-site paddle boats, playground and acres and acres of picture perfect autumn trees.

Happy Thanksgiving 2019! 

Hello and Goodbye

Guess what? I gots me some new wheels!

Today, Glosette Girl, Margot and I are the proud owners of a Kia Rio 5 hatchback.

If anyone is proud it's probably the salesman!

Maybe "proud" is the wrong word - "Conflicted" might be more appropriate. Haha before you roll your eyes I am here to tell you one can get conflicted over a new car purchase! First, I'm a bit disappointed we didn't buy a hybrid or electric car. I try to live by my ideals and be a good citizen of the earth through activities like environmental cleanups and walking to work as much as possible, but when we did our research we found that the hybrid/electric cars in our price range weren't really  more fuel efficient than a normal car. So that was a bit of a letdown.

Second, I also feel a bit sad that in gaining our new car I am losing our 2005 Corolla, which Glosette Girl and I have had for 15 eventful years. In fact, the Corolla is the only car Glosette Girl and I have ever owned as we got it just after we got married. It's seen me through law school, living in New Brunswick, living in Quebec, racing to the hospital for Margot's birth, and thousands of kilometres of shorter day trip adventures. It definitely felt like it was part of our little Hintonburg family.

We have a thing for red.

By the end though, the clock didn't work, we had lost a few hubcaps, the car had a couple of big dents and we couldn't close the windows fully or we would smell fumes leaking into the car. Yikes. So it definitely has a date with the scrap yard. Still, I'll miss the ol' clunker.

Goodbye my friend! We won't forget you!

The Witches Thicket Cafe

Margot and I had an opportunity to go on a daddy-daughter date recently at the Witches Thicket Cafe.

For those who subscribe to a no logo philosophy, this place is for you - it looks and feels 100% authentic. Even in hipster Hintonburg most places have a semi-corporate gloss to them - like they want to pretend they don't care about market research and branding, but really they're just clever at hiding their corporate side.

Not the Witches Thicket Cafe!

I read a an article in the local newspaper about these guys and they really seemed to have poured their heart and soul into their own original creation. And I must say, from the vegan menu, to the wicca inspired decor, to the option to schedule a tarot card reading, it really shows.

I wasn't sure if I would fit in here when I first saw the store open up but as soon as Margot and I entered we were warmly welcomed. We then proceeded to have some yummy vegan cookies and shared a hot chocolate.

Even the centrepieces are unique!

I'm sure a lot of potential customers are intimidated by anything that isn't corporate-bog-standard so I hope other people overcome any preconceptions they may have and give this place a chance. It occupies a corner of Hintonburg that was quite rough until recently (as in, murder rough) and having the The Witches Thicket Cafe there is a great way to add some charm to that corner of our neighbourhood.

* Sad news: looks like we were one of the last customers as the store is now closed :(. Guess our neighbourhood wasn't ready for this yet.

Gimpse into the 19th Century

This past weekend Glosette Girl and I took Margot and her friend A to see the RCMP Musical Ride. The event was held at Wesley Clover stables, where Margot does her horseback riding. I think this was one of the last touristy things in Ottawa that I had yet to do.

Other big Ottawa touristy items I have visited before:

• Parliament Hill - the seat of power in Canada
• The Governor General's residence
• Gatineau Park (not the best park in Canada by any means, but pretty decent by local standards)
• A visit to one of what I consider to be the big museums around here: Nature, History, War, or the National Art Gallery (we also have "National" Science and Tech and Agriculture and Food museums but I find them more geared towards locals). There's also the Aviation and Currency museums for those with more specialized tastes.
• Walk next to, or skate, Ontario's only UNESCO world heritage site, the Rideau Canal
• Visit the Byward Market, one of Canada's oldest and largest farmers’ markets.

One thing that struck me as I watched the RCMP Musical "ride" (it's not a ride you sit on by the way, it's a ride that you watch. Kids call these types of "rides" lies :))  was that it really felt like I was getting a glimpse of how life used to be in Canada and around the world about 120 years ago.

Margot and A pointing out the action

Just think about it, at the turn of the 19th century, the horse was still more important than the car for moving people around and doing all sorts of work and was still heavily used in World War 1 combat. That's only just outside living memory!

It's a strange but wonderful idea to imagine horses as being that central to daily life. What a world it must have been. Perhaps a bit stinkier! But also a world where people were closer to the animals and plants of the earth. Ironically a world with more horses was probably more... human.

Those days are long gone now and I appreciate all the technological advances that have been made over the last 100 years. But getting this glimpse of the past certainty made me pause and remember where we have come from as a civilization.

King of the Cats!

A month ago we got a new cat after another cat we had, the big puffball Marshmallow, died unexpectedly. We replaced Marshmallow with an even bigger and even puffier puffball, which we have named PANDA.

How would you describe the mood of this cat?

I hadn't mentioned anything yet because for the first two weeks it was a bit of touch-and-go as to whether we would keep him. He meows a lot. He used to hide from us.

But since then he's come out of his furry shell and become a member of the family. He lets Margot give him tons of hugs, his paws are like big fat mittens (but surprisingly dexterous) and he likes sitting near us (usually on whatever paperwork we are working on) and just hanging out. Not only that, we think he's at least part Maine Coon, which is a special type of pure bred cat that is considered the only longhair breed native to the United States. In other words, Panda is...ROYALTY!

Welcome to the family, your Majesty!

Home of the Handy Man

Like some of the other stores in this area, like Dowd Supply and the local video store, Morris Home Hardware is a mainstay of my neighbourhood that is a bit of a relic from a bygone era.*

It's a small store, which has lots of Mr. Fix It supplies you need, from screws to light bulbs, but doesn't pretend to have the capacity of some of the big box stores you see in the suburbs. That said, it does have an impressive array of convenient services (the kind that you don't know until you need them):

• Key making;
• Knife/lawn mower sharpening; and
• Skate sharpening (yes, this is Canada)

I have a special place in my heart for Home Hardware. I have vague memories of going to this store with  my dad when I was a kid and thinking that it was the kind of place that had "potential" Maybe it was the fact that it seemed to sell a lot of stuff, like Christmas tree ornaments, that weren't quite toys, but which were kinda interesting. 

Anyways, on my visit to Morris Home Hardware I picked up a hose faucet head. Not sure if that qualifies as "potential" in Margot's eyes!

* According to this website, the store dates back to 1922 and has been at the same physical location for 60 years! Not too many stores in Ottawa can say that.

If you Build It, They will Come

Canada is a big place. And Ontario is a big province. And like many families, my relatives are scattered far and wide across this vast nation. Actually, I'm luckier than most: my family is either here in the Ottawa/Gatineau area or in or near Toronto. But that's still 5 1/2 hours apart. Peanuts by Canadian standards but half way across France!

I once blogged about how dull the drive is between Ottawa and Toronto is. Nine year later, what's the verdict?

It's still dull.

However, on my latest family to Toronto, Margot, Glosette Girl and I stopped in at the BIG APPLE. A classic Highway 401 landmark. Amazingly, despite driving this highway for many years, I've never stopped here before.

So what is there to do at this place exactly? Well, besides having a big apple to jump around at, there is a smorgasbord of apple-related products and paraphernalia to buy. And a petting zoo.

Massive roadside landmarks is such a quintessential North American thing. There are giant geese, big axes, huge potatoes, and enormous coffee pots. They are cheesy and goofy but man I can't help but smile at them.  And by heavens they make driving on some of our flat endless highways little less dull!

Where Are All The Kids?

Last Sunday, Margot and I had some time to spare and we went for a walk to do some geocaching (if you don't know what that is, I'll save it for another blog post!). We wandered over to EV Tremblay park, which is near little Italy.

The park has a huge wading pool and we stopped to dip our toes.

But as we did so, something occurred to me: there were no other children in the pool. On a  sunny, beautiful Sunday, in the middle of the afternoon, there were no kids in this glorious wading pool except Margot! (Well, at one point, a mother and toddler showed up for a few moments, but most of the time it was just Margot, me and three life guards.*)

One is the loneliest number...

I've read articles about how the future of affluent cities, like Ottawa, is increasingly childless but seeing it firsthand is kindof unsettling. Kind of odd considering the population of the world continues to sky rocket.  Hmmm makes one think.
 
Fortunately, Margot is such a handful by herself that I'm sure her mere presence kept those three lifeguards on their toes - you earned your wages today my friends!

*three life guards for a 18-inch deep wading pool with two customers. There's a sad joke about bureaucracy in there somewhere.

Up and Down with My Girl

Lately, it's been tough with Margot sometimes. One moment she is happy as a lark, the next she is rolling her eyes and pushing back. I've definitely noticed a new willingness by her to stand her ground!

In the bigger picture, I suppose this is all just part of growing up. Kids aren't robots and it's not fair for me to expect Margot to do whatever I want without question. Questioning is good!

But I must admit that when she and I just have a chatterbox talk where she tells me what's on her mind and then we go play together - those are good days! This past Sunday Margot and I were supposed to do a little bike/jog combo (she bikes, I jog) but I foolishly forgot to bring her bike helmet. Although she was looking forward to going cycling, she rolled with the punches and decided to jog alongside me. We went far - 5 km, all told! I was definitely impressed.

Face of an Angel! What a tough cookie!

OK ok, I'll admit I bribed her a little bit with some Pokemon Go on the jog back. But no parenting technique is perfect!

Sunday was a great day. Today (Monday) was nice too. She's helping me put together a photo album of our recent trip. It's a whirlwind living with a nine year old, believe you me.

Hmmm why do I get the sense that parents with teenagers chuckling at my naivete?  :)

Back to School Shopping

When I was a kid, if somebody was to ask me, what month do you start school, I would answer "September" (and then cry). Now that I'm an adult, I know the real answer is "August".

That's because all the back-to-school shopping has to be done several weeks before school actually begins or the keener parents will have drained the store shelves of all the stationary, supplies and other back-to-school goodies.

So today Margot, Glosette Girl and I trodded off to start knocking things off the to-buy list. First up, get Margot a new backpack! She's had her current backpack for a couple of years and it's getting a bit sad to be honest. I'm surprised she hasn't revolted against it. I'm not snobby about buying back to school stuff at any particular store, but we've had good luck with buying backpacks at Mountain Equipment Co-op ("MEC") so that's where we headed to.

MEC, in all its get-fit-outdoorsy-glory, is very Westboro, which is an upper middle class neighbourhood just west of here. But they do sell good backpacks (and camping stuff - let's be honest, MEC is like candy for middle-aged dudes like me).

So we searched and searched for a backpack and...what do you think? Mission accomplished? You tell me:

Hmmm.... Walmart it is then! At least we had some ice cream after.

Hintonburg Porter Boy

Did you recently see a gangly porter struggling to carry a splashy farmhouse buffet this past weekend? If so, your eyes did not deceive you! That was me heaving the latest addition from Maker House, a neighbourhood store specializing in Canadian-made furniture and eclectic items, for five blocks away to my maison.

Huff puff...

OK OK, Glosette Girl helped a bit* too.  But I think the photos look more impressive with just me carrying the buffet!

The little engine that could

* i.e. a lot.

Two Worlds only Hours Apart

This year for our annual summer family vacation Margot, Glosette Girl and I packed into a plane and hopped across the pond for a France/Swiss double combo! Bonjour! Wie geht es dir! While the original focus of out trip was Switzerland, whenever we go to Europe we look for an excuse to visit one of Jen's besties, B, and her family in Béziers, France. So with the help of the magical Interweb we figured out the logistics and started our Swiss adventure with a side trip over to Southwest France.

Margot with B's lovely kids, M, O, and N

It's amazing how different France is to Switzerland! Some observations about the area of France we saw:

• Food and wine is really well priced.
• Standard food: bread, cheese (of all kinds), charcuterie, regional fresh fruits (melons, nectarines, plums).
• Night rules! Everyone eats dinner late, and even kids stay up to 11 pm or midnight on a regular basis. This was especially important during our visit as Europe was in the midst of a heatwave, which made walking around during the day a challenge.
• Politics is much more a part of everyday life. We noticed announcements of local political activity were prominently mentioned in local weekly magazines.
• People aren't that tall. At 5'11" I felt like the right height!
• Stylish yet at the same time a bit rough around the edges.
• Overall, the country has a feminine feel.

Minerve: one of the prettiest villages in France

In comparison, here's what I thought about Switzerland:

• Food and wine expensive! $20 hamburger? Yes, please!
• Standard food: bread, cheese (with focus on Gruyere, elemental of course), and much less fresh fruits and veggies.
• Day rules! Everyone in the mountains people grab their hiking gear and get out during the sunlight because night is for sleeping.
• In the mountains it feels like it was 90% tourists.
• Lots of tall people! ...I felt short :(
• Germanic language is like "almost-English". You think you can read it...until you realize you can't.
• Masculine feel.

Lovely, rainy Bern - the federal capital (but not capital city!) of Switzerland

I think what blows my mind the most is just how different where we were (France) is to where we are (Switzerland) considering the two locations are only three hours apart. In Canada, you would still be in the same old boring province after driving in any direction for three hours. I'm sure it must be challenging to live with this much diversity in such a small geographic space sometimes but wow those Europeans are lucky to have this much at their fingertips!

Places like this really do exist outside Disney movies!

The Right Summer Camp

Every year we go through the ritual of picking the right summer day camp for Margot. It's a very 21st century thing to do because day camps were a lot rarer amongst my circle of friends when I was growing up.

It's probably a byproduct of there being more two-income families now. Originally, we focused on something that exposed her to different things. Now we're a little more discerning and try to get Margot involved in selecting her camps (we usually aim for four one week camps per summer) Anyways, here's a list of the summer camps Margot has gone to over the last few years:

• Dance Camp (3 different schools): the School of Dance (twice), Making Moves, Greta Leeming Studio)
• Multi-sport camp - Carleton University: Margot's favourite part was the cafeteria.
• Fashion Design Academy (a.k.a. sewing camp)
• Agriculture Museum (one cooking camp and one farm camp)
• Tennis camp (2 different camps)
• Art camp (One with National Art Gallery and the other with the Ottawa School of Art)
• Yoga camp (3 times)
• Girl Guides camp - Camp Woolsey: her least favourite camp and faaaaar away.
• Gymnastics camp (1/2 day)

The Artist Showing off her Wares

Coming up: Pioneer camp and one of the tennis camps.

According to Margot her top three camps are: her most recent dance camp (Greta Leeming Studio), yoga camp and her most recent art camp. Hmmm, a little biased towards what she's just completed. I think these may be the ones she remembers most right now!

The World Outside Ottawa

The point of this blog is to focus on the hyper-local. To give a glimpse into my family's life in one little corner of the word, Ottawa, and in particular one neighbourhood, Hintonburg.

It's a pretty good life here, but I'm not ignorant of world events, and I've mentioned some of the more profound ones, such as the Arab Spring (in my original blow) or Donald Trump's presidency (when I started this one).

It's not that I don't have a point of view, it's just that I like to let my actions speak for themselves. But sometimes I can't help but marvel at the way history unfolds, or even repeats itself.  It matters to me here, even in lil' old Ottawa because it influences how I think about the place I live.

For example, a big issue I've read a lot about is Brexit (I care about this issue because I'm half British and also I have friends who are affected by it in Europe). But when I read about how this issue is being approached I am amazed that no one sees the obvious parallels with Canada's experience.  Much ink has been spilled about:

• The use of prorogation to break the UK political impasse
• How the UK's main progressive party might team up with a Scottish nationalist party following a general election.
• The need for another Brexit referendum to finally "solve" the issue. 

Canada, with our Parliamentary system, has experience with all of these:

• Prorogation was used by an arguably divisive Canadian Prime Minister to avoid Canada's progressive and nationalist parties teaming up to govern the country. Spoiler alert: prorogation was granted.
• Canada has expedience with two Quebec referendums. We are now at the point where it's not a burning issue but an undercurrent is still there.

Amazingly, despite a few scandals, Canada has somehow managed to find our way forward. I chalk it down to a combination of a wishful desire to carve out a place for ourselves in a world that barely notices we exist, appreciation for what we have, and willingness to come up with unsexy compromises.

I see no effort to come to such a compromise in the UK's situation - by either side. While I consider myself a progressive person and admire some aspects of the European Union, I find other aspects profoundly undemocratic and understand why some would want to leave. Similarly, while I love my country, I understand why Quebec nationalists would want to create something new.

I have no idea how Brexit will eventually be resolved. My hope is that eventually, enought people will think less about winning (whether it's a "hard" Brexit or somehow making all of this go away via another referendum) and more about an unsexy compromise. But maybe that's just wishful Canadian-Ottawa-Hintonburg thinking.

The Secret Park: Reid Park

Just past the underpass that separates my neighbourhood, Hintonburg, from Civic Hospital, is Reid Park. Of the four parks nearest to my house: Parkdale Park, Hintonburg Park, Fairmont Park and Reid Park, this is the one we visit the least.

The park is named after a Scottish settler from the 19th century

It was under construction last year, but the real reason we haven't visited often is its location. It's tucked away in this unloved, awkward corner literally right next to the Queensway, the highway that runs right smack through the middle of Ottawa. The noise from the highway is also quite noticeable there because the sound of cars zooming by rises above the nearby sound barriers.

So we always forget about it.

It's a bit of a shame really because whoever re-built the park did a pretty decent job.There's a nice playground, wading pool and a basketball court. It's also next to a lawn bowling court, which is one of those living artifacts that always bring a bemused smile to my face.

Maybe now that a friend lives in the area I'll visit it more often. In any case, keep on truckin' lil mystery park!