Dichotomy

This morning I woke to a picture of dichotomy.





Outside one of my bedroom windows a beautiful array of hoarfrost draped the trees.


Outside the other, the magnolia buds seem to be enlarging and getting ready to burst into bloom.



Winter is holding on but Spring surely must be around the corner!

A Place Called Home

“Stratford is a community that people return to,” commented the woman in the coffee shop. “Why is that?” I wondered.

I am one of those who returned. After living in London, then venturing to Nova Scotia, settling in Saint John, New Brunswick for a while and then in Calgary, Alberta, my path eventually led me back to Stratford. What is there about Stratford that invites the wanderer to return?

No doubt if you have been reading this blog for a while you have discovered some of the reasons – a sense of community, warm people, wonderful opportunities both in the arts and in sports. We actually returned to Stratford to be closer to family. When my boys were young we wanted then to know their grandparents here in town, and their aunts, uncles and cousins who lived within easy driving distance.

Stratford was a good fit for us in terms of educational facilities, church, health care, and extracurricular activities. There were piano and singing lessons, youth hockey teams, the world renowned St. Mary's Children's Choir just down the road, school teams, drama opportunities through Kids Chorus at our church, and wonderful physicians and health care support when our young son developed asthma that required frequent hospitalization.

Stratford is a place that one can happily call home, and if you happen to wander away as I did, you can know that the welcome mat will always be there if you should choose to return.

Hockey Day in Canada

All week the excitement had been rising. Along the river, rinks flooded to perfection by our local fire department had encouraged many to head out for free skating and pick-up hockey. On Tuesday, the CBC began moving in their equipment. By Friday everything was set for the big day. Stanley and all the other major Cups had arrived.


A huge tent was set up for a community breakfast.












Most of our downtown stores got into the action with window and storefront décor.



Today, Saturday, dawned bright and sunny. Despite the cold, the river area was bustling with activity amidst an air of festivity and fun. Thanks to Tim Horton's Hockey Day in Canada, we had yet another reason to enjoy our beautiful park area.

Winter's Return

Winter drifted back into town last night. The shivery -14C felt much lower with the blustery wind adding to the chill.







At times today one could barely see across the street, but the next moment the sun would be sparkling off the shimmering blanket of fresh snow.

This is winter in "the snow belt."

WINTERFEST

This past Saturday dawned bright and cheerful and a sense of expectation filled the air.


When we arrived, Lower Queens Park was bustling with Winterfest activities. Our firemen had created a huge rink in the field below the theatre.

Ice had been trucked in to produce a Luge run for tiny tots, and sculptors had had their fun creating various figures.







The Aerial Angels were performing their high flying acrobatics.





Watching the children playing and adults visiting as we wandered past the many activities made me once again delighted to live in this fair town.


Winter's cold cannot dampen our spirits. Stratford is a city whose citizens like to have fun!

PICTURE PERFECT

A late afternoon stroll in the brisk, cold air of the January deep freeze, brought us to a scene out of the past. Rinks of all sizes have popped up on the Avon.

Pickup games of hockey, children donning their skates for the first time, folks huddled in groups to talk, or helping to shovel.

This is community. This is Stratford!

BARREN ONE

Bleak, barren, she waits.
Waits beneath the virgin spread.
Cold, unfeeling,
Longing for the days gone by
When she was the admired one,
When people thronged to catch a glimpse
Of her as, wrapped in sunshine, she
Played hostess to the world.










How still, how quiet, now alone
She waits in silence.
No crowds to cheer,
No admiring murmurs from the shore;
Just one who walks by disconnected,
Lost in thoughts of other days
When summer reigned.