Showing posts with label Glass Tiger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glass Tiger. Show all posts

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Western Fair Photo Op

It's been a number of years since the last time I went to the Western Fair - an annual tradition when Kazi was younger which was only fitting since she was born after I spent several hours waddling around the fair 24 years ago! Last night I went with my friend, Troy, as we both wanted to see the Canadian band called "Glass Tiger" whom some of you Canadian readers remember (if you're close to my age!) Once inside the fair the atmosphere, sounds, sights and smells were sorta exciting, I have to admit :) I'm just a kid at heart, I guess. Though a lot of things have changed locations since the last time I attended and we never did find the Belgium Waffles - boo!! 

However, there were so many opportunities for photos and I took advantage:


 Who doesn't like baby chicks?
 bees however? Not quite so cuddly...
 I LOVE wandering through the display buildings full of the strange and wonderful entries in various competitions - like these dresses made from recycled materials like pop tabs and CDs.

 and then there's the fair food. A gourmet grilled cheese stuffed with bacon, tomatoes and caramelized onions helped me get over not getting my favourite Belgium Waffle. I won't list all the free samples I stuffed myself with!
I love the outdoor photos once it gets dark and ALL of the lights go on!
 This ride was in motion!
Some things never change - good old Whac-A-Mole!!
 ...and other games...which I didn't play because I just got rid of the tacky stuffed animals won over the years...
 This was new...riding over top of the whole fair...
I managed to stay away from MOST of the food booths...
 One of my favourite photos of the night!
 And then it was time for Giant GLASS TIGER!!!

Alan Frew, originally from Scotland!, still looked pretty good - of course I HAVE to say that because we are the same age!
 Guitarist Al Connelly...he's still got it going on!


During the concert the big pirate ship ride loomed over me so I had to take a shot - whoosh!

 They finally played our favourite song during the encore: "Don't forget me when I'm gone" and we had a lengthy sing-a-long :)
 Can you find the little car on the roller coaster? Does that ride look sturdy to you??
The crowds and the lights - although it was freakin' cold out the fair was well attended...
...no doubt because there were days or torrential rainfall and flooding during the past week.
 ...getting artsy fartsy :)
and again...
 ...the rides no longer tempt me like they used to. Getting off a ride dizzy and with a headache just doesn't do it for me anymore.  Yup, I'm officially getting old.
 After picking up a couple of free trees as part of a Reforest London project we headed home. Years ago I would have joined the long conga line to get Alan Frew's autograph but I preferred to get to the heat of Dougie the Dodge than to stand for hours shivering. Yes, my groupie days are long over too!

Friday, September 12, 2014

By the Numbers

I love "By the Numbers" posts, I don't know why I don't do them more often....


  • this is post #853
  • I have been home and living more gratefully in London for 30 days - PEI seems like a distant sweet dream
  • speaking of that Crofters Lane is up for sale for $10,000 more than what I originally paid for it
  • 7 - the number of days til I begin winging it across the big pond!!!
  • 6 -the number of flights I'll be on in total
  • 144 - the number of kms I'll be walking through the Cotswolds
  • +8c - the temperature in London!!
  • +19c - the temperature in the Cotswolds right now!
  • 5 - the number of times I've turned on the furnace this morning and heard nothing!! sigh....
  • 32 - the number of gigs in my new camera memory card = 1,000s of photos!!
  • 8:02am - the time I got up today...somehow I slept through my first alarm at 7:00am
  • 24 - how old my daughter will be on Sunday!
  • 20 - how old our cat is
  • 0 - the number of times I've dreamed about school since my "night before the first day of school dream"  :)
  • 1 -the number of Council of Canadians meetings I've gone to (first one last night!)
  • 2 - the number of times I've exercised in the last week - BOOOOOOOOO!!!
  • $350 - the amount of money I've spent this week on trip-related stuff & some groceries

Dear Diary: 
Went to my first meeting of the Council of Canadians last night - they are a politically active group that protest government bills that adversely affect the environment. My concerns relate to global warming and the loss of animal/bird habitats plus I'm going to join Julie in her efforts to rid London of plastic bottles of water.

Tomorrow I'm getting together with my brother, my sister-in-law and some cousins for a mini reunion in Aylmer. And then on Sunday I have a major hike - fast paced and a longer distance than usual. Today I'm thinking about going to the fair. A good old Canadian band "Glass Tiger" is playing. Several acts have been rained out this week but no rain today! 

But first I have to google "furnace won't start" to see if there's anything I can do before calling in the experts. Rats. Well, at least it's not snowing. Grrrrrrrrrr! That also means I'm going to have to clear the clutter out of the furnace room:(

Finished the book Kim gave me by Alistair MacLeod. WOW. Sometimes my brain gets stuck in the past - Kim and I have talked about that as it's a common trait in the family - we are a sentimental soppy bunch (most of us, not all). Anyway the book he gives me is about the MacDonald family who settled on Cape Breton Island back in the 1700's and their lives until the present. Talking about living in the past! My take away from this book is that remembering the past is important, an oral tradition that has been a way of connecting the many generations of a family and I shouldn't feel badly about "what was". "What was" informs the present. 

Many characters have the same name over the generations: Alexander MacDonald - there are about 10 Alexander MacDonalds over the many generations. One "live" Alexander even takes the place of an Alexander who dies. There are many messages in this book which I will go into more here. Kim knows how to pick a book that supports and helps to explain the way I am feeling. I have great brothers. And sisters. Family.

Now off to google :(