Thursday 27 November 2014

To All My American Readers . . .

Just popping in for a moment to say "Happy Thanksgiving!" May your day be full of friends, family, food, gratitude and an old-fashioned spirit of co-operation!


And I extend the same wish to all my Canadian readers and those of other nationalities too because, even though it's not officially Thanksgiving where we live, shouldn't every day be an opportunity to celebrate those wonderful values? Of course it should.

Thursday 13 November 2014

Time to Recharge!


Taking a little blogging break! I need some rest and rejuvenation for a bit. Conversely though, this is always a very busy time of the year for me as well. Figures, eh? See you in December!

Tuesday 11 November 2014

Remembrance Day



                         They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
                         Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
                         At the going down of the sun and in the morning
                         We will remember them.

                                --From "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon


                             LEST WE FORGET



[by Bruce MacKinnon,
Halifax Chronicle Herald]

Friday 7 November 2014

Valour Road

Last month when I was in Winnipeg, I went to the Manitoba Museum to see a special display -- three sets of Canadian war medals from World War I, all of which included the extremely rare Victoria Cross. In the British Imperial military honours system which applied to Canada in those days, the Victoria Cross was the highest decoration possible. It was given for "valour in the face of the enemy" and, by its very nature, was often a posthumous award.

These particular Victoria Crosses belonged to three Winnipeg soldiers -- Lieutenant Robert Shankland, Sargeant-Major Frederick William Hall and Corporal Leo Clarke. Only Shankland survived his heroic action to receive the award in person.


But what makes these Victoria Crosses unique in the world is the improbable coincidence that, before joining the Canadian Expeditionary Force, all three of these soldiers had lived within a block of each other on Pine Street in Winnipeg. What are the astronomical odds that a single city block would produce three VCs?

So shortly after World War I, Winnipeg honoured its "Pine Street boys" by renaming their home street "Valour Road."


Today, Valour Road is marked with special signage to indicate the street's historical and military status.


These large signs run up and down the length of the street.


And at one intersection, behind a fringe of these same signs, there is a freestanding stone and metal memorial to Shankland, Hall and Clarke.



The three soldiers also appear on other signs that decorate the street.


Their medals and VCs are part of the permanent collection of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. This special exhibit was loaned to the Manitoba Museum to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I. The display will return to Ottawa after Remembrance Day.

[First photo by Phil Hossack, Winnipeg Free Press. All other photos by Debra She Who Seeks, October 2014]

Wednesday 5 November 2014

Bar Room Kitties

"Make mine Bailey's, barkeep. I'm just drowning my sorrows with my best girl."






[Final captioned photo courtesy of

Monday 3 November 2014

Canada's Sergeant-at-Arms

Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers may have protected the Canadian Parliament a couple of weeks ago by taking down a lone wolf terrorist wannabe, but in reality he accomplished something much, much more difficult and unlikely. His actions reformed Stephen Colbert of his Canada bashing ways! (Well, at least for the moment, eh? LOL!)



I've also been enjoying all the memes and political cartoons paying tribute to Vickers:








And like other superheroes, Vickers now has his own Lego minifig too!