Camp Ouareau: memories of

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2 summer campers.- where Kathi and I spent some happy summers.

I was looking at family pictures from my days at camp many summers ago now.

I was also looking at the songbook which we used and I could probably still sing most of the songs.

Westminster chimes

"Lord through this hour,
Be Thou our guide
So, by Thy power
No foot shall slide."


Westminster Chimes tune and the same one played at the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa.

I never knew this until I watched a National Film Board video made in the 1950s with a tour of the city narrated by a tourist guide. A wealth of useful and entertaining information is out there.

Time travelling in various directions

I was watching an interesting program on my local PBS station abut Champlain and his expeditions in North America when he was looking for a passage to China.

He met up with the natives including the Mohawks near what is know Montreal. He named a lake after himself - Lake Champlain.

This all happened in the early 1600s.

About the same time I was listening to a music CD in the basement of my house in Ottawa. Ottawa recently celebrated a birthday - it was 150 years old.

On my music CD there was music by Bach and Pachelbel and Handel and Vivaldi. Bach died in 1750. Pachelbel died in 1706. Handel died in 1759. Vivaldi died in 1741.

When they wrote their music in some European country - the Mohawks or other native groups were the only people around in the Ottawa area.

Mixed messages again

I found a quite nice Youtube video about WW II. God Save the Queen was included. Not the right one - God Save the King - would have been more appropriate.

Pack up your troubles - in a WW II headline. Really did not anyone study recent history. This is World War I.

So I went over to Youtube again and I found some very nice mixes of old 1940s songs. A good friend made me a couple of tapes some years ago and my mom really liked them. So where are they and where is my tape player?

O little town of Bethlehem

I was there in Bethlehem - twice. I would not like to be there now - there is too much conflict and unsettledness in the region. However in the news soon we will hear about Christmas services there.

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There are Christmas crèches from my past and my present.

The Catholic Church - St. Julien’s - in Lachute always had one. So did the rich neighbours. There was a large one with life sized figures.

Of course the manger was always empty until Christmas Eve.

I walked by an empty one a few weeks ago outside a Catholic Church.

St. John’s has a beautiful one with intricate figures made by one of the more artistic members of the congregation.

Music from my past

I see in the news that Mary of Peter, Paul and Mary fame has just died.

I liked to listen to their music. I am sure it was required listening when I was at boarding school in the 1960s.

Fun with songs

I was recently watching “Little House on the Prairie.” The children in the school yard were playing and singing some songs.

One of them was this one:

Ring around the rosie; A pocket full of posies; Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down!

The other one that was mentioned was “Brother John”. I did not know it by this name but I did know:

Frere Jacques; Frere Jacques; Dormez vous?

Did I learn some of these at elementary school or even in kindergarten?

I know I learned many familiar hymns at the morning school assembly at Traf. That is another kind of singing.　
　
　

Easy listening music

I was listening to some YouTube music from the Taizé community in France. It is so gentle and easy to listen to.

I have been to a number of Taizé services. At the Gathering at the convent in May there was a Taizé service. Candles and meditative music that is easy to sing are part of the experience.

I was also thinking often about Iona and that Christian community. Some members of St. John’s youth groups are just back from a trip there. I know it was a good experience as the Christian Education Coordinator told us. The three adults were in church on Sunday but none of the young people. It is a 24 hour trip including travel by plane, train, bus and ferry.

Holy Week

From one of my favourite blogs about looking forward to Holy Week and all its activities: RevGalBlogPals.

So faced with a busy week:
1. What restores you physically?
2. What strengthens you emotionally/ mentally?
3. What encourages you spiritually?
4. Share a favourite poem or piece of music from the coming week.
5. There may be many services for you to attend/ lead over the next week, which one are you most looking forward to and why? If there aren't do you have a favourite day in Holy week if so which one is it?

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1. Having a nap. Going to bed when I am tired. Slowing down and just sitting down and listening to music or doing nothing.

2. Realizing that I do not have to be everywhere and at every service. I can take time out.

3. Listening to the words of the services - the readings and the prayers and the music.

4.

5. Easter Sunday after the services are all over. It is now time to move onwards to a time of celebration and new life and in this part of the world - hopefully more spring like activities and weather.

Spring coming?

Spring says Abracadabra - I hope it is coming soon. There is more spring in my step these days - at least my mom says so. I am looking forward to green grass and other good stuff outside. My mom says I can forget about playing in the mud that comes between the snow melting and the grass growing. We will see…

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The days are definitely getting longer. Daylight Savings Time is coming in a couple of weeks.

The temperatures are rising and the snow is melting - at least some of the time.

I am looking forward to Easter.

I am looking forward to walking outside more again.

I like to put on my CD of Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copeland - wonderful music. A bit too complicated to post the YouTube video - it is so long it comes in various parts. It is easy to find there.

Music at the inauguration

So where was I yesterday morning? Listening and watching President Obama's inaugaration.

I did like listening to the bands and the military marches that came after.

Aretha Franklin sang "My country tis of Thee." The CBC commentator mentioned that the tune is the same as "God save the Queen."

An aside to that matter I do not remember anyone singing "God save the King" in my lifetime but I was very young when Elizabeth II came to the throne. My mom told me a story that as a very young person I stood up for the first time when "God save the King" was being played on the radio. I expect this may be true as King George VI died on Wednesday, 6 February 1952. I would have been 10 months old at that time.

Celtic influences

I have recently started a 10 week course on Celtic Christian literature. So I began to think about what are the Celtic influences in my life.



First of all the Shetland ponies in their natural habitat. There have always been ponies at Wal Ken Farms and at Greenbelt.

The course itself includes poetry aand hagiography (the spiritual biography of saints.) St. Patrick will get a mention even though the course will be over before St. Patrick's Day on March 17.

I have all the episodes of Ballykissangel which is an Irish story.

I enjoy listening to Roma Downey's own CD - Healing Angel. Her Irish background did not come out too much in Touched by an Angel.

I went on a couple of Celtic themed retreats.

We had a delightful assistant priest at St. John's who was from Ireland - Désirée.

I know a number of folks who have gone to Iona but of course that is Scotland and not Ireland. They describe themselves as "a dispersed Christian ecumenical community working for peace and social justice, rebuilding of community and the renewal of worship." http://www.iona.org.uk/

I have several music CDs with Irish music - both secular and more spiritual. Some of them are very relaxing and meditative.

Places: Traf pt.2

So I promised you the music from the gym dem at the school. I do think it sounded quite like this but this is fun.

St. John's Anglican Church Ottawa

I came to St. John's at the invitation of my former priest in Toronto at the church I was attending - Edgar Bull was at St. Thomas' Huron Stree.. He had studied with the rector - Borden Purcell. So I went to St. John's when I went to Ottawa for a student summer job. I liked the form of worship and I enjoyed being part of the community.

Leaving my church in Toronto where I had really started to grow in my faith was difficult. Coming to St. John's I got involved in some activities - teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir and attending the early morning service on a Wednesday.

I stayed at St. John's through lots of changes. I made some good friends. I enjoyed and still enjoy the form of worship and the music. I love the hymn selections even though it has been a long time since I have sung in the choir.


This was always my church home when I got involved in different activities in different churches and not all of them were Anglican. I made friends in other churches as well.


When my mom got sick in 2001, I cut back on my regular church commitments and for some time I was not a regular church attender. In August 2007 my good friend that I went to boarding school with and her husband came for a weekend visit. They came with me to St. John's. I had a very strong feeling of coming home again. I knew I was going to be able to be more involved again after I retired.