Newfoundland quilt

Here are close up photos of some intricate designs and needle work of scenes on a quilt capturing the essence of the Newfoundland. Each scene is framed by the deep green of the Newfoundland tartan.

If you were to design a quilt to represent your province or country, what images would you choose to fill the 12 to 16 squares?

Campfire

Fishing

Humpback whale

Lobster

Moose

Newfoundland dog: They are actually quite big, fluffy and cute in real life.

Pitcher plant, the Newfoundland flower emblem.
The leaves of this flower is like a pitcher and fills up with water to attract insects.
The insects are the primary source of nutrients for this plant.   

Polar bear, most likely up north in Labrador. 

The Atlantic puffins, best spotted south of St John's at Witless Bay.

Purity syrup and cookies, the Newfoundland household staple. 

Seal.

Wash basin

Winter log cabin

Religion

Gander I: Thomas Howe Demonstration Forest & Silent Witness Memorial

Tout le monde me raconte qu’il n’a pas grande chose à faire à Gander sauf d’aller à leur centre d’achat et leur Walmart. J’avoue que j’ai fait plusieurs achats malgré mon aversion au magasinage, car j’ai découvert qu’avec certaines choses, on peut que les acheter dans les grands magasins. Cependant, j’ai découvert aussi d’autre chose que le magasinage à Gander; j’ai trouvé un bijou chez les sentiers Thomas Howe et Silent Witness Memorial.

Lac Gander

Au parc, nous avons rencontré un couple qui nous a fait montrer comment faire approcher les geais gris à manger à partir de nos mains et même de nos bouches! Apparemment, les geais gris ne sont pas timides. Ils font confiance facilement aux humains et nourrissent directement de nos mains. C’était très amusant de nourrir les geais, mais encore plus merveilleux était la sensation quand le geai m’approchait pour prendre le cajou de ma bouche. Le couple nous a enseigné de mettre une noix entre nos lèves légèrement,  de tourner nos visages vers le ciel et d’attendre tranquillement.  Tout est tranquille, tout est calme, et tout d’un coup, dans un temps plus rapide qu’un cligne d’œil, je sentais des plumes qui effleurent mon visage et quelque chose dure et pointue, sûrement des griffes et le bec du geai.  

Un beau geai gris.

Silent Witness Memorial a été construit pour souvenir les 256 américains qui sont mortes d’un accident d’avion en 1985. Gander est une ville importante pour les vols d’avion vers l’Europe à cause de sa location géographique laquelle est  la plus est et près d’Europe sur le continent. Ces passagers quittaient Gander pour aller à Cairo, Égypte sur une opération de paix. Cet accident est le plus grand de son type sur le sol canadien. 

Un soldat américan non armé tient les mains de deux enfants.

Happy discovery at the grocery store

Guess, what? I was so excited when I found a package of dried chow mein at the grocery store (Springdale, NL). I was really excited to try it, because the label of the package says the product is imported from Burnaby, BC, which means there is a high chance it will taste like authentic chow mein noodles. Although, the best chow mein noodles are the fresh kinds.

My homemade chow mein with stir fried veggies and bok choy on the side.

Unfortunately, the noodles puffed up, and was again no where near the original chow mein noodles.

I just came back from eating at a very authentic Chinese restaurant called "Noodles" here in Charlottetown, PE and am really excited to learn that there is a ethnic grocery store here where I can stock up before I leave.

Remembrance Day reflection with music from Newfoundlander Terry Kelly paying tribute to the fallen

Today is Remembrance Day. A couple of days ago, my mind was on anything but remembering about the significance of the day when I was thinking to this year’s Remembrance Day. I remembering thinking, "too bad the stores will probably be closed this Sunday". I have a 5h wait in Halifax before my connection flight to Charlottetown - there is a Mountain Equipment Co-op in Halifax. Now in with time to kill at the airport, I finally reflect on this day. My boarding pass which reads 11:10 am also serves as a reminder of the 11^th hour to come. I wonder if the Stanfield airport will do something to acknowledge this day.

Terry Kelly, a popular country singer from St-John’s, Newfoundland wrote a song about needing to remember those who served in the war for the “peace” we are privileged with. The song is titled “A Pittance of Time” and here is the description from his official website explaining the motivation for his song.

“On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a drug store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the stores PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us.

Terry was impressed with the stores leadership role in adopting the Legions two minutes of silence initiative. He felt that the stores contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable.

When eleven o’clock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the two minutes of silence to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect.

Terry’s anger towards the father for trying to engage the stores clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was channelled into a beautiful piece of work called, A Pittance of Time.”

The official video clip and lyrics to this song are below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kX_3y3u5Uo&feature=share&list=PL5BC94E21F6EF3DB8

  

A Pittance of Time

Written by: Terry Kelly

Published by :Jefter Publishing

They fought and some died for their homeland

They fought and some died now it’s our land

Look at his little child, there’s no fear in her eyes

Could he not show respect for other dads who have died?

Take two minutes, would you mind?

It’s a pittance of time

For the boys and the girls who went over

In peace may they rest, may we never forget why they died.

It’s a pittance of time

God forgive me for wanting to strike him

Give me strength so as not to be like him

My heart pounds in my breast, fingers pressed to my lips

My throat wants to bawl out, my tongue barely resists

But two minutes I will bide

It’s a pittance of time

For the boys and the girls who went over

In peace may they rest, may we never forget why they died.

It’s a pittance of time

Read the letters and poems of the heroes at home

They have casualties, battles, and fears of their own

There’s a price to be paid if you go, if you stay

Freedom is fought for and won in numerous ways

Take two minutes would you mind?

It’s a pittance of time

For the boys and the girls all over

May we never forget our young become vets

At the end of the line it’s a pittance of time

It takes courage to fight in your own war

It takes courage to fight someone else’s war

Our peacekeepers tell of their own living hell

They bring hope to foreign lands that the hatemongers can’t kill.

Take two minutes, would you mind?

It’s a pittance of time

For the boys and the girls who go over

In peacetime our best still don battle dress

And lay their lives on the line.

It’s a pittance of time

In Peace may they rest, lest we forget why they died.

Take a pittance of time

As I ponder more into my reflection, I realized despite having just attended a Remembrance Day assembly this Friday in school, and despite all the years of Remembrance Day assemblies and ceremonies, I don’t have a profound notion of what war and peace means.

Truthfully, I don’t have a strong nor profound impression of Remembrance Day other than constantly losing my poppy, the poem “In Flanders Field” and the solitary sound of the trumpet or bugle from the “Last Post” and “The Rouse”. It was only today when I went on Wiki did I learn more about these two pieces of music.  These two pieces were tunes used in the British Commonwealth military, the “Last Post” to signal the end of the day and “The Rouse” to arouse the solider and get them ready for a new day after waking. The bugle is the original instrument used in the army instead of a trumpet, as it is one of the simplest of the brass instruments and it has no values. I did not know that a “First Post” is played to mark the beginning of the inspection of the fallen to verify that all of those out in the field are indeed dead and not unconscious or in a coma. “Last Post” was to close the military day to indicate that the post has been verified. The “Last Post” also serves to signal to those who were still out on the field wounded or separated that the fighting was done for the day, and to guide them the way to safety if they followed the tune. At night vigil ceremonies, the “Last Post” is used to start the period of silence for the slain to let them rest and not be mutilated, despoiled (by the enemy), or dragged off (by scavengers) during the night. The playing of “The Rouse” in ceremonies symbolize a new day, a future with hope.

Here is a Remembrance day clip with both the “Last Post” and “The Rouse” with a moment of silence.   

Cap-Breton i: La famille à l'île de Cap-Breton

Pendant la fin de semaine d’action de grâce, Annie et moi, les chicounes Newfies, ont eu une merveilleuse occasion à découvrir l’île du Cap-Breton en Novelle-Écosse chez nos amis Maxime, Simon et Heidi.  Avant de commencer, il faut que je vous introduise tout le gang. Voilà une photo du gang au phare juste à l'extérieur de Louisbourg.

De gauche à droite : Annie, moi, Momo, Clémentine,
Herman, Heidi, Gustav, Maxime et Simon.

Comme vous voyez, nous avons adopté une famille de toutous. Le premier à gauche est Moss the Moose. Moss en anglais s’agit de la mousse. Le mot mousse en français se prononce de la même manière que moose, le mot anglais pour orignal. Moss est plutôt connu comme Momo. Le homard rouge à côté de Momo est Herman. Herman était le premier l’addition à la famille. Les moniteurs du Cap-Breton l’ont obtenu pour être mascotte du char de Maxime. Selon Heidi, puisque ce monsieur le homard est doux, beau, adorable et sûrement gentil, il est donc « her [ideal] man », ainsi la naissance de Herman le homard.  Prochain est Clémentine, l’homard fluo rose sur le dos de Herman. Clémentine, la fruite de mer, est la blonde de Herman. Je n’ai jamais vu un couple aussi sincère que ces deux tourtereaux.  Finalement, le dernier est Gustave le crabe  «  érudit et distingué » comme Maxime disait. Il y avait aussi Lili, la sœur de Herman, qui manque car elle se sauvait des affaires ardues telles que les séances de photos.   

Herman à déjeuner

Herman-l’homme à femmes

Momo à Chéticamp chez les Acadiens

Gustave se prélasse au soleil

La famille fait du pouce; Lili aussi.

Herman dans une cage

Gustave se réfléchit au sentier Le chemin du Buttereau
 après avoir lu plusieurs pancartes des histoires des premières
familles acadiennes établies dans cette région, laquelles ne sont plus
 à cause de plusieurs raisons parmi l'exodus des acadiens.    

Les amoureux sur le Cabot trail.

Momo fait de la publicité pour Odyssée 

Newfoundland music

Sticking to the music theme, I will use this post to introduce some popular Newfoundland songs. I have compiled a short YouTube playlist of 14 songs which I hope will give you a taste of the music here, and for those who have time, many of these videos also come with great visuals; footage and photographs of the province.





Of this playlist, number 1, 2, and 5 are worth mentioning. Number one is titled "Salt Water Joys", and number two "Grey Foggy Days" are probably the two song which most Newfies speak of when asked for a hallmark Newfoundland song. Number five is Newfoundland's official provincial anthem- the "Ode to Newfoundland". "Salt Water Joys" is written by Wayne Chaulk and is a song celebrating Newfoundland-the beauty of the land, the pride and heritage, the simple way of life, the sense of intimacy and community-invoking the spirit of home. "Grey Foggy Day" is written by Eddie Coffey makes references to fishing, working long periods away from home and returning home to loved ones. These songs fall into the genre of folk and country. The guitar, fiddle and accordion are common instruments in this style.    
Here are the lyrics to the Ode of Newfoundland. (#5 on the music playlist.) 
Ode of Newfoundland

The flag of former Republic of Newfoundland.

The provincial flag of Newfoundland since joining Canada.

The Ode to Newfoundland; however is neither folk nor country, but has a more processional feel to it, as it was composed as an anthem back in 1902 for Newfoundland when it was a still a self-governing dominion of Britain. And now for a brief history interlude. Did you know that Newfoundland did not join Canada until 1949, making it the last of the current provinces to join? Prior to 1949, the last time that a province joined the confederation was before the two world wars in 1905 - Alberta and Saskatchewan- finally uniting the East of Canada with its western confederate state, British Colombia. Most of the confederation activity took place in a five year period between 1867 to 1973. After than initial period, there was a significant time gap (25 years) before more states joined Canada. Yukon joined 25 years after the last of the activity in 1973, and seven years later, Alberta and Saskatchewan would finally join. It was another 44 years before Newfoundland joined Canada. Could this prolonged "independence" for a lack of better word and its relatively recent union with Canada be some of the factors which explain Newfoundland's current strong exhibition of culture and identity?


By: Governor Sir Cavendish Boyle

When sun rays crown thy pine clad hills,
And summer spreads her hand,
When silvern voices tune thy rills,
We love thee, smiling land.
We love thee, we love thee,
We love thee, smiling land.

When spreads thy cloak of shimmering white,
At winter's stern command,
Thro' shortened day, and starlit night,
We love thee, frozen land.
We love thee, we love thee
We love thee, frozen land.

When blinding storm gusts fret thy shore,
And wild waves lash thy strand,
Thro' spindrift swirl, and tempest roar,
We love thee windswept land.
We love thee, we love thee
We love thee windswept land.

As loved our fathers, so we love,
Where once they stood, we stand;
Their prayer we raise to Heaven above,
God guard thee, Newfoundland
God guard thee, God guard thee,
God guard thee, Newfoundland.

The Ugly Stick

The ugly stick: with such a name, those not familiar with this stick can only smirk at its name and wonder about its intended purpose. What were the first things which came to your mind?

The ugly stick is a traditional Newfoundland percussion instrument. It is usually made from a mop handle or any unused stick lying around the house. Fixed along various lengths of the stick are nails threaded with beer bottle caps to give the jingling sound when shaken, tapped, or stomped to the group. At the base of the stick, some may sport an old rubber boot, or other unneeded footwear to give the stick a nice large surface for stomping the ground. Since it is called an ugly stick, people have fun and get creative in decorating the stick; adding heads and additional noise making objects.

At the Iceberg Lounge with one full size and one mini ugly stick.
This photo captures my failed attempt at toe and heel tapping. 

Ugly sticks are brought out at parties when there are singing and music making.  It is easy to use, fool proof, and with such a curiously humble name, anyone, even the untrained musician would be tempted to pick it up, give it a wiggle, a tap tap here, and a stomp stomp there. Before long. they will too be getting their groove on.

Here is a video of the ugly stick on action at a house party.