Maypole Dance at South Shore Waldorf School
It’s the only Waldorf school in Nova Scotia, and every year it hosts a Mayfair – a one-day event to celebrate the coming of spring. Naturally, a maypole dance is part of the festivities. This year, the students, grade 1-6, actually learned a maypole dance, creating quite a different spectacle from the usual mayhem. I filmed it from where I was sitting and created this little video.
The school also has a wonderful kindergarten program. Here’s the link to its website: South Shore Waldorf School and Kindergarten, Blockhouse, Nova Scotia.
Fire on Oak Island
The was a brush fire on Oak Island today with fire departments from half a dozen communities responding. We couldn’t see the fire from the causeway, just the helicopter scooping up and dropping seawater on it. No serious damage, just lots of excitement, and a traffic jam of firetrucks making their way over the causeway.
Annapolis Valley Panoramas
I was in the Annapolis Valley last week on a beautiful spring day, and have added some panoramas to the Photo Album.
Chainsaw carvings
We had an adventure ramble in the woods during a kid’s birthday party in Chester Basin. A neighbour had carved animals out of tree stumps and we had to discover them all. We never did find the bear – maybe it was hibernating.
Songs and poems about the ocean
My husband has just posted a video list of his favourite music and poetry about the sea on his French sailing blog, “Voile pour tous”. The videos are in both French and English, but his introduction is in French. Here’s my translation:
Sea, winds and boats weave a symphony of poems, music and popular song
Here is a collection of videos in French and English about the ocean, the winds and boats. I welcome you to suggest others in different genres.
I am very grateful to YouTube for enabling me to post this modest collection.
Isn’t our planet amazing? A big “thank you” to the artists, poets, composers and singers who have found ways to express their sense of wonder.
He has included a favourite of mine, “Je voudrais voir la mer” by Michel Rivard which Linda Morrison arranged for us in the Yellow Door Tabernacle Choir when I lived in Montreal. Even if you don’t understand the words, you can feel the rhythm of the ocean in the music.
Here’s the link to his blog post. Enjoy!
MERS, VENTS ET BATEAUX s’entrelacent dans une symphonie de poèmes, musique et chansons populaires
Ruby Throated Hummingbirds have arrived
Dennis writes, from the Valley: “The first one arrived yesterday, buzzed right up to my face and looked in the window as if to say, ‘Where is the feeder?’ Within 10 minutes it was prepped and hanging outside the door. By 6 p.m. one male was giving another a feisty seminar on real estate law. Hours of entertainment to follow….
Post your hummingbird sightings here, from year to year, for the record!
Spring Leaf-out in the Annapolis Valley
I had the pleasure of going to the Annapolis Valley yesterday on business. The leaves are not really much further along there than here on the South Shore, depending where you are. I noticed a familiar Valley odour, too – a combination of green growing things and the smelly stuff that helps them grow. No apple blossoms yet, but they must be just about to burst forth – like in this video. They always arrive just in time for the Apple Blossom Festival:
Chickadee Peanut Butter Beak
Beautiful morning
I wish I could post the perfumed air that caressed my nostrils when I opened the door this morning so that you could smell it too. These guys on the right may have contributed to it, but the main source is probably all the dandelions that suddenly opened up this morning.
This is my favourite week of the year, when the trees leaf out and the world is transformed.
Where we live, on a tidal inlet on Mahone Bay, it all happens a little later than just up the road, half a mile inland.
The picture below expresses, to me anyway, some of the softness of this morning.
