Festivities

My children and available grandchildren did their best to dispel the despondency that was inevitable, I suppose, just at the thought of celebrating Christmas without my beloved Wendy. Much of the time they succeeded, and overall, I managed though once or twice I teared up (but I haven't had a full-blooded sob-my-heart-out bout of crying yet; perhaps it's not in my nature). On Christmas Eve, Jonathan drove me to Kingston in his newly acquired Ford Explorer - a 2002 model that has just over 100,000 Km on the odometer and is in splendid condition. He took great pains to examine cars carefully and his patience was amply rewarded. He's got a winner, and at a very good price. David, assisted by Peter and intermittently by John when he wasn't working, turned on his usual excellent hospitality with us and another guest, Tony, his research manager, a very interesting Canadian-born young man who lived for 12-15 years in Germany as a child, youth and young adult, speaks German probably better than English; he hasn't been back in Canada long enough to flesh out his colloquial English vocabulary as fully as possible and a few times asked for help with this. He's very well qualified, with a PhD in studies of terrorism/weapons of mass destruction so he is ideally qualified to lead the research team under David's delegation. Desre arrived from Toronto early on Christmas afternoon after Peter had left to drive back to Ottawa to stay with his mother, Dorothyanne. The floor under David's tree was covered with many gaily wrapped parcels. I gave David and Desre the 40-Year Doonesbury retrospective, having pre-read some of it with many nostalgic pangs at seeing again some of these wonderfully penetrating cartoon strips. This is social history of a high order -- and a huge coffee table book, which I look forward to dipping into on future visits to whichever home gives it coffee table status, David's in Kingston or Desre's in Toronto. In return, I received a Kobo e-book reader, preloaded with a selection of some 180 classic works in the Gutenberg project. Last night I read once again (for perhaps about the 15th or 16th time) Pride and Prejudice, and found the Kobo screen very easy to read though it takes a slightly irritating length of time to move on to the next page. On Boxing Day morning Jonathan drove us back to Ottawa, and after an hour or two to unwind, came back to collect me to drive across town to Rebecca and Richard's home for a second seasonal feast. R&R provided beautifully cooked and seasoned lamb, balancing David's beef so we avoided turkey both days, thank goodness (in the vocabulary of face-book, I long ago unfriended turkey and I'm pleased to find it's not a favourite among other family members). R&R had a big live tree too, and a vast array of presents that were duly exchanged. I supplied some liquid refreshment from Maclaren Vale South Australia for both feasts, and some gorgonzola and camambert too. I should add that although it was bone-chilling cold last night, Boxing Day evening, that was a trifling price to pay for bright sunny days throughout, and another today, December 27. There's enough snow on the ground and on rooftops to give everything a suitably seasonal appearance, and a bonus to have bright sunny days withal. Sunshine even on the short days we have at this season, drives away the gloom that tends to descend on us when there's heavy cloud cover, so long may these sunny days continue!