PICTURESQUE GOA

PICTURESQUE GOA

'Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.' ~ Doug Larson

R.I.P. ANDY WILLIAMS - 'MY HUCKLEBERRY FRIEND'

RADIO MANGO - KONKANI FM 101.3 FM

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER

IN CANADA

KONKANI SONGS

GO ON THE AIR

RADIO MANGO

  

will be creating history this Saturday

29th September 2012

broadcasting Konkani songs

of Goa and Mangalore.

Saturday, 29th September 2012


 is RADIO MANGO Day



KONKANI SONGS

 will make their debut

on Toronto Airwaves


Please tune in on FM 101.3

or listen online at

http://www.cmr.fm/.


Go ahead and like

their FB page @


RADIO MANGO TORONTO

From 7 pm  to 8 pm

BEAVER LAKE, TAMWORTH, ONTARIO, CANADA

VIEW FROM TURTLEPOINT COTTAGE
TAMWORTH, ONTARIO

AT TURTLEPOINT COTTAGE - STAR ATTRACTION: ARI

ARI ADMIRES THE VIEW OF THE LAKE FROM THE COTTAGE

ARI'S TIME OUT WITH GRANDMA

Our grandson Ari spent his first evening for about two and half hours without his devoted Mummy and Daddy. It was a beautiful and satisfying, eagerly awaited experience for us to look after baby Ari even though it was just for a little while.

After waiting in anticipation for almost a week ever since Kate and Denzil told us they were going to part away from their gorgeous little treasure Ari, and keep him with us, we have been ardently looking forward to enjoy the reality. It was a great pleasure for Ari's grandma to let her have the first chance to give Ari his mashed banana.

Come over again soon Ari, and spend another evening with us sometime in the near future. And let me sing you a lullaby. Love. ~ Grandpa

A BUNCH OF GRAPES, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

THE VINEYARDS

OF

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE

A BUNCH OF LAVENDER, Niagara-on- the- Lake, Ontario

Niagara-on-the-Lake

Niagara-on-the-Lake 

Niagara-on-the-Lake is a Canadian town located in Southern Ontario where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region of the southern part of the province of Ontario. It is located across the Niagara river from Youngstown, New York, USA. It is also the only town in Canada that has a Lord Mayor. - Wikipedia.

This region is famous for its splendid wineries and wine-tasting excursions.

A DAY IN THE (RETIRED) LIFE

A Typical Day in the (Retired) Life

 of Tony Fernandes

I am often asked these days: "Hey Tony what do you do?" "Now that you are retired how do you pass your time?"  "You are so lucky, you must be sleeping in till late I guess?" "Also you must not be getting enough exercise having nothing to do?" "You must be watching lot of TV programs now that you are free, no?" And many more such queries.

Well, it would be not be simple to respond, but being a hobbyist, artist, photographer, blogger, facebooker, twitterer, e-mailer, wood-worker, author-writer, poet, tinker, tailor, pyrographer, wood-crafter, book printer, book binder, music lover, husband, father, grand-father, house-cleaner, house-repairer, etcetera, there’s enough on my hands, or on my plate, and there’s no dearth of things to do on any given day.

A typical day begins with a couple of cups of hot coffee at 6 am (and by the way, I make it myself!). And then it’s computer time – checking email, FB postings, Twitter posting, cutting and pasting!, Blog posting - post photos on blog if any and sometimes my own articles and views.

Then its printing time – recipe books, laminating covers, punching and ring-binding; getting them ready for the next show. If that’s not enough then there’s a short drive to the commercial kitchen to help with Edna’s pickles (by the way, I'm a specialist in precise chopping of vegetables and fruits, labeling, sealing) - and voila the product is ready!

Back home, its repair time – just like my Dad did – find something around the house that’s to be repaired or painted. Later, oh sorry, I forgot – today is garbage day - so sort out the garbage. And then the grass on the lawn has suddenly over-grown – it seems I had it mowed just the other day! So mow the lawn. And did I water the lawn? No time today; let's keep that for tomorrow.

The crab apple tree and the pear tree is overbearing – branches are drooping low with the weight of too many apples and too many pears. So pluck apples and pears.

So far I’ve had no time to look at my watch, but a quick glance surprises me that it’s almost 2 pm and lunch-time. Lunch goes along with TV to catch up on the latest news.

Forty winks later, I’m suddenly reminded to go to my younger daughter’s place – she’s has recently moved and has a new bed to be assembled, and few other things – like paintings to be put up. So on the way to my daughters's house, I've to comply with a request and that is to make a stop at Canada Post to ship an order for Edna’s Pickles.

Time just seems to fly; it’s almost evening. Haven’t been cycling in 3 days - so I think I must do it today – I should also be checkiing out a new trail – or pedal off to see my little grandson Ari who is not far away.

Back home again, it’s ‘America’s Got Talent’ time – leading to the World News and suddenly I hear the door-bell ring. I go to open the door and there’s my eldest daughter – she’s got a coffee table in her car that she’s brought from her cottage, and needs it repaired. I bring the table in, and now I think that somehow I already have something more to do tomorrow, even before this day has ended.

Invariably it’s got to be a late dinner – an unchangeable habit that is still dying hard since the days in the UAE, - and then Jay Leno or Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Fergusson or Jimmy Kimmel to have a laugh at the end of the day.

There's an Irish proverb that goes like this: 'A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book.' Must be true in some ways. No wonder then, they are aired late in the night. A pretty good cure to end a busy day.

Having said that, tomorrow is another day. Also I have to remember that it's a garbage day. So off I go to sleep - before I can even count one, two, three ... ten sheep!

SNOW IN CANADA

Indian Restaurant at Queen's Quay

HARBOURFRONT

Toronto

CANADA

DOES IT SNOW IN CANADA FOR 365 DAYS OF THE YEAR?

On the other extreme, whenever I’m on a holiday to my native Goa, people often ask me: “Must be very cold out there in Canada, no? No sunlight and all, people become very fair there no? All white people, no?

"Being inside the house all the time, no? What children and all must be doing, no? Not getting to go outside to play and all, no? Do you get fish there? And what do you do for ‘masala’ and all? Do you take enough from Goa?"

"And what do you do for exercise?" some  ask and advise thus: "You know you could walk the inside length and breadth of your house to get some exercise and all – since you can’t go out I believe, no? as there is snow falling outside all the time, no? There must be no rain there and all, no? It’s night for 6 months, and day for 6 months, no? Are there are churches there?"

I try to be polite to restrain myself from delivering a lengthy lecture. But it would suffice to say: Yes, my dear, there are churches and all; and although there aren't any doubts about the cold temperatures and snow in a huge place like Canada, it does not snow 365 days of the year where we live. We don’t shovel snow the entire year, nor do we live without sunlight. There's spring, a very warm summer and plenty of rainfall and the beautiful season of autumn or fall is a sight to behold. There are vineyards, orchards, beaches, trekking and bicycle trails, parks for recreation and gardens blooming with beautiful flowers.

There are beautiful churches. Some parishes even have Goan priests. There's a church dedicated to the Goan patron Saint Francis Xavier. There's plenty of fish available - shrimps and pomfrets from Bombay, and Recheado masala from Goa, and also ready made masala and pickles made by Goans here in Canada!

The homes are heated, the school are heated, the trains are heated, buses and street-cars are heated. There are shopping malls, movie theatres and also churches that are heated. We live in well-built houses, not igloos. We see the same movies, on the same day they are premiered in New York or Los Angeles.

The Canadians make their own films and TV Series, and some of the best American movies and TV Series are shot in Canada. And a Canadian invented basketball. And 'Canadarm' was deployed on the Space Shuttle. I could go on and on, so far, so much being said, one could get the gist of it. Cheers! 

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THE WORLD STOPPED TURNING

WHERE WERE YOU

11 YEARS AGO

ON THE 

11th OF SEPTEMBER 2001

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvj6zdWLUuk

DASHBOARD OF A HARLEY DAVIDSON in Cabbagetown, Toronto, Ontario

Cabbagetown, Toronto

SOAR - Until you spread your wings!

PICTURESQUE GOA - 'RALEIGH CYCLE'

 'MILLER' DYNAMO 6 Volt

Made in England

 'Miller' brand, made in England, 6 Volt. bicycle head-lamp of

another era, with 'Dipper' switch, 2 bulbs x 3.8V.

DRUM BRAKE

'RALEIGH' 

Cycle of Yesteryear

Made in England

Many households were proud owners of these sturdy and strong bicycles during the Portuguese era. The one pictured above has survived 3 generations and is still going strong and probably would survive a couple more if it were accorded a thorough chrome and paint job.

SUNSET AT WAINFLEET, ONTARIO, Canada

ANTIQUE CAR SHOW AT MARSHVILLE HERITAGE FESTIVAL, Wainfleet, Ontario

EARLY MARSHVILLE NEWS & PRINTERY

EARLY SETTLERS, Wainfleet, Ontario

FARM TRACTORS AND VINTAGE CARS

MARSHVILLE HERITAGE FESTIVAL

MARSHVILLE HERITAGE FESTIVAL, Wainfleet, Ontario

Since its introduction in 1989, the Festival has grown dramatically, and it is regarded as one of the best festivals around. It features historical demonstrations in and around a beautifully restored 19th century Wainfleet (then Marshville). The event attracts over one hundred Artisans and thousands of tourists from across Ontario and New York State. The Marshville Heritage Festival is located in and around the Heritage Village in Wainfleet during Labour Day Weekend.

Wainfleet is a rural township in southern Niagara Region, Ontario Canada. There is a small and growing tourist industry, near and on Lake Erie at the southern area of Wainfleet called Long Beach. Wainfleet is also the home of the Marshville Heritage Village, a living history museum, recreating life in Ontario circa 1850-1910.

http://marshvilleheritage.tripod.com/

TONFERNS CREATIONS AT THE MARSHVILLE HERITAGE FESTIVAL, Wainfleet, Ontario