Monday, March 29, 2004
Sugar Bush - Here We Come!
The weather's turned nice and warm, but not too warm to go out and enjoy that old Canadian ritual - the visit to the sugar bush. We found one right in the heart of Ottawa. That shouldn't be too surprising though. This may be the only national capital in the world with a fully operational farm covering several hectares [acres to the uninitiated] right in the heart of the city.
Anyway, back to the sugar bush. We'll walk there. They've promised us pancakes and maple syrup and then of course there is the Tim Horton's on the way back. If you've never had Tim Horton's coffee, it's worth visiting Canada just for a taste. And the weather forecast calls for a sunny day!
It'll be a great end to the Winter Term. Spring Term starts on April 1, 2004. Register at one of the 3 great schools. Go to http://www.eslottawa.com for details.
Sugar Bush - here we come!
The weather's turned nice and warm, but not too warm to go out and enjoy that old Canadian ritual - the visit to the sugar bush. We found one right in the heart of Ottawa. That shouldn't be too surprising though. This may be the only national capital in the world with a fully operational farm covering several hectares [acres to the uninitiated] right in the heart of the city.
Anyway, back to the sugar bush. We'll walk there. They've promised us pancakes and maple syrup and then of course there is the Tim Horton's on the way back. If you've never had Tim Horton's coffee, it's worth visiting Canada just for a taste. And the weather forecast calls for a sunny day!
It'll be a great end to the Winter Term. Spring Term starts on April 1, 2004. Register at one of the 3 great schools. Go to http://www.eslottawa.com for details.
Sugar Bush - here we come!
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Of Interest to ESL Teachers in Ottawa and area
The TESL Ottawa Spring Conference is coming up in about a month.
Dates: Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1
Place: St. Agnes Adult School, 18 Louisa St. Louisa runs off Booth Street and ends at Bell Street, just a block south of Gladstone. Check http://www.eslottawa.com/esl-sites.html for details about the location.
TESL Ottawa's website is http://www.teslottawa.ca/
The TESL Ottawa Spring Conference is coming up in about a month.
Dates: Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1
Place: St. Agnes Adult School, 18 Louisa St. Louisa runs off Booth Street and ends at Bell Street, just a block south of Gladstone. Check http://www.eslottawa.com/esl-sites.html for details about the location.
TESL Ottawa's website is http://www.teslottawa.ca/
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
Can't help staying on the subject of weather. It was -26ºC yesterday with the wind. Yikes! Cold even for a seasoned Canadian, it scared the wits out of some newly landed students.
Today it turned grey and in the afternoon it started snowing as if it were a blizzard the middle of January. And then, as if by magic, the sun came out and it became Spring again... there was fresh snow on the ground, the air was fresh and clean and the heavy winter coats felt too warm. The forecast calls for above zero temperatures for the next few days. Yay!
Gasoline prices are also going up with the temperature but not dropping when it falls.
Today it turned grey and in the afternoon it started snowing as if it were a blizzard the middle of January. And then, as if by magic, the sun came out and it became Spring again... there was fresh snow on the ground, the air was fresh and clean and the heavy winter coats felt too warm. The forecast calls for above zero temperatures for the next few days. Yay!
Gasoline prices are also going up with the temperature but not dropping when it falls.
Sunday, March 21, 2004
The first day of Spring - according to the calendar anyway. True to form it snowed and got cold and wet.
Tamako arrived just a few days ago from Osaka, Japan. On the day she landed the temperature fell to -14ºC.
I asked her what she thought of Canada.
"Cold!" she said with a giggle.
Spring really won't start until well into April. We'll have to wait yet to see those hardy crocuses start appearing on Parliament Hill.
Tamako arrived just a few days ago from Osaka, Japan. On the day she landed the temperature fell to -14ºC.
I asked her what she thought of Canada.
"Cold!" she said with a giggle.
Spring really won't start until well into April. We'll have to wait yet to see those hardy crocuses start appearing on Parliament Hill.
Friday, March 19, 2004
Maple Syrup season is upon us. Apparently it is a very good year. The sap is running abundantly and schools are planning trips to the Sugar Bush. We found one right in the midst of Ottawa, walking distance from where we are. It is run by volunteers and they will serve us a pancake and maple syrup treat when we visit next week. I can't tell you more about it. They are already swamped by the number of people wanting to visit and they asked me not to promote their location on this blog. I'll let you know how it goes.
Wonderful weather for March Break. Sunny and crisp. We had a little snow, the days have been bright and nights from cool to cold. How does -14ºC sound?
Sunday, March 07, 2004
Ancient Treasures and the Dead Sea Scrolls is a major exhibition of rare artifacts including 3 of the original Dead Sea Scrolls. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see these archealogical finds outside Israel. The exhibition is on at the Canadian Museum of Civilization until April 12. For information go to http://www.civilization.ca or http://www.civilisations.ca - and oh yeah...winter's back in Ottawa...
