It's been two hundred years since we were attacked by the Americans in the War of 1812, the war which our Conservative government has decided was a defining moment for our country. To celebrate the anniversary of the war (can one really "celebrate" such a thing?) the
flight of the Royal George was re-enacted on Canada Day (July 1) on our doorstep.
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| The British navy fires its cannons. |
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| The Americans fire back. |
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| Time out while the Wolfe Island ferry passes between the ships. |
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| The Americans fire on Fort Henry. (This never actually happened, but why waste a good opportunity?) |
All in all, a fun day. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera earlier in the day when I happened on a couple decked out in Regency dress. The woman's delightful white muslin gown and straw bonnet were fetching. I think I was envious.
Moving the time clock along to the 1840s, I biked over to
Bellevue House, the home of Sir John A. Macdonald, our first prime minister, for my annual Canada Day visit, made more enjoyable this year by the fact that our son, James, is working there for the summer. I adore this place, with its peaceful setting, tall trees, cool breezes off the lake, and romantic Italian villa-style architecture.
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| The house, decked out with bunting. |
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| The gardens. |
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| A red oak, dated to 1815. |
What a lovely place to spend the summer and get paid for doing it!
P.S. I've begun the knitting part of my DSK project, even though there's more spinning to do. See?
Hard to describe the pleasure of working with pure BFL spun by one's own hands.
