Ottawa, Ont.
A spring day in the nation’s capital, sunny and warm, everyone in short sleeves and the latest sunglasses, drinking beer on patios in the Byward Market and just showing off. I’m sitting in an old haunt called “Memories” on Clarence Street, in the shadow of the American Embassy that wasn’t here 12 years ago when I last lived in Ottawa. Beside me on the floor is a bag of Quebec cheese, some of which I am going to eat with my mother and father and sister on my mum’s birthday tomorrow.
Like every place I’ve lived in in my life, I really love this town. I especially love the feeling of it on a spring day like this, when the intense cold dark winter has released its grip and the whole place comes to life. Spring is the merest hint of a season in eastern Ontario, wedged uncomfortably between the last winter storm and the leaves coming out. Six weeks tops. The predominant odour is one of warm mud and the odd waft of dog poo. It’s not impressive and it reminds one of the flurry of disorganized activity that surrounds someone getting ready to go out to a party. That’s why its fun to be in Ottawa, a city that thrives on order, composure and protocol. In spring, the whole town and all its inhabitants seem to spring to life. Even the stodgy senior public servants and the overdressed political assistants are sporting yellow and light blue ties with their dark suits.
It’s a lovely, awkward and short-lived time. By the time the last piles of snow melt out of the shadows of buildings, people will have recovered their senses and switched to full on summer clothing, the leaves will burst out of the trees and the tourists will descend. Everyone here will recompose themselves and dutifully attend the bevy of free festivals and concerts and celebrations that last until the leaves start to turn and fall comes to put a stop to all the fun.
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I missed seeing him play, but have loved his music since first hearing it. He was a blues player and a griot and a link to a deep source.
mp3: Ali Farka Toure – Allah Uya
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If you have been visting here in the last week live, as opposed to through a newsreader, you will have noticed a major change in the look of this weblog.
I’ve also been rocking and rolling behind the scenes. The rest of my website has been redesigned and is now live. I built it using pmwiki and some of the open source skins that are out there.
Feel free to have a look around. I have added several new bits and pieces, including a more substantial list of facilitation resources, additions of stories, resources and notes to the ever growing Open Space Technology pages, a discography with several sound samples of my music and a news and current events page which shows most of what I’m up to.
Oh, and a cheeky 404 page.
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I’m switching over to WordPress, and so blogging might be light until I can get everything tweaked just right.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Blogger for five years of great free services. I have had very few problems with Blogger over the years, and I’ll still be using it for several blogs and bits and pieces I’m working on.
In the meantime, I’m looking forward to using WordPress and I ask your indulgence to bear with me through this change.
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I’ve been losing posts somehow. My post on waiting and emergence shows up in my archives, but not on the front page here or in my dashboard.
Anyone know what’s up?
Time for a move to WordPress?