W
ell, it had to happen sooner or later, I guess… Providing, of course, that I kept on breathing. Or, like the Eveready Energizer Bunny, just kept on going. Yup, dear readers, as of this week I am officially a septuagenarian. Crickey mick. Where did the time go? I mean, 50 was kind of fun. Sixty semi-serious. But 70 is definitely something else. I’m still trying to get my head around it. And to help me do just that my beautiful Sunshine surprised me a month ago with a truly super birthday gift. A fabulous 10-day Mediterranean cruise from which we have literally just returned with fantastic ports of call and enough good memories to last a lifetime. Upon first learning of the trip, I naturally protested. But we are in the midst of a federal election and there’s a French-language leaders’ debate coming up that I simply cannot miss, I told Mireille. Then there’s my column to write. The garden to put to bed. The …. Yeah, right! Next thing I know, my suitcase is packed, the columns are written in advance, our eight-hour flight has landed, and the sun is setting as we board the good ship, Celebrity Silhouette. A $1.1 billion luxury floating hotel departing Rome, the Eternal City, and which, according to the Captain - a very proud Greek by the name of Dimitrios Kafetzis - moves 1 ft. per gallon of fuel. I know, go figure! --------------FABULOUS FLORENCE - I don’t know how many nautical feet we actually travelled throughout the cruise, but what a joy to rediscover the Amalfi
Coast, Cote d’Azur, Tuscany and, for the first time, Sicily and Corsica. The highlights? Too many to mention. But certainly Ajaccio, the birthplace of Napoleon, for sure. The tiny town of Villefranche-sur-mer just 20 minutes by rail from Monaco and 10 from Nice. In fact, rather than hop on the train for about six Euros return ticket, we decided to spend the entire day there exploring this little gem with its centuries old buildings, narrow winding streets, public market, unique galleries and boutiques, and dazzling waterfront. But without question, it is Florence - or Firenze as it is known in Italian and long on my bucket list - that simply blew me away. The birthplace of the Renaissance, it truly is breathtakingly beautiful with its medieval palaces, soaring churches and cathedrals, stupendous public squares, the world famous jewellery boutique-lined Ponte Vecchio, sensational sculptures - including Michael Angelo’s David, of course - and the home where Leonardo da Vinci is reputed to have painted the Mona Lisa. At every twist and turn, a sight more spectacular than the last. A time capsule of unparalleled beauty that I would visit again in a heartbeat. And for a much longer length of stay! They say that travel broadens the mind. And right now, here back home in Hudson, mine has to be as broad as the Canadian Prairies. Catching up on the international news, however, it would appear that some fellow tourists around the same time were not as fortunate. Just days after we left the Cote d’Azur, the equivalent of two months of rain fell in just
two hours there, causing deadly flooding, massive power outages, and untold havoc. In Venice, some hapless guy celebrating his wedding anniversary complained about the way his steak was cooked, refused to pay, and had the living daylights beaten out of him by four staffers who were caught in living colour on CCTV. Then there was the Delta Air Lines flight scheduled to leave from Baltimore for Atlanta that was suddenly aborted when it was discovered that a tarantula spider had broken loose from its cage in the cargo hold. And, just this week, a pilot suddenly died in mid-flight in the U.S. causing the plane to be diverted to the nearest airport. All true folks. Believe it or not! Ah, but as I said to Mireille over a glass of champagne on the very morning of my birthday on Tuesday while misquoting Humphrey Bogart in the movie, Casablanca, we’ll always have Florence. And who could possibly ask for anything more? --------------DAREDEVIL EMILY AIRD - Which brings me to a very special lady several years my senior and living right here in Hudson who, it would appear, is always wanting more when it comes to adventures that freak me out just thinking about them. Namely, the irascible, indomitable, ever-young 92-year-young Emily Aird, who recently walked in to her doctor’s office at the Hudson MediCentre and calmly informed him that she was planning to do the Edge Walk around the CN Tower in Toronto outside and some 356 metres above the city below. “If they ask me if I’m fit enough to do it,” she asked him, “will you put it in writing that I am ?” “Oh my God,” replied the doc! Anyway, to Emily’s amazement, as she told me this week, nobody at the tower asked for any proof whatsoever. “I was kind of surprised,” she laughed. “They just suited and harnessed me up, explained what was involved, and off we went!” Tell you dear readers, you can’t make this kind of stuff up. And Emily,
YLJ FILE PHOTO/ JAMES PARRY
Joelle Panchyshyn, along with other volunteers, will be hosting a mega sale this Thanksgiving weekend at her Hudson home to help stray animals in the region.
10
YOUR LOCAL JOURNAL
Thursday, October 8, 2015
PHOTO BY MIREILLE LEMELIN
Yours truly shakes hands with Napoleon Bonapart in Ajaccio, Corsica, just a few feet away from the house where he was born and is still fondly remembered.
you are a true inspiration to us all! (See story on page 11). --------------SALE FOR THE STRAYS - If you are thinking that Hudson’s garage sale season is over, well here’s some good news. Once again, Joelle Panchyshyn, along with other volunteers including Christine Heidt, will be hosting a mega sale this Thanksgiving weekend, October 10 through 12, at her home at 910 Main Road, near Montée Lavigne, with all proceeds going to non-profit animal shelters and organizations to help stray animals in the region. They will also offer a tax receipt for all donations and hope to see you there! --------------FOR THE FOOD BANK - As I do at the Poor Man’s Breakfast being hosted by the Rotary Club of Hudson and St. Lazare this Saturday, October 10, at St. James’ Church Hall from 9 a.m. to noon in support of Le Pont Bridging Food Bank. Providing the entertainment will be Bill Riley & Friends who regularly play at the NOVA Adult Day Centre in Hudson and who, to put it mildly, are a real blast. This time around they will be aiming to evoke the spirit of the 20s and 30s played Dixieland style with a sing- along for all to enjoy. Tickets are only $10 a pop at the door. And all proceeds will go towards replenishing stocks at the food bank which plays such an important role in our community 12 months a year. Meanwhile, here’s wishing you a great Thanksgiving. For we do indeed have lots to give thanks for. Don’t we? --------------FOOD FOR THOUGHT – In closing and getting back to me being another year older, if not necessarily wiser, would like to share with you some observations I received this week from wagster YLJ reader, Jane Kirkwood. Namely, I talk to myself, because sometimes I need expert advice. I don’t need anger management. I just need people to stop peeing me off. My people skills are just fine. It’s my tolerance of idiots that needs work. And, drum roll please, the biggest lie I tell myself is I don’t need to write that down, I’ll remember it. Ah, you gotta love it! And that’s a wrap! E-mail: creation@videotron.ca