WHOOO-hooo !!!

On my way to Canada I bought Christmas presents for my son and daughter-in-law. One day I walked into Ingersoll town - yes, walked - past lovely houses, half of them already decorated for Halloween, and when I reached Main Street I wandered round the shops looking for Christmas wrapping paper.
Could I find any? Fat chance!
In Tenerife and England, Christmas hit the shops as soon as the "Back to School" stuff had gone. Not so in Canada. Halloween had taken over.

 In the Dollarmart there were Halloween costumes and decorations, Halloween paper plates and candles, Trick or Treat sweetie bags, plastic pumpkins, scary lanterns, glow-in-the-dark skeletons, witches brooms and hats, spiders and rats and cobwebs. But no Christmas paper. I found one solitary pack of holly-decorated napkins and bought those plus a roll of Sellotape to make my own wrappings.

And today, back in Tenerife, I have succumbed to the pressure and laid in supplies for when crowds of neighbourhood kids come knocking on the door. The only English words most of them know are "Trick or Treat" (and those are American) but they all know how to hold out a goodie bag. I admire their costumes, give extra sweets to the ones I know, and take a photo of each group so they know it's not worth trying a return visit on this foreigner!

IMPRESSIONS OF CANADA - and Quilts

 I arrived in Toronto at eight in the evening, but my body thought it was one in the morning the next day, so my first impressions were absorbed through a fog of fatigue. Large airport, grim-faced staff at Immigration, then a welcoming hug from the son and daughter-in-law I last saw eighteen months ago.  An hour later we were consuming a hearty soup and homemade bread in their home in Ingersoll, and I managed to stay awake long enough to avoid jet-lag.
The next day we went to the supermarket, looked round Ingersoll, and visited a quilt exhibition.

 

 QUILTS!  At the Victoria Park Creative Arts Centre in Ingersoll there were hundreds of them - hanging on walls, draped over frames, suspended from the ceiling.
I was reminded forcibly of the tapestries women used to make to keep the draughts at bay in castles, because many of these quilts were far too ornate and delicate to sling over a bed - and you definitely couldn't put any of them in a washing machine!

I was stunned - my own efforts at patchwork cushions years ago faded into insignificance in the face of this splendour.
The were quilts for babies, quilts that told a story, special quilts for weddings or birthdays or Christmas.

 The labels on some told me that they had been sewn by one person and quilted by another - a complete industry revolves around this craft, of which the little stalls selling fabric scraps and strips and threads were only the tip of the iceberg. There were even some landscapes made from fabric.

I was too dazed by the variety - and by tiredness - to ask sensible questions of the women - and men - who had laboured for so many hours to produce them, so I will simply let the photos speak for themselves.

                                                                            WOW!
That was only my first day in Canada - watch this space for more impressions.

QUILTS but not for sleeping

Until I came to visit family in Canada I had no idea there existed a quilt sub-culture, but I have been to two quilt exhibitions in two days. The ladies - and a few men - of Ingersoll, Ontario, have produced some truly astounding pieces, several hundred of which were displayed in the Ingersoll District Memorial Centre and the Creative Arts Centre. When I get myself and my camera organised I shall post some pictures, but for now you will have to use your imaginations
I have seen quilts ranging in size from cushion covers to hangings that would keep out the draughts in a castle. They come in designs traditional and modern, exotic, pretty or whimsical, and if you wanted to buy one of the few that are for sale you should be prepared to pay up to $1500 Canadian. I suppose for a year or more's work that's a fair price, but you can't sleep under them - thousands of tiny pieces of fabric might not stay together in a washing machine!