Prashant Bhatt's notes

There are many things which come out in walks in a natural surroundings

On 15-7-15 we had seen the exhibits of Chris Hadfield in Ontario Science Centre-OSC-in which he had said, we should do daily disciplined efforts so that we become the adult which we want to become, and not something which life kicks us into being but we do not want to become.

Sahil said that this was similar to many wisdom literature themes which he read in SECRETS. This book was given to Mummy by her Yoga group in Malta.

In the morning we saw a movie- IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON- in which there were many interviews of the astronauts who were part of the Apollo program. This program was started by President Kennedy. The political theme was to beat the Russians to the moon. The scientific program involved putting a man on the moon, and return safely by the end of the decade. The 60s was a very turbulent time in US with Vietnam-anti war movement, the Civil rights movement, Women’s liberation movement. If there was a script writer who would have to cap it off, there could be nothing better than landing on the moon.

Later we went to Riverwood, and while returning went to Mr India Grocer, Christo Rei Church, and YMCA.

In Christo Rei we read the Proverbs- 17-6

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged

and the glory of children is their fathers.

As continuation of this conversation, they talked to their grandparents-Nana Nani in Mumbai

20 7 15 – The Anniversary of Man’s first landing on the moon. Went through the narratives relating the Niel Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Mike Collins of Apollo 11.

CHRIS HADFIELD..In a bit more depth.

We went through the nuances as described by Hadfield. The weekly meeting in which pilots discussed candidly what mistakes they did in the past week, which could have killed them. This sharing and conversion of mistakes into Teachable Moments is key to the educational culture at NASA

EVERY OBJECT HAS A STORY…Catherine Traill

We went through the narratives related to the British Emigrant to Canada- Catherine Traill. Following her story of how she found the way of nature to find her path to North America was educative. Catherine Parr Traill’s herbariums are part of the ROM 100 years collection – Every object has a story.

She described her new life in letters and journals, and collected these into The Backwoods of Canada (1836), which continues to be read as an important source of information about early Canada. She describes everyday life in the community, the relationship between Canadians, Americans, and natives, the climate, and local flora and fauna. More observations were included in a novel, Canadian Crusoes (1851). She also collected information concerning the skills necessary for a new settler, published in The Female Emigrant’s Guide (1854), later retitled The Canadian Settler’s Guide. She wrote “Pearls and Pebbles” and “Cot and Cradle Stories”.(Source-Wikipedia- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharine_Parr_Traill

Her many albums of plant collections are housed in the National Herbarium of Canada at the Canadian Museum of Nature.On 8 September hi 2003, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the National Library of Canada, Canada Post released a special commemorative series, “The Writers of Canada”, with aign by Katalina Kovats, featuring two English-Canadian and two French-Canadian stamps. Three million stamps were issued. Traill and her sister Susanna Moodie were featured on one of the English-Canadian stamps.

ACCORDING TO CANADA POST-

Here is what Canada post wrote while issuing commemorative stamps in memory

of the two Strickland sisters  ..https://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/personal/collecting/stamps/archives/2003/2003_sept_library.jsf

SUSANNA MOODIE (1803-1885)

Susanna Moodie (née Strickland) and her sister Catharine Parr Traill are two of Canada’s most important 19th century writers. Born in England only 23 months apart, the sisters became precociously engaged in writing after the death of their father in 1818. The two immigrated with their husbands to the backwoods of Ontario in 1832, where they recorded and interpreted their experiences as pioneers, writing until their deaths. Moodie’s Roughing It in the Bush (1852) is her best-known work, which combines her steadfast moral vision and fascination with differences in character – with a generous measure of wit and playfulness. The book, along with its sequel, Life in the Clearings (1853), formed the basis of her reputation as an author.

CATHARINE PARR TRAILL (1802-1899)

Pioneer writer and botanist Catharine Parr Traill (née Strickland) is most famous for her bookThe Backwoods of Canada (1836), an interesting factual and scientific account of her first three years in Ontario. With pragmatic and optimistic vision, Parr Traill wrote using the kind of realistic detail that has become a tradition in Canadian literature.

RIVERWOOD

In our generation, many persons from the subcontinent who are fresh immigrants are either unemployed or employed in a field which they are not trained for, or underemployed in the field which they have training. For us, as we had not taken the direct route to Canada, but having stayed in Libya, Malta for some years, we have some idea of the international scene which helped shape our perspective. Riverwood has been a place where we go for long walks to reflect and not get caught in the many marketing traps which await new immigrants. Of course, as we tell persons who try to seek justification in their path by forcing it down others throats, thus revealing their insecurities, that there is no one right path, no one standard medicine which will cure all issues, no single dress which will fit everyone for all occasions. While walking in Riverwood, we also remember the many walks taken in historic and natural parks of India, Libya, Malta.

GOING THROUGH SOME COLLECTIONS…MEMORIES OF WALKS IN ONTARIO