April 13 Photo: Something I Found

Since my day was pretty much spent on my computer, I wasn't very hopeful of getting a good shot for the theme "Something I Found".  But there came a point in the evening on my laptop when I realized I was running out of memory on my laptop and needed to clear some space. So in rummaging around some very old folders and I found some forgotten little .wav files made one night when I had my nephews and niece for a sleepover.

This is back when I was playing around with customizing all the bells and whistles on the old computer and wanted to replace the old Windows operating system audio files with something a bit more personal. So the intent was, have some fun audio clips that would play when I turned the computer on and off.

I'm not sure what the point of Nana and Popsicle were as audio choices but I probably had some other cues that I was planning on replacing as well. The voices you hear on the fotobabble below start with my little niece in the top right corner (using my nickname "Eah") and then a stern "Go to Bed" from her older brother and then a somewhat enthusiastic "This is Fun!" from the middle boy. Then a Goodnight from all three in the same order. Fun to find after so many years.  Just click play on the photo below to hear the clips.

I'm sure that after this, we went to the kitchen for a warm brownie just out of the oven and a cold glass of milk before they climbed into their sleeping bags for their sleepover at Eah's house.

 

Saturday's Smile: Caine's Arcade

Caine's Arcade from Nirvan Mullick on Vimeo.

This is another great video on how amazing it is when you support a kid's curiosity and creativity.

 Caine made his dream come true in cardboard as he hung out at his dad's spare parts garage on the weekends. His first customer, Nirvan Mullick, a kid at heart and a film maker, helped share it with the world. It has been picked up by broadcasters, noticed by top decision makers in the US Department of Education and shared over and over again so you may have already heard all about Caine.

The video was able to raise over $125,000 for Caine's future education in just three days. My favourite message on Twitter is someone thanking Caine's dad George for not using up all the tape!

Friday's NON Failure - Audri's Success

This is a great illustration of the adage, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again! What a smart kid. Audri plans on becoming a theoretical physicist when he grows up. At seven years old, I had no idea that a theoretical physicist was even a real thing. 

He saw a video made by the band OK GO (the guys who danced on treadmills - remember them?) with a Rube Goldberg machine and that was the inspiration for his creation.




I love his expression at 00:18! Great job Audri!!

April 12 Photo: Stairs

MRU Stairs in the rain

MRU Stairs at Recreation Services

MRU Stairs in the EA Knuckle

Another view of MRU Stairs in the EA Knuckle

Other stairs around MRU

Stairs are all over this campus! So picking just one set was a hard choice. I managed to send one email and make a handful of decisions this morning in time to take a break over lunch and a walk around the campus. My ultimate goal was the stairwell in the EA building - I love the shape of the stairs and the stained glass windows hanging on the second level. But I took the long way around. Into the main building, and down past the E wing where I got the shot of the outdoor courtyard stairs in the rain. Then through the back hallways of the campus over to Recreation Services which also had an interesting staircase. Back through and some random shots including some poky little stairwells in hidden corners.  Then over to the final staircase in EA which doesn't show off as well on such a grey and rainy day (which is actually now a snowy white day).

A few other distractions along the way included the visit to the campus by our Mayor (moved to a larger venue I see) and some artworks that I hadn't run across before.

That is as interesting as I can make the topic of STAIRS.  Tomorrow's assignment is something I found so I'll have my eyes peeled.

April 11 Photo: Where I Ate Breakfast

I typically eat breakfast at my desk at work. I'm not someone who wants to jump out of bed and eat and by the time I get ready for work, I just want to get out the door. Because usually it is later than it should be. So I pack up my yogurt and a piece of fruit and I'm off.  Today I grabbed some granola to toss into the vanilla yogurt. I sometimes add a hard-boiled egg or a piece of whole wheat bread with some peanut butter. Oh, and you can't forget the peppermint tea. If you have not tried peppermint tea and vanilla yogurt, I highly recommend it!

But the assignment today is not WHAT you eat but WHERE you eat and that is where the desk comes in. The office is open area, so I plug in my headphones and stream Tempo on CBC Radio 2 as I review my morning email and my calendar while I eat. Right now, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 is playing. On my desk you can see my computer wallpaper is the Puzey barn - I rotate images fairly often and wanted something that made me think of fresh air in the country. Also on the wall behind the phone I have a calendar, postcards and photos, also routinely rotated. Under my monitor are a wire ladybug, a bobble-head turtle and a small painted clay jar with paperclips. What you can't see in the top picture is what is to the right of my monitor - my Indonesian puppet. I used to have him sitting in a corner of my house, on the stairwell landing and I remember my nephews and niece weren't too happy to have to pass by him - not the most pleasant looking fellow. So he came to school, where he has made numerous appearances within our International Education Week displays. He was a garage sale find for $5 - I remember that garage sale. Great townhouse in the Kensington area with a lot of finds from travels around the world.

And speaking of stairs - that is tomorrow's assignment. I have a set of stairs at the University that I like so I think they will be my photo of the day. If I can pull myself away from my desk, that is.

April 10 Photo: Cold

Funny, it seems like a cold drink is the most popular photo for today's assignment! I like to drink my water COLD. Cold from the tap is NEVER cold enough. I keep a pitcher of water in the fridge so I always have cold water and now we have a Brita pitcher at work as well so I don't need to keep up with the ice cube trays to enjoy cold water throughout the day. In Korea, in the heat of the summer, everyone wanted to serve me hot drinks, hot soup. I just didn't get it. I heard lots of reasons but I don't really care if there is some scientific reason for this - cold is the way I want my water, any season!

April 9 Photo: Younger Me

Younger me at the Calgary Zoo. Wasn't I cute? I have always loved going to the zoo. I especially loved seeing Dinny the Dinosaur. He was so amazingly BIG to little me.  My favourite animals were the elephants and monkeys. I had seen a picture of my cousins' spider monkey (they were living in Guyana at the time) and also loved reading Curious George so it just made sense that a monkey would be a wonderful pet. When I think back, I don't like the small cages the lions, cats and bears were in. But I didn't know any better at the time. And even though I thought it was boring, I looked forward to going into the Conservatory and getting a soft icecream cone.

The zoo has had a lot of changes over the years and now we have PENGUINS!! I haven't been yet but hope to get there soon. Any one want to lend me some little ones to take?

April 8 Photo: Inside My Wallet

My wallet REALLY needed to be cleaned out - this is not even half of what I found in there. There were also a handful of receipts, more change, more cards, coupons, more change, a cheque I need to deposit (sorry Jo!) and some phone numbers. The twoonies and loonies will now move to my "Whatever" bank, and the tickets to Sweeney Todd at Vertigo Theatre will go in the tickler file for June. The cards will be reviewed for relevance - do I need to carry this many every day?? My trusty orange wallet has been around for almost a decade now but it still does the job!

April 7 Photo: Shadow

The sun streaming through the front room window cast shadows of my terra cotta soldiers from Xi'an, China.

April 6 Photo: Lunch

This morning I headed over to a friend's house to help paint her living room. I got most of the paint on the walls but not all of it. The 'professionals' were painting in the kitchen and hallways. It will look good when it is all done and is making me more determined to FINALLY get around to painting my place. Lunch was a nice treat after we finished the first coat.

April 5 Photo: Tiny

This is my tiny cat. So tiny that my iPhone can't focus in so I had to use my Canon. This little cat usually lives with a little dog inside a little tin box in the shape of a car. It wasn't a very good home since both the tiny cat and the tiny dog have lost their tails from rattling around inside the toy tin with all the other small toys.

April 4 Photo: Someone who makes you happy

Lots of people make me happy and choosing just one is like having a favourite. But I didn't have to make the tough call because I only saw one member of my family today and he does make me happy!

This is my nephew, Sam. Or Sammy. I've been so lucky to have him on my campus as a student these past four years. His university career started with him needing me a lot more than he does these days. I was a sounding board and an editor for his early papers. As the years have passed, he has learned how to punctuate much better and has a pretty good head on his shoulders for making decisions about classes and topics. And he will soon graduate University.

Back when he was shorter than me, he used to come by my downtown office for tutoring. My colleagues remember that little kid who was learning math and can't believe it is the same young man who towers over me now! He hasn't had to call me for much help this year (well there still is the occasionally request for a second set of eyes on a paper) but he always appreciates a free lunch! I knew the photo assignment so yesterday I texted him to invite him for lunch today and he had turned me down because of a group presentation meeting but at the last minute today I got the text - "I think I can come now.. if it's not too late". Yeah! I always enjoy a visit with him and today was no exception.

Tomorrow's assignment is tiny.  Easy for me with my penchant for small things.  And I think I am actually posting this before my cousin!

April 3 Photo: Mail

Today's mail at work - JUST LIKE CHRISTMAS!

Mail is fun to receive. Well, not bills, but real mail. Do you get much real mail these days? Even families with missionaries often use e-mail now - how fun is that?

At Christmas time, some people send Christmas cards by mail. I really do plan to do that someday. I even had it all organized that I would make 2011 the year of sending Christmas cards, but then something happened to completely derail Christmas at my house. Or at least the cards and baking and decorating parts of Christmas. Maybe 2012??

Yesterday was a fun mail day because I have a neighbour who put a little surprise in my mailbox. Not your typical mail though.

Today's mail at work was just like Christmas. BOOKS!! Love getting new books. Even if they are about Grammar.

April 2 Photo: Colour

I used to make Artist Trading Cards. And then I would meet with a group of creative individuals once a month to make some trades and bring home some even better cards.

Today I got a lovely e-mail reassuring me that although it has been some time since I've been able to join in, I am still welcome and on the mailing list. I think I need to pull out my supplies and make some more cards. A four day weekend is coming up. Is it a possibility? How busy will I be? 

April 1 Photo: Reflection

This weekend is the LDS Semi-Annual General Conference, broadcast around the world. And so I have pretty much spent it in front of the TV watching the Saturday and Sunday sessions. And not trying to look presentable to the world so this is as much of a reflection of me as you are going to get.

 I have this picture upstairs in my house. The picture is of the First Presidency of the Church - President Thomas S. Monson, Elder Henry B. Eyring and Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf.  These men are apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ and have shared some inspiring and important messages this weekend. The assignment is appropriate because that really is a big part of attending conference. Spending some time reflecting on how you are living your life, what your priorities are and what changes you want to make moving forward.  A great way to spend a spring weekend. Lots to think about! They post the talks online at the link above if you want to check out what was shared.

April Photo a day Challenge

Okay - The March Challenge is over and I had fun with it. So here we go with April. And I know I'm posting this three days late, but I've had a fair share of technical issues over the past 5 days. So although I've been taking my assigned photo everyday, I just haven't been able to share them. I'm catching up now.

I've been happy to follow along with my cousin's photos though! She has a great blog here and has been faithfully posting her picture each day. Guilt! But I'm glad to see what creative ways she puts her new camera to use.

You can still join in! I mean - really - I obviously don't have a problem with playing catch-up so why should you? :-)

If you share your photos on Pinterest or Instagram or Flickr or... any of the social media where you tag things (including here) you should tag your photos with #photoadayApril

Or just go to one of those social media sites and search for that tag.  Here's the results for a search of pictures on Instagram. There are A LOT of people doing this as well! And because it is a world-wide activity, some posts will be for the day before and others will be a day ahead.

Okay, I need to stop writing and get to the photos...

March 31 Photo: Where I Relax

Where I relax with my books, movies and music.

This weekend is all about relaxing in front of the TV - more in the next post!

March 30 Photo: Toy

Small toys from the Toy Tin

I keep a round tin of small toys for when I have younger visitors to my home. There is a selection of larger toys for even younger visitors but it has been quite a while since I have pulled that one out. It is amazing to see the kinds of stories and play that can come out of such a random collection. A little tin of imagination.

March 29 Photo: Feet

March 28 Photo: Trash

It is the end of another semester. Time to total up the grades, prepare the report cards, file away teaching materials and clear out the dated materials in archives. The bin holds the evidence of a busy semester now at a close. I miss this process. As all the teachers are busy wrapping up the term and packing up before a short break. I am in high gear. Consulting, assisting, and planning. Interviewing incoming students, so eager for the spring semester to start. Looking ahead, not looking back.

March 27 Photo: Your Name

Letters taken from signs at the university on my lunch hour.

So today's photo assignment is 'your name'. I'm not particularly fond of my name. I don't like the songs I've heard with my name in it. Definitely not The Four Seasons with "Sherry Baby" or Journey's "Oh Sherrie". Ugh. Now I do appreciate how it is spelled though. Sorry if you have the 'rry' at the end of your name, but I like the one 'r' followed by an 'i'. That part Mom and Dad, you got right.

The other part you got right is my middle name. Diann. Named after an awesome lady, my aunt! I love the spelling of my middle name as well but mostly that I share it with Aunt DaVeeda who lived with us as she attended University.

I was almost Sheriann, Sheri Ann, Sherry Ann, Shelley Diane, or Sheri Ann Emilie. Now the Emilie part would have been good - I would have shared that with my mom and great grandmother. But of all the choices on the list below, I guess the name I got was the right one.

The original list - and the winner is...

March 26 Photo: Key

I can actually find my keys now.

I seem to be rough on key chains. They don't last long. So you don't see the keychain from Germany of an ampelmann from my trip to Europe with my nephew or the keychain from Mexico of some Mayan hieroglyphs that my niece gave me from her family vacation. But you can see the keychain from the Cirque du Soleil tribute show to the Beatle's  'Love' from a trip with my sister!

I guess I need to go on another trip soon. :-)

March 25 Photo: Breakfast (and upcoming conference weekend!)

Breakfast on Fast Sunday (thanks for the tulips Mom!!)

Today's photo assignment is breakfast but it fell on Fast Sunday. So what would have been a picture of yogurt, fruit, eggs and a plunkett (is that how it is spelled?) from mom turned out to be a photo of an empty plate. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, once a month we forego two meals and make a contribution equal to or above the value of the meals to the Fast Offering fund.

Typically this Sunday falls on the first Sunday of each month but next weekend is special because it our Semi-annual General Conference, held in Salt Lake City and broadcast to members of the church world-wide.With all the interest in what being a 'Mormon' means in the USA with Mitt Romney's run for the 2012 presidential nomination, it may be a conference that gets more attention than ever by those outside the faith. 

We are lucky to have local television broadcast the four sessions of conference so that we can enjoy the speakers from the comfort of our couches. And those without the television broadcast can now use their computers to watch conference live. And the solution that many still rely on is to head over to the local meetinghouse where the conference session is received by satellite. And within 8 hours, these sessions are available online in 70 different languages!

I know that there are a lot of families with traditions around watching conference.  Some have special conference activity booklets for the children, bingo cards or even special foods (I remember cheese and cracker trays). Others contribute to shared notes on Google Docs or tweet quotes and highlights with the hashtag #ldsconf for those unable to watch the conference live. You may even see a repeat of what happened last October, when the names of speakers started trending on Twitter during the sessions!  What are your plans or traditions for Conference weekend??

March 24 Photo: an animal

Okay, now I remember why I questioned the wisdom of sharing a personal blog. Is the polite word to describe me "quirky"?  Here is a small part of my miniature menagerie. I collect small things. Mostly small animals and birds. Mostly sheep, cats and birds of all kinds. The sheep are just an extension of my sheep postcard collection. (so if you are ever anywhere that you see a sheep postcard, please keep me in mind!)  The cat - well I can't have the real thing and don't intend to go the hairless cat route (shiver!), so I have a few. And the birds. Aren't they fun! But small and I don't want this to become a "thing". You know how you find out someone likes monkeys so then every time they have a birthday or it's Christmas, you buy them something else MONKEY. And then how what was a small monkey statue becomes monkey pajamas and monkey backpacks and monkey dishware and monkey towel sets? Yeah, like that.

Because this is just something I do. And it is small. And when I do get the OCCASIONAL small animal, I can be happy, instead of thinking - "oh not another one... where will I put it and will he like the other monkeys".

That said, this little collection above as most things in my home, comes with some stories. Only I've forgotton some of them. So if you gave me either of these two sheep, please remind me of the story because I remember the stories of the sheep from Sam and the sheep I bought in Jerusalum at Jimmie's Bazaar (not pictured). 

The cat is from a bazaar in Egypt - just as we were leaving Alexandria, I spied it in a corner of the shop in a cubby hole with packing materials and some pricier - out of reach items. It was so tiny and looked like just the kind of treasure I would like to take home. Who knows where it came from. The shop keeper kind of scratched his head and said it was very old and had been there a long time but it could just be the kind of story they tell a tourist. I was already buying papyrus and pens as souvenirs for the nieces and nephews and I asked if he could just add it in to the price I had already negotiated. He did and I slipped it in my pocket to be my own Egyptian good luck charm. 

The little felted owl was a special Christmas present from my niece. (or should I say my sister?) It was a fun thing Madi and I had found as we were browsing around Etsy together and she remembered and got her mom to order it for me for Christmas. Isn't he great? Made by Lauren Alane who has all kinds of sweet birds and other crafts that you can check out on her blog (which will lead you to her shop) Take a look at the little valentine owls! They go SUPER fast so if you want one, you have to be quick!

Oh no, I can't remember the story of my little orange bird. Utah? Seattle? Banff? As I go to write this, the memory just snuck off to have a peanut butter sandwich and got stuck somewhere in the back of my brain. Oh well, he's awesome too.

Tomorrow's challenge is Breakfast. Better go grocery shopping or all you will be seeing is Cheerios!

March 23 Photo: Moon

Cloud cover tonight and no moon to take a picture of. So here is a moon that is on my living room wall. It is from a pair of pictures that used to hang in my grandparent's farmhouse. I smile when I see these too.

March 22 Photo: the kitchen sink

March 21: Delicious

Photo challenge today was "delicious" and I figured that I would have to be creative since I was going to be eating pretty simply after that buffet the night before. But you can always count on the kitchen island at work. Our office is pretty consistent in having temptations close at hand but this is over the top. A student had brought these to class (her husband had made them!!) and the extras made it back to the office. I resisted but it fit my photo assignment perfectly. If you are wondering - mango mousse deliciousness in a marble chocolate cup. How tempting is that!!

March 20 Photo: Before / After

Photo assignment - before and after was perfect for our Stage West night out and the dessert buffet. Only this isn't really the after, the staff replenished the food so that there was never a truly "After" shot for me to get. And I wasn't going to wait next to the food to see the end result because the play was starting!  (Photo note: taken with my iPhone and then set up using an app called PicFrames. I also use Instagram for many of my photos taken on the go)

The play was The 39 Steps - a favourite of mine since I saw it in London and then again at Vertigo theatre last season. This was the same cast as Vertigo - 4 actors playing 150 roles and a lot of fun. I enjoyed picking out all the Hitchcock references - most were fairly in your face.... but I am a fan and it was fun to make note of them throughout!

One of my favourite scenes for the physical comedy below!



March 19 Photo: Funny

Photo assignment: Something funny - and boy I love hearing the fun things that kids say. This one - on Facebook today as I was trying to think of something to take a picture of - is my witty niece. I love that I can share in these moments when their moms post it on facebook. Love it!

March 18 Photo: a corner of my house

Photo for today is a corner of my house. The art on the bottom right is from our girl's roadtrip to Vancouver Island - "Jodi in Disguise". The picture is stitched and then the frame is painted (stylized sunglasses). That was a fun trip! I keep my necklaces on the wrought iron hook and the tin pail is holding magazines - Anthology, Mingle and Uppercase.

March 17 Photo: Green



Participants in the Parade





A birthday party of parade participants



Today's photo challenge was green. Pretty obvious, eh?

Is the Smallest St. Patrick's Day parade is in Carmangay, Alberta?? Or is it in Enterprise, Alabama.  Well, the fact that their parade is only one person - I guess you could say smallest, but then Carmangay must be the Shortest. Shorter than 98 feet - which is the distance of the parade over a bridge in Hot Springs, Arkansas? Or is it shorter than 72 feet, 8 inches? That is the distance of the parade in Bemidji, Minnesota.

Well, this parade has been going on for 26 years now and locals insist its status as the shortest parade is uncontested. For 2012, it had more participants in the parade than ever before. I think the press coverage helped as well as the fact that St. Patrick's day fell on a Saturday.  I was visiting in Magrath the night before and heard about it. Since I was heading to Champion in the morning, the next town over, I knew I had to stop! 

Participants began in front of the post office and walked the 100 metres to the Grange Hotel for a green beer if you so choose. The parade consisted of musicians including bagpipes and a bodhran, followed by every town member who put on some green and then a green truck labelled "The Paddy Wagon" and a pair of miniature ponies pulling a wagon with hay bales (the kids enjoyed a ride after the 1.5 minute parade).

Shortest in the world or not - it was certainly a fun stop on my drive. 

Some wee participants!

The CBC Lawnchairs

March 16 Photo: Sunglasses

Sunglasses are the assignment today. Shall I now step up on my soapbox and talk about the dangers of NOT wearing sunglasses? It isn't the reason I have the challenges I now have but I know that for a couple of years I went without and it was during this time that my symptons appeared. 

I have worn eyeglasses since I was eight. For a while in junior high I even had some of the older version of treated lenses that went darker in the sun and then lightened again when you went inside. Only in the past, they didn't work that well and they always looked a bit orange. Then I started with contact lenses. And with the contacts, I could wear fun sunglasses. I never paid for prescription sunglasses and so if I knew I would be outside for extended periods of time or would be driving into the sun, contact lenses went in. And then I got old. And I got my first pair of progressive lenses. I bought them with a friend on a two for one deal to help with the cost, not thinking that that would have been smart to use for a pair of prescription sunglasses.

Two years later and the spots begin to appear. My left eye was really having problems focusing and the spots actually impeded reading. I go to have it checked out and in time learn from the specialist that I have macular degeneration - in both eyes but the left is the one causing the most problems now. And that while I can't reverse the damage that has been done, I can work on slowing down the process. SUNGLASSES are key. I find when my eyes are sensitive, I even get some relief wearing them indoors. I think of all the years as a kid before I got contacts when I never wore sunglasses and then the extra damage I did when I got my progressive lenses. I know it is more complex than just wearing sunglasses and that the real cause of my MD is the shape of my eyeball (so genetics - what do you do?) but I don't go anywhere without my sunglasses now! Lesson learned!

March 15 Photo: Car

Another photo assignment which was well timed. I planned on washing my car today for my drive south and so I could take this picture without you having to squint through the dirt to see the lovely detail in the stitching on my back bumper!

A couple of years ago - on a snowy and extremely cold evening, I backed out of our Condo AGM and my bumper hit into a pile of snow. I didn't think anything of it - the snow was packed but I hadn't hit hard and it was just snow, right? Nope - there was a metal post in that snow and the cold temperature shattered the bumper.

That April, when I drove out to visit my Dad on his birthday, he did the Dad thing and came out to look at my sad car. "I can fix that" and he grabbed his drill and was off. The main focus was to stop the bottom piece from sagging and getting broken off any more but once that was tied up, he kept at it, piecing together and stitching up any two broken sides that he could find. It is VERY secure now. And I smile every time I see it. It may not be the most attractive look for my Honda but it sure has personality. And a new name. Meet Frank! Short for Frankencar.

March 14 Photo: Clouds

Sometimes these photo assignments are lining up perfectly!  Today's assignment was "clouds" and I was scheduled to give a presentation at the University on using Soundcloud.  It is a way to record and share audio and others can make comments on your audio track using either a mobile device or a computer. I can think of a lot of ways it can be used with students learning a language and this is what I shared.about.  On my ESL blog "The ESL Tickle Trunk" I will post the essense of the presentation (it's not up there yet.) but for now - it is my daily photo (the screenshot of my iPhone).

http://soundcloud.com/whistlepunch/audio-sample

March 13 Photo: A Sign

The day's photo assignment was "a sign". I immediately thought of the time when I was driving from Calgary to Jasper to Edmonton and back with my cousin Lalainia and we weren't absolutely certain of the road. (no maps in the car and first time taking this trip). I had figured it would be fairly simple. Go west, go north, go east, go south. How hard is that? On day one, we had managed to miss the turn off to the Icefields Parkway completely and only realized as we neared Golden in B.C. that something was wrong. We shouldn't have been leaving the mountains, should we?  So after correcting that, we were finally on our way to Jasper. The next morning we headed out to Edmonton. Without a map. We had been driving for a good amount of time and hadn't had any confirmation that we were on the right road. We began to feel less confident as time passed. Had we made another error in our navigation? Was this road going to get us to Edmonton? As we discussed our concerns, we called upon the heavens, please send us a sign! Around the very next bend, our sign appeared.  "Jesus Saves!"  

The sign in my picture was a Christmas present a few years back. A very happy present. It lives in my upstairs hallway.  If you have not seen the television show "Coronation Street", do not suppose it has much of any resemblance to American soap operas. Well, sure, it has the extreme elements of the occasional murder or the revolving door on relationships on the cobbles, but in 51 years of storylines, a television program rsometimes falls back on these types of events once in a while. Mostly though, it is that you become a part of the neighbourhood on the street. Ask any Corrie fan which family they would most like to join, and they can probably tell you who they most identify with. Who they would be friends with. Who causes them "aggro". Corrie fans are fiercely loyal to the show. I have been watching since I was a little girl (so a few years then). Whenever I spent my summer vacation on the family farm, all work in the fields stopped so that lunch could be eaten during that afternoon broadcast of Corrie. When I lived in Lethbridge with Lalainia (the cousin in my story above), we would settle in on Sunday nights to watch the omnibus episode for the week. And one of my favourite conversations with my Uncle David would be to talk ahead of the Canadian schedule about what was happening on the British episodes.  (Aunt Myrna would always cover her ears - she never wanted to hear what was coming up next!)

I have family roots in the US since the Mayflower, in Ireland, Scotland and Sweden. But my English heritage is the most profound influence on my life. Most of my introduction to English television happened when I visited the farm. And my first big trip away from home was to England with Lalainia and included a visit with the Gillhams, family friends from England who spent some time in Calgary and were back home in Weston-Super-Mare.  I've made it back there a couple of times now and wish I could spend more time there. Especially to do more family research!

My love of this country comes from early inculcation which is even documented in film. The pictures below are of me talking onto a tape recorder making a tape to send to my Uncle David while he served his mission in Great Britain. I know - I had not much hair for the longest time! The second is of me with my Uncle before he left. (Don't you just love the barn in the background!)  Indoctrinated early!