Worth the wait

It's been busy, oh so busy in our household. All good but at a break-neck pace. So here for you loyal followers is a taste of what's to come. Two of the hundreds of frames that a lovely friend and talented photographer Shawna Eberle shot of us in the park last night.

Stay tuned for a terrific June!

Hop, skip and a jump

It was a certain grandfather's birthday yesterday. The event was celebrated with dinner out with a childhood friend and the family on a local Portugese chicken restaurant's terrace, fancy dressing by Seb and lots of hugs.

To stay in the spirit, the gang have headed to the Jays game this afternoon and the happy couple will hopefully be cruising round Toronto Harbour on Monday.

Track & Field Meet 2012

Today is the Toronto District School Board's annual Track and Field meet for elementary schools. No one seems to know if it is the whole Board or just the west side, but it's a lot of kids! And the forecast is rain in the morning and then cloudy and grey. So little chance of a sun burn but still not great for Seb's heavy cough.

Number 7s aim for their personal bests (and some glory) at Track & Field 2012

But hey, he is a team player and there is a relay to be run (and the standing long jump). Besides, he might get some glory out of this, unlike yesterday's protest at the library (but more on that another time).

Taking a Stand

Seb's teacher sent us the following update from class; with some added in explanatory text, it ran like this:

 

The project we are working on right now is to raise awareness about the environmental destruction and unlawful crossing through First Nations Territories of the extension of the Keystone Pipeline. 

 

Our collective is intended to precede the Enbridge Company's AGM and the arrival of the Freedom Train of First Nations protesters next Wednesday May 9. 

 

The kids are learning about all aspects of the impact, so that they can help to inform others with a peaceful, arts-based protest and information session outside of Parkdale Public Library next MONDAY, 

MAY 7th between 11am and 1pm. 

 

The school community helped to papier mache a huge pipe in 7 parts at the earth festival (last Friday). The kids are now using it to SHOW what the pipeline actually does to people, animals, plants, and our earth. Making visible that which is usually literally and figuratively "underground".

 

I am working with 2 fantastic people and amazing activists - Greg Powell and Nicole Hergert and between the 3 of us, we are trying to rally ... to inform people of the bigger, adult-oriented protest before the AGM on Wednesday.

 

 

Somewhat ironically, I am currently working up a training module on strategies to minimise children's involvement in political violence; today I was talking to a colleague in Montreal, as well as someone else who has been following the Greek protests - we are not necessarily talking about Sierra Leone and Egypt, folks. Though no matter how rowdy Seb's classmates can get, I don't think we are talking political violence! But still raises good debate amongst parents and with our young kids about protest, democracy, activism, peer pressure, channeling anger and outrage, etc