Foreign and Local Correspondence – July 2018

News from Home
Grace is doing well but her husband Fred unfortunately has been
ill this month. He will need to be in North Shore Hospital for at
least a few weeks. Our best wishes go to them both.

News from Abroad
From Pat and Colin: somewhere in Spain on the Pilgrim trail….
We are really not walking overmuch. We brought the rain with us
from France as Friday was a very wet day. However yesterday
started fine and we walked out from this town, Aviles, fine style,
got to the next town and explored there and waited for the little
train to take us back. It never came, believe there was a strike so
we had dinner then walked back to Aviles. Had walked 16 km a
record. We stayed in this hotel 6 years ago, called don Pedro and
there is s life sized statue of the don inside the entrance. We are
now staying two nights in a place and walking what we can in that
time. Pouring rain we do not do.
It is very hot here each midday onwards and often with
thunderstorms in the pm. This makes for some pretty muddy
walking trails, but that is how we remember this route from 2003 &
4. If we walk early it is not too bad.
We enjoy the walks and are in a routine of walking for 2 hours until
11 am. Then driving, exploring the places we went to then (they
have usually changed). A coffee if it is available and then the main
meal midday, find or drive to our hotel, booked on booking.com, a
spell off and exploring the new town. At times 14 years ago we
were too tired after walking up to 26 km that we didn’t have energy
for more walking. There are far more pilgrims now maybe 3 times
as many. So also more places to stay and not such long distances
between beds.
We have tried walking then getting a taxi back to the car, but taxis
have to be booked the day before here. The best way is to walk
half the distance somewhere and then back to the car…….
In Santiago and we went to the noon pilgrims’ service today. Still
amazes us after all these times of going, 8 we think.
+++++
and from Marion visiting her daughter in Canada:
I am in Elise’s office trying to do some emails before we go to her
choir rehearsal, and tomorrow morning we have an early start for
our flight to Winnipeg. I don’t know whether I told you about this
trip……my birthday present from her is three nights in Winnipeg
and particularly for me to visit the Garden of Memories where the
Commonwealth Air Training Centre was during the war for Airforce
personnel from the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Elise’s father was a Navigator in the RNZAF and served in the
Pacific, and did part of his training at Portage la Praire near
Winnipeg, and about 20 years ago I paid for a plaque with his
name etc for what was then the proposed Garden of Memories.
Elise has been there and seen it, and Scott has too, so now I will
see it for myself!

I am making the most of sitting in on all her rehearsals etc. and on
Sunday we were in the Glenn Gould recording studio for several hours
with her Chamber Choir recording two pieces.,,,,,
Our two days in Stratford last week were as busy as all our Stratford
adventures are.  We usually do five productions and this was no
exception – all live performances of “The Music Man”, “An Ideal
Husband”, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, and “The Rocky Horror Picture
Show”!!!  As well we did “The Warehouse Tour” which was a tour of
the Festival Theatre costumes and stage sets etc. which fills an area the
size of two football fields and is the largest in North America and I
would think is on a par with Covent Garden!
I have also been able to spend some time with my grandson Brad,
which is lovely, and Elise told me this morning that he is coming in here
to her office this afternoon so am looking forward to that.  He is an
amazing musician and during the recording session he was in the
recording booth with the technicians.