Cornelius takes Josephine for an afternoon skate...

Cornelius and Josephine's story...
There is nothing quite as peaceful than a river on the edge of a farm. 
Add a quiet yellow sky in the late afternoon in winter and there you have it…
Cornelius’ favourite time to go for a skate!
This alone would keep him happy for the rest of his days but if he has the accepted invitation of Josephine in his corner, then THAT my friends, is true bliss!

Pulling on his woollen winter coat, wrapping a scarf around his neck, Cornelius pops the little red Josephine into his hood and off they go!

The frozen water meanders amongst the trees and the sound of a tiny flock of pine siskin flutter by…”bird wedding!” Josephine calls out. Something her mom always said when little groups of birds flew overhead.

It is these times that Cornelius and Josephine love the best.
The scrape of the blades carving patterns on the fresh ice, the sky on the edge of evening, the promise of snow during the night…and then home to mugs of tea and a fire...what could be more perfect.

Cornelius and Josephine...now in my Etsy shop here

Song for Friday...thinking back....

There's so many things about my childhood in Toronto that

bring back many vivid and cherished memories....

One of the more prominent ones are those of winter...snow...ice...

Maybe it's because we don't have those kind of winters here on the coast.

Last Christmas when we went to visit my daughter and her husband I ventured

up to the local park a few days after it had been snowing.

And there they were...hockey players!

Just a bunch of guys in sweaters and skates goofing around on the ice...the sound of

skates, the slap of a puck on the stick.

But what memories it brought back to me of those evenings when you

had to be forced to come home for dinner..."just another half an hour...please!"

You would be so bundled up that even if you fell playing 'Crack the whip'

it didn't matter because you had so many layers on...

And so today my song is a tribute to those long ago winter afternoons.

I've included the lyrics to this song because they are...in a word...

Brilliant.

I'm not sure whatever happened to Jane Siberry but

she wrote some really fine songs at one time.

A warning that there a few 'f' words in one line but its

sort of a reference to a big riot in the '50s in Montreal when they

benched Maurice "Rocket" Richard of the Montreal Canadiens and

 apparently the swear words reference

 what he said to a fan or a referee after being handed down the penalty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxPEBW4o740

 

winter time on the frozen river
Sunday afternoon
they're playing hockey on the river
Rosie...
he'll have that scar on his chin forever
someday his girlfriend will say "hey, where...?"
he might look out the window... or not
you skate as fast as you can
'til you hit the snowbank (that's how you stop)
and you got your sweater from the catalogue

 you use your rubber boots for goal posts
ah, and walkin' home
don't let those Sunday afternoons
get away get away get away get away
break away break away...

this stick was signed by Jean Belliveau
so don't fucking tell me where to fucking go...
oh Sunday afternoon
someone's dog just took the puck
he's buried it it's in the snowbank ....your turn
they rioted in the streets of Montreal
when they benched Rocket Richard it's true

don't let those Sunday afternoons
get away get away get away get away
break away break away break away break away

the sun is fading on the frozen river
the wind is dying down
someone else just got called for dinner
Rosie!
hmm...Sunday afternoon

 

Have a great weekend all! and if you're anywhere where it's

cold enough....have a skate for me!



Dreaming of ice...

"It's comin' on Christmas,

They're cuttin' down trees,

They're puttin' up reindeer,

Singing songs of joy and peace..."

"Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on..."

"Oh, I wish I had a river so long,

I would teach my feet to fly....."

"Oh, I wish I had a river...I could skate away on."

(words by Joni Mitchell. Needle felting by farmlass.)

Just waiting for some tiny skaters in my etsy shop.