Toronto - March 2010

I ventured north of the border for the weekend to visit my brother and his family in Toronto, Canada. I thank them for their kind and generous hospitality.

The differing weather patterns do not cease to amaze me. I was born in Australia, yet have lived in different parts of the world, which have all had different and extreme weather.

This weekend, the east coast of North America was lashed with wild storms and incessant rain. As I arrived on Friday, the Toronto landmark, the CN tower was not visible. Strong winds and rain descended over the weekend. This did not stop us visiting Kramer’s, a bar in Davisville for a couple of cold ones (beer). In New York, hurricane like winds wreaked damage. In New Jersey, lives were lost as a result of falling debris.

Canada’s neighbour, the United States, will forever shadow this northern Commonwealth State. However, commerce, technological development and achievement can still be found in the French-speaking province of Quebec, the West Coast province of British Columbia and the province of Ontario, which houses Parliament Hill in Ottawa and the Toronto stock exchange. Vancouver recently hosted the Winter Olympics, and Canada was victorious in the Ice Hockey.

For the record, the Canadian dollar continues to gain strength and maple syrup has not been sweeter.