It’s November 2023 and once again we are writing to special people that we seldom see, to catch up with each others’ news and celebrate the upcoming Christmas season.
A different year, with the pandemic lessening and things opening up for musicians and performers such as ourselves; everything looking much more positive.
This has been the year of a hot summer, with huge wildfires and heavy smoke over much of Alberta, as well as in other Provinces and Territories across Canada and other parts of the world. Some outdoor performances have had to be cancelled or rescheduled, whenever smoke levels reached 7 out of 10, as it would be dangerous for attendees and even more so for us who breathe deeply with our work. Many friends have been evacuated, some several times, and of course thousands lost their homes. A devastating time for wildlife. Now it is autumn again which has been designated this year as the driest ever, no snow, since records have been kept. Who knows what will be next?
Having said that, we still managed to perform at many favourite venues: Fort Edmonton Park (year 32), the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, Muttart Conservatory, Edmonton Valley Zoo and others, with 2 days at the huge K-Days Festival (Klondike Days of yore) and an enjoyable week of children’s shows throughout the City for Edmonton Arts Council. Mary walked in parades and performed with Martha McHaggis for Explore Edmonton.
A high spot of the summer was having not one, but two visits from our Bermuda friends of so many years, Doug and Carolyn, on whose boat we got married in Paradise Bay, with boats around all honking and hooting! Some days it feels like it was yesterday!
Just before Labour Day weekend, Mary had a call from Nagel Tours, for whom she has done so many runs as a Tour Director, to see if we could do a last minute 17-day tour through Atlantic Canada, (Maritimes and Newfoundland), as the arranged TD had to drop out with a family emergency. A few calls, and we managed to reschedule performances, also cancelling a week’s holiday in the Rockies, but we had at least had a much needed 10-day camping break in the Columbia valley of British Columbia earlier in the season, with stops in Banff both ways.
It was a really good bus tour, with 50 of the best passengers we have ever had, and sharing all those oceanic vistas and local history that we love so much. Hard work for both of us, as a great deal had to be done “on the fly”, which normally the TD would be able to do ahead. Much of running a tour relies on personal contact, often several times a day.
Also, we were able to reconnect with Fred and Jan, our so very special neighbours from years living in Fredericton, and it was like we had seen each other yesterday, not when we came through 14 years ago.
Exciting news about Jamie, Mary’s brother John’s grandson (our great nephew), who this summer was still only age 15; he got 2 British and 2 English gold medals for swimming at the British and English Nationals. Jamie has trained very hard, and all the family are proud of him.
Most years at some point we have a visit from Murphy (Murphy’s law) no matter how hard we try to avoid it. This year it was in the unfortunate form of a completely sober ex-serviceman suffering from PTSD (Afghanistan) who ran into the back of our perfectly parked Yukon SUV at 3.20am and wrote it off, as well as his own vehicle. Fortunately, he was not further hurt, but it took us 3 months, all day except when working, to come up with a suitable replacement, and we both probably aged another year or two, which was not needed.
But our big news is that in November 1973, when Mary landed in Bermuda, so many years ago, we got together and made our life commitment to each other, through thick and thin, both of which we have of course seen, as do many. Right now, we feel totally blessed to have got this far; 50 years with each other, which is priceless.
Peter’s book “Let’s take it from the Top” continues to sell, and is available on order in the U.K., U.S.A., across Canada, and we believe also in Australia. See website under “Peter’s book”, also “What’s New” for November last (2022).
We truly hope life has treated you well this year and pray for PEACE throughout the world; the JOY of Christmas; LOVE for all of life and HEALTH for each and every one.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
With love, Peter & Mary and of course Jenny Dog