SIXIÈME ÉDITION DE LA CRIÉE D'AUTOMNE

"We make a living by what we get, 

but we make a life by what we give."  

 ~Winston Churchill

Fort du succès obtenu avec l’activité-bénéfice du 24 octobre 2009, le Centre de la famille Valcartier (CFV) a tenu sa sixième édition biennale de la Criée d’automne le samedi 29 octobre 2011 à Courcelette, QC, et en a profité pour souligner par la même occasion son 20e anniversaire.

La Criée d’automne était composée d’un encan à la criée, d'un encan silencieux et d’un buffet gastronomique agrémenté d’un spectacle . L’évènement aura finalement permis d'amasser 370 337$.

Following the success obtained with the fundraising event of 24 October 2009, the Valcartier Family Centre (FAC) held its sixth biennial Fall Auction Saturday, October 29, 2011 in Courcelette, QC, and took the opportunity to highlight at the same time its 20th anniversary.

The Fall Auction consisted of a live auction, a silent auction and a gourmet buffet complemented by a show. The event finally raised $ 370 337.

Sadly Francois didn't win the draw for the Mustang.

BHARATI - THE WONDER THAT IS INDIA

"Dancing: the vertical expression of a horizontal desire 

legalized by music" 

~George Bernard Shaw

 During the last 'warrior' weekend I treated myself to 'BHARATI', a performance at Place des Arts, here in Montreal.  It was a tough choice for me between les Grands Ballet Canadiens' performance of 'Rodin/Claudel' and 'Bharati'.

Am sure either show would have be well worth it but in the end 'The Wonder That Is India' won out.  Really glad I went.  

"Derived from ancient Sanskrit theatrical and narrative traditions wherein the Sutradhar (narrator), 'holds' the threads of the tale, the audience is guided through a simple but contemporary tale of love and wonder, punctuated by a mix of 14 songs and dances. While the dances serve to induce a state of enchantment, the Sutradhar interweaves the distinct episodes of the plot that culminate in a single question of contemporary relevance. Along with the hero, the audience confronts the dilemma about balancing tradition and modernity."

 "Siddharth, an Indian-born engineer, raised and living in the U.S. arrives in Varanasi to work on the Ganga Cleaning Project. Cynical and contemptuous of things Indian and every inch a westerner, he is nevertheless attracted to the mysterious and elusive Bharati. 

Orphaned at an early age and raised by the Domraja, king of Varanasi's cremation grounds, Bharati's appeal for Siddharth is instantaneous. He feels her presence everywhere but is unable to get close to her and know her. Domraja, Bharati's foster father, patriarchal and over-protective, also hinders the development of proximity between the two youngsters."

"For Siddharth, the process of falling in love with Bharati is one of inner transformation. Through her, he falls in love with India, the traditional and the modern; India where all the centuries seem to coexist together in time, yet one that is constantly changing and evolving; an India enthusiastically embracing the latest the world has to offer, but without losing its cherished ancient values, India where organised disorder seems to be celebrated."

"As Bharati introduces him to the wonder of India, Siddharth who had come to cleanse the Ganga of its pollution, ends up discovering himself and the meaning of love. 

Bharati awakens in Siddharth a yearning to connect with his own roots. Siddharth's is a powerful story of homecoming and likely to strike an emotional chord across the world, in all cultures."

.....How those dancers can still stand and breathe 

at the end of the show is a marvel......

A TASTE OF SCOTLAND

Òlamaid deoch-slàinte! 

(Scottish toast - Let us drink to health)

I recently spent a very pleasant evening sponsored by the Saint Andrew's Society of Montreal (http://standrews.qc.ca/)

held at the Black Watch Armoury - home of the Royal Highland Regiment of Canada (http://www.blackwatchcanada.com/ ) .

Over a period of several hours, I sampled four of the twenty-five different varieties of scotch whiskey offered (with emphasis - sadly - on 'sampled')

 

the PEAT MONSTER

      

YAMAZAKI
(a very pleasant Japanese scotch)

 

BENORMACH

BLACK WATCH
(the official scotch of the regiment)

With a flourish of ceremony, the haggis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis) was piped in and we were all treated to the 'ADDRESS TO A HAGGIS'  and as last year it was peppery and delicious.

 

"Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care,

And dish them out their bill o'fare,

Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware

That jaups in luggies;

But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer,

Gie her a haggis!"

~ excerpt from Address to a Haggis by Robert Burns

My father once told me I had not one drop of Scottish blood in me but at the end of this fine evening I did indeed have a wee drop of Scotch in my blood.

WARRIOR WEEKEND

"Act like a man of thought - Think like a man of action."   ~Thomas Mann

The Warriors' Departure

 

Major Pig during tactical briefing

Night manoeuvres

Cette fin de semaine, du 21 au 23 oct 2011, nous avons conduit un entraînement d’artillerie conjoint sous ma responsabilité. Cet exercice est le deuxième auquel participe le 2^e, 6^e et le 62^e RAC afin de se préparer et de confirmer l’atteinte des normes d’artillerie requises pour l’exercice NOBLE GUERRIER qui se déroulera au camp Lejeune en Caroline du Nord, en janvier 2012. 

Mon objectif était de promouvoir une courbe d’apprentissage raisonnable à toutes les unités dans le contexte d’opération offensive de haute intensité. L’exercice a commencé par l’occupation d’une cache le vendredi soir, suivi de mouvements, tirs techniques  pour se terminer par des plans de tir.  Tous les objectifs ont été atteints.

HAPPY HOUR CAME EARLY

"The first wealth is health." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Because we were facing a very busy and compacted start to our weekend we had to skip our usual Happy Hour routine.  Instead I put together  a pre-road-trip-brunch to get us through until our respective supper times. The  muffin recipe is from one of my favourite blogs and the smoothie recipe is from my fitness-gear-obsession site (Lululemon Athletica).

Pear Muffins 

Spiced Pear Muffins
Makes 12 muffins 1/2 cup (4 oz) packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (2oz) white sugar
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (5 oz) all-purpose flour
1 cup (5 oz) whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 oz) milk
2 to 2 1/2 cups pears, unpeeled and diced small (2 medium-sized pears, about 11 oz whole)
Cinnamon & sugar for sprinkling on top
Optional: 1/4 cup chopped candied ginger, 1/2 cup chopped nuts, 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Heat your oven to 425°F. Spray the top of your muffin tin with non-stick coating and place muffin cups in all the wells.
In a mixer on high speed, cream together the sugars and the softened butter until they resemble fluffy frosting, about 1 minute. Mix in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated, about 1 minute each. Mix in the vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, mix 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture followed by 1/3 of the milk. Continue alternating between the flour and the milk, mixing just until the flour is incorporated. It's OK if there is still some flour on the sides of the bowl. Do not over-mix.

Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and stir gently to incorporate the last of the flour. Add the diced pears all at once and fold them into batter 

Divide the batter between the muffin cups. The batter will fill the cups and mound slightly on top. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon and sugar.

Place the muffin tin in the oven and immediately turn down the heat to 400°F. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan once in the middle of baking. The muffins are done with the tops looked cracked and toasted, and when a toothpick inserted in the middle of one of the muffins comes out clean.

Let the muffins cool enough to handle, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Leftover muffins can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or frozen for up to three months. (Reheat frozen muffins in an oven or toaster oven at 300° or for a few minutes in the microwave)

Pumpkin Smoothie 

Pumpkin Spice Protein Smoothie 

½ cup canned pumpkin 

1 cup almond milk 

½ a banana 

1 tbsp of raisins 

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder 

½ tsp vanilla extract 

sprinkle nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger

 

 

Blend it all together in your favourite appliance  and top with ground flax seed for an extra health kick!

...Bon appétit to all you health freaks.....

DÎNER RETOUR DE NOS HÉRO

“A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.” ~ Bob Dylan

 We recently attended a Gala evening at the 62^nd Regiment in Shawinigan organized to welcome home the 10 soldiers from the area who recently returned from Afghanistan and to honour the memory of one from the region who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2009.  

The evening was organized by a local historian (himself a retired officer from the Mauricie region - http://www.tourismemauricie.com/ ).   

 An evening filled with much ceremony and tradition.  Rousing military marches. Presentations. Singing. Speeches.  A very pleasant catered 5-course dinner during which we were entertained by the very talented musicians of the regimental band. 

The most memorable was the symbolic ‘passing of the torch’ ceremony from aging war veterans to each of the ten (oh so very) young soldiers.

Francois gave a very inspiring speech in which he quoted Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher, Edmund Burke: ‘La seule chose qui permet au mal de triompher est l’inaction des hommes de bien’.

And a brief excerpt from the Commander’s address....

... » ”Vous faite parti de ces hommes de bien, vous avez l’étoffe des héros et vous contribuer á bâtir un monde meilleur.  Un jour le peuple afghan sera délivré de la menace et sera à même d’assumer sa sécurité, son économie et sa gouvernance.  Un jour hommes et femmes aurant les même droits et recevront la même éducation en Afghanistan, reconstruire un pays ne se fait pas du jour au lendemain « …….. » merci de votre implication dans le conflit afin d’essayer de construire un monde meilleur, merci pour votre courage, vous rendez le régiment fier par vos action…. »

GAIA EXHIBITION & THE ONE DROP ORGANIZATION

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."

 In 2009, when Guy Laliberté (Quebec-born founder of Cirque du Soleil) announced that he was boarding a Russian Soyuz rocket for a 12-day space journey, it made some people a little more than just envious. 

"What 'normal' human being gets to make dreams like that come true (and can pay 35 million dollars for the chance)? It’s all well and good to talk about great men with great means, but this former street clown gave his trip a global mission: preserving water resources". 

"Using art to boost the profile of the ONE DROP awareness organization (which he founded), Guy Laliberté has put together a coffee-table book of the photographs he took during his space voyage, shot from over 350 kilometres above the earth. Sixty of the large-format photographs from the book were on display along the Promenade des Artistes, in Montreal's quartier des spectacles transforming it into a path of discovery".

Francois and I visited this exhibit on the weekend and all I can say is WOW!   There really aren't enough superlatives to describe the magnificence and beauty. 

 

The images focused primarily on the areas of the world where water supply is challenged.

Mauritania - West Sahara

A West African country bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Mauritania is mainly desert. Every year the Sahara gains ground moving south at an average rate of 7 km.  The principal waterway, the Senegal River is of critical importance to the population which is mainly concentrated along its banks. The river serves the communities making fishing and farming possible thus guaranteeing food security and providing a source of revenue.  Despite this, poverty and lack of access to drinking water dims the future of many Mauritanians. 

Algeria - Sahara Desert

China - Hotan Region

Canada - James Bay 

(one of the last remaining intact seas in the world)

All this focus on water resources made us thirsty, so as per our usual outing routine stopped by our now favourite watering hole - 3 Brasseurs -  (http://www.les3brasseurs.ca/fre/anjou.php)

for a taste of their 'beer of the month' (Le Munich - “a copper-coloured beer with a traditional Bavarian flavour, ideal for the Oktoberfest.”) and a wee bite to eat.

Good as always!