WORK DAY.

Sometimes it takes a while to establish a routine. And then it happens! In the first photo, the reading glasses I spend precious time looking for. The second captures a mood that helps me to write. The third, an attitude that helps also.

Belgium Visit! May, 2016

Napoleon. 1815

These three photos capture some of the memorable moments of my trip to Belgium a month ago where I traveled with Friendship Force, Toronto and stayed with people who belong to FF Leuven and FF Belgian Coast in Belgium. It was a privilege and a pleasure to live in the homes of Belgians and to see the country through their eyes. It made for a very rich experience of their country. I have had individual experiences during my travels when I have seen beyond the tourist sights with people I have met, but this experience was different in that the whole visit was like that.

I can't access all my photos, so have chosen these three as reminiscent of very notable moments. Flanders Fields has strong resonance for Canadians as here our country joined in battle in World War I. Ypres and Passchendaele, two sites where Canadians fought. Also it was very moving for me to go to the fields of the Battle of Waterloo (1815) as one of my ancestors was here on the British side. Our family still have artifacts of his. Indeed, my sister has his pistols, shaving kit, journals and a musket ball that caused him injury.
Being there did not lessen my desire to end all war, but when one sees tiny Belgium and understands how it, along with other parts of Europe, were overrun, one knows why our military became  a presence there.
 

In Flanders Fields

Belgian Waffle

 And then, of course, there were the ubiquitous Belgian Waffles.Some of them were laden down with toppings, but my favourite was a plain waffle dusted with sugar with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Yummy. And I suppose that sounds like lots of toppings, but if you have ever been in Bruges or Brussels and have seen the waffles sold on tourist streets, you know my choice was somewhat Spartan. My host in Leuven liked the waffles with just a sprinkling of icing sugar.

Exploration.

Toddler and pebbles.

Here is a review of Ile d'Or that is particularly pleasing!

http://indicebohemien.org/chroniques/2011/10/une-ville-dure-sous-la-surface#.Vw6YM8tRGcw.
The actual date of the review is in 2016. 

Chronique_littéraire

Une ville dure sous la surface

// Francesca Benedict - 1 oct. 2011

Numéro : Octobre 2011

Pour cette vingt-et-unième chronique, j’ai choisi de vous présenter une auteure anglophone de la région. Mary Lou Dickinson a grandi à Bourlamaque parmi les familles de mineurs. Elle vit aujourd’hui à Toronto, mais elle a gardé ses liens avec la communauté valdorienne. Avec ce roman, elle signe sa deuxième publication. Son premier titre, One Day It Happens, paru en 2007, rassemble des nouvelles dont certaines déjà exprimaient l’empreinte de cette appartenance. 

Quatre personnages se croisent après de longues années. Lucien est resté, Michelle est revenue s’installer depuis un certain temps, Nick et Libby vivent à Toronto et sont en visite. Ils se sont connus jeunes, alors qu’ils grandissaient dans Bourlamaque et ils sont tous rattachés les uns aux autres par Marcel, un enfant qui évolue dans des conditions aussi dures que celles qu’ils ont connues.

Essentiellement, l’auteure raconte la vie de gens qui ont grandi ensemble et qui aujourd’hui doivent composer avec leur passé autant qu’avec leur présent. Elle présente des personnes dans la quarantaine qui traversent les deuils et les bilans occasionnés par les hauts et les bas du quotidien. À cela s’ajoutent les amitiés, les amours, les rêves et les déceptions, opposant la fragilité de la condition humaine à la dure réalité de la vie dans une ville minière – la phrase « It’s a tough town under the surface » revient à quelques reprises, et semble faire autant référence aux gens qu’à la roche. En reflétant les nombreuses divisions de l’époque entre catholiques et protestants ainsi qu’entre francophones et anglophones, le passé révèle la profondeur des déchirures provoquées par le contexte politique et social des années 50.

L’auteure rebâtit la vie des personnages en les laissant raconter leurs propres souvenirs, auxquels elle entremêle le point de vue et les souvenirs des autres personnages ; ce procédé permet d’avoir en même temps une perspective intérieure et extérieure, ce qui traduit bien la complexité de la situation socio-économique entre patrons et mineurs ainsi que le lourd héritage historique et linguistique. 

Pour la génération qui a connu le passé de Val-d’Or, les références rendent facile la reconnaissance des lieux et de l’ambiance de cette époque. L’histoire correspond aux histoires qui circulent sur les premières décennies de Val-d’Or. L’intérêt du livre repose aussi sur le fait que Mary Lou Dickinson a su saisir le rythme, le souffle de la ville d’aujourd’hui. \\

Brussels Airport Opens on April 3rd, 2016

Three flights out of Brussels airport today. Like the rest of the world, I am watching to see how long it takes to recover from the dastardly terrorist attack that happened there two weeks ago. As I also wonder about another attack in Pakistan. But I have a special interest in Brussels because I have a ticket on Brussels Air to arrive there in the middle of April. Will enough flights be restored by then for mine to take off from Toronto and land in Belgium? I hope so as I still intend to go as part of a Friendship Force Toronto Outbound to stay with the hosts of two clubs in Belgium. One in Leuven, the other in the Belgian Coast area. A new experience for me! I have not traveled with this international club before and am very interested in seeing a country through the eyes of people who live there, from the insider's eyes.

Not much more to say for now. I will watch the daily reports on the status of flights and at some point soon check on the status of mine.

Zaventem, Belgium

---

THOSE WERE THE DAYS!

 As I work with one of my writing groups on my memoir, Restless, I am drawn back to the place and time where I spent the early years of my life. Years away now and another era entirely. Once upon a time, I thought of it as a novel entitled Frontier Days. That novel later became, Ile d'Or, and it was published fnally in 2010, and was my second published book.That proved to me that dreams are worth following and that the long, circuitous journey of my life had been worth following. Not that there was much choice. When I look back on the journey, I did make choices, but the passion for writing never disappeared. And aside from my family as an ongoing priority, nothing else could ever dislodge it. I am grateful to have lived long enough to see dreams realized - the late arrival of wonderful grandsons and the excitement of published books!

My Books:
One Day it Happens (short stories) 2007
Ile d'Or (Novel) 2010
Would I Lie To You? (Novel) 2014
The White Ribbon Man (Mystery) scheduled for  2018
Publisher: Inanna Publications

Unpublished:
Children's stories for ages 3 to 7
Big and Little
Bow Wow the Elephant
Barker
The New Baby

LIFE OF A WRITER: WINTER 2016

ALL THE BEST TO MY FRIENDS AND  COLLEAGUES IN 2016!

The good news is another  book has been accepted for publication. I finally completed a mystery, The White Ribbon Man, which will be published by Inanna Publications, the press that has done my three books thus far. You will have to wait a while  to read it as publication is not scheduled until Spring 2018. There is the possibility that it will get moved to the fall of 2017, so while  I am hopeful that will happen I am not holding my breath. For the publisher, this timeline is an indication of a vital and full program, whereas it is harder for the author who has to wait to experience the satisfaction of holding and sharing the actual book. Nonetheless, it is good to know that Inanna, a feminist press, is now such a well established and respected press.

Also, I now have two thriving grandsons. One in southwestern Ontario is interested in business and Japan and is about to launch out on a university program in the fall. The other, in Montreal, will be 2 in April and is learning to talk in both English and German. French will come later! They both are  joys to have in my life. I value my far flung family and my friends most of all, although the passion for my writing and learning new things  sure takes up a lot of time! All of these ... family, friends and writing as well as dancing and travel and art and culture have given these "retirement" years meaning and purpose beyond expectations and I am grateful.

There is a possibility that my sister and brother-in-law will move from the west to Toronto in 2016 to be closer to their children and grandchildren. And friends in Toronto who are also  selling their house this year might in the course of their search find an apartment  closer to me. On both counts, fingers crossed!


The purpose for starting these newsletters was to update you on book and writing developments. But 😀 I suspect 😉 the tidbits around other aspects of life interest many of you just as much. And yes, I do get asked about my travels. I have decisions to make soon about that, depending on both money and time and, of course, health .You may find out what destination/s rise to the top in my next newsletter.

Happy dancing! Happy travels! Whatever you do, enjoy the journey.  Enjoy life.

With all good wishes for your health and happiness in 2016.

Mary Lou Dickinson