CANADIANS LOVE TO SKATE

An old pair of skates can give so much winter fun. All my grandchildren are skating-some taking hockey lessons and playing on little teams. It brings back of memories of learning to skate as a preschooler on a patch of ice in the local school parking lot. Then older on the ice rink  at my school. There are very few outdoor rinks at schools now. Locally, the Mill Pond in central Richmond Hill freezes and welcomes skaters. Nathan Phillip Square in Toronto has a wonderful rink. Or go to Ottawa with the Rideau Canal used by skaters in the winter. Skating is an affordable winter sport. If a child can not afford new skates there are many second time around places to get used ones. Or if you are lucky there may be older children in the extended family system that will share and hand down skates to their younger members. One of my sons-in-law has made a back yard skating rink. I have the skates but now need to get a helmet. As a youngster, like everyone else-who used a helmet! But as a role model, this Nana should get one! And maybe one for the Granpa too!  

OH CANADA-HOW COLD IS IT?

So how cold is it Canada? The weatherman tells us Winnipeg is as cold as Mars. The city teams that help with the homeless want them to come off the streets and go to shelters with this Cold Alert in the GTA. We are told that our skin can freeze in a very short time if exposed to the elements. Running into work from a warm car is the norm these days. I succumbed due to the icy sidewalks to take a ride for a few days so my family would not worry about me. I need to replace that 2 miles of walking every day! Back to the cold. How come the little squirrels can scanter around in the snow and not worry about the cold? Where do they live in the winter? Do they have little squirrel mittens? With a warm indoor job, one's thoughts goes to those folks who actually work outside in this weather. The Hydro workers that reconnected people in the GTA after the Ice Storm must be thanked. And those still working in New Brunswick! With all the downed trees and branches there is a huge task ahead of clearing all the debris for the next 8 weeks in Toronto with weekly pickups of the wood. More outside work! Even the skiing is not great with the ice on the slopes and not snow! Can not toboggan on ice and enjoy the time. Leaves skating doesn't it! My kids built a small rink in their backyard so ice is a good thing. With the cold temperatures, it will be good ice. We are told the Rideau Canal in Ottawa opened early this year. It is the longest winter skating surface in Canada and perhaps the world. 3KM long, I think! Staying warm is important. But the cold can be braved with the right clothing. Bascially, layers so the natural body heat can help to keep us warm. Of course, the head to be covered. 90% of body heat can go out of our heads! Many seniors go south for the winter to avoid cold spells such as this one. A third generation of ownership is occurring. Many of my parents' generation bought places in Florida in the 1950s and 1960s that the grandchildren are now enjoying without any cost to them! Not rich kids just lucky kids to be able to take advantage of family properties! But if there is no southern property, there is still lots to enjoy in Canada. The cold will not go away for awhile. So finding some way to cope and survive will help with the winter. I love walking so maybe I need to embrace the Mall walking that many people do year round! Right then no fears about slippery sidewalks! Just super fit seniors! Oh the cold! How are you coping these days?

NANA SAYS LEARINING TO SKATE IS A CANADIAN TRADITION

Remembering my childhood when I learnt to skate on a little patch of ice on a driveway at a local school around 3 years of age, watching my grandchildren acquiring the skill is a happy moment. The important aspect  is balance which means the little one can stand on the skates. Skating is such a Canadian thing to do! Not everyone will become a hockey player-although street hockey and fun games occur everywhere- or a figure skater, it is a fun activity for all the family. Indoor and outdoor rinks are scattered across the country along with ponds and river surfaces. The Rideau Canal in Ottawa is the famous one. Locally we have the Mill Pond which freezes over in the winter attracting children of all ages. Since one of the grown children have a rink in the backyard, maybe even this old kid will don skates again and have a go!!

SKATING CANADIAN STYLE

Skating is one sport that the majority of Canadians know how to do. I learnt from a very young age- think about 3 to skate. It was on a little patch of ice at the local school. Children go through several pairs of skates in their lifetime. Even while at York University, I would go with a group of friends to skate recreationally at the arena there after class. When my children were younger I would skate with them. Adolph made a backyard rink for several years at our old house in Thornhill and again when we moved to Richmond Hill. It was easier to put the kids in the backyard skating than driving somewhere with them. Every town and city across Canada has indoor and outdoor rinks for skating pleasure. Here in Richmond Hill, many people go to the Mill Pond for outdoor skating. Recreational and professional skating in varied fields such as figure skating, speed skating and hockey are enjoyed everywhere here in Canada. Did you know the oldest indoor skating rink is in Montreal, Quebec built in 1862- Victoria Skating Rink? The first Stanley Cup playoffs were played there in 1894. The Olympic Plaza in Downtown Calgary has had winter skating since the 1988 Olympics. Our Nation's capital- Ottawa- has the Rideau Canal Skateway- 7.8 km or 4.8 miles long. Doing some research for this blog I discovered it is not the longest- Winnipeg, Manitoba- has the longest ice skating rink- 8.5 km or 5.3 miles long. I wonder if family members living there have skated it and can brag about their accomplishments!! Although a small rink in comparison, Nathan Phillip's Square in Toronto is a fun skate. Reminds me of my youth and a cheap date there with Adolph! Children and youth everywhere enjoy their local arenas, frozen ponds or rivers. Many famous hockey stars started this way. Winter skating- a reason to be outside with the little ones! Do you have favourite places you like to go skating?