A wee bit of rain

We had a wee bit of rain fall two days ago. Apparently, the amount of rain that fell in 24hrs was the same as what normally falls in a month! Our usual walk home along the canal was completely flooded. Guess we should have paid more attention when we received those notices in the mail saying 'you live in a flood zone...'

The Hate Team

Turn your back for one second and the NHL goes to hell in a handbasket. One of the worst, if not the worst, thing about being in England is no hockey. Oh, you can order a specialty satellite channel that will show you games in the wee hours of the morning or the next day, but it costs more than all the other channels on regular satellite combined. So, one is left with checking scores and highlights on TSN, Sportsnet, etc. It’s not the same.

One of the great joys of being Canadian is getting home from work, cracking open the paper and putting the hockey game on in the background. Or, slipping away from the table at a dinner party to check the score and watch for so long that no one could possibly think you were in the bathroom the whole time. Truthfully, hockey makes the long, dark, cold winter bearable and has for as long as I can remember.

I suppose the worst thing that could have happened while I was away would have been the Leafs making a run for the Cup. That didn’t happen nor is it likely to happen soon. The next worst thing that could have happened is the Senators making a run for the Cup. As we all know only too well, that did happen. Why is this the second worst thing that could happen? I Hate the Senators. Capital ‘H’ Hate the Senators. Ottawa stole Hamilton’s NHL team during the last round of expansion to Canada and, until Hamilton gets its own team (you go Jim Balsillie), I will always hate the Senators. Senators fans are smug, self-satisfied, band-wagon jumpers. Getting taunted by Senators ‘fans’ who were no where to be seen in their lean years is more than I can bear.

That is why being away during the Senators Cup run was so dangerous. Having this massive distance between myself and the Senators made it more difficult to hate them. If I couldn’t see the games, watch the highlights and hear their fans, there was going to be some difficulty in hating them. But, these were the times that try men’s souls. When the Senators get winning, the tough get hating. So I did. I cursed, hexed, jinxed and hated the Senators. I hated them more than any person has any team ever. If I didn’t hate them with everything I had, they would win and I wouldn’t be able to go home. Ever.

It was at this precise point that I encountered the ‘Canada’s Team’ argument. That is, the theory that, at the point in the Stanley Cup playoffs that a sole Canadian team remains, it becomes the obligation of every Canadian to cheer for that team since it is ‘Canada’s Team’.

I, of course, never subscribed to this theory. It is the most misguided and laughable theory of fandom there is. To prove my point, I waited until the point in the Champions League season when there was but one English team left. In this case, Liverpool emerged from the final four but Manchester United did not. My conversation with a ManU fan follows:

Me: Now that Liverpool is the only English team left in the Champions League, are you going to cheer for them?
ManU Fan: Wot?
Me: You know, because they’re ‘England’s Team’
ManU Fan: Oi’s Eh.
Me: Aren’t English fans obligated to cheer for the last English team left?
ManU Fan: Yu naff? S’at’s the barmiest fing I eva ‘erd. I’da soona suppor da Reds as have you pish inma mouf. I’ma gunna give yu a right bollockin…
Me: [Runs]
Man U Fan: Oi!

As you can plainly see from my research, the ‘Canada’s Team’ theory is ludicrous.

There really is no way that I could live in Canada after the Senators had won the Cup. It would be unthinkable. So I did the only thing I could - I gathered together the finest minds who also hated the Senators and we did what we did best. We hated them. Our hate for the Senators could move mountains - the results of efforts exceeded even my wildest expectations. In a nutshell, the Senators were destroyed by a far superior team to such a degree that certain persons on the Senators would rather score the Cup winning goal themselves on their own net than prolong the series any longer.

So, everything has come up Brent. The Senators are still chokers and I can go home again. Although the Senators close brush with the Cup is over, my story will live on …

In 2007, a crack hate unit was shunned by Ottawa Senators fans for failing to acknowledge them as “Canada’s Team” in the Stanley Cup Finals. These men promptly jinxed the Ottawa Senators causing them the most embarrassing defeat in Stanley Cup Finals history. Today, still wanted by Senators fans, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a team to curse, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... The Hate Team

Whitsun Weekend

We recently found ourselves in the midst of another holiday weekend. Whitsunday is an annual holiday in England. It is the feast of Pentecost, and falls 7 weeks after Easter. In true English fashion, the weather was dismal. It was cold and rainy the entire weekend. We had rented a car for the weekend and had big plans for a wee day trip into the countryside. We were not about to let the weather stand in our way. We packed the car first thing Saturday morning with raincoats, a change of dry clothes and maps. All of these things came in handy during our road trip except for the maps! We managed to get lost on our way out of Leeds (again!) and on our way to our first destination. We have decided that when driving in England it is best not to follow the mapquest directions, but just to follow the sporadic road signs marked with town names. It was definitely an adventure.

We arrived at Fountains Abbey after our slight detour (http://www.fountainsabbey.org.uk/). It was a great place to visit. It is England’s largest Abbey ruins and dates to 1139. The Abbey ruins are stunning, as are the extensive grounds and gardens. We could have easily spent the entire day there, but we still had the rest of the day ahead of us.



We got back on the open road and made our way over the winding roads to our next destination. We are getting quite adept at driving on the left side of the road. Our little Nissan Micra was a great car for scooting around between the hedge rows.

We carried on to Castle Howard (http://www.castlehoward.co.uk/). When we arrived we were excited to hear that they were hosting a food festival and my favorite English chef, James Martin (http://www.jamesmartinchef.co.uk/), was in attendance! Castle Howard itself was a bit disappointing. The tour included only 6 rooms despite the expensive entry fee! I guess we’ve been spoiled by Chatsworth House which is significantly more enjoyable. We are becoming quite the country estate snobs! The highlight of the visit was when Brent got in trouble from the tour guide after only a few minutes inside. The guide informed us that pictures were not permitted of the house. As he shook his scolding finger Brent snapped a picture. Nothing like taking a picture of the person telling you not to take pictures!

After our brief tour of the house we ventured outside to see the food festival. However, by this point it was pouring rain and was 5 degrees and windy. The queue to see James Martin was miles long. He may be cute, but I wasn’t about to stand in the cold and rain for an hour just to get a glimpse of him and to sample some revolting British cuisine!

We decided it was time to change into some dry clothes and make our way to our dining location. We spent the rest of the evening at The Star Inn in Harome (http://www.thestaratharome.co.uk/). This pub has been in existence since the early 19th century. In recent times, it has been awarded Gastropub of the year and a Michelin Star. The food was outstanding and the ambiance was incredible. The low ceilings and thatched roof remind you of the many generations who have enjoyed a pint within its walls. As for us, we enjoyed the best dinner we’ve had in England. We are already dreaming of our next trip to enjoy a delectable feast.

It was a great day. We really enjoyed getting out to see more of the Yorkshire countryside. Even though we've travelled around quite a bit, it still seems that we haven't seen very much at all. We are looking forward to seeing the sites with our upcoming visitors. With any luck the summer should see us travelling to Edinburgh (again), Glasgow, Durham, a Well-Dressing Festival in Derbyshire, Dublin, the middle of Ireland and the West Coast of Ireland - in particular Ballina where one set of Brent's Irish great-grandparents are from, Oban, the Isles of Mull and Iona, Stirling, Amsterdam and Perthshire.

After all that, I think for the foreseeable future, any vacation we go on will be on a beach somewhere where the longest trip is from the hammock to the bar.