yyt

awaiting the festivities.
have turned off route 20 down into flatrock. jen baird told me that a professor at m.u.n. was wanting to rent his place there it on the water and want $700cdn a month less if you'll take care of his dog. cbc radio one in on in the caravan, am listening to brasilian music while negotiating the hills and curves into the village giving the newfoundland nod to those i pass - a barely perceived moving of the head. the pope would overdo a newfoundland nod. there is no way i can act like those sport car adverts with this bus. on some hills here my nose touches the windscreen the incline is so steep. the rear window is tinted so not only do i think it is darker than it is but i cannot see anything out of it.

i marvel at the clash of stimuli but this is no big deal i think as driving out to john and julie's farm in manitowoc i was bounding up and down to the same sort of thing on n.p.r. except n.p.r. has to find brasilians to play brasilian music. here it was brasilian/torontonians . likewise the rwandan music were rwandans from halifax. of course it is canada day so it is made even more evident but the morning programme here had a programme with two black asians from vancouver. for some reason it is not a big deal. have heard that a canadian is an immigrant with seniority.

a morning awaiting the return of shelagh rogers to radio one, coffee, writing in my daybook - anyone who thinks that what one writes publicly are unadulterated thoughts probably thinks that that lone traveller on the cliff marvelling at the view on that t.v. travelogue is alone also - the fog is burning off i can see the ocean and shoe cove. there is a chance of rain that could ruin the fireworks down at quidi vidi lake am watching the weather. walked down to the old elementary school which will be the new residencies for the pouch cove foundation to see if jim had come up.

there was a crowd down by the memorial walking up to the anglican church. forgot that while the rest of canada was celebrating newfoundland had mixed emotions. it was on 1 july when the royal newfoundland regiment was almost wiped out in the first war at beaumont hamel. in 1916 newfoundland wasn't part of canada. likewise everyone is waiting the report on the articles of confederation which had newfoundland join canada. general consensus was that they were robbed and it continues. gave the people wide berth as i head up gruchy's hill to town circle then down kirby's road before heading back to the house.

- genie on the road meets a nova scotian, a québecois and a newfoundlander. he grants them all one wish. the nova scotian wished that all the roads are straight and smooth.
- it is granted
- the québecois wants an impervious wall 100 feet high be built around the province.
- it is granted
- the newfoundlander asks if the wall is water proof
- yes
- fill'er up.

a bit later do the walk again this time dan is at the school pulling out the radiators in the old gym that will be an exhibition space. walk about the place to see what the studio will look like very big spaces pity about the view.

regrets-
regrets that i didn't bring the view camera. for here as a traditional school being gutted and merged with st. agnes to become cape st. francis public school down the road by the satellite lounge. st. agnes is being pulled down - better view, nicer looking building.

there were all these things that were simply left. from ruler from the newfoundland and labrador diary association to bible posters and bible from the sunday school that met there. there is an entire library - that actually rivals the pouch cove public library in volumes. still on the shelf - it is one wall of a class room - complete with dewey decimal system. there were well done buttons, rugrat erasers, desks with names still on them. i know that it sounds oh so wright morris but it certainly is a part of the place that doesn't bring up cod flakes and salt boxes. it brings up inhumane progress. both school buildings have a view of the ocean and the village. i can see both from here in sullivans loop. the new school ahs a view of nothing much - a giant car park, off the side road. well hidden. but it sure is a nice building.

was off guard for i reckoned that no one would be there hence only one roll of film. i had expected no one to be there, i would return to the house and take a walk up to cape st. francis to biscayan cove. when i saw dan. i chatted with him but also raced back to get the dianas and make some snaps and of course a snap of dan.

i heard that annie proulx has two houses up here and think i know where they are.

went into st. john's to download yesterday's blog which was more and less of a problem than i thought. the idea of burning a c.d. for transport was a good idea. it being a holiday i could park in duckworth street by the tim horton's after i saw the baird's beat up volvo.

again thought of the fourth as a comparison. everything in cabot square was closed, all the big shops, all the supermarkets, the conveniences were open as were the tourist shops in duckworth and water street but most of everything else was shut. restaurants were touch and go, django's no, the bagel yes, pasta plus yes, bianca's no, hava java, and auntie crae's yes.

there was a computer who could read the cd but for some reason netscape refused to recognise blogger.com. luckily the computer used opera as a browser and i was home free. drooled over jen baird's 12inch powerbook. to-morrow i'll try the library - open between 7pm and 9pm.

picked up my prints for gander - road trip slated for thursday - along with the plexi that i left up here. pretty battered. i may have to buy more. chatted with jim on the pavement after listening to the people coming into the gallery and looking at the art.
-how much is x?
-$600
-i can get it cheaper on the ferry.

-why is this book so expensive?
-it is out of print.
people passing with their faces painted red and white, red maple leafs pasted on everything. chatted so long that someone bought the remaining globe and mail. went off on a search along water street.

i don't buy it in the vending machine as due to the tax it is rounded up to $1.50 where if i can find a seller i save a quarter.

one thing lead to another - remembered that a place along water sell samosa - closed but then there is the murray premises hotel which should have a globe, but there's ziggy peelgoods - have to get a big zig - fried potatoes complete with brown paper bag. oh auntie crae's is open they have samosa but now that i have bought these chips… i'll come back the hotel newfoundland carries the globe so i'll head back along water do not stop at the duke too early - look in the spur, josie's is open, more expensive home furnishing shops. hotel is out but there is a convenience in duckworth
"excuse me did my sister come in here she is chinese like me?" a woman interrupts as i pay for the paper.
back to the car kentucky fried open, tim horton's open. for the drive back to relax before the fireworks - maybe.

it is early evening it is raining, the drops on the window are the only way that i can tell that there is a window there. the view to-day went from gray unresolved fog to bright clear discerning the different greens over at shoe cove to gray atmospheric haze with almost no colour. forgot to go to auntie crae's