20130222_132158

Me and Tim

by

This year marks a 20 year anniversary for me and a dear friend. No not my wife (that’s a 24 year anniversary).In 1993 I met and fell in love with Tim.

Well Tim Horton’s actually.

20130222_132158

Katherine and I set off on our delayed big OE (overseas experience) in 1993. We travelled to North America, Europe and Asia. We started the trip with a week in Honolulu and then headed up to Canada. This first visit to Canada saw us land in British Columbia and travel East to Ontario by rail, stopping in Alberta and Manitoba en route. We arrived at Toronto Union Station and were met by my Aunty Kate and Uncle Jimmy. We stayed with them in Ajax, Ontario for several weeks.

On our first Sunday in Ajax we joined Kate and Jimmy for church. After the service we were taken, as part I believe of their regular routine, to Tim Horton’s for a coffee and a donut… and so began my obsession.

Tim Hortons  is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its coffee and donuts.

2012-03-22 13.06.57

In 2001 I won a study award from the New Zealand Government and had the opportunity to visit any business school of my choice. I was very keen to return to Canada and so selected Queen’s School of Business in Kingston, Ontario. The business school was excellent and had in fact been ranked as having the best food of any business school in a survey that year. While the food was good it wasn’t so good as to stop me wandering off each evening to the nearby Tim Horton’s.

I visited Ottawa in 2003 as part of a visit to the Federal Companies Register and prior to the IACA Conference in Fredericton, New Brunswick. My dear friend Dick Shaw ensured that the hotel my colleague and I stayed in had a Tim Horton’s in the basement. We travelled to New Brunswick by car and enjoyed several Tim Horton’s roadside experiences along the way.

Dick and his wonderful personal assistant Louise would send me a Tim Horton’s calendar every year and it would take pride of place in my office.

When Dick and I attended the Corporate Registers Forum conference in Cape Town in 2009 Tim Horton’s were having their annual Roll-up-the-rim to win promotion. Dick had bought a Tim Horton’s cup for each morning and I was able to play from South Africa.

2667_1061047444574_8277512_n

Myron Pawlowsky and I snuck off from the CRF in Fredericton for breakfasts of bagels at Tim Horton’s on a few occasions.

There was a Tim’s in Fredericton pretty much attached to a Catholic Church. I found this rather amusing, seeing two ‘religions’ so close.

Now many will know that I am a bit of a coffee snob and it will therefore come as a surprise at this point to learn that I don’t actually like Tim Horton’s coffee. It is not the coffee that we drink in New Zealand at all. I have never uttered the words, Double Double.

When I visit a Timmie’s I drink a small French Vanilla. It has become for me ‘the taste of Canada’. Every time I have one it evokes my fondness for the country and seems to contain the entire (growing) collection of my memories of great times spent there.

I do love donuts. Shamelessly. There was a time in my history where I would have happily sat in a Tim Horton’s and ‘done the menu’. In my more recent wisdom I limit myself to the occasional Canadian Maple.

I took a nine-hour car ride to Vermont from Toronto a few years back and limited myself to a humble dozen Timbits. Quite controlled of me.

2012-03-19 16.34.41

I have a collection of Tim Horton’s mugs, coffee canisters, Christmas Tree ornaments and most recently was given a ‘rim roller’ for those times I manage to coordinate travel with the roll-up-the –rim promotion.

The place is pure franchise. Consistent, bland, formulaic. The staff uniform is beige. But it is warm, friendly and remarkably inexpensive. And absolutely ubiquitous in Canada. According to Wikipedia there are in excess of 4500 stores across Canada. I’ve barely scratched the surface. I’ve been to a Tim’s in at least 8 of the 9 Provinces I’ve visited.

My recent visit to Regina in -28 (wind chill -42) degree temperatures proved the value of Tim Horton’s soups. I’ve found comfort in a Sour Cream Glazed at many an airport terminal.

The whole story of Tim Horton and the company he started is also kind of fascinating and would make a good movie (it would need an intermission of course so one could stock up on Dutchies).

20130217_093433

I’ve loved Tim for 20 years and he doesn’t really know it…

There’s Wisdom in the Words of the Wise

by

Went for a walk with Katie (6) this morning. She had asked to join me on one of my morning wanders. I waited several hours for her to wake up (I normally get up at 6:00 for my sojourn). I am very glad I did.

She was delighted when upon waking I reminded her that we were walking this morning. She sprang into life and was ready in minutes.

We headed off around our little holiday village of Mapua and Katie was in full (verbal) swing by the time we got to the gate!

Soon a fellow passed us on his way to work, he was smoking. That elicited a screwed up face from Katie and the observation that “that man was smoking, he’ll end up with ugly feet“. This I took to be a reference to the photos of gangrenous toes that now adorns cigarette packets.

Katie then proceeded to tell me that if I smoked she wouldn’t like me very much. She recalled the fact that I had confessed to having ‘tried’ a cigarette in my youth. I was subjected to a firm interrogation as to why I did such a thing and where. I remarked that I wasn’t sure where it was but I thought it might have been a pub.

This drew the response that “a pub was a holy place“. I have no idea where this idea came from and enquired what she meant. She informed me that Ms Adair (her teacher) had told her that a pub is a holy place. Now I am sure there are many who would consider a pub to be just that. Certainly I have achieved many spiritual highs over a glass of the amber… I might have to have a chat to her teacher when next I see her.

We interrupted our walk at this point for a coffee and a hot chocolate at my wee local holiday coffee spot.

When leaving the cafe Katie remarked that “we should just keep walking, we could walk away from it all“
I have no idea what the ‘all’ was she had in mind. But it was a very tempting idea… I’d walk anywhere with this wee person, she’s awesome.

2013-01-02 10.05.43

Hooray We’re Alive!

by

I am currently on holiday in a place called Mapua in the Tasman region of New Zealand.  

Holidays for me involve lots of walking, reading, exploring and trying not to eat too much (pretty much my normal existence but with different scenery).

Like many others at this time of the year I am drawn to reflect on the year that has passed and to set plans for the one ahead. 

I saw in the New Year with Katherine and Molly. Annie was at a camp ground with her friends.  Katie was blissfully asleep.

We stood on the deck of our bach (the New Zealand term for a holiday home, pronounced ‘batch’) and heard the campers at the nearby campground count down the New Year. They gave an almighty cheer.

For some unusual reason I was struck by this noise.  There would have been many hundred voices all raised in a huge cheer.

It sounded to me like the cheer of enormous relief.

Of survival.

We’ve (collectively) lived to see in another one.

Now in part I can explain this over-analysis by my recent obsession with post-apocalyptic survival television shows. I’ve enjoyed multiple seasons of “The Walking Dead” and “Survivors” in recent weeks. We also heard news in the run up to New Years that a friend has cancer. I guess all of this played to the thought. Our own experience in Christchurch of massive trauma and upheaval no doubt was included in the mix.

Now we’ve survived into another year. I think we need to make it count.

fullwidth-life-is-for-living

And as the odometer of life gets ready to click over to 2013

by

Here we are on the last day of 2012. A few words need to be recorded to mark the occasion. 2012 has been a grand year I have decided. Any year that passes and has my wee family intact is a good year, a year that has seen us have lovely adventures and good health is a grand year.

For me personally I have enjoyed my first full year in my new work life. I’ve travelled (a lot) and visited a number of new countries for the first time. Stand out travels include India (the Taj Mahal), Macedonia, Sweden and Norway. My love of Canada has been satiated with return trips to Nova Scotia, Ontario and British Columbia. The United States wisely re-elected my favourite President and I enjoyed several wonderful trips to her shores.

My work has been both interesting and enjoyable, albeit a little of a solo experience in the latter part of the year.

My choices on the whole this year have proven to be sensible, which is an improvement on last year!

I’ve met lots of wonderful people and have enjoyed greatly meeting up with my international friends throughout the year.

Family life has been on the whole, wonderful and my two older, amazing, girls continue to become wonderful, beautiful and intelligent young woman. Katie has been a source of joy throughout the year. Katherine is truly a marvellous mother to her daughters and has created a lovely home for us all.

I lost two wonderful uncles in 2012, I have more grey in my beard but enjoy a tad more wisdom in return.

I’ve enjoyed greatly my travels, my music, my reading, my films and my walking. I have so very much to be thankful for. I drank some coffee and some whiskey in 2012.

I have a bucket list of items to achieve in 2013 – Thanks 2012 and bring on 2013 and all the ups and downs you will inevitably bring with you… it is life after all.

Oh and I sincerely hope that 2013 brings health, happiness and joy to you the reader of these words.

the-future-is-now

Of inner tubes and river stones.

by

You don’t see towelling sun hats as often as you used to

I think that’s sad

The crate of beer has all but disappeared too

Haven’t seen a Kingswood under the shade of the trees by a pristine river in a while.

What’s happened to the world?

Where did those summers go?

 

Far too early to tell…

by

Sixteen years ago on 5 October my dad died. I was 30 and he 64. I was rather fond of the chap and I mourn his absence from my life frequently.

Dad, me and a Holden

I was always proud of my dad.

Dad was a bloody good bloke. He had a great sense of humour and a great general knowledge. He was interested in stuff and was able to describe things in a way that assisted understanding.

He traveled in his days in the Royal Navy, he lived in the UK, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. He worked in interesting roles and was a great role model for his children (all seven of us).

He could be a moody bugger (another gift I inherited) but quick to get over it and preferred to just get on.
I often find myself wondering what dad would think of some new thing I see or read.

He had a great many sayings one of which was to respond, when asked how he was feeling (particularly in the latter stages of his cancer), “far too early to tell”.

I hope that I have some of his qualities. I hope one day my kids will look back on me as I do on my dad, with a deep fondness and gratitude.

One of my favourite musicians, Luka Bloom, has a song called The Man is Alive. The lyrics include the lines

“The man is alive
Alive and breathing
It’s taken me so long to see
The man is alive
Alive and breathing
The man is alive in me“

I reckon I have some of Jack Hygate in me and I’m very happy that it’s the case.

There’s some of his writings and more photos over at http://www.jackhygate.com

Ahem… A small(ish) confession

by

You know that whole giving up the drinking alcohol thing… Well I fell off the wagon. Actually I stepped off and had a beer.

My most recent trip to Canada and the US included several evenings out and meals in restaurants etc and I got rather bored with soda or juice.

Pathetic I know but I just found it easier to have a beer.

Haven’t had any big nights (well there was a rather funny night in Lunenburg Nova Scotia that included lying under a RCMP car but that was more to do with a new audience than alcohol officer).

I think I’ll give up something I don’t enjoy so much next time…. Maybe shaving, that’s always a pain and I’m sure the ZZ Top look is coming back in vogue.

Apologies to those who hoped for better… I am a mere mortal (hellishly handsome but mere mortal) after all.