CAPE BRETON MUSINGS - A FILLER
A few random thoughts from me as I wait to find high speed wifi to upload pics to go with the usual diary narrative.
From time to time I find - as do many, I suspect - that a piece of music becomes inextricably linked with a place or a particular time. Sometimes both. And so it is that whenever I play The Pretenders first album with the rasping punchy vocals by Chrissie Hynde I am immediately transported to the rainswept hills above Dunquerque in northern France as I toured the region with a chap from my work at the time. I do not recall why we took the trip, but I vividly remember the roads and war memorials and the music we played at top volume.
Digby to Halifax will now be remembered each time I play David Bowie’s well known standards from the 70s and 80s and in particular the Hunky Dory album and the single Suffragette City from his Ziggy Stardust album. Very loudly and repeatedly for Suffragette City - it rocks to this day and I love it when in the mood. I was in the mood, we had spent a pleasant evening with the Thiffault’s, slept well at the Digby BnB and eaten a hearty breakfast. The weather was rapidly improving and we are meeting up with Ashley, what wasn’t there to be happy about? And so we swooped along the highway, me singing Suffragette City at the top of my lungs and Ben trying to sleep! Magic, absolute magic…….. After me….. “Wham Bam thank you Ma’am”!
Driving habits. I do not believe I have commented upon driving habits. Something I am known to do from time to time! The less said bout the Corvette and the M3 that we caught at the Mt Tremblant racetrack in our Dodge Grand Caravan the better! But it would be remiss of me to avoid all mention of the variation in driving styles. Actually they have been pretty good with one notable exception - from Mt Tremblant to Montreal. Time and time again we found ourselves being passed by vehicles that came within inches of our driver’s side mirror. It was to the point where I began to doubt my own lane keeping - but even when sticking vehemently to my right I noticed the same behaviour, the overtaking vehicles would sweep in to my lane far too early and pass close, sometimes dangerously close, to my wing mirror. I cannot explain it - it is a mystery but one that I found quite disconcerting.
And then there was the one episode I have never before experienced and would prefer never to experience again. Closing in on Montreal we were at the legal speed limit on a busy highway when I noticed a small car coming in our direction down an off-ramp in the wrong direction. Cars were scattering in every direction to avoid the driver with a death wish and there was no collision - but entirely through the actions of those doing the avoiding!! I had time to look through the windshield and spot the driver. Surely he would be an addled oldie with glasses and a fairly advanced case of Alzheimer’s ? Nope, it was a young couple in their late 20s - my guess is they were texting, probably each other!
Out here in Nova Scotia time doesn’t count for much and the driving style is very laid back. Very courteous, very friendly. I love it. In five days in Halifax I did not once hear a horn being sounded nor see a middle digit being raised in frustration or anger. They just don’t get that excited. Toronto drivers could learn a few things and drop their blood pressure handily….
Sticking to the automotive theme this evening I should mention the tyres we had fitted at Walmart in Halifax. As you know, I had a flat in the hotel carpark and after having the skinny spare mounted headed to Walmart. There I was able to have four new tyres fitted and balanced for less than the cost of one tyre for Martini or my Audi. Fantastic. The tyres that came with the van had clearly been fitted by the dealership before putting the car on the forecourt. I had never heard of the brand - much less would I be able to pronounce the name! They had terrible wet grip and I was only too happy to find an excuse to replace them -Walmart’s own brand at $80 a pop seemed a steal. And so it has proved. They are smooth, quiet, ride very well and have much more grip than the horrors that were on there. Well done WALMART!
Industrial wind turbines are something I rail about when given the opportunity. A complete scam that politicians everywhere of every hue use to conveniently paint themselves as ‘green’. Read the science on these monstrosities and you soon learn the downsides. Infrasound. Stray electrical currents. Absurd claims as to their capacity. A direct inverse relationship between production and demand. Huge carbon footprint for production and installation. And the one I like best - not one watt of ‘traditional’ generation capacity had ever been shut down permanently because of them. Ever, anywhere. They have led to even more pressure on the city v rural divide in any market you care to mention. Drive around Europe and the place is full of them. Drive around ON and you see them everywhere and usually in the the most picturesque landscapes - or landscapes that were once picturesque. You may now realize that I detest the things, they are patent nonsense until somebody like Elon Musk can come up with a battery system that can work and do so cost effectively. Well, I am glad to say I have seen few of these idols to a utopian but as yet unachievable green society on my travels. But hose I have seen are invariably on high ridges and dominate the skyline for miles. Songbirds, bats and raptors beware.