Tim Hortons

I once saw a poster over a railroad track in the snow in Toronto. It was advertising Tim Hortons coffee. The caption read 'Not so much held as embraced'. This is at the heart of the reason why it is possible to write an article about a cup of coffee. I know of no other product out there that commands this kind of passion about such a simple commodity.

Founded in 1964 in Hamilton Ontario by hockey player Tim Horton the chain has grown to over 3000 outlets in every Canadian province and some Northern US states. Sadly Tim died in unfortunate car crash in 1974 but the chain has survived going from strength to strength. There is some talk that the Canadian market is now saturated and Tim's has nowhere to go. There has been some success in the northern states but closures in places like North Windham Maine shows that this venture is still not without its problems. My belief is that as long as people need their 'Timmies fix' as opposed to their 'Coffee fix' the franchise will be a prominent feature of the Canadian landscape.

I am familiar with Tim Hortons in Southern Ontario and make a habit of photographing every one that I visit. It's a sad fact but true. Because of the 48 year history there is now a story in the architecture of the stores and how they have changed from the early days to the modern outlet just opened in Brampton on Highway 7. The designs are simple but effective and are designed to 'process' people as fast as possible. Some locations don't work like the one in Georgetown where the till is too close to the door that the clientele end up lining up in the snow or heat! Others are superb like the one on the Guelph road just south of Fergus or the amazing restaurant on the road out west of Owen Sound where there is also a superb ice cream section.

November 11 2010 was a black day in the company's history. Many outlets in Maine and Rhode Island closed due to poor sales. It was a sad day, but the company pointed out that they were simply bad locations and others were being opened at the same time. The jury is still out on the US venture but it remains a tough market against a very strong entrenched Dunkin Donuts.

Today Tim Hortons continues to enlarge and rotate its food menu, promotes its coffee and comes out with all sorts of collectible material including Christmas ornaments and limited edition mugs. Recently it changed its cup size so that the medium size became the new small. The fall out is an extra large cup that is just ridiculous (in the modern affectionate use of the word) they may as well tip the whole coffee pot in at once!

The service guarantee remains good and the days of being served stale coffee are far in the past. Every cup now is steamy and fresh. They have had some success with other coffee varieties and steeped tea but the regular coffee remains the backbone of the company.

Tim Hortons has a great charitable and cultural ethos. They support free swimming and organize summer camps for disadvantaged children in the summer. They also use their cups to celebrate Canadian institutions like the Grey Cup plus there is always the annual excitement of the Christmas paper cup or 'Roll up the rim to win' to lift spirits in darkest coldest February.

If ever you visit Canada, plan lots of events and enjoy this wonderful country. But save yourself 15 minutes to visit a Timmies and wrap your hands around a cup of coffee. Like 26 million Canadians, you won't be disappointed.

Four days in Dorset

I made a brief visit to Dorset in August 1986, literally drove down in the morning and returned home in the evening. But it was enough to always make me want to return at a later date. Twenty seven years later I did it. We had friends that had moved to Dorchester and we combined a visit with a re-acquaintance of this fascinating county so steeped in history.

My mantra for this trip was a parody on a well known weather saying: if you don't like the historic place of interest, don't worry there is another one up the road. Dorset is literally steeped in historic sites both in the countryside and in the towns. Not to mention famous cathedrals and abbeys and castles and the monuments date from Victorian back to pre Roman times. The Fosse way bisects the county from east to west representing a travel route that has existed for millennia.

1 Our first day was an exploration of Weymouth and Portland. The town of Weymouth is a famous seaside resort where shopping streets run parallel with the seashore. At the centre is a famous statue of George III recently cleaned and spruced up. The promenade is very long and travels the whole length of the bay. Portland is south of Weymouth and consists of four settlements over the island of Portland. The southernmost point of interest is the lighthouse of Portland Bill and the restaurant next door called the Lobster Pot. This family run establishment combines the fare of a tea room with that of a sea food restaurant. It is wonderful and bright and has a small souvenir shop attached.

Old Portland is a hillside town with a typical mixture of architectural designs that grew up over the centuries and protected on the west by the fantastically huge Chesil Beach. The sun baked Portland stone is the only allowed building material and the town has a European feel especially in the sunshine that we experienced. There has been a prison since 1848 and now caters to Young Offenders if I can use such a verb in this context.

2 Our second day was spent in and around Dorchester, a historic market town built around, in and on prehistoric, Roman, medieval and Victorian foundations. Dorchester was known as Durnovaria to the Romans but the history of this town goes far deeper with the local  Durotriges tribe still echoing in the town's name. It claims Thomas Hardy as its most famous local son with statues, his birthplace, his heart and his final home all within Dorchester's reach. Every hill and vale seems to have some ancient connection as seen in the Maumbury Rings, Poundbury Hill and Maiden Castle. To look at a map of the roads passing through the town is to see a place etched with tumuli, forts and mounds at every turn.

Dorchester also boasts modern ideas as those suggested by HRH Prince Charles. The nearby development of Poundbury is modern houses built in a neo-Georgian style with village greens and an interpretation of a gentler way of life in a modern age. The whole place at the moment, seems a little sterile but maybe it just needs to settle in.

We visited all three locations associated with Thomas Hardy, his birthplace in High Bockhampton, his heart in Stinsford and his home at Max Gate. There is also a major statue at the top of the high street and I am sure many more references are probably dotted around the town. Dorchester (Casterbridge to Hardy) certainly embraces its famous son. Hardy wrote many books that covered risky subjects for Victorians. Jude the Obscure was the last straw and Hardy spent the rest of his life writing poetry! I wonder what books we are missing as a result of these events.

3 Close to my heart is any reference to Steam locomotion and 25 miles to the east lies Swanage. The day started bright and sunny and so we made a beeline for the Swanage Railway. I took the trip to Corfe Castle in green southern region coaches pulled by West Country Class Pacific 34028 Eddystone. It was very exciting and I spent a very happy hour. Later we drove to Corfe with its castle high on a hill between two streams that cut a gap into the Purbeck Hills. Corfe is a beautifully preserved medieval town with the rich Portland stone playing a big part in its construction. Even on a cool mid February day it was packed with tourists discovering the delights of a historic place.

4 Our journey home was delayed by a side trip to Cerne Abbas. This is home to Cerne Abbey where Queen Margaret (Henry VI's wife) and her son stayed upon their return from France. But it is most famous for the Cerne Abbas Chalk Giant carved on the hillside just north of the village. The image has much degraded recently due to visitors erosion and the hillside is now fenced off but you can still see him (and his crown jewels) from a viewing layby on the main road. 

We merely scratched the surface of this amazing county in the time we had. There is so much more to see and I recommend a visit to anyone. We will certainly be returning as soon as we can.

Abbeys of the Cistercian Monks

Cymer

Cistercian monks originated in the French town of Cîteaux which apparently means 'reeds'. They were particularly successful in Wales and created a whole series of monasteries across the province. They were known for their piety and hard working natures and were thus accepted by the communities. The first monastery I saw was at Valle Crucis near Llangollen but Cymer Abbey is my first where I knew what they represented beforehand. The abbey is simple yet beautiful especially when you consider that through lack of funds the nave had no transept and thus no central tower. A tower was built in the 14th century but 'you know who' put paid to that in the 16th. I plan to visit more of these ruins and will update this document accordingly but for now here is an interesting fact. The monasteries are more or less 25 miles apart because that is the distance a monk riding on a pony could hope to travel in one day

Valle Crucis

Valle Crucis is special as one of the buildings still has a roof! The chapterhouse, while technically a ruin, is pretty much as it was at the time of the reformation. It always amazes me when this happens, the structure seems no stronger than the rest of the abbey and yet for some reason the reformers tore the abbey down but left the chapterhouse. I wonder what went through their minds as they loaded the canons or hurled the boulders. I don't think the destruction of an abbey has ever been recorded.

Finally, I made it to Strata Florida in August 2013. I think this is the abbey that is 25 miles south of Cymer

Abbey. The bad news is the abbey is almost totally a ruin. The good news is that the cruciform outline of the church is beautifully preserved and the west door in all its glory is still standing. Built on land provided by Rhys ap Gruffudd the abbey took 50 years to build starting in 1184. The abbey was one of the most important in Wales and was the base of Henry IV's operations against Owain Glyndwr. The church was demolished at the dissolution of 1540. Buried under rubble, the Victorians rediscovered the abbey and restored it to what we see today.

Comet C/2012 S1

A Comet is coming !

I know its early days but finally it seems like a major comet (C/2012 S1) is coming during my lifetime. Yes I know there was Halley in 1984 and there was one in the 1990's that I saw in the skies of Southern Ontario. But neither were anything close to challenging the brightness of the moon. Discovered by two Russian astronomers in September, the comet is currently visible to telescopes and should cross the naked eye visibility threshold in late October. From there, although this is not yet certain, it could brighten up to the level of the full moon and beyond. I have been disappointed in the past but I intend to keep an eye on this one in the hopes that finally I will see a comet that resembles the photos you see in magazines. Maybe even take my own photo that you can be sure will be posted to this page.

Stargazing live !

On the last show, Jan 10th, the comet was discussed. I have learnt that it is called Comet Ison and will pass within 800,000 kms of the sun. The excitement is based upon its already apparent brightness and its trajectory that will bring it close to earth.

Hubble captures comet Ison

Images provided by NASA indicate comet Ison continues to outshine other comets for its current distance from the sun (Just inside Jupiter's orbit in April 2013) Studies reveal that the brightness is caused by the comet vaporising CO and CO2 gases which are more volatile than water. There is still much doubt as to whether the brightness will continue to grow once water becomes the 'fuel'. But there remains a view of optimism that this could potentially be quite the show.

Comet Status August 2013

The comet is now between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars and continues to grow in intensity including the development of a tail as the solar wind starts to boil off volatiles. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope is now taking regular photos of the comet as it develops. I am still not 100% confident that this comet will be the display promised but I live in hope and also hope that more news starts to be give out as the autumn progresses.

Comet Status September 2013

Reports indicate the comet is currently 183 million miles from the sun and heading towards its November 28th perihelion. It is said to be dimmer than expected and hopes are always tempered by what happened last time when comet Kohoutek was predicted to be the comet of the century and basically fizzled out. A lot depends on whether the comet survives its perihelion only 900000 miles from the sun's surface. Hopefully it will survive intact and will then approach the earth within 40 million miles and be visible with the naked eye. If it breaks up, then its game over. If it emerges intact in early December then things may prove worth watching. NASA is also planning for its spacecraft currently on Mars and orbiting Mercury to turn their cameras in the comets direction. So all eyes are set on the comet and are prepared for whatever happens.

Comet Status November 2013

As the comet nears the sun the tail can now be seen in the east before dawn and in Wales the problem now is the weather. I am praying for a clear night but others may be luckier. The comet is brighter than I expected but so far not quite the event of the century. Still we live in hope as it gets closer to the sun and more material streams off. The hope is that it will survive intact and emerge from behind the sun in early December to give a good evenings viewing sometime in that month. 

Comet Status December 2013
The Comet Survived !!! After closely grazing the Sun's chromosphere NASA telescopes observed a small comet head emerge from the sun on November 29th much to everyone's relief. There is no certainty whether enough has survived to give any display here on earth but this comet has produced many surprises so we are still hopeful that we can report something later this month. 

Comet Status December 7th 2013
Despite a hopeful observation of the comet emerging from the sun in early December, it appears that the sun had indeed destroyed the comet since the light that emerged, quickly diminished, and went out like a candle being snuffed. The problem seems to have been that Comet Ison was a sun grazer. It followed an orbit that took the comet to the very edge of the sun's chromosphere. As a result it is believed that the intense heat and radiation melted the core and the comet broke up. What emerged was the disintegrating head that quickly lost its  contiguity. 

This has been an interesting blog to write and I was truly interested in the possibility of seeing a substantial comet in my lifetime. After the dismal Haley's comet in 1986 I was perhaps a little too enthusiastic. I look forward to the next visitor from the Oort cloud, you never know what may happen in the world of space billiards.

Turin - April 2012

So on April 5th we returned to Turin in much warmer weather than 2010. We are staying in the Hotel Parco Europa that doesn't look like much on the outside but inside it is pure art deco and fabulous. I hope that they never renovate the place but keep it like it is. The hotel is located in a small village hilltop town of Cavoretto that has been completely enveloped by Metropolitan Turin yet has managed to keep its small village feel. It is also home to the Parco Europa that affords wonderful views of Turin and the distant Alps. Our first day we pay a return trip to the Turin Cinema Museum but also take in the street life much more than last time. The warmer weather has brought people out into the open piazza's along with street vendors and you get a real sense of the city life. The second day was a walking tour of two of Turin's famous locations. The first was the Madama Palazzo, a castle built over Roman remains in the city centre. The corner towers afford magnificent views of the city. But perhaps more stunning is the secluded church, Capella di Mercanti. Outside it is just some shabby doors opening on to the street but inside is a magnificent church with painted ceiling of world renown. On the third day we were booked on a steam train trip to the city of Bra, a journey of some 50 kms and to be pulled by a steam train at speed was a wonderful experience. The engine was Trenitalia Class 640 No 640-143 in superb condition. Bra is a beautiful city full of old buildings and parks and lots to explore. Surprise surprise Turin has a modern mall. On the fourth day we went to Langotta Mall and Galeria, Italian in style but recognisable as a mall by any North American tourist. more impressive was a large department store called Eataly and located across the road from the mall. This is an open plan store with lots of air and space and what can I say but wonderful food. The olives, oh the olives. On the fifth day we joined a school class for a walk to Parco Valentino where a lunch had been prepared in local Piedmontese style in the park restaurant. The sixth day we flew home