Fall: leaves turning, birds migrating

. . . and Londoners are taking pictures of it all. Yes, we are right in the middle of autumn here in London, Ontario.

London: a culturally rich community

Randy Richmond of The London Free Press, the local paper, has been on kick about London, Ontario, being boring. Geesh! He's been on this kick for more than a year. Talk about boring.

When I read his rants, I think: "No town needs this — being bad mouthed in print and online by the local daily paper." Talk about not being a team player.

My granddaughter just turned three. She is a second generation Canadian but she still has strong connections to Ireland. Since the little girl loves to dance, it was decided to give her an opportunity to sample Irish dance.

It was soon clear London was the perfect city for learning Irish dance. Nora Corrigan, a former female principal lead with Riverdance — The Show runs a fine Irish dance studio right here in town.

Corrigan moved to London with her parents when she was just a little girl. She considers London her hometown but she knows the world well. She toured with the famous show, performing throughout Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. She has even appeared on Broadway.

It says a lot about London that when this young woman decided to settle down, she returned to London, Ontario.

Springbank dam reflection sparkles at dusk

The dam at Springbank Park in London, Ontario, is brand new and out of commission. It didn't pass its first test. A hinge jammed and the affected gate stuck. Now, the entire problem is stuck in the courts. Still, the dam makes for some interesting pictures. This reflection has been posted before but it never looked as dramatic as it does in this image.

Fall goes out with a blaze of glory

When I was a boy I had friends from Western Europe who told me the fall colours here were better than in Europe. In researching this post I learned they weren't kidding. There are more species of trees here than in Western Europe. Hence there are more hues to be found here.

Still, the flipping of millions of leaves from green to bright hues of yellow and scarlet is a world wide phenomenon, and one that comes and goes all too quickly. The trees in Springbank Park may be past their peak but Sunday was a rain-free day and the park was filled with strollers with cameras.

I added to their number.