The Mallard: abundant and widely distributed

These male ducks, with their iridescent green heads, are very common in London, Ontario, even in the winter. This comes as no surprise as mallards are said to be the most abundant and widely distributed duck species in North America. Mallards are also found in Europe and Asia.

According to Ducks Unlimited, "With the exception of the muscovy duck, mallards are the predecessors of all domestic ducks; they have been domesticated in Southeast Asia for over 2000 years and in Europe since at least the 12th century.

Happy New Year!

I'm not sure if this is my favourite photo of the year or not but it certainly places high. I like it so much it makes me seriously consider moving to the spot pictures in a few years. It looks like a pleasant place to spend some time. I know my granddaughters would enjoy visiting me if I moved into a neighbourhood featuring a small herd of urban deer.

Jumbo statue in St. Thomas outside London

The Jumbo statue is located in St. Thomas about twenty-five minutes or so from my London home. The life-sized statue was erected in 1985 to mark the 100th anniversary of Jumbo's death. Possibly the most famous elephant who ever lived, "The King of Elephants" was killed when struck by a railroad locomotive in the southwestern Ontario city.

Earlier this year, the CBC did an excellent take on Jumbo, his life and death. Here is a link to: 
Jumbo: The Life Of An Elephant Superstar.

According to the CBC, "More than a century after his death, mystery still swirls around Jumbo. Was he really the tallest elephant in the world? How was he treated? Was his death part of a conspiracy?"

Unicorn-pig hats not made here

When I was in school I was taught how import trade was to early cities and city states. What they couldn't make themselves, they could obtain through trade. For instance, China prospered by trading jade, spices and silk.

I thought about this while prowling London stores after Christmas. Today China prospers thanks to strong global sales of unicorn-pig hats. Unicorn-pig hats?!

When I was a boy London produced a long list of stuff that underpinned our way of life. We made everything from massive electrical transformers to fashionable wool sweaters. We were capable of so much. The range of what we produced was staggering. Today, the range of what we don't produce is equally staggering. Transformers? China. Sweaters? China. Today, we cannot even make our own unicorn-pig hats.

But before I could post this, my one granddaughter assured me that this is actually a unicorn hat despite its piglike nose.

She tells me it's not nice to point out that its nose is rounder, flatter and more snoutlike than most. It's unkind, she says.

To underline her point she has called up a true unicorn-pig on Pinterest.

Christmas candles: a fading tradition

When I was a boy my grandparents' used to set out a display of Christmas candles on their dining room table. I heard rumours of lit candles being placed carefully among the branches of the annual Christmas tree by some families but I never encountered the dangerous practice myself. Although my immediate family didn't light candles at Christmas, nevertheless, I came to consider brightly burning candles a Christmas tradition.

When my wife and I visited a friend over the holidays, she had a Christmas candle display arranged on a table in her living room. It was beautiful, traditional and slightly dangerous. The candles do not just add a visual delight to a room. The candles are scented. As the candles burn, fragrances, such as cinnamon, are released into the room.

I hadn't encountered a Christmas candle display like our friend's in years. I was left wondering how many people are still continuing to follow the old tradition.

Heritage home in London (Ont.) area

This is the heritage home just outside London with the face-nailed hardwood flooring that I discussed yesterday. The century home has been well maintained. Where possible it is original and where necessary it has been upgraded: bathrooms and kitchen.

Yet, this home has not had its walls removed to create an open-concept living space. The kitchen is modern but small; the dining room is useful but closed in on all four sides. It's intimate. And the entry has a small foyer with a number of exits plus a staircase leading to the bedrooms on the second floor.

Homes like this are not inexpensive in southwestern Ontario. In Toronto a home such as this would be valued at more than a million dollars (Canadian). Outside Toronto, in a place such as the London area, the price may drop by as much as half. But a price of as much as $900,000 would not raise eyebrows in the right location.

This heritage hardwood floor is face nailed.

This face nailed hardwood floor is in a home outside London, Ontario. The hardwood flooring looked good, considering its age, but on closer examination it was obvious this floor had been face nailed.

No one face nails an entire hardwood floor today. I was left to wonder just how common this practice was in the past. The home in which this floor is to found is more than a century old. The owner assured me that more homes in the area had similar floors.

Clearly there is a heavy price to be paid in esthetics. But that said, and accepted, the floor is amazingly squeak free. I imagine if one heard a squeak, pull the nail or nail in the area, and replace all with longer ones. Squeak gone.

Was this a southwestern Ontario aberration or was this done in many localities a hundred years ago?