But London, Ontario, may have potentially the second best place to take a family skating. The city constructed a 250-metre, 10,000 sq. ft. skating trail loop in Storybook Gardens inside Springbank Park.
It may be big but it is no Rideau Canal. It's small size and COVID-19 restrictions have made reservations necessary. Cost is another downside to the London trail. While the canal is free, it can cost a small family $20 or more to skate on the London trail. (File images)
To successfully beat the COVID-19 pandemic it is being fought on many fronts. One front, and an unlikely one, is the boot rental area at the local ski hill. Only a few skiers at a time are allowed entry, they are given a pair of boots and then their regular footwear is taken and stored in the numbered compartment which had held the ski boots they are now wearing.
The storage area for all the footwear left by the renters is now closed. Signs saying "Please do not use!!!", block the footwear storage compartments.
To return the boots, the skier goes to a table outside the rental building, the number on their rental boots is noted and their regular footwear is brought to them. The skiers change into their street wear outside in a sheltered area and then leave the rental boots for the staff.
This COVID-19 fighting method encourages social distancing, minimizes indoor contact between skiers and staff, and is actually more efficient than the method used in the past.
Now and then over the past few months, I've toured Ukraine using Google Street Views. My memories of what I found haunt me as the Russians mount an offensive with the apparent aim of taking over the whole country and leaving untold destruction in their wake.
Needing to turn from the televised images of needless, uncalled for destruction, I went in search of my youngest granddaughter. She was busy making an elephant, a frog, a gramophone and more using the Lego brought by Santa.
It was a beautiful sight.
One would think ice-coated overhead wires gleaming brightly in the sunshine would make an easy picture. Althought it looked spectacular viewed from a passing car, it lost its dramatic visual punch when viewed safely from the sidewalk. Shooting from the middle of the road was the best vantage point but the passing drivers clearly disagreed. Damn, those horns were loud. Oh well, what did they know.
Winters in southwestern Ontario are cold but interspersed with the freezing cold days are the occasional thaws when it climbs above freezing. It may even rain. The other day it did both. The result? The pavement in London began breaking apart and deep holes appeared, pitting the roadways.
Today city crews were out spreading asphalt cold patch. This is a mixture of aggregate and bitumen which is more durable than one might think. The repairs last indefinitely.
I believe I have mentioned Mancala in the past. Mancala is one of the oldest games still played today. Its roots possibly go back as far as 700 B.C. The game clearly has staying power. If you would like to sample the game, read on and please click the link in the 3rd paragraph. You will not be disappointed.
I play Mancala with my little granddaughter. She beats me. The last time we played she told me to find a partner and improve my game. My wife bowed out. I turned to the computer and found a fine opponent. The computer not only beat me but did it with poetry. The way it ends the game is absolutely beautiful.
I introduced the online mancala game to my granddaughter. The computer and Isla were soon playing. The computer won. She agreed it was beautiful to watch the computer moves. We agreed that now we both knew how a knowledgeable desert nomad might play.
I researched the strategy of the game and I played and played and played. I got better with time. And then it happened, I beat the computer. It was gracious in defeat.
Wearing a mask never seemed necessary when walking in the park but still masks were often sported by those using the biggest park in London. With so much room, social distancing in Springbank Park was never a problem. Yet, as recently as last month, a walk in the park without a mask could earn one a lot of nasty stares.
Now, in late February the mood has changed. Masks seem to be out. I spotted a mask on only one park visitor. The province is easing the restrictions applying to theatres, restaurants and more and clearly people are ready. Soon we may all know just what endemic entails when applied to COVID-19.
