ABC Wednesday
May 18th, 2011

The Letter this week is the Regal R

R is for Rigadaun  by Andre Campra, - could be a wonderfully majestic wedding piece.

Here it is played by Diane Bish, organist extraordanaire, on the Sibermann organ at Ebermunster Abbey in Ebermunster, France.

Diane Bish starts the video by talking about some of the unusual features of this organ, but then plays the Rigadaun spectacularly - both the music and her wonderful talent and style are quite splendid.



For more wonderful R interpretation visit here with thanks to Denise Nesbitt and her great helpers.

Wildlife at Ginty's Pond

The sun only visits at random intervals this May, but last Tuesday he dropped in for a few hours and Charles and I took advantage of the warmth and brightness and the faint spring breeze to go on a little safari and investigate the wildlife at Ginty's pond.

Down the road, a left turn at the highway and then again when we came to the road to the Upper bench, across the little bridge that crosses Keremeos Creek and we stopped to see how the water was flowing.

We passed fields of Dandy-Lions and Mama Cows and their calves having breakfast.

through those modern perpendicular orchards  with lovely, bright 

pollinizers at the ends of every fifth or sixth row

(aside -  terribly efficient but not very romantic)

along the road that spans the upper end of Ginty's Pond

and around to where the bullrushes grow and the wetlands are home to

all sorts of wildlife.

We looked for turtles, sunning themselves on the logs, but none were there.

No frogs on the lily pads, but down at the end of the pond

we spied a family of raccoons, the parents being very large to our way of reckoning

and probably they have made their home there for many years,

unmolested and well fed. 

Across the way two nesting geese were enjoying the water and the warmth of the sun,

although Mother Goose gave us fair warning not too come too close.

Father just looked majestic and aloof, as he floats along in the background.

A pair of wood ducks slipped along the edge of the pond, - this father not only being

majestic, but also most handsomely dressed in harlequin colours

A last look for signs of bloom on the lily pads

we cast our eyes on the snow clad mountains to the north

and ended our morning outing talking to an old friend who is

spending his retirement mornings lending a hand at 

Kobau Park.

We drove into the yard to find our great grandson  on his

fire-engine red birthday tricycle, 

delighting his Grandma and Grandpa.

What a lovely morning!