Back to School

 

Every September, Surrey seems to take a deep breath and start again. The buses run a little earlier, crosswalks fill with small backpacks and oversized hopes, and the neighbourhood settles into a familiar rhythm we somehow forget every summer. It’s not just children returning to classrooms — it’s the whole community shifting gears.

There’s something grounding about it.

For parents, it’s the return of routines. For teachers, it’s the start of another year of shaping young minds. For seniors, it’s the reminder that the streets will be busier and the mornings noisier. Even those of us without school‑aged children feel the change — the city moves differently in September.

I’ve always thought of this time of year as a quiet reset. A chance for everyone, regardless of age, to tidy up the edges of life a little. Summer is loose and unstructured; September asks us to be just a bit more intentional.

You see it in small ways:

•  Drivers slowing down near school zones again.

• Neighbours watching out for kids walking alone.

• Crossing guards returning to their posts with that mix of authority and kindness.

• Families juggling schedules, lunches, and after‑school plans.

• Seniors timing their errands around the morning rush.

It’s a reminder that a community isn’t just a place — it’s a shared rhythm. When children go back to school, the rest of us adjust too, often without even noticing.

And maybe that’s the beauty of it.

September nudges us toward better habits: being patient in traffic, being kinder to stressed parents, being more aware of the people around us. It’s a chance to reset our own routines — organize the house, start a new project, plan autumn outings, or simply enjoy the cooler evenings.

Back to school isn’t just for students. It’s for all of us. A gentle reminder that life moves forward, seasons change, and communities thrive when we pay attention to one another.

The royal bride who stopped on her way to the altar

On 26 April 1923, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon entered Westminster Abbey to marry Prince Albert, Duke of York, the future King George VI.

Her father walked beside her. Eight bridesmaids followed. The Abbey was filled with royalty, politicians and military uniforms, while enormous crowds waited outside.

Then Elizabeth stepped away from the procession.

Before reaching the altar, she placed her bouquet of white roses on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. She did it in memory of her elder brother, Fergus Bowes-Lyon, who had been killed at the Battle of Loos in 1915.  His body had never been recovered.

In the middle of a royal spectacle watched by an entire country, Elizabeth had made room for one absent man.

She then returned to her father’s side and continued towards the altar without her bouquet.

The bride would one day become Queen Elizabeth, later known as the Queen Mother. But on her wedding morning, before becoming a royal duchess, she was a sister remembering the brother who had never come home.

Had you heard the real reason Elizabeth left her wedding bouquet at the tomb?

Source: Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Chapter Four, “A Royal Wedding”.

The Canadian cadet and her instructor in Vernon, BC

If you haven' heard what this picture is about, here is the sad report.  

The Canadian cadet and her instrucor singled out by U.S Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will be the ones to decide how - or even if - they will respond to a controversial social media post, says Canada's top military commander.

    

Gen. Jennie Carignan, speaking from a conference of chiefs of the defence staff currently underway in Victoria, B.C., said both members are receiving support from the Canadian military after the inflammatory post and suggested they'll be given agency to respond should they want to do so.

"We have personnel affected by various events.  We are consulting with them on how they want to go about doing this," she said.

I loved this post from a former cadet:

You can hold that head high young lady.  I was an Army Cadet for nearly 4 years with The Hastings & Prince Edward Regiment, ''THE REGIMENT'' of writer, hero Farley Mowat who was a member of their secret service arm also known as ''The Hasty P's'' since 1805.  The same regiment of Col. Angus Duffy and most decorated regiment of Canada's in WWII and finally my grandfather, already a soldier of 2 years before WWI who was KIA on the last day of the Somme, November 18, 1916.  I would have been proud to have you by my side in any conflict should it had come. PARATUS.

We will remember the day they tried to shame you, the ones that have been stuck in that grade school level of taunts and hurt that went unchecked because they think they're funny and popular just like their parents were/are.  Let them stay there.  Their level of maturity & integrity has reached it's conclusion years ago & will remain at a ''full dead stop''.  What they say doesn't hold a drop water.  Those ignorant, who are from a land & country of carbohydrates, fats and obesity with no ending.  That's what Canada deals with now as the enemy.

An interesting article

I read this online.  This is from an American citizen.  She brings up some interesting points.  I thought it was well thought out and well written.  I am changing the name of the President to D because I don't want the bots to flag me.  

I want to be completely transparent about D, because I don’t ever want there to be any question about where I stand.  

I hate this man.

And my feelings about him didn’t start when he became president.

I remember when The Apprentice came out in 2004. I watched a few episodes. I knew virtually nothing about D. To me, he was just some rich guy from New York.

And I couldn’t stand him.

I was disgusted by the way he spoke to people. The humiliation. The arrogance. The way he treated women. The way he seemed to enjoy having power over people and embarrassing them on national television.

America turned it into entertainment.

Looking back, I think The Apprentice was part of something much bigger happening in our culture. Cruelty became entertaining. Humiliation became funny. Women were objectified. People were rewarded for being outrageous, insulting and ruthless. Being rich became confused with being smart, successful and worthy of admiration.

And D became a television-created symbol of the billionaire American success story.

Then he announced he was running for president.

I genuinely thought it was a joke.

This guy?

The reality-TV star with a long history of failed businesses, casino bankruptcies, lawsuits and controversy? The man I had watched belittle people for entertainment?

There was no fucking way America would elect him president.

I was wrong.

You elected him.

And then you elected him again.

And now I watch him approach the presidency with the same mentality I saw on television more than 20 years ago: winners and losers. Loyalty and punishment. Spectacle and humiliation. Everything is a transaction. Everything is a competition.

Except this isn’t The Apprentice.

This is the real world.

Real economies.

Real families.

Real wars.

Real alliances.

Real human beings.

The rest of us aren’t contestants in D’s game show.

And this doesn’t affect only America. When the United States destabilizes alliances, economies and international relationships, the consequences travel far beyond your borders.

So yes, I hate D.

I hate what he represents. I hate the cruelty. I hate the misogyny. I hate the racism. I hate the narcissism. I hate watching one of the most powerful offices on Earth treated like another episode of reality television.

I’ve never felt this strongly about another political figure in my lifetime.

And I’m done softening my language because it makes some people uncomfortable.

If that makes you want to unfollow me, you are completely free to do that.

But I’m not going to stop talking about it.

America, you elected this man twice.

Now you have an opportunity in November to limit his power through Congress.

Show up.

Vote.

And when the next presidential election comes, choose something better.

Because the rest of the world has to live with your choices too.

Zara Tindall

Zara Tindall Has a Very Unusual Neighbour — Her Mother Is Princess Anne

Zara Tindall and her husband, Mike Tindall, have made their home on the Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire, where Princess Anne also lives.

It is an unusual family arrangement: a daughter and her husband living on the same estate as one of the most senior members of the British Royal Family.

Gatcombe Park, a large estate in the Cotswolds, was purchased by Queen Elizabeth II for Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips in 1976. It has remained Princess Anne’s main family home for decades.

Zara and Mike are understood to have moved into a separate property on the estate after their marriage. Their three children — Mia, Lena and Lucas — have grown up surrounded by the countryside, horses and a grandmother who happens to be a princess.

The family’s private day-to-day arrangements have rarely been discussed publicly. Zara has not publicly described what it is like having Princess Anne as a next-door neighbour.

What is visible, however, is the close connection between the generations. Zara’s children have been photographed with their grandmother at family and equestrian events, while horses remain a major part of life at Gatcombe.

Lucas was also reportedly born at home on the estate in 2021, with Mike helping during the unexpected arrival before medical assistance reached them.

There are no grand palace walls separating these family members.

Just one large country estate, several generations of the same family, and a remarkably ordinary arrangement behind an extraordinary family name.

Zara’s neighbour isn't simply a royal.

She’s her mother.

Canada Unity: Standing Strong in a Turbulent Moment

There are times in history when a nation’s character becomes unmistakably clear. Over the past months, as the President of the United States has mocked our Prime Minister, suggested Canada should become the “51st state,” and tried to strong‑arm us on trade and sovereignty, Canadians have watched with a mix of frustration, disbelief, and resolve.

And something remarkable has happened.

Canada has not fractured. Canada has not faltered. Canada has not bowed.

Instead, Canada has united.

A Rare Moment of Cross‑Party Strength

In a political landscape where disagreements are normal and healthy, it is extraordinary to see Liberals, Conservatives, the NDP, and the Green Party all aligned on one fundamental truth:

Canada is strong. Canada is sovereign. Canada stands together.

This unity isn’t manufactured. It isn’t partisan. It comes from something deeper — a shared understanding that our country’s dignity, independence, and identity are not bargaining chips. They are the foundation of who we are.

When external pressure tries to divide us, Canadians do the opposite. We close ranks. We lift each other up. We remember that our strength has always come from cooperation, not conflict.

A Country That Knows Who It Is

Canada has never defined itself by the approval of others. We define ourselves by our values:

• Respect

• Democracy

• Inclusion

• Stability

• A belief that kindness is not weakness

• And a commitment to standing up for ourselves without losing our decency

So when a foreign leader mocks our Prime Minister or belittles our sovereignty, Canadians don’t crumble. We respond with clarity: Canada is not for sale, not for absorption, and not for intimidation.

We are a nation with our own history, our own culture, our own bilingual heritage, and our own place in the world. We are not an accessory to American politics. We are a partner — and only when treated as one.

Unity Is Our Quiet Power

What has emerged in recent weeks is something Canadians should be proud of: a cross‑country, cross‑party, cross‑generation understanding that our unity is our shield.

From Vancouver to St. John’s, from Indigenous communities to new Canadians, from small towns to major cities, people are saying the same thing:

Canada Strong. Canada United. Canada Always.

This isn’t about nationalism for nationalism’s sake. It’s about dignity. It’s about respect. It’s about refusing to let anyone — even a powerful neighbour — tell us who we are allowed to be.

A Future Built on Confidence, Not Fear

Canada will continue to work with the United States. We will continue to trade, collaborate, and cooperate. But we will do so as equals — not as a state, not as a subordinate, and not as a nation that can be bullied into silence.

Our unity today is a reminder that when Canada is pushed, Canada stands taller.

And when Canada stands tall, the world notices.

Burnaby May Queen

 

I still check Facebook.  I get tired of all the advertising and try not to visit sites that are depressing, click bait and sponsored.  I really enjoy the pages from communities in the lower mainland.  I follow the Burnaby Nostalgia group.  They posted this picture of the Burnaby May Day Queen in 1929.  My mother's sister Winnifred Jeffery was the May Queen!  She is in the middle row second from the left.  I recognized her immediately.  I forwarded the picture to her daughters.  Sometimes Facebook can really surprise you and bring back wonderful memories of special people.