Open session at the Home County folk festival in London Ontario.
Not that I want to keep repeating myself, but the afternoon came to an abrupt end for Ros and I when the heavens opened and we got, quite literally, soaked to the skin.
Nonetheless we had a great time (until it rained).
Interesting night at the London Club in London (where else?). I don't think they'd ever heard anyone sing the sort of songs I did, so comedy was the order of the night.
Lovely people, said nice things about me and bought CDs too!
On the road out of Sudbury. We really do believe that they have summer in Ontario, we're just not sure when!
In fairness, the warmth of the people and the hospitality we have been shown wherever we've been has more than made up for the climate. Now, if it would just stop raining and warm up a few degrees.......
London Ontario during a serious load of rain. Boy, am I glad I came to Canada in the summer!
Read all about it and click on photos for full image
Tour Diary
2004 Canadian Tour Dates
(scroll down for pictures and stories)
Sat. July 10 - White Oak Folk Festival, Oakville, Ontario
Sun. July 11 - Music at Fieldcote, Fieldcote Museum, Ancaster, ON
Mon. July 19 - House Concert, Acton Island, Muskoka, Ontario
Aug. 1-7 @ Folklorama Festival, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Mon. Aug. 9 - Karma, 2139 33rd Ave. SW, Calgary, Alberta
Sat. Aug. 14 - Singing Camel, Wells, BC
Sat. 28 Aug - Bamfield, Vancouver Island
Thurs 2 Sept - Pondside Music Concert, Esquimalt,Vancouver Island
Mon. 6 Sept - Duncan Garage Showroom, Duncan, Vancouver Island
Sat 23rd Oct, Rasputin's Folk Cafe, Ottawa, Ontario
Tues 26th Oct, Wilno Station Inn, Wilno, Ontario
After all the pointed and unkind things I've said about Canadian weather on this page, the best has definitely been saved for last.
We took a lazy autumn drive between gigs from Peterborough to Ottawa last weekend and the colours and the scenery almost blew us away. Coming from a country that doesn't have much in the way of seasons, the trees were a truly spectacular sight, up there with the Icefields Parkway in BC and Niagara Falls as something really worth seeing!
On this tour I've played at the Singing Camel, the Ugly Mug, Cosmic Charlies, Karma Lounge and now the Pheasant Plucker in Hamilton Ontario.
You have to be very careful how you say that!
Despite the unusual name, the people were as friendly and hospitable as every one else we've met in Canada and we had a terrific evening.
In one of the hotels we stayed at, there was this sign in the bathroom. Having a warped and wicked sense of humour, Ros and I both looked at it and cracked up.
Obviously we have an aberrant view of the world not shared by the operators of the hotel - sorry Holiday Inn!
So here we are, approaching Edmonton in what they tell us is autumn, balmy days, cool nights, etc. Ha!
This is the view out of the car window as we drove into Edmonton. It's four degrees, they had two inches of snow last night and the wind is a bit fresh, to say the least!
Time for the woolly underwear, methinks!
We've driven across half of Canada, with roadside signs everywhere warning us of elk, moose, caribou and deer and not seen a single animal.
Then in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island we looked out of our hotel room and there were these four deer eating the plants in the place across the road.
I did a couple of spots at the Theatre Royal in Barkerville during a 1930's style review. Lots of fun, I haven't done a review since my youth club days longer ago than I care to remember.
Lovely people, made us very welcome and said kind things about my music, too!
Lovely little folk cafe/bar in Calgary. Reminded me of other times in all sorts of places, where folk music is played and appreciated. Very nice people, which is the normal standard for everyone we've met in Canada. And I thought Aussies were hospitable!
An impromptu session at the press conference for Folklorama in Winnipeg. Found this local bloke who was an absolute whiz on the didge and we did a couple of numbers while the press people did their thing. Sounded pretty good too, even if I do say so myself!
Signs like this one are very un-nerving when you're Australian and the only ice you're used to seeing is the stuff in your drink!
This picture is for all the folks at home who think we're just swanning around enjoying ourselves - see, it does get cold here!
This was the Fieldcote Summer Series in Ancaster, Ontario. Absolutely picturesque setting in 7 acres of wooded grounds with a sound stage in a small valley.
Several hundred very nice people came and listened to me and they were a great audience, as if the setting wasn't reward enough.
