(sung by Josh Groban and Kelly O’Hara with The Philharmonic Orchestra)
Rows and flows of angel hair…..
Joni Mitchell’s music would often waft through my ground floor apartment. I loved the lilting sound of her Canadian voice and the often melancholic melodies. Not sure why there was a need to feed the sadness back then. It was the Seventies and I think it was more that her music allowed me to drift off into my own thoughts. Whereas rock music just made me want to dance. Then there was no holding me back! ‘Going Gooding’ was my firm favourite disk jockey. He came on quite late at night and I would often be lulled off to sleep only to wake in the early hours with the sound of crackling in my earphones. There was no Spotify then just my dear old transistor radio.
And ice cream castles in the air……
As I listen to these poignant song with New York Philharmonic, it makes me realise that I have a different reaction to these words now. In retrospect, there is no sadness but just a warmth of memories that well up in my memory bank. It is one of the huge advantages of getting a bit on in years that you have the time to enjoy those memories. I am eternally grateful that my memory bank is still a functioning resource as it amuses me for hours! Little did I know back then that I would one day live in Canada. The land of weather extremes……I have no sooner taken out a few summer dresses when I have to trade them for padded jackets!

They rain and snow on everyone….
Oh my, does it rain here! I have even resorted to buying Duke a raincoat. Our Labrador does not understand why he is kept indoors when the clouds cry for days on end.
She thinks I don’t know this is a garbage bag!

I often recall my mom shouting at me when I left for school in the morning.
“Take your raincoat!”
My reply was always the same……
“Please mom, won’t you fetch me?”
To which she always replied…..
“No, you won’t melt!”
Melt I never did and those endless Cape rainy days would one day prepare me for the Vancouver deluge. We often have a year where it can rain 280 days out of 360! How is that for ‘wet weather’ endurance?
So many things I would have done but clouds get in your way…..

The dreaded lurgies have kept us home this year. We do miss so many aspects of our old life and the family and friends that we cannot see. But we soldier on and enjoy the gift of time and good health.
“Nanny, we miss you.”
My grandchildren’s little voices on the phone make everything seem worthwhile.