For Our Robbie Burns fans:

A RED RED ROSE

O, my luv's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June,
O, my luve's like the melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I,
And I will luve thee still, my Dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun!
O I will luve thee still, my Dear,
While the sands o'life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only Luve,
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile!

Robert Burns (Jan. 25, 1759 - July 21, 1796)
Poems and Songs of Robert Burns, Collins, 1955.

Robbie Burns

Charismatic Robbie Burns, eighteenth century Scottish poet, retains his appeal.
Followers continue to celebrate his work every January with Robbie Burns Night.

Let Not Women E'r Complain
[Some things never change! ~lw]

Let not women e'er complain
Of inconstancy in love!
Let not women e'er complain
Fickle man is apt to rove!
Look abroad thro' Nature's range,
Nature's mighty law is change:
Ladies, would it not be strange
Man should then a monster prove?

Mark the winds, and mark the skies,
Ocean's ebb and ocean's flow.
Sun and Moon but set to rise.
Round and round the seasons go.
Why then, ask of silly man
To oppose great Nature's plan?
We'll be constant, while we can ~
You can be no more, you know!

Poems and Songs of Robert Burns, Collins, 1955.
(b. Jan. 25, 1759; d. July 21, 1796)

Smile For Today :

On the morning of the first publication of the "Sun," an exciting new Canadian newspaper, Publisher Douglas Creighton couldn't help but notice an old sign dangling over the building. The building had housed The Eclipse Whitewear Co. A single word, "ECLIPSE" remained, shadowing the "SUN."
The lesson is, one should never be distracted by what appears to be a bad omen (or in this case, a "sign" ~ pardon the pun); the daily is going strong forty years later.

The Little Paper That Grew, Jean Sonmor, Toronto Sun Publishing Corporation, 1993.

Charles Taylor Prize

For the short list of nominees for the Charles Taylor Literary Non-Fiction Prize, go to http://www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca/
Previous winners include Carol Shields for Jane Austen, Wayne Johnston for Baltimore's Mansion and Tim Cook for Shock Troops: Canadians Fighting the Great War, 1917 - 1918, Vol.II and Ian Brown for The Boy In The Moon.
The 2011 winner will be announced on Monday, February 14.

Peter Etril Snyder

The Changing Seasons:

We have recently posted photographs depicting several seasons on the Grand. The following is what artist Peter Etril Snyder has to say:

"The changing of seasons offers me, as a painter, a whole new view of subjects and activities. Logic would suggest that after all the years that I have splashed the paint around, there would not, could not, be any surprises. Each season I discover previously unnoticed aspects of the land which is a real joy."

Painting The Grand River Valley, Peter Etril Snyder, Library and Archives Canada, 2005.
Visit Peter's website: http://www.snyder-gallery.com
Search your favourite landmarks including Ruthven, Caledonia Mill and the Bell Homestead.

Thought for Today:

"We've placed a lot of emphasis in this country on the idea of people's rights. (Italics the author's) That's how it should be, but it makes no sense to talk about rights without also talking about responsibilities."

The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch, Hyperion, 2008.

HELPLESS IN CALEDONIA, an interview with Christie Blatchford, Globe and Mail reporter, author of HELPLESS is available on Podcast, CBC, The Agenda with Steve Paikin.

Originally aired Thursday, January 13, 2011.