Newfoundland

Why I Did French in High School

I’d like to say I was forward thinking and interested in bilingualism, but to be honest my main love was sciences, and the option we had back in those days was to take French or Geology. I really wanted to take Geology, I did and still find it interesting. But I took French, and learned to past participle, and god knows what other language constructs.

But I had an ulterior motive….Off the coast of Newfoundland, is a French territory called Ste. Pierre et Miquelon. They used Francs for currency, (Euros now), use the French style telephone numbers, and have their own time zone, a half hour ahead of Newfoundland time and a full hour ahead of Atlantic (Two hour ahead of Eastern).

Its a foreign country in your back yard, and a lot of high school students studying french raised money to go there. Hence, my ulterior motive, I wanted to go there badly.

So in 1982 we did so, one weekend in May, we boarded the ferry in Fortune, NL, and proceeded to cross in the heavy lop to Ste. Pierre. I think everyone but Peggy Butt and I got seasick, the boat ride was pretty rough. Ste. Pierre itself was full of mopeds, renaults, citroens and was totally cool to a 16 year old kid. Roads were narrow, there were no malls, just traditional European style shops. We exchanged our Canadian dollars for Francs at the bank, shopped for souvenirs, stayed at a hotel, did a ton of things that were foreign to me.

I remember we stayed at a place named something like L’Auberge Robert (I probably am off by a mile). The biggest memory of that for me were the fresh warm croissants for breakfast with apricot jam. To this day all I can say is oh my god!

1982 was a long time ago, and memories fade, hopefully I can get back there someday. And if you are looking for a foreign vacation without going overseas, check it out!

Peter Smith

Raised in outport Newfoundland in a town of 65 people, I pursued a post secondary diploma in Information Technology right out of High School.

I’ve always been a geek at heart, but yet I love the rural life I grew up with. Fishing, hunting, camping and the great outdoors are still loves of mine, even if I don’t pursue them as often as I once did. Sports were always a big part of our lives, and I played many (badly) and loved them all.

April 8, 2013 by Peter Smith Uncategorized 0

Prognosticating Pancakes

Today is Mardi Gras, or for me and most in my original locale, Shrove Tuesday, better know to us as Pancake Day! Pancake day is always the last day before Lent, and was back when more people actually observed the practices and traditions of lent, was an opportunity to use up rich fatty foods like milk and eggs prior to the Lenten fasting.

My family and immediate neighbours were all protestant, and never really followed the more catholic practices, but we did definitely observe pancake day! Often times pancake suppers were held in the old school, and maybe a time afterwards. These weren’t made from boxed mixes though, flour, lard, eggs from home were the ingredients And we didn’t have maple syrup or Aunt Jamamias. We had homemade syrup made from corn starch or molasses. But they tasted even better because of that! I can remember stacking them, adding a pat of butter between each and then pouring a mess of syrup over the works, ahhh my belly rumbles thinking of it!

Also….. these weren’t ordinary pancakes, they had special powers!

Traditionally on pancake day, the cook would add items to the kids pancakes, not chocolate chips or blueberries, but things like coins, straws, nails, or buttons. These things were powerful portents of what was to come. Find a coin? A bankers life for you. A straw? Farmer it is. Nail? A career in carpentry awaits. A Button? Guess you are going to be a tailor! I’m sure there were other things hiding in there too, I can’t really remember any now though. Comment and let me know what you remember?

Peter Smith

Raised in outport Newfoundland in a town of 65 people, I pursued a post secondary diploma in Information Technology right out of High School.

I’ve always been a geek at heart, but yet I love the rural life I grew up with. Fishing, hunting, camping and the great outdoors are still loves of mine, even if I don’t pursue them as often as I once did. Sports were always a big part of our lives, and I played many (badly) and loved them all.

February 12, 2013 by Peter Smith Uncategorized 2

Hunters and Gatherers

Food for the pot (Picture by Eric Cooper)

Growing up back home, meat and vegetables often came from your own provisions, getting to a grocery store became more and more prominent as I grew up, but most peoples families still subsidized the pot by whatever we could get on our own. Nearly everyone had a potato garden, and some grew a few more things, carrots, turnip, cabbage. I remember a lot of people grew the Newfoundland Blue potato. I’ve seen blue potatoes since, but those all seem to have blue flesh too, the ones we had just had blue veins running through the white flesh.

Of course Newfoundland was famous for its fish, and we all had salt fish put away, as well as dried and smoked caplin. Will have to post another day about those topics. But we also hunted. Hunting wasn’t and isn’t a sport back home, at least not in the terms of the big hunting lodges. People enjoy it yes, but we also hunt to eat. With the salaries, or lack there of, or even lack of jobs or work back home, people hunted duck, geese, moose, caribou, turrs, seal, pretty much anything to help fill our bellies, including the lovely rabbit shown here (Technically there are no rabbits on Newfoundland Island, or weren’t at least, this is a Snowshoe Hare, but rabbit is what we called it and I always will).

People also weren’t into things for money either. If you had plenty you shared, and got shared with in return. I remember lots of trades of food over the years. A quarter of moose for some vegetables from Bill Smith (Bill was the king gardener back home, probably still is, even if he is in his 80s!), some rabbits for a leg of mutton from Jim Phillips, and so on.

The meat and food was healthier too, wasn’t sitting in a cage being force fed to get fat, most of our meats were really lean, and our vegetables were fertilized with manure, seaweed and fish offal, not manufactured chemicals.

But really, we never thought about that, we just thought about fun in the outdoors, and getting food to keep us all through the long winter. I’d give a lot to be sitting down to the smell of that rabbit smothered in onions wafting from the roaster now.

Peter Smith

Raised in outport Newfoundland in a town of 65 people, I pursued a post secondary diploma in Information Technology right out of High School.

I’ve always been a geek at heart, but yet I love the rural life I grew up with. Fishing, hunting, camping and the great outdoors are still loves of mine, even if I don’t pursue them as often as I once did. Sports were always a big part of our lives, and I played many (badly) and loved them all.

February 5, 2013 by Peter Smith Uncategorized 4

Newfoundland TV

Newfoundland has a great tradition of entertainment, from our own magazines such as the Downhomer and Decks Awash to wonderful TV shows like Tales from Pigeon Inlet, Codco, Wonderful Grand Band, and Up at Ours. I can remember many a Monday evening busting a good laughing at Dickie on WGB and their take on things. Who doesn’t remember Leo Budgell saying “My son the best friend you got in this life is your wallet!”, (you can hear it in the song posted on the left) or their take on the soaps with “I love you Dennis. I hate you Paige”. My personal favorite had to be Dickie in school, with the priest asking him his name “Dickie Fadder” and the priest saying there are no Dikies in this class, only Richards.

My favorite show had to be Up at Ours, where Mary Walsh ran a boarding house, Ray Guy played the permanent lodger who could always be found reading comic books, while Kevin Noble played Dolph, the taxi driver. This always brings me back to more musical entertainment, because it reminds me of Joan Morrisey singing “The Boarding House on Federation Square”

And of course I can’t forget Ted Russell’s Yarns from Pigeon Inlet. These were made for TV, but I remember the books and plays most of all. We read the Hangishore in class in grade 11 with yours truly as the ‘angishore. I remember Wade Bowring was the magistrate and I made him crack up when I leaned ahead, looked him in the face and said “Yer ‘onor? what is a ‘ole?”

I’d give a lot to have those old shows on DVD now, I think I’d still split a gut laughing at Greg Malone and Tommy Sexton.

Besides the comedy’s and variety shows, we also had some kid’s programs, like Skipper and Company. I think that I remember a class or group from Random Island went to visit the lighthouse once.

Peter Smith

Raised in outport Newfoundland in a town of 65 people, I pursued a post secondary diploma in Information Technology right out of High School.

I’ve always been a geek at heart, but yet I love the rural life I grew up with. Fishing, hunting, camping and the great outdoors are still loves of mine, even if I don’t pursue them as often as I once did. Sports were always a big part of our lives, and I played many (badly) and loved them all.

January 30, 2013 by Peter Smith Uncategorized 5

Goin to de time de nite?

One of the traditions of outport Newfoundland was the “time”. Havin a time seemed to die out over the years, but I do remember many held at the old one room school houses back on Random Island. Most of these buildings had a stage for little community concerts and recitals. And they mostly all had home made hardwood floors.

What was a time? Well it was a combination of food, dance and music generally, often held as a fund raiser for the church, women’s group, cemetery or to help someone out. Someone likely had a guitar, or accordion or some musical instrument, and sometimes someone might even sing a tune or two. They’d gather on the stage, or more likely around the old pot bellied stove, we’d push back the tables and desks, and we’d be thumping our feet and dancing jigs around the place. Was a tame time if someone didn’t accidentally get thrown into a wall.

The night might have started off with a soup supper, or bean supper, or a pot luck (god I love pot lucks!) where we’d stuff our faces, and need the dance later to work it off.

And of course there were a few drinks involved too, but generally they were home made; home brew, moonshine, lemon gin, blueberry wine, and of course, the next best thing to paint thinner, dogberry wine. You’d see people in later years at least go outside for a smoke, or drink or just to cool off. I can remember blasts of frost coming in through the door now, and people yelling “Close the door!”

Eventually everyone would stumble home, walking generally, times were pretty close to home usually. Next day, with big heads, I can hear us now, “Some time at the time last night wha?”

Peter Smith

Raised in outport Newfoundland in a town of 65 people, I pursued a post secondary diploma in Information Technology right out of High School.

I’ve always been a geek at heart, but yet I love the rural life I grew up with. Fishing, hunting, camping and the great outdoors are still loves of mine, even if I don’t pursue them as often as I once did. Sports were always a big part of our lives, and I played many (badly) and loved them all.

January 29, 2013 by Peter Smith Uncategorized 3

Tea for you, collectibles for me

Back in the 60s and 70s, Red Rose tea distributed these little cards in different sets (dinosaurs, butterflies, birds, animals, I forget them all). At the decrepit old age of 4-6, I wasn’t much of a tea drinker, but tea was and is a hugely popular drink back home, and Aunt Ethel Cooper, god bless her, drank more than her fair share. One of the highlights of visiting her and Uncle Will was that she collected these for me, and I had many a complete set all in their own little specially designed books. I regret not keeping these, but like other knick knacks over the years, you never know their value, not necessarily monetary, but memorial.

Red Rose also issued these collectible figurines at a later point, and she collected those too for me. Dad even made a little display shelf we had in the upstairs hallway back home.

While I can’t remember Aunt Ethel overly well, I do remember her as a kindly soul, with a meal to share and always a cookie or cake around to snack on when we visited. Uncle Will was, lets just say colourful, but still a man well loved (And perhaps well hated by some) for all that. I remember him well, and fondly.

Its funny how so many of my Newfoundland memories have some sort of food relation, but I think that’s one of the common features of our culture. How many times have you heard “Come in for a cup of tea?” over the years. Visiting neighbours was a regular occurrence one that seems to have lessened over the years, gossiping over a cup of tea. I guess in outport Newfoundland, in those days anyway, it was the prevalent form of entertainment.

Anyway, if you’re nearby, drop in for a cup of tea and a yarn, and we’ll recall old times and fond memories!

Peter Smith

Raised in outport Newfoundland in a town of 65 people, I pursued a post secondary diploma in Information Technology right out of High School.

I’ve always been a geek at heart, but yet I love the rural life I grew up with. Fishing, hunting, camping and the great outdoors are still loves of mine, even if I don’t pursue them as often as I once did. Sports were always a big part of our lives, and I played many (badly) and loved them all.

January 27, 2013 by Peter Smith Uncategorized 2

If it’s not Scottish it’s crap!

Today is Robbie Burns day. To be honest I don’t think I had any inkling of him growing up (that’s my growing up, not his. I’m not THAT old), Newfoundland heritage is predominately Irish and English, and while I may have learned of him in school, it never stuck with me. Nowadays, his birthday is a day of Scottish celebration, and this being New Scotland, he’s pretty popular here.

One thing everyone associates with Scottish culture is haggis. I’ve had it once or twice, but to be honest was always with a few beverages, and I can’t really recall many thoughts. It does though remind me of a common thing I did enjoy growing up; white pudding and to a lesser extent blood pudding.

I’m sure wiki has the ingredients (apparently oatmeal, suet, etc), but to me white pudding has a texture similar to turkey dressing (stuffing) with lots of pepper. you could get it in sausage size as seen here or in big slices. Both ways were usually fried till the outside was a little scorched and crispy, and the inner pudding was exploding out. I liked to eat it scalding hot myself, but know people who preferred to eat it as a cold leftover.

Blood pudding or for the weak of stomach black pudding was a similar food, but additionally prepared with the blood of an animal. Yes it sounds disgusting, but it was and is in some places a tasty food.

It may not be Scottish (though I’m sure they have their variation), and its not haggis, but its not crap either! I’m sure others may remember other foods we ate back home that we rarely if ever think of now. Leave comments with yours, love to read them and bring back memories.

Peter Smith

Raised in outport Newfoundland in a town of 65 people, I pursued a post secondary diploma in Information Technology right out of High School.

I’ve always been a geek at heart, but yet I love the rural life I grew up with. Fishing, hunting, camping and the great outdoors are still loves of mine, even if I don’t pursue them as often as I once did. Sports were always a big part of our lives, and I played many (badly) and loved them all.

January 24, 2013 by Peter Smith Uncategorized 0

Horse and Slide

I took my niece to a sleigh ride birthday party at Hatfield Farm yesterday, and that and seeing all the old horse gear and the sawmill on the property reminded me of years gone by when Dad would use his horse to pull out the wood for the stove and logs for the mill.

Back then and earlier most people had a horse in the family, and while it was a pet to some degree, it was mainly a work animal. And I guess, depending on the owners, how much a pet and how much work varied. I know while ours did a lot of work, I think its obvious by her name, “Pet” how dad felt about her.

In the fall of the year, we’d usually make our way in on “the level” and cut wood from some stand. While we liked birch for wood, in our part of the province at least, firewood was usually softwood, generally fir and spruce. We’d cut (dad more than me, I can’t say I was much use being a scrawny dude with not a lot of interest, but I did go and help) our wood and lay some cross pieces to keep the majority off the ground, and stack the rest in lengths on top.

Come winter snowfall, and I can’t really remember many winters without snowfall back then, we’d hitch up the slide (If anyone has a picture of the old double slides, please send to me, so I can add?) and put some horns in it and get Pet to tow it and us in. We’d load it up with the wood or logs, and she’d pull it out.

I remember Pet was larger than a lot of the horses in our area, and strong as, well, a horse. And she’d pull a huge load with us on top of it.

She did have her quirks though, being a true Smith at heart, and would not, could not pass a certain water hole without taking a drink, and no amount of persuasion (of which Dad’s version may or may not have involved swear words made up on the spot) would move her till she was done.

Once the wood was out, it would be re-stacked near the road or the house, left to dry some more and sawed into junks on the old sawhorse, sometimes even with an old bucksaw (pic again?) and then stored in the woodhouse.

Peter Smith

Raised in outport Newfoundland in a town of 65 people, I pursued a post secondary diploma in Information Technology right out of High School.

I’ve always been a geek at heart, but yet I love the rural life I grew up with. Fishing, hunting, camping and the great outdoors are still loves of mine, even if I don’t pursue them as often as I once did. Sports were always a big part of our lives, and I played many (badly) and loved them all.

January 13, 2013 by Peter Smith Uncategorized 1

Jannying

From downhomelife.com

Jannying (or mummering) is a tradition from Newfoundland that had nearly died out until popularized in a song by Simani. I had never actually seen a janny until I became one myself.

Traditions varied from location to location, but back home at least people would dress in in old silly clothing, wearing scarves and long underwear on the outside,often stuffed to disguise both gender and size. Once dressed you would go from home to home, singing, stomping, and generally being silly while the people tried to guess who you were. Jannys usually spoke with an indrawn breath as well in order to disguise thier voice.

Once you had been guessed the hosts generally shared some form of alcoholic beverage (mmmm Aunt Lil Pelly’s slush) and a piece of cake or cookie and then often picked up more members from that house and moved on to another.

The one side effect of Jannying I remember, other than a hangover, was the in and out from warm to cold while wearing warm costumes caused chills from the cooling sweat. Am sure many a flu was contracted!

Today in some locations the tradition seems to be being replaced with a mummers parade. While I like the parade concept, I am not sure I want it to wholly replace the tradition either.

Any mummers lowed in?

Please share any mummer stories or pictures you have!

Peter Smith

Raised in outport Newfoundland in a town of 65 people, I pursued a post secondary diploma in Information Technology right out of High School.

I’ve always been a geek at heart, but yet I love the rural life I grew up with. Fishing, hunting, camping and the great outdoors are still loves of mine, even if I don’t pursue them as often as I once did. Sports were always a big part of our lives, and I played many (badly) and loved them all.

December 28, 2012 by Peter Smith Uncategorized 0

Why I Did French in High School

Prognosticating Pancakes

Hunters and Gatherers

Newfoundland TV

Goin to de time de nite?

Tea for you, collectibles for me

If it’s not Scottish it’s crap!

Horse and Slide

Jannying

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