Helenenorth

 Hello friends Living in the north requires strength, understanding, acceptance and many other unwritten personal qualities.  Qualities that can't me measured or quantified.  But they are necessary for survival. Last week, a very young, talented and beautiful young lady, who just happened to share my birthdate, went home, and took her life.  She had just returned from another community, triumphant, from a girls volleyball tournament, and was busy planning for the immediate cross country ski trip, and the spring graduation.  A total shock to everyone, including her dearest and closest friends who lived in the same 4 plex. The school has been operating, half days, with the support of grief councillors from around the north, and the local Truth and Reconciliation folks.  Yesterday, John Hill, from Kelowna, the best know grief councillor in Canada,  arrived, and will be here indefinitely. Last Saturday morning, in an un related incident, a local Inuit man,...

 Good morning!! Happy Valentine's Day A bright and sunshiny morning, not too cold, about minus 15 and no wind.  What a break from the sub zero temperatures, big winds of 60 k plus, and blowing snow that we had Wednesday and Thursday. So sad about that--we were supposed to have the leaders of the cross country ski program with us for training on Wednesday, but because of the weather, they did not come.  We have our fingers crossed that they will at least come this afternoon for 1 day of training!!  No room at our local co op hotel, so I have opened the Helene Hotel, with help from my colleagues.  I have a single mattress, sheets and extra towel for one guest.  Hope my water lasts!!!  It was kind of sputtering this morning. With the school closed for 2 days, and being very heavily encouraged to stay home, I  got a lot of practicing in, and what fun.  I have this great Hal Leonard play along book called, Swing with a Band, and it has some great ...

 Hi there!! A very good Saturday morning to you!  It is minus 20, wind 27, and snowing.  Very unlike the beautiful weather on the island and elsewhere in BC! Ah well, I am sitting here, enjoying my third cup of coffee .  Last night I did my weekly chores of shopping, cleaning and laundry.  I also spent some time making home made Valentine cards for my students.  Today, I am having the local pastor for lunch.  We are having a navy bean soup, cucumber, tomato and onion salad, and frozen raspberries and ice cream for the dessert.  The smallest container of Haagen-Dazs was $14!! Saturday and Sunday are my favorite days because I get to have at least 3 practice sessions.  One session is technique, one session is jazz/blues/ play along/ and one session is for more classical music.  A friend and I are putting together a set to perform, so I am playing through possible selections--all fun.  I especially like a Klezmer selection.  It ha...

 Good morning The story this week is the weather!  It is darn cold.  The temperature fluctuates between minus 18 to minus 60.  The cold temperature increases as the wind picks up. Because there are no trees here, there is nothing to stop the wind.  It is not uncommon for the force to be between 20 and 60  or 70 k an hour. All you have to do is to dress for it.  I have snow pants, parka, gloves, goggles, balaclava, toque and fur lined boots with retractable spikes.  I also use walking sticks for balance.  The secret is to keep every inch of your skin covered, and to keep moving.  The Inuit don't move quickly, but they are always moving.  There is a lesson in there for me! We have had  a couple of blizzards, with heavy fog, blowing snow.  The ice on the ocean has formed, and it is getting pretty thick.  Occasionally the polar bears get lost.  Their eye-sight is not very good so they really can't see where they are ...

 Happy New Year! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season--I sure did!! My holiday was rather early, leaving here in November with a very bad root canal that needed a redo.  It finally settled down on December 24, so I was able have a great holiday in Nelson, with no pain Returning north was an adventure in itself.  First my plane from Victoria to Vancouver was delayed.  After another delay in Vancouver, the flight was canceled so I had a lovely overnight at the Sandman courtesy of Air Canada.  The trip to Montreal was lovely, and I stayed there overnight.  My usual flight plan was altered because of  the earlier delay,  thus missing my flight north.  The only thing that was available was a trip to the Hudson Coast, Puv, and then across to the Ungava Coast, Kuujjuak where I spent another night.  I finally arrived last Saturday morning, right in the middle of a huge wind storm!! I always view travel as part of the fun, and I really had...

 November 1, 2025 Good morning-----well, it is November already, and 6 weeks until Christmas Holidays, but who is counting!! We had a terrific Halloween day at school--it wasn't over the top, but very manageable.  Regularish class in the morning, and then an afternoon with the costume parade, class room door decoration contest and the choice of gym activities, story reading, face painting or movie.  I did the story telling, and my room was full to the brim of excited students of all ages.  I read the Robert Munsch book, BOO.  You should have been there--total focus and total participation at the repetition parts--really loved it. I am so glad I brought my own books for the fall because there is NO library in the school.  It was totally dismantled last year, all the books given away, put in the garbage or burned because the library was thought to be a waste of space, and because it wasn't being used very much.  This is the trend in the north. It is beli...