Mill of Kintail

R., S. and I went for afternoon tea at the Mill of Kintail today. Half a dozen small tables were waiting in the garden at the back of the Mill beside the narrow but rushing Indian River. The tea menu is simple, a choice of tea or lemonade and tea bread (slices of lemon loaf, lemon poppy-seed loaf, cinnamon loaf, etc.) for $4.00. Lemonade on its own is $2.00.

I had never been to the Mill of Kintail before. It was a lovely discovery. Classified a heritage building, it is now the R. Tait McKenzie Memorial Museum, set in the Mill of Kintail Conservation Area. Originally a grist mill built in 1830 by Scottish pioneer John Baird, it was made into a summer home in 1930 by Robert Tait McKenzie, a doctor, sculptor and phycial educator. The museum now houses a small collection of furnishings, memorabilia and many of McKenzie's sculptures.

The 154-acre grounds contain numerous hiking trails, gardens and picnic areas. It is a lovely peaceful place to spend some time in a natural setting.

Billings Estate

Yesterday we visited the Billings Estate National Heritage Site in Ottawa. The on-site museum had a special exhibit on Victorian medicine that continues until October 31, 2009. The Billings Family home, headed by Braddish and Lamira Billings, is Ottawa's oldest wood-framed house. Five generations of the Billings Family lived here from 1829 to 1975. Braddish gave up the lumber business to concentrate on farming in 1827. The small stone building in the photos above is the dairy house.

Unfortunatley, the Estate's Victorian Tea-on-the-Lawn is not served on Saturdays, when the kitchen is taken over by the many weddings that are held on the estate's grounds. Our visit, however, did coincide with a special show on Victorian medicine, performed by a professional reenactor.

The one-and a-half hour show was held under the shade of some large trees and there were refreshing breezes that made the outside setting very pleasant. The show was equal parts informative, entertaining and fascinating. With its descriptions of blood-letting, use of leeches, amputations and brain surgery, it was at times a wee bit gruesome, but performed in a light-hearted manner with authentic props and a liberal use of fake blood. The re-enactor chose people from the audience who were "ailing" from a wide variety of ills then proceeded to put them to "rights", while explaining and demonstrating (to a point) the treatments of the time, then dispatching them back to their seats. One of the more light-hearted moments was her reading of the bumps on one audience member's bald head, the science of Phrenology clearly pointed to his great love of family, the ability to save money, but oh dear, there was also that bump that showed a propensity for murder. Fortunately, there has never been any evidence to validate the theories of Phrenology! I can't say enough about this particular reenactor. Not only did she know her stuff, she was able to deliver the information in a very entertaining way. And with a subject like Victorian medicine there are a lot of shocking aspects that can be played up by a talented performer. Truely a great example of bringing history to life! I congratulate the Billings Estate Museum for offering this type of program. So enjoyable!

Steps Worn with Time

Steps worn with time. The years go by and only our imprints are left behind to bear witness that we were ever here.

I was sitting here this morning thinking about a dear dear friend I met when I was a teenager. She was our neighbour and quickly became family. She died in 1992 at age 94. I have not been back to the little country cemetery since her burial and over time I have forgotten where she was buried.

Such are the miracles of the Internet that starting with a search for Brome County (the only location I could recall that might be nearby), the links led me to the placename Bolton, that sounded right. I then searched for Bolton cemeteries. And there it was... a link to Bolton Centre Cemetery. Choosing that link I read the page in disbelief, here was a description of the cemetery and even better, someone had transcribed all the headstones. I hardly hoped to dare... my eyes scanned the names... and there she was.

What were the chances. To find the right place is amazing in itself, to be led straight there is incredible. I have missed Margery so, and have always wanted to go back and visit her gravesite. Now I will be able to. What a gift I was given today. I have so much gratitude for the person who made the effort to transcribe all the tombstones and made them available for others.