School Girls in Saucy Ponytails

Every day in my inbox…reminders of “Schoolgirls in saucy ponytails”. Reminders that I was, am at heart still, a Helenite.

In an earlier blog I wrote about going to boarding schools as a child. Yes, I spent most of my elementary and high school years at these fine educational institutions. And yes, my heart broke into a thousand pieces every time I had to leave home. Yet when I look back now, I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to go to some of the most wonderful schools, especially the four years I spent at St. Helen’s, our home on the mountains.

There is something about the hill schools that seem to reach out with tender, long tentacles, always pulling us back to reminisce and connect with old pals. We are still linked on Facebook...old ones, young ones, and not so young ones. Linked by a common bond—the affection we continue to have for our Alma Mater.

Recent Facebook postings show numerous pictures of a reunion of sorts back in the old stomping grounds, 5,000 feet above sea level. These pictures bring back vivid memories. The old dormitory has come to life on my computer screen. I am back in school again. I see a student with a ponytail—that could have been me with mine pulled up even higher, minus the gray. I sense my spirit in those young girls, the ones in tunics, our uniforms—necessary, but always the bane of our youthful existence. Oh, how we pestered Mother Superior to allow us to wear “coloured” clothes on special occasions so we could be rid of those dreadful tunics. Now when I see them, I am nostalgic for more. They evoke yearnings for one more glance at our castle.

When did we all grow up? What happened to our girlish dreams? Those wonderful dreams we spun while we giggled with innocent longings for a future that seemed elusively distant. We may be older and wiser, but in our hearts, we’re still schoolgirls in saucy ponytails.



Picture contributed by Nupur Das

Say No to Developer Greed at Unionville

Unionville, where rural meets urban…for a few more years.

This week I’m going to deviate somewhat. I’m dedicating this space to a cause close to my heart and my backyard. When my son recently captured the scenery pictured above, I realized that this last rustic holdout in Unionville will disappear soon. Developers are about to raze down all the trees in our neighbourhood to make way for townhouses and condominiums.

Now I’ve always known, since the day we moved into our house twenty-some odd years ago, that the nearby fields would one day be built out. The problem is that from the onset, the developers have been over zealous about the density. The residents fought the development plans back in the early 90’s, and the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) ruled for a compromise—more density than what the residents wanted, but less than the developers’ plans.

For various reasons, the development didn’t start—we got to keep our wetlands, the deer, geese and other animals that made these parts their homes. Now the story is changing. A building boom is happening in the area. The developers have returned—with a vengeance. They’re looking for density levels as high as 2.4 times more than the original ruling handed down by the OMB.

We, the residents here, were asked to compromise once and we did. We’re now being asked again to give up more…give up the reasons why we chose this neighbourhood as our homes. These new proposals reflect pure developer greed with total disregard for the existing families who moved here years ago. They want to ram these new plans through knowing full well the extent to which the additional density would increase the traffic gridlocks that we already experience.

We must say, “NO,” to developer greed. Some of the residents have formed a non-profit organization, the Village Parkway Residents Association (VPRA), so we can participate at the OMB hearings for these developers’ new applications. However, the VPRA has to engage legal and expert assistance to be able to oppose these plans. We need funds to conduct a meaningful opposition. Please help us and contact Tom Zigomanis at tzigomanis@rogers.com for more information on how to make a financial contribution towards this cause. No amount is too small…you can make a difference.