Hello, folks.
I am back in the city after having left the Valley early this afternoon.
Newbie somehow senses when I am preparing to leave. I tried to shake things up this morning, but he saw through my careful ruse. I began washing the dishes right after breakfast, around 10:30. I walked into the living room, past him, to get something from the bedroom. He took that as a threat, and slunk away from me.
I went about my business. I finished the dishes. I went downstairs for a spell to do some stuff in the basement. I went outside to remove brush from the lawn, and then went to the garage to mow that section of the lawn. I put the lawn tractor away. Locked the garage. Went back into the house. Newbie was still nowhere to be seen. I sighed. I closed every door in the house to make sure he either couldn't slink to another room, or leave the room he was in. I pulled the couch away from the wall, and there he was, looking up at me in a sheepish manner. I grabbed him and stuffed him into his carrier. I loaded the car and locked up the house and left.
I visited my mother for a few minutes. She had read the book I had lent her about Halifax during World War II. There have been a few books about Halifax during WWII in the last few years, and I own a couple of them. Stephen Kimber's book. The one by... I forget his name, but Patricia bought it for me for Christmas a few years ago. And there is the one by the Chronicle Herald that I do not own. What is unique about this little book, a glorified pamphlet really, is that it was published during the War. I have written about this book before, but I am still having a hard time getting over my good fortune at encountering it at such a good price. The Robert Chambers line art is beautiful and depicts a somewhat romanticized view of what Hali must have been like during that period.
I have written about this before. I do so again, now. If anybody has any interesting anecdotes about either Halifax or the Annapolis Valley that he or she wants to share in a semi-public forum like this, then by all means do so. I am fascinated not just by the radio medium in this and that market, but by how people lived back in the day. CJCH radio used to have an occasional feature on the Hotline where they discussed the "good old days". I recorded as many of those as I could, and I have to get off me arse and digitize them, because they are very interesting. Al Hollingsworth would be the guest on many of these talks.
A few more questions about this fine city.
Where was "The Bucket of Blood", anyway? It was some kind of tavern back in the day.
And, why is it that Spring Garden Road becomes Coburg Road at Robie?
Why was there a giant safe in the Roy Building, the very building that will be torn down shortly to become a high-rise condo space featuring places that nobody can afford? Was the safe for a bank, a jeweller, or something nefarious?
And, on the Granville Street side, why did/does the Roy Building have a dirt floor in a particular storage room? I guess it would be the left-most door, while it is still there. Open it up, and you will see a dirt floor? Why?
Why is the Tramway Building, called that? I know that there were once tramway cars in Halifax. Was that the headquarters for them or something?
Why was the Green Lantern building, called that? Well, stupid question to some degree. It was informally called that because of the Green Lantern restaurant. I think that the old actual green lantern is still above the main door to the building, ravaged by Hurricane Juan far too long ago. But why did they name the restaurant that? Did the name exist prior to... 1941 or so, prior to the creation of the original Green Lantern superhero? If that is the case, then did the superhero's name come from the restaurant? It is possible. Halifax was a major, major thoroughfare during the war.
Last question for tonight. Why did Ada McCallum, the notorious Halifax madam, move around so much? She had a place on Tobin Street, Windsor Street, Russell Street, her original brothel at 51 Hollis Street, and even a place in Dartmouth. What was up with that?
Yeah. Let's end with that for the evening.
Back to work tomorrow. There will be a really cool event in the afternoon. We have won tickets to the Monday afternoon Live Hive at Live 105. We have never been. It has been a big mystery as to who will be performing there. I can hardly wait to find out. Don't worry. I will cover this event for Bevboy's Blog.
BTW, the Live Hive used to be the social club for the local constabulary. I sold a bunch of magic props and books there several years ago when the magic club I was once a member of, held meetings there.
See you tomorrow, me lovelies.
Bevboy