You Say It's Your Birthday...... Well Happy Birthday to You

My fair country, Canada, is 143 years old today! I have the flag up out front....I really do. I put it up for a few days before July 1st.


I started doing this a few years back. Don't actually know why. I'm not an extreme nationalist or anything. I am usually the first to admit when my country/government does something really stupid.


But I guess I do appreciate what we have here in Canada......a diverse population, a somewhat fair approach to all people's rights, and the freedom to express our views (although that wasn't quite obvious at the recent G20 gathering in Toronto).


And, Canada has an incredible landscape.....so varied from coast to coast to coast.


Actually, if the truth be told, I am more a 'provincialist' than a nationalist. I simply love living in Nova Scotia. I figure if it was good enough in 1850 for my great-great grandfather, Theodore, from Paris, France, then it is good enough for me.

I usually have this flag flying for most of the year because of the pride I feel for this Province. Corny maybe, but it is so innate that I can't imagine living anywhere else for any length of time.


I can feel some 'rumblings' coming from my mother's side of the family. She was a MacIsaac/MacDonald from Prince Edward Island via Scotland of course. They were very proud Scots.

MACDONALD OF CLANRANALD MODERN TARTAN
On a broken cross shaft found on the island of Texa off Islay is carved what is probably the oldest surviving likeness of a Macdonald. It depicts a typical fourteenth-century Celtic prince, wearing a quilted coat with chain-mail and a conical helmet, and armed with a great sword and a battle-axe. This is the Cross of Ranald, son of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles, by his marriage to Amy Macruari, the heiress to the great Lordship of Garmoran, a vast inheritance of lands between the Great Glen and the Outer Hebrides.

I have recently found out, that also on this side of the family, there is a strong Acadian influence (people who originally came from France/Belgium and settled here). 


So, to not only honour Theodore's contribution, but to recognize the Acadian heritage in my family, I fly the Acadian flag as well.......in August during Acadian Days.

And there was a Mi'kmaw (founding people of Nova Scotia) g-g-g-g-grandmother on the MacIsaac side. I told you the population is quite diverse! Here is pic of their (Mi'kmaw) flag :

This is my way to celebrate Canada Day.....recognizing all the contributing factors that have gotten me here.