Friday Fantasies on Monday...

I haven't done a Friday Fantasies in a while (or any other posts for that matter). I am in love with these Clarks Originals. The Desert Boot brings me back. I had a purple suede  pair when I was in elementary school and I remember my mom having a pair, too. If I purchase these ones I'll make sure to pick a more neutral, demure colour.

No more pennies from heaven...

One-cent piece, 1858

Earlier this month, a Senate committee issued a report calling for the elimination of the one-cent coin from Canadian currency. The report cited many reasons, the most prevalent being that it costs 1.5 cents to make our smallest coin. It also doesn't buy what it once did. 

Australia and New Zealand have removed the coin from circulation and merchants and consumers in both countries have noticed little difference. Indeed, when I lived in New Zealand I hardly noticed when the prices of products were rounded up or down to the nearest number ending in 5 or 0. Whatever happens to the one-cent piece, it's had a good run.

First one-cent piece struck by Dominsion of Canada, 1876

In honour of our cute little penny, here's a brief history of how the one cent coin came to be in Canada: In 1853, parliament passed the Currency Act which stated that both British pounds, shillings, and pence AND dollars and cents (based on the American system) would be recognized as Canadian currency (Canada refers to the Province of Canada). This meant that coins from the US, Britain, and even Spain were circulating in Canada. The Act was revised in 1857 (I wonder why) and now required that all provincial financial accounts be kept in dollars and cents only. Along with the revision, in 1858 the first coins with 'Canada' on them were minted in silver, bronze, and copper, including the first one-cent piece.  After Confederation in 1867, the penny was used in the provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, while Prince Edward Island and the colonies of British Columbia and Newfoundland continued to issue their own versions. It wasn't until 1876 when the Dominion of Canada issued its own one-cent coin. The Canadian penny has been in production for over 130 years now and whether or not it is removed from circulation, I'm sure most of us  have a piggy bank full of the copper-coloured coins that we should deposit at the bank!

Less than two weeks...

Are you in the mood for Christmas yet? With less than two weeks to go I'm starting to feel more Christmas-y. I wrapped some presents on the weekend and I'm off to mail my Christmas parcels to friends in New Zealand at lunch today. I read this article on the Star's website today and now I want to go visit these crazily decorated homes in Pickering. For the past 5 years, the Williams family has won the Battle of Bulbs on the Mayor's Light Tour while the Wright family, just a couple of doors down, has always come in second. These two women families are obviously in the mood for Christmas and a bit of competition, too!

A Victorian Farm Christmas...

I am a big fan of all things British - history, Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall, Top Gear, BBC, football, Quality Street chocolates, etc. Mostly the history though. Last night, I was excited to see that Victorian Farm Christmas was finally airing here in Canada (we should really watch more TVO).

Victorian Farm Christmas is a follow-up to Victorian Farm, a documentary where a historian and two archaeologists live and work on a Victorian farm for a year. In the Christmas version, Ruth, Alex, and Peter return to the Shropshire farm to get ready for a full Victorian Christmas. The show is filmed at the approximately 900 year old Acton Scott Estate, which has preserved its 19th century working farm.

It was, in one word, fantastic. It was educational, interesting, and visually, very pretty. Last night, Alex and Peter harvested the hay using a wide range of Victorian farm equipment and selected a ram for breeding, while Ruth prepared the mince meat, and made bread, butter, and soap. The show was a wonderful example of public history. Ruth, Alex, and Peter were great presenters who are excited about what they are doing.

Victorian Farm Christmas airs on TVO at 7 on Mondays. I look forward to the next episodes!