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Historical Society: Beautiful gardens lessen winter woes

March 5, 2014   ·   0 Comments

Spring appeared so welcoming, Summer looked so enchanting and Fall was just plain gorgeous. Unfortunately, all these seasonal sights were only on a screen indoors while the nasty winter weather raged outside as the members of the Tecumseth & W. Gwillimbury Historical Society were treated to a visual tour of outstanding gardens in Canada, Europe and the U.S.A. at their February meeting

Barbara and John Northwood, local arbourists, shared some of their many photos of trips to famous gardens around the world. John’s photos were outstanding and Barbara accompanied the slides with a brief history of how and why these oases of beauty and skill were developed. For example, Victoria B.C’s Butchart Garden conceals a depleted limestone quarry that served a Portland cement industry in the early 1900s. Also in Victoria is “the Garden of Love”, a flowery testament to the fascinating romance of  Prince Nicholas and Princess Peggy Abkhazi in 1946. Scenes from a variety of gardens ranging from Williamsburg, Holland and Bavaria to southern U.S.A  rounded out an evening of pure delight and prompted a sincere hope that soon, very soon, the gardeners in the  audience will be able to sortie out with a spade instead of a snow shovel. Thank you, Barbara and John, for your Spring tonic.

Our society is partnering with the Ontario Historical Society to present a workshop on the subject of the 1837 Rebellion in Upper Canada. Local hamlets such as Bond Head, Pennville and Lloyd town have a direct connection to this pivotal event that helped shape our history.  While all details are not yet finalized, the location is the Tec We Gwill Hall in Newton Robinson and the date is Saturday, May 10. The programme showcases 4 presenters and includes a delicious lunch provided by the Tec We Gwill Women’s Institute. That fact alone is a good reason to attend. More details will be forthcoming.

Join us on Monday, March 17 for a demonstration and a history of Knitting Machines with Marnie Parkin, a talented stitcher and quilter. We meet at 7:30 p.m. in Newton Robinson and conclude each meeting with a social hour.

For more information on our meetings and our activities, please phone either 905 775-7144 or 905 936 4086.

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