Today is yet another in a month-long series of outstandingly beautiful late-summer-fall days. Although overnight there were cool temperatures of about 7C, by midafternoon today 20C warmed the atmosphere under a brilliant sun. 

 

Only one thing marred the day. The prime minister of Canada making his tardy "unreserved" apology to all those who were blindsided and outraged that a vital member of the Trudeau Liberal cabinet had unwittingly invited an elderly Ukrainian Nazi collaborator, a former officer of an SS Waffen special battalion comprised of Ukrainian volunteers and commanded by German Nazi officers to be present in parliament on a special occasion featuring the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on his way to address the House of Commons.

 

Common procedure when people are invited to Parliament, is to ensure that diplomatic protocol is carefully followed. As part of the process, Canada's intelligence agencies and the Parliamentary security agents as well as those of the Privy Council take a careful vetting of individuals to ensure they don't represent a threat to others, much less a potential embarrassment. Somehow, mysteriously, no one had managed to reveal this man's past as a Nazi collaborator, and he was presented with great aplomb to all present, including the Jewish Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

 

The revelation two days later of the man's identity and his presence at such an event, much less as a citizen of Canada, shocked everyone involved, and there were reverberations of amazement and shock internationally that resulted from the rancid incident. That Russia, claiming its invasion had the purpose of cleansing Ukraine of neo-Nazis was given a boost in its invasion of Ukraine is beyond damning. Yet, Justin Trudeau, the unflappable egotist who is never guilty of anything and apologizes only for other peoples' errors in judgement, squarely placed the blame on the hapless Speaker of the House, Anthony Rota.

 

 

Other than that truly sour note, our day went swimmingly in the sense that it was like most other days this month that is coming to an all-too-swift close. Irving and I were busy on household chores. For him, it was removing two little pillars he had put in place before the face of an tall-case clock he had built about 40 years ago, to make it easier to wind the clock. For me, it was laundry day.

 

And for Jackie and Jillie it was a day of wondering why we were taking our time heading out to the ravine in this perfect outdoor day. No excuses. We took full responsibility. And out we went, sun blazing overhead, the atmosphere sufficiently comfortable to make even the lightest of jackets dispensable. Viewed from a distance on approaching the ravine, the forest canopy can be seen to be subtly  in transition to fall.

 

The tops of some of the maples and poplars can be seen to be on the cusp of turning colour. Littering the trails a modest assemblage of bright red, yellow-mottled fallen leaves. Each one a symbol of nature's artistic perfection in the mastery of colour and form.