Recent Comments

1. 13 days ago on Fred Basset

   I show up as gong ringer when I make a comment, but I think it is time for full disclosure. My name is Angus McIntyre, and the first family ancestors from Loch Tay in Perthshire arrived in Ontario in 1854. The “Mc” denotes an Irish connection. We have a group in Vancouver that celebrates Robbie Burns Day with Tatties and Nips, Lamb and Haggis. Yummy! At one point we even had a Spaniel named Haggis.

2. 30 days ago on Ben

   “My number is BEechwood 4-5789, You can call me up and have a date any old time.”

3. about 1 month ago on Fred Basset

   I think that this is actually a rotary dial phone. England and Canada were much later than the U.S. of A. to adopt touch tone telephones. Modern dial phones had a clear plastic dial. A touch tone desk set has just four rows of buttons. We should watch out for another Fred comic strip with a view of the phone from above.

4. about 2 months ago on Betty

   The Pizzeria capital of Canada is Windsor Ontario, just south of Detroit. The first one was in 1947, and there are now several hundred pizza parlours there. Windsor style pizza features medium size crust, shredded pepperoni, only canned mushrooms and local Galati cheese. Just across the river in Detroit the locals favour deep rectangular pan pizza. Apparently the Hawaiian pineapple /ham pizza was invented in Canada by a Greek restaurant owner in Ontario in 1962.

5. 3 months ago on Ben

   When Ben is facing the viewer his eyeglasses are rectangular, but when he is shown in profile they appear to be round. Happy New Year from Vancouver.

6. 3 months ago on Betty

   The Boston MTA transit system chose “Charlie” as the name for their proximity “Tap On” card to pay a fare. Vancouver, B.C. has a “Compass” card, as well as bracelets, miniature model trains and trolley buses that can pay a fare. The Kingston Trio song refers to the time in Boston when you had to pay to get off a streetcar or bus.

7. 4 months ago on Betty

   As a Canadian he could be referring to his local Home Hardware store, part of a Co-op. Home Depot also exists in Canada, but the Home Hardware might be close by in his neighbourhood. And you can buy a single screw or bolt from a large selection if need be. The closest one to me is the delightfully named Blight’s Home Hardware in Vancouver. “Easy Peasy” seemed to be out of use until recently – now I hear it all the time.

8. 8 months ago on Fred Basset

   My father started to take Kodachrome slides in 1954, and they still retain their vivid colours. Others like Agfachrome have turned weird colours or faded away.

9. 8 months ago on Betty

   Speaking of snacks, I just had a craving for Hawkin’s Cheezies – from Belleville, Ontario. More robust than Cheetos and made with cheddar cheese. But only available in Canada, so if you are an American next time you head north over the border try some.

10. 8 months ago on Betty

    I grew up in the 1950s with a party line phone and our number was WHitehall 5-9998. The challenge was that calls had to be short, and you never knew if your party was listening in. When I moved out on my own in Vancouver in 1967 the only service available was a two-party line, for $5.15 a month. I still maintain a landline for most calls, but also have an iPhone.