The summer is getting closer now, today was finally nice weather for a change! I was actually able to wear a tank top, begin to work on my natural tan on my arms. It’s so surreal to think that a few days it go it was cold, grey, and miserable. That’s how the weather is in Canada, for those reading from overseas, or in other parts of North, and South America. Ontario, the Province (basically like a state), I reside in gets very hot and humid in the warmer times of year (May til around the fall months). In the winter it gets bone chillingly cold, not necessarily as cold as more Northern parts of the country. I live near the USA border, as do most Canadians, the communities further North, in this vast land, tend to be smaller in population. There are some large cities though, Northward, but the largest Canadian cities are all near the USA, in the Southern parts of the nation.
I took a visit today to a lovely little tearoom called Cosies, located in the heart of downtown Brockville, Ontario, Canada. I’ve done a piece on them before. For those new to the blog, my name is James Hardiment, I am a singer/songwriter based near Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. It’s a little border town that borders New York State in the USA. Brockville is also on the border, a little further down the St. Lawrence river, which divides the 2 countries apart from each other.
Cosies was having a special celebration in honour of the new King of Great Britain being crowned, King Charles III, in his Coronation ceremony. They had a sticky toffee pudding on the menu as a special item, on top of the usual British delicacies, and it was absolutely faboulous (a picture of that British comedy show Ab Fab is on the walls, amongst others too!). Abi Goodyer, the daughter of the owners Alison, and Paul Goodyer, had baked them fresh today. It was so warm, rich, and sweet. My tastebuds were delighted by the sweet British treat. I think the last time I’ve actually had the desert, was back in 2020 before the pandemic, when I went to visit my Nana in the UK. It’s sort of a spongey, brown cake, with toffee poured on top of it, and a healthy dollop of whipped cream, sort of like a hat, or crown, on the cake. I also ordered a pot of tea, Yorkshire Gold, with milk, as I usually do. The way us Brits like to drink our tea, I never could really get into the whole herbal, and flavoured teas that are so popular over here.
After dining at Cosies, I said my goodbyes and ventured around the downtown core, King St. specifically, the tearoom is actually at 45 King St. West, very close to the courthouse, which is just up a hill on a side street, which is divided in the centre with statues, fountains, lawns, and flowers. The fountain wasn’t working yet, I imagine they will switch it on soon, now the snow is gone, but I’m not sure. I took a look up that area as well, and discovered a bit about the courthouse, and it’s history.
Pictured: The Leeds-Grenville County Courthouse building, in the heart of Brockville, and it’s downtown core. The building is seeped in lots of interesting history.
Finally competed in 1843, the current courthouse that you see, in the pictures above, was designed in a Neo-Classical style, by Toronto architect, John George Howard. The actual construction of the building was lead by a man, named Benjamin Chaffey, who was a contractor based in the area, at that time. It’s a very imposing, impressive structure, reminding people of what happens if they disobey the rules of the town! Not sure if that’s what he was going for, but that’s how I interpret it anyways. On the top, I noticed a clock, and a flag pole, with a statue of a woman, holding the scales of justice in her hand. Known as “Sally Grant”, this is actually a replica of the original statue, carved from wood by William Holmes, a Brockville carpenter (the original) in 1844. The present statue, was created by Smith Falls sculptor, Bob Kerr, and installed in 1981. The current piece is known as “Sally Grant II”, the original is now in Westport’s museum, and has been restored.
I also noticed some lovely churches near by as well, and took a few nice pictures of them, and the flowers too, that were in full bloom. Truly a beautiful place to live! Maybe some day I might move to Brockville, or at least get a summer home out here. I’d love to continue to support Cornwall, Ontario though, I can’t just leave it behind. I’ve spent most of my life moving around to different places, it would be nice to finally settle down somewhere permanent, and continue to work on my art.
Down near the waterfront, there was a local farmers market going on. I wanted to learn more about it from the organizers, but I didn’t see a booth set up by them. There was lots of cool things for sale, such as jewelry, clothes, and baked goods. It was actually fairly busy too, which is great to see. I love to see the little guys out there, mom and pop shops, having a good day for a change! Every Thursday, and Saturday, from May to December, the stalls are set up on Market St. close to the Railway Tunnel. Known as the Brockville Farmers Market, it also has a history to it, according to its official website. Maybe I’ll write more about them in the future! I know my Cornwall, Ontario based chef friend has been looking to get into Brockville markets to sell his spices. Probably not this year tho, I think cutoff to sign up was at the end of last year.
Lastly, before I go, there was one other thing to mention, the 1000 Islands boat cruises are opening up again in the coming weeks, and months. The 1000 islands, is what they call the chain of islands that are located all across the St. Lawrence river, close to Brockville, and many other communities along the water. I’m hoping to do a piece on them at some point, perhaps go on a tour, and see if I could do a vlog style video with a friend.
That’s all for this adventure, until next time!
James