Back in Ottawa to close out the month before the CDP theme day on the first of February. This month's theme is Entry.
I've meant to photograph these monuments downtown, but I'll wait til the spring for a proper go over. The Valiants are a set of statues and busts at Plaza Bridge, next to the War Memorial. They surround the staircase coming up from the Canal below. These are figures from Canadian military history.
Last week, someone anonymously placed knitted scarves around their necks, with tags for anyone in need of a scarf to feel free to take one. It's a curious gesture, but the scarves stand out nicely against the statues. By the time I got up there, scarves were still in place around three. It turns out that the people who did this were a group of knitters, performing an act of kindness for those out in the cold. It's caught quite a bit of attention.
This first one is Lt.-Colonel Charles de Salaberry, a French-Canadian officer who, during the War of 1812, served with distinction, commanding a force of troops in the victory against Americans at Chateauguay. The Conference Centre rises up behind this statue.
This second one dates back from the era of the American Revolution. Joseph Brant, as he was known to the English, was a Mohawk leader with close ties to the British. He served throughout the Revolution, taking on the Colonials in northern New York State, later relocating to southern Ontario with his tribe. He is backdropped by the Chateau Laurier.
This bust depicts Corporal Joseph Kaeble, a First World War infantryman who won the Victoria Cross posthumously for an extraordinary repulse of German attackers in 1918, the final act of his life.
The statues are rather nice and the scarf idea is brilliant. Yet I wonder if the needy got them or if the fashion addicts did...
ReplyDeleteI love it! There are also quite a few instanaces of "yarn bombing" here in Berlin too. But I've yet to get shots of any of them. Brant looks quite good in a scarf, if I do say so myself!
ReplyDeleteThose are very generous gifts. My wife knits and I know how much time and work it takes to make one. I hope the folks who really need the scarves got them. You captured them well !
ReplyDeleteSuper idea!
ReplyDeleteHey I bet even they get chilly at times lol ! Cute shots ! Have a good day
ReplyDeleteI really like random acts of kindness..this one is so Canadian!!
ReplyDeleteJane x
Those scarves look well made and very attractive. I love the gesture.
ReplyDeleteGreat way to capture both the statues and the good deeds by strangers!
ReplyDelete@Ciel: one hopes the former...
ReplyDelete@Halcyon: it does seem to suit him!
@Stuart: knitting was common in my mother's side of the family. My late aunt was always knitting something or another.
@Revrunner: I thought so!
@CountryGal: thank you.
@Jane and Chris: it surely is.
@Sharon: it's very generous of them.
@Merisi: it made for interesting photo opportunities, and I wasn't the only one doing so!
They look nice with the scarves. Funny.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a lovely, generous idea!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea
ReplyDeleteBrilliant idea, and the colours of the scarves complement the dark statues quite nicely. You captured them well!
ReplyDeleteI love this! Someone did a similar thing in my city with scarves, gloves and mittens, but they didn't put them on statues, they attached them to a big fence with a sign telling people to grab what they needed. These statues look quite dandy with their colorful scarves!
ReplyDeletePhilanthropic guerilla knitting, what a great idea!
ReplyDelete@Inna: thank you.
ReplyDelete@EG: it surely is.
@Mo: it was very kind of them.
@Carla: thanks!
@Tamera: the statues must have been pleased!
@Deb: that's a good term for it!
I saw that on the news and thought it was a great idea! Most people are quite wonderful and this just reenforces that notion doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteNow that's a really cool idea!
ReplyDeleteI love the acts of kindness that appear here and there when you least expect it. The scarves do look great on the statues.
ReplyDeleteBless the knitters. Joseph Brant has quite a history. He really thought the British would win. Since they didn't, he and his tribe definitely had to relocate.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you posted these photos. I'd read about these scarves and wondered if you'd seen them before they disappeared.
ReplyDeleteWhile we will wonder if those in need got scarves, those who placed them did a good deed regardless. The media attention and your posts were good too. Maybe more random acts in the future?
ReplyDeleteThe knitters are truly kind. I hope that people who really need them are the takers. I'd be tempted to take one for myself (it's the devil sitting on my shoulder), but my guardian angel wins out, every time!! We have a few statues that occasionally wear a shawl or some other warm weather apparel but on them by some whimsical soul. Love it!
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine how good it would be if we all performed random acts of kindness more often.. This post made me happy William, thanks.
ReplyDeleteNice statues! What a lovely set of knitters you have up there!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I knit and crochet so this would be a great use for those fun scarves I just have to make!!! Portland, OR here I come:)
ReplyDeleteOh, I've heard of Joseph Brant.
ReplyDeleteFun set of photos.
What a great idea! They both add a bit of light-hearted whimsey to the statues themselves, and offer some warmth to a chilled passer-by. Most kind and most creative.
ReplyDelete@RedPat: it was a great idea.
ReplyDelete@Norma: I thought so!
@Jennifer: they do stand out.
@Mari: the place they came to here is a nice area.
@Hamilton: if I'd waited another day or two, they would have been gone.
@Beatrice: random acts like this would be good.
@Kate: I suspect these things went to the right places.
ReplyDelete@Grace: you're welcome!
@Cheryl: someone out there does good work knitting!
@Kathy: it was a pleasure presenting these.
@Linda: he was a great man.
@Jack: I thought so too!