We ...take great pleasure – and pride – in what is reportedly the best natural outdoor skating rink in the National Capital Region. Windsor Park has the best outdoor ice for a reason. For one thing,  weather permitting, an army of community volunteers work together so that, every night, a team goes out go out to flood the rink.

The Rideau Canal is not frozen yet. It will be a few weeks before we'll be able to glide down the Skateway. But the City of Ottawa has opened its rinks at City Hall and Lansdowne Park.  The refrigerated coils keep the ice cold so we can get our first outdoor skating experience of the season.  At night we come out to the Aberdeen Pavilion where,  last January, we held our second annual Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate.

Each year at around St. Andrew's Day (November 30), the Scottish hordes descend from the Hill (or up from the Valley) to occupy a grand house overlooking the Ottawa River.  They eat the food, drink the whisky, and make their announcements, then roll up their sleeps, hike up their kilts and get ready to present several weeks of Scottish themed activities in the Nation's Capital.

Once again, His Excellency, Howard Drake, British High Commissioner, and Mrs. Gill Drake opened their home to those celebrating the patron saint of Scotland.