Children's Garden in the Park

The Assiniboine Park is the largest park in Winnipeg and includes a number of points of interest and is also home to the Winnipeg zoo.  There have been updates throughout different areas of the park over the years but one area has remained somewhat dreary and kind of sad.

This area has carried the implausible title of ‘family area’ containing nothing more than a number of picnic tables and several sets of rusty and squeaky swings.  It had become an area seldom used and even less enjoyed.  

For a little over a year now construction has been ongoing to completely over hall this section of the park.  This area will now be home to a nature park, large playground and family centre.  This project has also included a huge expansion of the duck pond. 

The newly expanded duck pond was open for skating this winter and it is a lovely improvment.  With the indoor area built 4 or 5 years ago right next to the pond we find it to be one of the best skating areas in the city. 

We spend a fair amount of time at the park and so I have walked past this new area many times and although it is quite hidden by surrounding trees it appears to be quite a novel design and a fun looking space.  

The design seems quite well attuned to the perspective of a child and from what I could see beyond all the construction fencing and the vantage point I took these pictures from (where I probably wasn't suppossed to be) it seems to include many different elements. I could see areas for water and sand play, a giant chess board, and many different things to climb on.

There is also a large section with some wonderful looking living sculptures and creative plantings quite aptly named the Children's Garden.  The entry to this section is a wonderfully designed doorway reminescent of Alice in Wonderland and opens up to the rest of the Family section.

It will be first open to the public this Friday with the official grand opening taking place on Saturday between 10 am and 2 pm. A group of us is planning on checking it out this weekend and exploring this great addition to the park. 

What happened to cars?

Once upon a time I fixed my own cars, everything was mechanical and easily remedied if you knew what you were doing.  I worked in automotive repair and had access to a hoist and tools and all I ever paid for repairs was parts at cost.  Cars were a lot simpler then, now everything is computerized and designed to require special tools.  Hell I can’t even get to my current cars battery without taking half the engine compartment apart.   

I don’t really have a problem with other people fixing my cars, I only did my own repairs back then because I was broke and the cars I drove needed a lot of repairs.  It was out of necessity.  Now I drive vehicles that have warranties and can afford (relatively speaking) to pay someone else to do repairs. I still refuse to pay to have someone else replace a fuse, filter or light regardless of how much of a pain in the ass it is to get too though. 

 What has me thinking about cars is that my current car has been falling apart.  One problem after another and it never seems to get fixed 100%.  It’s in the shop right now for the 3^rd time in less than a week for the same problem. It’s not an old vehicle it’s a 2008 and has always been maintained well.  Its warranty period however is about to end and that makes me a little nervous about how much it’s going to cost to continue keeping it in good repair.  There have been constant electrical problems with this vehicle since day one and I don’t believe it will ever really be fixed unless the entire computer and half the wiring is replaced.

 One of the oddest electrical problems this car has had was when it would stay running for five or ten minutes after turning it off and removing the key before suddenly sputtering off.  It was never figured out how or why this happened it just went away eventually.  It’s lost all dash controls, power locks and windows have gone out. Turn signals would randomly stop working, fuses and sensors have blown for no apparent reason.

The current issue is that the engine is misfiring, another computer controlled issue. It’s not a fun one either, when stepping on the gas to merge onto the highway and suddenly finding I can’t speed up with a semi-trailer approaching at 110 Km/hr you get a little freaked out.

My husband and I are considering simply trading it in and it’s beginning to look like the smartest choice.  I have to face it we got a lemon, or cars are even worse these days then I thought.  It irritates me to replace such a new car that logically shouldn’t be having these issues but you do what you have to do.