Aggregate \Ag"gre*gate\, a. [L. aggregatus, p. p.]

Formed by a collection of particulars into a whole mass or sum; collective. To bring together. Syn: To heap up; accumulate; pile; collect.


Background

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

CBC


I have a longstanding love affair with CBC Radio 1. It began innocently enough as a young girl in my grandparents home where it was a constant not-so-white-noise in the background. On hot summer days the sounds from my grandmothers antique 35 watt Motorola radio could be heard drifting out of the kitchen. The wonderful cadence and vocal tones of their hosts and story tellers, every half hour the regular musical cues aloft in the house. The sound of the 10 o'clock count takes me back there everyday. To Jintie's garden and afternoon tea in the seat that was my mother's when she was young.

On road trips with my parents we would listen to Radio 1 as long as we could get a signal. A signal was good, it meant postponing the inevitable Glen and Jeanie duet to Blue Rodeo/Conway Twitty/Johnny Cash/... or the like that I dreaded as a teenager. Life is funny that way. I would give almost anything to sit in that backseat and give an audience once more.

Later, at my husband's family cabin, the summer CBC found me all over again, rekindling the passion. My grandmother had since passed away and the infamous radio had been bequeathed to me. It sat patiently and quietly in my basement room at my parents house. Years passed and I finally brought the 6X12U to Vancouver where it found its new home on my kitchen counter. The radio became my young family's morning ritual with Jack and Isla chiming in excitedly, "he/she said Canada lives here, we live in Canada too!".

Now in Rossland, on the living room side table, my beloved radio sits silent once more. There are no AM signals here nestled between the mountains. Instead I have added an app to the iphone. Streaming FM radio live over the internet ushers in the old tradition of a radio-coloured backdrop in a new way, ensuring our home is filled with story telling and music from across the land.



4 comments:

  1. Hi there, my name's Chris, I work for the CBC here in Toronto.

    Just wanted to say, thanks for the lovely post, and, man, wish I had such a trusty (and may I say, stylish) radio around my house.

    Thanks again.

    Chris Ball
    CBC Public Affairs
    Twitter: @chrisjballCBC

    ReplyDelete
  2. I loved today's posting, mostly because I love the CBC but also because it brought back so many lovely memories!

    Thank-you Alicia for reminding me of the steadfast friendship the CBC's programming has offered our family over the years - going now into the fifth generation that I have personally witnessed. The CBC is our heritage and has helped to define our Canadian culture bringing us together from coast to coast.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh my gosh, no wonder you're my friend! I love CBC Radio 1 and Radio 2! I wake up to it, drive through traffic with it, study with it, etc. Like you, I'm amazed at the memories I have that are interwoven with CBC. I loved their After Jazz hours way back in the day and, it was initially what drew me to the radio in the first place since there was no quality Jazz radio at the time. I still love their modern, quirky quality programs. They really do make you think and appreciate Canadiana. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have recently rekindled my love of CBC 1 and I too have many childhood memories associated with the various shows. So many times we would sit in the car in our driveway having arrived home from some outing, but not being able to turn off the radio until the show had reached it's conclusion. And I too feel warm and fuzzy each time I hear 'Canada lives here.' Thanks CBC! Thanks Alicia :)

    ReplyDelete

Have I mentioned I ADORE your comments? Well I do - THANK YOU!!!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...