This is the Christmas letter I sent around earlier this month, with some updating. It has been an eventful year for me, mostly for health issues, which I will get into later. I moved in the middle of January, and managed to get my stuff into a bachelor apartment. It is a bit cramped, but I seemed to have found a workable arrangement. Next month, I can apply for a larger apartment. I am not sure how long that will take. It has been interesting getting used to a new area, but it seems to be working out well. I had similar trips this year as last. I was in Charlottesville, Virginia again for five days in April, and two weeks at the end of June, early July. The group I go with is international and they do have a special event for Canada Day. The party was at the Omni beside the downtown pedestrian mall, and a street hockey game spilled out onto the pedestrian mall. I was standing on the perimeter, and many pedestrians were asking me why they were playing hockey in July. Ah, the teachable moment! In early August, I went up to Nipigon again to visit my sister Sally and her family. Once again, we enjoyed the Red Rock Folk Festival and many fine dinners at Hans and Joanna’s and Alan and Janice’s. I only did four days of supply teaching in the spring, and so I seem to have left that part of my life behind. It was a good run. A lot of my time has been taken up with medical concerns. It is a bit complicated to explain so bear with me, or just jump to the end. In the spring of 2012, I had a test for skin cancer on my forehead because I had a small pimple that kept oozing clear liquid. The test came back negative for skin cancer, and was diagnosed as an overactive sweat gland. Unfortunately, it never healed, so last February, my GP sent me to a plastic surgeon at North York General Hospital. He removed the pimple and sent it for testing. It came back positive for squamous cell carcinoma, so I went back for surgery on my forehead. He removed an area the size of a loonie ( for non Canadians, that is the Canadian dollar coin) and moved my scalp down to cover the area. It was a day procedure. All went well until the summer when another pimple showed up on one of the incision areas. The plastic surgeon referred me to the Head and Neck Department at Toronto General Hospital. They did an MRI and a CT Scan and discovered another area of squamous cell. At the end of September, I had a 10 hour surgery at TGH on my forehead to deal with more skin cancer that had appeared after my initial surgery last March. They removed a squamous cell tumour from my forehead above my right eye. Because of this, I have lost my right eyebrow. Then they took a skin flap from my left wrist to cover the area, and also a flap from my left thigh to cover the wrist. The skin flap on my forehead has a diameter of about 6 cm. They removed the lymph nodes from the right side of my face, so the cancer could not go down that way. In addition, they took a blood vessel from my left arm to put up the right side of my face to feed the new skin flap. I spent 8 days in the hospital, and once I had got home, I had to report every few days to Grace Hospital up the street to have the dressings changed. On October 30th, I started a daily ( M – F ) radiation treatments at Princess Margaret Hospital. Shortly after that began, we found a new area of cancer on my right temple, so the radiation therapy was revised. I have now finished radiation. ( total: 6 ½ weeks) It has made the right side of my face quite red, and at this point, the skin is starting to break up. Fortunately, there is very little pain. As the skin breaks up, we have to watch for infection. After the radiation finished, I met with the surgeon. He was concerned about the bump on my temple. He called in the radiation oncologist. He is not sure why the bump has not gone down. The tissue is softer than before, but they say it is 'worrisome'. I cannot do any further testing for at least 12 weeks, so I have to monitor it myself. I have been impressed with the care and treatment at both TGH and PMH, and feel that I am in the best place for treatment. Also, it is only a 20 minute walk from where I live. I have also been blessed by lots of help and encouragement from my friends in Toronto. I had lots of visitors in the hospital, and when I got home. My nephew Stephen and his wife Joanne drove from London . My sister Sally came down from Nipigon for a visit. Stephen drove from London to visit his mum and bring me a gift basket of food and wine from himself and his siblings. Many friends contributed great packages of food, and they keep coming. The freezer has never looked better. Have a great Christmas and all the best for the New Year 318 – 484 Church St. Toronto, ON M4Y 2C7 Tel: 416-925-5096 cliff.gatchell@gmail.com

Moving

I have said that I would post some details about my move. Many people have wondered why I was moving again so soon. Actually. moving here has been part of the plan for some time. When I sold my condo on Southport, and decided to rent from that point, I was advised by my lawyer to apply to live in the City Park Co-ops which are a complex of three 14 story buildings one block north of Church and Carlton, and directly north of Maple Leaf Gardens, the former hockey arena, and now the mega Loblaws store, and the Ryerson U hockey rink. My lawyer has lived in the complex for many years, and he invited me over for a drink to see the place. The buildings run between Wood and Alexander streets, and have Church St on the east, and the Marriott Courtyard Hotel (originally the Westbury) on the west, at Yonge St. They were rental buildings built in the 50's, but in the 70's, when there was a lot of apartment ownership flipping going on, the residents banded together to get the buildings organized as a government subsidized co-op. That means that 50% of the residents are on subsidized rents, and the rest of us on what is called 'market rate', although they are significantly cheaper than regular rental units. The complex is administered by a board of the residents. I was originally told it would take 10 years, and so I hesitated to apply but eventually did, before I moved to Charles St. Last December, I got word that I was to be interviewed to get a unit. I had to act quickly, but decided to go through with it. I had waited 6 years on the list. Everyone is required to move into a bachelor or studio apartment, but since it is an old building, they are large. Mine has a long hallway into it, so that takes up some of the space. The kitchen is a bit small with very little counter space, but the appliances are kept up to date. The bathroom is big, and the floor is small tiles, and it is heated. The unit is 21 feet wide, and there is a balcony the entire width of the apt. I am on the 3rd floor, facing west, overlooking a small park between two of the buildings. Resident volunteers look after the landscaping of the park areas. I am a short walk from either the College or Wellesley Subway stations. Having what may be the world's largest Loblaws (with the now legendary Wall of Cheese) is an advantage for grocery shopping. It takes up what was once the rink area, and centre ice is still there. I am also on the southern end of the Church Wellesley Village area, which has some nice restaurants, coffee shops and many bars, mostly gay. The buildings are old, and the public areas look tired. The units are kept up with new appliances and fixtures, but the heating is the old in wall rads, and my AC is a small unit in the window. However, the upside is that the rent ( known in this context as membership fee ) is low. When I left my apt on Charles, I was paying $1500 a month, and here I am playing $760. If you look at rental ads, you can hardly find a basement apt for that in the city. So it seemed to me to be a good decision in my retirement. Since I applied to live here, I have met many other residents, and they all rave about the place. There is a real community spirit, unusual in a big city, and most people are involved in many social activities or committees. After I have lived in the studio for a year, I can apply for a one bedroom apt. Apparently, the waiting time for that is much less. So, so far, so good. I am still living without curtains, and none of my pictures are up yet, but I'll get there.

I sent out my usual Christmas letter, but forgot to post it on here. Here it is: Dear Friends, It certainly seems like winter with all the gray days and cool temps. The Christmas season seems to be getting closer all the time, so it is time to get this off to you. This will be another very general report. Nothing major happened to me this past year. I am still happily retired, and doing some part time work as a substitute teacher at City Adult Learning Centre. I also sometimes get a few marking/grading assignments related to students entering university. My health remains good. I managed to get down to Charlottesville, Virginia twice this year.....five days in April and 2 weeks at the end of June and early July. I traveled with my friend Vince who had some work there. The town is very familiar now to me, and I always enjoy it there. In August, I flew up to Thunder Bay to join my sister at the Red Rock Folk Festival. Again, the festival was a lot of fun, and the weather was good. Most of my sister’s kids were there so there was a small family reunion. This past April, my sister Sally turned 80 and she is still doing fine and keeping very active. There will be some changes in the coming year. Back in 2007, I put in an application to live in the City Park Co-op apartment complex. I was told then there was a 10 yr waiting period, but I have just arranged to move there next month. It has taken just over 5 years. This is a complex of three high rise apt bldgs built back in the 50’s, just to the north of the old Maple Leaf Gardens. It has become a housing co-op subsidized by the Government of Ontario. It is a bit of a downscale, but the rents are a lot more reasonable, so that will be welcome. I have to move into a bachelor, and then once I have been there a year, I can apply for a 1 bedroom apt. Because it is an older building, the apts are larger, so the bachelor I am moving into is about the same square footage as the 1 bedroom I am now living in. I know a number of people who live there, and they rave about it, so I am hopeful it will turn out to be a sensible move. I will send out my new address and phone details as soon as they are finalized. I should be moving later in January.