Canadian couple entertain and educate neighbours with ever-changing flags outside their home
Canadian couple entertain and educate neighbours with ever-changing flags outside their home
For a couple in Halifax, putting up various flags on their front step is about sharing a love for history.
The house belonging to local historians Dan Conlin and his wife Patricia Acheson looks like any other on the block, except for one detail: every day, they fly a different flag outside of their house.
“I’ve always been interested in the history of flags and the beauty and interest of their designs and I used to work at the Maritimes Museum of the Atlantic — flags are a big part of the world of ships,” Conlin, a local historian in Halifax, told CTV News.
Each morning, the couple decides which colours they will fly. Then comes a discussion on what hand-written fact to put outside with the flag for passersby.
The day CTV News visited, the house was sporting the bold red and white stripes of Austria.
“We just do it for fun,” Acheson told CTV News. “It’s a little hobby and it’s a chance to talk to the neighbours.”
It’s not always official flags — the couple has flown a homemade patchwork design for Christmas, the infamous black flag flown by the pirate Blackbeard, and even an IKEA bag, mounted with its handles blowing in the breeze. Variety is the key, the couple says.
“Patricia and I love to sort of take an interesting look at some strange inventions or oddball coincidences,” Conlin said, explaining that finding out an interesting occurrence happened on a certain day could help them choose that day’s flag.
“Zazel the Human Cannonball, that’s a good excuse to use the British flag,” he said, referring to an English aerialist from the 1800s.
The idea for posting flags outside of their home came to them two years ago during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. As more people were working from home, more were also in need of getting out of the house.
“People were looking for a destination and our flag became the destination for a lot of people’s walks,” Conlin said.
Because the couple post a handwritten note about that day’s flag on the banister of their steps, some who pause to read are even treated to a quick history lesson.
The flying of the Austrian flag, for instance, came with a note stating that it was marking the birthday of artist Gustav Klimt in 1862, “known for his decorative and symbolic works using gold leaf, such as ‘The Kiss’.”
“It’s both history and art,” one neighbour told CTV News, standing underneath the Austrian flag. “This one is about Gustav Klimt and Austria, which I certainly wouldn’t be able to tell you, and I hope it’s not in the exam.”
The couple now have more than 70 flags, which they keep tucked away in their basement when not on display.
People have even gifted them new flags, but for Conlin, the best part isn’t the flags themselves, but hearing the excitement of pure discovery when others see them.
“We see people slowing down or crossing the street all the time – interesting discussions of ‘oh, that’s the day he was born,’” Conlin said.
So no matter what colour flag they fly, the couple says the reward is in the new relationships they make along the way.
China's military rebuked the United States and Canada for 'deliberately provoking risk' after the countries' navies staged a rare joint sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
New study finds increase in antipsychotic drugs use in long-term care homes across Canada, despite no significant increase in behavioural symptoms – something that may expose a potential area of concern for quality of care, researchers say.
Heavy rain and some military reinforcements arrived to assist efforts on Saturday to quell the wildfires that have destroyed homes and caused the evacuation of thousands of people across Nova Scotia.
Another northern Quebec town was evacuated due to an out of control wildfire on Saturday as the federal government confirmed that Canadian Forces personnel would be deployed to help combat forest fires in the province.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says the process to sell the Ottawa Senators is moving forward as "quickly as possible," and the New York-based company overseeing the sale is advising to "expect a very good outcome in the next few weeks."
The U.S. Ambassador to Canada says America 'absolutely wants to have it both ways' when it comes to fighting climate change while pursuing fossil fuel projects.
Post tropical storm Fiona showed how quickly Canadians can be displaced by climate change. W5 looks into whether more people living in vulnerable areas will have to consider moving in the years to come.
Convicted murderer Daniel Jolivet, in prison for the past 30 years, has maintained his innocence since the day he was arrested. W5 reviews the evidence he painstakingly assembled while behind bars.
W5 Producer Shelley Ayres explains how she was in awe to meet what the Guinness Book of World Record's has named the World's Tallest Teenager, a 17-year-old from Quebec who plays for Team Canada.
CTV W5 investigates what authorities knew about plans to smuggle cocaine out of the Dominican Republic on a Toronto-bound Pivot Airlines flight. The airline's crew is demanding justice following their eight-month detention.
Gordie Sampson has written hit songs for some of the biggest names in country music, including Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan. CTV W5 speaks with the Grammy winner from small-town Nova Scotia about his creative process.
Toronto police say the five suspects involved in a stabbing at Kennedy Station Friday night that left a man in critical condition are between the ages of 12 and 15 years old.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says the process to sell the Ottawa Senators is moving forward as "quickly as possible," and the New York-based company overseeing the sale is advising to "expect a very good outcome in the next few weeks."
A day of action held across Ontario saw the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) taking aim at a number of issues impacting community members, such as the cost of living.
Todd Edginton could hardly believe his eyes when he looked out his back door to find a wind turbine on fire. He wasn’t alone, as people stopped just north of Goderich to see the spectacle unfold.
Heavy rain and some military reinforcements arrived to assist efforts on Saturday to quell the wildfires that have destroyed homes and caused the evacuation of thousands of people across Nova Scotia.
It was a historic day in Manitoba. From across Canada, an estimated 4,000 Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) citizens showed up in person or online for an extraordinary general assembly.
Winnipegger Howie Prociuk was on a father/son trip south of the border to see the Toronto Blue Jays take on the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis last month, when a funny thought occurred to him.
Experts say 1,500 recently announced job losses at Suncor Energy Inc. are an example of the type of "collateral damage" that can occur when an activist investor comes calling.
The Young Master Club celebrated its 16th anniversary with a Taekwondo festival at the Alberta Avenue Community League, where students showcased their techniques.
Defence Minister Anita Anand says Canada is committed to the support of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, and is reinforcing its military presence in the region.
Jenny Kwan has been outspoken against human-rights violations by the Chinese Communist Party and often advocates for the country's Uyghur Muslim minority. The Hong Kong-born member of Parliament said in an interview with The Canadian Press that that's what made her an 'evergreen' target of the Chinese government.
New study finds increase in antipsychotic drugs use in long-term care homes across Canada, despite no significant increase in behavioural symptoms – something that may expose a potential area of concern for quality of care, researchers say.
The number of people in Canada with inflammatory bowel disease is increasing rapidly and is expected to grow to 470,000 by 2035, according to a new report from Crohn's and Colitis Canada.
Racial bias built into a common medical test for lung function is likely leading to fewer Black patients getting care for breathing problems, a study published Thursday suggests.
Twitter's head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, told Reuters on Thursday that she has resigned from the social media company, which has faced criticism for lax protections against harmful content since billionaire Elon Musk acquired it in October.
Deep in an open coal mine in southern Greece, researchers have discovered the antiquities-rich country's oldest archaeological site, which dates to 700,000 years ago and is associated with modern humans' hominin ancestors. The find announced Thursday would drag the dawn of Greek archaeology back by as much as a quarter of a million years, although older hominin sites have been discovered elsewhere in Europe. The oldest, in Spain, dates to more than a million years ago.
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, director Christopher Nolan offers a guide to his favourite formats, explaining why it matters and even where he likes to sit so that audiences don't feel like they need a film school degree (or one in theoretical physics) before settling on a theatre.
Walt Disney's Pixar Animation Studios has eliminated 75 positions including those of two executives behind box office disappointment 'Lightyear,' sources said on Saturday, the first significant job cuts at the studio in a decade.
Air Canada says travellers should be prepared for further flight disruptions as it works to return service to normal following a technical malfunction Thursday.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says the process to sell the Ottawa Senators is moving forward as "quickly as possible," and the New York-based company overseeing the sale is advising to "expect a very good outcome in the next few weeks."
Zach Whitecloud scored from long-range with just over 13 minutes left, after Adin Hill made arguably the best save of the playoffs, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers 5-2 Saturday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final.
Bianca Andreescu was eliminated from the French Open after losing to Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, in the third round on Saturday.
America apparently needs more car seats. So, when Volkswagen unveiled the ID. Buzz, a retro-styled electric van, last year, it noted that the version for the North American market would be longer and would have three rows of seats.
