1 p.m., Queen's Park - let's march

Here's what the British newspaper "the Independent" has to say about the summit:

You have to feel sorry for the poor Canadians. With a right-wing government hell-bent on massive public expenditure cuts, they have to fund not just one grand international summit with the G20 this weekend, but two, with the G8 summit on Friday ... And for what? So that Canada's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, can play host to world leaders and preen himself on his and his country's continued importance.

Well put, sir.

It's 8.15 a.m., and the helicopter just started its rounds above. It's a cool, grey day with rain forecast. No matter; there's a march at 1 p.m. today, and I'll be there. And then I'm going to mail my membership cheque to the Council of Canadians.

Almost all the speakers last night mentioned their children and grandchildren - what will be left for them? Maude Barlow told us that 80% of the world's fisheries have been depleted, horrifying statistics about the destruction of forests, the melting of glaciers, the grotesque disproportion between the world's richest and poorest, never more extreme than now. "The world's three richest men," she said, "own more than the world's 40 poorest countries." The poorest own 1% of the world's resources, and that number is going down. The level of unemployment worldwide is astronomical, and that number is going up.

And beside me sat my daughter, 29, who will inherit this world. How can she avoid feeling depressed, hearing that litany of disasters? Anna loves life, loves children, drinking and parties, eating and friendship. She says she wakes up every day glad to be going to a job she loves, caring for children. What better way is there to live than that? How did she get to be so smart?

I wrote here about my grand love for my garden. I just walked out under an umbrella to pick and eat today's crop of raspberries (five!) and to breathe in the pleasure and peace that comes from green and growing things. But today, I also love Maude Barlow and Naomi Klein and the others from last night and around the world, the people of conscience and action who spend their lives fighting to make the world our children will inherit a better one. Thank you. Thank you. Bless you.

P.S. Just logged on to see what today's "NYTimes" has to say about the summit. Not a single mention could I find. For us, a billion dollars spent and more. For them, not even worth a mention.