Lenore is a hamlet of a score of houses, some 50 inhabitants, a post office/general store, north west of Brandon. I'd say that all but one building in Lenore date from the beginning of the century, and many are very handsome.

The railway branch line that once terminated here hasn't run to Lenore since 1980 — only a grassy embankment remains. The village's grain silo was abandoned and has been crumbling for nearly two decades.

Inside, grain still whispers down from above when the breeze rustles through the silo's dry timbers, a shovel leans against a wall, and a dust mask hangs from a lever as if the operator has just stepped outside for a smoke (the bin plan, schedules, rules and regulations last updated in 1976, and various "No Smoking" notices fade on the silo walls).

Lenore's post office has a tin ceiling from which the paint is peeling (a result of the cold, we are told). It formed part of the set of a 1990 film "The Last Winter".

Along the street is a defunct Gulf gas station. There's a church and a curling rink and a school bell, the streets are tree-shaded and so quiet that the happy squeal of a child comes as a relief. No-one has fences.

The reason we are here is of course because the town bears Lenore's name. I take photographs of her in front of the silo, the post office, the gas station (the sign reads: "LENORE SERV_..") and the Lenore school bell.

The lady who runs the post office explains how the removal of the railway has made local grain farming much less economical, as growers have to compete for space in the distant silos with larger operators, and have to pay $100s to have their produce shipped.

A small boy wanders in as we talk and silently returns a video.

Outside, the sun is hot. A garage leans sideways, ready to collapse of old age and neglect. Flies dance in smoky clouds. Would that it was summer for ever!

| MANITOBA | LENORE'S TRAVEL DIARY |