Clearing the i Phone

How do you use your cell phone or is it more off than on  ?

Our i Phones are usually ' off  ' unless we are out and about

We use pay as you go via Speakout which piggybacks Rogers ( one of the big 3 , here in the sGWN. I carry a ' hotspot ' device that is used when away from home.

I do make notes and reminders to myself but often , NO , very often , I forget to check the notes etc

All right we really didn't need i Phone 4 s s.

Past notes :

While at Gatwick Airport , I asked the phone for ' location '

The Map app got me : I was bounded by the roads - Horley , Charlwood , Crawley E and Grimstead. 

I will clear the ' note ' now

Next note : Eating places

 All Bar One served chicken soulvaki to die for , located in central Bath ( while waiting for our train to London  via Reading )

Bathampton Freehouse , N of Bath , came up w / crispy duck salad

- rating very excellent

Porthmeor Cafe ,  Porthmoer Beach , St Ives , Cornwall , everything

Clearing the note now ( that I've reported to you )

i Phone now stripped to the bare essentials

Weather here , is another heat alert. In T.O. , this heat alert means cooling stations are set up around the city in public buildings e.g.

City Hall and community centres

Chance of showers as the day moves along. Saturday a cooler mass of air comes through and we are back to 80 F or lower which is below seasonal.

As well , our i Phones run apps and programs in the background.

To prevent over re - cycling which burns battery life , I close background programs.  This advice came from the web when I tried to find out why the i Phone burned through the battery life in 8 hrs.

One tip was to stop the background programs from running constantly.

When I click an icon the app is back immediately , so , no need for the program to be on unless its being used , right then.

On the show " West Wing " , one episode title was ' Friday is Trash Day ' , meaning left over news from the week went out to the press on Fri. Very apropos of to - day , clearing the i Phone 

Right back at ya'

A Life Unexamined ...........

.... is not worth living " some famous Greek guy

He was wrong , the unexamined Life can be good
I mean who wants to be all embarrassed ,their whole life

The day will hit 90 F for the high - we're still cocooned in A/C 
- the basement calls , again

And the ' heat ' goes on

............. whine , moan , bitch
This is our second day of hot , 90 +. I hibernated , yesterday and will hibernate aussi aujourdhui.
Apparently , this is our hottest day in 2 years. We could expect 2 - 3 sessions of HH , sticky and uncool in a year but not lately.

In the news , a boy of 1 1/2 y.o. , stepped out of the splash pad and onto a metal cover for a service tunnel and got second degree burns

Our Cdn dollar is really down vs. the greenback
$400 Cdn bought $317 U.S. Our economy is resource based and linked strongly to the price of oil. Oil down , Canada down. This means jobs and productivity. BTW , our min wage is way higher than the States and even w/out union input , all wages are relatively high.

OK Keep your cool , while others around you are losing theirs

We shall see said the Zen Master !

Bookmarks Brings You......................

............. the weird news from Fla. Yes , one of my ' bookmarks ' on the main laptop is for ' Weird Fla News ' , sometimes funny , many times stupid and many times , well , useless
This last read brought ' Leprosy cases rise in Fla ' and ' Bomb Ashore '.
An alarming rise in cases of leprosy is occurring in NE Fla. The disease is bacterial and treatable. The cause may be armadillos that can host the bacteria. Don't touch the armadillos.

On St Pete Bch , a WWII flash bomb was found on the sand. The news brought out archival knowledge of other strange flotsam from Fla beaches.

The weather is a heat wave that is a week long affair. HH is back and stays for the work week - longer , dunno - seems rain is due end of week . but thats only percentages now.

Post Its

For some of you , this blog is all off the top of my head
I mean , I never read the whole article but do infer a lot from the headline.  Truth or fiction ? Both , maybe

On the ' Stickies ' note on the baby laptop , I found a reference as below:

In the CBC , Sci - Tech web service , Whats Next for the West of  Norte Americanos.  Ha , ha funny me
No , El Nino returns w/ a vengeance next year.
the predication is for a hotter , drier year
gimme a break , hotter than what ?
well , the last 3 years

sGWN gets a dose of that this week. Predictions are for 90 F plus all week w/ rain due maybe in 6 days.
Basement work needs doing , then thats where I'll be

The TorStar , By the #s

As per usual , what did the week end Star have to say about the world.
Starbucks is invading Africa. As the number of middle class homes increases , so goes Starbucks conquest of the coffee universe. There are 22 000 Starbucks locations ( most of them in Toronto ). There are projected to be 15 million African households rated as middle class ( consuming $15 to 115 per day . didn't know that definition )
Both Starbucks and Seattle Coffee boast 90 outlets in Africa.

America and the car. The U.S. population of people is 320 million and cars 253 million. 

28                       % of major roads in poor condition                                                    meaning needs a rebuild

92                       % of Washington D.C. roads need rebuilding
  7                       % of Fla. roads need rebuilding ( nation's best )

515                     $ per driver in maintenance costs for bad roads

The solution ... eek ! raise the gasoline tax federally

The weather going to be warm and sultry - that means that we need the A/C on
We got a deluge and big blow yesterday afternoon
Clear so far.

Brekkies waiting , so off I go                                     

More on Breast - ology

A follow upon the CBC , concerned sources of breast milk.....  got ya  !
Really , the 2 countries U.S. and Canada ....... soooo different.
In the North , breast milk is collected at centres around the country. The ' volunteer ' mothers pump the milk and send the milk to the centres.
The milk is sent to hospitals for babies who cannot get the milk the normal way. This service is at cost for the hospital.
In the U.S. , mothers sell their milk for $1 an ounce to outlets that then send the product on to hospitals etc. The send on cost is $3.
Estimates say that mothers can make $ 800 a month.

Also in the CBC news feed , the report came in that verified that the world's average temperature , rose again , up 0.1 C . This average temperature has risen year on year for decades.
However , in Canada , the sGWN had a decrease in average temperature for winter , spring , summer but a normal fall.

There is a way to hack into the control systems of the Jeep Cherokee. The driver no longer controls certain functions. The Jeep people have a patch for the electronic problem. Here in Canada ,we don't need to worry........ typical Canadian outcome. Our cellular services have such limited connectivity that the hackers can't get in
Trust me , only in Canada.

Like ' Mother's Milk "

.............. whoa , at $ 5 / ounce.
The topic is breast milk , charge or give it free
In the U.S. breast milk can sell for $ 5 an ounce or `150 X what cow's milk sells for

The weather is terrif , sunny , high UV but the breeze has kept us cool.

rain to come this next 3 or so days

The trolley report : my idea of using spindles from the railing that were left in the shed up on the ' bee was a failure.
As was the 1 " PVC piping held w/ a bracket. The PVC kept falling over.
the next iteration is PVC pipe w/ a broomstick inside and a deck screw through the pipe and wood. This latter arrangement  is a lot more solid but useful .... ????? We shall see says you know who....

We all need breast milk and thats clear

Keep sucking  ( this sounds so obscene !!!! )

Google and Apple

.......have set records for earnings and net worth. I don't know which is which and I don't think it matters ..... the numbers are huge.
And I do say ' Google it ! ' as in look it up

Ah ,the instantaneous knowledge base.

My girlfriend Ashley Madison can't keep her mouth shut and will soon be blabbing about all our secrets. This could be embarrassing as I've told her about the blog here, soon I'll have a readership of 4 and then 6 OMG , what next

Weather cooled off to summer normal and the humidity is gone. I mean the stifling stuff.
In the West of Canada , forest fires rage in Saskatchewan , British Columbia and Alberta. As well , all of the lower mainland of BC has a drought going on. Water  restrictions apply , hello Calif.
And if thats not tough enough , parts of the delta region ( Fraser River flood plain ) have an explosion of mosquitoes. 
Drought = mosquitoes ????
Apparently , one species of mosquitoes thrives in dirty water from agricultural run off for example. There you go , tailor made conditions for the little guys

The buzz in Canada , for our southern readers - money payments for having kids. The Universal Child Benefit pays a monthly sum to parents of children 0 - 17 yrs of age. This benefit is taxable. 
Thus the average wage earner can expect to keep a little bit more than 1 / 2. Can you tell an election is near. The  ' republicans ' called the Conservative party is in power w/ a majority meaning that they can pass almost anything

Over and out , good buddy !

' A Better Place to Be '

..... are lyrics from a Harry Chapin song
Well , I'm here , at home and can say that line
( P.S. , this is not what the song was about , it was basically sad )
You see the line in front of the quote was ' anywhere is ...... '
, I guess , than here is the sense of it.

Here in the SGWN , I suppose that we are no different from many inhabitants of climates like ours. We hibernate through winter. We seldom see neighbours from NO through APr.
At this house , we also tend to hibernate in the summer. Heat and humidity etc.  We should be out enjoying the sun. Maybe , not.
However , we do have windows that open. In many condos , windows don't open the same way as in a house. Meaning , that these rooms were never intended to ventilate w/ outside air. Just re - circulated A/C or heating. At least we open our windows.

Further , I've started airing the bedspread and area rugs. These items hang on the porch railing for ten minutes to hours. I read somewhere that airing your coats and sweaters for even 10 minutes in the winter can freshen these items remarkably.  A real pain getting the rug out there but how else does it get fresh. I don't believe that vacuuming does much.
I also beat the rug when its out there on the rail. A veritable storm of white dust comes tumbling off the material. Well  , it makes me feel good anyway.
As well , in the same article on airing , the author suggested changing clothes when you get home . As in not wearing the dirt around the house , once you are home.

Ideas.  Are good . 
Change is ............ good
uncomfortable a lot of times 
but good
In the ' Women First ' magazine ( the Dr Oz one ) , a quote said
' changing the way you look at things , changes the thing , in your mind '  a little Jungian no doubt
I'm not sure that , that is Jungian - it sounded professional or something

Oh , weather is HH again , not as bad as yesterday til afternoon
The skies opened up around 4 P , and I mean deluge , sheets of rain for about 1 /2 hr and then off and on for 2 more hours
I went out after the first downpour and cleared the front gutters.

Hope you're in a good place , in all senses of the word

9 Years and 2 Ears

???
I lied. What is 9 years away , by spaceship , Pluto
The ' New Horizon ' space explorer reached the last planet in the solar system. Pluto is not technically a planet any more .... it was downgraded , slightly.
Scientists are excited by the pictures but it doesn't mean much to me. However ,thats their bag , so , go for it dudes.

The temperature at 9 A on the back deck is 78 F , yes folks a warm one coming.

Oh , that spending number for the military 1.7 trillion dollars

And Google has announced plans to tailor the ads it shows on customers screens based on your credit card balance. They'll show you what the algorithm says you can afford.

The Heat is On

The week end has arrived and the heat is back. Our temperatures go above normal and comes w/ humidity. We expect stretches of HH weather. We can get 3 , 4  - 5 day runs of uncomfortable HH each year. Last year , memory seems to say that we had 1 , 3 -  day spell of HH. tending to the dry side.
We shall see said the Zen Master

I hosted a poker game , last night. The tally , spent $ 90 on food etc and won $ 25.

The PanAm games are here in T.O. , T.O.- tonions have caught the excitement. Attendance for most events is good to great. Canada has led and is leading the medal haul w/ the U.S. second and close

More , later after the TorStar 

The day was hot but not a ' heat alert ' kind of day.

The World by the #s , focused on military spending. I gave up trying to understand the amounts. Basically , you could feed the undernourished people of the world on the U.S. military budget.
Buns not tanks was the motto of the page.
Fat chance !!!  those old men love their bombs and metal.

OK back to watching the PanAm games

Over and out

' a shiver goes up your spine ....

...... ' is a line from " Canadian Pickers " yes , the reality show that compares w/ American Pickers. These guys pay a little less and buy less rust. Scott sees Inuit carvings and gets all excited , hence the line.

The day is grey and rain threatens , we will get hot and humid for 3 days starting to - morrow.

To -day is a high social day. I'll meet friends at a pub at noon , buy supplies for hosting. The regular FR night poker league is playing here.

Know when to hold' em and know when to fold'em. I 'm not good at that last part.

The Ban the Kiss Movement

................ on  JU 16 1439 - kissing was banned in England , the aim was to prevent disease transmission - it didn't work

The day is marvy , sun , breeze and on the dry side

rap on rap
We heard an excerpt from Kanye b/c he is headlining the closing ceremonies for the Pan Am games being held here in the sGWN
Wasted on us.
When I heard Debbie Harry rap - you know  ' the man from Mars is through w/ cars ' or something like that
that was enough
one and done

" Your Kiss ....

.......your kiss is on my list " sang Hall and Oates in the 80's

Research has shown that of some 160 world cultures ,only 46 % have kissing as a sign of affection. The rest use ' Twitter ' , kidding , I made that up

The weather is bright , the backyard  is lit up. Temperatures are cool and winds moderate.
I'm recovering physically from the construction mode of TU. The backs of my thighs are sore to the touch. Amazing how some muscles don't get used in our lives here at home.

However , we fixed the cradle and the boat sits fairly nicely. 
" Fairly " ??? What are you talking about isn't it perfect. NO.
The original cradle was used for another boat , likely a  ' V - hull ' or standard lake boat.We used the existing wooden arms as a template. The bassboat seems to sit , relatively flatly , touching on all arms. The boat's stern is slightly skewed. Some finagling is probably needed.
At least , I'm a minor expert on finagling or seem to be - sort of doing it all my life.

We make a Costco run , to -day. Our goal always is get out spending under $ 160 . Easy , no , has it been done ,oh , maybe twice. Our record isn't good in this challenge - and it won't likely happen to - day.  More to - morrow.

" Your kiss is one of the best things in life
Your kiss is what I miss when I turn out the lights "

One and Done

....... ah , not quite
The boat cradle was the job this week  , at least finish it. To make the task easier , I took a nut splitter. The splitter needs to grip the whole nut. No way , Jose.
Plan B , cut a slot in the dome head of the carriage bolt. Yes !
Thus , 4 hrs later , done. M was a big , big help. It was hot and tiring 

As a reward the boat slid up and down the ramp like it was on rails
Well , actually , it is on rails.
As a reward , I slid out for an hour of fishing. thats my line , most days , put in an hour - b/c I can slip out like that.
Three largemouth bass co - operated. The second went airborne three times. And finally , the line went flying into the weeds and a walleye came crashing out. The measuring proved that the wally was over the size limit. Still a great morning 

Weather :warm and very humid to start , rain spitted down early , took a break and then opened up for ten minutes. The rest of the day , the spitting came and went until about 4 P.  Then it cooled a bit and got nice

A Classic

The song is ' My One and Only Love ' by Wood and Mellin circa 1935 ( ? )
A TV special starring YoYo Ma and a host of musical legends was on about 3 yrs ago.
I was introduced to ' Touch the Hand of Love ' written by Blossom Dearie and Mariah Blackwolf , as sung by Renee Fleming. And I've mentioned the YouTube Vid before.
And now , Joshua Redman and YoYo Ma doing ' My One and Only Love ' - had I heard it before - dunno   but loved it right off
I've been surfing the YouTube videos for versions of this song.
I've fallen in love w/ a guitar duet of Paul Bollenback and Ron Affif and I've only played the video 20 X so far. The video is 6 min and is jazz - y but quiet and tuneful. Look - er up , please.

The weather : sunny , warm going warmer and slightly humid which by the way for T.O. is stunning. We typically become a steam oven on hot days. Rain due over the next 3 days , light to medium level.

How is your day shaping up ? Ours is pathetic. Energy levels are down in the house... I guess that I mean , me but M is kinda dragging too !

We shall see said the Zen Master and me

a steal.....

.............. really

This is the actual page from the TorStar 15/ 07 / 11

For the southern readers , despite what you've heard / seen / believed
The 21.7 that you see is the % of GDP  that the U.S. spends on social services
the 17 number is Canada's comparable number
and the 31.9 is France

the weather : warm to hot and slightly humid but sunny like crazy

Be the one !

We Mark......

..... milestones in our lives. This AM , I completed my first Sodoku in pen - no rub outs or nothing
da da , v - i - c- t- o- r - y
Hey ! Wees takes them any way we can

As well , this is the unofficial anniversary of op Osm - the get fit plan
190 lb as the start
168 lb , this morning

The long haul was the goal - Achieved
As in all things , there must be a purpose and a meaning beyond some simple number - a reckoning if you like

there is a certain pride in the anniversary and result
but in truth , there better be something else 
thankfully , I remembered the Max V O2 test
despite the fact , that the test is lying down and breathing
at least its a fitness quantifier of sorts

Weather :  honey of a day , its honey nut cheerios

I am aching from construction on the 'bee and climbing the f****g
hill , over and over.
I'm up to 2 bass for the season - I mean when you're hot , you're hot

Factoids from the CBC website - Science and Tech

Bottled water outsells milk and beer by volume in the U.S.
3 / 10 Cdn households use bottled water
Bottled water is considered a food and is regulated by the rules that say , manufacturers  cannot make health claims and the product must do no harm - hey , feel better already
Bottled water may not contain arsenic , lead or coliform bacteria
and preparation must be sanitary - good one there

Spring and mineral water - labelled bottles must be fit for human consumption at source  - feeling warm and fuzzy all over

In the U. S. 45 % of bottled water is from municipal sources
In Canada , Nestle brand , pays $3.71 for a million L ( approx 250 000 gallons ) and charges $0 .60 a cup

Most municipal water must pass stringent testing before being piped out

Much bottled water is ozonated to kill bacteria and preserve the water

The shelf life of bottled water is opinion based. The standard guess is 2 years
The minimum is 1 yr and some opine that bottle water is eternal if not opened
I'm going w/ the 1 year number
At the 'bee , guests have stock piled bottled water in the basement
We're using the water , now to finish off the cases


By the numbers - 2sentsworth style
it takes 2 bottles to make coffee
1 bottle is used to brush our teeth for the day
the plastic bottles could float my dock

And it Follows..........

woe to woe
I'm bringing in the boat on the marine railway and the trolley lifts up on one side. Happened before , I leaned on the bow , NO , nothing moves. The wheel misses the next rail and bingo bango the trolley falls off the rails
One hour later , it s getting dark and I halt for the night.
Next morning , NO , not by myself. Call a neighbour and 5 minutes later , back on track.
As the boat comes up the railway , I notice a  ' real ' lean to the boat.
Why ?? The rear cradle arm has broken the stern is dropped - thus the bow is up. 
After 3 trips to the Home Hardware and swearing and et al , the cradle arm is replaced. A partial success b/c the stern is lower on the new side. This will . of course  , be remedied when both sides are fixed ...... Right !

Fishing is pathetique !  I'm low key and enjoying the ride.... fishing sucks !!
Weather : Steamy and uncomfortable Mon but stormy Tues.
Wed broke clear and cool , very dry
Thurs , couldn't quite make up it s mind , drops fell and then cloud and the sun burst through............... thats where we are now.

Greece is holding a bottle drive to make ends meet , financially , good luck there

To - Day is .....................

..................... positive day

The sun is out w/ no snow forecast - on the weather report 2 days ago , the screen showed the historic highs and lows , ours , 49 F that day.

The garden is abloom
The grass is abloom ( does grass bloom ? )
The wind is in the willows ( kinda borrowed that )

I'm alive and breathing
Home made raisin and bran muffins for brekkies plus coffee

Isn't this a load of bollocks !

More Pets

TorStar by the Numbers , this week end focussed on Pets , mostly dogs. Dog ownership is generally up. Sadly , more pets get adopted than children

Weather : sunny , warm and summer ideal. We have fine conditions but out West , dry and hot spawns forest fires especially , for Northern Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Growing conditions have been ideal here in the sGWN. The backyard has exploded in green. The dogwoods are wider and are catching up w/ the pine trees.

I'm A Yankee Noodle Dandy

paraphrased from G M Cohen

Happy 4 th of July , to the southern contingent

Dry air and warm , no sign of rain and none due for 4 days

Around here. In our laundry room , I hang towels to dry. We do not have a shower or tub facility on the main floor. Up til yesterday , I used a collapsible wooden clothes rack. Yes , it was wood w/ mildew stains starting in some places and yes , it collapsed , often. especially , when we didn't want it to collapse.
Pouring over the Lee Valley - Home and Garden Catalogue , I noticed coat hanger brackets that were adjustable. These hangers come out from the wall 11 inches and the angle can be varied , even w/ clothes hanging. There is a row of 3 / 4 in holes where the hangers can go through.
My jury rig idea - place two hangers 27 in apart and run the old rods from the clothes rack through the holes. Now , we have a collapsible clothes rack for towels that doesn't collapse unless you want it to collapse.
The space is neater and holds almost as much as the yester - year clothes rack. The rods are removable and the hangers fold down to within 1 1 / 2 in from the wall.
This was not the cheapest way to go. Lee Valley had an accordion clothes rack that came out form the wall and collapsed down but to within 8 in of the wall. I could have saved $ 8 , going the accordion route.
However , this system that I used is much more adaptable - and I get to brag. that last part is important

To cut the rods out , I used a vibrating cutter , hand tool - it was very fast. Then I noticed a blade that said ' metal and hard materials '. OK , smarty pants , when you were cutting copper pipe at 'bee in a tight place , why didn't you use the vibrating cutter
Dunno , duh , etc came out of my mouth
Oh well , .... oh well what , you dummy !

Enjoy you're day - I'm going down to play w/ the cutter

Age of ......

...... Reason
Is a show on advertising , a sort of ' who done it and to whom '
The show reveals the history of advertising , successes and failures

On Google news , an item caught my attention. Marketing is all about your angle. The announcement - the most exclusive website
which allows only viewer at a time.

Thus , 2sentsworth - the blog is now marketing itself as ' the second most exclusive ' website. W/ only 2 viewers , it couldn't get all that much more exclusive.

The welcome sign is out. Canada's high Arctic is being billed as the ' last refuge of polar bears '. Conditions up there still favour polar bears. Rents are low and food available in the freezer section. Valhalla or whatever 

Remember that I don't make this stuff up ! Its really out there on the web

U.S. gov't agencies are spending $60 Million to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. Of course , I've just started carp fishing - and lo and behold ,  the gov't is taking away the beasts. Perhaps this effort will be like most gov't  jobbies - as in poor to poorer ...... going down. I might be safe b/c my carp are common by name and location

The UK Diary cont'd
May 13 -our last full day in Bath was an eat in affair -for reasons available only to a select few. Morrison's supplied the grub. We went for cottage pie and sticky ribs. The ribs were ' grab and go ' from the deli. And canned beer , but good bitter ones.

May 14 - drive to St Ives ( nicking the bumper on the way ! ).
               We walked down hill to the ' Sloop Pub ' oldest in St Ives
                Yes , we only ate in the oldest pubs
                My choice , hand picked crab sandwich , I figured best                     that I've had. The beer was a local Otter Amber and                            excellent
May 15    again the Sloop , we are not fools. Opted for cottage pie                    and crab tart plus a mixed salad. Dyno ! mite .
May 16    Falling back on our usual habits , we stopped early in the                 day at the ' Rum and Crab ' , and for a change tried '                        Potion #9 ' , a non aphrodisiac but good beer.
                Dinner a the Sloop , and a plowman's lunch , standard                         Brit food , but at the Sloop , truly fab. And Korev ,                        Cornish lager

May 17   Walking and talking in the village we found the '                                 cafe ' on Porthmeor Beach. you've heard about it and                        now you seen it. snuggled into a ' pod ' on the                                    observation deck we drank and ate ( we are good at this )
                 If the sloop was a 10.5 , then Porthmeor was 11. Items                     such as duck confit and salads that were sublime. Of                        course , hindsight is 20 / 20. The PC crab sandwich was 
               pretty much the high point of our dining experience.
May 18    Porthmeor Cafe , reprise. This was after our aborted                        attempt to visit ' Lands End ' at he Cornwall tip. The tour                  bus didn't run til June and the train / bus combo was 5                      hours. Instead we trained it out of St Ives to St Erth , the                  most scenic train ride in Britain. Queen Victoria 's fav.

Please note that we walked and shopped as well , I've only given the highlights by diary.
2 nights in London , fish and chips as a finale -on the plane to home

Weather : sunny and warming , no rain for 4 days

Enjoy !!
                 

Reminiscing .......... via a Dairy

Since the money has come through for insurance re : UK car damage , I'm tossing all the paper that we carried during the trip and hauled home.
I found the calendar page , large box for days that I recorded our trip on. Thus, you get to re - live the trip w/ me.

May 4 land at Gatwick Airport , greeted by our hosts
May 5 try and act normal - we aren't , believe me. Our first fish and            dinner from the take away , beer in cans

May 6 off to downtown London and the Bateaux London river                    cruise , beer in bottles
May 7 out of London and Bath - ward bound. Our stop was Lacock
           , a village that refuses to allow overhead wires , satellite                    dishes and street paving - quaint This Lacock has been used              in ' Downton  Abbey ' and the Harry Potter series. Our meal              was at the Sign of the Angel pub - our first dynamic meal in            UK. Arrive in Bath and are delighted w/ our rental unit ,                  BTW ,mention my name at ' Kensington Chapel ' and the                   owner promised a 10 % discount. We ate deli food from
           Morrison's Supermarket
May 8 bango ! We're dying to go - we take the City Tour of Bath
           - the history and intrigue. My birthday , I chose the '                          Saracen's Head pub , oldest in Bath , 1713. I discovered '                   Old Wadworth ' ale ,delish.

May 9 For the same ticket we got the Skyline Tour - essentially                  Bath seen from the rim of the city. Bath is a river town , that            was gradually raised approx 20 ft to avoid the swampy                      ground. Followed by the boat trip up the Avon R to                          Bathhampton Mill freehouse pub. The ale was Gem Bitter
           and the winner up til then
May 10 - " Well , your the visitors where do you want to go "
            Answer " Wales and Newport ".  Drive , drive , drive
            get there and the town is dying - boarded shops etc.
             Grab a coffee and decide that the host remembers a seaside
            town , Weston - Super - Mare , and we're off. We take in                  the Sunday carvery ( roast beast and trimmings ) , the                        traditional  English Sunday meal. The ale was John Smith.

May 11 The trio do the Roman Bath ruins etc. I do a walk - a -                     bout. I find an excellent washroom and Marks and Spencer
            department store. At the ' Couer de Lion ' , smallest pub in                Bath , I taste the Adnans Southwold bitter. Terrific
             On a recommendation , from a tour guide we hit the Crystal
             Palace pub. Why the name ? Well , dummy its all glass                      inside - a fore court covered by a glass overhang
              Food was sensational and the beer was Butcombe Bitter
              Hey , think they like bitter there , you bet. Followed the                    BB w/ more BB

May 12 We are alone now the hosts went for home. We re - found                the Crystal Palace and Doombar and Bell Ringer Bitter.

TBC

Never the Same

I've mentioned my recent re - purchase of video sunglasses.
This pair is number 4 - #1 had the buttons fail to function after 3 weeks. #2 ( #1's replacement , replaced for free by the company ) was doing great until , well , I sat on them.
 #2 has been taped twice to stay on my face ,works great but is jury rigged to death. 
#3 pair is camouflage colour , and worked great but got dropped and can't be taped or fixed
Thus , # 4. I'm trouble shooting the picture on the laptop. Seems there is a lot more ' light flashes ' in the video.
Ok , OK I paid $50  what do you expect ! I get it.

Meanwhile on CBC , this morning , the topic your most memorable summer job. They run an interview at the Ottawa Valley Seniors Centre. This guy starts ' when I was 17 in 1957 ...... ' Crikey , that's me . The guy's 65 ..... get out of the seniors centre dude , you're way to young for there.

Rain and damp , plus humid

THIS IS CANADA DAY  - celebrating Canadian - ess - ness
Eat some beaver and have a brew
At Canada House in London , UK , the government is serving poutine , Alberta beef and bloody Caesars ( Caesar mix , clamato base bloody Mary is  Canadian invention )
This London community is the 3 rd largest Cdn ex - pat group

Have a great day !!