🚄 thirty one and ... Augustinian is gone

  🚄 ... or will be.
" what I've got they used to call the blues  ... [ from Rainy Days and Mondays - Carpenters ]

shiny and glistening is the view ... rain overnight and dripping still

ochazuke in hand, coffee in the thermos or vacuum bottle

a slow morning, so you might ask - ' what comprises a fast morning '. Today, TV for 2 h, comprising ' Patience ' the Br crime drama and some YouTube Videos '
Hemmed and hawed [ that takes a lot of time, you know ]
Finally, figured exercise might break the doldrums

Exercised done and so am I !

Köstritzer Edel Pils - bonus.  currently, my beer of choice

💡 30 th aug

  💡... sitting and typing. view. is gray and threatening for sure. Tea is waiting

and it became, ochazuke ! bonus

OK. the house is mostly prepped for fall and winter. gutter guards. heating cables.
As well, two trees had started shedding leaves about a week ago. Thus, very timely preparation.
One task remaining. the downspout at the back needs re structuring. It is metal and freezes especially at the bends or elbows. A more efficient tubing is required.

Sunday is Giant Tiger shopping day. We bought english muffin, dark sour dough rye, choco rolls, generic shampoo and a ' free ' replay for lotto 6 / 49. And pretzel and chips

I am indulging in vitamin G therapy. Guinness for health. ' life by the throat when you drinking Coke ' or Guinness

Sun is blooming over the view. Rain was splatterings for two hours or so

🏎 on the twenty ninth of the 8 th

  🏎  .... as the month slips away.
Yes, coffee and typing but a rag tag kind of morning. I slept til 8:30 but the cleaning neighbour comes at 10 - a kind of rag tag 1 h and a bit

Sunny out there, clouds have that gray to blackish appearance. Rain ????

Pineapple chicken and rice as the entree

Our day, or morning. The neighbour helper is here doing bathrooms. And outside the Roofer dude is doing gutter guard and ice cables. And we of course, sit and watch
or. I can YouTube the morning away

AND. does it feel weird having people work around your house. ????? maybe, today b / c it is outside and inside - all at once that is overwhelming

🚑 on the twenty eighth of the month

  🚑 ... waking up to the stair lift chiming b / c the electrics are out [ again, after 2 nights ago ] Emergency procedure dictates ' make tea and coffee ' 
now we'll survive the day. Electrics came back in minutes. 

Sunny and the Eternal Blue. Predicted cooling today. Warming up over the weekend

a reprint from notes, Aug 18 - > 

* T.O. drive was hectic til Pt Hope. W bound traffic seemed more intense. STOP at En Route, couple of clicks before X 522 turn off. Convenient w / Access, Parking.
Gas up on Hwy 33 just after turn off at ' flying animal ' gas station *

we were in Wellington, PEC from the 18 to 21

the day was quiet. some phone calls. 

🚙 ... august closing out sale is now ... on

  🚙  XXVII of augusting The morning so far. Coffee [ yesterday s brew ]. Gather fishing gear and out the door.
Headed for Pt Union Waterfront Park, about 8 Km away. Access to the Lake, and free parking.
A well organized, general purpose layout,  walking etc + playground facilities and exercise area.

The water was scummy w / the wind bringing in debris. The wave action was deep and breaking near shore. I tired a bit and gave up.
For an exploratory mission, it went well

Typing and looking at the view. Sunny but clouds are thickening a bit from earlier

Breakfast is clearing out the fridge b / c it is get garbage ready day. Regular garbage and recycling [ wet ]

We got WhatsApp d from UK relatives, they are stout hearted but burdened by family court trauma

My afternoon was. Nap. WhatsApp and exercise

🎃 26 th of augusting

  🎃 .... sitting and typing green tea in hand - coffee is perked and waiting
the view, is hazy and undecided big time. Rain is due but in 29 h or so [ ? ]

have a good 'un

follow up. the front flower bed dismantling. The situation at present, has the loose assembly of pavers etc covered by garden fabric. The pavers need time to settle. Especially, in this case, where the bedding is inconsistent and the pavers [ split stone ] not flat faced either.
Thinking ahead, I envision sand filling the gaps and then adding resin sand [ polymer on sand particles ] that will harden.
Esthetically, the baby carriage is a distraction from the crap underneath.

🚜 augustinian 25

   🚜 ... coffee in hand and typing, looking out on ...... a clearing day. Some warmth will build in. Rain chance is small

follow up. maybe time is sobering, maybe reality is reality. the re construction on the flower bed structure, looks ragged. Now, I do intend to fill the gaps between the slabs. What with, well, its being considered. Options include aggregate [ varying sizes ], patio sand [ will harden slightly, polymeric sand which will set quite solid [ and cost $ 250 to 300 ] or mortar [ like in bricks or block construction ].
Cheapest is sand
Expensive is the polymeric sand [ easy to apply and sets ]
Aggregate can be a good choice but might need topping [ to limit air gaps ]

mortar is what they used to use and CURSE in big letters

I'm trying a garden baby carriage as a focal point or distraction, bought 15 years ago. Rusty and supposedly ornamental
- just a try for fit and suitability

" little by little, we meet in the middle .... "

For temporary or semi temporary cover, mulch loosely layered. Or garden fabric stretched over the opening [ anti - weed also ]

back from shopping at $ 170 [ way below are average of 220 ] at Metro

⛽ 24 th of augustinian

  ⛽ ... sitting and no coffee  - yet. Dreary day and dribbles fall. Somehow, there is a lawnmower humming

more, when I awake. Breakfast was tomato and smoked meat on a rye sauced w / mayo and mustard

the project out front. it is not a large area. Approx nine rectangular stones 8 inches in depth, roughly 20 - 25 inches in length and ten inches across.
After this morning, I had approx 18 stones but only 3 - 4 inches in depth. Basically, the stones were halved horizontally, where they were easiest to separate [ layered construction ]. 

The weakest portion closest to the puddling water was deepened and filled w / coarse stone and topped by smaller aggregate and then sand [hoping for better drainage ] The limestone screenings that I dug out was soaking wet.
Now, the whole 4 x 4 area is covered in sandstone slabs but there are large [ 1 - 1 1 / 2 inches ] gaps b / c the slabs are irregular in shape on the ends and slightly on the sides. 

The hope is that these slabs will settle [ and they will in the coming rain and time ]. Next, I perhaps can cover the area  w / fairly fine stone to level out the appearance. 
The area will be covered by 4 flower pots or containers so people will not walk on the area. In winter, I hope that I can remove the pots and the landscape service can shovel the area.

Now, I wait for gravity to do its job and settle the slabs.

🚇 August 23 in MMXXVI

  🚇 coming at you live, from the window seat. view, is gloomy and threatening 
of course, the sun streaks some light as we sit here [ w / tea ]

Being Sunday, a Giant Tiger run is planned for milk, cheese, coleslaw, and meat pies plus ?????
follow up. Well, $ 58 later and I was out of the Tiger. Xtra s include pretzels [ not the culprit ] and a flap steak [ last layer of a bottom round ] which can be tough and grainy. However, takes a marinade well
Obviously, flap is prime for experimenting.

And yes, the rain came. However, I went ahead w/ a little project in the walkway.

 There is a raised flower bed 4 x 4 ft bordered by slate or some layered rock slabs. This arrangement sticks up about 4 or 5 inches above ground. Very little grows in the bed and actually, the structure is an impediment to snow removal [ leaves too ] and gets in the way for walking 

My solution was to turn the stones on their sides and level the whole thing. 

On first try the rock split horizontally. Hence the slate call or its sandstone 

 So, split them all and take the tops and put them into the middle, sealing the hole.
It was raining but I split 4 stones, a third of the way done. But this job is doable.

I've been procrastinating b / c last year, I tried lifting the smallest stone. A manageable piece but the biggest stone was 4 x that one 

🍥 the 22 of 8

  🍥  oh kay, back in the window seat, coffee and typing and wondering if I am awake

the view is threatening but that s been the pattern - swirling rain fronts

is the holiday relaxing ? different and we didn't do a lot. Even ate - in one day. the major trauma was my bite wound [ horsefly ???? dragon or gila monster ]

further to the week that was : FISHING or rather my kind of fishing or what I actually did.
Dreaming of far flung oases w / hidden lakes and fly in fishing  NO
I was able to walk down to the dock in three minutes. Drop in a trout magnet [ lure type ] and haul out 3 and 4 inch sunfish at will. Coming along were Largemouth bass ranging from 6 to 8 inches and up to 12 or so. Perfect for me.
New. Actually, what I have always loved and been able to do. 

The reality. Going to a new place requires some prep and luck. Not knowing the actual water conditions depth / weed cover etc I packed a varied assortment of lures and hooks. Turns out that my first go to was the charm.
 A trout magnet kit is based on  1 / 32 weight jigs and 1 inch plastic tidbits. Really, tubes of plastic stuff and a split tail. Nothing super special.
The sunfish took runs at the offering and swallowed the trout magnet.
That was my fishing. Yes, tried other ideas but came back to the original every time

rain and thunder and white flashings as the day ends

 

🗼 21 days into the month of aug

  🗼and the day was superb. Full sun, wind and seasonably mild
We have been away. So, finally, back in the window seat, looking at the street.
Comments.
relaxing ..... yes, I would say
truth here, I got bit on Tuesday in the lower thigh, four inches above the knee. Wednesday thru today, itching but burning mostly. I have been icing the area [ night and day ]. I was up three times to ice in the night

This is hay fever season and my histamines are already engaged. I guess any irritation rises to inflammation level under the circumstances

🏰 on the 20 the of Auggie

 🏰 an alternate day, away, coffee, yes, view rustic and fishing [ see a real change ]. And no fish sacrificed themselves this morning

rain threat lingers

Follow up: 12 noon and gloomy overcast scene  Met a former student for breakfast and catch up 

Further contact,Margaret w / long time teacher friend.

Quite the day

👹 Road notes for 19 the of VIII

 👹Coffee and everything bagel w / light touch of PB and J. View is a bit more rustic than usual  Highlights are trees and drizzle verging on steady 

Managed to slip out between the drops and wet my line. I decided to go a tad heavier and bigger. Plenty of hits but the takers were small ish. Overconfident sod !

Another try. Official results 2 X my bass count 

Lost a 2 # Largemouth at the dock in the scum mat

Over 20 sunfish - Victory in the lily pads

🫘 on the 18 th of VIII

  🫘 ... beans you say. This morning check in. Watered the wild flowers. Coffee and typing outlook on a sunny, slightly humid feel

Much to do w / seemingly plenty of time - always dangerous that bit.

Sun is dominant under the Eternal Blue. The Swedish have a traditional saying ' you can't slide in here on a shrimp sandwich ' - meaning denying privilege 

Lunch today was a ' East coast Nordic Shrimp Roll '   - flavourful hot doggy bun filled w / baby crustaceans blended in mayo and crisp veg / seasoned by Old Bay ( just like at home )

🏞 XVII of the eighth

  🏞 sitting in the window seat at a gray world w / streaks of sun flickering and flashing thru

tea in hand, trying to wake up
more later

a slow rolling morning, ended at 11 AM. Breakfast call at the Magic Noodle. Oh, yea, won ton soup and gamo. A bit different, but very Asian. I met A ... for the purpose of transferring a fishing rod [ from the Q ' ] to the Subaru for possible fishing

Sorry. Sunny day w / built in humidity. The prospects certainly picked up from 7:30 A

🧑‍💻 airwoman of VIII

  🧑‍💻 ... what is the title ? I mis typed and the auto correct offered ' ........ ' you got it

I will look it up onAI

Slow start to the day. Rice, fish and cabbage for brekkies. Beer at 11:45 AM
Did manage a run to the Tiger, for $ 58 but ...... I bought a XL light tan cotton mix over shirt for summer as a cover up [ anti sun and anti bugs - b / c the bugs have been nailing me, especially, below the hat line ]

On fishing. Spring and into June brought work on the marine railway. An estimate for hiring out the job - started at $ 7 K, and that was lowball calculating. Real number more like $ 10 000.
Using friends and A ... as the erstwhile foreman, the cost came down to $ 3 000 and some hundreds { ? }. There is a problem of the used lighter rails and trolley [ might be of some value. That was always going to be an extra

I figure July 15 was my first fishing trip out. Since, maybe, 5 trips. All short - leave early / come home early. WL says August is always a tough month - I figure most months are tough

5 bass and shut out the last 4 trips.

💎 15 augustus

  💎 ...the Ides of Augustus, is upon us. Well, sitting and re  hydrating. Clouds are gray and threatening.

barely awake but should make tea ? n'est - ce pas ......

on sleeping culture or habit .... I was finding myself, alternately warm ish and then cool. Wearing a robe to bed seems to be the solution

revisio. sunny day / winds gusting. fine summer weather

exercise on schedule. hit the benchmarks

🍣 on the 14 th of the VIII

     🍣 ... is this part of the ' blogger-verse ' ? or more

Sitting and typing ..... casino app 201 and ochazuke
errands are Shoppers and oil change at Speedy

the morning report : Speedy. mechanic said that he was glad to see the car in good shape. Cost, all in, oil change and quick once over $ 120.

Shoppers was quiet and in and out accomplished. Detoured by the Liquor store. As a reward, naturally.

Thus, both vehicles are reliable and the Subaru hits the road soon 

Fishing. Dad took us fishing at 6 y.o. or so And three score and ten later, still doing it and looking forward as well 

🍑 13 th of the VIII

    🍑 .... sitting and sipping hot and sour soup. the view is sunny and still. Rain ? likely hanging round. As mentioned this is the El Nino pattern for the summer. 

Sleep was knockout city. Tired of what

follow up : the standard system for my Boat and ETec, does not connect the primer circuit to the engine. Thus, pushing in the key would not prime the engine. BUT, there is a note saying to pause before turning the key - aha, a pause, as in ' push twice ' 

🌀 ...Summer Wind ....

  🌀 .... came blowing in .....

August 12 mixed day. Up at 5:15 A On the road at 6 A. Coffee and BLT ( sad, w / egg and no mayo - dry and mediocre)

Bass boat launch was trouble free. Engine balked and caught. Fishing was meager. Not super hot. Breeze intermittent and refreshing.

Now. The hiccups. On the stairs down to the river, a shed size tangle of branches semi obscured - everything after a tree limb snapped! After fishing we cut a path. ( not me, b / c I was phone trapped explaining the mess to A ... )

Starting the ETec 1. Today, I turned the ignition key, waited for LED s to cycle and turned the key ' On ' .... pushed in the key in twice. Engine caught, purred )

The conundrum : the written instrxns  mention that the ETec is self starting. But IT doesn't! That move is called ' priming '

Instructions are not correct. The start up needs the prime action

Over the years, I have waffled back and forth ... but now, I think the engine needs the priming

Live and learn

🚙 XI of eight - imous

  🚙... dreary in the ' boro. Cuppa and looking out on gray, cloud cover high 90 %

predicted T storms, I believe. While I sit and wait for an oil change and check. This business, Speedy, is new but reputedly, reliable

We shall see said the Zen Master

How an oil change turns into $ 1 100. B / c the shop suggested, change the spark plug and drain and refill the transmission. Further, details, in fall 2025, I opted for 2 transmission fluid drain and fills. The math says that approx 1 / 3 of the transmission fluid is in the engine parts and doesn't exchange. I did 2 transmission exchanges to clean out approx 80 % of the transmission fluid.
When the shop today, said the transmission fluid needed an exchange, yes, good timing.PLUS, the hop suggested changing the spark plugs. And, since I cannot recall, changing the plugs .... well, likely time ? right !

there you go, $ 1 100

And the Subaru goes in Friday

Dinner was throw together but delish. Potatoes pan fired til golden. Scallops wrapped in bacon, mixed veg

🛺 X of eight MMXXVI

  🛺 .... shady out there [ no Eternal Blue showing ] Tea and typing .... looking out on the street

A day of errands. License and Health card renewal s. Easy and quick. Them. Lunch out at Tara Pub
Rare afternoon outing. Quite successful. Best of all, it helped build  M ... s confidence

🫘 IX of VIII

   🫘 .... sitting and typing, 2 day old coffee. Sun and the Eternal Blue. Still got that the humid feeling as we are in that loop or cycle [ storms etc ]

And I am getting bit [ as in insects ]. Watering the wild flowers this AM, right on the calf. Poof, just like that

Sunday rituals incl a trip to Giant Tiger. And coleslaw, breads and eggs

The day is sunny and humid. Breeze is essential

Exercise completed. Nothing outre to report

Dinner was  M ... s chili and garlic bread

🛵 eighth of the VIII

  🛵 or 26 / 08 - 08. Late getting to the blog. We were readying the house for the NCL and I was playing w / the ' new ' foyer light up lantern. Bigger and brighter, very deco

dreary outside. rain is around and about

sun popped out. still humid as all get out

House is cleaner. All floors on the first done plus the kitchen
Well done. I mean the house feels like someone cared, always a comfort. 
Yes, we need help maintaining the place.
c.f. moving out or seniors residence. easier but then you are paying someone to walk and do things

🚕 7 th augustus

  🚕..... sitting and typing. Tea and rice cooking

Long day, Wed. Up at 5:15 AM home at 8:30 PM
Hot and humid day, broken by clouds and sudden downpours BUT we were in the boathouse, each time. Plus, the work was all to make recovery of bassboat simpler

How are you feeling tired but up. Weren't you supposed to sleep, like - forever, guess not b / c I was up at 7 AM

Visited the Speedy garage not  " Muffler, anymore "  recommended by the neighbour. A competent advisor addressed the need for an oil change etc. Going in next Tuesday.

Walked in to Princess Auto, $ 48 late - I escaped. Some fishing jigs ( $ 6 for 10), re use  owels and gloves plus string lights.

the string lites are LED and programmable. In the front foyer, seasonally, there is a welcome to " Las Vegas " flashing sign. The sign is 7 inches tall. Soon to be replaced by a 30 inch tall lantern cage [ glass sided ] and yes, string lights - suspended in the glass sided enclosure.
Stay tuned for the latest pix

🀄 augustus 6 ieme

  🀄..... a day away. Fishing for two hours and a bit. Then we worked to make the bassboat dock in the cradle - more easily
success, the jury is out
 a long hot and humid day. not back breaking ,but tedious and relatively useful
We shall see said the Zen Master [ yeah, one of those

🚏 aug 5 in the ' boro

  🚏 sitting w / coffee but weak tea first. Sunny is the view, Eternal Blue. Wind seems fairly still.

A .. will come today and take  M ... to the hairdressers. And fish and chips for lunch [ ???? ]

Project projection screen ..... rating a dismal pass. WL ... gave me a full size projection screen. The frame sets up as 6 x 6 ft w / a base framework  that goes back 3 1 / 2 ft. Downstairs, in the fireplace room it looks like half the room is screen.
Thus, I used half the poles and no base. The frame could sit on a console. The screen needed to be cut down to size. 
I ended up using double sided tape [ very stick and a pain ] to fold the screen over the pole s and tack the free end down. There was a bit a looseness in the surface.
The trial projection was alright but likely 80 % of true appearance on the laptop. Further research verified that the brightness and reproduction would be limited. The projector is rated at 300 nits and for reference that 300 is barely adequate for a computer screen.
Well.
In summary, not a tragic loss. The screen came free and the abridged setup can still be used. The projector is fully portable and I do have ideas about uses

The plans fell thru/ I drove M ... to the hairdressers. 
After. I zipped up to Chartwell Plaza and Yogi s Noodles. A 35. Beef noodle and wonton plus Chinese greens and soya milk. There is Bak choy in the soup as well.
My new favourite. It is food court style eating but 13 dollars. { keep the soya milk please

Next was Bestco [ Asian food store ]. At the hot table area, I bought inari                         
 [ aka ' suitcases 'from our growing up ]. Chicken pot pies [ on the sweet side ]. Frozen corn and dessert

🫖 augustus IV MMXXVI

  🫖 .... truck is back. Woke up at looked out and Ridgeline was in the driveway. A .. back form the airport run.

Ahead ..... ????  Full sun and Eternal Blue. Sitting and ochazuke AND Mc D s coffee first in the driveway

Buy a new TV !!! says M ...
instead, I fiddled for two hrs to produce ' a wavy screen ' for the projector. Analysis : the bristol board was superior
YouTube videos did emphasize that screen irregularites was a big bug a boo. Even expensive screens show the waviness along the edges

So, off to Michael s or Staples for a type of board  that is slightly relective or maybe even matte

🧥 augustus 3

  🧥 ... dreary and sitting tea this morning ... hydration is key

yes. rain overnight. part of the cycle that we are in Ah, El Nino, as predicted, cooler and rainier

on retirement. how can you tell ? Firstly, A ... has my truck for  luggage portage to the airport. BUT air crew strike cancelled flights - with the chance of re- booking, ' tomorrow '. He left his sedan.
While waiting cor news this AM, we began watching ' Pan Am 103 ', the Lockerbie 747 crash [but becomes bombing after 20 minutes ]. Sat and watched
meanwhile, I was exploring screen setups for the projector project in the fireplace room

🥭 🥭 080226

  🥭 🥭 ... peeled my 2 nd mango in 76 yrs. This last was smaller at tangerine size.

sitting in the window seat, tea and watching the rain pelt down. Precipitation was expected      [ part of the swirl around pattern ]
TG, the view is dominated by silver leaf dogwoods, pine and maple

I accomplished the Giant T. run. Slippers and ice cream bars were the target and I spent $ 42 all in. Actually, more or less essentials.

Rain is alternating between threat and buckets - the crash of thunder too !

My latest project is an ' alternate to buying a new TV for downstairs '. That Sony wasn't hooked up to cable and I was using a laptop [ HDMI or Chromecast ]. So, using a projector would be the same. Indeed, the projector was purchased 2025, acknowledging the age of the 2 Sony TV s.
I purchased a 50 inch screen [ tabletop, ?? ] but in the meantime, WL .... offered a full size projection screen.
I spent time on Friday and Saturday, trying to jerry rig a setup. This afternoon, I taped a bristol board to a picture frame. The image produced is better than the screen.That s b / c I can take the flex out of the bristol board but the screen floats on the edges as assembled.

💬 080126

  💬 .... sitting in the window seat ..... at a gray world. we are in an up and down system, rain and such
still a pleasant view
... from ' Dr Strange ' [ the sorcerer ], the quote,   " the bill comes due, the bill always comes due ...."

Yep. feeling the fishing days, ooh, groggy this morning. Well, that was two mornings up at 4 or 5 .... ' ah, the struggle is the glory ... [ from, the Ghost and the Darkness ]

ncl [ neighbour cleaning lady and reconteur ], did the bathrooms and upstairs floors.

from WL .. a projection screen. Full size - half the room. I'm re jigging and using half the aluminum bars and connectors. Picture as projected,  80 % the quality of the TV.
I did move the console out of the way BUT now, I'm thinking suspend the screen from the ceiling [ less bars ] and bring the console back