🚆... and three 0 arrives

 🚆 ....and goes September
coffee is ' on ' the hob. the view is gray ish w / high cloud

the major adjustment is the new phone. getting used to the different actions

last night, was Leacock Let s Meet Up [ LLMU ]. Normally, we sit in the open food court. and we did but arbitrarily decided that three people can head to a restaurant. I offered to drive and we headed upstairs. However , just peeking over we saw two stand alone eateries. One was Sansotei Ramen.

Took a flyer and got surprised. Menu choices were reasoanbly priced and the ramen was close to terrific.
Very quiet and they let us sit a jabber. Turns out that KL had never had ' ramen ' that didn't come in a package

So, all round - great choice

Chores. Decided a week ago, that having a dash cam in the car is useless unless you know how to operate the gizmo. First, how to identify the model. Take a photo and let Google image find the model #. Not quite but Google narrowed the model down to two. And YouTube did the rest.
BUT the instructions were a 26 min video. OR / read a manual in Chinglish / good luck.

Finally, correlated the instructions w / my model, close, enough. THEN the dash cam started to lock on ' record ' which is alright but the time was wrong.
Thirty min of troubleshooting and maybe, maybe the dashcam is working

Next. I was trying to forestall ice up problems that occurred last year. Since May 2026, there is a new heating cable and gutter screen [ keep the leaves out ]. I wanted to have the run off un hampered as the water leaves the downpipe. I created a waterfall effect, except the bottom piping froze. This freeze up required dis assemblying the pipes. So, I built a open trough system [ using an old vacuum shoot form a Toro leaf blower ]. After much, mental gymnastics, I have a way to put up the open trough. Not beautiful but functional [ maybe ]

🚜 29 on the charge ..... into Sept and beyond ....

 🚜  .... coffee [ check ] and the view is gray w/ high cloud cover, as in a blanket

What they don't tell you. New phone, ' lets transfer data. Done. But not all your apps are there.

Thus, take the old phone [ sorry 6 a ..... really ] and c.f. the screens. --- Oh, security controls.Oh, healthcare app .... . So far, its 6 and a bunch more I can tell ....

Richest of all. I bought a transparent case, drop protection [ absolutely ] THEN, I actually considered not using the screen protector that I added to the phone bundle.
Are you kidding me   ... Dumbo ! 

Job 1, then this AM. Follow up, protector went on smoothly. Quite pleased, can be a finicky task
Follow up, the sun broke out again. Quite the day

Noon. meeting at the bank. Setting up a new account

6:30 P was the meeting of Leacock people. Only 4 tonight. We started the standard greeting in the food court then progressed to Sansotei Ramen. Terrific meal.

A full day, all told

🛸 on the two eight of nine

   🛸........ alrighty, coffee is finished making noise ...
the view is gray and traces of wet on  the ground. cloud cover is complete

and the sun broke out for the bulk of the day. 

NEWS of the house.
Consumerism rampage.
 I bought a new phone.
 Pixel 6a was the phone this morning. And by 4 PM a Pixel 9 a showed up at the door.

WHY ? a new phone. I dropped the 6 a [ too many times ] and replaced the screen. But I didn't check to make sure that the shop restored the screen sensitivity. 
One year of updates remained. 

However, the gossip was that the 9 a was the most reasonable priced unit [ at $ 500 , if it got there ] c.f. the Pixel 9 / 9 pro / 10 / 10 pro. For the year, Pixel 9 a has been $ 679, even after the Pixel 10 dropped. Last night, you got it .... $ 500.

Lets admit that the others have features not found on the 9 a. But in truth, the 9 a is more than I need [ as in, I won't use 30 % of the new stuff ]. 
Yet, it will be fast and complete. And updated for 7 years, security and software

And realize the 9 a cost less than the Pixel 6 a. 
So, $ 500. yes, time to move

🚚 27 th of Sep

  🚚 ..... blueberry tea and the view is Eternal Blue and sun. 

In the kitchen, another shot at Japanese curry. Carrots and potatoes were sliced thin. Added some cabbage sliced a tad thinner than in the package. Add chicken stock and microwave at least 6 min.
Meanwhile, onion and garlic are slow sauteed. Then add mostly cooked veg. Use some more chicken stock for liquid. Pepper and Old Bay spice. Simmer for ten minutes and withdraw some liquid. Use the paste cubes from Japanese curry package. Dissolve the paste and then remove pan from heat. Now, swirl in the dissolved paste. Return to heat, let bubble.
The rice is microwaved w/ stock and after 1 min, I added gravy and leftover green beans. one more minute and add curry blend to one side of the rice.
Lunch. Nicely done. Definitely a success. And there are leftovers here. 

I did organize the corner desk. Tidy upped and such

🚐 on the twenty sixth

 🚐 ..... typing and coffee and sun ... the Eternal Blue

this is cleaning day and we prep the house - any attempt to make it look like we are not total slobs.
Ah
the struggle is the Glory 

" I have a picture pinned to my wall ....
an image of you ......   [ the Thompson Twins , circa 1985 ] 

the agenda. cleaning Saturday by the neighbour. all the upper floors and bathrooms [ 3 ].

the help is psychogical as well as physical. " someone is there to help [ besides me "

🚟 25 days will out ....

  🚟 ... the view is Eternal Blue and light
... yes, coffee and typing

🚖 say the 24 th of Septembrinus

  🚖 .... the view is sunny, Eternal Blue slightly wispy up there
coffee is burbling ...... 

🎢 23 and me .... advert slogan

  🎢  .... genetics for the masses  ....
sitting, taking in the view ..... gray ish and a titch of hope .....
drinking drip coffee from a pouch. Instant coffee where you pour the water thru the pouch affair. A little out of date ... but its coffee not apples

slipped out to Giant Tiger for essentials such as ice cream sandwiches. Oh, coleslsaw and cookies [ I said essentials ]

As well, dropped in at Church s Chicken for the ten piece special [fries and lrg gravy ]. We've eaten 3 pieces and likely CC will last til the weekend

it was a fall day, w / warmth

🛬 on the 22 nd of the month

  🛬 ...... we have sun [ coffee is burbling ] yet the temperature is going for 61 F. Yes, the cool th of the Fall is here

Fishing yesterday [ from the dock ] was limited but there was activity. The premise was originally, M  .. at lunch in Bowmanville and then a hour run to the  Q ' and a touch of fishing. M .. opted out of the lunch and I went alone. Met WL ... there later and returned home by    9:30 P

Today was a planning day. I an trying to restructure the back downspout. Gutter guards now in place, heating cables [ for ice build up ] and now get the winter run off to flow even in the freezing cold

🚆 bringing on the XXI of IX

   🚆....... the view, sunny beams for sure but there is cloud cover and the day will not top 60 F. the cool th of the year begins.
Although, the talk of El Nino for us is delayed cooling in the fall

Today is roadtrip adventure. Bwmnvl for lunch then a skip up to the Q ' . An overnighter on the Bee ' w / a dollop of fishing

💒 ...XX of IX

  💒  ...much cooler nights as of late .... the view is gray tinged w / clouds up there

a solid sleep [ pee d once ] and struggled up at 8:30 A

coffee is almost done but blueberry tea for now

Coffee was perfectomundo ! Next, what for morning starters - bread / toast as yesterday - No way Jose !

Japanese curry - fast version. Roast beef ( Friday leftovers) slivered w / onion and garlic, sauted. Frozen veg and carrots plus potato ( slivered)   are microwaved using Chicken stock 

Blend all together. Saute further. Need some water. Using pan liquid dissolve the curry pieces and add to main pan. Simmer and rest 

Add toast. Brekkie s. Yepper, use up leftover s. And a complete meal in a bowl, what else! Could you want

And beef curry again for supper over hot rice. Bonus !

🚖 .. coming at you ... Sep 19

  🚖 ....... a hangover when you didn't drink. Yes ,slept in - mega. Still dopey.
the view is hazy or my eyesight is ' hazy ' . Haven't been out but the window breeze feels cool

Our cousins visited and what a neat time. Lots of nostalgia and guffaws .... great

The cousins. three sisters, very close. Their children grew up in each other 's pockets. Maternal Grandparents kept the family close. We lived across the street from Grand s and the Grands house was the focus of everything. Birthday s etc and weekends - all happened at Moutray.
So these were the folks, last night.

Change. For the first time in months, I will wear sweatpants to sleep vs short s. It s getting that cool indoors 

🚤 speeding into September .... 18

   🚤  🚤 later in the day then usual, sunny and Eternal Blue. Yes, coffee but there was an 8 AM errand run to Simit, the Bagel 

We entertain today. A BIG adventure.        [ and I mean it ]. Serving bagels and cold cuts to the cousins. And this will be a rare get together. Last one was likely a funeral. Next one, likely a funeral 

Lynn visiting from Hawaii 

Brian coming down from Collingwood 

Wendy popping over from Yonge / Eglinton 

Ray lives S and W a bit

We grew up together in the late 50 s and 60 s. 

⛵ Sept 17, for the record ....

  ⛵⛵ .....ah, yes, coffee is available and the view is .....  gray and shows clouds forming in the Eternal Blue

Progress, early afternoon, blue sky showing, sun and a stiff wind   ....  day is comfortable

lunch was noodles and won ton plus veg. A touch of shopping breads, cakes [ dessert for Fri ] and rice
plus some dinner fixings [ sushi and breaded chicken ]

🛻 sixteen it is ....

  🛻🛻 typing w / coffee brewing and looking out on .... High cloud and sun .... definitely, fall is seeping in. Cooler nights and slightly cooler days 

Report :sluggish day. Accomplished. Ventilated the first floor, M .. objected on waking. I tried to exchange the air. First floor windows cracked and the hall fan running.

Clearing out stuff. I had packed older / not useful shorts and sweat pants plus some outer clothes [ very old and not my size anymore ]
Psych wise hard to toss clothes, sentimental, yes but more cheapness or '  I'll wear it one day ] ignoring ten years of ' not wearing it '
Thus, 3 bags of clothes are ready to go at the door

💺 fifteen it is ....

  💺💺...... coffee and typing .... daily newspaper is retrieved and appreciating being indoors.
Cold is the word and windy. WL started by stating Tues or Thurs might be best for me for fishing. Except rain. Then he types ' we ' ll go tomorrow [ Mon ] - what clairvoyance !!! Capital day, Monday

One problem [ sort of ], remains COOK the fish. We shall see said the Zen Master 

gray is the world, 

fish adventure in grilling. Alright but the skin stuck on too much and some bones came thru [ M .. not a bi fan of either ]. a marginal success

🚖 one four and .... more

  🚖🚖 ... ah, the morning view included Canada geese and sea gulls and the sun coming over the hills - on the ' Bee. Wind was NW and the temperature, jacket type day.

fishing. hot and rewarding. Nothing big [ bass were < # 1 ] but feisty. Sunfish aggressive and fun
the company was excellent, WL is relaxing.

🚧 welcome to the one three

  🚧🚧 .. the view, white - ness above and dimmer than usual light

yes, coffee and typing ......

First order: the bathroom scale read 80.3 in big LED THEN died. OK. Mr Fixit time.This day is weigh in morning. And I am not 80 anything anymore. 

Well, replace the batteries except when I flipped the scale over, I noticed that the selector was switched to ' Kg '. Ah, 80.3 Kg then

Then the display died. On inspection, the terminals were green covered. Electronic cleaner and sanding swabs, blow dry and reassemble. Success!

And the scale read 177.2 ( lb s we hope )

⛲⛲ 12 / 09

  ⛲⛲........ the Eternal Blue .... a little haze off in the South or SE

blueberry tea ..... to hydrate but coffee is burbling

cloudiness built in over the last hours. sunny but way less blue

for a change, I put together a ' Japanese ' curry. the seasoning paste or cube is the Japanese part, ' medium hot ' but I reduced the size of the paste mould that got put in. so, just right
I used thin beef roll and onion to begin the stir fry. Slow. Next potato strips and carrots were microwaved fro 3 - 4 min. Add the veg in and let bubble, adding water for several minutes
I scooped out some hot water from the pan and dissolved the paste / mould carefully.

On adding the now liquid flavour, a good stir then simmer for some minutes. Flavour coats the veg and meat, all the while the whole mixture thickens
Rice was ready and curry rice bowl, it is. Quite well done
Exercise finished as well

💈💈 11 th of sept

   💈💈........ and the view w / coffee in hand

.... the Eternal Blue and green and growing ...

Report. the sand ' grout ' or mortar is firm but may crumble

🚆 sept 10 2026

    🚆......... rain has ended. not flood worthy but significant. Hopefully, we will clear out today. And temperatures are 70 ish

ran out for a few things .... cookies and ice cream treats ..... then .....

some beer, some lunch and some fruit ......  buy. buy. bye.

🚁 number 9 in septumber

    🚁  ...... coffee and typing. the view is gray and threatening - perhaps, 24 h of rain chance

I hemmed a bit and covered the new re gapping of the stone blocks. I figured that a slow wetting is better than a downpour. And I thought giivng the sand mix time to settle was good

Aha, a trip to Walmart. Big, big store. 

🚆 the eighth day

  🚆 ....... of septembrinus. Ah, Eternal Blue and green and growing ...... Coffee and typing

Looking out on the view. the implements and bags and buckets of gravel, sand etc are put away.
I mixed topping concrete patch and sand 3 / 1. Going for a mix that hardens a bit and prevents weeds from using the gaps as a nutrient medium and home. The mix should spread easily [ yes ]. Harden slightly too.

We shall see said the Zen Master

The de structure of a flower bed. The raised stonework is flat. Rough maybe but flat. The look is decorative holding a garden baby carriage. However, there are plastic flower pots and small orange cones delineating the corners. 
We wait for settling or hardening or shifting [ please , NO ]

In winter, I hope that shovelling will be more efficient for the crew [ not me ] The boys may bring in the snowblower now that the area is open. And push all the snow over the lawn and not leave a mound waist high in front of the window, here.
As well, there is a puddle that forms at the NE corner of the flower bed [ low spot ]. When I lifted some blocks, I dug down two feet and used large gravel and fine gravel to create a dry well [ I hope ] hoping that the water now has a place to go.

⛴ seven it is .....

  ⛴ ... for us, the end of the Long Weekend or Bank Holiday. The view .....
Eternal Blue. Green and growing down here

Coffee and typing .....  Jobs for the week. set up the Samsung Mini LED TV, 55 inch.

🚚 6 th of the IX

  🚚 ... the journey to here and now.  8 AM - awakening starts 
9 AM eggs, garlic toast, bacon and coffee at the Q ' 
10 AM quick farewell and off for home
11 AM somewhere on the # 401 heading E and to T.O. traffic medium busy and flowing

12 noon and some, returning MT s at the beer store  and ordering Church s chicken for EX meal sometime this aft

1 PM and some sharpening spade bits that had been used and abused. Very rough effort, and the wear was noticeable on the bevel. I can now see the unlikely possibility of resetting the blade. Ah, ' the struggle is the glory '

2:20 P, and exercise complete. sweat galore and purging of toxins [ yeah, sure ]

plenty of water and lemon - rehydrate in progress

Alright ! the view is sunny and green - Eternal Blue

💚💚 septembrinus 5

 💚💚 .... quite different being away -  no other sounds but the vent fan. Eternal blue and the lightest of wispy cloud. Wow, a sleep in for me and then shower.
There are eight sleepers here, I am trying to make no noise

later, gator 

Got out fishing - very conservation minded. caught nada

Road report

 The view. Eternal Blue and rolling hills as a backdrop to water sheet between the pines.All good. Coffee and waking

Lunchtime catch

🚙 sept 3

  🚙 ....... the clearing skies offer hope
flooding was the byword for the day
Typing and waiting for the brew

So nice 🙂 

. Managed to get out fishing at the Q on the Bee. Very good day.

 However fish were a little sparse. I got one bass and Dave got one bass plus little ones but great time.

 Sun was out fairly strong but the wind was Northwest swinging to West and quite pleasant out there. A good day !

🚕 septembering 2

  🚕 alrighty. another month. letting you know that the view is damp and gray. that was audible, notable rain.

Coffee is warmed from yesterday. Groggily doing my duty

realized, sometime yesterday. I was concerned re : filling the gaps in the stone re structure of the flower bed, some of the gaps are too small to squeeze in binder material. slight adjustment needed

well, the question of rain to settle in the stones in the re structured flower bed is moot. Dirt is settled and packed by now

On the TV front, we have a 55 inch Samsung Q - something but it has mini LED lighting
which means ' better ? '  [ we hope ]. The rationale is: prices are not going down amid tarriff controversy or tit for tat. 

Kaboom is the battle cry of the day - all day from 3 P on ...... swimming pools of rain, white flashings across the darkening sky

🚥 September the first

  🚥 ..... and the view is damp and will remain that way.
Liar ! starting around noon the sun broke out. Yes, a touch of haze but sun

In house activities incl., the arrival of the PSW for help. Registration for mail in voting. Just easier. Checking out holiday rentals [ pretty sure that we will go back to Wellington ]

And out front to the de structured flower bed. Certainly, not a work of art. But is it good enough for a fall and winter. Criteria, safe to walk on and level enough to allow snow clearing.

The plan is to create a centre piece form a baby carriage and flower pots [ ? ] to make a perimeter and that will do the fall into snowfall. Once the snow comes down, take away the     ' art ' and leave the area bare

Almost there, then. 

and yes, clouding over for the last hour or so.