Happy Holidays

.... To everyone that passes by. Hope it is a peaceful time ...

... and all the best for 2010

A basement in transition

When I bought my home, the basement had thin siding on it - but there was no insulation. That is a no-no in a Canadian climate.



I took the siding away - and - oh no. Look what I discovered below!


A red wall, with questionable artwork .... and even worse ... see below ...


Black mold!!!


I got rid of the mold (with great difficulty .... and scraped the entire wall as seen here. This is the only picture I have of this, which I don't mind ....

This month, I bought a bundle of styrofoam....



and so this is what my basement currently looks like. I need to do a bit of sealing around some cracks. Then the next steps are to put new windows in, drywall, subfloor and ceiling tiles.

This actually will become my bedroom for awhile as I plan to rent two bedrooms on the main floor.

Lots of work, but great satisfaction too.

Thanks ....

On this day of remembrance in Canada. I want to thank all those who have served for my country and in the allied forces for their sacrifices.

War can tear countries apart - or bring them closer together.
War isn't always right and I don't support every one.
But, for those who believe strongly in supporting their country in combat - that is an unbelievable personal sacrifice that I acknowledge.

Mostly on this day, I think of the two great (and horrific) wars that happened in the last century and greatly shaped how we live today. The poem below was written by a Canadian medic serving in Belgium just before he passed away.


In Flanders Fields
by John McCrea - May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

The poppies referred to in the poem grew in profusion in Flanders in the spoiled earth of the battlefields and cemeteries where war casualties were buried and thus became a symbol of Remembrance Day, November 11.

Flanders Fields was the site where around half a million deaths occurred in the horrific trenches of World War I. There are numerous military cemeteries and ‘Missing Memorials’ in the region commemorating those of all nationalities who fell in battle. Most of the soldiers who perished were the victims of poison gas attacks.

Curling Season has begun

The days in Canada vary drastically between summer and winter. In summer, the sun shines on us until 9:00 pm or later, but in winter the sun sinks beyond the horizon as early as 4:00 pm. So, now that we are approaching winter and the sun is making shorter daily appearances, I like so many other Canadians, turn to the sport of curling to help get through the dark evenings.

I began curling when I was 11, so obviously I have been doing it for a long time. During my teens and early 20s I was extremely competitive and had some relative success before taking seasonal breaks on and off for travel and other interests. But for the last three years I've become once again addictive and hope to regenerate some of my competitive ways and if I'm lucky, equal some of my earlier success. (So far I've curled seven games in the club, three mixed and four womens and have a record of seven wins - yeah!)

This upcoming year, we host the Olympics in Vancouver. Curling is one of the sports where Canada is hoping to medal in both the women's and men's competitions. Our representative have yet to be determined so all eyes are on our potential teams. Trials begin in November and conclude in December.

In the Toronto area these last five days, an mens elite international curling competition was held - with with five of Canada's top teams competing. I was lucky to have won tickets to the event and saw some fine play. Good practice as well for these Canadian teams before they enter the Olympic trials by playing the top teams from other nations that have already been declared as their country's Olympic representatives.

I'm just home from the finals where Canada's Glenn Howard (the 2007 world champ) won the competition. Here are some pictures from the competition.

Brad Gushue from Newfound and 2006 Olympic Gold medalist.

Alberta's Kevin Martin, 2002 Olympic Silver medalist

The Randy Ferby team from Edmonton Alberta, four-time Canadian and two-time World champs

The Ontario Glenn Howard team, 2007 world champ. (Glenn has won the worlds three times and his vice-skip Richard Hart is a 1998 Olympic silver medalist)

Autumn Splendor - My favourite season

There is something that I like about every season, but in Autumn it's the colourful trees in this part of the world and the cool crisp air.

These photos are all from the Laurentian Mountains in the Province of Quebec. Lost River, Lake MacDonald, Mt. Tremblant and Campbell's Bay Road (in that order)

Happy Birthday Boys

12 years ago these two brothers were born with four other siblings in the basement of my old house. Me and my ex discovered them after returning home from our favourite indian restaurant.

Over the years they have given me much joy and comfort. I love them very much!

Here's to you Leo (Leopold) and Rory (Rorschach)

Ta Da !