When I'm sixty - NINE!

When I was out west last May, Linda called and said Tina Turner was coming to Toronto. At any price, I said. And, it was worth it . To see the Queen of R&R still strutting her stuff was amazing. Her pipes put all the young ones to shame! Man, can she still get everyone stomping, clapping and singing along. I took my 13 yr old neice with us. She has seen Turner on videos and loves the dance routines (she is in dance classes 5 days a week) so it was fun to take her to see the pros at work. It was an interesting audience. Lots of white haired whites mixed with lots of varied aged blacks. Mostly women, I would venture. The "girls" behind us were very excited about seeing Tina and they were very entertaining. The props and the dancers were terrific. It was a real event and I'm glad we went and I'm especially glad that Katharine got to see her. I'm sure years from now this will be a story. And I love a story.

Birds and Water

I read a number of years ago that you can really attract birds to your yard if you provide clean water. I have used a special low voltage heater in the bird bath for many winters and it does bring them in (7 feeding stations helps, too!) and gives them much needed water through the winter. The heater prevents the water from freezing but doesn't make it hot. It will evaporate, however, so keeping an eye on the water level is important. As you can see, the cardinals really love it.

Habitat for Humanity

I thought about trying to sell the old patio door, the old outside door and the upstairs window. But my desire for getting rid of stuff quickly kicked in and I called the Habitat for Humanity reuse store in Hamilton and they came and took it all away. They determine resale value and send a tax receipt. Great way to make sure things are recycled and a personal gain as well!

It's Over!!!

The addition is finally done. No more strangers wandering through every day and no more mess! I was really starting to fray at the edges but I'm so glad we did it. The contractor, really, did a great job on getting it done as quickly as possible. He said we'd be done by Christmas and we are. We are really enjoying the new room, loving the new bathroom and shower and feeling like we are in the backyard all the time. We did our part for a "stimulus" package for the economy. Hope the idiots in Ottawa finally figure out that something needs to be done.

What is going now

Linda's brother is siding the garage (saves us some $) and I am the helper. Scrap is worth money and we might get $200 for the old siding. Fingers crossed.

More Progress

The house is a mess. The dust from the sanding of the drywall mud is not as bad as I experienced at my old house, but more than it should be. They could have done a better job of sealing things off. The fellow doing the siding has been on his own this week - the others are off deer hunting. He never cleans up but says they will at the end of the job. Silly little things need to be addressed. I want the thermostat moved as he put it in a major wall that should become a great place to display art. It can easily be put in a non-usuable wall and out of sight. Once again, they confess that they are "just men" and don't think about things like how the space will be used. Duh. However, they have all been good about changes and understanding why. We are putting in a ceiling fan and it doesn't have a light. When questioned about that, I asked how did they think I could change a bulb? I don't have a ladder close to high enough. Oops, they hadn't thought of that. The contractor wanted to put pot lights on the soffits - again I had to ask and how would I replace bulbs? Yes, I have an extention ladder but there is no where to place it because of all the glass. "Oh, yeah, I guess you're right" was the answer. Just a guy thing - my problem. These guys are not used to having the home owners around all day as Linda and I can be because we are retired (mind you I did play golf 2 days this week!) and we do keep an eye on what they are doing. Better to catch stuff early! Nonetheless, we are very pleased with the work and the progress.

Further Progress on the House

The drywallers were here Monday and did their job. Quite a crew working well together and got the place done in one day. The tapers and mudders are yet to come. Some of the windows and doors were delivered today (Wed) and Chris, Andy and Kevin installed them. Andy has also been continuing work on the deck while the weather cooperates. The 8' sliding doors are great. It really brings the outside in. The fixed 8' window for the middle is delayed as are the pieces for the upper part. But, they will be here soon.

Lovely Sunshine

The deer were taking advantage of the lovely warm sun today, too.

Disappearing Dog

Kaylee the dog pretty well blends into the landscape right now. One of her favourite things about this time of year is that she gets to eat fresh apples!

Fall Spectacular

Last fall, we went to Sault Ste Marie to ride the Agawa Canyon train and see the fall colours. They were lovely and the countryside is beautiful. This fall, I'm staying close to home. The dog and I had a wonderful walk today and enjoyed the beautiful colours of the Dundas Valley and the escarpment. No need to go to the Sault this year!

Dumpster gone - for now

All of the siding was sold for recycling. Unfortunately, there is a lot that just can't be recycled. A whole dumpster of stuff was hauled away yesterday.

Fireplace

The fireplace has been installed. The box has zero clearance but it is the pipe that is expensive. Started to frame in a mantle but that will come later. The drywallers will be here on Monday to start and most of the windows and doors are ready, too. The triangle windows for the upper part are taking longer. (Oct 16/08)

New front window

We had the old window taken out and this new box window put in. Again, as suspected, there was no insulation under the old bay window which explains why is was so cold in the winter. We are managing to take care of a lot of the old draft and cold problems.

Addition Progress

With the good weather, quick progress was made. The frame is up, the roof on and the old siding is coming off and the insulation going on. The electrician and plummer are to come next week. Unfortunately, with rain today things slowed down. But, we are very pleased with the work, the workers and the contractor.

Why not make a bigger house?

It may seem illogical to some, but we two retired folk have decided to add on to the house. It is a relatively small house with a very small living room. We love our backyard and like to look out and enjoy the view and the birds that visit our feeders and bath (I even have the bath heated in winter to keep them coming). So, we are putting on an addition so that we will have a nice place with fireplace, tv, reading nook, and lots of windows. It includes a mud room entrance and a new bathroom. We looked for a bungalow and couldn't find anything we liked. This way, if need be, living on the one floor is a possibility. The contractor we hired did a major reno across the street and they raved about this guy. So far, so good. He is very consciencious about budget, being on time and keeping us involved. We have already purchased the hardwood flooring, tile, toilet (!) and vanity/sink. Off to look for lighting soon. They tore off all the decks last Thurs and started the foundation on Monday. Glitch number one: found a septic tank. The contractor was able to find someone to come and pump it out immediately. Still on track time wise! The man who operated the machine to dig the hole was amazing. He could finese the thing to fractions of an inch in soil removal. Very impressive to watch. The bricklayers today were also great. Fast, efficient and constantly testing for levels. They started at 8 am and are still here at 6:30 pm. Almost done and will not leave until it is done. What an adventure!

cheap bike

For only $53,000 you could buy this bike. Gee, why not two?

PD 13 - Port Dover Friday 13th

It started in 1981 when a guy who owned a biker shop in Pt Dover had a word of mouth gathering of friends at a local watering hole. It started with about 25 motorcycle friends. The first was a Friday the 13th in November and now it is a Friday the 13th tradition. Today, June 13, 150,000 visitors were expected. The hope to break the Guiness record was that 10,000 bikes would be in the parade. All the streets were lined with motorcycles - some pure and some hawgs. Old, new but all well loved. The people were as interesting to see as the bikes. What characters. Definitely a breed of their own. It was hot and humid but it didn't stop people from attending. The crowds at times were too much. Lots of leather worn and to buy. We drove to Port Dover but only motorcycles were allowed into town. We parked in a farm field and were shuttled into town on a school bus. Yes, it is that organized! Lots of buses and lots of Ont Prov Police. I really admire how the town has accepted and adapted to this originally impromptue event. Good on them.

Flamborough Run for Life

Run for Life is a campaign organized by the Canadian Cancer Society to help raise funds for research, patient support and other services. Linda and I were asked by our financial advisor if we would join her corporate team. She would match all funds raised by her team members. There were ten of us and we did quite well. Actually, we won for most money raised ($12,000). Linda and I found support for a little over $1700. It was a very hot day and even when the event started it was sweaty and humid. We were honoured with a sit down dinner as the big money raisers and then the event started at 7pm. It began with a moving ceremony as 30 current cancer survivors did the first lap of the track at the Flamborough raceway. Then, the other 300 or so joined in. For the rest of the night, we walked in twos for half hour shifts until 7am. We watched lightning in the sky all around us but we only had a brief rain shower around 2am. The wind got very strong at one point, but all in all we fared well. Had a shower as soon as we got home (bug repellient not so nice and sweaty,too) and took a 3 hour nap. We didn't know the other people on our team, so it was nice to meet some people who were prepared to spend the time raising money and spending the night. Thanks to those who did sponsor us. It sometimes seems that so much money is raised for cancer and then I wonder how much progress is occuring. At 10pm, the luminaries were lit. These are candles purchased by sponsors to honour someone they lost to cancer. The track was lined with candles and so were many of the stadium seats. A very sad and sobering sight. A researcher from McMaster spoke of his work and the importance of financial support. The survivors all had tales of hope and promise. It was a good night.

Hamilton Wingfest

I am a profound follower of a good wing. Years ago, when we started up the new high school in Hespeler, a couple of colleagues and I formed a group called The Wingnuts. We toured all over Waterloo Region in search of the best wings. After a year, we determined the best place was a little bar in Cambridge but it is long closed. I thought I had found the best wings in Hamilton (at the Cat and Fiddle) but they changed suppliers and now it's not worth the drive. So the Hamilton Wingfest was promising. We could try wings from many places and make decisions. Wrong. The line ups were very long. After 30 min in one line (5 Alarm) I was told they'd take my money and I could wait another 25 min for my wings. The line next to that (Pluckers) ran out of wings!!! Excuse me? Hawgs Gone Wild is an American group who tour all the time with wing and rib festivals so they knew what they were doing. Not only did they have wings, on time no less, they were also terrific.

And the blast from the past was a performance by David Wilcox. "My Eyes Get Me in Trouble" may ring a bell for some. Strange to see him bald, but he is still having fun and a great guitar player.

View into Fulford Harbour

Fulford Harbour is one of the ferry stops on the island and where my friends are building a new house. The main town is Ganges further up the island. Lots of artists and galleries there and a Saturday market.

Star fish

They are quite tough to the touch.

One Sunny Morning

We did get out in Robin and Anne's inflatable kayaks one morning. Very nice paddle to an island that is now a provincial park. Nice shell beach and great star fish!

Wet in BC

My week on Salt Spring Is was fun but wet and cool. Did go to Victoria one day to go whale watching. No whales but a rare sighting in that area of Pacific Whitesided Dolphins. So, another type of dolphin to add to my sighting list!

New entries next week

I am leaving on May 6 and going to Salt Spring Island. It is one of the gulf islands between the mainland and Vancouver Island. Hoping for some nice spring weather and a little rain! I'll be there for a week. I have been a few times now as I have friends who live there. I love the atmosphere and attitude and, of course, being near water. I have not been out at this time of year before so I am curious. I hope to get some good pictures to share.

Pukeka

I just love these - beautiful blue and red, white danger tail. In fields everywhere but in agricultural areas mostly.

Birds

I have really enjoyed many of the lovely birds to see. Here are some (many to follow). We were asked to take these summer visitors home with us.

Need a book?

We are waiting for ever in the Nadi airport and I'm out of things to read. Paperbacks here are $25-30. I spotted a fellow almost at the end of his book. I was watching covetting, and Linda asked if I wanted the book. She went over and asked the young man what his intentions were once he finished. Long story short - I got the book for $3 usa. Not bad. I never would have approached him but Linda had no compunctions. She's very good with strangers!

Last Beach

Driving back from the Bay of Islands to Auckland, I spotted this park with a great beach. Linda took a nap in the shade and I went for a walk on the beach. I was alone for much of the walk and then there were people from the campground. As I wandered down mostly looking at shells and the water, I did notice something was a bit odd. Apparently I missed the clothing optional sign (if there was one) and being in a bathing suit I was out of place! Just one of those places where the locals know the "rules" and the rest of us don't. Beautiful beach.

Happy St Patrick's Day

It is St Patrick's Day here as we are a day ahead of you. There is no shortage of Irish bars in NZ so we should have some fun today. We are heading back to Auckland (slowly) to be near the car rental agency and the airport for tomorrow. We are ready to come home but it will be hard to put away the sandals and shorts! So, cheers to you all and we will be in touch soon.

Almost the end

So, here we are in Paihai in the Bay of Islands and getting ready to head to Auckland tomorrow. The next day we head home. It has been a long holiday and we are ready to come home but we could keep exploring. We liked the van and would recommend it as a way to see NZ.

Some observations:
Food is very expensive and eating out is outrageous (bangers and mash $20)
Twisty roads are interesting for a couple of weeks and then it is tedious
Recycling is almost non existent in many places which is odd for such a small place
Human population: 4 million
Sheep : 40 million
Cattle: 12 million
Deer: (farmed) 4 million
Possums: 70 million
Most toilets have two speed options for flushing!
Most businesses close early afternoon - if you want a coffee in a small town get it by 3:30!
"life style" is the key phrase but wages are so low you can't do anything anyway
Property and housing prices are through the roof
"Life Style Property" is the key phrase for you can't afford it
I don't get it- there are lots of okay spots for sale for millions and I don't know who the buyers are.Shania Twain ownes property where I rode back weeks ago and NZ seems to be the new Calif.
There are tremendous efforts in reclaiming land once farmed and forested and mined. Lots of volunteers and even wealthy doing this for their land (keeps the sheep off). More later.

Hole in the Rock

The boat usually sails through the hole in this rock, but not today! Swells and high winds prevented it and I'm glad. Seeing it this was was much better.

Bye bye van!

We dropped off the van on Sat. We were sorry to let it go as it really was a great way to get around and it was home. We traded for a small car so we could still be out and about for a couple of days. Headed out of Auckland and drove as far as I could manage in one day. Sunday we got up and headed to the Bay of Islands. I took a boat tour of the islands and some bottlenose dolphins while Linda had the day on shore. It was overcast in the morning, but turned into a lovely afternoon. High winds so it was a bit rough out at sea but I like that.

Raglan

Linda had a bad day - wasn't well with bad head. I went to the surfer beach, watched and played in the waves. Lots of young people part of the "surfer club" -very much a clique. Quite evident in town.