A few pics ....

Between a rock and a hard seat ....

What a tangled web we weave ....

Just a rusty bracket, that's all ....

Same time - different year .....

Fantasy Fair at Woodbine Mall ....

We all had a great time here. For the young 'uns, I'd recommend it ....

If you want more info, click on ..... http://www.fantasyfair.ca/

Woodbine Mall - Fantasy Fair ....

On a cold, grey

winter's rainy day,

a good place to go

with grandchildren in tow ......

More still life ....

Just as well it didn't move, or I'd have been hitting the delete button again .....

Well it did move - just a little bit :-)

Flutterby ....

At the Butterfly - I prefer Flutterby - Conservatory in Niagara Falls ....

On the trail ....

Burlington bike path ....

Still vacant, so .....

I guess it's the location??

The Mandarin Restaurant, Niagara.

I spent most of last week emailing family.
I wanted to get everyone together for a surprise party for my wife's birthday.
It worked out wonderfully well, and was a huge surprise for her.
We hadn't been to that restaurant before, but all the reviews I read were excellent, so I took the plunge and booked it. I didn't regret it one bit.
Thanks Mandarin for a terrific buffet, excellent service, great atmosphere, and very reasonable prices. We'll be back for sure .....

Enough of snow shots ....

Warm, fuzzy, sunny days of summer ....

Let's have some Canadian content here please ....

Based on what I've seen in a lot of the clothing stores around here, I've added some more text to the January 1 post below. Please read it, but as I said - it's just my opinion ....

Incandescent ....

A declining species - the incandescent light bulb.
Many municipalities, regions and countries have now introduced legislation banning them.
It's a pity really, because they are much more photogenic than a flourescent tube .....

Over the tables ....

The windows and roof over a food mall on the Niagara/Toronto QEW highway ....

Blindsided ....

Maybe you are - but I'm not ....

The Winter Olympics slogan in a local bus shelter .....

Retailers are pushing Canadian Winter Olympics clothing here like crazy. I've had a look at some of it, and although the designs are very good, and the quality looks above average, I'm afraid I have lost interest.

All the clothing I looked at was marketed by the Hudson's Bay Company (one of the oldest Canadian companies, but now American owned).

In previous Olympic years the Canadian team's clothing was made by Roots in Canada, as it should be.

This year the variety is excellent, the colours are great, and the quality looks good, but it was all made in China.

I'm all for competition in business, but let's keep it fair and on a "level playing field" - as it's so often said. This playing field is certainly not level - it has a huge gradient - in China's favour.

So I'll try to level it a little bit, by buying as little as possible from that country.
We've just bought a new sofa and love seat, but it wasn't made in China, or Canada for that matter - it was made in the USA. We could have paid a lot less for a Chinese furniture but decided not to.

Say no more - Chinese made Canadian Vancouver Winter Olympic clothing can rot on the shelf .....

But not as shown ....

Ah hah ....

Ghosts of Christmas Past ....

Inflatable lawn decorations .....

They look such a mess deflated - or otherwise ....

Place of employ - until March ....

Who needs a resume when you've got a tool box lid ....


In the eye of the beholder ....

Plant window. Opaque sunrise ....

Only eight hours a day ....

I'll be retiring on Feb 26 2010 - I can't wait believe me.

I feel I've been extremely fortunate to have been "gainfully" employed for the last 50 years.

It would have been great to finish a tad earlier, say 55 or even 60, but events made stay in the workforce a wee bit longer.

As I say - I'm fortunate ....

A regular day in Toronto ....

Hot dog stands ....
A mariachi band playing on the Harbourfront ....

A pet information kiosk downtown ....

And what started it all - an immigrant family ....

The grandchildren wanted .....

A Yuletide float for their Christmas Pageant in the school gym, so some scrap wood - some left-over castors - a clown nose - a lot of screws plus gobs of hot-melt glue - produced this ....

Rudolf - nah - call me Speedy ....