Deforest City Blues: "More gated communities in the historic core?"

Will downtown London one day be home to dozens of gated communities for millionaires, young professionals and affluent empty-nesters?

It’s looking that way.

[Photo by G.Harrison]

***

Please click here for more details.

Yoga Mat 5: “Batman matinee”

It’s going around that ‘Batman’ is worth seeing.

I’ll move into Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), promote flexibility in my spine... then I’ll be ready to sit for two hours and face Batman.

Do you match yoga poses to movies?

[yoga mat by g.harrison]

***

Please click here to view Yoga Mat 4

Downtown London: “Just another gated community?”

Will two Renaissance towers (or more) help rejuvenate the downtown? Yes, in some respects, perhaps as much as a tall glass of homogenized milk will quench one’s thirst.

How many millionaires, young professionals and affluent empty-nesters does it take to fill Renaissance II?

 ["Are you affluent? Have a house to sell?"]

How many reasonably-priced small, tidy apartments are being built downtown for those who will not fit into the “tower profile”?

                      

                            

["A good-sized gated subdivision?"]

[Photos by G.H. of Aug. 1 Free Press article]

***

Please click here for more about London

doodle 7: cher lyn

Procrastinating and doodling go together. But after a lazy breakfast I’ll start fixing the back gate.

["I think I'll powder my nose."]

What jobs are you putting off at the moment?

[doodle by g.harrison]

***

Please click here to see doodle 6

$$ FAX 6: “Expect change”

60 good years, 1945 - 2005, affected the brainpans of most Canadians alive today, left them thinking “all will always be well.”

“Be prepared for tough times ahead,” says the ant.

“We’ll be fine,” says the grasshopper.

***

Please click here to read $$ FAX 5

Yoga Mat 4: “Dark roast coffee”

I hauled bricks yesterday. I tried to put it off but couldn’t... well, not for the entire day.

Some say the Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) will rejuvenate my tired legs and calm my brain.

I'm thinking dark roast coffee. 

***

Please click here to view Yoga Mat 3

$$ FAX 5

I’ll be brief. Europe is still hanging on by its fingernails, and many U.S. and Canadian citizens should prepare for lifestyle changes.

Recommendation: Look for an apartment or smaller house near a bus route. Save money for tough times. 

***

Please click here for $$ FAX 4

doodle 6: chez lynn

Doodling. I should be moving a pile of bricks.

["Angry girl that chez lynn"]

Do you doodle to procrastinate?

[doodle by G.Harrison]

***

Please click here to view doodle 5

It Strikes Me Funny: “HMCS Prevost under attack?”

London is a very peaceful town... usually. But ‘anchors away’. Trouble may be brewing.

Rebels? Militants? Will we need umbrellas?

[photos by G.Harrison]

***

Please click here for more It Strikes Me Funny

Yoga Mat 3: “Batman?”

Because I need strength, flexibility, endurance, and unwavering concentration, I’ll work Garudasana (Eagle Pose) into today’s routine.

And what movie was it I wanted to see tonight?

[Picture by G.Harrison]

***

Please click here to view Yoga Mat 2

$$ FAX 4

Europe is hanging on by its fiscal fingernails, and, as a result, Pres. Obama is deeply worried about the future of the U.S.

I think it would be wise for many U.S. citizens to prepare for a change in lifestyle. 

Recommendations: Look for a smaller house near a bus route. (Then... reduce spending, pay down personal debt and save money for tougher times). 

Photo by G.Harrison

***

Please click here to read $$ FAX 3

doodle 5: lynn

Doodling. I should be edging the front sidewalk.

Do you rank doodling higher than edging on your to-do list?

***

Please click here to view doodle 4

It Strikes Me Funny: “Dynamic eyes”

These ‘dynamic eyes’?

I’d better be careful.

[Photos by G.Harrison]

***

Please click here for more It Strikes me Funny

Yoga Mat 2: “Dolphin?”

Marjaryasana (Cat Pose) is first. It will get the wrinkles out of my spine.

Maybe I’ll do the Dolphin Pose after that. And relax. Then get groceries.

[Picture by G.Harrison]

***

Please click here to view Yoga Mat 1

Photo Poser 11

The answer to Photo Poser 10 is ‘Brooklin’. Very rare.

Where is city light number 10?

[Photo by G.Harrison] 

***

Please click here to view Photo Poser 10

Weather Havoc: “We’ll cut back if we have to”

As fishing industries fail due to drought many will say, “We’ll just eat more beef.” But the worst drought in years is already having something to say about that, i.e., “Beef will be more expensive soon.”

Cutting back because we have to is better than no conservation at all. 

Because as the enormous industrialized meat industry shrinks, and prices rise, and serving sizes decrease, we’ll likely see a decrease in carbon emissions as well.

[Photo of London Free Press by GH]

***

Please click here to view more Weather Havoc

doodle 4: desdamona

I’m doodling. I should be picking weeds.

Do you doodle before playing ‘Whack the Mystery Weed?’

***

Please click here to view doodle 3: spamona

Bicycle London: Meadowlily Hill is a steep one

Friends and I biked east from Wortley Village on London's pedestrian/bike path yesterday and visited an old relic... Meadowlily Bridge. The hill on the other side was too steep for us to attempt, but go for it next time you’re out cycling. It’s a workout in itself.

The more times I’m on the bike the more enjoyable the rides get. The collection of paths available to cyclists is certainly one thing I like about London. (“But please, sir. I want more.”)

You can read more information about the significance of the bridge at historicbridges.org

E.g., “The bridge still stands after almost 100 years of service, but is in poor condition. It is maintained for pedestrian usage only. A high chain link walkway was erected down the middle of the bridge for safety reasons. It consists of 3 spans over the South Branch of the Thames River.”

Have you been cycling more this summer than in the past? Why?

***

Please click here for more about cycling.

Yoga Mat 1

Relaxing. Between projects.

Stretch. Yoga. Cycle. Play hockey. For fun and fitness.

***

Please click here for more related to fun and fitness

Weather Havoc: “No problem. We’ll just eat more beef”

For decades there has always been plenty of relatively low-priced food in my house. If I couldn’t make a sandwich I’d heat up a pizza. Easy kap-easy.

Many North Americans will demonstrate that same attitude upon reading the following (July 28,London Free Press):

["Extreme heat? Pass me the ketchup."]

“The fish are dying off? We’ll just eat more cheeseburgers.”

Drought related to extremes in weather (or climate change, climate instability, global warming, etc.) won’t let us off that easy kap-easy.

[Photo by G.Harrison]

***

Please click here for more Climate Change Concerns

doodle 3: spamona

doodling. while my wife makes me a sandwich.

do you doodle while waiting for food?

***

Please click here to see doodle 2

Zoom w a View: “I want to suck your blood”

Yesterday, at 5 p.m. (i.e., Happy Hour), while sucking back a lovely IPA, a wee Spiderman caught my eye. Off his web he raced, and in a trice he was eyeballing his snare from a nearby candle stick.

When I returned with my camera Spiderman was at the center of his web, and busy tending to his supper.

He ate about 15 minutes before I did.

[Photos by G.Harrison]

***

Please click here for more Zoom w a View

doodle 2: mona

doodled during a phone call today.

do you doodle? Lemme see.

[doodle by G.Harrison]

***

Please click here to see doodle 1

Ollie and Me: Say “sneeze burgers”

Because I see Ollie more than my other grandchildren I will say we have bonded the best. And though my wife is his primary babysitter I take him for bike rides whenever she needs a break.

This afternoon, while I pedalled and Ollie relaxed in his bike trailer, I caught myself saying, “It doesn’t get much better than this, Gordie.”

[“Say ‘sneeze burgers’, Ollie’.” And he did.]

[“You get in the back seat, Grandpa, and I’ll drive.”]

[Ollie likes the cannons at the Fork of the Thames]

[At Thames Park Ollie spotted pieces of quartz]

I’m hoping our good relationship will last through his teen years (maybe he’ll take to me to see ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Captain Jack Retires at 65’] and he’ll willingly volunteer to bike me to the local coffee shop (in an adult trailer with a/c) when I’m in my 90s.

What are the odds?

[Photos by G.Harrison]

***

Please click here to view more Ollie and Me

   

corona

doodling

do you doodle?

[doodle by gah]

***


Please click here for another doodle

$$ FAX 3

Financial and economic matters look grim in the U.S. (and Europe and developing countries like China and India). The future, however, could look grimmer if the U.S. tries to loosen the grip of growing debt by taking on more debt, i.e., stimulus spending.

My recommendations: Reduce your anxiety and unease related to economic recovery.

Reduce spending, pay down debt, save money for the future, learn to adjust to the smaller economy and lifestyle we can actually afford.  

***

Please click here to view $$ FAX 2 

The Workshop: Mysteries on deck

A friend finished a cedar deck recently and asked me if I’d like a pile of scrap. There is no mystery related to my answer. Does a hobby horse have a wooden neck? Does a duck quack?

However, now that I have it home, what shall I do with it? Build a new style of birdhouse? Repeat a tried and true design? Do a bit of both?

How many birdhouses will I be able to make from the scrap? How much will I charge for the birdhouses? How many fudge bars will I be able to purchase out of the proceeds?

[“I have my eye on a new design”]

So many mysteries.

[Photos by G.Harrison]

***

Please click here for more from The Workshop

$$ FAX 2

Canadians, you know your economy is in trouble when?

When the Governor of the Bank of Canada looks so stressed.

When he wants us to drive our own economy on the back of oilsands oil, some of the dirtiest oil in the known universe.

When he already knows our households, on average, are in greater debt than ever before in history.

My recommendations: Live small, reduce spending, pay down debt. And consider adopting - for the first time in decades - an affordable, sustainable economy and lifestyle. 

***

Please click here for $$ FAX 1

Discovering the world in one pair of pants: July 19 - 21, 2012 (Conclusion)

I came back home from a recent bicycle trip with a good story, dozens of photos, but no bread. Somebody stole my bread!

After getting all artsy-fartsy with a few photos this morning, I made some rather startling decisions:

I will go on another bike trip

I will go a bit farther afield

And, I will camp for an extra day, spend less money, but have even more fun

Stay tuned.

[Photos by G.Harrison]

***

Please click here to view Discovering the world in one pair of pants: July 19 - 21, 2012 (Pt 2)

Photo Poser 10: Name this rare car

On my way to Bracebridge recently, I didn’t recognize this rare car at first when it passed me on the inside lane. Then I read the license plate. 

“Hey, grab the camera!” I said to my wife. 

What did we catch?

[Photo by P.Harrison]

***

Please click here for Photo Poser 9

Rare Family Photos: One giant leap for mankind

One, two, three... go!

My older son has still got it.

[Photo by his Dad, G.Harrison]

***

Please click here for another Rare Family Photo

Zoom w a View: What rain? I didn't hear it.

Did you? Did you hear rain on your roof last night? I didn’t. Not a sound.

Thanks to a heavy schedule over the last week (that included a three-day bike ride, sleeping on the ground, then vacationing with my older son and family), I slept like a rock. Rock x 2 even. 

Only when I stepped onto the porch this morning to check the weather - so I could dress accordingly for my walk to the Roaster for dark roasted coffee - did I notice the traces of last night’s rain.

Today’s forecast: It looks like a great day, rain or shine.

Photos by G.Harrison

***

Please click here for more Zoom w a View