No work tomorrow!

No work tomorrow as it is a public holiday. I don't have clue as to what kind of holiday it is but I don't care! All I'm concerned with is that it means a day off to relax from the stress of work. Another high point of this week is that I have received two emails from my dear daughter along with photographs of my two Grandsons.

It is so sad that they are so far away but the only one I can blame for that is myself. Good news though, is that the family is contemplating a visit to Ireland one of these fine days which means I will have to make another trip over to that lovely land. I really hope it does happen as I think that is the only way I am going to ever see my loved one's again.

Actually the last two weeks have been special as I have received a new 23" flat panel LCD TV from Dell to replace my 17'" computer monitor which gave up the ghost two weeks ago. It stopped working just like that and while the monitor was no longer under warranty (my computer's warranty expires June 7th) Dell agreed to replace the monitor free of charge. The new TV arrived the next morning causing my landlady to get out of bed to receive it. Don't think she was too happy! I called to find out why they had sent me such a great upgrade and they told me that they were all about great service and also that the old monitor that I had was no longer in stock which makes me a very happy chappie.

Crime seems to be escalating in Toronto as daily we hear about a murder somewhere in the city and there are also numerous reports on people dying in horrific car accidents and pedestrians being knocked over & killed. Driving standards have got really bad over the 13 and a half years that I have been in Canada and I put it all down to the kind of movies and TV programs which are produced these days. I feel strongly that the government should step in and regulate the type of media that is being put out today. Of course in a democratic & free society that will never happen so I guess we will just have to get used to it and watch as things get steadily worse.

Having said that Canada is still a pretty nice place to live and one can live a fairly peaceful life away from all the bad things. The nice part is when one can get away into the widerness for some peace an quiet. Hopefully we are going to have another great summer so that I can get awy with my nice, reliable new car. My sister and cousin are supposedly coming over to pay a visit so that will be a nice time to take some vacation and show them around. Have still not got to Quebec or Montreal which I am told are just like Europe so it will be nice to take them there for some sight-seeing.

See M-A......It's not quite two months this time so I am getting better! Maybe the next time I get around to doing this will only be a month!

That's all folks!.......for this posting anyway

Procrastination

Casey and me

Yeah, that's me.......the world's biggest procrastinator!

Last post February 25th? I thought I was supposed to be doing this once a week not once every quarter!

Anyway! Hopefully everyone enjoyed being Irish for day last month. I know I don't have any connections with the Irish but it always feels good to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and have fun with the Irish. Got to visit Ireland last year for the first time and really enjoyed it. Wonderful scenery, beautiful little country villages and everyone I met was just so welcoming. What did disturb me though was that Ireland is apparently losing much of it's charm (or so the locals tell me) as their economy grows and they become more prosperous. I really hope it doesn't as I would hate to see Ireland as yet another Americanised nation.

One thing I did not enjoy was the traffic. Vehicle ownership has grown enormously over the last few years but the road system has not been able to keep up! If anybody reading this manages to visit Ireland be sure to visit the very beautiful village of Adare near Limerick and their is also a very small seaside village close to the Cliffs of Moher called Doolin. Has a wonderful pub and a great Aran sweater store. Too expensive for me but you can just feel the quality as you touch them.

We finally had winter (and lots of snow) here in Toronto but not before experiencing the most wonderfully balmy winter right through to mid January. Now we are all eagerly awaiting a new summer which promises to be really warm. With my new car and hopefully a new digital SLR camera I hope to be getting out into the country a lot more this summer and start enjoying life again. Have embarked on a new healthy diet and am determined to banish KFC, Coke and all the other bad foods from my life. Then I need to get fit again as I want to have fun in my sixties. Of course a million dollar lottery win would be a big help as well!

I'm going to have less time than usual as I have signed up to watch the rest of the World Cup Cricket online and there is now a game everyday until the 28th April. I think South Africa has a great chance this year as long as they don't choke again. I'll be holding thumbs for them all the way.

Lastly, to my cousins in New Zealand......Take care....my thoughts are with you everyday. Enjoy your lovely granddaughter and have lots of fun with her. Best wishes to her Mom & Dad as well. Will write soon.

Supper time! Gotta go so I hope this won't be the last for another two months. Love to everyone!!!

Really cold today in Toronto made even worse by the wind. Supposed to have a big dumping of snow but nothing has appeared so far!

Next week should begin the March back to summer. At least the temperatures will be above zero again. The cold in Canada has never bothered me one little bit but lately I have not been enjoying it too much. Must be something to do with age.

The weekend is over and it is back to work for another week. Never feel like not going to work but it does get extremely frustrating when there is no communication and having equipment and systems which either do not work or do not work properly.

Besides that there are lots of nice people to work with and despite everything I actually enjoy going to work. I would still much rather be a photographer though and would love to be able to spend a lot more time on the computer with Photoshop!

Oh well! Life goes on.

Not another blog!

Yes, I have finally got down to creating a new blog. I think it has become a necessity as I have been finding it really hard to keep up with all the emails that I get. It has been threatening to consume all my free time so that there is no time for anything else. Hopefully this way I can free up some time and concentrate on doing more on photography & Photoshop which is fast becoming a passion.

At the moment we here in Toronto are in a big freeze but fortunately it should not last too long. Next week the temperatures are expected to be plus zero and then Spring is just around the corner. Can't wait! This summer, with my new car, I intend getting out into the country a lot more than I have in recent years so that I can get a lot more in scenic photography.

Great news! Australia have finally been toppled from the ODI cricket rankings, a position they have held since the inception of the rankings seven years ago. They are replaced by the great cricketers of South Africa! Now for the World Cup in the Caribbean next month. We have been so close so many times so maybe this is South Africa's year. I'm holding thumbs!