Good news all round…

I heard on the news that spring break ends in two days. Yay!! In addition, as I look out my window the tourists are heading out, and it’s a sunny day. It just doesn’t get any better than this … Well, it does, but it’ll have to do for now.

I am delighted to see some 40s in the temp for Orillia–even a 48!–with no new snow for a while, so hopefully it will be gone by the time I get home.

That’s in just over a month! It’s hard to believe the time has gone that quickly. I also see that Washington has rejected longer stays for snowbirds, so I guess I’ve just about used up my welcome.

Besides, Harper, Flaherty and Visa, are doing their best to tax and charge me into bankruptcy.  Oh…and Hydro One, and Bell Canada, etc., etc. Lots of takers, but only one giver.

I don’t know whether I’ll get outside today, or not. I’ll wait until the sun gets fully up and try. If not, the week looks good.

More next time.

This is a bonus day…

The forecast was for rain, which is scheduled for later and overnight, but, although breezy, it is beautifully warm and sunny. I’m sitting by the pool working.

Remember me saying that the CDN dollar tends to plunge every time I have to pay out a great whack of USD currency? Well it happened again–to the tune of about $600 currency exchange. Grrr! It’s Flaherty’s revenge for calling him a political hack and corporate lackey. Now it’s Oliver’s turn, but since he’s cut from the same cloth I don’t expect any change.

The place is crawling with rug rats, has been all week, and it will probably be worse with the weekend. Yikes. Breakfast is like a zoo–and that’s just the parents.

Can’t believe there is just a bit over a month until I head home, so try to get rid of the snow before than. 🙂

More next time.

It’s spring break…

A.k.a. – “Bedlam!”

The place is crawling with rug rats and Hispanics. Question: Why is it that Hispanics have the most children and the least discipline?

From my experience I don’t like them as a culture. They generally tend to be loud, pushy, and rude. This morning I was waiting in line to get into the restaurant when a woman and kid walked right past me to take a seat. I don’t know what she thought I was doing waiting in front of a sign which read “The hostess will seat you”.

Then, there was this old war horse who interrupted me speaking to the waitress as if I wasn’t there, so I promptly told her to wait her turn. She swore at me in Spanish, and her ‘delegation’ glared (they always travel in delegations), but I had had enough of their ignorance.

I see the north-east is getting walloped again; this time with 40 and 50 m.p.h. winds! Yikes. This winter sure has been a two-tone bitch. At home it’s still in the teens, with one day warming up just long enough to rain, but I’m glad to see some 50s in Urbana. We had a wicked wind overnight, but today is cool (50s) with sunshine.

I have one more project to complete before I get back to writing.

More next time.

Ugh, I’m exhausted!

Just finished my book review, but I had to flog myself every inch of the way to concentrate. I really wasn’t into it. I think the weather had something to do with it–83 yesterday, and lower 60s today. So, it’s confirmed: No matter where you are that fickle bitch, Spring, is all over the place. I used to think she was down here in Florida, biding her time until she got good and ready to come to Canada, but she doesn’t seem to be here, either.

However, finish the review I did, and now I think I will just relax until it’s time to go to bed.

Needless to say, I stayed inside all day. It was cloudy with a 10 m.p.h. breeze and a mist of rain at times. In addition, that’s what’s forecast for the rest of the week.

Hope all is well with everyone.

More next time.

A truly Florida day!…

This is the first day that I can truly say, “Ah, this is Florida.” I’m sitting beside the pool in my shirt sleeves, and it is comfortable. About the only problem being, that I only brought one beer with me. Usually, when it’s cool and my kidneys are reacting, I have to run back and forth to my room, but I may have to make a trip just to pick up another beer before I’m finished.

For a weekend the hotel is fairly quiet. There is only one other person out here with me. No kids, thank god!

Tomorrow (Sunday) I am having brunch with Joe and Karen from Sluggers. They are dear friends of mine and I am so looking forward to it. We are meeting at the Raintree, which is another treat. It serves a lobster bisque that is to die for, plus the surrounding is so pleasant–an original 19th-century plantation house.

Now, back to work. More next time.

Sunny, but with a cool breeze…

The forecast for today is for 77F, but whether it will feel that way is the question. I’ll try to get out beside the pool later on, anyway. After all, the time is ticking away, and with the predictions of a late spring I want to take advantage of it while I’m here.

There are a couple of buses parked outside, which probably means there are a hoard of kids someplace. Yikes! I know there is a batch of them scheduled for Sunday. However, they’re generally gone by the time I get around to breakfast.

[I just saw a Ford Falcon convertible go by with Ontario Licence plates. My goodness, I haven’t seen one of those since the 70s!]

Believe it or not, I’m behind in my work and scrambling to catch up. I owe a whole batch of acknowledgements to those who have written for reviews, and I’m behind in posting my bookkeeping accounts. However, if I catch up on them I fall behind in my writing or reading for my book review. Fortunately, I keep three or four novels ahead, so if I miss the deadline with one I have a backup with another. [You’ve gotta have a backup!]

Today it’s writing all day.

More next time.

A decent day…

Quite nice. Low 70s, but with a cool breeze. It’s nice to see the temps moderating to the north as well. I see Urbana even has a 61 for Friday.

Made a beer run today. On the way I pass the hotel where I first stayed, and they are starting to add the siding now. Quite a nice change from what it used to appear, but without Sluggers it just won’t be the same.

I’ll keep it in mind for next fall, but just out of curiosity. I doubt they will be willing to make much of a deal. This renovation/re-build must be costing a bundle. I would be quite willing to come back here as well. It really is an excellent hotel, with great people, but with the dollar at $0.88 cents (thanks to those idiots in Ottawa) it’s getting expensive. Leave it to government to be a pain in the butt.

I started a new FB page, today: “Gerry’s Curmudgeon Page.” My regular page started censoring my posts, and so dusted my feet of that one.

More next time. THINK SPRING!

 

Someone turned off the tap…

But they’re being a little overzealous with the blow-dryer.

Altogether we got a little over 2″ of rain yesterday, but it suddenly quit. And now we have 10 m.p.h. winds. Anyway, it all amounts to an uncomfortable day for anything but working inside.

The place is still crawling with rug rats. I don’t know where they’re coming from, but there had to be a dozen-or-so at breakfast. One kid had a voice that could silence a canon. I’ve never heard a three-year-old that could holler like this kid, and he could talk a blue streak as well.

So far today I have putzed about with small jobs that I wanted to get done–like update my “Stop The Bull” blog. Ma Bell, that money-grasping old witch, has raised the monthly cost for cell phones, and all finance minister Flaherty can do is wring his hands. When people as me if I’m retired, I answer ‘No’ I have a full time job: protecting what little I have from thieves and government, and I don’t make much distinction between the two!

Off to work. More next time.

Happy St. Paddy’s Day…

 

A rainy day here, but not the severe weather that was forecast.

Today is book review day, and I have chosen a rather dark Irish non-fiction called “White Cargo: The Forgotten History of Britain’s White Slaves in America.” It’s a rather fascinating story, and although some people might be upset that I have chosen that theme, on this particular day, it’s really interesting read.

Besides, it goes along with  celebrating an Irish saint who was born in Rome, who wore blue (not green), and who never drove any snakes out of Ireland because there wasn’t any.

Have a great day, anyway.

More next time.

All quiet on the home front…

The weekend deluge of tourists has (mercifully) moved on.

The place was crawling with rug rats this weekend, and this morning one kid had a meltdown at breakfast. Needless to say the parents did nothing about it, so I had one of the girls bring me a coffee in the lobby until the brat and her incompetent parents moved on.

It’s sunny and warm just now (75, feels like 82) but rain is on the way, plus a storm warning for tomorrow (possibility of tornadoes). Wisely, I think, I did my beer run yesterday, so I’m set until at least Friday–but that depends on the weather forecast. So far it’s tolerable, i.e. 68s, but it is what we get with it that determines whether it’s a nice day.

Here’s an example of how we are over-taxed in Canada. Last evening my dinner tab came to $11.00-and-change. In Canada the HST would have been $1.43. I paid $0.72 (roughly half!) Oh, and beer is $3.00 per bottle, retail.

More next time.