It is indeed!

Sorry I've been absent for so long, but the days before spring break are packed. Today was the first day I was able to open my manuscript and write.

How are your days going?

Good morning tooters - although it’s nearly lunch time . Started the day at 6.30am & it was just 10c, it’s now 24c & will rise to 30c. It seems quite hot out already & there’s a lot of smoke like haze over the hills which could mean there’s some burning off happening.
I’ve been out for breakfast with my old Vinnies colleagues, 7 of us today at a very popular cafe in Albury. It showed who had the sweet tooth & it wasn’t me. Six of us chose poached pears with berries, Greek yoghurt & a sweet dukkah, the 7th - me - chose garlic mushrooms with a poached egg & savoury dukkah . It was delicious & I am so very full.
Went across the road afterwards to a bag shop to check out a suitable backpack for overnight trips, I’m tired of lugging a bag when a backpack would work so much better & I now have exactly what I wanted & at a reasonable price, it will hold all I need.
I hope everyone is having a lovely #Saturday doing things you enjoy.
#Weather #Friends #Breakfast #Travel

Good morning tooters, it’s currently a very pleasant 10-11c a very perfect #Autumn morning heading to a warm 26c. There is dew on the grass & some ratbag bird has made a big mess in my centre garden bed .
I went to bed early last night as I developed a headache & my neck felt out. I knew I should have made extra trips with removing the soil in the old raised garden bed, but I always think I can carry that bit more . A good nights sleep & a change of pillow again helped.
I’m meeting with a girlfriend for coffee ️ this morning & we’ve chosen the local garden centre cafe, we both like it there & they cater well for gluten free which my friend is. I’m also thinking that I just might head out for a swim this afternoon with the weather being warmer. Take the opportunity while the weather is so nice.
It’s #HumpDay, I hope everyone enjoys their #Wednesday - stay safe out there . #Weather #Garden #Friends #Exercise #AutumnDays

From last Summer. At the BC Government House Music on the Lawns outdoor concert series.

With #Celtic #Scottish #musicians #friends in our local #Cookeilidh ( Cook - Kay - Lee ) band.

Cookeilidh has been delighting audiences for over 15 years with their high energy traditional, and modernized Celtic tunes. Comprised of 12-string guitar, electric bass, Irish flute, fiddle, bodhran, and vocals, they weave their own special blend of Trad with Attitude, Celtic Craic, and Pot O' Gold Folk!

Mixing the tunes of #Ireland and #Scotland, with a heaping spoonful of #Maritime flavour, and a dash of #Folk is their recipe for a modern day kitchen party!

Members and Instruments:

Dave Cook: Acoustic 12 String Guitar & Vocals
Woody Wilson: Irish Wooden Flute, Bodhran, & Bones
Tom Pogson: Electric Bass, Acoustic Bass & Vocals
Kim Cook: Fiddle, Percussion

"On My Own" is a duet by American singers #PattiLaBelle and #MichaelMcDonald. It was written and produced by #BurtBacharach and his then-wife #CaroleBayerSager and originally recorded by singer #DionneWarwick for inclusion on her album #Friends (1985). The song was eventually recorded by LaBelle and McDonald for her eighth studio album, #WinnerInYou (1986). It was released as the album's lead single on March 22, 1986, by #MCARecords. Lyrically.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHP7wWCTUCM

Stanley Bing was a master of business humor, a narrower-than-normal niche but one he filled with wit, acid and panache. And every so often, you can turn a page and, hidden amongst the flinty, wry observations, is a profound truth that hits you like a ton of bricks.

Stanley Bing • biz words — Power Talk for Fun and Profit • 1989

Sharing my life online

https://cynnisblog.wordpress.com/2025/04/05/sharing-my-life-online/

Unless we adults make them so, children's lives are not complicated. They approach the world with eyes that see, hands that want to touch, hearts open to friends and friendship.

The Teal Umbrella framed print -- https://2-steve-henderson.pixels.com/featured/the-teal-umbrella-steve-henderson.html?product=framed-print

Lisa Kudrow, 1985

Finished writing for the day, now I'm off to help a friend move, doing some packing and lifiting #Friends

Good morning, friends.

31 March 2025

Everything outdoors is turning green—it feels like it's happening all at once. Boom—it's Spring! Do you remember the old electric lawn mowers? Not the modern battery-operated ones, but the kind that relied on a long extension cord. I recall we had one in Spring Valley, California, back in the 1960s. The real challenge was avoiding the cord, which was trickier than it seemed when you were mindlessly walking back and forth—or in circles—across the lawn. I wonder if they still make those. I do have a corded hedge trimmer, so maybe they do. Incidentally, my wife cut the cord the very first time she used it.

"The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month." - Henry Van Dyke

2010. When I played a scarface #Asian mafia boss lady on a horror film short production. Filmed at the old Hung Fat #kungfu club in Chinatown. Gentrification got their longtime, oldest kungfu association in BC, evicted a few years ago.

Gloria Tsoi, pictured with me, owns & runs the kung-fu club - passed down from ancestors. We've been friends since the 90s.

Their website:
https://www.hungfut.ca/

I joined a running group at the track today and I may as well have been part of a walking group next to them.

I still got 4 miles in but I find the running clubs near me don’t have any casual runners. Just about everyone is intense and going minimum of 6-8 miles on easy days and training for 30-50 milers.

I miss my old running club that had a slower pace and I was actually one of the faster people. Well, at least I’m getting out there and trying to meet people.

Why is it so hard to make friends when you’re older?

#running #SlowRunner
#Friends

draft - Nintendo introduces new lending system for digital Switch gamesYou’ll be able to lend out games to members of your family plan for two weeks.

https://www.theverge.com/news/637307/nintendo-switch-virtual-game-card-lending-system

Real

While on my vacation in the UK, I was given a package from a friend in France who couldnt make it. Inside... Was this absolutely wonderful, 3D printed and painted model of a real Cheeti! In his tiny lil hand is a fish!

Thank you so much Twist Cable !

The phrase I'm stopping myself from saying most often..

"Why are prices so high?" - Because you vote Republican

"Why can't I get someone who speaks English when I call tech support?" - Because you vote Republican

"Why is our national debt so ridiculous?" - Because you vote Republican

"Why are people being laid off and their #jobs sent overseas?" - Because you vote Republican

"Why isn't it possible to have a #career any longer? Why is everything #GigWork?" - Because you vote Republican

"Why can't anyone afford #housing these days?" - Because you vote Republican

"Why are all these homeless people camped in my city?" - Because you vote Republican

"Why are #undocumented Mexican workers being hired instead of Americans?" - Because you vote Republican

"Why do we have such awful #PoliticalPolarization ?" - Because you vote Republican

"Why isn't the weather normal anymore?" - Because you vote Republican

"Why don't we give adequate care to our veterans?" - Because you vote Republican

"Why are my medication prices so high?" - Because you vote Republican

"Why is my healthcare so expensive, with so few doctors available in my area?" - Because you vote Republican

"Why do I pay $3.50 every time I withdraw cash from an ATM?" - Because you vote Republican

"Why is #college #tuition so expensive?" - Because you vote #Republican (OK, also some other reasons, but heavily the Republican thing)

"Why are people giving me the stink eye in the grocery store?" - I think you know.

Protesters in Detroit, USA and Windsor, Canada unify across the river in protest against trump.

Heard while grocery shopping.

Hold me closah
Tony Danzaaa

#PheobeSeesMe
#Friends