On the road

I have some retirement planning sessions to do for a client over the next couple of days.

One was on the outskirts of London at 12:30pm today and two are tomorrow in Windsor at 8:00am and 12:30pm.

It's just over two hours to London, then just over two hours from there to Windsor.

The 401 was moving great ... I was doing about 120km/hour.

Then I hit construction just outside of Windsor and that slowed everyone down ... but we were still doing about 80km/hour.

Looseleaf Notes

My pal and neighbour, Phon, has started a blog called Looseleaf Notes.

Why don't you go on over, say hello and welcome her to blogland?

Book ~ "Yours, Faithfully" (2006) Sheila O'Flanagan

From Fantastic Fiction ~ lona's not pregnant. It's a blow but she knows that when husband, Frank, gets home he'll reassure. Sally, on the other hand, has just discovered that she's very much pregnant. Which is quite a surprise, with her only child now a seventeen-year-old who's not going to be pleased.

And Sally's not sure how her husband will react when he gets home. Except Frank's not going to get home - to either of his wives. Frank's bigamy of several years is about to be exposed because Frank was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now his wives are going to meet in the hospital where he lies in a coma. And everything is about to change for all of them ...

Interesting concept, eh?

It's the first book I've read by Irish author Sheila O'Flanagan and I enjoyed it.

It's 599 pages and we get to meet Iona and Sally (Frank's wives), Jenna (Sally and Frank's daughter) and Siobhán (the cop investigating the situation).

I enjoyed the writing style and I liked the characters.

Does Frank come of out the coma? If he does, who does he choose? You'll just have to read it to find out!

Fruit of my labour

Finally!

I have a tomato of my own!

Even though it's too big to be the cherry tomato I thought it was supposed to be, I'll enjoy it ... no, savour it ... later today.

My neighbours are home from Japan so I can't raid their abundance of tomatoes anymore (I did have their permission).

With eight plants, it looks like I'm going to get a total of four tomatoes!

Book ~ "No Strings Attached" (2007) Clare Dowling

From Trashionista ~ Judy is getting married on Saturday and it’s a military operation: the dress, the three-tiered wedding cake, the uncle that nobody will sit beside at reception. She’s determined it’s going to be the happiest day of her life. That is until her fiancé, Barry, mysteriously disappears wearing nothing but his pyjamas. However, when his credit card shows up two days later in the south of France, Judy has to admit that he’s walked out on her.

Fanning Judy’s fury is Lenny, Barry’s best man, who believes that you shouldn’t let commitment ruin a perfectly good relationship. With the love of her life romping around France, Judy might just be in the mood for a little romance – with no strings attached, of course …

I'm still in the mood for some chick lit so grabbed this at the library.

I liked the writing style ... funny and a tad sarcastic.

Yes, it's predictable ... there are lots of subplots and everyone ends up living happily every after.

If you are looking for something light with a happy ending, I'd recommend it.

Though it's set in Ireland, I had John Hannah's accent in my head when they spoke. I know he's Scottish but I just saw Sliding Doors a couple nights ago.

John Prine concert

A couple months ago when I heard that John Prine was coming to town, I bought a ticket.

I love John Prine!

I knew that Gord would be out of town (he's in Windsor with friends this weekend) and was okay going by myself.

Row C, seat 44 ... sweet!

I put the date in my calendar right away.

I just checked my emails and there is an email from Ticketmaster about him.

Hello TEENA,

You went. You watched. What'd you think? Post a review now.

Huh?!

I ran and checked my ticket and the concert was last night. Last night!

I'd put the concert date in my calendar as tonight not last night.

I'm sooooo not happy with myself right now.

Supper at St. Louis

It's been a while since I've been to St. Louis so I stopped in after the movie (I went to the King E/Church location).

I love their wings, especially with their dill dipping sauce.

Yum!

I'm okay ... my doctor sez so

Have you ever tried to take a picture of the back of your leg? It's tough!

Here's my right calf:

I'm still full of bites from last weekend.

I've been doing the hydrocortisone and Benadryl all week. They are keeping the itch away but I still look like a freak!

I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon to get the results of my tests from my annual physical in April. All is well! Yay!

While I was there, my doctor gave me a prescription for my bites for a stronger hydrocortisone and something stronger than Benadryl.

Hopefully they'll do the trick!

Bloor/Gladstone Library

I love the library!

When I first moved to Toronto, I lived in the Dufferin/Dupont area and went to the Bloor/Gladstone library.

It's an older building, with construction starting in 1912.

I dropped Gord off at the Ossington subway station this morning (he's going to Windsor with friends for the weekend), just down the street from the Bloor/Gladstone library.

I'd heard that it opened last month after being closed for a few years for renovation so I stopped in.

Wow! Look at the addition!

It's so modern on the inside ... hard to believe it's the same library!

Very impressive!

Finally

I have a tomato turning red.

They are supposed to be cherry tomatoes but they are too big.

My other seven plants (yes, seven!) are doing nothing.

My neighbour next door is on her third crop.

They are still in Japan so I raided her plants again this afternoon (she said I could).

Alas, I'm living vicariously through her.

Lunch with Eduardo and Louise

I had lunch with Eduardo and Louise today. We worked together in 1998/99 and still get together every three months or so.

We always meet at Island Foods. It was good to see them and catch up.

I had a boneless chicken roti.

It was delicious as usual!

And here we are!

Eduardo and Louise

Eduardo and I

Me and Louise

Louise and I

Eduardo and Louise

Book ~ "Just the Sexiest Man Alive" (2008) Julie James

From Amazon ~ Chicagoan Taylor is driven to succeed, and her track record in defending corporate clients against sexual-harassment lawsuits is unsurpassed. On loan to her firm’s Los Angeles office, she reluctantly agrees to coach big-name actor and sexy heartthrob Jason Andrews for his upcoming role as a lawyer. His attitude irks her, while her insistence on maintaining a professional distance intrigues him. James herself is a practicing attorney in both Chicago and L.A., and her familiarity with both the law and the film industry lends credibility to this fast-moving, contemporary romantic comedy.

I was looking for something light and mindless to read.

The story was surprisingly good, as was the writing.

And I was happy to see that Taylor didn't act like an idiot whenever she was with Jason. She's a successful lawyer and acted accordingly.

Since it is set in LA, it was fun to see the celebrity references.

I got an itch that won't go away

I taught Intro Excel 2007 today.

My legs are still full of bites and driving my nuts!

I couldn't put toothpaste on the bites cuz people would think I was a freak (I wore a skirt)! On the other hand, I do live in Toronto so maybe no one would have noticed ...

I stopped at the drugstore after work and talked with the pharmacist.

She suggested putting hydrocortisone on them and taking Benadryl.

She warned me that the Benadryl might may me drowsy ... and it did. I fell asleep on the couch during Judge Judy after supper for about an hour. I couldn't fight it.

But the good news is that the bites are going away and aren't itchy. Yay!

Estate Planning ... Taking Care of Your Heirs

Check out this article about estate planning that I'd written.

The weather gods are angry?

We've been having some crazy weather lately.

Source: BlogTo

Here is the thunder 'n lightening storm we had last night.


Source: BlogTo

Gord's family too!

Gord's parents are kinda on the way home from Sandra and Dave's and we stopped in on the way (they are 2.5 hours away from us).

Here's Gord with his stepdad, Keith, and his mom, Minnie.

I hadn't seen them since Christmas so it was nice to see them.

I am very jealous of their tomato plants, though. Here are theirs:

Click here to see mine.

Sigh ...

Family reunion 2009

After we checked out of the B 'n B, we went to Sandra and Dave's.

My uncles, Dave and Fred, were making brunch.

Another fine feast ... scrambled eggs, roast, bacon, sausages, potatoes and homemade preserves.


Here we all are!

The surviving brothers and sisters:

The cousins along with our spouses:

The spouses of the brothers and sisters:

Here is the link if you want to see all the pix.

Korner Stone Kastle Bed and Breakfast

There are no hotels in Verona ... the nearest would be a half hour drive to Kingston.

I didn't want us to be drinking and driving, there was no room in Sandra and Dave's house and I didn't want to camp in the yard.

Sandra had recommended a bed and breakfast called Korner Stone Kastle since it was just a five minute walk away. A big plus is that we could bring KC.

The house is almost 100 years ago and used to belong to a doctor who had his home and office there.

When we got back last night, we sat on the verandah on the second floor for a while.

Verona Lake is just minutes down the street.

Here's our bright and airy room.

The bed was so comfy ... it was hard to get up. Our very friendly host, Steven, knocked on the door to let us know that breakfast was ready (he had told us it would be ready at 8:30).

Breakfast was delicious! Here's Gord enjoying it ... frittata, roasted potatoes, fresh fruit, yogurt, orange juice and coffee.

It was our first experience at a B 'n B and it was a pleasurable one!

Family reunion 2009

Every two years there is a family reunion of the descendants of my maternal grandfather of Glace Bay, Cape Breton, NS. He was married twice ... to my grandmother, Sarah, and Mae ... and had 15 kids.

This year it was at my Aunt Sandra's in Verona, ON (about three hours away). There were about 30 of us. There were uncles and aunts who came from as far away as Victoria, BC, and Halifax, NS.

I took a ton of pix and here are just a few.

This is Janet and I in front of the signage from the first reunion. Janet lives just outside Halifax, NS, and is the widow of my uncle, Eldon.

Here's Gord and KC. KC spent most of the afternoon on the deck ... er ... monitoring the action around BBQ.

These flags represent past and present attendees.

And this represents where we all began ... Glace Bay, Cape Breton!

Dave (he's married to my aunt, Sandra) BBQed a huge beef roast. It was delicious!

Here's the supper feast ... BBQed roast beef, corn on the cob, roasted potatoes, salad, potato salad, macaroni salad, bread and more. Yum!

We ate outside in the backyard.

My uncle, Fred, was the auctioneer to raise funds for future reunions. We donate junk stuff and everyone bids on it. I bid $10 on this fish figuring that someone would outbid me. But no! I ended up with the fish! But then my uncle, Michael, bought it from me for $8 ... it was worth losing $2 to get rid of it!

Cindy and Bill were the entertainers and we sang along. Cindy is the widow of my mother's brother, Calvin. Bill's daughter is the mother of Dave and Sandra's grandson, who is my first cousin, once removed. Got it?

It was fun to see everyone and catch up.

Here is the link if you want to see all the pix.

Book ~ "The Boomers Retire: A Guide for Financial Advisors and their Clients" (2008) Lynn Biscott

From Chapters.ca ~ Well over five million Canadian boomers hope to retire in the next 10 years. The shift from planning for retirement is now on to ways of living in retirement. Using plain language throughout to explain fiscal and investment strategies, the author is writing this book for the consumers of advice as well as for their counsellors. The transition to becoming a retiree involves knowledge of government benefits, employer-sponsored retirement plans, personal sources of retirement income, and a good grasp of the options for living well after one's working days are over.

I've been in the group retirement industry for over 20 years ... and I learned some stuff from this book.

Not enough information for novices but it fills in some details if you know the basics.