2007 Commonwealth Veteran Fencing Championships, Toronto, ON

Gord was in the the Commonwealth Veteran Fencing Championships this morning, in the sabre division.

There were about 50 people from across the Commonwealth entered into the event. There was a men's and a women's division. Gord fought guys from Canada, England, Scotland, Wales and Isle of Man.

There were two rounds of five bouts. Alas, though he put up a valient effort, he was elimated in the first disqualification round by a seasoned fencer from England.

Getting ready to fence

Warming up with his coach, Jim

Just before the first round with his opponents

Jim (their coach), George, Gord and Zolton after the first round
(members of the same sabre fencing club)
None of them made it past the first elimination round

Gord in action!

Parkdale Festival, Toronto, ON

Gord had to have his equipment checked for tomorrow's fencing tournament so headed up to do that around noontime.

I walked over to Parkdale to return some library books. The Parkdale Festival is happening this weekend so I checked out the craft tables. They'd shut down part of Cowan Avenue for the vendors.

There is also a beer tent with entertainment today and tomorrow.

I was getting hungry so had a roti at Bacchus Roti Shop at Cowan/Queen W.

My boneless chicken roti

The roti was okay but I much refer the ones at Island Foods (Dufferin/King W). The bikes in front belong to two guys who were sitting at the window table drinking Corona beer into which they'd dumped packages of salt. I found that strange.

It started raining while I was eating ... alas, shutting down the festival.

Book ~ "Chicken Soup for the Sister's Soul 2" - Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Aubery and Kelly Zimmerman (2006)

From Amazon.com ~ In classic Chicken Soup tradition, "Chicken Soup for the Sister's Soul 2" celebrates the profound relationship between sisters in its wild, wacky, poignant and inspirational glory. With real-life stories from women who share their experiences, chapters include A Sister's Love, Sibling Revelry, The Bond, Overcoming Obstacles and Insights and Lessons. Because in a world where women are constantly being pulled in all directions, it's nice to know they can always rely on their sisters to be there for them.

Sister Sarah gave me this book for Christmas and I've been reading a couple stories here and there between books.

I enjoy the Chicken Soup books and especially enjoyed this one because my favourite sister gave it to me.

Garden update

You know that I have three tomato plants on our terrace.

This cherry tomato was quite delicious!
I ate it right after I took the pic this evening.

There are still lots of grape tomatoes waiting to ripen.

This beefsteak tomato is starting to turn red.

2007 Commonwealth Veteran Fencing Championships, Toronto, ON

This weekend is the fencing weekend Gord has been training for for the last six months ... the Commonwealth Veteran Fencing Championships, which are held every two years.

There are people from all over the Commonwealth in attendance ... Australia, England, Isle of Man, etc. And to be a veteran, you must be over the age of 40.

In addition to the actual fencing tournaments, there are three social events:

• Welcome drinks - which we went to tonight
• BBQ in Thornhill tomorrow night - which Gord is going to
• Gala dinner Saturday night - which we are passing on since Gord has to fence bright and early Sunday morning

The welcome drinks were held in the Bank Vault, a bar which used to be the actual vaults of the Dominion Bank of Canada (King W/Yonge Street).

Kris and Rick (from Vancouver, BC) with Gord

Gord at the vault

TastyThursdays, Toronto, ON

Laura, Susan and I (we worked together at my last job) checked out TastyThursdays at City Hall today at lunchtime.

Every Thursday from July 12 - August 23, 11 am to 2 pm, a variety of prime Toronto restaurants will be featuring select menu items for $5 or less. In addition to the delicious international cuisine, which includes pad thai, empanadas, jerk chicken and jumbo shrimp, each week there will be a free noon hour concert, providing the perfect lunch hour escape.

I had a pulled pork sandwich from the Purple Pig ... yummy!

Susan waiting in the Kathmandu Restaurant line-up

Laura trying to decide what to get
(she ended up with a steak sandwich from Dangerous Dan's Diner)

There was a Calypso playing called Kobo Town. They were good.

Book ~ "Driving Minnie's Piano: Memoirs of a Surfing Life in Nova Scotia" - Lesley Choyce (2006)

From Goodreads: Novelist Lesley Choyce weaves together his real-life adventures living by the sea at Lawrencetown Beach on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. He writes of his love for the rugged coast and tells tales of the ordinary and the extraordinary. His story includes accounts of what it's like surfing in the Canadian North Atlantic through all four seasons including the frigid depths of winter. 

 Also threading its way through this narrative is the story of Minnie's piano. There is music here in word and spirit along with the lessons learned from the old and the young. Driving Minnie's Piano is an eloquent personal memoir about the precious and fateful moments that change our lives. It is an exploration of what makes us tick and prompts us to be both heroes and fools in the daily enterprise of living.

What attracted me to this book was the title - because Sister Sarah and I had seen surfers in Nova Scotia in May 2005. At the time, I thought it was an odd sight.

I grew up in Nova Scotia and remember how cold the Atlantic Ocean is even in the summer ... I can't imagine surfing in it in the middle of winter! But Choyce does and loves it!

I enjoyed Choyce's writing style ... laidback and down-to-earth. It's obvious he loves his home (he's originally from New Jersey), Nova Scotia, his life and nature. He loves fog and will do all he can to save another breathing being.

A Day in Stratford, ON

Gord and I make a day out of heading to Stratford when we go to see a play there. Rather than driving, we take the train down and back ... no worries about traffic. We leave at 11am and are back in Toronto by 11pm.

We had a bit of time before the play so had a drink at Othello's, just around the corner from the theatre.
After the play, we had a drink at Bentley's.

Then we walked along the Avon River. There were lot of ducks and swans. We like reading the dedications on the benches.

We had supper at the Boar's Head Pub. Gord had a wild boar burger and I had fish 'n chips.

We waited for the train at the Dominion House Pub, which is just next to the train station.

"My One and Only", Stratford Festival, Stratford, ON

Twice a season, Gord and I head down to the Stratford Festival. This afternoon we saw "My One and Only".

True love conquers all in this high-stepping, toe-tapping, jazz-age romance. S'wonderful!Daredevil pilot Billy Buck Chandler is determined to woo bathing beauty Edythe Herbert, star of a 1920’s Hollywood style swimming/dancing extravaganza. But Edythe’s boss, the evil Prince Nikki, has other plans. Crammed with exotic locations, outrageous plot twists and heart-stopping dance numbers, this zany comedy features beloved Gershwin tunes like " 'S Wonderful," and "Nice Work if You Can Get It."

It was okay. Lots of tapdancing, if you're into that (I enjoyed the dance numbers; Gord thought they were a big long sometimes).

An improvement would have been to work on their accents. Edythe went in and out of hers (sometimes she sounded British; sometimes snobby American) and I thought Prince Nikki was Italian but he sounded Russian towards the end.

Just being neighbourly

Our neighbours, Brock and Sherry, are having some friends over.

Gord and KC are visiting.

Brant House, Toronto, ON

Gord and I walked home and on the way we stopped at Brant House - $3 drinks until 7pm.

I was playing with my camera there ...

Isn't Gord's new shirt awesome! I have one too!

Rum and Diet Coke

Only $3 each including tax ... gotta love the macro feature!

Book ~ "The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More" - Chris Anderson (2006)

From Amazon.com ~ Wired editor Anderson declares the death of "common culture" and insists that it's for the best. Why don't we all watch the same TV shows, like we used to? Because not long ago, "we had fewer alternatives to compete for our screen attention," he writes. Smash hits have existed largely because of scarcity: with a finite number of bookstore shelves and theaters and Wal-Mart CD racks, "it's only sensible to fill them with the titles that will sell best." Today, Web sites and online retailers offer seemingly infinite inventory and the result is the "shattering of the mainstream into a zillion different cultural shards." These "countless niches" are market opportunities for those who cast a wide net and de-emphasize the search for blockbusters. It's a provocative analysis and almost certainly on target — though Anderson's assurances that these principles are equally applicable outside the media and entertainment industries are not entirely convincing. The book overuses its examples from Google, Rhapsody, iTunes, Amazon, Netflix and eBay, and it doesn't help that most of the charts of "Long Tail" curves look the same. But Anderson manages to explain a murky trend in clear language, giving entrepreneurs and the rest of us plenty to think about.

Interesting book about about the trends of our culture including how we now watch TV, how we listen to music and where we get our movies. It could have been a dry topic but the writing style was lively.

Digital Camera Basics 2 Workshop

I did the Digital Camera Basics 2 Workshop at Henry's tonight.

You understand the basics behind pixels and resolution. You’ve learned the essentials of good focusing. You’re also getting a good snapshot here and there using your camera’s trusty automatic modes. But now it’s time to take the next step towards taking better pictures. For owners of most ‘super zoom’ and other advanced compact digital cameras, this workshop will not only teach you how to make use of the advanced features on your camera, but also train your eye to bring together the key elements of effective composition and lighting.

Another good workshop, though more confusing because we learned about shutter speeds and aperture and how/when to use them ... something I could never understand. Definitely lots to remember. I've got to be brave and get away from the automatic functions and try out what I learned!

Digital Camera Basics 1 Workshop

Since I bought a new camera last week, I thought I'd take some workshops to find out how to use the functions on it and use them effectively.

So tonight I did a Digital Camera Basics 1 Workshop at Henry's School of Imaging:

An essential program for the newcomer to digital photography. Get caught up and learn the essentials on pixels, resolution and other factors that affect picture quality. We’ll also add in a number of tips on focusing, using your flash and other key features so you can start getting great results with your new digital camera.

I was expecting it to be kinda lame. But it wasn't ... it was excellent! I learned so much! Definitely worth three hours of my time (for only $60)!

When I got there, I discovered a woman I work with was in the workshop too! What a coincidence! And then I discovered a fella I used to work with at my last job was in the workshop too (though he realized halfway through that he was in the wrong workshop and should be in the one down the hall). But how weird is that??!!

Canada Day Pub Walk

Gord and I stayed in our 'hood to celebrate Canada Day.

We stopped for a couple drinks on the Skypad at the Drake. Gord has resumed his mojoto battle while I had a sangria (so-so) and a Red Geisha.

Then we went to the Gladstone. They have a bar on the side that we've wanted to check out but there's always been a function going on. We were happy to see that they have kept the brickwork and windows.

We had supper at the Cadillac Lounge. No prime rib or fish today so we had burgers (beef for me, bison for Gord). There was a couple sitting next to us. He ordered chicken wings and ate 'em ... and she cleaned the bones after he was done with them. Ewwww!!!

Finally a couple drinks on the patio at the Rhino.

Coronation Park, Toronto, ON

KC, Nova and I started our morning with a walk to Coronation Park. It's about a 15 minute walk south of us (30 minutes with KC cuz she likes to sniff everything along the way).

The National Yacht Club

Boats were heading out to spend the day on Lake Ontario

We passed Fort York on the way home. I thought this was an interesting contrast ... the grounds of the Fort built in 1793, with modern Toronto in the background. Fort York is an interesting historical site open to the public and is home to Canada's largest collection of original War of 1812 buildings.
Just behind the hedges in the middle of the picture (by the flagpole) are a couple walls with the remains of gravestones of soldiers from almost 200 years ago.