Lots of work has filled my days lately, but my mind keeps straying to home and family stuff. Our kitchen is done and it's a beauty. I will echo Bob's comments that John Marriage of JSM Contracting did a superb job leading the project from start to finish. His father, John Sr., made an outstanding contribution as our painter and the juniors of the crew, Derek and Jason, were great helpers. Our electrician, Kevin, was quietly meticulous and thorough, not only giving us all the lighting we needed, but safely disconnecting the old baseboard heaters throughout the house. (I can't find his last name right now, but will hunt it down for my next post.) Jeff Kirkwood, our plumber, whose business name matches his sense of humour (Royal Flush) took pride in his work and clearly enjoyed doing it well.

In our family news, Aunt Dorothy (Gransden) died Sunday night, peacefully at 80. The same evening, Claire took off for her new life in the UK, arriving safely. She is spending a few days in Cornwall before starting her job at the Edinburgh Zoo.

Posted by lynda at 07:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I really spend far too much time with my butt glued to the desk chair, but I'm taking the whole weekend off for Summerfolk, a major event around here. I missed most of last week's Homecoming celebrations because of work commitments and I was really annoyed about it. The summer is flying by and I haven't spent nearly enough time goofing off. Mind you, there will be plenty of recreational moments during my month's vacation in the UK.

Bob and I took advantage of the star show a few days ago, staying up late to see the Perseid meteor shower from the excellent viewpoint of our patio. And now I am squinting at the keyboard by candlelight, sitting in the cool night air on the patio, looking up occasionally to another brilliant starry night.

Posted by lynda at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It should be easy to keep focus on work when I'm here in Toronto, away from distractions of dogs, garden, and the nearly finished kitchen, but it's not. I'm still a procrastinator at heart and it is undeniably a Friday afternoon before a long summer weekend. Here's a thoroughly worthwhile diversion for the rest of you like me. It's another great clip from past TED talks, a performance by piano prodigy Jennifer Lin. Even if you're not a classical fan, stick with it to the last half, where she takes her cue from Goldie Hawn in the audience to create a new piece, then finishes up with Bumble Boogie.

Posted by lynda at 03:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)