Posted on June 12, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

An odd place for a toaster? Not really.

 

 

The picture that you see above won’t make one bit of sense to you if you haven’t read the story I posted last week called “ Hide and Seek.” You see, our house is for sale and when the call comes for a showing, it is a mad dash to get the house “staged.” I thought I knew what this term meant but like so many things, I was dead wrong. Staging is just a giant game of hide and seek.

So when the call came Tuesday for a showing, I did a lot of the foot work , including hiding things so that the people looking at our house wouldn’t think someone actually lived there. I have learned from previous stagings, that the most appropriate place to put the toaster is under the kitchen sink. Wait until Betty tries to find her coffee cup. Only joking.  A man would never hide his spouse’s coffee cup. Not unless he wants to join the endangered species list.

The good news about showing the house in the early evening is that we get to go out for dinner, which we did on Tuesday. We went to a local watering hole and restaurant and were treated to magnificent food served by a knowledgeable and courteous staff person. There were a few good ol`boys ( looked like tourists ) sitting at the bar. They might have been there for a while. They were good natured but did you ever notice that some people`s voices are quite a bit louder, the more they drink? They “filled the room” and I think everyone in the restaurant exhaled when they left.

It is a joy walking to work these days, admiring the gardening skills of others. People take great pride in their properties. The town as a whole also does a spectacular job making the community look terrific with the `Communities in Bloom` initiative. After a long winter and cold spring, it is joyous to see the foliage come alive.

I heard the bagpipes outdoors for the first time this spring last weekend. You know that The Highland Games is fast approaching. I am hoping to do a story about piping and drumming. That’s almost as challenging as doing a story about quantum physics. I don’t know much about either. But with some help from aficionados and Google, I should be able to fabricate something. “ Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling.” Coming soon.

Hope you have a great weekend.

 

Posted on June 5, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with 2 comments

A la cart… a shopping cart

 

 

I saw this piece of handy work at an apartment last evening in Dartmouth. The tenant, Chris, is a very talented woodworker and artisan and can make something out of anything including this amazing chair fashioned out of an old shopping cart. Some people are very creative.

Have you ever walked your umbrella to work?  Sure you have. You’ve heard that rain is in the forecast and when you step outside,  you can feel it in the air. So , you grab your umbrella and off you go. Despite what the experts have predicted , not a drop of rain falls. You are certain that it will come on your way home from work and lo and behold, the sun comes out. Now, you just know the converse of this axiom. The skies can be clear and that will be the time when rain will start to fall. One of the many things that puzzles me. Thanks, Gladys, for bringing this to my attention this morning as you watched me walk my umbrella.

For all you golfers, I have a treat this coming Saturday. I have been telling you about the story that appeared in last week`s Cape Breton Star called `Mind Games.“ My favorite golf course in the world is The Cape Breton Highland Links in Ingonish. My least favorite hole in the world is the first hole on that very same course. In the story, I try to explain the strange phenomenon of how that hole got inside my  head 50 years ago. Even if you`re a non golfer, I think you will enjoy it. I bet you have something that is your nemesis. Please don`t say it`s your spouse.

Once again, I humbly suggest that you arrange a date with someone special and get down to the Capitol Theatre this weekend to watch “A Grand Seduction.“  ( I am available if you’re not fussy ) The movie was filmed in Newfoundland and the cast is a who`s who of Newfoundland ( and CBC ) talent. You will have a good chuckle. I`m thinking I might go see it again I enjoyed it so much the first time.

So I`m on my way to Louisburg the other day. It is ten minutes before Shane is due to pick me up when I get a call from a real estate agent wondering if the house is available for a showing in forty minutes time. If you want to see what happens before a showing of our house, go back a few days and check out the story “ Hide and Seek.“  I have exactly 10 minutes to “ stage “ the house. I wasn`t able to hide everything but I gave it one hell of a shot. And speaking of Louisburg, the temperature dropped a full fifteen degrees between Sydney and Louisburg that afternoon… a distance of about 35 kilometers. As we approached the town, we could see the wall of fog hovering over the community.

Now that my editor is home after a three day love in with our granddaughter in Halifax, I will be asking her politely, after suitable caffeineation, to edit the story “ Privacy in the Privy.“ This is a true story ( some of it is true ). When we were in P.E.I. on the weekend, the doorknob fell off the bathroom door with Betty inside. What would you do if you discovered a damsel in distress? And what would you do if you got locked in for three or four hours while your knight in shining armour was out shopping ( unlikely! ) or golfing? Why, you would need an emergency kit and I have devised one that is perfect for the woman in your life.

Our company, Success’N Planning is the major sponsor of a golf tournament tomorrow. This should be good for a few stories.

Have a great weekend.

 

Posted on May 29, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

Lochaber Rowing Facility

 

 

In case you haven’t noticed, we live in one of the most remarkable areas in this province.  We have a distinguished university and a regional health care facility second to none. Our primary industries remain primarily strong despite challenging global conditions. We have a plethora of recreational facilities. The region is teeming with artists, musicians, writers and dancers. Sometimes we take all of this for granted.

We shouldn’t.

Betty and I took a ride last Sunday and drove out to Lochaber to see the new rowing facility. If you haven’t had a chance to go yet, you really ought to. While no expert on the subject, it appears to have all the requirements to attract rowers from around the region, the country and maybe even internationally. Very impressive.

And from all accounts, the new trail facilities at The Keppoch are amazing. We are lucky that so many people care enough to pour hundreds, if not thousands of hours into making Antigonish a great place to live.

Some of you know that we are trying to sell our house. You might be familiar with the term “staging.” You have to get the house looking just so before people come to view it. I didn’t realize until recently that part of the preparation requires hiding things. So the other day, after a showing,  I went looking for the toaster and was was surprised to find it under the sink. This went on for the next 24 hours. I couldn’t resist the temptation to write a story about this. I also incorporated another tidbit into the story.

Have you ever had trouble finding the right lid to go with the right Tupperware container? Sure you have. All the time, as a matter of fact. Thrown in some unmatchable socks and you have “ Hide and Seek.”

I also had great fun writing my very own gardening story. From my first feeble attempts at a garden in Northern Alberta , to the present day where watching the garden grow is about all I’m allowed to do, I take a look at my futile attempts to grow things.

If you happen to be reading this post in Cape Breton, I have a story in today’s Cape Breton Star called “ Mind Games.” It’s a golf story and I know some of you are golf enthusiasts. The story is about the first hole at the Cape Breton Highland Links in Ingonish. This hole has been my nemesis for over 50 years.

And next week, the Cape Breton Star will be paying tribute to miners during William Davis Memorial Day. My knowledge of mining is pretty minimal but I was asked to write a serious piece for that edition. Part of my story is about Westray. I was in Plymouth a few hours after the explosion, representing the Town of Antigonish. This left a lasting impression on me. I will probably republish that piece on Week45 at a later day. If you happen to be in Cape Breton, the Star is free.

Off to PEI for the big newspaper convention.

Have a great weekend.