A friend of mine was complaining about her ageing husband, who is about my age. She said he has been grunting every time he sits down. It doesn’t matter if it is a flop into the chair style or easing down slowly approach, out comes the grunt, every time. Bravely and with pride, I asked…

I am fortunate that I can’t remember the second World War. I was born several years after. But I can think. A few years ago, my wife and I took a river cruise from Paris to Rouen, France. Driving this distance would have taken us 2.5 hours. The voyage lasted a week. You can do…

I hear many times that prices are too high. We pay too much tax. I think differently. I’d like to live in a country with the following in no particular order: Cost of Living: A sustainable cost to support real benefits I value: High Quality of Life High Level of Safety Good Health Care Low…

I’m a person who lives more in the moment. Diaries are for other people. I try to live it rather than record it. I think I’m wrong, at least at this point in my life. Several threads have come together to nudge me in a different direction. The first thread started when I learned of…

I have a couple of favourite pubs. One is very local, while the other is a good 20 km away. Covid-19 has been difficult for retail businesses. The pub I had to drive to, closed early on in the pandemic. It changed from a temporary closure to “Closed Permanently.” Some background. This pub was nothing…

I arrived at my place of employment a few years ago, sat at my desk, and reviewed how to get all my work done on that hectic day. I decided to work my way through my emails before my official start time began while it was still quiet. I was tired from a night of…

I changed my status from “Employed full-time” to “Unemployed, Not Looking for Work” just three years ago. Some people call this retirement while I refer to it as Movin’ On. It has, for me, a more positive connotation. Before this event, I read a list of tips for retirement. The advice I found most useful…

I came across a quote in the local paper that caught my eye. It was focused on violence against women. I thought it had an application to elder abuse. Before I get to that quote, here is an itch I’d like to scratch. Why do we use unique phrases such as domestic violence and elder…

I have a friendly squirrel whom my grandson has named Chippy. He, or she, comes for his daily fill of birdseed and the handful of peanuts. I’ve been consciously training him to come ever closer to the large patio glass doors. He looks right at me, and I at him. He is now passing the…

I understand that a recessive gene in the DNA of humans will exacerbate our weaknesses. We have learned that near relatives shouldn’t marry because of the recessive gene concept causing physical and mental abnormalities. It will be a significant and weakening factor in human reproduction over time. It’s better to have a large gene pool…