Saturday, May 21, 2011
Cool balconies!
The balconies on this apartment building in the south of London are neat. If this building was built close to other, visually different, apartment buildings, the balcony treatment would contrast with the surrounding buildings causing these unique balconies to visually jump.
Instead this building is teamed with another of the same design and the pop is reduced to a gentle fizz.
Oh well, it is still a cool design.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Rain, now fog, and the forecast? Rain.
It looked good when we got up, just a little after daybreak. But soon a dense fog had settled over the city. Not good for the morning commuters but good for early morning photographers. Just step out the front door and find a picture.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
It rained in the morning, it rained at night but in the afternoon we celebrated.
In the last half of April, Londoners enjoyed just three rain-free days. Rainfall during that two-week stretch totaled 77.9 mm or about the same amount as normally falls during the entire month of April. May is looking like a repeat and the forecast if for this abnormally wet spring to continue into early June.
Grandfathers like me with granddaughters like Fiona are beginning to panic. These little kids live to run and they need the room provided by the outdoors. There are only so many laps they can make running down the hallway from the kitchen to the TV room and back before the confinement reduces them to tears: Little tears but big sobs.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Northern Flicker in London Ontario backyard
A Northern Flicker shot through my kitchen window. |
Northern Flickers are woodpeckers with handsome black-scalloped plumage, a black on white speckled breast, and with a flash of red at the back of their heads. Flickers may be woodpeckers but they love to dine on easily found ants and beetles which can be dug up with their long, slightly curved beak.
These are not uncommon in our backyard and I shot this one with my Fuji FinePix HS10 zoomed to the max and pressed against a kitchen window. I'm glad my wife cleaned those windows! There is still a little distortion from shooting obliquely through a couple of layers of insul-glass.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Magnolia
I'm not a gardener.
My wife and I like magnolias and so I bought a tree for my backyard. It has now survived a number of Southwestern Ontario winters and has grown to about four feet. This spring it is in full flower. What a surprise; The blooms are a deep purple rather than pink and the shape is unlike the other magnolia trees in the neighbourhood.
What did I buy?
The magnolia may be the official state flower of Mississippi and Louisiana in the U.S., but some species are native to Southwestern Ontario where there the temperate climate supports a Carolinian Forest.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Canadian spring
Spring is surely here. The grass is green and blooms are everywhere. Wish I had grabbed a better shot.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Green growth from still water
The rather still pool of spring fed water sheltered plants beneath its tranquil surface all winter. Now, with spring in the air, lush, green leaves are sprouting above the water. Maybe, in a few weeks, there will be some lily pads making an appearance.
Friday, April 15, 2011
An older style of housing
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Of art and bike racks
The large, red sculpture nestled into the small courtyard behind the Bell building and government offices and the courthouse in downtown London, Ontario, shares its visual space quite comfortably with the nearby bike racks.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
We're a young country but our flag is still younger.
I can remember when Canada didn't have the bright red maple leaf as the national flag. It was February 15th, 1965, when the Maple Leaf was first raised above Parliament Hill.
In the beginning, it was tough going for the little flag. A lot of folk were quite happy with Canada's de facto national flags. That's right, flags plural.
One flag often flown was the Canadian Red Ensign. This was a British Red Ensign with a Canadian shield in the fly (the right-hand half).
As a child, I can recall waving a stiff-fabric red ensign when Queen Elizabeth visited Brantford, Ontario. Many Canadians had memories attached to that flag. For those folk, it was tough saying good-bye.
The other flag that served as Canada's official national flag was the British Union Jack. The Union Jack often flew over government buildings as well as government-related facilities such as RCMP camps and military forts.
When the Maple Leaf was first flown, I know of one one high school teacher who told his students that the new Maple Leaf design was better suited to decorating beer bottles. He went on to argue that there were parts of Canada that didn't have maple trees. He was disgusted and wore his disgust with wounded pride.
But Prime Minister Lester Pearson bravely broke with the past and gave Canada a fresh, new flag. It was a gutsy move. Today, I believe, you'd have a difficult time finding many who'd want either the Union Jack or the Canadian Red Ensign in place of our beloved Maple Leaf.
If you'd like to know more about the history of Canada's flag, please check out The Canadian Maple Leaf Flag site.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Solar home a forgotten dream?
The solar panels are broken and it is doubtful that today they are even working. |
Note the tree sprouting. |
Today two of the lower panels are broken and a tree is sprouting from the steel framing. I doubt that the solar panels are still working and I wonder if the insulated water tank has been broken up and removed.
There were a number of solar installations around London in the late '70s and early '80s. Interest was high in solar energy back then, but interest soon peaked. I know of one large installation on the roof of an apartment co-op in northeast London that fell into disuse and was removed some years later.
I was surprised when the keeners running the co-op failed to make their solar installation a success. If all the volunteer effort blended with the solar energy couldn't make a rooftop solar installation succeed, one was left to wonder just who could.
I wonder if the world will be dotted in a few decades with forgotten windmills built with dreams of generating electricity from the wind.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Spring rain
Ah, the wonders of a long lens and shallow depth of field. Simple drops of rainwater hanging from winter-bare branches make a picture. It won't be long until this bush is green with spring foliage. Hey, another picture!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Saturday Morning Walks
I showed my confidence in my new ICD by joining the Thames Valley Trail folk for their Saturday morning walk. I was surprised that the group took the walk from Gibbons Park along the river to the bridge to the University of Western Ontario main campus. Although most of the walk was dry, there were a few muddy spots and a few gently flooded areas.
Almost all the snow is now gone from London. What little there is left will be gone withing a day or two at most. Spring is in the air, green sprouts are everywhere, and soon there will flowers in bloom.
If you are interested the next walks will be:
April 16 at Meadowlily Woods. Walkers are asked to meet at the sports field on the north side of Commissioners Road, east of Highbury.
April 23 at Springbank Park West. Walkers are asked to meet at the west end parking lot, off Commissioners Road.
April 30 at Sifton Bog. Walkers are asked to meet at the north west corner Super Store car park on Oxford St. West.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Iron fence
Common a hundred years ago, iron fences like this one sighted in Mount Brydges west of London are now rather rare. I recall a high school history teacher claiming many of these fences were melted down for the iron content and recast as weapons used in fighting the First World War.
This fence may actually be a reproduction. It is just in such excellent condition.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Should wooden ties just fade away?
New wooden railway ties await installation. |
Note the spike lift, lower left, and rotted tie, right. |
I have a retaining wall behind my home that was made from railway ties. The wall is rotting and in need of replacement. From my personal experience with railway ties, I figure these big chunks of creosote-saturated lumber do not last all that long. My years of working for a newspaper tell me that trains occasionally jump the track. Derailments are far from unknown. This is 2011, not 1911, isn't there a better way of anchoring track?
Well it turns out there well might be. For more than 30 years, Europe and Japan have been using concrete slab track instead of traditional ties and ballast. This type of track works well for high-speed passenger trains, but the challenge has been to design and construct a track system providing the required ride quality for high-speed passenger trains with the strength to withstand 39-ton axle loads at freight train speeds.
The Portland Cement Association is leading research into the problem and slab track installations are being tested in the United States.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Deer in the Woodland Cemetery
A large number of white-tailed deer now call London Ontario's Woodland Cemetery home. The usually timid animals are easily sighted from the busy four lane street bordering the south side of the cemetery grounds. Reportedly, at least two bucks have been seen as well as a good number of does.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The littlest couch potato
The littlest couch potato |
Sunday, March 13, 2011
ICD spells No Blogging for a Month
I've had an ICD — an implantable cardioverter defibrillator — inserted into my chest. A long lead goes from the unit through a vein to my heart. If I should have another V-tach event, as I did last summer in California, the ICD will shock my heart and stop the event.
This means that I cannot lift my left arm higher than my shoulder for a month. Also, I should refrain from lifting anything more than ten pounds during the healing period. As for driving, it's out, too.
Feeling a little uneasy about carrying my camera bag, and feeling a little restricted in the use of my cameras, and unable to get about by car, I am suspending my shooting until early April. At that time I'm going to get back to the daily grind of shooting as my babysitting will no longer be an all day affair.
If you're interested in knowing more about an ICD or about the Canadian health care system, please click on this link to Rockin' On: the Blog.
This means that I cannot lift my left arm higher than my shoulder for a month. Also, I should refrain from lifting anything more than ten pounds during the healing period. As for driving, it's out, too.
Feeling a little uneasy about carrying my camera bag, and feeling a little restricted in the use of my cameras, and unable to get about by car, I am suspending my shooting until early April. At that time I'm going to get back to the daily grind of shooting as my babysitting will no longer be an all day affair.
If you're interested in knowing more about an ICD or about the Canadian health care system, please click on this link to Rockin' On: the Blog.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Supporters want Baby Joseph sent home
Saturday dozens of supporters protested the hospital's refusal to perform a tracheotomy on the little boy before sending him home to face certain death.
Moe Maraachli is Baby Joseph's dad. |
The 13-month-old son of Moe Maraachli and Sana Nader of Windsor Ontario, known to the world as Baby Joseph, was admitted to Victoria Hospital in London Ontario last October.
The family was on the way home from Toronto, not quite halfway to Windsor, when their infant son developed life-threatening breathing difficulties. They rushed the boy to emergency in Ingersoll and from there he was taken to the London Health Sciences Centre's pediatric critical care unit.
It is now March and the little boy is still being cared for in the Southwestern Ontario hospital. The doctors have determined he is dying of the same progressive neurodegenerative disease that claimed his sister, Zina, eight years ago.
The doctors would like to remove the breathing tube keeping the little boy alive. His parents want the doctors to perform a tracheotomy and let them take their son home to die, as was done with Joseph's sister. She lived six months with a tracheotomy before succumbing to the fatal genetic disease.
For more on this story see the Digital Journal post.
Protesters supporting the parents of Baby Joseph lined Commissioners Road and Wellington Road at the busy intersection near the large hospital complex. |
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Connett speaks in London, Ontario
Dr. Paul Connett is co-author of book The Case Against Fluoride. |
A talk at the downtown Central library by Dr. Paul Connett Wednesday night filled the 370-seat Wolf Performance Hall to capacity, forcing organizers to close the doors and turn many Londoners away. Connett is co-author of book The Case Against Fluoride.
Connett is the head of a New York state-based anti-fluoridation group called the Fluoride Action Network. These American activists have found Canadians quite receptive to their arguments against the continued fluoridation of tap water. Just recently politicians in two major Canadian cities, Calgary in Alberta and Waterloo in Ontario, have voted to remove the chemical additive from municipal water.
Many people are clearly concerned and for good reason. When Connett's talk was announced, a columnist at the local Sun Media paper told those who disagreed with him, "C’mon folks. Give your head a shake." He openly mocked a city councillor for suggesting, ""If you do any research on the Internet, you'll find scientists believe there are health risks."
Those doing Internet research didn't have to look farther than Canoe health expert and Sun Media columnist Dr. Gifford-Jones.
The good doctor wrote that the fluoridation of water is useless and fluoride toothpaste is a dangerous biological poison.
He went on to say several studies involving as many as 480,000 children found fluoride provided no protection against tooth decay.
Those lucky enough to gain admittance to the auditorium learned that Dr. Connett is quite in agreement with Sun Media's good doctor and popular columnist. Connett pointed out that one tooth paste box warns consumers to keep the tooth paste out of the reach of children under six years of age. If they accidentally swallow more than a pea-sized amount, they should get medical help and a Poison Control Center should be immediately contacted.
Connett argued fluoridation is unethical. "No government has the right to force medication on its people to fight a non-contagious, non-life-threatening disease."
Note: This is not a news report nor is it an endorsement of Dr. Connett's position. This post is simply letting folk know what went down in London, Ontario, last night at the Central library.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Heart failure awareness week
Photo illustration from LHSC event showing Dr. M. Arnold. |
Dr. Malcolm Arnold, one of the heart failure specialists at the event, says:
"Although we are seeing rates of other heart diseases decreasing, heart failure cases are rising in the population. Heart failure is now the most common diagnosis in hospitals for patients over the age of 65."
"Through careful lifestyle management and treatments it is entirely possible for someone with the condition to continue living a healthy and active lifestyle. There are many advances in treatment and good health management that can improve symptoms, prolong health and keep people out of the hospital."
Clearly heart failure is not automatically debilitating but there is a pressing need for heart failure awareness. Learning about the signs and symptoms of heart failure is the first step in protecting oneself.
This event was especially important to me. My mother died of congestive heart failure, a good friend is on diuretics to control his water retention caused by heart failure and I may have a heart condition known as ARVD which can lead to a progressive loss of healthy heart muscle. Tests to confirm my heart disease are ongoing.
Events like this one are an important part of a well-rounded, total approach to health care.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Shadows on snowy slopes, superb
The shadow cast on the snow doesn't accurately mirror the fence. |
On the way home from the hospital I saw the shadow featured today. The road home went up a small hill leaving the university grounds — the hospital is just north of the university. A black iron fence ran beside the roadway. The moment I saw the shadow cast by the fence climbing that small hill, I knew I had a picture.
Saturday was one fine day!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Cold Advisory
It was cold this weekend. Cold enough to cancel some outdoor events. But it wasn't cold enough to stop me from going for my 5 km walk. If your heart is weak, it is important to get out and give it some gentle exercise.
It's funny but I'd have thought beating 50 times every minute all day and all night would be enough exercise. The doctors assure me that it isn't.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
There's a little reason posts are sporatic: Fiona
For more than a year this collection of blogs enjoyed regular, almost daily, posts. This activitiy has come to a grinding halt and for that I apologize. With both of us in our early 60s, my wife and I have taken on the quite enjoyable task of babysitting a beautiful little girl, Fiona, our granddaughter.
The kid's awake! |
As you can see from today's picture, Fiona arrived asleep. I have just a few moments for an explanatory post; Judy tells me the little girl is starting to stir. I best get ready to share a banana and maybe a crushed and chopped pear with the kid.
Have a great day,
Cheers,
Rockinon!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Snowshoes and snowboards
Springbank Park in London, Ontario, is one of the most popular spots for locals to go to exercise. Usually it is joggers that one sees. But, in winter, one also sees cross-country skiers and sometimes folk traipsing through the deep snow wearing snowshoes for some off-trail exercise.
One sight that one doesn't see too often is a snowboarder on a picnic table. The young man had built a ramp out of snow and was sliding down a nearby slope, zipping up the ramp and leaping onto the snow-covered table, before jumping from the table back to the snow.
One sight that one doesn't see too often is a snowboarder on a picnic table. The young man had built a ramp out of snow and was sliding down a nearby slope, zipping up the ramp and leaping onto the snow-covered table, before jumping from the table back to the snow.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Merry Christmas from London, Ontario, Canada
Fiona got lots of gifts and their value ranged widely. But one gift that got lots of attention cost but $2 at the Dollar Store: a simple xylophone. A toy with a history going back a hundred years was easily able to compete with her other favorite toy: Mom's iPhone.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas from London, Ontario, Canada
Merry Christmas
and a
Happy New Year
to all!
. . . and now to go and watch Fiona unwrap her gifts. Maybe I'll post some pictures. I do hope you are all having as wonderful a Christmas as I am.
Cheers!
Monday, December 20, 2010
More on the upside to snow
A family enjoying the deep snow on the long, steep hill near Lookout Crt. |
It's a bit of a climb back to the summit. |
The runs are fast but the climb back to the top slow can be slow, especially when the snow is deep and fresh.
Although few wear helmets, they would be a good idea, especially here. When the snow gets shoved aside by all the sledding, sometimes a rock will jut out of from the slope.
If you're dressed for it, one can simply rest in the snow. |
Every year thousands go to the hospital with injuries sustained playing on slopes. Helmets are a good idea, even if they're not popular.
It can be difficult seeing where you're going with the snow flying. |
Labels:
Byron,
Court,
Crt.,
downtown London,
hill,
Lookout,
public school,
sledding,
snow,
Somerset,
tobogganing
Sunday, December 19, 2010
The upside, the upside downside, to snow
This boy knew just where to aim his sled. He took to the air on each descent. |
Glasses aren't much good when you have your eyes closed. |
I grabbed my camera and headed into the snow. I followed the last group to arrive down the path behind a row of suburban homes until we reached the crest of the toboggan run.
. . . or when they are covered with snow. |
The are only two ski hills in the area and one is quite close to where I live. Boler Mountain has a vertical height of a hundred feet. That's correct: A hundred feet. It is better known as the Byron Bump.
Now you understand why the small hill across from me is so popular. Heck, when I was a boy we took our toboggans to an overpass on 401 in order to find a slope.
Making it all the way to the bottom is a challenge. |
Close to the ground is good. Less distance to fall. |
More pictures to follow tomorrow!
Labels:
Byron,
Court,
Crt.,
downtown London,
hill,
Lookout,
public school,
sledding,
snow,
Somerset,
tobogganing
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