Getting from A to B with style

Getting around a town, a city or even an entire country can be done with a certain, shall we say, panache if one has luck and perseverance. And luck, and lots of sticktoitiveness, is what it once took to own a Morgan. Not many were built back in the day. Not many are produced today. Morgans are artificially rare. The low number leaving the English factory in Malvern-Link annually stokes interest among the few who find the cars desirable in the sense of worth owning. 

Why would someone want a Morgan? Beauty. Craftsmanship. For motoring, as opposed to driving. 50 years ago one could have responded "fuel economy", or even replied "cheap transportation". Weighing less than 2000 lbs. and powered by a four cylinder engine, Morgans did deliver lots of miles to the gallon. 

Many would argue they were not cheap, but they were certainly not expensive either. A Morgan roadster cost more than a basic Mustang but much less than a Swedish Volvo P1800 sports car. Put down a hundred dollars to guarantee a spot on the waiting list, and in from six months to three years and one would have their very own Morgan. Even young students could afford one. 

Today Morgans are no longer inexpensive. A well appointed Morgan roadster now starts around $100,000 U.S. But money is not enough. Canadian government regulations keep the cars out of Canada. In the U.S., one must jump through hoops and squeeze through legal loop holes to get a Morgan into the country. Apparently there are dealers in the States set up to do just that if you have the funds. Poor students need not apply.

https://www.morgan-motor.com/plus-four/

Shelf or bracket fungus plays for keeps

Tree bracket fungus is often called shelf fungus for obvious reasons. And how long does bracket fungus live? As long as the host survives, the shelf will continue to grow. In other words, tree bracket fungus lives as long as the tree it infects.

This fungus is pretty but it is also dangerous -- mostly to trees. Over time the fungus attacks the integrity of the infected tree. In the woods, a weakened, falling tree is not a problem but in one's backyard a lot of property damage could result.

If one or more branches are involved, removal of the limb or limbs is recommended. Beyond that, there is little one can do. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for this destructive, contagious tree disease. Diseased trees should be taken down.

The shelf fungus doesn't look so pretty anymore, eh?

Tree bracket fungus is often referred to as shelf fungus because of the way it sticks out from the infected tree. They are called polypores. Instead of having spore producing gills, they have many pores lined with spore producing cells called basidia. These basidia form woody tubes through which the spores are released into the air. A new layer of spore tissue is added each season on top of the old; and as time passes, these layers grow into the large and familiar bracket.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Tree Bracket Fungus – Learn About Prevention And Removal Of Bracket Fungus https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/fungus-lichen/tree-bracket-fungus.htm

Tree bracket fungus is often referred to as shelf fungus because of the way it sticks out from the infected tree. They are called polypores. Instead of having spore producing gills, they have many pores lined with spore producing cells called basidia. These basidia form woody tubes through which the spores are released into the air. A new layer of spore tissue is added each season on top of the old; and as time passes, these layers grow into the large and familiar bracket.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Tree Bracket Fungus – Learn About Prevention And Removal Of Bracket Fungus https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/fungus-lichen/tree-bracket-fungus.htm

Tree bracket fungus is often referred to as shelf fungus because of the way it sticks out from the infected tree. They are called polypores. Instead of having spore producing gills, they have many pores lined with spore producing cells called basidia. These basidia form woody tubes through which the spores are released into the air. A new layer of spore tissue is added each season on top of the old; and as time passes, these layers grow into the large and familiar bracket.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Tree Bracket Fungus – Learn About Prevention And Removal Of Bracket Fungus https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/fungus-lichen/tree-bracket-fungus.htm

Tree bracket fungus is often referred to as shelf fungus because of the way it sticks out from the infected tree. They are called polypores. Instead of having spore producing gills, they have many pores lined with spore producing cells called basidia. These basidia form woody tubes through which the spores are released into the air. A new layer of spore tissue is added each season on top of the old; and as time passes, these layers grow into the large and familiar bracket.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Tree Bracket Fungus – Learn About Prevention And Removal Of Bracket Fungus https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/fungus-lichen/tree-bracket-fungus.htm

Tree bracket fungus is often referred to as shelf fungus because of the way it sticks out from the infected tree. They are called polypores. Instead of having spore producing gills, they have many pores lined with spore producing cells called basidia. These basidia form woody tubes through which the spores are released into the air. A new layer of spore tissue is added each season on top of the old; and as time passes, these layers grow into the large and familiar bracket.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Tree Bracket Fungus – Learn About Prevention And Removal Of Bracket Fungus https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/fungus-lichen/tree-bracket-fungus.htm

Tree bracket fungus is often referred to as shelf fungus because of the way it sticks out from the infected tree. They are called polypores. Instead of having spore producing gills, they have many pores lined with spore producing cells called basidia. These basidia form woody tubes through which the spores are released into the air. A new layer of spore tissue is added each season on top of the old; and as time passes, these layers grow into the large and familiar bracket.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Tree Bracket Fungus – Learn About Prevention And Removal Of Bracket Fungus https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/fungus-lichen/tree-bracket-fungus.htm

Tree bracket fungus is often referred to as shelf fungus because of the way it sticks out from the infected tree. They are called polypores. Instead of having spore producing gills, they have many pores lined with spore producing cells called basidia. These basidia form woody tubes through which the spores are released into the air. A new layer of spore tissue is added each season on top of the old; and as time passes, these layers grow into the large and familiar bracket.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Tree Bracket Fungus – Learn About Prevention And Removal Of Bracket Fungus https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/fungus-lichen/tree-bracket-fungus.htm

Tree bracket fungus is often referred to as shelf fungus because of the way it sticks out from the infected tree. They are called polypores. Instead of having spore producing gills, they have many pores lined with spore producing cells called basidia. These basidia form woody tubes through which the spores are released into the air. A new layer of spore tissue is added each season on top of the old; and as time passes, these layers grow into the large and familiar bracket.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Tree Bracket Fungus – Learn About Prevention And Removal Of Bracket Fungus https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/fungus-lichen/tree-bracket-fungus.htm

Tree bracket fungus is often referred to as shelf fungus because of the way it sticks out from the infected tree. They are called polypores. Instead of having spore producing gills, they have many pores lined with spore producing cells called basidia. These basidia form woody tubes through which the spores are released into the air. A new layer of spore tissue is added each season on top of the old; and as time passes, these layers grow into the large and familiar bracket.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Tree Bracket Fungus – Learn About Prevention And Removal Of Bracket Fungus https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/fungus-lichen/tree-bracket-fungus.htm

Forgotten newspapers discovered in basement

 

Just doors down the street, a neighbour has made an interesting discovery: a box filled with old, newspapers. Whoever put these papers away only saved the biggest stories. My brief inspection indicated the papers go back at least sixty years.

North London neighbourhoods are not old but heritage

 

Once I thought that homes like this one in North London were unique. I was much younger then. Now, thanks to posting to this City Daily blog, I realize these home follow a formula, a formula that has been repeated many times throughout the heritage neighbourhood.

In fact, it is so much like other homes that I had to check my photo records to assure myself that I had not run a picture of this home in the past. I hadn't. But, I had run a close cousin. See on right.

Why do builders today find it so difficult to recreate this style and other from the '20s and '30s? One neighbourhood in South London attempted to emulate the period but the concrete rather than clay bricks immediately declared the homes faux.

The new homes in South London occasionally have garage doors with hinges but the hinges are not attached to the door jams. The hinges are as obviously fake as the for-show shutters with no hinges, not even phony ones.

The Monarch Ultra Run from Twitter

The Monarch Ultra Run (@monarch_ultra), co-founded by Carlotta James, moves through Southern Ontario in sync with the monarch migration. http://themonarchultra.com

I saw this on Twitter and thought it was both interesting and a fine idea. If you are like me, you are concerned that this beautiful and rather unique butterfly may not survive in our changing world. 

Between global warming and loss of habitat both in Mexico and elsewhere, the monarch is facing a potentially very bleak future.

Big running events have gone virtual

London's paved pathways have been much quieter of late. Events such as the Terry Fox Run held last week have gone virtual. People are encouraged to participate in an activity of their choosing. No big masses of runners are to be seen. Social distancing reigns supreme.

But the lack of a proper event does not seem to have cut into the donations collected to fight cancer. A friend, whose daughter has a team in the Terry Fox Run, easily blew past her goal. She raised 177% of her original goal. That converts to $3270 more in donations.

Red peppers add inside colour during the winter.

 

Celosia, the bright yellow blooms, is native to East Africa. The red pepper looking ornamentals are just that: red peppers. Both are on display as suitable decorative plants for adding colour to your home this coming winter.

Man-made hybrids are common

Visiting a local garden centre, it was impossible not to notice the large variety of calathea plants on display. Calathea plants are found in many tropical regions: South and Central America, Africa and the West Indies. 

Starting with a good number of different varietes of calathea, plant growers have been able to  create more than 300 hybrids. Many are man-made hybrids made using tissue cultures.

Many claim that the calathea is a difficult plant to grow. Others say keep the light indirect and the level low, water lightly and let the top 3-4 inches of soil dry before watering again and the plants will thrive. With such beautiful leaves, it is clear from the number of plants filling the garden centre that lots of folk are willing to try and provide a calathea or two with a good home.  

Garden centres now stocking indoor plants

 

One clue that it is fall is that the plants now filling the garden centres are indoor plants that can't take the cold but will flourish in low, indirect light. Many of the plants feature incredible foliage. I believe the plant shown is a type of calathea. With proper care it may attain a height of three feet.

A COVID-19 passport by any other name . . .

It is not being called a passport. It is a personal identification letter, actually two sheets, showing proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In Ontario, as of today, these must be shown when entering a restaurant for indoor dining as well as other venues, such as bars, theatre, cinemas and gaming establishments.

The Ontario government has a site from which one can download the letters but unfortunately today, the first day of the new program, the site crashed. Oops! I beat the rush and downloaded mine yesterday. I then took the two pages into Photoshop and created legible but smaller versions for carrying in one of the credit card slots in my wallet.

A quiet spot for a chat

 

The Thames River, with its stone border built with large cut rocks to contain surging water, offers a quiet, private spot to sit and chat. Distant from the drone of traffic, the loudest noise is often the squawking of Canada geese.

Election day in Canada

Today was the federal election in Canada. I saw no line-ups. Never do. The polling station was in a large, neighbourhood church and many voters simply walked over to the church-polling station to cast their vote. (One reader, whom I trust, wrote: "I did see line ups outside a couple poll stations yesterday." And this was not the only person who corrected me. I have never been in a polling station line but clearly it happens.)

The ballot was simple and paper. No voting machines. None. To indicate the candidate for whom one is voting, a small pencil is supplied to mark a large "X" in the circle beside the candidate's name. Along with the names of the candidates, the ballot also carries the candidate's party affiliation.

A few weeks before an election, each registered voter gets a voter information card. It tells the voter where to go to vote. There were three voting booths in my polling station. On arriving at the station, I showed my the card I had been sent and I was told at which booth to cast my ballot.

Elections Canada is not a stickler when it comes to these cards. If you don't get a voter information card, or if the information on it is incorrect, you may not be registered or your registration may not be up to date. You can register or update your information, including your name, at your assigned polling station on election day.

Before being given a ballot, voters must show a piece of accepted i.d. A driver's licence or a health card with one's picture will suffice but there are other ways to prove you are who you say you are. If you have absolutely no i.d., you can still vote. Declare your identity and address in writing and have someone who knows you and who is assigned to your polling station vouch for you.

There is no electronic or online voting in Canadian federal elections. Elections Canada likes to brag that it uses paper ballots only and these are all counted by hand in front of scrutineers. Voting machines or electronic tabulators have never been used to count votes. Why? Paper ballots teamed with lots of polling stations seems to be work better, when all things are considered, than the voting machine approach used in some other countries.

When will we know the results? As long as the results are not too close, Canadians could have a good handle on which party will form the next government shortly after midnight. But, thanks to COVID-19, there were more than the usual number of mail-in votes this year and so it is possible, warns Elections Canada, that the final tally may not be known for up to four days after the polls close. Patience is a virtue, I guess.

Black Lives Matter . . .

 

Saw this sign in front of a North London home. Apparently it has been posted here for sometime and has not suffered any damaging vandalism. I assume this means the local community approves.

Planning the day's walk

 

These two ladies, one carrying walking poles, appear to be mapping out the day's walk along the Upper Thames River trail.

Finding beauty in unlikely places

 

My grandchildren know I try and take a picture a day. They haven't been able to come for a visit for almost a week. Heading off on a search for the beautiful urban image was not on their to-do list for the day. They found me a leaf and gave me instructions to find the beauty, to find the art. The leaf had texture, a warm colour and the soft light accented the flow of the shape. There might be something here.

It is not a picture that captures an urban moment. But when my youngest granddaughter asks, "Are you glad we found the leaf?" I have to answer, "Yes." 

Tomorrow it is back to urban images.

North Branch path

The Thames River is not much of a river but looks can be deceiving. Londoners have died when the rather small, shallow river has overflowed its banks inundating homes built on flood plain land. 

Londoners love their little river. This should come as no surprise as many urban areas worldwide are built on rivers both big and small. The one constant is that the folk living in the area are drawn to their river. Londoners are no exception.

The paved path along the east side of the North Branch of the Thames River has the kilometres posted for runners,walkers and cyclists. For some reason, the blue and white posts make the path seem friendlier, more inviting to the hundreds of people who use it every day.

Signs of fall

 

Flowers, like this large hibiscus, are signalling that the end of summer is nie. Large seed pods are taking the place of the once bright flowers and soon leaves will be falling and many plants will be bare.

But look closely, seed pods are quite beautiful in their own way. These seed pods are a fitting replacement for the hibiscus flowers they replaced.

Watermain cathodic protection installation

 

A city's infrastructure is expensive to build and to maintain. Cathodic protection of aging watermains is claimed to add about 15 years of life to the system. Watermains corrode, crack, pit and scale and eventually fail. 

To slow this progression, crews have fanned out across the city to connect sacrificial anodes to aging ductile iron watermains. The attached anodes will corrode rather than the watermains to which they are attached.

The huge tube between the men on the right and the truck contains a drill that is creating a deep hole to access the watermain and to hold the sacrificial anode equipment.

A garage sale find: a bright, blue tent

 

Garage sales can be an adventure, especially for a child. When this little girl spotted the tent among the stuff for sale, she knew she had to have it. No more blankets tossed over chairs upended in the living room. This tent does not need stakes. It can be erected anywhere, even in a living room.

The kid got the tent. Then she got an invitation to go camping. Outside. Not in the living room. And so, within days of becoming the proud owner of a small, two child tent, she spent a night with a friend in her bright blue garage-sale-tent.

Life can be grand.

Southampton hit by one heck of a storm

Southampton is known mostly for its beach on Lake Huron. But a week ago it made the news for something else: a truly spectacular storm. This storm brought high winds, the threat of tornadoes and a  massive amount of rain to the usually quiet, little Ontario town.

When downtown London truly was a destination

 

This old postcard from, I believe, the '40s shows Dundas Street in downtown London at a time when the core easily attracted workers, shoppers and folk just out for a night on the town. Note the two large cinemas on the left side of the street. 

Today there is a lot of talk, and action, about how to make the core more attractive, more pedestrian-friendly. To this end one section even has had the sidewalk area merged almost seamlessly with the roadway. The city planners call this approach a flex-street.

My wife and I used to live downtown. My mother lived downtown with me and even in her 80s she would walk the few blocks from my home to the core to do her shopping. She would not do that today as the stores she liked are all gone. Closed.

I believe my mother would tell the city planners that she was happy walking on a sidewalk beside a traffic-carrying street. What interested her were the shops. No shops, no cinemas, no reason to visit.

Why the "Y" is no longer standing: fire.

 

It amazes me to see all the photos posted online of impressive buildings found still standing around the world despite being hundreds of years old. 

In the world in which I live, heritage buildings are consistently disappearing. They burn, they get old and are taken down because of lack of maintenance, they are torn down to make way for a new building. The one danger buildings in my world do not have to face is war but that has not been enough to save a large number of them.

The impressive "Y" building that once stood in downtown London burned one winter some decades ago. All that's left are memories and fading photos.

Goldenrod pleads, "Not guilty."

 

Folk with red, itchy eyes and runny noses in the fall in Ontario sometimes blame the easy-to-spot goldenrod for their discomfort. If they do, they are wrong. Goldenrod with its bright yellow clumps of small flowers is not the culprit; the guilty party is the much less easily spotted rag weed that also blooms in the fall and often grows nearby.

Why this error is still being made amazes me. I learned this fact when I was in public school in the mid '50s. Yet the CBC and other media regularly run articles informing folk of the truth. Maybe most folk do know the truth but it has become the fall go-to-story for the fall on a slow news day.

Labatt was Brick's nemesis

The Labatt Brewing Company was originally a small, Canadian brewery, but that was a long time ago, over a century ago. Founded in 1847, seven  years later John Kinder Labatt's partner retired. Soon, Labatt had taken complete control of the operation.

When John Labatt Sr. died in 1866, his son took over. Under his guidance, the Labatt brewery became the largest brewery in Canada. It was the little brewery that could. Labatt Blue, a lager, was the most popular Canadian brew in the country and Labatt was the biggest brewery.

Then in 1995, Interbrew bought the company. A bigger fish devouring a smaller fish. But the business world food chain tends to grow as bigger and bigger fish, attracted by the action, circle their prey. In 2004, Interbrew merged with the Brazilian brewery giant AmBev to form InBev. In 2004, Interbrew merged with Brazilian brewer AmBev to form InBev. 

But the mergers, acquisitions and the like continued. In 2008, InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch. Today, Labatt is just a small part of the massive Anheuser-Busch InBev beverage company with its head office in Leuven, Belgium. AB InBev took control of SABMiller in 2015. 

The world's biggest brewery became even bigger. Today it bottles some 630 different brews in 150 countries around the world.

I wonder how many jobs have been lost as relatively small, local brewers were taken over by an efficient, global beverage maker.

Brick Brewery: a remarkable experiment

When the Brick Brewing Company Ltd. opened in 1984 it was a decision steeped in luck. Shortly after opening, the large breweries in Ontario locked out their unionized workers. This action left Brick as one of the few brewers still open for business in southwestern Ontario. It sold out its stock of fresh brewed beer in under an hour.

Brick took its name from its owner, Jim Brickman, a man with a dream. He was going to operate a successful micro-brewery. To this end, he imported his hops from Germany and age his lager for the maximum time legally permitted in Ontario. He used no preservatives.

In that first year, Brick Brewing produced 110,000 24-bottle cases. At its peak, I believe it produced something in the order of 5 million 24-bottle cases. Brick brewed good lager, winning gold medals at international quality competitions in Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Luxembourg. And yet, Brick never gave the big boys a run for their money. 

Today the Brick Brewery has been evolved into Waterloo Brewing and is Ontario largest Canadian-owed brewery. Note the limiter, "Canadian-owned." Waterloo Brewing, like Brick before it, is known for producing a quality product.