These cars say, "Slow down!"

Isn't this impersonating a policeperson, or at least police car? Isn't this technically illegal? If it is, the police are looking the other way for these two police car look-alikes are parked in front of Mattress Depot and Discount Furniture on Exeter Road in the city's southern end.

No matter how many times my wife and I drive by the Mattress Depot we always slow down the moment we spot these two parked cars. Heck, we slow down and we aren't even speeding!

The growing, expanding city devours nearby farms.

This old farm house, its barn, in fact the entire farm on which these buildings sit, all are on the way out. But it is clear from the look of the farm house that this place has been fading into oblivion for some time. It always amazes me to see the work people expend in destroying a building.

I'm old, really old. Not as old as this home but within a decade or two. I can almost remember when asphalt rolled siding was new. Let me assure you, covering a home with this imitation-stone-patterned stuff was never cool. Never. It was always cheap and tacky.

I wonder what this home looked like when new. I bet it was rather nice. Inside, it had wide, solid wood trim. It has solid wooden doors, not the hollow core one's installed today --- which often have more in common with treated paper than wood. It had a fireplace in the living room with two matching windows on each side. It had some fancy beveled glass interior doors as visual accents.

When new it might have housed a happy family that would never have imagined how their beloved home would be allowed to decay with the passing decades.

Geek get-together

Geeks are good at multi-tasking.

JL had designs on the blonde.

Food, friends and phones

The first Wednesday of every month the geeks of London rise up from their computers and migrate downtown to enjoy a good dinner, some draft beer and lots of conversation.

This month there was a new guest at the Geek Dinner, the new Apple iPad.

Next month there are two geek events: The monthly Geek Dinner and another PodCamp. If interested, click the link.

Cheers,
Rockinon

Addendum: When I worked at the paper I used to hear the term 'social networking'. I thought it was nothing more than another buzzword, full of whatever and signifying nothing. I'm an ag'iner and not believing in stuff comes easy and often my doubts are justified. Not here. Social networking is real. I was wrong.

By 8 a.m. I had about 60 hits. Now, it is not quite 2 p.m. and I'm at about 140 hits. It is clear from the locations from which these hits are coming and from what is being hit that the action is all be driven by this one post. You couldn't look for better evidence of social networking.

I'm uncomfortable with the term geek. Oh I know it is being used somewhat tongue in cheek here, but many of these folk are beyond geekdom, and I mean that in a good way. They all have lives outside of the computer world. If you could take away their cell phones and their notebooks (I wouldn't try.), you would still have a group of interesting people.

Primulas

Primula blooms

The first blooms of spring are beginning to brighten the land. I noticed these primula blooms hiding in the post winter wreckage of my wife flower garden. She doesn't read my blog so I'm safe.

Seven homes collapsed. Why?

A row of five unfinished homes collapsed in northeast London Saturday around dinner hour. Another two, several kilometres away, were also taken down by what were reportedly light winds. Why did these homes collapse?

Yes, seven homes were dropped to their knees by winds gusting to 67 km/h as measured at London International Airport. All were only partially built and thus were quite vulnerable, but vulnerable to what? All were two storey homes but after they collapsed it was mighty hard to tell.

One onlooker said, "It wasn't even that windy."

For the complete story and the answer to this puzzle, I have posted more information plus more pictures on Digital Journal.

Rabbits and chipmunks frequent my yard

Rabbits and chipmunks are common in my London, Ontario, subdivision.

If you have followed this blog at all, you know that rabbits, chipmunks, foxes, raccoons, skunks, groundhogs and other small animals frequent my yard. One winter there were deer tracks in the snow behind my home and one summer an armadillo was spotted. You might think that I live in the country, or almost, and you'd be right --- at least, for a few more short years. New subdivisions are going up and the day is coming when I will be deep in the urban landscape.

Winter is Over!

Warm weather brought thousands out to enjoy London's parks.

Warm enough to carry water

With the temperature climbing into the seventies on Good Friday in London, Ontario, Londoners in the thousands hit the parks: Some to walk, others to jog, or bike, or skateboard, but all to enjoy. Winter is over and these Canadians have come out to celebrate the spring.

London wasn't alone. People across the province, plus Quebec and Atlantic Canada, were all enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures. Forecasters were expecting warm weather records to fall in many places.

In London it's possible to walk from the north end of town, above the university, all the way to the southwest end of the city past Springbank Park using mainly walking paths along the Thames River. No one need battle traffic and congestion, unless you count other walkers, jogger, bikers and skateboarders.