I was just walking the dog...

This scientist(?) looks pleased!

I dont need to say that she has a Coelacanth, though it doesn't look very lively, rediscovered in 1938 after being thought to be extinct for 80 million years.

It is good to get some good news wrt the planet, so I was dragged in by an article in the Toronto Star about animals that had been written off, only to annoy all the experts by being re-discovered by someone walking their dog.

As recently as 2004 High range dwarf Cattle have been rediscoveredin India. -its a big country.

Likewise Slater's Skink in Australia in the same year. A year earlier the NZ Storm Petrel blew back in, two years after that the Laotian Rock Rat believed extict for 11 million years "was first seen by a western scientist" -the Eastern scientists are marginalised in the Western press.

There is still a Asian Grey whale rediscovered in 1973 and living in Russian waters- nowhere is very far from Japan and their "Scientific" whaling, so the jury is still out on that one.

Anyway latch on to nature's bloody minded resilience, rejoice in every Tiger that bites off the arm of its tormentor at the zoo, and know that just outside your town there is wildlife that doesn't care whether you like it or not, and may just kill you if the 4x4 runs out of juice...

Waves!!!!

Been in the land of far too many flags for five days (can you guess where it is)?
The weather was perfect but so was the surf, yep a mere 11 an one half hours away , people are waxing down their boards, getting ice cream headaches, bruises, heads full of sea water.
Back to work, but now I know what I am saving for, and on this beautiful Autumn day inToronto life is good.........
ps anyone surfed in New Brunswick? I think it is an hour or so closer

Hockey? not today thank you!

So, we pay $50 for the cheapest seats (five times the price for the Canadian football-and they were better seats) to watch a dreadful contest in which Toronto lose 4-o!

The highlight of the game was each of the three fights, for the crowd that is.
They stopped talking on the phone, reading, eating, and walking around the venue, to cheer three pantomime fights which would embarass WWF
The referees were complicit, like the WWF, but at this pre season stage they forgot to bring the beer bottles and chairs with which to supply the combatants.
It seemed so much more of a night on the town (everyone texting eachother and generally being trashy) than a sporting contest.
I shall stick to a proper sport and save myself the embarassment of hearing "go leafs go" again.

Subliminal education

In order to surf the net, I have to be doing something else, so as not to appear frivolous .
I listen to http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/brainofbritain/ for some unbelievably obscure facts that seem to defy the title general knowledge , mixed in with things I know to make me feel intelligent!
some of this stuff sticks!
The quiz itself has four contestants whom are all obliged to come up with an answer if the first contestant doesnt know the answer, so they guess a lot!

Canadian sports

Going to see my first ever (ice) hockey game on Monday.
As a resident Canadian this is probably overdue, and we are getting dragged there by some tourist friends from home!
Watched it over many years as an olympic sport though am still hazy on the rules, though know they are different at the olympics, and the pitch is bigger?
As a huge american football fan ,went to the Rogers dome for a CFL game last week. Whilst the game quality was unusually poor, the setting was fantastic and at $9.99 a great day out even if you dont like football.
I gather the hockey may cost more than $9.99.
I like to tell people I have an open mind, but the one thing I tune out at football is the endless advertising, the annoying music , the random announcements. I am hoping none of these things are are a feature of hockey.
If you are sat next to me watching "the leafs" on Monday 18th at the air Canada centre, feel free to enlighten me on the rules as well as why THIS is going to be their year.

"oh dear"

Whilst the case of Floyd Landis rumbles on with his complete denial of taking Testosterone, and Justin Gaitlin has accepted that he had Testoterone (or a derivative) in his system, accepted a ban , but completely denied taking anything , along comes Marion Jones.
Marion Jones was found guilty of taking EPO ,with the usual leaking of the "A" result to the internet, Unfortunately her "B" sample was NOT positive.
So, despite having been married to an athlete convicted of doping , and long suspected, she is innocent!
Are the "Lab boys" letting us down, is it the CIA, or should we listen to the golfers and police ourselves?

Golf, for God's sake!

Back to Drugs, three cheers for Tiger Woods, he has come out and said golf needs drug testing!
As in most sports were there is money involved, the chance to be sucessful and travel the world in style is affecting the post-round drink and sandwiches.
Apparently there are a suspiciously large number of people managing to hit the ball past the green from the tee., with the putter.
As well as being full of people whom may be suspected of sexism /racism/bad dress sense etc, it is also full of those whom say that they have always policed themselves and will continue to do so, now hand over the invitation to Hawaii and pick up my pension whilst I am away.

blue teeth cause blackberries?

Toronto has apparently gone wifi, the downtown core is now free connection for six months in what city officials hope will be a move to put Toronto on the map. Niagra is what until now has put us on the map, along with the worlds largest free standing structue.

Come one come all with your blue teeth and blackberries and explore what Toronto has to offer watching Italian football live and FREE (well for six months anyway).

nature...it moves

Failed to capture one of these on camera today as it flew away, also previously failed with a beaver, our resident Racoon, and lots of Eagles.

memo to self, get a better camera, make less noise, investigate those hunting supply stores for cammo beanbags, tripods and bird whistles.

Saw a beanbag today in a shop in cottage country, full DPM (disruptive pattern material..in the brochure) enabling the hunter to lie for hours unseen eating donuts and drinking tims coffee through a straw awaiting the perfect shot