01Dec
Bamboo Fire
Here’s a word of advice. Don’t use bamboo products in the kitchen or anywhere that is near combustible rags. It burns to a cinder. Unlike cotton, which burns much more slowly, an 80% bamboo and 20% cotton dish cloth caught fire on our stove and continued burning and smoking outside even though it was damp and the air was partially spitting rain. Have a look at the comparison of the two. The kitchen filled with smoke, and unlike the cotton towel which flamed out by itself, the entire cloth continued to burn. You can imagine if left in the kitchen, how much damage it would do. On the left is the cotton towel, on the right the bamboo. Look at the flame and the smoke.
Water features are the heart of my garden, attracting birds, raccoons, toads and sometimes a large grey crane that clears out the koi. I wonder what kind of toad this is, a cane toad? Or a bullfrog? No, I don’t have any this size, but there are toads. That means my garden is healthy and I don’t use too much fertilizer and no pesticides at all.
The used to be “Round the Island Race” is now called “See the Island” race and takes us round T1 and a few other marks. Here Tommy is taking away the winnings from his fan club. He’s working on a new team for next year! Heider and Tom were in the lead but it was by no means an easy victory. See the concentration! Here’s Mirad at the tiller while Anna is looking for duct tape. Notice the sail numbers! That main was fast! It was a light air race, just enough to keep us moving but with plenty of shifts and holes. We had fun anyways!
Tom thought he couldn’t be outmatched as the fish caught was landed in record time – about 5 minutes. No other dared venture close to the dock after that one. It was a fine specimen of pike and was released unharmed after the photo on Stefan’s blackberry proved the bragging which surely would follow. Not to be outdone, Tommy got a big one too using ma’s photoshop skills. 
It’s now August and 4 neighbors have decided that it’s time to spend money on their homes. 
The trench is going in next door with its huge cement retaining wall. 
Gravel and bricks are stacked ready to go. Across the road, the whole drive is taken up with reconstruction and bobcats repairing the outside. Down the road, the newly finished house and freshly tended lawn is again being torn up by 2 bobcats with four dump trucks waiting to take away the load for a swimming pool going in the back. 
I guess this was an after thought? Visited the Mississauga website on planning permission recommendations and two of the houses have been approved the put in side garages where there is not enough turning radius for the triple car entry to work. You know the saying, there’s nothing worse than fast stupid sailors? How about rich, stupid people?