Saturday, February 18th/12
Yesterday's Detroit Symphony concert was off the scale in terms of fun, excitement and breathtaking beauty! The Mozart concerto was a great prep for the monstrous Mahler 5th. This is a very long work, but with a huge payoff after the first three movements have been digested. The justly-famous Adagietto for muted strings and harp brought shivers to me, and the final movement nearly brought down the walls with its incessant waves of ultra-dynamic sound. It was conducted by Maestro Slatkin from memory! Here is the review from the Detroit News. Afterwards, we went to Seva for lunch--that's two Fridays in a row we have been there, and we can't wait to go back again.
Last evening I performed a Beethoven Sonata for a small audience of close friends here at home. As my first performance of the work it went okay. The third movement, where I was anticipating all manner of problems, went off quite well. The first movement, where I expected virtually no problems, was fraught with gremlins! A few areas of concern to polish before next Saturday's Toronto recital. The lovely second movement went as planned.
We are just back from our morning Iaido class, and had been looking forward to going out to the observatory tonight for some winter sky astronomy. However, because of quite chilly temps and a biting wind, I have held off for now. Must stay healthy for at least one more week!
Thursday, February 16th/12
How can a three-day work week seem so long and involved? I feel drained tonight, and will be in bed early. I've been reading the manual to our new Tiguan. The vehicle hasn't even been out for a single drive yet, except to bring it home from the dealer on Monday--that's the kind of week it's been.
We did get our Iaido promotions on Tuesday night! My next test will be much longer and more complicated (and every test after that one, too). I wanted to work on the katas today at home, but did not manage to get to them.
A busy day tomorrow. In the morning we are off to Detroit to hear Emmanuel Ax perform a Mozart Piano Concerto with the DSO, along with Slatkin's version of the Mahler 5th Symphony (driving over in our new vehicle). Home in the afternoon to clean the house, rearrange some furniture and perform the Beethoven Sonata that appears to have only recently departed my brain. It has not been a great week. Let's hope things improve during the weekend...
Monday, February 13th/12
Fun and interesting times! Traded in Beorn today for a new Tiguan, which is not a true SUV, but a crossover (built upon a Golf body). Still an amazing vehicle, and more than ready for the mountain roads of New Mexico. We are already planning our next summer trip into the Mogollon Mtns. We can put regular gas into the vehicle, too, instead of premium! Has every option except nav, and it's ours on a 4-yr lease.
Starting work on the Beethoven sonata again today, which I had left alone since last week. Sunday's library concert was fun to do. Paula is an amazing partner, and even though our approach to the piano is so different from one another, I do think we make a dynamic duo! Two more performances (one this Friday!) and I can begin to learn some new pieces. My next program will be a mix of new and old, with a really great sonata by Haydn, a gorgeous Rachmaninoff piece, and some Schubert, Prokofiev, Bach and more Debussy.
Tomorrow being a teaching night as well as Iaido class night, we celebrated Lupercalia tonight. Mid-February is the beginning of the end of winteri n Essex County. The daylight increases noticeably by now, and the worst cold spells are usually long gone. It looks like Wed. the 15th will be the actual day winter begins to leave us for this year. Hooray!!!
Saturday, February 11th/12
Friday morning's DSO concert was a blast! The Shostakovich Violin Concerto is a rather tough nut, and as long as a full symphony. And the Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances give each section and soloist of the orchestra a solid work out. The Rachmaninoff was recorded today by Naxos, as part of their "recorded live" albums. The orchestra was flawless and in the groove!
We had lunch at Seva afterwards, Detroit's newest all-vegetarian restaurant. Good stuff continues to happen, especially downtown and mid-town.
Deb is now two weeks into her gluten-free phase, and feels so much better. Food allergies are a funny lot, though wheat is much more common than most people realize.
I didn't dare go out and shovel snow today, in case I pulled or strained something. I need to get through tomorrow's concert first, then I can return to normal, at least unitl Friday, when I will be playing again, this time a sonata by Beethoven. As it is, I have overused my right index finger practicing the repeated notes in the Albeniz, and will have to try and switch them to my third finger now. Yikes! Looking forward to tomorrow!
Wednesday, February 8th/12
Brought the Golf into VW today, as we were receiving an airbag error message. They have to order a new one for us, due in next week. In the meantime, we ended up leasing a 2012 Tiguan, fully loaded, and trading in our Touareg. As painful as that is to me, that vehicle is just too risky to drive without a warranty, especially to the mountains and back. It is in excellent shape and will no doubt last for many years to come. We lose one inch on the clearance, so we won't be going off-road with the new vehicle like we did with the Treg. We should have the new one on the road Monday. Thanks to the trade-in we have no down payment to make, and only $300 per month payments (48 months). Not too shabby.
Last night's Iaido test went off pretty well. It was very hot in the dojo, however, making the test a real sweatbath by the end. If I passed I will be promoted to 3rd Kyu. Next test is in two months, a much bigger challenge to reach 2nd Kyu. Deb did her 4th Kyu test, and Alicia did 5th. Five of us went for Thai food before class, a new pre-test tradition.
Firming up concert details for the 25th in Toronto. Morning reheasal with Paula tomorrow, our final one before Sunday's library concert. DSO concert Friday morning, and a student group lesson Friday afternoon. Not a lot of down time lately. It will be like that until we return from Toronto on the 26th, when I can begin learning new pieces.
Monday, February 6th/12
A slight cool down in temps for a week or so will remind us what month it is--the last few days have been too good to be true. I was supposed to accompany Angela, my flute student, in a concert Sunday afternoon. However, she phoned me to say she was too sick. I had to go downtown anyway, as Paula and I were going to rehearse on the piano after the student concert. It was my one chance to get on the piano before next Sunday's concert. It was mostly a wonderful experience, though the keyboard gave me grief for the Albeniz piece, with its fierce repeated notes. Ah well, c'est la vie.
Today we performed for the Gr. 6s at Anderdon Public School, a similar though shorter version of last week's school program at Amherstburg Public. Things went well, and there were some very good questions afterwards.
Tuesday is our next Iaido test. It occurs to me that this is a very busy month! My life consists of practicing one thing or another just now. Hopefully I will achieve 3rd Kyu without my body having a major malfunction! I strained a groin muscle yesterday while doing the newest kata, and it still hurts. I am rather surprised to have made it this far, to be truthful, especially after the way I injured myself at my very first class last March.
I have decided to perform the Beethoven Sonata on Friday evening the 17th, in a short lecture/recital format here at the house. I will announce it at the concert Sunday afternoon, for those interested in hearing it.
Monday, January 30th/2012
Two months of winter down, just over one to go! We have managed to get through December and January in a most un-Canadian fashion. Yippee! We are nearly through the worst. Beorn is now halfway through his winter siesta. Only three more days until Candelmas, which traditionally marks the beginning of the end for the winter season, at least in the British Isles. In Essex County, Ontario (Canada's southern-most county), we usually add about a dozen days to that milestone. By the time Valentine's Day rolls around, we are usually seeing the backside of winter in this area. Can hardly wait! Remarkably, we have been able to keep up our outdoor walking program this late into the season, almost without interruption.
Today was my first of six upcoming musical performances on flute and piano. Paula and I played a school concert today, and we have another one next Monday at a different school. On Sunday I will accompany my own flute student in a recital.
Playing flute today for the Gr. 7s at Amherstburg Public School.
Paula and I perform piano music for four hands at our school concert today.
The Gr. 7s managed to stay awake for most of the concert.
Friday, January 27th/12
I have a confirmed concert in Toronto in February, making a total of 6 upcoming concerts/performances in the next month. The first one is this Monday, when I play flute for the Gr. 7s at Amherstburg Public, with Paula accompanying. We will then perform the Mozart Sonata for 4 hands. The following Monday we perform for the Gr. 6s at Anderdon School. The following Sunday we play at the Windsor Library, including some of my solo piano work. Also in there is my next Iaido test, for junior brown belt. A busy time, most of it practicing either piano, flute or Iaido.
Today's rehearsal at Paula's house was okay. Not much to complain about. I even got through the Debussy Prelude fairly well. Sounds amazing on Paula's piano!
Going to the dojo at 6:30 pm to run through all the katas. A week and a half to go before brown belt testing! Certainly an exciting time!
Sunday, January 22/12
Invitations went out today for the library concert on Feb. 12th--if you did not receive one (or two) please e-mail us at the address at the bottom of this page. I have decided to replace the Beethoven Piano Sonata with a number of shorter flute pieces. About three weeks afterwards, I will perform the Beethoven at a lecture/recital instead. There will still be lots of piano pieces on the upcoming program.
We attended a Detroit Symphony concert this afternoon at Orchestra Hall. The main attraction was the very accessible and totally delightful and captivating Piano Concerto #2 by Camille Saint Saens. It was performed by a 17 year old Asian boy, and he was completely outstanding. With eyes closed one would have thought it was one of the great virtuosos of our time! Conrad Tao is an incredible musician, and has the concert itinerary to prove it! He plays with more heart and soul than Lang Lang, and has the technique of Yuja Wang. Read the Detroit News review of last night's concert. What a world!
Friday, January 20th/12
We are back on-line, after a short hiatus as we switched over to a new desktop computer. It wasn't too difficult of a switch, as we had everything backed up on another disc. We still have all of our e-mail to retrieve, however. Maybe tomorrow.
Old Man Winter finally roused himself enough to give us a few genuine January days, even adding a bit of snow and blowing. It will all come to an end again by Sunday, however, as warmer air pushes back in.
Saturday, January 14th/12
I finished reading the first of two Bulldog Drummond mystery/crime novels that I bought last weekend at a used book store. They are actually highly entertaining and well-written. We recently watched six old b&w movies based on the books, and after enjoying those I wanted a taste of the original material. Just about to start my second one.
Old Man Winter has been lacking some teeth so far this season. We should be well into the deepest and coldest part of winter right now, usually lasting until early February in Essex County. So far, not much of anything in our area. Very thankful! Two weeks of the worst gone, and four to go. We can get through this!
Paula and I rehearsed Friday morning. We have a flute and piano concert booked for January 30th at a nearby school, with one other tba. After that comes the piano-only one at the library on Feb. 12th. Hopefully that will also be the day when an early spring arrives!
Thursday, January 12th/12
Perhaps by tomorrow it will become more obvious why I use a white font in January. Spring appears to be coming to an end sometime after midnight tonight. Although only a couple of inches of the white stuff is predicted, it should be gone by next week, when it is supposed to warm up once again.
A full week of teaching music lessons has zipped by, and a four-day weekend awaits! A trip to Detroit on Friday, weather permitting, and a stay-at-home holiday on Saturday and Sunday. Now that a concert date has been set (Feb. 12th), practicing will intensify. Tomorrow I also have a rehearsal with Paula. We have two school concerts coming up soon, as well as the duet part of my piano program. I am really looking forward to playing the entire Mozart Sonata in D+ for four hands, especially on the downtown library piano.
Monday, January 9th/12
The final day of our extended vacation has come to an end, as we resume our private teaching duties tomorrow through Thursday. In four short weeks we will be halfway through the school year. If the weather continues to be anything like it has been, the time really will fly past! Though seasonal temperatures will be arriving later in the week, there is nothing in the 10 day forecast to strike fear into my heart. Each mild day is a gift!
Deb managed to wiggle out of jury duty today. She was excused, much to her relief, because she is friends with one of the upcoming witnesses. The civil trial is expected to last 3-4 weeks! Lucky Deb!!
Chatting on Facebook with some of my younger former students this evening--most sound glad to be back into routines. Not sure about the teachers. I'm sure they'd rather still be on holiday.
Friday, January 6th/12
Had a really fun day in Detroit yesterday, It was a beautiful day, and we walked on our usual River Rouge Trail for a couple of miles before heading to Buddy's in Dearborn for a free pizza. Deb signed up for their e-mail notices, and gets a free pizza during her birthday month, as well as lots of coupons during the year. Next we picked up our mail and then headed to the Wayne State University Science Library, home to every topo map of New Mexico! I have been attempting to look at each one of them for several years now, and am nearly done the "Cs". Deb usually wanders through the library stacks while I study, this time discovering a multi-volume edition of "Wildflowers of the USA." Next came a stopover at John King Books. We were in search of some mystery novels by "Sapper" McNeile, author of the Bulldog Drummond series (we've been watching the old movies lately), as well as a novel by Philip K Dick. We had success with the mystery books, but not the sci fi one that Blade Runner is loosely based. Finally came Slows restaurant. They had just tapped their latest cask, and we enjoyed a very fine glass of Bells Best Brown Ale before heading homeward.
Today I had a rehearsal with Paula for our upcoming school concerts, as well as for my library recital (tentative date is Feb. 12th, 2 pm at the downtown Windsor Public Library).
Incredible weather continues, as we seem to have skipped from December to March! Fine with me! Must get outside again today.
Wed., January 4th/12
The year is off to a decent beginning for us, especially as there is no snow! Each day without it is like a little bonus from the gods of mercy. It's been awhile since we had a mild winter. I hope our ship has come in!
Mom had her eye operation today, to replace her lens in one eye. Early reports are that everything went okay. More news tomorrow.
Iaido classes resumed last night. I posted some pics on the dojo Facebook page, and one on my own wall. Alicia got a new, very expensive and wonderful sword from her grandparents for Christmas. Sensei was away, so we are still awaiting word from our last test at the final class of 2011. I have begun working on material for my next test, junior brown belt level.
Saturday, December 31st/11
My final blog entry of 2011 has me concluding it's been a pretty decent year! For one thing, neither Deb nor I have to face the trenches of classroom teaching ever again. For exactly half of 2011 we have both been happily retired from that hectic and chaotic world. Though I still miss the kids and the action of a busy music room, I'm continuing to do just fine without it. Wild horses couldn't drag Deb back there, either.
In the world of travel we had an exciting year, completing three major trips and a few minor ones. We made it to Sudbury in July, with a quick overnight in Lindsay, and a return visit to Lindsay over Christmas. The Columbus, Ohio marathon trip was also fun, and we rediscovered a great city and several brewpubs.
We managed to get to New Mexico twice! The March (#30) trip was centered around Albuquerque and the nearby desert, while the August trip (#31) took us back to Knight Peak and then once more into the high country, summiting Timber Peak at well over 10,000'! It was my fifth drive to New Mexico with Beorn the Touareg, and Deb drove west with me for the first time.
Our recent journey to London, UK, was one of the finest trips we have ever been on. Lots of walking, plenty of pubs and outstanding beer, and three fun dinners with our London friend Caroline topped off a very successful travel year. We hope to return in 2012 (after the Olympics, of course).
Other goals achieved include Deb releasing her 2nd harp cd, as well as completing two half-marathons. I managed to give a piano and harpsichord recital, helped by Paula with music for four hands.
Nine months ago I returned to martial arts in a big way with my study of Iaido, something that has gone a long way in helping me stay even more focussed in my daily life. I studied Judo and Karate as a teen, and have missed the discipline and physical workouts greatly. Sensei Blok is one of the great ones, a very inspiring man and a very good teacher. Under his guidance, as well as Randy McCall's, Deb and I have made significant progress in a short period of time. I have advanced to 4th Kyu (senior green belt), while Deb has made it to 5th (junior green belt)! Brown belts will be coming in 2012, and perhaps black in 2013. Very exciting!
Not all news has been good. I had a serious knee injury in late March (at my first Iaido class), and limped badly with a torn meniscus for several months. However, I managed to do some hiking in NM in August, and lots more in London in November. It's still not right, but I seem to be managing.
Then in late September I did something (?!) to my left shoulder. It is painful when moved, and it does not move that much. Torn rotator cuff? Suspected but not confirmed. Three months of physio has helped a little. There is still pain, but nowhere near the levels felt even on the London trip.
Weekly trips to Detroit are also helping keep us sane. The cafes, libraries, bookstores, museums, concerts, pubs and increasing ambience and street life of our favourite city continue to attract us and everyone we bring over with us!
However, despite our love of travel, it is what's happening on the home front that really excites me. I love a good day at home, and there have been many recently. Practicing piano, practicing flute, reading, writing, studying maps, watching films and dozens of other fun activities make a day home seem like an adventure! If I can add a new telescope to the back deck, I should be really set! Not to forget that 2011 was the year Randy G. finally got his 22" telescope up and running. Good times ahead!
Friday, December 30th/11
A fun week, though it has flown by. Some serious piano practicing going on, and a concert date is nearly ready to be announced. Stay tuned!
On Tuesday, Heather O., a former APS and private piano student, stopped by with 6-year old daughter Morgan and boyfriend Jeff (not the dad). I haven't seen Heather in at least ten years, and happily she has changed little and seems to be an incredible mom. We talked for two hours, and seem caught up on things for awhile. Later that night Amanda came over for dinner, and the three of us went to Detroit all day Wednesday. We had lots of fun during our many stops. At our Dearborn mailbox we received our latest DVD box sets, including 100 Mystery and Noir Classics and 100 Comedy Classics. That's a lot of movies to watch! So far we have watched two!
Eating way too much, and not exercising nearly enough. Luckily, I've back off the drinking somewhat. One out of three ain't bad!
I've been receiving an unprecedented amount of hits on my Ballantine Fantasy page, which has been quietly discovered and enjoyed up till now.
Monday, December 26th/11
A brief but fun excursion to Lindsay to spend Christmas with Lois, Deb's mom, turned out to be a lot of fun. Her condo has a lovely guest suite which we had booked since July! Deb prepared the meal (nut roast, scalloped sweet potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce (all vegan and homemade), and there was salad as well. Raspberry pie rounded out the meal, and there were copious amounts of wine, and even a martini before dinner. Bruno came along, too!
It was a small but cheerful gathering, our first Christmas with family in decades!
Even without transport trucks on the road, traffic was insanely heavy and fast. We drove 70 mph there and back, and it was as if we were standing still. For every car we passed, thousands zoomed past us. The 401 is a nasty road, and getting nastier. 80 mph seems to be the average speed. The police do nothing, either.
Driving home this morning and passing Toronto was depressing. The area around Yorkdale Shopping Center had traffic backed out onto the 401, and the surface streets and parking lots were in gridlock. Such shopping greed seems beyond ridiculous, and getting worse each year. May they all be stuck in traffic until the New Year!
Friday, December 23rd/11
Bruno, Deb's pet gorilla, in festive attire.
Winter Solstice Day was grey, grim and damp. In addition, we were both so busy as to make any type of celebration virtually impossible. I had physio in the morning. Deb actually ahd a wedding to play at in the afternoon. We both taught until 8 pm, and then we went to the APS staff party at a restaurant in Amherstburg. Needless to say we postponed our Solstice party until today.
It turned out perfectly, too. It was sunny all day, after a totally crap evening of cold rain. We had our usual holiday all day wood fire, plenty to eat and drink, and we listened to a recording of Wagner's "Gotterdammurung", the final opera in his Ring cyle. We began listening at 10 am and were done by 6 pm, with breaks for food, a long walk, and one of my famous naps by the fire. It's on 12 sides of 6 L.P. records!! Truly briliant stuff. The day was capped off by a gorgeous sunset, one of the finest!
My website has been inundated with hits in the last few days, specifically the Ballantine Fantasy page. I usually get two or three hits each day, sometimes a few more. Over 200 hits in two days!
A busy few days coming up. Will report back on Boxing Day.
Sunday, December 18th/11
A fun day today, even though the Wayne State Map Library was closed on Sundays. I'd hoped for an hour alone with some New Mexico maps. Plans for next summer's excursion are already in advanced stages.
After a walk on the Rouge Trail and some superfine vegan pizza at Buddy's, we went to the Detroit Insitute of Arts to view a couple of exhibits that are on now (not the big Rembrandt one--that can wait awhile longer). Cask ale at Slows came next (the lovely young barmaid always buys our beer!), followed by unbelievable coffee next door at Astro Coffee. Some grocery shopping at Honey Bee Market in Mex-town rounded out our day. Home for a game of Middle Earth The Wizards and some loaded nachos!
The presents to Sudbury got shipped out yesterday, and should arrive by Tuesday. Incoming ones have all arrived safely, too. Looking forward to seeing Deb's mom soon!
Friday, December 16th/11
Another week of teaching music lessons has sped past, and another glorious 4-day weekend lies ahead. Woot! We continue to use the wood stove to heat the house during the daytime, turning the furnace on low overnight. Bags of wood pellets are on sale this week, too. A $5 bag lasts us a week in October, about five days in November, and about three days in December, if it's cold. We are locked into a nasty gas agreement for two more years, so I have no desire to burn gas...
I went to school today to help a young student with her trombone skills, which are seriously lacking. I was also invited in to help judge the annual door decorating contest! Some completely amazing decorations. Well done, students! Forgot my camera, though. Drat.
Wednesday, December 14th
Just finished an energetic duet practice with Paula M. (things are always energetic with Paula around!). We did our first few run-throughs of the 3rd movement of the Mozart Sonata in D+ for four hands. Quite an outstanding piece, and the third movement is particularly filled with wit and charm. Paula is also my collaborator on several flute pieces I am working on for two upcoming school concerts.
Speaking of concerts, I hope to have my next piano recital up and ready for mid-to-late January, to be held at the downtown Windsor library. Things are going well, though the memorization is far from perfect.
Last night I undertook my 4th Iaido test, while Deb did her third and Alicia her second. I didn't do as well as I could have, but overall I guess it went okay. The farther along you get, the more important tiny details become. My current inablilty to get everything to mesh smoothly is due to inexperience and not enough practice yet. My next test will be for brown belt (Feb.), so let's hope it comes together soon! Deb thought her test went okay. Alicia made one non-fatal error, but took it pretty hard anyway. Considering that due to school and work committments she is only able to go once a week, she is doing amazingly well (Alicia is one of my piano students, now 17, interested in all things Japanese, especially Manga). Deb and I go twice each week, and I still barely manage to catch on to things.
The last of Deb's long line of finches has died. For the first time in about ten years there is no birdsong in the house. It seems strangely quiet as a result.
Thursday, December 8th/11
Another short but busy work week has come to an end. Amidst everything that had to get done I also completed the website update for the latest London adventure (#11). See the first link below the photo, opposite. I still need a careful proof-read, as well as checking that all the new links will actually work. I will send out the link to friends this weekend.
Monday, December 5th/11
Anyone else around here getting a little sick of falling precipitation? We returned from London exactly two weeks ago today (where it was dry the entire time of our visit), and since then we have had just over 9" of rain. That follows upon a very wet autumn and late summer. We are barely floating at this point! Make it stop!
Yesterday we attended an astoundingly good concert by the Detroit Symphony at Orchestra Hall (Free Press review here). In addition to two works by just the orchestra, Brandon Marsalis also joined in for two works featuring alto sax and orchestra. He is a flawless and extremely musical performer, and the sax sound that he produced was sublime! The program opened with a wonderful orchestration (by Bartok) of his Rumanian Folk Dances, seven short works which I have performed on piano. It was a revelation to hear the orchestra version, especially played by the DSO, and especially in Orchestra Hall. Marsalis performed the Glazunov Concerto next, a single movement work for string orchestra and alto sax requiring the smoothest of sounds and flawless technic. The concerto is quite good, giving off strong meditative and inward looking vibes. The next work was the exact opposite, also with sax and this time featuring a brass and woodwind orchestra, with one double bass. It was sassy and very dancy, in a 1930s jazz sort of way, and quickly caught the audience's full attention. After intermission came the true highlight. The Beethoven 7th Symphony has long been my favourite of the 9, and today's bright and rhythmic and meaningful performance was executed with such elan and seeming ease that I could easily say I have never heard the orchestra sound better! Even a day later the dotted rythms are still pounding in my head. This was the first of 8 subscription concerts for us this season, and we are really looking forward to the remainder of them.
Saturday, December 3rd/11
Just because I've been ignoring my website updates doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about them! I've been working in nearly every spare moment on the journal to London trip #11, and it is nearly done (80+ pages so far)! As soon as it is, I will turn my attention to adding large photos from the trip on new pages here.
We have both been busy preparing for our next iaido test on the 13th. Lots of polishing to do on our katas. After yesterday's class we got take-out pizzas from the Caboto Club and went to visit Heather W. (teacher friend from APS) and her new baby, Isla. Both are doing remarkably well, considering the difficulties encountered along the way (blood transfusions both in-utero and afterwards on Isla). The baby sleeps a lot, though she did wake up near the end of our visit.
Heather and Rob have bought a magnificient old house on Victoria St. that must be seen to be believed! Good grief, it's a mansion and it's in tip top condition, too!
Isla was sacked out on our arrival at Heather's place on Friday, though she did wake up near the end of our visit. She is adorable!
Before jetting off to London we did our best to get a lot of walking in. With five major walks being the highlight of our vacation, we wanted to be prepared. My knee had not been tested since August in New Mexico, and this trip would have considerably more miles of walking.
Late autumn walk on the River Rouge Trail in Dearborn, prior to our London adventure.
From our pre-London walk at Colchester Harbour.
Today we continued to prepare for winter. Beorn the Touareg was put to bed, nestled into the garage until April 1st. Four winter tires are now back on the VW Golf. Outside water was turned off and the hoses put away. Inside, we sealed up two of our doors to stop draughts. We've been heating with the wood stove during the daytime, and using the furnace on low at night. So far so good. I am still burning last years' wood chips, too!
