End of the Summer
Wow! Its sure easy to forget to do something. Not having posted anything since April I've got some more catching up to do. Where to start?
The property: it looks in great shape, Isabel's flower gardens are really pretty, though the grass has turned somewhat brown under the very hot dry summer we have had. We have decided to fix the cabin this year - with a little bit of luck we will get it up in the air and off the ground with the foundation fixed. Then we can play around with the interior - Isabel has already done ome great soft furnishing.
Isabel: Swallowdale Inn has had a great summer so far - up 50% in revenue over last year and a stream of very pleasant guests - the Speers, Bob and Barb, Francois and family from Paris and so on. This really is one of the more pleasant sides to the B&B business. Isabel's health has been variable with a couple of scares that turned out to be just that - scares and nothing else - plus a genetic condition that is very painfull but can be controlled for its 3 year life with pills. Unfortunately the pills take calcium out of the body! But at least she can operate. But, the big gain has been learning how to play bridge. we've talked aboutthis for years but finally Isabel has gotten moving and we had our first bridge night last week!!
Michael: I spent the summer in Victoria BC on a project for the BC Government. Victoria is a great little town , though a bit smug and with a totally tourist core. The project was interesting, being focused around a computer installation that went wrong. I stayed for months in the Empress Hotel overlooking the harbour - indeed so long that I got President's status to add the Elite status Air Canada gave me for flying so much! Other than that my health is OK. Only thing that went wrong was the whale watching. Julia joined me in Victoria for a weekend and I put us on a Zodiac tour to see the whales. What a mess. The seas were high with heavy cross-seas and I ended up with torn ligaments in my back from the bouncing and damage to the discs between the scapulars. Not good and very painful!!
Kim: had a storming end to her year. She graduated with honors from Seneca (congratulations), and broke up with Tom the same day!! Then a couple of days later lost her job at the Board of Trade. Investigation indicated that the job loss was attributable to the wife and daughter of the head pro. Jealousy!! There must be some truth to this as the Tournament Manager there asked her to come and work for him next year. As the BoT course has been leased by ClubLink this is great news as it gets her into the sights of the dominant force in Ontario golf. Meanwhile she moved to another course - Glen Eagle - a tournament course and gets in with the teaching pro - who used to be Mike Weir's swing coach. I tell you!!! Her handicap is now down to 13 and she has two pros vying to help her. Finally, she got on the Georgian golf team - as the only girl - and so she should have virtually a private coach.
On the housing front, we are giving up the King City house in October and Kim has gotten accomodation in Orillia at what seems a great rate in a great room. Things seem to be moving her way.
Julia meantime ended Grade 10 on the Honor Roll and went off for the summer to Europe. She went to stay with Dave and Bobbie for 3 weeks in Switzerland and the UK (Cambridge etc) and met Geoff and Jean. she then spent 2 weeks at an elite ski camp in Switzerland which seems to have been fantastic. More on her when she comes back next weekend. Meanwhile Adam seems to have hung on through the summer, so he will still be with us in the Fall - nice chap.
The property: it looks in great shape, Isabel's flower gardens are really pretty, though the grass has turned somewhat brown under the very hot dry summer we have had. We have decided to fix the cabin this year - with a little bit of luck we will get it up in the air and off the ground with the foundation fixed. Then we can play around with the interior - Isabel has already done ome great soft furnishing.
Isabel: Swallowdale Inn has had a great summer so far - up 50% in revenue over last year and a stream of very pleasant guests - the Speers, Bob and Barb, Francois and family from Paris and so on. This really is one of the more pleasant sides to the B&B business. Isabel's health has been variable with a couple of scares that turned out to be just that - scares and nothing else - plus a genetic condition that is very painfull but can be controlled for its 3 year life with pills. Unfortunately the pills take calcium out of the body! But at least she can operate. But, the big gain has been learning how to play bridge. we've talked aboutthis for years but finally Isabel has gotten moving and we had our first bridge night last week!!
Michael: I spent the summer in Victoria BC on a project for the BC Government. Victoria is a great little town , though a bit smug and with a totally tourist core. The project was interesting, being focused around a computer installation that went wrong. I stayed for months in the Empress Hotel overlooking the harbour - indeed so long that I got President's status to add the Elite status Air Canada gave me for flying so much! Other than that my health is OK. Only thing that went wrong was the whale watching. Julia joined me in Victoria for a weekend and I put us on a Zodiac tour to see the whales. What a mess. The seas were high with heavy cross-seas and I ended up with torn ligaments in my back from the bouncing and damage to the discs between the scapulars. Not good and very painful!!
Kim: had a storming end to her year. She graduated with honors from Seneca (congratulations), and broke up with Tom the same day!! Then a couple of days later lost her job at the Board of Trade. Investigation indicated that the job loss was attributable to the wife and daughter of the head pro. Jealousy!! There must be some truth to this as the Tournament Manager there asked her to come and work for him next year. As the BoT course has been leased by ClubLink this is great news as it gets her into the sights of the dominant force in Ontario golf. Meanwhile she moved to another course - Glen Eagle - a tournament course and gets in with the teaching pro - who used to be Mike Weir's swing coach. I tell you!!! Her handicap is now down to 13 and she has two pros vying to help her. Finally, she got on the Georgian golf team - as the only girl - and so she should have virtually a private coach.
On the housing front, we are giving up the King City house in October and Kim has gotten accomodation in Orillia at what seems a great rate in a great room. Things seem to be moving her way.
Julia meantime ended Grade 10 on the Honor Roll and went off for the summer to Europe. She went to stay with Dave and Bobbie for 3 weeks in Switzerland and the UK (Cambridge etc) and met Geoff and Jean. she then spent 2 weeks at an elite ski camp in Switzerland which seems to have been fantastic. More on her when she comes back next weekend. Meanwhile Adam seems to have hung on through the summer, so he will still be with us in the Fall - nice chap.
posted by Michael Kay at 11:30 AM
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